Knowledge Management and Sustainable Agriculture:the Italian Case

The contemporary knowledge-based economy requires global usage of information in all aspects of modern society. Pertinent information is an important asset for successful business, therefore an application of knowledge management in organisational practice has become a crucial factor for the viability and sustainable development of enterprises. This is particularly relevant for the agricultural context, which needs modern practices for enhancement and development. However, information and knowledge, due to their intangible character, seem difficult to manage and organize. Therefore the paper targeted at developing sustainable organizational model of knowledge management for small and medium enterprises. Italian agriculture is considered as a context for this study, and knowledge management was offered as a tool for facilitating agricultural performance and increasing competitiveness of agricultural sector. A wide concept of knowledge management and specified agricultural context require a theory-based approach to research and a survey. Thus, the research methodology includes the next four parts. The first one contains literature review and examines definitions, strategies, approaches and models of sustainable knowledge management. The second part includes content analysis of 105 scientific publications. The third part of methodology is based on the results of the two previous parts and includes creating the model of knowledge management. Verification of this model is the last part of the research. Verification was executed through on-line questionnaire distributed to Italian agricultural enterprises throughout the country on their intentions and awareness towards knowledge management and developed model of knowledge management. The results of the survey have demonstrated farmer’s incentives to implement the developed knowledge management model with flexible approach in its organisation

Place-based knowledge networks : the case of water management in South-West Victoria, Australia

This article aims to investigate the need for effective exchanges between knowledge generators and knowledge users in water management. Firstly, we explore the use of adaptive management for water governance and then outline the communication issues of water-management knowledge at a regional scale. Central to this approach is the need to harness \u27local\u27 knowledge that can be used to develop community participation in local water governance. Accordingly, we propose a three-network communication model to illustrate the process and identify the issues of concern for developing place-based strategies. Since research plays a central role in knowledge generation, one of the first ways to proceed is to recognise local research and incorporate it into an inclusive decision-making process. One way to achieve this is through the development of regional networks that are openly available to all, and we explore this by focusing on the place of \u27network thinking\u27 at local scale using a newly developed regional network for local knowledge dissemination in south-west Victoria, Australia. We conclude that so far this new network is too heavily reliant upon one web-based tool and outline a broader range of strategies that can be used to achieve its aims.<br /

Ontology Network for Social Network Analysis in a Knowledge Management Context

Organizational knowledge is one of the most valuable assets that companies own today. For several decades organizations have been developing strategies to manage knowledge with particular emphasis on tacit knowledge discovery. The particular dynamic that presents the evolution and transfer of tacit knowledge is closely tied to the relations between people. For this reason, Social Network Analysis (SNA) can be a powerful tool to support a Knowledge Management (KM) initiative. Despite usefulness recognition of SNA techniques within KM processes, there is still remains the initial problem of data collection and representation (problem shared by both initiatives). The aim of this paper is to analyze an ontology network usefulness to obtain the necessary knowledge structure to feed the SNA-KM integration architecture proposed.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Ontology Network for Social Network Analysis in a Knowledge Management Context

Organizational knowledge is one of the most valuable assets that companies own today. For several decades organizations have been developing strategies to manage knowledge with particular emphasis on tacit knowledge discovery. The particular dynamic that presents the evolution and transfer of tacit knowledge is closely tied to the relations between people. For this reason, Social Network Analysis (SNA) can be a powerful tool to support a Knowledge Management (KM) initiative. Despite usefulness recognition of SNA techniques within KM processes, there is still remains the initial problem of data collection and representation (problem shared by both initiatives). The aim of this paper is to analyze an ontology network usefulness to obtain the necessary knowledge structure to feed the SNA-KM integration architecture proposed.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

The contribution of Human Resource strategies to the Organizational Success; a case of Commercial Banks in Kisii County

Strategic Human Resource Management is the linkage between strategic management and human resource management; it is the set of managerial decisions and actions that determine the long term performance of an organization. It entails environmental scanning, strategy formulation, implementation, evaluation and control. Strategic Human Resource Management offers a competitive advantage by building critical capabilities of Human Resources, strategic management in the organization facilitates strategy formulation and   in policy implementation by providing competent human resources and competitive intelligence. Strategic human resource planning introduces the aspect of a strategic plan; an important tool in determining whether an organization will have the skills and knowledge in place when it needs them. An effective strategic Human Resource management program will assist employees in using and developing skills and knowledge that will benefit the organization, the growth and self-esteem of its employees. Thus, Human Resource management is a vital tool in avoiding technological obsolescence. With a heightened competition for customers and offering quality service commercial Banks in Kenya are searching for strategies to implement so as to align business objectives with employees. If such alignment is successful, an organizational can accelerate workforce adaptation to change, improve cost-effectiveness of human resource decisions, and increase retention of the organization top achievers and this will go along way to assist in the general organizational performance. KEY WORDS: Strategy, Efficiency, Human Resource, Performanc

Enhancement of sustainable bioenergy production by valorising tomato residues: A GIS-based model

In order to increase the utilization of renewable energy sources, the biomethane production through anaerobic digestion has notably developed over the last years. Although, it is worldwide recognized, that valorising waste resources (i.e., by-products) is an opportunity to improve the efficiency rate of the agro-industrial chains, by reducing economic and environmental impact, it is necessary to support the strategic planning development of a future sustainable biomethane chain in line to circular economy. In this study, by adopting network information technologies, the importance of a strategic planning for sustainable developing biomethane sector was highlighted, since feedstocks logistic and supply phase is a key-aspect of any bioenergy project. The developed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – methodology, that could be applied in any territorial area considering any type of biomass, allowed to define suitable locations for allocating new anaerobic digestion plants with the aim of developing a sustainable valorisation of tomato residues, by minimising the economic and environmental impacts. The achieved results provided advanced knowledge for the literature on the topic, helping to develop an operational GIS-tool for defining sustainable strategies for planning new plants, and proved that the development of integrated approach to define sustainable strategies for resource management along the whole supply chain is crucial

A Bayesian state-space size-structured population dynamics model for northern hake.

In Fisheries research bayesian state-space models have been proved to be very useful because of their capacity to include new data while measuring the uncertainty associated to biological and physical processes. The ECOKNOWS (Effective use of ecosystem and biological knowledge in Fisheries) project proposes to use bayesian analysis in a general population dynamics model GPDM as a powerful tool to include biological and physical information in management strategies. Results of a preliminary Bayesian model adapting this model to northern hake population dynamics are presented here. The model intends to reproduce as far as possible the structure and main assumptions of the current ICES model. Actually there are some parameters with convergence problems but we are developing a new version considering informative priors for the biological processes which are supposed to ameliorate the estimations.Versión de auto

The enhancement of knowledge, preservation and valorisation of historical settlements in the alpine area: an interdisciplinary approach

The paper aims to present the methodological approach used for the development of the Interreg IIIB Alpine Space project “Cultur ALP - Knowledge and Enhancement of Historical Centres and Cultural Landscape”. The project promoted by Lombardy Region, involves seven European regions from four different countries. The goal is to improve the knowledge of alpine historical settlements and to develop innovative operating policies to protect and enhance this distinctive cultural heritage. The paper will focus on the SWOT analysis methodology, here applied to cultural heritage and aiming to describe, understand and valorise the peculiarities and the values of historical settlements and cultural landscapes in the alpine territory. SWOT analysis indicators have been selected in order to internalise the interdisciplinary approach chosen in the project. The intervention strategy that normally characterises the government and management of historic settlements is sectoral and looks at the settlement itself as an ensemble of valuable buildings to be preserved from depletion. Here this point of view is overtaken in favour of a “systemic” analysis, where historical settlements can be viewed as cultural capital, closely integrated to all the other territorial resources. This to achieve a sustainable and durable territorial development, based on the preservation and valorisation of cultural, historical, artistic, social, economic and environmental identities, according to the peculiar spatial and socio-economic context of the Alps arch. This implies the contribution of different disciplinary approaches and tool boxes, that have to be understood and shared by different knowledge systems (approach, strategies, methodologies, tools…). The real challenge of the project is therefore the use of the interdisciplinary approach in developing integrated policies for the preservation and valorisation of historical settlements and cultural landscapes, pushing architects and historians of art as well as planners, economists, sociologists, administrative professionals and other territorial analysts to work together in a mutual learning process.

Prescribed Fire: A Proposed Management Tool to Facilitate Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (\u3cem\u3eCynomys ludovicianus\u3c/em\u3e) Colony Expansion

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are considered a keystone species in grassland ecosystems. Through their burrowing activities, they conspicuously alter grassland landscapes and provide foraging, shelter and nesting habitat for a diverse array of grassland species, in addition to serving as prey for the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). Due to a combination of factors, the lands currently occupied by prairie dog colonies are thought to represent less than 10% of their historical range. Black-tailed prairie dogs have difficulty colonizing areas with tall and/or dense plant cover. We examine how manipulations of grassland vegetative structure through fire may be used as a potential management tool for prairie dog colony expansion in shortgrass steppe. The occurrence of fire in grassland ecosystems plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of grasslands by influencing the rate of nutrient turnover, regulating plant communities, reducing woody species, suppressing the growth of fire-intolerant plants and discouraging invasion of non-native species. Knowledge of how the use of prescribed fire frequency and seasonality affect prairie dog colonization is vital for developing and implementing science-based land management strategies in shortgrass steppe

Ontology Network for Social Network Analysis in a Knowledge Management Context

Organizational knowledge is one of the most valuable assets that companies own today. For several decades organizations have been developing strategies to manage knowledge with particular emphasis on tacit knowledge discovery. The particular dynamic that presents the evolution and transfer of tacit knowledge is closely tied to the relations between people. For this reason, Social Network Analysis (SNA) can be a powerful tool to support a Knowledge Management (KM) initiative. Despite usefulness recognition of SNA techniques within KM processes, there is still remains the initial problem of data collection and representation (problem shared by both initiatives). The aim of this paper is to analyze an ontology network usefulness to obtain the necessary knowledge structure to feed the SNA-KM integration architecture proposed.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO