APPLYING BA TO IMPROVE KNOWLEDGE FLOW BETWEEN ORGANIZATION LEVELS IN TEAMWORK DISCUSSIONS

A business teamwork discussion is one of necessary actions in current business circumstances. However, many discussions are ineffective; consequently, time, costs and resources are wasted. The objective of this study is to identify factors that can enhance the effectiveness of a teamwork discussion, through the focus group method. Six focus groups of participants from different types of business and organizational positions were conducted. The results from these focus groups indicate many factors influencing the success and failure of teamwork discussion. These factors, then, were summarized in four dimensions. The study also noticed that, in a teamwork discussion, a bulk of messages is ordinarily delivered among participants. These messages not only contain the contextual information, but also the implicit knowledge of the senders. The exchange of knowledge causes new knowledge and insight to be created in the receiver’s mind. We believe that the traditional knowledge creation concept of “ba” can be adapted in a teamwork discussion to remedy the impact of some factors and improve the efficiency of the teamwork discussion. Hence, the characteristics of ba were linked to our four-dimension results and the areas in which ba can play its roles were identified

Customer-Centric Knowledge Creation For Customer Relationship Management

As the pace of today’s world increases with advances in technology and globalization, the heat of rivalry and competition in the business world is also rising. It is a wake-up call for many firms that they can no longer just convince customers to buy whatever they sell. They have to understand their customers. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) can assist firms to “know your customer” and “construct good relationships with customers.” In order to know your customer and construct a good relationship, customer knowledge must be acquired and managed. However, this is no easy task since customer knowledge can be subjective and difficult to extract or manage. An approach is needed to acquire and manage customer knowledge. Knowledge management, including knowledge creation, can assist in terms of acquiring and managing customer knowledge. Knowledge management not only improves understanding of the customer, but also improves business process performance by enabling response to customer needs in a timely manner with better quality of service. Customer-Centric Knowledge Creation is the process for the creation of knowledge based on customer knowledge within the CRM contexts which are enterprise-wide, customer-centric, technology-driven, and cross-functional. The aims of this process are to assist organizations to gain more understanding of the customer, embedding customer knowledge into organization knowledge, and creating a customer-focused mindset in organizational members. In other words, it is to sustainably create knowledge focusing on customer knowledge in an organization

The Relationship Between Knowledge Characteristics And Knowledge Value

This paper seeks to define the relationship between knowledge characteristics and their perceived value. The research model proposes that the knowledge characteristics influence the perceived value of knowledge. The survey was conducted in eight large organizations in Thailand. The proposed hypotheses were examined by applying Structural Equation Model. The research reveals two knowledge characteristics that negatively affect perceived value of knowledge due to transfer difficulty. In addition, one knowledge characteristic is found to positively influence value perception of knowledge due to difficulty to imitate, which in turn leads to competitive advantage. The study contributes to richer understanding of the most crucial factor in knowledge transfer, that is, knowledge itself. This should be of interest to management responsible for organizational knowledge exchange agenda

Factors Associated with Xerostomia in Non-Radiated Patients

Objective: To identify factors significantly associated with xerostomia in non-radiated patients. Methods: Patients who attended the outpatient otolaryngology clinic at Siriraj Hospital (Bangkok, Thailand) with complaints of dry mouth were invited to join this study. Collected data included age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol use, underlying disease, and previous medication and/or therapy. Irradiated patients were excluded. Participants were classified into either the diseased or xerostomia group by abnormal oral cavity examination and symptoms, or the no xerostomia group, which was defined as dry mouth symptoms with no presence of abnormal physical findings. Results: Two hundred and two participants with a history of dry mouth were consecutively enrolled. There were 86 patients with physical findings compatible with xerostomia, and 116 symptomatic patients without xerostomia. Multivariate analysis revealed age over 50 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3-7.9; p=0.012), analgesic and muscle relaxant intake (aOR: 3.6, 95% CI: 1.3-9.7; p=0.012), psychotherapeutic medication (aOR: 7.8, 95% CI: 2.6-23.7; p<0.001), and radioactive iodine therapy (aOR: 3.7, 95% CI: 1.2-11.8; p=0.015) to be independent predictors of xerostomia. Conclusion: Xerostomia is a condition that can adversely affect quality of life. The results of this study revealed older age (≥50 years), analgesics and muscle relaxants, psychotherapeutic medications, and radioactive iodine therapy to be significantly associated with xerostomia. A thorough understanding of the symptoms, diagnosis, relevant risk factors, and effective management is essential for improving outcomes among patients with xerostomia.   

Simulated Surgical Model Design for Myringotomy and Tympanostomy Tube Insertion in Children using Medical Image Processing and 3D-Printing Technologies

Objective: Researchers aimed to design surgical simulation models using medical image processing and 3D-printing technologies to train otolaryngologie residents with correct surgical techniques and study their skills improvement. Materials and Methods: The models were produced for three age ranges (group A: 8-12 years old, group B: 3-7 years old, and group C: 10 months - 2 years old). Eleven residents were practiced from older to younger child models. Overall surgical time and results were evaluated to determine improvement. Both residents and specialists assessed satisfaction surveys after training. Results: The median operational time was significantly reduced by 64.57% in model A and 50.24% in model B (p < 0.05). Operating time and surgical skills improved in order from models A, B, and C. Model C showed the most improvement with correct operational techniques in myringotomy incision (66.7%, p = 0.003) and tympanostomy tube insertion (48.5%, p = 0.011). Residents’ and specialists’ satisfaction assessments exhibited prominent satisfaction results with surgical simulation model training. Conclusion: Surgical simulation models training enhanced residencies’ confidence and improved correct surgical techniques. Residencies can gradually practice skills from fundamental to more complicated techniques in younger child model where symptom occurs

Population-Based Study of Acute Respiratory Infections in Children, Greenland

Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are frequent in Inuit children, in terms of incidence and severity. A cohort of 294 children <2 years of age was formed in Sisimiut, a community on the west coast of Greenland, and followed from 1996 to 1998. Data on ARI were collected during weekly visits at home and child-care centers; visits to the community health center were also recorded. The cohort had respiratory symptoms on 41.6% and fever on 4.9% of surveyed days. The incidence of upper and lower respiratory tract infections was 1.6 episodes and 0.9 episodes per 100 days at risk, respectively. Up to 65% of the episodes of ARI caused activity restriction; 40% led to contact with the health center. Compared with studies from other parts of the world, the incidence of ARI appears to be high in Inuit children

Group support systems features and their contribution to technology strategy decision-making: A review and analysis

Collective decision-making processes require careful design considerations in organizations. On one hand, the inclusion of a greater number of actors contribute to a wider knowledge base, on the other, it can become a diffuse process and be distorted from the principles initially established. This paper observes a specific collective decision making process in organizations—technology strategy formulation—and, through a critical review of the literature, analyzes how the advances in features of group support systems support improvements in different stages of this process. This paper also discusses the implications of GSS appropriation in group dynamics.This research was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (SFRH/ BD/ 33727/ 2009), within the framework of the MIT Portugal Program.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio