Advancing Circular Business

In this world of scarce resources, circular economy (CE) has been identified as an important means for increasing resource efficiency and reducing the use of natural resources. What, however, does implementing circular business and operational models mean for companies’ business execution, mindsets, and competitive edges? This publication presents the practical case studies of several different CE business implementations. The focus on this exploration was to identify the role of information management in successful CE business implementation. The outcomes offer a chance for different representatives of different firms to learn from practical cases of CE implementation in operational and business models. This publication aims to show the pathway toward CE by providing 1. a description of CE 2. an explanation of its impact on business execution 3. stories about the role of information in the creation of CE business 4. practical tools for the creation of CE business The structure of the publication tracks similar logic to, and presents practical case examples from, the field of CE business. Tools and methods were applied and further developed within the case companies: BMH Technology, Fortum, Solita, and UPM. The publication presents the major results of research and development work performed within the “From Data to Wisdom—Approaches Enabling Circular Economy” project (D2W). The project was initiated in August 2016 and continued until January 2019. The research work was conducted by VTT, LUT University, and Tampere University as part of the BioNets program of Business Finland. The project provided a good overview of the demands of CE business in a multidisciplinary multi-company setting. It focused on three approaches for examining circular business: innovation and business models, relationships and networks, and data and wisdom. Since D2W had a broad scope, some of these approaches should be developed further to provide practical tools for business developers (companies and organizations). The work of D2W will therefore continue. Case-specific projects are being considered to develop practical results for the needs of practitioners interested in improving their capabilities for CE business creation. Examples of new topics for the subsequent steps of research include, for example: • Key performance indicators of CE and sustainable development • Governance of CE business ecosystems • New artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, opportunities and requirements in CE business implementationpublishedVersio

Investigating the Knowledge Management Infrastructures of SBMU-Affiliated Libraries

Introduction: Increasing productivity in academic libraries can be due to knowledge management. The successful implementation of knowledge management requires appropriate infrastructures. In this study, to determine the level of readiness of SBMU-affiliated libraries and to implement knowledge management, the infrastructure of the management approach, organizational culture, human resources, organizational structure, and information technology has been examined.   Methods: The descriptive-survey research method was used to determine the status of the infrastructures studied to obtain the opinions of 58 librarians working in the libraries of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. The opinions of 10 experts obtained to analyze the qualitative validity. Content validity‏ ratio (CVR) was calculated to analyze the quantitative content validity, content validity index (CVI), and the validity of each item, which was considered 62% and 79%, respectively. Cronbach's alpha was also used to measure reliability, which was 0.92, indicating that reliability is appropriate. A 5-point Likert scale was used to weigh a 50- item questionnaire.   Results: The mean obtained for the infrastructures of the management approach was 2.72, organizational structure 2.66, organizational culture 3.13, human resources 3.26, and technology 3.21, respectively.   Conclusion: The status of the two infrastructures of management approach and organizational structure was undesirable, and the three infrastructures of organizational culture, human resources, and technology were at a moderate level. Consequently, these infrastructures need investment and exceptional attention to provide a suitable platform for the implementation of knowledge management in the SBMU-affiliated libraries

Knowledge management in the context of sustainability: Literature review and opportunities for future research

© 2019 The use of knowledge management in the context of sustainability has been increasingly important over the years. Despite this importance, it is observed that this area is still little explored and there are many possibilities of academic research. Following a structured research protocol, the authors of this article performed a systematic review of the literature and identified plausible gaps to be explored in the development of future research. These gaps are presented in relation to the themes, strategies, objectives and research approach. From the point of view of the themes, there are opportunities related to the study of sustainability in small and medium enterprises, in relation to the potential of universities as engines for the generation of knowledge and in concerning the insertion of knowledge management to propose guidelines for obtaining productive systems. Regarding research strategies, the lack of studies that use action research as central focus stands out. Focusing on the objectives, there are many research approaches used with the goal of developing models and specific tools directed to the sharing of information. Finally, regarding the approach, there are few studies with a quantitative approach. We believe that the information presented here can contribute to the evolution of knowledge management focused on sustainability. No similar studies were found in the literature

KNOWLEDGE RISKS AND SUSTAINABILITY: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON LEBANESE KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE FIRMS

Today’s business environment is characterized by a growing number of knowledge risks. There has been a paucity of empirical research on the impact of knowledge risks on business sustainability. This paper looks at the direct and indirect consequences of knowledge risks on a firm\u27s sustainability. A questionnaire was administered with a sample of 427 respondents from Lebanese knowledge-intensive firms. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the research framework. The findings indicate that knowledge risks and knowledge loss have a direct and significant detrimental impact on business sustainability. The performance of organizations has a direct and significant positive impact on sustainability. The mediating effect of organizational performance in the relationship between knowledge risks and sustainability of the business was demonstrated. However, the link between human knowledge risks and both organizational performance and sustainability was not significant. Outcomes of the study will persuade knowledge-intensive firms’ managers to deploy knowledge management approaches and reduce potential knowledge risks

EFFECT OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT (KM) ON ORGANIZATION PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR

This study aims to investigate the effect of knowledge management on organizational performance in Nigeria manufacturing sector. The research employed primary data sources, with a sample size of two hundred and twenty (220) completed and returned questionnaires. The collected cross-sectional data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, multiple regression, and correlation coefficients, indicating that the overall regression model was appropriate. The finding shows that knowledge creation has a significant effect on organization performance in Nigeria manufacturing sector and it was also revealed that knowledge sharing has a significant effect on organization performance in Nigeria manufacturing sector. The study concluded that knowledge management is considered a crucial factor for the competitiveness of organizations in the current business environment. As a recommendation, organizations are advised to establish knowledge-sharing platforms such as databases, intranets, and training activities to facilitate efficient knowledge sharing among staff and different divisions within the organization

The Influence of Knowledge Management on the Competitiveness of Government Organisations

Abstract Due to increasing instability in modern economies Government organizations need to become competitive. In relation to this Knowledge Management (KM) has been rapidly growing recently as a source of influence on organisational development practices. During the past decade research has largely failed to show the importance of KM initiatives in creating synergy with other initiatives that lead towards organizational competitiveness. This investigation addresses whether KM holistically influences organisational excellence, specifically in the context of the government sector. In order to determine the relationships between KM and organisational excellence identified in the literature, and increasingly used in practice, a quantitative survey approach was undertaken using a series of researcher-developed scales. Building on the literature review Organisational Competitiveness (OC) was identified as important in relation to KM. The conceptual framework that was designed tested the concept of the holistic influence of KM on organisational excellence. Some six hundred and twenty five valid responses were collected from top and middle management from fifty four government organizations in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Following this a model was statistically tested according to the research hypothesis by regression analysis then Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results revealed strong and significant correlations amongst organisational development practices. Although the holistic influence of the model could not be confirmed, findings show positive KM influence on organisational development practices, thus KM is an essential factor for government organisations. This concept of a holistic model needs to be further subjected to empirical investigation to explore its viability

TI VERDE: MITO OU REALIDADE NA INDÚSTRIA DIGITAL BRASILEIRA

This article aims to determine which green IT practices large Brazilian companies of the digital industry show in their sustainability reports and websites. Documentary research was conducted based on the following criteria: energy efficient hardware purchase; power management technology, energy saving, consolidation and virtualization, temperature reduction in data centers; use of thin clients, recycling and disposal equipment; life cycle, savings in paper consumption and awareness of its employees, suppliers and customers on the Green IT theme. As a result, it was found that, among the four Brazilian companies listed in Bovespa as part of the digital industry, only two show explicit concern about Green IT practices and believe this is an important issue for their shareholders.Este artigo tem por objetivo verificar quais práticas de TI Verde duas das maiores empresas brasileiras da indústria digital estão evidenciando em seus relatórios de sustentabilidade e websites. Foi realizada pesquisa documental baseada nos quesitos: Compra de hardware eficiente de energia; Tecnologia de gerenciamento de energia; Economia de energia; Consolidação e Virtualização; Redução de temperatura nos Data Centers; Uso de thin clients; Reciclagem e descarte de equipamentos; Ciclo de Vida; Economia no consumo de papel e Conscientização de seus profissionais, fornecedores e clientes sobre o tema TI Verde. Como resultado, constatou-se que, metade das empresas analisadas não possui informações sobre o assunto. As únicas que evidenciam informações sobre práticas de TI Verde são Itautec (Oki Brasil) e Positivo. Nas empresas pesquisadas, conclui-se que TI Verde não é um mito, e sim uma realidade, mas ainda falta conscientização de outras empresas da indústria digital em adotarem algumas práticas

Knowledge management per la sostenibilità ambientale: analisi sistematica della letteratura. Knowledge Management for Environmental Sustainability: Systematic Literature Analysis

Il ruolo della gestione della conoscenza nel contesto della sostenibilità ambientale ha guadagnato importanza ed interesse negli ultimi anni. Adottando una metodologia strutturata che combina un'analisi quantitativa e una qualitativa, questa tesi propone una revisione sistematica della letteratura accademica con l'obiettivo di identificare i punti salienti della ricerca attuale, gli aspetti ancora poco esplorati, e le possibili direzioni future

Knowledge management in the public sector: an online presence as a tool for capture and sharing

Includes bibliographyThis study examines two knowledge management processes, namely knowledge capture and retention and knowledge sharing, in the context of the Caribbean. It provides theoretical backgrounds of the processes and specifically looks at the advantages for and barriers to knowledge management in the public sector. The study suggests that by using existing information and communication technologies (ICTs) to create an online presence, the Caribbean public sector can already move towards achieving some knowledge capture and retention and knowledge sharing goals. The study concludes by evaluating through use of a checklist of the online presence of development agencies present in the Caribbean

Knowledge management influence on government organisations competitiveness

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The need for government organizations to become competitive is growing with the huge instability in the economy. In parallel, Knowledge Management (KM) has been rapidly growing in the past decade as a source of influence on organisational development practices. Furthermore, the past decade research approaches largely failed to show the importance of KM initiatives in creating synergy with other initiatives to an extent that would lead towards organizational competitiveness. This study address whether KM holistically influences the different organisational development practices, specifically in the context of the government sector. To ascertain the relationships between KM and four prevalent organisational development practices identified in the literature and increasingly used in practice, a quantitative survey approach was undertaken using a series of researcher-developed scales. Based on the literature review, Organisational Excellence (OE), Organisational Learning (OL), Organisational Innovation (OI) and Organisational Competitiveness (OC) were identified to be the most repeated relations with KM. A conceptual framework was designed to test the concept of the holistic influence of KM on the four identified organisational development practices. A total of 625 valid responses were collected from top and middle management from 54 government organizations in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The model was statistically tested according to the research hypotheses by regression analysis then Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Results reveal strong and significant correlations amongst the five prevalent organisational development practices. Even though the holistic influence of the model could not be confirmed, findings show positive KM influence on the remaining organisational development practices, thus KM is an essential factor for government organisations. Besides illustrating KM as an important source of influence, this research establishes a new direction that helps to integrate all governmental organisations initiatives in relevance to organisation development practices leading to better competitiveness. The study makes a novel contribution since it increases the probability of a holistic approach model that brings support for the decision makers to enhance the overall government organizations competitiveness. The scale developed for the model tested can be generalised and used as a self assessment tool for organisational practices in KE. This work sets a baseline for KM practices in the Government of Bahrain and similar GCC Governments and can act as a reference for researchers on KM and competitiveness in the emerging economies countries. Nevertheless, the model need to be further investigated in future research to explore the missing variables in this model to make it more fit. Therefore, the concept of holistic model needs to be further subject to empirical investigations to explore its viability. The major limitation of this research is it been addressed only in the government sector and in one country