External Knowledge Management Research Articles

DEVELOPMENT OF A QUESTION ANSWERING CHATBOT FOR BLOCKCHAIN DOMAIN

Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, have transformed the field of natural language processing with their capacity for language comprehension and generation of human-like, fluent responses for many downstream tasks. Despite their impressive capabilities, they often fall short in domain-specific and knowledge-intensive domains due to a lack of access to relevant data. Moreover, most state-of-art LLMs lack transparency as they are often accessible only through APIs. Furthermore, their application in critical real-world scenarios is hindered by their proclivity to produce hallucinated information and inability to leverage external knowledge sources. To address these limitations, we propose an innovative system that enhances LLMs by integrating them with an external knowledge management module. The system allows LLMs to utilize data stored in vector databases, providing them with relevant information for their responses. Additionally, it enables them to retrieve information from the Internet, further broadening their knowledge base. The research approach circumvents the need to retrain LLMs, which can be a resource-intensive process. Instead, it focuses on making more efficient use of existing models. Preliminary results indicate that the system holds promise for improving the performance of LLMs in domain-specific and knowledge-intensive tasks. By equipping LLMs with real-time access to external data, it is possible to harness their language generation capabilities more effectively, without the need to continually strive for larger models.

Entrepreneurial growth in digital business ecosystems: an integrated framework blending the knowledge-based view of the firm and business ecosystems

Digitalisation is shaping the contemporary technological context of entrepreneurial activities, where firms grow through interacting with digital ecosystem stakeholders. This study investigates how incumbent firms seek entrepreneurial growth by re-configurating their knowledge bases in digital business ecosystems. We propose and develop a conceptual framework that blends the digital business ecosystem perspective and the knowledge-based view of the firm. Through a longitudinal case study of a Chinese textile manufacturing firm, we identify three pathways for entrepreneurial growth. The results contribute to the entrepreneurship literature by demonstrating how digital technologies foster corporate entrepreneurship in incumbent firms. The proposed framework extends the analytical power of the knowledge-based view by incorporating ecosystem elements into the firm’s internal and external knowledge management. The findings also generate relevant and actionable managerial implications for entrepreneurs, managers, and policymakers that are applicable in the context of digital business ecosystems.

Relationships among Firm’s Convergence, Knowledge Management, and Innovation Performance

급변하는 시대에 기업은 부가가치를 창출하고 시장 경쟁력 확보를 위한 새로운 돌파구로써 융합(Convergence) 을 채택하고 있다. 융합은 기술뿐만 아니라 다양한 분야에서도 활용되어지며 기업은 융합을 활용하여 혁신성과를달성하고자 한다. 융합을 지향할 경우 새로운 지식을 도입하고 활용하고자 하는 지식경영활동을 수행할 때 보다더 높은 혁신성과를 창출할 것이다. 이에 기업의 융합(기술화, 서비스화, ICT화)지향이 제품 및 공정 혁신성과에 미치는 영향과 지식의 원천을 기준으로 한 내․외부 지식경영활동이 혁신성과에 어떠한 미치는지를 실증적으로 검증하고자 하였다. 선행연구를 기반으로 가설과 측정문항을 구성하였고 국내 전통 제조 기업을 대상으로 설문조사 및 분석을 수행하였다. 연구결과 16개의 가설 중에 8개가 채택되었다. 본 연구에서는 융합을 지향하는 유형에 따라 혁신성과의결과가 다르게 나타나 혁신 성과를 달성하기 위한 융합의 방향성을 제시하였고, 융합 지향과 혁신성과 간의 관계에서 지식경영활동의 매개효과를 검증하였다. 융합 지향의 성과가 단기적인 성과로 이루어지지 못하는 점을 감안하여 혁신성과에 대한 시계열적 분석과 기업유형별로 혁신성과를 달성하기 위한 융합 유형에 대한 표준화의 필요성을 향후 연구방향으로 제시되었다.In order to respond to a rapidly changing era and create added value, companies are adopting ‘Convergence’ as a new breakthrough to secure competitiveness in market. Convergence is utilized in not only technology but also in various fields, and companies want to achieve innovation performance by utilizing convergence. In the case of orienting convergence to achieve innovative performance, higher innovation performance will be created than when performing knowledge management activities to introduce and use new knowledge. Therefore, in this study, it was intended to be verified empirically the effects of corporate convergence(Technicalization, Servitization and ICT conversion) orientation on product and process innovation performance and how internal and external knowledge management activities based on knowledge sources have an effect on innovation performance. Hypothesis and measurement items were constructed based on prior research, and surveys and analysis were conducted on domestic manufacturing companies. As a result of the study, 8 out of 16 hypothesis were accepted. In this study, since a result of innovation performance appeared differently according to the direction of convergence orientation, it suggested a direction for achieving innovation performance and verified the mediating effects of knowledge management activities in the relationship between convergence orientation and innovation performance. Considering that the convergence-oriented performance cannot be achieved in the short term, the need for time-series analysis on innovation performance and standardization of convergence types to achieve innovation performance by company types is suggested as a future research direction.

How does enterprise social network affects open innovation performance? From the dual perspective of inter- and intra-organisation

ABSTRACT Over the last decades, open innovation has received considerable attention. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence mechanism of enterprise social networks on open innovation performance from the dual perspective of inter- and intra-organisation. Structural equation model was used to test on a sample of 311 enterprises from Mainland China. Results show that external social network exerts a positive effect on open innovation performance through the mediation of external knowledge management capability. Internal social network positively affects open innovation performance via the mediating role of internal knowledge management capability. The interaction of external and internal social network enhances open innovation performance through the dual mediating effects of external and internal knowledge management capability. Furthermore, inter-organisational contract control plays a moderating role in the relationship between external knowledge management capability and open innovation performance. Intra-organisational professional control exhibits a moderating effect on the relationship between internal knowledge management capability and open innovation performance.

Absorptive Routines and the Economic Impact of Incremental Innovations: Developing Continuous Improvement Strategies

The important influence that incremental innovation has, both on the organization’s results and on the development of disruptive innovations in a synergistic relationship of positive sum, makes it necessary to deepen its study. In the context of absorptive capacity, this paper aims to contribute to the construction of a specific model of routines for more efficient exploitation. The empirical study was carried out in a sample of Spanish manufacturing companies of the PITEC Panel. The results show the superiority of the market as a source of knowledge compared to other sources with more complex knowledge, but not adjusted to the needs of a minor improvement. In addition, the management of external knowledge is a process whose phases are interrelated, so the routines and resources used must contribute to enriching the external knowledge previously acquired and not be redundant. Therefore, that would mean an inefficient allocation of resources for obtaining and exploiting continuous innovation.

Knowledge management capabilities and organizational risk-taking for business model innovation in SMEs

In today’s business environment with fast growing communication and information technologies, knowledge management (KM) capabilities are a valuable source for innovation. However, little is known about the particular KM capabilities that lead to business model innovation (BMI) and whether their effect is dependent upon the firm’s orientation towards risk-taking. We examine the impact internal and external KM capabilities have on BMI and how these effects are moderated by its risk-taking tolerance. We empirically analyze a sample of 197 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) applying structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results from the SEM indicate that particularly external KM capabilities stimulate BMI. This relationship is strengthened for firms with a high risk-taking tolerance. Internal knowledge is only effective for firms with a low risk-taking tolerance. The fsQCA results substantiate these findings and refine the SEM by providing particular antecedent conditions for high levels of BMI.

Information technology; a facilitator for improving dynamic capabilities through knowledge management utilization

Dynamic capabilities refer to an organization's responding ways to the environmental rapid changes. Methodology: It is necessary to study on the organizational dynamic capabilities for two reasons: studying the organization's activities in crisis times, and the concentration of the present management science on "knowledge management" as an important determining factor of vocational excellence and competitive advantage. Results: Our motive to prepare this paper is to respond to the question that if knowledge management plays a role in improving the organization's dynamic capabilities and as a result, increasing vocational excellence and competitive advantage? Conclusion: In this research, the set of hypotheses were studied and examined based on regression model on a number of governmental companies and at the end, results showed that organizational internal and external knowledge management elevates dynamic capabilities by information technology markedly.

EPICO 4.0. ‘Total quality’ in the management of invasive candidiasis in critically ill patients by analysing the integrated process

BackgroundA high quality integrated process in the clinical setting of non-neutropenic critically ill patients at risk for invasive candidiasis is a necessary tool to improve the management of these patients. AimsTo identify the key points on invasive candidiasis in order to develop a set of recommendations with a high level of consensus required for the creation of a total quality integrated process for the management of non-neutropenic critically ill patients at risk of invasive candidiasis. MethodsAfter a thorough review of the literature of the previous five years, a Spanish prospective questionnaire, which measured consensus by the Delphi technique, was anonymously conducted by e-mail, including 31 national multidisciplinary experts with extensive experience in invasive fungal infections, from six national scientific societies. The experts included a specialist in intensive care medicine, anesthetists, microbiologists, pharmacologists, and specialists in infectious diseases that responded 27 questions prepared by the coordination group. The educational objectives considered six processes that included knowledge of the local epidemiology, the creation and development of multidisciplinary teams, the definitions of the process, protocols, and indicators (KPI), an educational phase, hospital implementation, and the measurement of outcomes. The level of agreement among experts in each category to be selected should exceed 70%. In a second phase, after drawing up the recommendations of the selected processes, a face to face meeting with more than 60 specialists was held. The specialists were asked to validate the pre-selected recommendations. Measures and main outcomesFirstly, 20 recommendations from all the sections were pre-selected: Knowledge of local epidemiology (3 recommendations), creation and development of multidisciplinary teams (3), definition of the process, protocols and indicators (1), educational phase (3), hospital implementation (3), and measurement of outcomes (7). After the second phase, 18 recommendations were validated, and it was concluded that the minimum team or core necessary for the development of an efficient program in the use of antifungal drugs in non-neutropenic critically ill patients must consist of a specialist in infectious diseases, a clinical pharmacist, a microbiologist, a specialist in intensive care medicine, a specialist in anesthesia and recovery, and an administrator or member of the medical management team, and, in order to be cost-effective, it should be implemented in hospitals with over 200 beds. In addition, it is recommended to apply a consensual check list for the evaluation of the diagnostic process and treatment of invasive candidiasis in patients that have started an antifungal treatment. The management of external knowledge and individual learning stand out as active educational strategies. The main strategies for measuring patient safety outcomes are the analysis of the results achieved, and learning activities; assess, review and refine the deployment of the processes; quality control; epidemiological surveillance and applied research; benchmarking; and basic research. The results of the integrated process should be annually disseminated outside the hospital. ConclusionsOptimizing the management of invasive candidiasis requires the application of the knowledge and skills detailed in our recommendations. These recommendations, based on the Delphi methodology, facilitate the creation of a total quality integrated process in critically-ill patients at risk for invasive candidiasis.

Relationship of External Knowledge Management and Performance of Chinese Manufacturing Firms: The Mediating Role of Talent Management

For the competitive market, both talent management and knowledge management of employees are key primary resources in organizations. While it is well known that in today's emerging economy, intangible resources like knowledge and human capital seem as the soul of survival; few studies have examined the effect of external knowledge management and talent management strategies in Chinese manufacturing firms. This study tries to bridge this gap by examining the importance of external knowledge management and talent management, Moreover, how this consequence can affect in particular industry for the economic growth of China? Total 249 responses were collected through structured questionnaire from manufacturing organizations located in Shanghai and Suzhou, China. PLS-SEM techniques via Smart-PLS (3.2.4) software has been used to test and validate proposed model and the relationships among the hypothesized constructs. The findings of this study show that external knowledge management (E-KM) and talent management both contributes positively to the performance of manufacturing firms. Moreover, talent management as mechanism demonstrated strong mediation effects between E-KM and performance. In researchers' point of view and results revealed the evidence by linking E-KM with TM-OP and TM as a mechanism between E-KM and OP. Such insights may helpful for managers to target sustainable current and future growth of the organizations and also, to overcome the shortage of talented and qualified worker’s issues in fast-growing emerging economies.

An empirical study to investigate the effects of internal and external knowledge management on dynamic organizational skills through information technology tools

Article history: Received October 14, 2012 Received in revised format 24 December 2012 Accepted 5 January 2013 Available online January 18 2013 These days, we see a tremendous change on business units through implementation of information technology equipment. The recent advances on technology have revolutionized technology and people start creating new ideas based on these advances. In this paper, we present an empirical study to investigate the impact of two internal and external factors on dynamic organizational skills through information technology equipment. The study uses a sample of 52 experts and using a questionnaire, we gather their insight about the proposed study. Structural equation modeling has been implemented and the results confirm that both internal and external factors influence dynamic organizational skills through information technology equipment. The study also uses freedman test to rank the factors and the results show that communication is the most important factor (4.41), followed by process (4.03), knowledge implementation (2.79), decision making (2.54) and human resources (1.22) is the last important factor. © 2013 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Encouraging User-Generated Content with a Conceptional Social Media Communication Process Model

Internet phenomena like Facebook or Twitter hold great potential for companies. The 21st century’s social networks are platforms for the (semi) public exchange of information that is produced and consumed by users alike. For an organisation, taking an active part in these conversations can support the efforts to gain more trust, co-shape the organisation’s image and obtain knowledge from user-generated content. User-generated content can help optimise processes and act as a testimonial for the organisation’s services and products. This work offers an outline of motivation for, types and use of user-generated content in Social Media and provides a conceptional process model facilitating external knowledge management within organisational communication measures in Social Media.

Managing absorptive capacity stocks to improve performance: Empirical evidence from the turbulent environment of Israeli hospitals

Summary The current paper focuses on the management of external knowledge as a central mechanism when organizations face threats from turbulent environments. Based on absorptive capacity (ACAP) theory, we emphasize ACAP’s separation into potential and realized knowledge and suggest that each should be associated with three-dimensional stocks and distinguish between managing knowledge stocks and knowledge flows. Data from 522 managers from 12 Israli hospitals support the theoretical model. Organizations that manage both potential and realized ACAP stocks achieve better performance in a turbulent environment. The paper explores the practical and theoretical contivutions of the new suggested framework by linking environmental competitiveness, ACAP stocks, and performance.

Service satisfaction through external knowledge management

Service improvement represents one of the primary goals for public-sector reforms in several countries. This paper demonstrates an in-depth analysis into one Thai public agency. In this example, the Nakhon Pathom City District or the NPCD has experienced high satisfaction levels from citizens of more than 90% in terms of accessibility, atmosphere, etc. Importantly, the NPCD has not requested additional funds to help sustain service operations despite increasing demands from residents and nonresidents. Instead, the district chief has applied Knowledge Management (KM), initiated and supported by the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC). The Kasetsart University and the OPDC or the KU-OPDC research team illustrates many useful examples, including home-delivery services (similar to pizza-delivery services) and retail banking (e.g., opening the branch in the supermarkets or shopping malls). This study also demonstrates other important viewpoints such as the citizen-centred approach and win-win attitude when striving for service improvement.

Multinational knowledge spillovers with decentralised R&D: a game-theoretic approach

This paper provides a theoretical model of the trade-offs that an MNE faces when organising its R&D as decentralised or centralised. R&D decentralisation avoids having to adapt centrally developed innovations to local markets, being able to use the specific know-how of the subsidiary. In addition R&D subsidiaries can be used to source locally available external know-how. At the same time, however, R&D internationalisation intensifies the spillover of valuable know-how to competitors located in the foreign markets. The analysis demonstrates the importance of the intensity of competition in the local market in determining the size of both the benefits and costs of R&D decentralisation. It shows that when R&D is undertaken abroad in association with production, the local knowledge base is not unequivocally a pulling factor attracting R&D investments by foreign MNEs, depending on the level of local competition. The paper also shows that efficiency in reverse intra-company technology transfers is a critical factor in benefiting from technology sourcing. The results thus illustrate the complementarity of efficient internal and external knowledge management systems. In addition the model suggests that, with a fall in the cost of intra-company technology transfers, relative market size loses importance as a locational factor for R&D decentralisation.

External Provision of Knowledge Management Information Services:: The Case of the Concrete and Cement Industries

Knowledge management (KM) is typically internally generated and managed. Information services (IS) have a long history of external provision. Strategic and resource considerations are barriers to continual internal KM development, therefore inducing a potential market for external KM. This paper analyses conceptual issues, especially asymmetry , for external market provision, and explores a case study of traditional IS being reconfigured into KM and IS in the cement and concrete industries; a particularly pertinent case, not only addressing generic issues of external provision, but also addressing KM services for projects, which have become a major means for procuring and delivering products and services.

Knowledge management as competitive advantage: lessons from the textile and apparel value chain

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate knowledge management in the textile industry specifically through the relationships and interconnections of knowledge management systems, strategy and firm performance across the value chain.Design/methodology/approachThis research examines the process of acquisition, retention, maintenance, and retrieval of knowledge both within the firm through organizational memory and across the value chain. A series of case studies examines how Invista (a Du Pont subsidiary) manages knowledge internally and externally through relationships with downstream partners across a single value‐chain within the textile industry. Qualitative interviews assess the “state of the industry” regarding knowledge management systems.FindingsDifferentiation through knowledge is difficult in practice. Invista has taken the first steps to develop knowledge management systems that connect the internal and external knowledge base to gain competitive advantage. Establishing internal knowledge management systems for organizational memory creates opportunities to minimize knowledge isolation in functional departments and creates a greater base for tacit learning to be leveraged. External knowledge management systems bring value chain members closer together and add value to the product (i.e. increased quality, customer perceptions of brand platforms) throughout the value chain. Active external knowledge systems create opportunities to reap the full benefits of internal knowledge and knowledge from other firms within the network.Originality/valueThis paper describes the process of acquisition, retention, maintenance, and retrieval of knowledge within the firm by improving organizational memory and across the value chain through knowledge management systems to gain competitive advantage.