Use Of Knowledge Management Techniques Research Articles

PERSONALIZED KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN ENVIRONMENTS OF WEB-BASED EDUCATION

This paper is focused on the use of Knowledge Management techniques to develop environments of Web-Based Education to leverage the individual learning process for learners. Evolving use of Knowledge Management plays an important role to enhance problem solving skills. Recently, innovative approaches for integrating Knowledge Management into practical teaching activities have been ignored. The knowledge is defined as combination and organization of data and information in given context, and Knowledge Management provides acquire, storage, sharing, application and creation of knowledge objects. A new Architecture for the development of adaptive and intelligent Web-Based Education systems is presented. This architecture is based on a Learning Model for Personalized Knowledge Management.

Disentangling value‐enhancing and cost‐increasing effects of knowledge management

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to provide large‐scale empirical evidence on the value‐enhancing and cost‐increasing effects of knowledge management (KM) techniques.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conduct structural equation analyses, using data from the Community Innovation Survey 2007 and from annual accounts of 705 innovative Belgian firms.FindingsResults confirm that the use of KM techniques has an indirect positive impact on financial performance via increased innovation performance. In addition, a direct cost‐increasing effect of KM practices on financial performance is observed. In the short term, this direct cost‐increasing effect exceeds the indirect value‐generating effect of KM techniques.Research limitations/implicationsThis study investigates the short‐term effects of KM techniques. Future research should study the long‐term costs and benefits. Data were collected in Belgium and may not reflect the impact of KM practices in other geographic, economic or cultural settings.Practical implicationsThe findings clearly indicate that the implementation of KM techniques entails significant costs. Within a two‐year time frame, the financial costs of KM techniques are more visible than their potential benefits. An exclusive focus on the short‐term implications of the use of KM techniques is hence likely to give a too pessimistic view on their potential financial contribution.Originality/valueThis article is the first large‐scale study that disentangles both the value‐enhancing and cost‐increasing effects of KM techniques on financial performance and that uses time lags and accounting data (as opposed to self‐reported performance measures) to do so.

Assessing Knowledge Management Needs

Most knowledge management work encourages practicing managers to pursue ever more knowledge development and sharing. There is an assumption that more knowledge always leads to greater competitive advantage and superior financial performance. Even though this may be the case, it is far from proven, and the application and use of knowledge management techniques may actually be more strategic, with optimal levels of effort and spending determined by differing circumstances. This study investigates these topics by assessing whether knowledge strategies might vary by industry, asset structure, and other potential variables.

Integrated use of technologies and techniques for construction knowledge management

The last two decades have witnessed a significant increase in discussions about the different dimensions of knowledge and knowledge management (KM). This is especially true in the construction context. Many factors have contributed to this growing interest including globalisation, increased competition, diffusion of new ICTs (information and communication technologies) and new procurement routes, among others. There are a range of techniques and technologies that can be used for KM in construction organisations. The use of techniques for KM is not new, but many technologies for KM are fairly new and still evolving. This paper begins with a review of different KM techniques and technologies and then reports the findings of case studies of selected U.K. construction organisations, carried out with the aim of establishing what tools are currently being used in U.K. construction organisations to support knowledge processes. Case study findings indicate that most organisations do not adopt a structured approach for selecting KM technologies and techniques. The use of KM techniques is more evident compared to KM technologies. There is also reluctance among construction companies to invest in highly specialised KM technologies. The high costs of specialist KM technologies are viewed as the barrier to their adoption. In conclusion, the paper advocates integrated use of KM techniques and technologies in construction organisations.

Knowledge management and involvement in innovations in MNC subsidiaries

This study investigates Penrose’s analysis of the relationship between resources (especially knowledge), management of those resources and innovation in a sample of 313 Australian subsidiaries of foreign-owned multinational corporations (MNCs). The frequency of use of knowledge management (KM) techniques by subsidiaries tended to be associated with factors internal to the MNC/subsidiary such as MNC size, level of technology and extent of communications networks. The subsidiary’s involvement in the MNC’s innovations network tended to be associated with external factors such as the innovativeness of the industry and degree of involvement with local organizations. Nevertheless, in accordance with the expectations from the literature, there remained a significant association between frequency of use of KM techniques and involvement in the innovations network of the MNC.

Influence of corporate culture on the use of knowledge management techniques and technologies

The cultural habits of an organization affect the way in which it manages knowledge. This research aimed to determine the influence that corporate culture has on the use of knowledge management techniques and technologies in organizations. In this article, four types of corporate culture are identified and the preferred knowledge management techniques and technologies within each culture type are indicated and briefly examined. It is concluded that since corporate cultures approach knowledge management differently, knowledge management tools and techniques that are implemented successfully in one organization, might fail in another owing to the influence corporate culture has on the use of these techniques and technologies.

The Balance of Autonomy and Accountability in London Guildhall University's Quality-Management System

This paper describes the evolution of a quality-management system at a university, formerly a polytechnic, in the United Kingdom. Specific examination is made of the role of self-evaluation in periodic reviews of departments, the use of customer-centred approaches, the use of knowledge-management techniques, and the anticipation of risks. These elements of the quality-management system are described and are set within a context that considers the autonomy and accountability of the university's constituent departments.