Evaluating Knowledge Management Performance

Clemente Minonne1 and Geoff Turner2
1Switzerland and University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia
2Universities of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus and University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia

As organisations become increasingly aware that knowledge is among their most valuable strategic assets, they will be forced to re-evaluate the way in which they engage with the source of that knowledge to underpin their sustainable development. This will create a fundamental change to established practice; a change that results in a paradigm shift from the traditional operational approach to a more strategic involvement in knowledge management. This change is promoted by the knowledge management maturity model (KM3). KM3 is founded on the idea that successful knowledge management comprises four forms of integration, namely cultural, organisational, procedural and methodical. Despite an emphasis on one of these forms by many organisations, it is understood that all forms of KM integration should be considered in parallel to implement knowledge management practices in an integrative manner. Key indicators that measure the performance of knowledge management integration are needed. They need to measure both effectiveness and efficiency. In many cases, organisations having, and actively executing, a knowledge management strategy tend to focus on the efficiency dimension because it can be evaluated more easily than the effectiveness dimension. Yet this path is fraught with danger because, as with many other aspects of business, the management of knowledge has to be effective before it may provide efficiency gains. Nevertheless, organisations require appropriate forms of measurement. Those that are unwilling, or unable, to develop effective measuring and reporting systems are likely to suffer from product or service quality decreases, lower productivity growth and a reduced ability to compete because they will be less successful in acquiring and using relevant knowledge resources. Key performance indicators that are developed to assess the progress of organisations in this compelling activity need to be aligned with one or another of the four forms of integration and may be either qualitative or quantitative in nature. The balanced scorecard concept is used to measure performance of the KM3 where the balance between the four forms of integration is the prime consideration. Each of these is represented by one segment of the knowledge management monitor (KM2) to facilitate a better understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships. It does so by providing structured information about an organisation's knowledge resources: how they are nurtured and how they contribute to organisational sustainability. At the same time, use of KM2 is related to organisational economy. Good economy means good resource management, which for many organisations translates to how they manage individual and accumulated organisational knowledge. This has become so important that they are looking for a more integrated way of managing the three interdependent and complementary pillars of knowledge management, which are organisational learning management, organisational knowledge management and intellectual capital management. Although these three concepts lack a unifying vision, they all relate to each other by informing one another and provide the pathway for a knowledge-based orientation of strategic management.

Keywords: strategic knowledge management, performance measurement, integrative approach

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THE MARKETING MIX CONTRIBUTION IN IMPROVING THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ROMANIAN HISTORY STRATEGY

RUXANDRA IRINA POPESCU, RAZVAN-ANDREI CORBOS

Keywords: Cultural Institutions, museums, Marketing Mix, strategy, strategic option, goals

Abstract: The National Museum of Romanian History (NMRH) is one of the most important actors in the contemporary Romanian archeology field and leader of the preventive archeology thanks to its big surface and patrimony. Thus, in the context of improving its activity through strategy reshaping, the marketing mix can help develop assets in order to assure NMRH`s leading position.The present paper focuses on the way in which the product policy can mobilize NMRH`s resources in order to build an effective supply, analyses the options for overcoming financing problems (reduced public financing, raising competition for private funds, increasing operational costs, subsidy reduction) and identifies solutions for promotion policies and distribution aimed to effectively inform the target public, as well as other market segments about the cultural products and services NMRH offers.

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A Social Work Model of Empathy

Karen E. Gerdes, Elizabeth A. Segal

Abstract

This article presents a social work model of empathy that reflects the latest interdisciplinary research findings on empathy. The model reflects the social work commitment to social justice. The three model components are: 1) the affective response to another’s emotions and actions; 2) the cognitive processing of one’s affective response and the other person’s perspective; and 3) the conscious decision-making to take empathic action.

Mirrored affective responses are involuntary, while cognitive processing and conscious decision-making are voluntary. The affective component requires healthy, neural pathways to function appropriately and accurately. The cognitive aspects of perspective-taking, self-awareness, and emotion regulation can be practiced and cultivated, particularly through the use of mindfulness techniques. Empathic action requires that we move beyond affective responses and cognitive processing toward utilizing social work values and knowledge to inform our actions. By introducing the proposed model of empathy, we hope it will serve as a catalyst for discussion and future research and development of the model.

Key Words: Empathy, Social Empathy, Social Cognitive Neuroscience

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HOW MODELLING LIMITS ANALYSIS – THE LONG WAY FROM DISTRIBUTED SIMULATION TO REALITY

Peter Lendermann
Chief Executive Officer
D-SIMLAB Technologies Pte Ltd
9 Jurong Town Hall Road, #03-45 iHUB
Singapore 609431
SINGAPORE
ABSTRACT

This keynote talk reviews the author’s experience with
simulation at the interface between modelling and analysis.
It describes how a research roadmap for the development
and application of distributed simulation technology for
manufacturing and logistics network design and optimisation,
driven by the desire of generating an academic R&D
track record, was eventually overruled by the need of industrial
relevance.

Illustrated by real application scenarios
from semiconductor manufacturing and aerospace spare
parts logistics network optimisation, an important conclusion
is that simulation analysis remains a pure academic
exercise as long as the underlying model is not an appropriate
representation of the industrial system to be analysed.

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A Case Study on the Selection and Evaluation of Software for an Internet Organisation

Pieter van Staaden1 and Sam Lubbe2
1 Faculty of Informatics, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
2 School of Information Systems and Technology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

The authors conducted research to determine whether IT-managers, IT auditors, Users, management, etc. (all decision-makers) use a certain evaluation and selection process to acquire software to meet business objectives and the requirement of users. An argument was used that the more thorough the software evaluation and selection process, the more likely it would be that the organisation will chose software that meets these targets.

The main objective of the research was therefore to determine whether Media24 use evaluation methods and obtain the desired results. Media24 is Africa's biggest publishing group and offers entertainment, information and education 24 hours a day and served as a good example of an Internet Service organisation that made their employees available for this research project. The results confirmed that Media24 uses suggested protocol as noted in the theory for software acquisition correctly during most stages.

Keywords: Black Box testing, business process, commercial software system, document, evaluation, request for Proposal (RFP), requirements, selection, software, vendors.

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Flickr: a first look at user behaviour in the context of photography as serious leisure

A.M.Cox, P.D. Clough and J. Marlow
Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello Street, Sheffield S1 4DP United Kingdom

Abstract
Introduction. The use of Flickr, a photo sharing Website, is examined in the context of amateur photography as a 'serious leisure' pursuit.
Method. Eleven telephone interviews were carried out with users of Flickr, using an open-ended interview schedule to explore use of the system within the context of the interviewees' photographic practices.
Analysis. Practices described are set against theoretical considerations from the literature, specifically the alternate paradigms of the photographic club and the photo magazine. Sontag's cultural critique of photography is an important, challenging reference point.

Results. The affordances of the system affect the satisfactions of hobby photography. Flickr creates moral dilemmas, such as whether to reciprocate comments or tag the photos of others. The system's appeal lies in its moral qualities as much as whether it is easy to use or performs functions efficiently. Flickr draws users into the hobby and so, like the camera club or the magazine, can be linked to the interests of industry. Yet it is too pessimistic to see it as simply a vehicle of consumerist culture; users expressed almost unqualified satisfaction with the system for its direct pleasures and learning opportunities.
Conclusions. The fluid social relations of Flickr potentially free the hobby from the rather restrictive codes and ordering of the photographic club.

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Millennial Students and Technology Choices for Information Searching

Martin Rich
Cass Business School, London, UK

This paper draws together ideas about different generations of students, notably the 'millennial generation' (born from around 1982 to 2000) which encompasses a high proportion of current students in higher education, and ideas about the different types of technology available when searching for information.

In the context of higher education, this is particularly relevant when students are encouraged to find out information for themselves, typically to relate this to taught material. This is connected with information literacy, as it reflects students' abilities to carry out simple or complex research. This paper focuses on why students choose particular technologies to support their research and the effect of these choices on their learning and on their written work.

A particular current issue is the emergence of the generation of Internet resources collectively known as 'web 2.0' - notably Blogs and Wikis - and the relationship of these to the way that students presently in universities favour structuring their work. These resources also introduce issues of authoritativeness. It is tempting to dismiss Wikipedia as the work of amateurs, but where a blog has been created by a notable expert, author, or journalist, questions arise as to whether the blog should be regarded as of different value from the same person's written work. Therefore some consideration will be given to how students can be encouraged to recognise and draw on intelligent exploitation of these new resources.

Keywords: millennial students, Web 2.0, information literacy

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