This thesis explores the contemporary position of the university by examining specific elements within the current knowledge discourse. In presenting a view of the Knowledge Management (KM) movement within the discipline of Management Science this thesis supports the claims that the emerging form of knowledge within the contemporary knowledge discourse is one that relates to or is embedded within performative criteria. This draws on the work of Jean-Francois Lyotard and other ‘postmodern’ thinkers to help explain why we appear to be facing a crucial paradox, i.e. a context where multiplicity and diversity appears to be paramount and yet knowledge itself is conforming to a more stable and less volatile form. This principal paradox is explained with the use of a model of the current knowledge discourse. The contemporary position is presented as one of ‘residual reflection’, where the contestation within the discourse results in a multiplicity of knowledge claims. Inevitably the existing structure of legitimacy within the discourse assists in the validation of knowledge claims within this fluid contested environment where there has not emerged a consensus through which legitimacy can be appropriately assigned. The current knowledge discourse appears to lie within this period of residual reflection and the manifestation of this is outlined in relation to the university. In particular, the university aligns itself with the commodification of knowledge and adopts an uncritical stance in relation to the imposition of market forces within Higher Education. This supports the legitimisation of learning that is external to the university and validates such phenomena as Lifelong Learning, Experiential Learning and other forms of work-based learning. Although not entirely critical of these forms of learning, this thesis presents a cautionary view of these developments. Specifically, the discipline of education in considering the position of the university within the postmodern, often calls for it to adopt or take up the critical position, to critically engage with the trends that appear to be emerging. However, where the university can be seen to be contributing to its own loss of legitimacy there is a danger that the opportunity for the university to undertake this necessary critical engagement is itself being undermined. The university is potentially losing its opportunity to engage within the knowledge discourse in an effective way. In many respects it is contributing to its own loss of legitimacy and in doing so opens up the discourse to other elements which themselves seek legitimacy. In its open acceptance of the benefits to be gained from the uncritical acceptance of the commodification of knowledge the university is doing more than allowing different views to be aired and considered. The university is, in fact, appearing to commercially succeed at the expense of its own position within the knowledge discourse. This thesis does not attempt to support the existence of the university as an institution. In presenting the deteriorating position of the university there is accepted only a greater degree of contestation within the knowledge discourse. The need to reconcile this contestation is necessary but the outcome or the means of reconciliation are not considered here. However, the opportunity for the university to play a part in this reconciliation is not fully appreciated currently, specifically within the academic community. The many claims that the university is in crisis and facing ruin are countered by the presentation of a genuine need, essentially the need to critically engage with the dynamism being experienced within the knowledge discourse. There is assumed to be an opportunity here for the university, but this opportunity is itself being lost and the position of the university, at a time when it appears to be at its most successful, is being undermined. Importantly its own actions are contributing to its inevitable loss of legitimacy and in turn its right or opportunity to position itself as the critical arbiter within the knowledge discourse.

<p>Disertacije se bavi problematikom&nbsp;identifikovanja stručnih kompetencija&nbsp;zasnovnaih na informacionim tehnologijama&nbsp;i načinom implementacije istih u postojeće&nbsp;nastavne planove i programe. U okviru&nbsp;disertacije je dizajniran model&nbsp;vi&scaron;ekriterijumeske analize stručnih&nbsp;kompetencija studenta zasnovnih na&nbsp;informacionim tehnologijama. Model se<br />sastoji iz tri modula: Modul za identifikacju&nbsp;stručnih kompetencija, Modul za rangiranje<br />stručnih komepetencija i Modul za&nbsp;preporuku stručnih komepetencija.&nbsp;Identifikacija stručnih kompetencija vr&scaron;i se&nbsp;iz različitih izvora kako bi dobili &scaron;to &nbsp;potpuniju sliku &scaron;ta je to potrebno od stručnih&nbsp;kompetencija zasnovnih na informacionimtehnologijama u profesionalnoj praksi. Uokviru modula za rangiranje uz pomoćvi&scaron;ekriterijumaske - vi&scaron;eekspertne analize<br />vr&scaron;i se rangiranje identifikovanih stručnihkompetencija. Modul za preporuke stručnih<br />kompetencija uz pomoć komparativneanalize rangiranih stručnih kompetencija<br />defini&scaron;e preporuke za izmjene nastavnihplanova i programa prema potrebama<br />profesionalne prakse. Model jeimplementiran na studijskom programuTelekomunikacije i po&scaron;tanski saobraćaj naSaobraćajnom fakultetu u Doboju,Univerzitet u Istočnom Sarajevu, Bosna iHercegovina. Model definisan na ovakavnačin pomaže u pobolj&scaron;anju kvaliteta kao i<br />približavanju prakse Nastavnim planovima iprogramima.</p> / <p>The dissertation deals with the problem of&nbsp;identifying professional competences<br />based on information technologies, and&nbsp;with they implementation in existing<br />curricula. A multicriteria analysis model&nbsp;for ranking professional competences of<br />student based on information technology&nbsp;is formed. The Model consists of three<br />modules: Module for identification of&nbsp;professional competences based on<br />information technologies, Module for&nbsp;ranking professional competences and<br />Module for the recommendation of&nbsp;professional cometences. Identification of<br />professional competencies is done from&nbsp;different sources in order to get more<br />complete picture which professional&nbsp;competences are needed in professional<br />practice. Identified professional&nbsp;competencies are ranked within the&nbsp;ranking module by using multi-criteriamulti-&nbsp;expert analysis. The module for the&nbsp;recommendations of professional&nbsp;competences by using comparative&nbsp;analysis method proposes<br />recommendations for changes in curricula&nbsp;based on the needs of professional<br />practice. The model was implemented at&nbsp;the study program Telecommunications<br />and Postal Traffic at the Faculty of Traffic&nbsp;Engineering in Doboj, University of East<br />Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina. The&nbsp;model helps in improving quality as well&nbsp;as bringing professional practice closer to&nbsp;teaching plans and programs.</p>

Die 20. Tagung der Gemeinschaften in Neuen Medien (GeNeMe) stellt innovative Technologien und Prozesse zur Organisation, Kooperation und Kommunikation in virtuellen Gemeinschaften vor und bildet ein Forum zum fachlichen Austausch insbesondere in den Themenfeldern Wissensmanagement und E-Learning. Diskutiert werden nicht nur technologische oder ökonomische Gesichtspunkte der Nutzung neuer Medien, vielmehr werden auch soziologische, psychologische, personalwirtschaftliche, didaktische und rechtliche Aspekte betrachtet. Die GeNeMe richtet sich an Experten aus Forschung und Industrie und sucht den Erfahrungsaustausch zwischen Teilnehmern verschiedenster Fachrichtungen, Organisationen und Institutionen aus Wirtschaft und Verwaltung. [... aus der Einleitung]

The 20th Communities in New Media (GeNeMe) Conference presents innovative technologies and processes for the organization, cooperation, and communication in virtual communities. It is a forum for professional exchange especially in the fields of knowledge management and online learning. The conference focuses not only on technological and economic aspects of the use of new media, but takes a closer look at sociological, psychological, economic, didactic, and legal facets as well. GeNeMe is geared towards experts from research and industry. It is designed to promote practical and scholarly insights among participants from various disciplines, organizations, and institutions from academia, business and administration. [... from the introduction]

Mittels Gender- und Diversitätsmanagement (GDM) und unterschiedlichen Formen des Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements bzw. "nachhaltigen Wirtschaftens" sucht man in Organisationen bereits seit einigen Jahrzehnten, strukturellen und normativen Verantwortungs- und Veränderungsanforderungen zu begegnen. Bisher wurde jedoch im deutschsprachigen GDM-Diskurs kaum Bezug auf Fragen des nachhaltigen Wirtschaftens genommen. Ziel des Beitrags ist es, in Form konzeptioneller Überlegungen eine Verknüpfung von GDM und dem Bereich des nachhaltigen Wirtschaftens anzuregen, um damit die reflexive Basis wissenschaftlicher und praxisbezogener Diskurse in beiden Bereichen stärker auf die Re-Produktionsmechanismen von Diversitätsdimensionen und die damit verbundenen Differenzsetzungen zu richten. Zu diesem Zweck werden Konzepte des organisationalen Lernens herangezogen und deren entsprechendes Potenzial diskutiert.

This thesis investigates personal knowledge development in online learning environments and the impact that personal values have on it. Personal knowledge development was investigated from the perspective of Nonaka’s SECI model of organisational knowledge creation. This model served as the basis for an adapted model that conceptualises personal knowledge development in online learning at the individual level. The personal value types of the Schwartz Value Survey and the Portrait Values Questionnaire were adopted to measure personal values and their impact on personal knowledge development in online learning environments. Three data collection approaches were used. First, an exploratory study was conducted which elicited online learners’ experiences of their personal knowledge development in online learning; this study used online discussion forums for data collection. Second, a Delphi study was carried out. Experts were asked which of the ten individual-level value types by Schwartz are likely to be particularly relevant in the context of online learning. Third, an online survey was created. Its aim was to measure the impact that personal values and background variables, such as gender and age, have on personal knowledge development in online learning. A measurement instrument was devised that measures three of the SECI modes, namely Externalisation, Combination and Internalisation. This instrument measures the magnitude of online learners’ Externalisation and Combination activities as well as their level of Internalisation, i.e. the outcomes of personal knowledge development. Results of the exploratory study show that there are widely diverging experiences of personal knowledge development in online learning. The literature review suggests that the cultural situatedness of an online learning environment is an important influencing factor on personal knowledge development. The results of the Delphi study suggest that Self-Direction, Stimulation, and Achievement are particularly relevant value types in the context investigated here. Finally, the online survey confirms this view, as all three value types were found to be positively correlated with Externalisation, Combination, and Internalisation, with the exception of the Achievement-Combination relationship. A modified version of the SECI model is proposed, which extends the applicability of the original SECI model from the organisational to the individual level. It is argued that this model is suitable to describe personal knowledge development in the context of online learning. The study also contributes to closing the gap in research on the impact of personal values in the context investigated in this study. Moreover, a measurement instrument was created that can be used to measure Externalisation and Combination, i.e. personal knowledge development processes, and Internalisation, i.e. personal knowledge development outcomes.

While the importance of knowledge creation and management has been widely recognised as vital to an organisation's ongoing competitiveness and success since the 1990s, there has been little systematic study of knowledge creation and transfer processes in organisations. Much of what has been reported in the literature is anecdotal in nature. Particularly lacking is research within an international context, exploring issues related to the transfer of knowledge across countries and culture. It is proposed that there is a need for theory building research in the area of knowledge transfer. Given the complex and social nature of knowledge, a qualitative approach to undertaking this research was adopted. The study is an inductive, theory-building case study in relation to a multinational company. In summary, this study evaluated the effectiveness of a best practice knowledge management program in achieving knowledge transfer in sales and marketing practices throughout the markets of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. It considered the methods by which knowledge was transferred and their relative effectiveness, and those factors which may have mediated or limited the knowledge transfer processes. The research was undertaken by the company's Knowledge Manager who had created the best-practice knowledge transfer program. The implications of this situation on the study's validity and reliability are discussed, and were taken into account in the design of the questionnaire and in the analysis of all findings. The case study site was a European-based, global travel technology company. The principal data-gathering method was a structured interview conducted by telephone with senior staff from within 28 European and Latin American markets. In total, 31 interviews were undertaken. This broad-ranging interview method gathered information and feedback on the processes used for identifying and distributing best practices in sales and marketing. The interview data were supplemented by feedback questionnaires from best practice forums, intranet usage statistics, observations from best practice forums and from interviews with staff in the central organisation. While there was evidence that knowledge transfer had occurred, the results of the study highlighted the difficulties in effectively measuring the knowledge transfer process. It is the researcher's view that clear and visible measures of knowledge transfer are not universal or even generic, but rather are to be discerned in a range of indicators across actions, behaviours, attitudes and outcomes in culture-specific settings. A time based knowledge measurement model was developed to assist in this regard. Other major outcomes from the research included: * The confirmation of the critical importance of face-to-face communication mechanisms for knowledge transfer to result in knowledge uptake. * The identification of the role of technology as an enabler of communication and distribution of knowledge, but not as a driver for action or knowledge uptake. * The recognition of the relationship between the broad factors impacting on knowledge transfer such as organisational factors, external environment and individual characteristics, in a complex and non-linear manner, suggesting that knowledge transfer is a multi-factorial process involving interacting variables to an extent greater than generally accepted hitherto. A tool for use within organisational settings has been developed in this regard. * The identification of the interplay between different individual specific characteristics or factors such as personal experience of change, experience of working in a different cultural context, ego/personality, and credibility of the person transmitting the practice which influence the decision to adopt or not adopt a practice from another market. * The identification of the need for cultural similarity and high levels of homogeneity, in terms of market maturity, market size and competitive position for practices to transfer more often between countries. * The recognition that many factors operate to influence and shape the knowledge or indeed to block the transfer of practices between countries, with resistance to other practices possibly relating to an individual's need for the application of creativity, personal ownership and control. Additionally, the researcher observed that much of the language within the existing literature describing those factors which block or limit knowledge transfer is negatively framed. The researcher believes that a change in attitude about the positive influence of an individual's filtering processes, together with a change in organisational language describing resistance to knowledge transfer, would yield a positive impact on individuals' attitudes and behaviour with regard to knowledge transfer. Several areas for further research as a result of the study were identified and include individual factors such as cultural characteristics, motivation, personality and adult learning styles. Additionally, a more detailed examination and understanding of the impact of organisational factors such as leadership and generational gaps on knowledge transfer would be of significant value to the body of knowledge.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Columbia International University, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-137).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Columbia International University, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-137).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Columbia International University, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-137).