Organisational culture and the use of knowledge-based engineering systems in saudi industrial firms

Copyright © 2016 International Business Information Management Association The main aim of this study to investigate what is required to achieve in the effective use of knowledge management system, such as: knowledge assets, knowledge sharing, learning, leadership, and the use of technologies. In order to benefit from these main pillars of knowledge management we need to identify each one and understand its main use in the evaluation of the knowledge based engineering system in Saudi context. In order to succeed it, the organisation and its key compensations are the most distinguished drivers of knowledge management. The main determination is to cultivate a conceptual model, which comprehends the influence of organisational culture on the main pillars of knowledge management towards the effective use of knowledge based engineering system in Saudi industrial firms

Enhancing design learning using groupware

Project work is increasingly used to help engineering students integrate, apply and expand on knowledge gained from theoretical classes in their curriculum and expose students to 'real world' tasks [1]. To help facilitate this process, the department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management at the University of Strathclyde has developed a web±based groupware product called LauLima to help students store, share, structure and apply information when they are working in design teams. This paper describes a distributed design project class in which LauLima has been deployed in accordance with a Design Knowledge Framework that describes how design knowledge is generated and acquired in industry, suggesting modes of design teaching and learning. Alterations to the presentation, delivery and format of the class are discussed, and primarily relate to embedding a more rigorous form of project-based learning. The key educational changes introduced to the project were: the linking of information concepts to support the design process; a multidisciplinary team approach to coaching; and a distinction between formal and informal resource collections. The result was a marked improvement in student learning and ideation

Understanding the role of knowledge management in software development: a case study in very small companies

Software and systems engineering is distinct from other forms of engineering as it deals with an intangible product, where the progress in construction is not explicitly visible and team members often rely on the docu- mentation of others to follow and review progress. Furthermore unlike traditional engineering disciplines, there is no single standardized unified process. The role of knowledge management in the software engineering literature is becoming more evident, as the software development activity is essentially a human knowledge intensive activity and is seen by many as a key factor. This paper discusses the role of software development knowledge management within software development process and specifically how software development knowledge is managed in software development in order to support software process improvement and the role of knowledge management in this. The authors present the results of a study of knowledge management process practices in very small software companies and discusses these under the major identified issues of: Communication; Learning and sharing; Documentation and Knowledge management process and com- mitment. The findings in this study give an insight towards knowledge management practices as they relate to software development process practices in very small companies and the important factors that must be considered to preserve knowledge and quality software

Knowledge management to learning organization connection

The changes in the engineering-construction (E-C) industry of the 21st century require organizations to take a more active role in developing knowledge management and learning organization initiatives. The need to both retain knowledge within the organization and focus on continuous human resource development throughout all levels of the organization is becoming a primary challenge throughout the industry. This paper addresses this challenge by focusing on the question of the link between knowledge management and learning organizations and how to transform an organization from a focus on knowledge management to a focus on developing a learning culture. Based on a series of studies by the PIs into the characteristics of both knowledge management and learning organizations, this paper outlines models of each of these concepts and introduces a bridge that details the level of knowledge management implementation that must be in place prior to an organization having the capacity to move to a learning focus. Additionally, the case studies conducted during the current study provide a basis for presenting potentially unsuccessful paths that may be selected by organizations during the implementation of a knowledge management to learning organization transition

The knowledge management to learning organization connection

The changes in the engineering-construction (E-C) industry of the 21st century require organizations to take a more active role in developing knowledge management and learning organization initiatives. The need to both retain knowledge within the organization and focus on continuous human resource development throughout all levels of the organization is becoming a primary challenge throughout the industry. This paper addresses this challenge by focusing on the question of the link between knowledge management and learning organizations and how to transform an organization from a focus on knowledge management to a focus on developing a learning culture. Based on a series of studies by the PIs into the characteristics of both knowledge management and learning organizations, this paper outlines models of each of these concepts and introduces a bridge that details the level of knowledge management implementation that must be in place prior to an organization having the capacity to move to a learning focus. Additionally, the case studies conducted during the current study provide a basis for presenting potentially unsuccessful paths that may be selected by organizations during the implementation of a knowledge management to learning organization transition

New e-Learning system architecture based on knowledge engineering technology

The paper focuses on the field of research on next generational e-Learning facility, in which knowledge-enhanced systems are the most important candidates. In the paper, a reference architecture based on the technologies of knowledge engineering is proposed, which has following three intrinsic characteristics, first, education ontologies are used to facilitate the integration of static learning resource and dynamic learning resource, second, based on semantic-enriched relationships between Learning Objects (LOs), it provides more advanced features for sharing, reusing and repurposing of LOs, third, with the concept of knowledge object, which is extended from LO, an implementing mechanism for knowledge extraction and knowledge evolution in e-Learning facilities is provided. With this reference architecture, a prototype system called FekLoma (Flexible Extensive Knowledge Learning Object Management Architecture) has been realized, and testing on it is carrying out