Designing a Knowledge Management System – A Case Study of a Global Telecommunications Company

This paper focuses on the challenges a global telecommunication company faces in managing their existing knowledge management (KM) systems and planning for a new enterprise-wide knowledge management system (KMS). Data was collected from six user roles using three disparate knowledge repositories. The design requirements for a new enterprisewide knowledge management system are presented. This paper offers a contribution to the study of information science by providing empirical evidence to the design requirements of an enterprise-wide KMS

Using IT for Strategic Competence Management: Potential Benefits and Challenges

The recent development in IT-based HRM systems implies increased potential for using these systems to support the strategic competence management process in organizations. The paper discusses potential benefits and challenges related to implementation of IT-based competence systems, based on a case study of the implementation of a global competence management system in the telecommunications company Ericsson. In addition to providing overview of the competence resources in the organization and identifying competence areas in need of further development, the system also supports Ericsson’s knowledge networking strategy, through locating experts and stimulating emerging ’communities of knowing’. Several challenges were identified, related to designing a suitable competence framework, tensions between global standardization and local practices, and in gaining commitment among the employees

Business model requirements and challenges in the mobile telecommunication sector

The telecommunications business is undergoing a critical revolution, driven by innovative technologies, globalization, and deregulation. Cellular networks and telecommunications bring radical changes to the way telecom businesses are conducted. Globalization, on the other hand, is tearing down legacy barriers and forcing monopolistic national carriers to compete internationally. Moreover, the noticeable progress of many countries towards deregulation coupled with liberalization is significantly increasing telecom market power and allowing severe competition. The implications of this transition have changed the business rules of the telecom industry. In addition, entrants into the cellular industry have had severe difficulties due to inexistent or weak Business Models (BMs). Designing a BM for a mobile network operator is complex and requires multiple actors to balance different and often conflicting design requirements. Hence, there is a need to enhance operators’ ability in determining what constitutes the most viable business model to meet their strategic objectives within this turbulent environment. In this paper, the authors identify the main mobile BM dimensions along with their interdependencies and further analysis provides mobile network operators with insights to improve their business models in this new ‘boundary-less’ landscape

Application of activity - based costing in companies in Poland

Findings of the research have both practical and theoretical implications. First, from the practical point of view, future implementers of ABC systems should be aware of factors actually influencing ABC implementation as well as problems which can be encountered during the implementation process. Managers considering activity-based costing implementation may see level of detail and methods of construction of an ABC information model. They may also benefit from the knowledge of how information generated by an ABC systems is actually used by companies. All this may help to make better decision about ABC implementation and if the decision is to implement ABC, it may help to implement it successfully. From the theoretical point of view the research carried out makes it possible to establish a general tendency: modifications in costing systems applied in Polish enterprises and development of management accounting practice such as ABC follows the same general direction as management accounting practice in the world.Wnioski z przeprowadzonych badań mają znaczenie zarówno teoretyczne jak i praktyczne. Z praktycznego punktu widzenia, przedsiębiorstwa rozważające implementację ABC w przyszłości powinny mieć świadomość czynników wpływających na implementację ABC jak również problemów, które mogą się w procesie implementacji pojawić. Menedżerowie rozważający implementację ABC muszą zdawać sobie sprawę z poziomu szczegółowości i sposobów budowy systemu informacyjnego rachunku kosztów działań. Mogą oni również skorzystać z wiedzy o sposobach wykorzystania informacji z systemów rachunku kosztów działań. Wiedza ta może sprzyjać podejmowaniu lepszych decyzji odnośnie implementacji systemów ABC, a jeżeli decyzja o implementacji zostanie podjęta, może się przyczynić do zwiększenia prawdopodobieństwa zakończenia procesu wdrożenia sukcesem. Z teoretycznego punktu widzenia, przeprowadzone badania mogą się przyczynić do określenia ogólnej tendencji: modyfikacje systemów rachunku kosztów w przedsiębiorstwach w Polsce oraz wdrażanie nowoczesnych metod rachunkowości zarządczej takich jak ABC, zmierza w podobnym kierunku jak praktyka rachunkowości zarządczej na świecie

The Managed Service Paradox

This paper examines the contrasts in the provision of managed service in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. It highlights the polarization between infrastructure services that are growing in scale and increasingly becoming a commoditized, and customized or even one-of-a-kind service projects. The paper refers to the approaches taken by three highly innovative advanced service companies, IBM, Ericsson, and Cable & Wireless, to package and deliver ICT service on a more industrialized basis. The authors identify the six-stage process that describes these companies’ journeys to date from. They explore the challenges these companies faced on that journey as well those currently facing them as they move to a higher degree of industrialization. To address these challenges, the authors propose a model with three axes: offering development, service delivery, and go to market. The model demonstrates how the increasing industrialization of managed service requires an approach integrating all three of these dimensions. They also show that strong governance is required to address the impacts of technological evolution, marketplace dynamics, and corporate culture. The paper has formed the basis of the academic and executive education programs taught at both Imperial College and is the heart of the new service design masters program at the Royal College of Art. Because of its relevance to large industrial companies seeking to transition from an industrial offering to a service or solution led offering, the paper has been turned into a course that has been delivered to Arup, Vodafone, Finmeccanica, Telefonica, Samsung and Laing O’Rourke to date and this programme has been delivered by the authors in Korea, Taiwan, US and the UK

IMPACT OF PRIVATIZATION ON R&D ACTIVITIES: THE CASE OF TURKISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY

The debates surrounding privatization have generally focused on comparison of the productivity performances of public and private firms in different countries on the bases of quantitative methods. The main purpose of this paper is to draw attention to a very important repercussion of foreign ownership through privatization that is the changing nature of the privatized firms’ R&D activities in a strategically very important industrial sector in a developing country. After presenting the case studies conducted in the two most important Turkish telecommunication equipment manufacturing firms with the background of the sector’s development history in Turkey, the paper will exhibit the impact of foreign ownership on the nature of firms’ R&D activities after privatization as a result of the parent firm’s global firm strategy. Finally, it will draw policy implications of such changes for developing countries’ technology capability development efforts as well as the countries’ technological dependence in a strategically important industry.Turkey; telecommunications industry; privatization; foreign ownership; R&D activities

Do business games foster skills? A cross-cultural study from learners’ views

Purpose: This study seeks to analyse students’ perception of the effectiveness of business games as an e-learning method in management training. This analysis of games’ effectiveness is centred in the generic and managerial skills acquired, through the comparison of students’ opinions in different cultural contexts within Europe. Design/methodology: The analysis focuses on 120 management students at postgraduate level who use the same business game at different universities in five European countries: Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Germany. Findings: The results indicate that students positively assessed the generic and specific managerial skills fostered by the business game. The generic skills most valued were information and decision-making, and leadership. Regarding the specific skills, the most valued were management skills and the least valued, skills related to planning and the acquisition of theoretical knowledge. However, significant differences were found between students in different cultural contexts and education systems in the case of certain specific managerial skills. Practical implications: This finding suggests that the students’ perception of how a business game helps them acquire specific managerial skills is influenced by cultural aspects and previous exposure to experiential learning, which determine that the teachers’ role and the teaching process should be adapted to the students’ learning model. Originality/value: With this study, a better knowledge about the students’ perception of this e-learning method is obtained, not just considering a specific educational environment, but comparing opinions of students from different cultural contexts, which adds value to the analyses developed.Peer Reviewe

Determinants for a generic mobile commerce transformation framework

Current technological advancement has given the necessary impetus for businesses to transform from traditional ways into to mobile business or m-businesses. This transformation has begun from the Internet era, where traditional businesses transformed to e-businesses by taking advantages of the facilities offered by the Internet. Recent development in wireless technology facilitated businesses to move further to m-businesses. Despite the development in the technical domain, it appears that businesses still struggle to comprehend the processes involved in the transformation because a proper framework is yet to evolve. This work-in-progress paper provides a background to such transformation with a method to achieve this transformation