Lessons learned from Asian tsunami disaster: Sharing knowledge

Creating an organised common platform to capture, organise and share the knowledge on disaster management strategies is considered vital to enhance the effectiveness of future disaster management efforts. Hence, ensuring the availability and accessibility of accurate and reliable disaster risk information when required entails an efficient system for knowledge sharing. This paper highlights the importance of knowledge and good practice sharing in disaster management strategies, and discusses key lessons learned from 2004 Asian tsunami, particularly relating to the Sri Lankan context. Good practices and lessons learned are discussed on five different themes: social, technical, legal, operational and environmental. Further, the ISLAND website is introduced and developed as part of a research aimed at increasing the effectiveness of disaster management by facilitating the sharing of appropriate knowledge and good practices

Knowledge-sharing practices by legal information professionals at Hogan Lovells : law firm in South Africa and England

Knowledge-sharing practices are all the actions aimed at improving the internal flow and use of knowledge within a virtual team. The collective knowledge of team members only becomes powerful if it is shared among those who possess common goals. The main purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge-sharing practices of Hogan Lovells’ virtual team of legal information professionals and establish how these practices could be enhanced in order to provide a superior information service to the firm’s lawyers. Hogan Lovells is a multinational law firm with offices in South Africa and England, and its virtual team of legal information professionals were experiencing challenges in sharing knowledge. The study adopted a qualitative methodology and a case-study research design. Interview guides were used to collect qualitative data from study Participants. Out of the 23 potential interviewees from the London and Johannesburg team who were purposively selected as the target population for the study, the researcher interviewed 14 on reaching the point of saturation. The Participants interviewed were in possession of suitable information related to the objectives of the study. Qualitative data collected were analysed using content analysis; findings were then made from the completed analysis. From the findings, it emerged that there were several gaps in the knowledge-sharing practices. Several enablers to the knowledge-sharing practices by legal information professionals were identified. The study recommended several ways by which the knowledge-sharing practices at Hogan Lovells’ virtual team of legal information professionals may be enhanced, amongst which are: formalising team meetings as a virtual community of practice, stimulating informal peer mentoring, valuing storytelling and regularly conducting After-Action Reviews. In addition to this, the virtual team should use other knowledge-sharing practices, such as brainstorming, subject-matter experts, and face-to-face virtual meetings. The study suggested that additional studies, particularly surveys and quantitative studies, be conducted on other virtual teams of legal information professionals in South Africa in order to explore their knowledge-sharing practices.Information ScienceM. A. (Information Science

Practices and Strategies of Distributed Knowledge Collaboration

Information Technology is enabling large-scale, distributed collaboration across many different kinds of boundaries. Researchers have used the label new organizational forms to describe such collaborations and suggested that they are better able to meet the demands of flexibility, speed and adaptability that characterize the knowledge economy. Yet, our understanding of the organization of such collaborative forms is limited. In this dissertation, I study distributed knowledge collaboration in the context of a unique setting - a large, distributed, professional legal association, where practice involves knowledge that is complex, highly contextualized and failures have extremely consequential results. The first essay focuses on knowledge sharing at the individual level. Differing approaches have been developed for the study of knowledge sharing - I distinguish between approaches that focus on knowledge transfer and those that highlight the need to transform knowledge to be effective. The former emphasizes availability of and access to knowledge sources while the latter argues that knowledge is difficult to share since it is `localized and embedded in practice.' In this study, I empirically examine the notion that, in the presence of novelty, knowledge sharing involves not simply the transfer of information but rather the transformation of knowledge and understanding. I proposed a theoretical model and tested it by gathering 160 survey responses from individuals who answered questions about two specific cases they encountered - one routine and one novel. The results largely support the key arguments presented here. The second essay examines, at the organizational level, the practices used to mitigate the challenges of distributed collaboration. For example, since larger geographic dispersion may result in pockets of local expertise, how is such knowledge shared with the community? What practices are used to mobilize members for collective action? I undertook a field study using a grounded theory approach and a practice lens to investigate the every day activities that are used to coordinate knowledge work. I found evidence for two distinct sets of practices - one with an internal focus and the other with an external focus. I describe these in detail and suggest that the way in which distributed communities balance the two is essential for their continued viability

Physicians’ Knowledge and Beliefs Regarding Athletic Trainers

Purpose: The relationship between athletic trainers (ATs) and physicians is a legal obligation and collaboration to improve patient outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine the knowledge of physicians regarding the educational preparation, legal obligations, and scope of practice for ATs and how it relates to previous experiences with ATs. Additionally physicians’ perceptions of Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) were studied. Methods: 169 physicians medical doctors (MD)=133/169, 78.7%, doctor of osteopathy (DO)=36/169, 21%) completed a 36-question web-based survey, which included a validated IPC scale. Results: Respondents with experience working with an AT scored significantly higher (P \u3c 0.01) on the knowledge assessment, where physicians currently working with an AT scored higher (5.4/8) than those who previously worked with an AT (4.2/8) and those who had never worked with an AT (3.3/8). Additionally, physicians with previous exposure to an AT as an athlete had significantly higher knowledge scores than those without exposure (P \u3c 0.01). Two areas of weakness in IPC from the physician’s perspective included sharing of important information (2.48/4) and importance of work as compared to others on the team (2.38/4). Conclusions: Physicians who have a current working relationship with an AT and those that had access to an AT as an athlete demonstrated significantly higher knowledge about an AT’s academic preparation, legal obligations, and scope of practice. Moreover, physicians currently working with an AT report positive interprofessional collaborations

Data protection and the ‘right to be forgotten’ in practice: a UK perspective

We are in an uncertain and complex period for data protection and privacy in Europe, and especially so in the UK, following the result of the ‘Brexit’ referendum on 23 June 2016. Information law, and data protection in particular, are of increasing concern for those in the business of knowledge sharing and information dissemination: media organisations, academic institutions and libraries. The notion of the ‘right to be forgotten’ is particularly troublesome, as lawyers, archivists, historians and philosophers grapple with the theoretical and practical implications. This paper discusses a selection of recent European and British policy and legal developments, and discuss how they are changing social practice and citizens’ engagement with information rights

Creating a Legal Framework for Copyright Management of Open Access within the Australian Academic and Research Sector

There is an increasing recognition, in Australia and internationally, that access to knowledge is a key driver of social, cultural and economic development. The argument for greater access to, and reuse of, research outputs is reinforced by the fact that much research in Australia is funded by public money and, consequently, that there is a public benefit to be served by allowing citizens to access the outputs they have funded.2 This recognition poses both legal and policy challenges, in terms of existing legal frameworks such as copyright law and traditional business models. With the rise of networked digital technologies our knowledge landscape and innovation system is becoming more and more reliant on best practice copyright management strategies and there is a need to accommodate both the demands for open sharing of knowledge and traditional commercialisation models. As a result, new business models that support and promote open innovation are rapidly emerging. This chapter analyses the copyright law framework needed to ensure open access to outputs of the Australian academic and research sector such as journal articles and theses. It overviews the new knowledge landscape, the principles of copyright law, the concept of open access to knowledge, the recently developed open content models of copyright licensing and the challenges faced in providing greater access to knowledge and research outputs

Exploring the conflict of interest between knowledge-sharing and information security practices: an empirical case study

Knowledge sharing and information security have become well-established concepts in academia and within organisations. Knowledge sharing aims to encourage individuals to share tacit and explicit knowledge with colleagues and stakeholders, yet on the other hand, information security initiatives aim to apply controls and restrictions to the knowledge that can be shared and how it can be shared, where the primary focus is usually on protecting explicit knowledge or information. This thesis draws attention to the largely unexplored and under-developed area of knowledge protection ; it investigates the paradoxical and concurrent nature of knowledge sharing and information security practices by exploring their relationship and understanding how this can affect an organisation and subsequently identifies ways of achieving a balance between the two practices. The empirical work was carried out through an interpretivist case study approach in the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) an organisation that combines knowledge and expertise from partnerships with academia, industry and the UK government, in order to deliver innovative low carbon solutions. A novel team-based action learning approach was developed to generate individual, team and organisational learning and to help initiate change; the data was collected from three project teams about their knowledge and experiences of knowledge sharing and information security practices, which was then analysed and further supplemented with the ETI s organisational perspective and the researcher s own experience of collaborating with the ETI to contextualise the findings. Eight predominant overarching themes were identified that play an important role in and influence the organisation s knowledge sharing and information security practices. When looking at the practices of knowledge sharing and information security independently at the ETI, proactive and conscious efforts towards achieving the goals of each practice are evident. Knowledge is recognised as the ETI s core product and its effective dissemination is key for the organisation s success, which is why there is a keen attitude towards improving knowledge sharing internally and externally. On the other hand, a great deal of importance is given to protecting valuable knowledge and meeting stakeholders confidentiality requirements, thus, there are good systems, access controls, and information restrictions in place. In addition, strict legal and approval processes to protect information value and accuracy are implemented. However, when both knowledge sharing and information security - practices are compared from a broader perspective, evidence of issues arising from their conflicting nature is evident. Moreover, operating in a complex governance structure with various expectations and contractual agreements with stakeholders regarding confidentiality, has created a protective culture in the organisation surrounding its knowledge, which causes a hindrance to formal and informal knowledge sharing (including both, tacit and explicit forms) and makes identifying opportunities for fully exploiting knowledge and Intellectual Property an ongoing operational challenge. The research process facilitated the achievement of effective learning at individual, team and organisational level for the ETI about its practices, identification of challenges and areas of improvement, incorporation of learning and recommendations into its knowledge management strategy alongside existing activities to improve knowledge sharing. The contents of this thesis particularly the eight themes that have emerged from the research findings - are also contributing significantly to a project the organisation is carrying out to reflect on and review what has been learned from operating the ETI for the last 10 years. The thesis contributes to the existing body of knowledge, theoretically and practically, in the disciplines of knowledge management and information security; what was predominantly overlooked by previous literature, the empirical research findings surface evidence of the relationship between knowledge sharing and information security practices, showing their interconnectedness, and, the negative consequences of the two practices being treated and managed separately. For the action learning arena, a novel methodological approach underpinned by the action learning philosophy has been introduced that demonstrates how team action learning (i.e. using intact teams as opposed to conventional action learning teams) can be used to engage employees to share and combine their knowledge on real organisational issues, generate new learning and develop actions to initiate improvements in the organisation

An Exploration of Interactions between Institutional Agents and College Students who are Undocumented in the U.S.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the awareness, knowledge, and skills of institutional agents who interact with college students who are undocumented, to inform professional development and practice. Through a survey and interviews, participants revealed familiarity with students who are undocumented and discussed the support provided to them. All interview participants understood the experience of assisting students who are undocumented, as evidenced by six major themes: (a) an understanding of student financial needs, (b) recognizing students\u27 anxiety, (c) providing consistent guidance, (d) establishing supportive collaborations, (e) gaining foundational knowledge, and (f) sharing professional development with others. Participants described the overwhelming financial needs of students who are undocumented as a barrier to their educational persistence. Participants also faced policy and legal limitations and lack of funding, which prevented them from assisting all students. The collaborative nature of higher education meant participants often had to rely on other professionals at their institutions to navigate policies and procedures. Participants expressed an essential responsibility to share information and engage in dialogue with other faculty and staff due to misinformation surrounding this population. The study concludes with suggestions for practice and further research

Handling Cases of Willful Exposure Through HIV Partner Counseling and Referral Services

Cases of willful exposure reveal the existing and future risks to the public health (especially women) which may be presented by individuals who willfully expose others to HIV through unsafe sexual or needle-sharing behaviors. In response to a documented case of willful exposure, a PCRS counselor or other public health official may, in his or her professional judgment, decide to act to avert a legitimate public health threat to known or unknown persons in the community. Yet handling such cases raises difficult issues in law, ethics, and public health practice. Public health authorities may be unable or ill-equipped to successfully control risks of this type for several reasons: (1) they may lack sufficient resources to properly investigate these cases; (2) they may lack knowledge or jurisdiction over the individual who willfully exposes others to HIV once his behaviors extend into other communities; and (3) they are bound to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information they obtain from PCRS. How do health care workers and public health departments balance the duty to maintain the privacy of public health information related to PCRS against their obligation to fulfill a partner\u27s right to know of their exposure to infection? What are the legal powers and duties of public health departments to protect the health and safety of individuals as part of their mission to protect the public health? What is the role of the criminal law concerning persons who may intentionally or knowingly attempt to infect others with HIV or other communicable diseases

Researching OER in the open : developments in the ROER4D project

The Research on Open Educational Resources for Development (ROER4D) operational definition of Open Research is: the process of conducting and sharing research on publicly accessible platforms in order for others to freely access, use, modify, and share them, subject to measures that preserve ethical practice and legal provenance. Legal openness refers to the use of appropriate alternative licensing mechanisms such as Creative Commons, as well as the knowledge and resources required to apply and/or negotiate open licensing, copyright clearance, and related intellectual property considerations. This presentation clarifies some ROER4D concepts and recommendations