Is a Semantic Web Agent a Knowledge-Savvy Agent?

The issue of knowledge sharing has permeated the field of distributed AI and in particular, its successor, multiagent systems. Through the years, many research and engineering efforts have tackled the problem of encoding and sharing knowledge without the need for a single, centralized knowledge base. However, the emergence of modern computing paradigms such as distributed, open systems have highlighted the importance of sharing distributed and heterogeneous knowledge at a larger scale—possibly at the scale of the Internet. The very characteristics that define the Semantic Web—that is, dynamic, distributed, incomplete, and uncertain knowledge—suggest the need for autonomy in distributed software systems. Semantic Web research promises more than mere management of ontologies and data through the definition of machine-understandable languages. The openness and decentralization introduced by multiagent systems and service-oriented architectures give rise to new knowledge management models, for which we can’t make a priori assumptions about the type of interaction an agent or a service may be engaged in, and likewise about the message protocols and vocabulary used. We therefore discuss the problem of knowledge management for open multi-agent systems, and highlight a number of challenges relating to the exchange and evolution of knowledge in open environments, which pertinent to both the Semantic Web and Multi Agent System communities alike

Integration of Knowledge Management and E- Learning Technologies in Academic Institutions

This work investigates the integration of e-Learning systems and knowledge management technology to improve, capture, organize and deliver large amounts of knowledge. First, a model is proposed for the phases of knowledge management. The model is then enhanced with concepts and technology from e-Learning. The model is then used to illustrate real world scenarios that add increasing amounts of knowledge management to an e-Learning environment. The system, AMID promises high interactivity, efficiency and effectiveness of integration of knowledge management and e-learning. In addition, the developed system will enhance technical learning process

Identity ambiguity and the promises and practices of hybrid e-HRM project teams

The role of IS project team identity work in the enactment of day-to-day relationships with their internal clients is under-researched. We address this gap by examining the identity work undertaken by an electronic human resource management (e-HRM) 'hybrid' project team engaged in an enterprise-wide IS implementation for their multi-national organisation. Utilising social identity theory, we identify three distinctive, interrelated dimensions of project team identity work (project team management, team 'value propositions' (promises) and the team's 'knowledge practice'). We reveal how dissonance between two perspectives of e-HRM project identity work (clients' expected norms of project team's service and project team's expected norms of themselves) results in identity ambiguity. Our research contributions are to identity studies in the IS project management, HR and hybrid literatures and to managerial practice by challenging the assumption that hybrid experts are the panacea for problems associated with IS projects

Looking for complication: The case of management education

This paper argues that in face of the changes occurring in the organizational world, management education should consider the need to rethink some of its premises and adapt to the new times. The need to complicate management learning due to increased complication in competitive landscapes, is analyzed. Four possibilities of addressing organizational topics in a complicated way are contrasted: the vertical, horizontal, hypertextual, and dialectical approaches. The promises of the dialectical approach are particularly stressed as a more demanding and potentially enriching path for the creation of knowledge about organizations. The test of the four approaches in a group of undergraduate students provides some preliminary data for analyzing the strenghts and weaknesses of our proposal.

Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Biennial Report: 2010-2011 Report to the Community

Mission: The Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University is a nationally recognized institution dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, and service, actively engaged in improving opportunities for the citizens of the Greater Cleveland region and the state of Ohio. ­ Vision: The Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University is a nationally recognized home of thought leaders in the area of urban policy and public management who transfer and extend that knowledge through teaching, research, and service. ­ Core Values: The Levin College community—faculty, staff , and students—values creating and transmitting knowledge, intellectual freedom and debate, collaboration, and engagement. Our community values diversity in all of its forms— demographic, disciplinary, and methodological—because diverse perspectives lead to knowledge creation and meaningful debate. ­ Promises: The faculty and staff of the Levin College of Urban Affairs make two promises: • The Levin College will develop and support thought leaders in the areas of urban policy and public management; • The Levin College will prepare students to change America’s cities

Knowledge management processes in practice: Empirical insights from the public sector

Knowledge management can be regarded as a holistic and systematic process that integrates technology and human aspects to enable organizations to achieve their goals. Knowledge management promises many benefits both for the private and public sector organizations when operationalized successfully. In the context of public sector, it is possible - at least in theory - to make more informed decisions, to serve the citizens better and to use resources more effectively through knowledge management. Thus, it is not a surprise that many public organizations have started to develop their knowledge management processes. However, knowledge management faces in practice plenty of challenges in the context of public sector. The aim of this paper is to empirically study the challenges that public organizations face at different stages of the knowledge management process. Furthermore, the paper also aims to identify the enabling factors for successful knowledge management process. To better understand both the challenges and the enablers, we have carried out empirical study that is comprised of five cases from the Finnish public sector

The importance of support to coordination of the European organic research

Europe has been among the global leaders in research and innovation in high-quality food from organic agriculture serving the dual purpose of responding to consumers’ demand in high-value markets and respond-ing to national and EU agri-environmental and rural development poli-cies. There has been — and still is — a great need for research and innovation in organic food and farming because of its relatively recent development and because it is an alternative, which is very knowledge-intensive: a knowledge that cannot always be covered by results from mainstream agricultural research. In order to follow the principles of organic agriculture as laid out in, for example, Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 (1) (e.g. ‘the appropriate design and management of bio-logical processes based on ecological systems using natural resources which are internal to the system’), it is necessary to further develop the research-based knowledge on agro-ecological methods and on careful processing in practice. Moreover, research is needed to assess the de-gree to which organic agriculture complies with the principles and — in a wider perspective — delivers on the promises regarding important societal goals (e.g. reducing externalities)

Promises and Contests of Participatory Forest Management (PFM) Scheme within Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Southwest Ethiopia

The PFM scheme; where the community-based natural resource management has been receiving growing scientific attention over the past three decades. Most studies, however, focus on investigating institutional designs and outcomes and pay scant attention to how community-based natural resource management arrangements are carried out in practice. Therefore, this study focused to examine the possible promises with the establishment and actual practices of PFM scheme and visible contests that needs solutions to sustain the scheme in Kafa forest coffee Biosphere Reserve. To realize this thought 16 PFM sites of five districts of Kafa zone were purposively studied by collecting primary data through focused group discussions with forest management committee members and triangulated site based actual assessment practices with members to be evidenced about the promises and available contests of/on PFM scheme. Through an in-depth survey study in all of the participatory forest management (PFM) sites in Kafa zone, southwest Ethiopia, this article demonstrates a significant promises and contests between the PFM forest management plan and actual local forest management practices. The study confirms the usefulness of a practice-based approach to understand and explain how a newly introduced institutional arrangement is acted upon by local actors situated in their social, political and historical context as promises. On the other hand, the lagging commitment from the government agents, illegal users, uncontrolled forest use pressures and unbalanced commitment among the forest user group were proved as greatest upcoming contests on the sustainability of Kafa forest coffee Biosphere reserve in general and PFM of each site in particular. The findings also contribute to empirical knowledge useful to initiate dialog and to critically reflect on whether and what kind of intervention is actually needed to positively influence forest management practices on the ground for its sustainability based on the plan. Keywords: PFM arrangement; promises and Contests of PFM; practice-based approach DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/65-01 Publication date:May 31st 2020