A FRAMEWORK TO CLARIFY THE ROLE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Knowledge management Systems (KMS) are IT applications that manage representations of organizational knowledge. This paper presents a conceptual model of KMS which adapts an artificial intelligence (AI) based view of knowledge. According to this view, knowledge can be defined in terms of agent, action, state, and goal. The conceptual model is intended to help differentiate the role of KMS from that of Information Systems (IS). The knowledge managed by the KMS is intended to enable an agent to choose actions that can be taken to accomplish a goal in the given state. The role of the IS is to make the agent aware of a situation described in terms of states, actions, and goal. The model suggests that whether we classify an IT application as KMS or IS depends on the contents it manages and to increase the effectiveness of KMS, it is often necessary to use IS that complement the KMS. Considering the importance and popularity of KMS in organizations, we believe the clarification of the role of KMS is useful

Methods of analysis of local tourist systems

The phenomenon of tourism, due to the variables involved and their instability, is a highly complex and dynamic sector. Faced with an increasingly competitive market, characterized by political, economic and social megatrends which affect local performance, the role of the setting becomes significant. In fact, territorial properties, through tangible and intangible elements, can trigger the development process or,conversely, affect the evolution when the local context does not allow for growth conditions and management of competition. The variety of configurations, structures and phenomena within the territory make it a highly structured knowledge process, with the enhancing and upgrading of the local characteristics. However, one of the main problems is that legislation does not clarify the operational aspect of a definite boundary between Local Touristic System within the territorial context, deferring the need to identify approaches to the districts themselves. The choice of variables to investigate and the systemic reading that they should be given, determine the responsibility of creating a functional knowledge framework to the adoption of decision trajectories in line with territorial inclinations. The proposal that has inspired and supported the research presented in this paper can also be included within this context, with scientific applications and knowledge requirements needed by policy makers engaged in the drawing up and implementation of local development policiestourism; local systems; methodology of analysis; districts.

Diagnosis and the management constituency of small-scale fisheries

Diagnosis and adaptive management can help improve the ability of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in the developing world to better cope with and adapt to both external drivers and internal sources of uncertainty. This paper presents a framework for diagnosis and adaptive management and discusses ways of implementing the first two phases of learning: diagnosis and mobilising an appropriate management constituency. The discussion addresses key issues and suggests suitable approaches and tools as well as numerous sources of further information. Diagnosis of a SSF defines the system to be managed, outlines the scope of the management problem in terms of threats and opportunities, and aims to construct realistic and desired future projections for the fishery. These steps can clarify objectives and lead to development of indicators necessary for adaptive management. Before management, however, it is important to mobilize a management constituency to enact change. Ways of identifying stakeholders and understanding both enabling and obstructive interactions and management structures are outlined. These preliminary learning phases for adaptive SSF management are expected to work best if legitimised by collaborative discussion among fishery stakeholders drawing on multiple knowledge systems and participatory approaches to assessment. (PDF contains 33 pages

Understanding and profiling user requirements to support the conceptual design of an integrated land monitoring system

Acquiring and organizing knowledge and information elements can be essential not only to understand, but also to eliminate, reduce and control complexity and uncertainty. An integration of tools from different disciplines could systematically help in the construction of an agreed framework for problem formulation, above all when the situation is "new". An application was de-veloped in relation to an industrial project, in order to propose profiles of the potential users of an innovative system and of their requirements, and to for-mally develop models that can orient analysis, decision and action. Some ele-ments and results of this integrated application of "soft" and "hard" decision aid tools are here proposed as steps of an organizational learning cycle, which is a basic element of each innovation proces

The Role of Group Learning in Implementation of a Personnel Management System in a Hospital

A new HR system was introduced in a Dutch hospital. The system implied collaborative work among its users. The project planning seemed to be reasonably straightforward: the system's introduction was intended to take place gradually, including pilots in different departments and appropriate feedback. After some time, the system was successfully adopted by one group of users, but failed with another. We conceptualize the implementation process of groupware as group learning to frame the adoption of the system, and analyze the qualitative data collected during the longitudinal case study. We found that in the user group with strong group learning, adoption of the system occurred effectively and on time. In another user group with rather weak group learning, the use of the system was blocked after a short time. The results provided a first confirmation of our assumption about the importance of group learning processes in the implementation of groupware

The power of creative thinking in situations of uncertainties: the almost impossible task of protecting critical infrastructures

A good and scientific analysis starts with a closer look at the conceptualisation at hand. The definition of CIP is not easy because of its wide range. This paper examines infrastructures that are critical and need protection. Each word entails a specific connotation and is characterized by several components

The power of creative thinking in situations of uncertainties: the almost impossible task of protecting critical infrastructures

A good and scientific analysis starts with a closer look at the conceptualisation at hand. The definition of CIP is not easy because of its wide range. This paper examines infrastructures that are critical and need protection. Each word entails a specific connotation and is characterized by several components