Differences between knowledge and information management practices: empirical investigation

In Knowledge Management (KM) discipline, the nature of KM itself has long been discussed and sometimes even its existence and meaning have been questioned. At the same time, research focusing on the difference between KM and Information Management (IM) was scarce. Therefore we tried through empirical investigation of differences between KM and IM to distinguish the KM from IM and to try to draw a distinct line between both approaches. To fulfil our goal we employed exploratory inductive qualitative research design as not many studies have tried to empirically distinguish KM from IM. For data gathering we used expert semi-structured interviews. The interviews and also results were structured according to 8 perspectives: conceptual, process, technological, organisational, implementation, human resources, economical, and administration. For each perspective, we examined the context of IM and KM and analysed, described and interpreted the differences

A Systematic Literature Review on 30 Years of Empirical Research on Information Systems Business Value

Information systems business value (ISBV) has been a key research topic for the IS research community. While the vast majority of ISBV research demonstrates the positive relationship between IS and firm performance, the fundamental question of the causal relationships between IS and business value remains partly unexplained. Moreover, researchers do not share a unified understanding of ISBV concepts. Therefore, this research intends to synthesize the past 30 years of empirical ISBV research, identify the gaps and shortcomings, conceptualize the ISBV concepts, and propose possibilities for further research that will widen the current narrowly-shared ISBV bottom line. The authors aim to synthesize (1) different operationalization of concepts in existing ISBV research; (2) IS determinants, consequences, and the relations among the variables; (3) the role of contextual factors; and (4) the adopted theoretical views.Information systems business value (ISBV) has been a key research topic for the IS research community. While the vast majority of ISBV research demonstrates the positive relationship between IS and firm performance, the fundamental question of the causal relationships between IS and business value remains partly unexplained. Moreover, researchers do not share a unified understanding of ISBV concepts. Therefore, this research intends to synthesize the past 30 years of empirical ISBV research, identify the gaps and shortcomings, conceptualize the ISBV concepts, and propose possibilities for further research that will widen the current narrowly-shared ISBV bottom line. The authors aim to synthesize (1) different operationalization of concepts in existing ISBV research; (2) IS determinants, consequences, and the relations among the variables; (3) the role of contextual factors; and (4) the adopted theoretical views

Product returns – interdisciplinary interfaces between knowledge, quality and product innovation management

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review existing research on intersections of four disciplines, specifically knowledge, quality and product innovation management related to the consumers´ product returns within the reverse logistics (reverse supply chain management) discipline to identify gaps justifying further research activities. The primary aim of this review is to summarize and evaluate existing literature pertaining the above-mentioned areas of interest and to formulate potential research streams dedicated to the intersections that would help to unify management practices. Design/methodology/approach: Literature review of English-written peer-reviewed journal articles was conducted in two scientific databases: Web of Science and SCOPUS. Multiple keyword combinations were used for search to ensure potential intersections. Findings: Identified state of the art in the literature shows that the existing intersections do not link all four disciplines and that linkages exist only between two disciplines. It is evident that only very weak interdisciplinarity exists in theory. Research limitations/implications: A key limitation is that the paper is based primarily on review of articles accessible in two databases. Both research and managerial implications result from the review. The outcomes can assist researchers and managers to better understand the link between the disciplines and individual functions in organizations and to promote the integration of methods, tools and practices that potentially can lead to needed knowledge integration across organizations. Originality/value: The paper identifies gaps in the literature concerning the needed interdisciplinary linkages between four disciplines as well as key drivers for interdisciplinarity in research in the aforementioned four areas if interest

Do R&D Subsidies Support Innovation or Imitation? Evidence from Four EU Countries

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the effects of public R&D subsidies on the innovative activities of private firms in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Portugal. We investigate whether public R&D subsidies make firms’ activities more innovative. We measure these effects using firm-level data from the 2010 and 2012 Community Innovation Survey and estimated the effects by propensity score matching. We find that the subsidies do not fully crowd out private sources of R&D expenditure in any of these countries. However, there is a substantial heterogeneity in the impact of the subsidies on firms’ innovativeness. R&D subsidies do support true innovations in the Czech Republic and Germany, but they enhance only imitations in Bulgaria and Portugal.Tento příspěvek představuje empirickou analýzu dopadů veřejných dotací na výzkum a vývoj na inovační aktivity soukromých firem v Bulharsku, České republice, Německu a Portugalsku. Zkoumáme, zda veřejné dotace na výzkum a vývoj motivují firmy přicházet na trh s inovativnějšími produkty. Tyto efekty měříme pomocí dat z Community Innovation Survey za rok 2010 a 2012 a odhadujeme pomocí neparametrického matchingového estimátoru. Zjistili jsme, že dotace v žádné z těchto zemí zcela nevytěsňují soukromé zdroje výdajů na výzkum a vývoj. Existuje však značná heterogenita v dopadu dotací na inovativnost firem. Dotace v oblasti výzkumu a vývoje podporují skutečné inovace v České republice a Německu, ale financují pouze imitace v Bulharsku a Portugalsku