The Use of Knowledge Management Methodologies to Improve the Practice of Supply Chain Management: The Case of the Bullwhip Effect

Supply Chain Management is a critically important approach toward producing and delivering goods and services in a cost-effective, timely manner. However, many SCM systems in practice exhibit the bullwhip effect, a tendency towards increasing variability in demand as this type of information migrates downwards in the producing supply chain. We argue that one can reduce the size of the bullwhip effect through the judicious use of knowledge management technologies. We have advanced our arguments through several propositions, and we have derived a set of testable hypotheses from two of these propositions in order to demonstrate how one would go about verifying these arguments. We have identified two different general research methodologies in order to provide a multiple methodological approach to gaining greater confidence in the propositions. It now remains to carry out this plan of research

Knowledge Management and its Effects on Financial Performance: Evidence from Dangote Flour Mills, Ilorin

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of knowledge management and their impact on the financial performance of economic entities. It is determined that despite the key role of knowledge both for the development of the country (which in the 21st century is based mainly on knowledge) and to increase the value of the company, today companies do not fully use arrays of knowledge and data, which forms barriers to increase competitiveness in the strategic perspective

Knowledge management enabler factors and firm performance : an empirical research of the Greek medium and large firms

Knowledge has become one of the most important driving forces for business success. Knowledge management helps organizations to find, select, organise, distribute, and transfer vital information. Through a successful knowledge management (KM) organizations improve their effectiveness and gain competitive advantage. The development of KM has led to the need of identifying its critical success factors. This study identifies and discusses the critical success factors or enablers that determine the KM effectiveness within organizations, which in turn influence the total performance of the firm. Based on existing frameworks and models, this study outlines the five most important factors that are believed to be critical for an effective KM implementation. This paper also investigates the effect of knowledge management effectiveness on firm performance. The proposed research model is tested via an online survey sent to 280 medium and large sized enterprises, randomly selected, all over Greece; from those only 109 answered the questionnaire correctly. The results of the study will help organizations to understand the impact that different enablers have on the KM successful implementation and how the effectiveness of KM affect firm performance.peer-reviewe

Success Factors in Implementing Knowledge Based Systems

The various dimensions of the problems of productivity and technology cannot be found in technology alone, but rather there are also human factors that either facilitate or constrain the ability of firms and workers to adopt and implement new technologies. This paper discusses the factors that contribute to Knowledge Management Systems effectiveness. Through a case study and literature reviews a general framework has been delineated. This framework describes dimensions involved in the adoption of technology at both the users and organisational level

Factors influencing environmental management accounting adoption in oil and manufacturing firms in Libya

This study was conducted to examine the factors that influenced Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) adoption. Specifically, it investigated the influence of the dominant factors in the organizational, environmental and technological contexts on firms’ intentions to adopt EMA. To achieve this objective, eight hypotheses were formulated, with information from previous research and the TOE framework, the TAM model, the contingency theory, the institutional theory, the legitimacy theory, the stakeholder theory and diffusion of the innovation theory. In order to examine these hypotheses, data were collected from financial directors and environmental managers in the oil and the manufacturing firms in Libya, who constituted the sample of this research, by using a researcher-administered questionnaire. A total of 202 usable questionnaires were collected and the data were subjected to tests of variances, factor analysis, correlations and multiple regression. The results revealed that age, education level and tenure in position were among the influential factors on firms’ intention to adopt EMA. The results also showed that Libyan firms in the selected industries were dominated by defender strategy and hierarchy culture, which favoured a centralized management style. However, these practices had a negative influence on firms’ intention to adopt EMA. Furthermore, the results also revealed that organizational, environmental and technological variables significantly influenced firms’ intention to adopt EMA. This study has made useful contributions to current knowledge by providing more explanations on EMA adoption in an unexplored context, and providing further insights into factors that facilitate and impede the adoption of EMA practices. The present study has also filled the gap in the EMA literature by developing a theoretical framework to assess the relationships between the factors within the organizational, environmental, and technological contexts and the intention to adopt EMA. To conclude, this study has provided important insights into the factors that influence the acceptance and adoption of EMA in general, and specifically in Libya. More importantly, this study has opened up possibilities for further research into EMA adoption in Libya and other developing countries, and worldwid

Los factores culturales y la gestión del conocimiento en una empresa de provisión de soluciones de tecnología de la información

Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. Facultad de Economía y Planificación. Departamento Académico de Gestión EmpresarialEl presente trabajo de titulación desarrolla el caso de GMD S.A. empresa dedicada a la de provisión de soluciones de tecnología de la información cuyo objetivo es consolidar su cultura con el fin de impulsar los procesos de generación, utilización y desarrolló del conocimiento, para mantener su posicionamiento actual en el mercado. El objetivo principal de la tesis fue evaluar e identificar los factores culturales que actúan como facilitadores de la gestión del conocimiento en la empresa GMD S.A. Los objetivos específicos incluyeron realizar un resumen teórico acerca de la importancia de la cultura organizacional como factor de éxito en la gestión del conocimiento, determinar si los mecanismos de comunicación benefician la GC, evaluar si el estilo gerencial favorece la gestión del conocimiento, brindar una aproximación sobre aquellos factores que motivan a los trabajadores a compartir su conocimiento y evaluar si el proceso de reclutamiento se orienta a captar personas con la cultura de compartir conocimiento La metodología consistió en la revisión de documentos existente tanto del Grupo Graña y Montero como de GMD, realizar encuestas a los colaboradores cuyas áreas adoptaron el proceso de gestión del conocimiento, entrevistar al responsable del proceso de selección y observación del entorno. Los principales resultados obtenidos fueron los siguientes: La empresa posee una cultura de gestión del conocimiento, sin embargo aún no se puede analizar el impacto de sus acciones en pos del cumplimiento de los objetivos organizacionales. Se determinó que tanto los mecanismos de comunicación como el estilo gerencial benefician la gestión del conocimiento. El principal factor que motiva el compartir conocimiento para los trabajadores es el desarrollo personal y profesional, por último se concluyó que el proceso de reclutamiento busca captar personas que concuerden con la cultura y en tal sentido se infiere posean predisposición a compartir su conocimiento.This university degree work develops the GMD S.A. business case. GMD is a company devoted to the delivery of information technology (IT) solutions. Designed to consolidate its culture to boost the processes of generation, usage, and development of knowledge, with the aim to maintain its local market positioning. The thesis’s primary objective was to evaluate and identify the cultural factors that serve as knowledge management facilitators at GMD S.A. The specific objectives included: the implementation of a theoretical overview based on the importance of the organizational culture as a success factor in knowledge management. The identification of benefits from communication mechanisms to the KM and the assessment of the managing style as a knowledge management contributor. To provide an approach to those factors that motivate workers to share their knowledge and evaluate if the recruiting process is aimed to recruit people with knowledge management sharing culture. The methodology consisted in the revision of the existent documents both in the Graña y Montero Group and GMD S.A. The conduction of surveys to workers in whose areas knowledge management process was adopted, and interviewing the ownership of the recruitment and the observation of the environment process. The main results obtained were: The Company possesses a knowledge management culture; however, it cannot yet be analyzed the impact of it actions towards the fulfillment of the organizational objectives. Was identified that both communicational mechanisms and managing style benefit the knowledge management. The primary factor that motivates the knowledge sharing on workers is the personal and professional development. Finally, it was concluded that the recruitment process seeks to catch people in agreement with the culture within which it may infer they possess a willingness to share their knowledge.Tesi

Οργανωσιακή Δομή, Επιχειρησιακή Στόχευση, Δείκτες και Προβλέψεις στην Τηλεπικοινωνιακή Αγορά

Πραγματοποιήθηκε η καταγραφή και αποτύπωση της οργανωσιακής δομής, των επιχειρησιακών στοχεύσεων και των υφιστάμενων δεικτών στην ελληνική αγορά τηλεπικοινωνιών. Η επιλογή του τηλεπικοινωνιακού κλάδου, ως αντιπροσωπευτικού, πραγματοποιήθηκε καθώς αυτός συγκεντρώνει ουσιώδη οργανωσιακά και επιχειρηματικά χαρακτηριστικά, που επιτρέπουν διεθνείς συγκρίσεις. Η αγορά χαρακτηρίζεται από ελεύθερο και έντονο ανταγωνισμό, ενώ τυχόν εμπόδια εισόδου δεν υφίστανται. Οι παγκόσμιες τεχνολογικές, οικονομικές και ρυθμιστικές εξελίξεις επηρεάζουν άμεσα την αγορά, ενώ φαινόμενα εξαγορών – συγχωνεύσεων – στρατηγικών συμμαχιών, επαναπροσδιορίζουν τις δομές της. Το τηλεπικοινωνιακό προϊόν, αποτελεί βασικό καταναλωτικό και επιχειρηματικό αγαθό, τουλάχιστον για τις ανεπτυγμένες και αναπτυσσόμενες χώρες, ενώ ο βαθμός χρήσης τηλεπικοινωνιών οριοθετεί βάσει μελετών τις οικονομικές δυνατότητες (σε όρους Ακαθάριστου Εγχώριου Προϊόντος) των εν λόγω χωρών. Για την καταγραφή οργανωσιακής δομής και επιχειρησιακών στοχεύσεων της αγοράς τηλεπικοινωνιών, μελετήθηκε η κουλτούρα των τηλεπικοινωνιακών παρόχων σταθερής και κινητής τηλεφωνία. Στόχος υπήρξε ο προσδιορισμός των ιδιαίτερων χαρακτηριστικών: α) της κάθε εταιρείας, β) του κάθε κλάδου (κινητής – σταθερής τηλεφωνίας) και γ) της αγοράς συνολικά. Η οργανωσιακή δομή, η επιχειρησιακή στόχευση και οι δείκτες αποδοτικότητας προσδιορίζονται μέσα από την σχέση της κουλτούρας με μεγέθη όπως: ο βαθμός ανταγωνισμού στην αγορά, ο χαρακτήρας ηγεσίας, το μέγεθος επιχείρησης, η ηλικία επιχείρησης, ο προσανατολισμός στην αγορά της επιχείρησης και δείκτες επίδοσης της επιχείρησηςTelecommunication industry has been selected, in order to understand and present its organizational structure, operational strategy and its main business indexes. The specific industry has been chosen as a representative of the whole market because of its substantive organizational and business characteristics that permit international comparisons. The market is characterized by free and intense competition, while no entry barriers exist. The technological, economic and regulatory developments affect directly the market, and phenomena of acquisitions, mergers and strategic alliances redefine its boundaries. In most developed as long as in the developing countries, telecommunication product is a validated entrepreneurial and consumable product, while its usage can determine the countries’ overall economic potentials (in terms of Gross Domestic Product), according to several studies. Organizational structure and operational strategy, have been determined by measuring fixed and mobile operators’ organizational culture, along with their in between interactions. The study’s aim is to understand the specifications of: a.) each company, b.) each industry (fixed-mobile telephony) and c.) the market as a whole. Organizational structure, operational strategy and efficiency indexes are determined through the interdependent relationship between organizational culture and: market’s competition level,leadership’s character, company’s size, company’s age, market orientation and performance indexe