Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T16:44:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Laura Gallucci.pdf: 446325 bytes, checksum: 24d272ec328a59fb171cf8634ffa23e6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-08 / Knowledge management has most frequently been studied focusing on the explicit knowledge and technological support, and has been perceived as a logical evolution of traditional information systems. Deriving from this view, it has been implemented mainly by companies which operations demand high technology. This way to perceive knowledge management tends to exclude organizations in which tacit knowledge is the main asset, as it occurs at colleges and universities; these organizations fit the concept of knowledge companies , because their main goals are create, manage and disseminate knowledge, their services are mainly intangibles and their quality is directly linked to quality and knowledge (mainly tacit) kept it as individual intellectual capital, in their teachers mind. Adding to this scenery the fast raising of competition in private colleges and universities in Brazil, it s possible to observe the implementation of knowledge management in these teaching institutions as a key-factor to guarantee their survival and competitivity, because of it contribution to increase the quality of teaching services offered. According to this situation, the goal for this dissertation is to establish the main basis for a knowledge management model, specially developed to supply colleges and universities characteristics, and have their focus on sharing knowledge (mainly tacit, but also explicit) among the members of their teaching staff. To reach the proposed goal, two research questions has been explored: which should be the basis to the model and which are the internal conditions for higher education institutions that increase or decrease the probability for a knowledge management model to be successfully implemented. In the search for a conceptual deepening related to research questions, an historical method was used, reviewing concepts and theories about knowledge management in the last fifty years, and the comparative method, with the analysis of different bibliographic sources, followed by selection of the most suitable to this work goal. To reinforce the applicability of knowledge management models to organizations reality, the methodological procedure also included the selection and analysis of real cases, studies and researches with three focuses: knowledge management in business, knowledge management in higher education institutions and the impact of loss of main collaborators in the intellectual institutional capital. The resulting model contains the main basis to implement knowledge management in higher education institutions and supplies particularities for an important part of these institutions, which culture does not stimulate the sharing of knowledge and which are not willing to make significant investments in innovations that can t have their effectiveness proved beforehand / A Gestão do Conhecimento tem sido estudada, com maior freqüência, focando o conhecimento explícito e o suporte tecnológico, sendo percebida como uma evolução lógica dos tradicionais sistemas de informação. Em decorrência dessa visão, ela vem sendo implementada, sobretudo, por empresas cujas operações estão ligadas à tecnologia de ponta. Esta forma de perceber a Gestão do Conhecimento tende a excluir organizações em que o conhecimento tácito é o principal ativo, como ocorre nas instituições de ensino superior; estas se enquadram no conceito de empresas do conhecimento , pois suas principais funções são gerar, gerir e disseminar conhecimento, seus serviços têm alto grau de intangibilidade e sua qualidade está diretamente ligada à qualidade e ao conhecimento (principalmente tácito) armazenado sob a forma de capital intelectual individual na mente de seus professores. Somando-se a este quadro o aumento acelerado da concorrência no setor do ensino superior privado no Brasil, pode-se perceber a implementação da Gestão do Conhecimento nessas instituições de ensino como um fator-chave para garantir sua sobrevivência e sua competitividade, por sua contribuição para aumentar a qualidade dos serviços educacionais prestados. Face ao cenário apresentado, o objetivo desta dissertação é estabelecer as principais bases de um modelo de Gestão do Conhecimento especialmente desenvolvido para atender às características das instituições de ensino superior, e cujo foco está no compartilhamento de conhecimento (sobretudo tácito, mas também explícito) entre os membros de seu corpo docente. Para atingir o objetivo proposto, duas questões de pesquisa foram exploradas: quais devem ser as bases do modelo e quais são as condições internas às instituições de ensino superior que aumentam ou reduzem a probabilidade de que um modelo de Gestão do Conhecimento seja implementado com sucesso. À busca de um aprofundamento conceitual em relação às questões de pesquisa, utilizou-se o método histórico, com a revisão de conceitos e teorias sobre Gestão do Conhecimento nos últimos cinqüenta anos, e o método comparativo, com a análise e a seleção das fontes bibliográficas mais adequadas à finalidade deste trabalho. Para reforçar a aplicabilidade de modelos de Gestão do Conhecimento à realidade das IES, o procedimento metodológico também incluiu a seleção e a análise de casos reais, estudos e pesquisas com três focos: a Gestão do Conhecimento em empresas comerciais , a Gestão do Conhecimento em instituições de ensino superior e o impacto da perda de colaboradoreschave no capital intelectual institucional. O modelo resultante contém as principais bases para a implementação da Gestão do Conhecimento em instituições de ensino superior e atende às particularidades de boa parte dessas instituições, cuja cultura não estimula o compartilhamento do conhecimento e que não se dispõem a fazer investimentos significativos em inovações cuja eficácia não possa ser comprovada de antemão

The purpose of this study is to explore the different marketing techniques accessible to fashion independent retailers and aiming to strengthen their customer relationship and attract/create a community. It also focuses on understanding the applicability and operationalization of customer relationship management marketing techniques in a specific context, here, a fashion independent retailer. / Program: Master programme in Fashion Management

Governments around the world have pursued ICT based initiatives including the provision of infrastructure to assist regional areas to develop economically (Beckinsale et al. 2006). There has been considerable interest in exploiting ICT to develop high technology clusters and support innovative networks (Lawson & Lorenz 1999). However, these initiatives have met with mixed success. It is clear that such development depends on more than providing appropriate technology Attention to social and organisational factors is crucial if regional areas are to realise the potential of ICT as a tool for regional development (Gengatharen & Standing 2005). It is important to understand the nature of business networking as well as the perspective of those participating in such networks if successful initiatives are to be established. The aim of this research is to identify how ICT can be used for knowledge sharing among businesses in regional areas and how the online networks through which knowledge is shared can contribute to the development of the region. This research investigates the question of what value small businesses in those regions derive from knowledge sharing networks using ICT. It also seeks to identify the value creation potential of those networks for their region. Previous research has shown that large organisations have achieved significant value from virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) as a structure for sharing knowledge and supporting innovation (Wenger 2004). The concept of Communities of Practice and Virtual Communities of Practice provided a useful point of departure for this research. The investigation comprised interpretive case studies of two Australian regional areas and their local business networks which incorporated SMEs in a variety of industries. Each case study was conducted in three stages. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted with regional economic development leaders. Second, 192 small and medium business owners were surveyed about their business activities and their participation in local business networks. Third, in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 small business owners to gain a richer understanding of their participation in knowledge-sharing networks and the value they realised or anticipated from various knowledge-sharing activities. A combined analysis of the two cases was conducted as well as the individual analyses. The research adopted a modified Structured Case method (Carroll & Swatman 2000). The analysis of the two case studies revealed: a.) There was a significant difference between the majority of SMEs who traded within the region and those trading largely beyond the region. The latter’s more proactive online sharing knowledge and seeking of business opportunities would enable them to access most value from VCoEs. b.) The participating SMEs operated in a number of industries and what they had in common was an interest in improving their enterprises. Consequently they used their regional networks which were not aligned to any one industry to make connections and share knowledge. They did not necessarily seek to access specific information. c.) A necessary prerequisite of VCoEs is having vibrant CoEs where face-to-face interaction enhances the development of trust and social capital. This appeared as an important factor facilitating the move to incorporate online knowledge sharing. d.) Younger businesses appeared to gain the most value from knowledge sharing in CoEs as they were using their networks to determine how to grow their firm. e.) The value of VCoEs to the SME participants is primarily in their general connection to other businesses in the region. Since the participants operate in a number of industries, what they have in common is an interest in their enterprises. The main value appears to come from the potential of the VCoEs to add to this connection and to social capital. This study found that successful management of VCoEs must: i) Ensure the network website is actively used by members before attempting to incorporate online knowledge sharing. ii) Monitor and stimulate online forum interaction rather than rely on interaction to occur naturally. iii) Not rely on email as a mechanism for stimulating knowledge sharing. Email is seen as more appropriate for formal documentation than for candid exchange of views. The concept of virtual communities of practice was found to be somewhat inappropriate for the diverse SMEs in the regional networks. Because of their diversity, they do not necessarily see value in sharing knowledge about practice but they do see value in sharing more general information and in providing support, connection and ideas that facilitate the strategic direction of their business. To address this issue, the concept of virtual communities of enterprise (VCoEs) is proposed as recognition of what the participating SMEs had in common: an interest in their individual businesses as part of the region. The original contribution of this research consists of its identification of the issues in linking SMEs across industries. It provides new insights on the business practices of regional SMEs and developed the concepts of Community of Enterprise (CoE) and Virtual Community of Enterprise (VCoE) to capture the special nature of knowledge sharing in regional multi-industry business networks. New perspectives are revealed on the ways that value could be derived from knowledge sharing by these regionally networked SMEs, as such it adds to the body of knowledge in an area where there has been little systematic investigation. This research reinforces the importance of social capital as an essential pre-requisite for accessing the value of intellectual capital in regions. Social capital emerges as vital when establishing and maintaining face-to-face knowledge sharing in regional networks and a necessary pre-condition for successfully establishing online knowledge sharing. Trust is a key factor and this research extends understanding of the role of social capital and the importance of trust in regional networks and online interaction. Its findings have significant implications for the development and management of CoEs and VCoEs as it outlines the key elements that need to be addressed when establishing and maintaining them, the appropriate applications for this context and the issues involved in management of the networking and online contexts. These findings not only increase our understanding of the management dynamics of online networks, they can also provide guidance to those seeking to establish successful VCoEs.

As a form of expert labour and organizational resource, knowledge workers are important in organizational life as producers and consumers of knowledge. The role of knowledge workers and the ways in which they transfer their knowledge become important as they possess the symbolic and analytic skills to undertake work which is contingent upon the application of ambiguous knowledge in uncertain, networked business environments. Yet, in much of the existing literature knowledge workers and knowledge transfer seem to have been partially interpreted and through a perspective maintaining an emphasis on organizational performance. Current understanding of the role of knowledge workers sees knowledge workers as either willing or reluctant to share knowledge, i.e. as either contributing to organizational efficiency or its opposite, while knowledge sharing is unequivocally understood as beneficial for organizational performance. The aim of the study is to produce an interpretation of knowledge transfer and the role of knowledge workers that extends beyond simplified and limited categories. The perspective of the knowledge worker is centrally adopted and, using this approach, the identity of knowledge workers and their interpretation of knowledge sharing are explored. The study focuses on 58 knowledge workers in the subsidiaries of five high-tech multinational companies in Athens, Greece, where complex, ambiguous knowledge work and operational interdependencies are supported by elaborate architectures of Knowledge Management initiatives. The method of data collection is interviews and data have been analysed by using QSR N-VIVO and developing thematic conceptual matrices. The findings suggest that, across organizational contexts, knowledge workers construct and maintain identities of competence and upward mobility and exhibit a combination of behaviour. Here, knowledge is better seen as being traded, rather than shared. Knowledge exchanges are subject to a set of knowledge trading principles which reflect self-interested and instrumental conceptualizations of competence and lead to the discrimination and selection of knowledge categories, uses and groups of colleagues. It is indicated that different conceptualizations of the self and various behaviours co-exist and manifest interchangeably thus both supporting and undermining corporate priorities throughout the course of practice. Knowledge worker self and behaviour play an ambivalent role in relation to corporate priorities disturbing but also harmonizing the organizational context. Monochrome notions of ‘sharing’, or interpretations assuming either the willingness to share knowledge or not reflect only part of who the knowledge worker is and why he/she transfers knowledge.

Globalization, time to market, and customer responsiveness present continuous challenges for achieving market innovation across cultures. A cross-cultural and networked business environment has created increased demand for knowledge-sharing within the multinational corporation (MNC). The inability of geographically distributed team members to effectively share and communicate ideas and solutions can result in a lack of product innovation, delayed product introductions, and reduced sales and market opportunities. This requires managers to leverage cross-cultural team knowledge in order to improve the design and delivery of innovative customer solutions worldwide. This dissertation thus intends to examine and identify organizational mechanisms that facilitate cross-cultural collaboration and knowledge-sharing for geographically distributed teams responsible for the front end of innovation.The resource-based and knowledge-based views of the firm inform this dissertation where integrated cognitive and social practices serve an important role for innovation. Through qualitative research, I will examine organizational mechanisms that influence interactions between the project leader and the geographically distributed team during global product launches, from product concept to market introduction. Since there is a lack of empirical research conducted with organizations on cross-cultural collaboration and global innovation, there is a significant opportunity to advance research within innovation management while assisting organizations in the development of knowledge-sharing capabilities that serve as competitive advantage in conceiving and introducing new products to international markets.The purpose of this dissertation research is to investigate and demonstrate how MNCs can facilitate the cross-cultural collaboration process in order to effectively conceive and execute innovation strategies for new products. The research intends to develop a framework and model for cross-cultural team collaboration in exploring and responding to the following research question: How can MNCs optimize cross-cultural team collaboration in order to strengthen the planning and execution of global innovation strategies? This research responds to organizational needs for sharing knowledge amongst cross-cultural teams in order to accelerate responsiveness to international market opportunities.

The aim of this study was to conduct a thorough theoretical study on the relevant aspects involved in knowledge management and organizational learning, and thence assess the level of organisational learning within the ferrometallurgical industry. From the outcomes of the assessment, recommendations to improve the state of affairs were to be made. Knowledge can be defined as actionable information. The creation, acquisition, sharing and leveraging of knowledge in today's industries are critical. Knowledge is now termed the fourth productive resource, and some authors claim, with some justification, that the widespread knowledge within a company is the only source of sustainable competitive advantage. With this in mind, it is obvious that companies need to nurture knowledge creation and effective utilisation thereof in order to meet organisational goals. Knowledge can be codified if it is explicit, but needs to be transferred using personalisation if it is tacit. Implicitness of tacit knowledge further confounds the issue. Knowledge management practices underpin the process of organisational learning. The level of organisational learning within the ferrometallurgical industry in South Africa was assessed, using a survey questionnaire obtained from the Harvard Business School. The results show that the industry lags behind the medians in the ten constructs measured, and much work will be required to significantly improve the situation. Key areas of concern are in the areas of psychological safety, time for reflection, education and training, and collection of information. As a consequence, a practical strategy for improving the state of knowledge management and organisational learning in the ferrometallurgical industry was developed. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The aim of this study was to conduct a thorough theoretical study on the relevant aspects involved in knowledge management and organizational learning, and thence assess the level of organisational learning within the ferrometallurgical industry. From the outcomes of the assessment, recommendations to improve the state of affairs were to be made. Knowledge can be defined as actionable information. The creation, acquisition, sharing and leveraging of knowledge in today's industries are critical. Knowledge is now termed the fourth productive resource, and some authors claim, with some justification, that the widespread knowledge within a company is the only source of sustainable competitive advantage. With this in mind, it is obvious that companies need to nurture knowledge creation and effective utilisation thereof in order to meet organisational goals. Knowledge can be codified if it is explicit, but needs to be transferred using personalisation if it is tacit. Implicitness of tacit knowledge further confounds the issue. Knowledge management practices underpin the process of organisational learning. The level of organisational learning within the ferrometallurgical industry in South Africa was assessed, using a survey questionnaire obtained from the Harvard Business School. The results show that the industry lags behind the medians in the ten constructs measured, and much work will be required to significantly improve the situation. Key areas of concern are in the areas of psychological safety, time for reflection, education and training, and collection of information. As a consequence, a practical strategy for improving the state of knowledge management and organisational learning in the ferrometallurgical industry was developed. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

One approach to dealing with complexity in a public policy context is horizontality, the act of working across the various ministries and divisions of a government in order to harness the organization’s capacity and resources and direct them towards the addressing of complex problems. And one prominent mechanism for promoting horizontality is greater organization-wide collaboration, knowledge sharing and active knowledge seeking amongst a network of government knowledge workers commonly referred to as policy analysts. The emergent use of Web 2.0 tools and approaches within organizations has raised the possibility that we have entered a new knowledge era - Enterprise 2.0 - that can address the horizontality problem, facilitate the sharing of knowledge between policy analysts and across organizations, and promote transformative governance. This research investigated how policy formulation processes in the government of the Canadian province of British Columbia are being affected by the adoption of Web 2.0 tools internally within the organization as a way to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration amongst government policy analysts. Semi-structured interviews with members of corporate policy units in the Government of British Columbia were conducted (n = 14), and an on-line questionnaire was completed by Government of British Columbia policy analysts (n = 129). These mixed methods form the basis for a triangulation approach to assessing the research questions. Respondents conceptualized policy analysis as rooted in an apolitical synthesis of evidence and best practices from a variety of sources, leading to a recommendation designed to support decision-making. The diversity and reach of the policy analyst’s organizational social network is related to their length of service in the organization and is an important supplement to the analyst’s knowledge base. There was little evidence that technology networks generally, and Web 2.0 tools specifically, play a prominent role in facilitating the knowledge organization; in fact, policy analysts may refrain from sharing knowledge with colleagues using technology networks in order to avoid contributing to their colleagues' information overload. Following the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991), attitudes, followed by subjective norms, were the strongest and most consistent predictors of the policy analyst’s intention to collaborate and share knowledge with their colleagues. Perceived behavioural control was not a factor, leading to the possibility that while policy analysts may believe and be told that knowledge sharing and collaboration are advantageous, they may not feel they have the authority, latitude or ability to do so. A significant gender result was consistently revealed, that women were found to be less supportive of knowledge sharing and collaboration than men, a result possibly due to a culture dominated by masculine characteristics. The findings have implications for public sector organizations seeking to provide support for knowledge workers to make effective use of the organizational social network, new collaboration technologies and organizational capacity to address complex public policy problems. Interested readers should consult http://jlphdcand.wordpress.com for updated versions of this research, and related work. / Graduate

In Norway research on immigrants and the labour market has to a large degree focused on immigrants’ shortcomings, be it their lacking knowledge, competence and skills (KCS) or their failures in being recruited to available jobs. This study seeks to refocus current academic interest and investigates the potential benefits of recruiting immigrant employees. It explores highly skilled immigrants and how their KCS is valued, shared and used in a Norwegian workplace. In this study seven immigrant employees in a State organisation (the Directorate) are interviewed about their experiences with having their KCS validated, shared and used. In addition they reflect on the Directorate’s framework conditions for sharing learning, and whether the organisation is able to expand the organisational culture to embrace immigrants’ values, opinions and practices. The study adopts a socio-cultural view on learning and operationalises this approach through the use of Lave and Wenger’s concept of communities of practice (CoPs). Employees in the Directorate are thus seen as members of CoPs and new immigrant employees as novices going through a participative process to gain access to the CoPs’ repertoire of accepted practices. Findings indicate that the negotiation of meaning taking place when new, immigrant KCS enters CoPs is a contested process in which both new employees and veteran members go through a process of identity formation. Findings also indicate that although an organisation may have an inclusive work environment regarding surface-level diversity, the inclusion of foreign values, opinions and practices and the development of a diverse learning environment is dependent on a conscious strategy on harvesting foreign KCS.

No description available.