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The viability of KM partly rests on how researchers garner empirical support for their purported theories. One aspect of this would involve the evaluation of the evidence provided in KM research. This paper presents a comparative study of the evidence that is presented in scholarly and professional literature on KM. For this purpose, the paper introduces a typology of evidence to analyze the data obtained from the survey of the literature. The classification based on this typology reveals quantitative differences between the types of evidence put forth in the scholarly and practitioner literature. More interestingly, however, our analysis reveals differences in terms of the questions they ask, the perspective they adopt, and the methods they follow to convince others of the validity of their claims. We explain these differences in terms of the notions of 'blackboxing' and 'performance' borrowed from actor-network theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits the data-information-knowledge-wisdom (DIKW) hierarchy by examining the articulation of the hierarchy in a number of widely read textbooks, and analysing their statements about the nature of data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. The hierarchy referred to variously as the 'Knowledge Hierarchy', the 'Information Hierarchy' and the 'Knowledge Pyramid' is one of the fundamental, widely recognized and 'taken-for-granted' models in the information and knowledge literatures. It is often quoted, or used implicitly, in definitions of data, information and knowledge in the information management, information systems and knowledge management literatures, but there has been limited direct discussion of the hierarchy. After revisiting Ackoff's original articulation of the hierarchy, definitions of data, information, knowledge and wisdom as articulated in recent textbooks in information systems and knowledge management are reviewed and assessed, in pursuit of a consensus on definitions and transformation processes. This process brings to the surface the extent of agreement and dissent in relation to these definitions, and provides a basis for a discussion as to whether these articulations present an adequate distinction between data, information, and knowledge. Typically information is defined in terms of data, knowledge in terms of information, and wisdom in terms of knowledge, but there is less consensus in the description of the processes that transform elements lower in the hierarchy into those above them, leading to a lack of definitional clarity. In addition, there is limited reference to wisdom in these texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a model for measuring intellectual capital (IC) within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in correlation with the key factors for the successful implementation of knowledge management (KM). Most of the existing IC measurement models are intended to cover general aspects. The kernel of these models could be customized/extended to handle more specific aspects, like KM. The focus of this study is the integration between an IC measurement model and the key factors for successful implementing of KM. The paper identifies, analyses and compares IC elements that are relevant for SMEs and how they can be linked with the IC measurement methods for determining if a company is ready for KM. For this purpose, a general IC measurement model is taken as reference for the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors propose a convergent model for information literacy (IL) based on complementary proficiencies in research and web literacy. Within this integrated framework, information technology (IT) is an essential dynamic in IL instruction. This model was designed, implemented and tested in an upper-level discipline-specific undergraduate information science (IS) course that requires students to develop research-oriented web pages. This study finds that student familiarity with IL and IT increased in this course. In addition, students who indicated a familiarity with certain web design terms also reported a familiarity with certain IL terms. A factor analysis of survey data indicates that a correlation may exist between research and web design in the development of comprehensive IL knowledge. This paper identifies three dimensions of IL and IT: web environment knowledge, web development knowledge, and research skills. This model is portable to other courses, programs, and organizations engaged in IL and IT instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a comparative review of four seminal works on communities of practice. It is argued that the ambiguities of the terms community and practice are a source of the concept's reusability allowing it to be reappropriated for different purposes, academic and practical. However, it is potentially confusing that the works differ so markedly in their conceptualizations of community, learning, power and change, diversity and informality. The three earlier works are underpinned by a common epistemological view, but Lave and Wenger's 1991 short monograph is often read as primarily about the socialization of newcomers into knowledge by a form of apprenticeship, while the focus in Brown and Duguid's article of the same year is, in contrast, on improvising new knowledge in an interstitial group that forms in resistance to management. Wenger's 1998 book treats communities of practice as the informal relations and understandings that develop in mutual engagement on an appropriated joint enterprise, but his focus is the impact on individual identity. The applicability of the concept to the heavily individualized and tightly managed work of the twenty-first century is questionable. The most recent work by Wenger - this time with McDermott and Snyder as co-authors - marks a distinct shift towards a managerialist stance. The proposition that managers should foster informal horizontal groups across organizational boundaries is in fact a fundamental redefinition of the concept. However it does identify a plausible, if limited, knowledge management (KM) tool. This paper discusses different interpretations of the idea of ‘co-ordinating’ communities of practice as a management ideology of empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The knowledge-based economy is coming, and knowledge management (KM) has rapidly disseminated in academic circles as well as in the business world. While an increasing number of companies have launched into knowledge management initiatives, a large proportion of these initiatives are limited to a technical focus. The problem with this type of focus is that it excludes and neglects the true potential benefits that can be derived from knowledge management. This paper develops a new metric, knowledge management performance index (KMPI), for evaluating the performance of a firm in its KM at a point in time. We therefore suggest that a KMPI can be used to determine KM activities from the following perspectives: knowledge creation, knowledge conversion, knowledge circulation and knowledge completion. When KM activities efficiency is increased, KMPI will also be expanded, enabling firms to become knowledge intensive. This paper makes three important contributions: (1) it provides a formal theoretical grounding for the validity of the Black-Scholes model that might be applied to KM; (2) it proposes a measurement framework to enable knowledge assets to be leveraged effectively and efficiently; and (3) it presents the first application of the Black-Scholes model that uses a real-world business situation involving KM as its test bed. The results prove the option pricing model can act as a measurement guideline to the whole range of KM activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context information plays an important role in context-aware mobile commerce (m-commerce) applications. Context information must be preprocessed, integrated and modelled before being stored and then used in a context- aware m-commerce application. Based on Knowledge Management (KM) theories and practice, this paper proposes a framework that uses several information technologies to collect, process, integrate, model, store and use context information. This framework will help effectively manage this information, as well as provide integrated context information about location, weather, time and user activities to enable context-awareness of an m-commerce application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the content of the articles within the issue. The first four articles in this issue focus on the psychology of information and information systems. One article analyzes the notion of information privacy. In the paper of Gail Rein, she explores the conceptualization and encoding of reputation. Another paper, combines psychology, linguistics and information architecture to explore how the precise wording used in menus and hyperlinks affects end user behavior on website. Finally, the author builds on this new media theme, recognizing that the information world is shifting towards streaming sources where information is fed continuously to many devices.

With the capacity to provide the necessary infrastructure to implement knowledge management processes, electronic knowledge repositories (EKRs) have gradually evolved into a backbone for many organizations, and have become a topic of much concern in recent MIS studies. Among the diverse theories commonly employed to target the issue are social capital theory, social cognitive theory, and task technology fit (TTF). Social capital theory primarily addresses issues of what components constitute a social network and how they influence an individual's behavior, necessitating the introduction of social cognitive theory as the foundation for the interpretation of personal cognition. Task technology fit theory, which highlights the fit between the technological characteristics and the user's task character, is also a key factor in determining the EKR usage. This paper integrates these three theories to investigate and compare the main influences on EKR usage from personal, social and technological perspectives. Through a sampling survey of 194 EKR users, EKR self-efficacy, trust, and task technology fit are found to have substantial influences on the EKR usage. Among these three main factors, EKR self-efficacy plays the most important role in determining EKR usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last fifty years, French public authorities have played a major role in developing a policy for scientific and technical information (STI) in France. Four distinct periods can be identified. During the first, from 1955 to 1973, policy was dominated by de Gaulle's concern to combat American hegemony and, since that time, STI policy has always been considered a part of French global politics. The second period from 1973 to 1982 saw the construction of the national STI infrastructure which was followed by a focus on content and database coordination up to 1993. Since that date, France's policy has been marked by the deregulation of telecommunications and the privatization of public services. The question addressed in this paper concerns the current role of public authorities in preparing French society for active participation in the knowledge society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valuable knowledge in organizations is too often ‘locked in’ within one unit. The contribution of this paper is to provide insights into the knowledge-sharing effect of inter-unit coordination mechanisms. This topic has not yet received in-depth study. We fill this gap with a case study of a UK-based multinational, in which we explore knowledge sharing between business units. Data was collected using a questionnaire and interviews. The findings from our study highlight that formal coordination is preferable. Informal networking as an inter-unit coordination mechanism was not perceived as beneficial for knowledge sharing. The knowledge-sharing enablers, trust and knowledge complexity, largely dominated the possibilities for inter-unit knowledge sharing whatever coordination was used. Especially, the perceived knowledge complexity caused problems that could not be fully compensated for by any type of coordination mechanism. The study also highlights the unexpectedly minor role of common knowledge and the only indirect effect of coordination through values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a case study of a large Canadian law firm with a distinctive information culture that is vigorously implementing an information management strategy. Our findings suggest that, at least for this organization, information culture trumps information management in its impact on information use outcomes. Thus, the strongly held information values and behaviors in the firm accounted for more than one- third of the variance in information use outcomes. Employees did perceive a high level of information management activity in the firm, although information management played a smaller, perhaps indirect role in explaining information use outcomes. What might organizations do to improve information use? This study suggests that organizations might do well to recognize that, in the hustle and bustle to implement strategies and systems, information values and information culture will always have a defining influence on how people share and use information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trillions of dollars are annually spent on the development and implementation of information technology within the United States and around the world. On average, roughly 50% of such systems are considered failures or fall short of meeting the expectations set forth by management. The lost productivity and high costs associated with these shortcomings necessitate the identification of alternative frameworks for facilitating the successful acceptance and continued internalization of new technologies. Internalization is defined as the effective and continued use of a technology over time. As such, this paper introduces a conceptual model for examining the effect of trust and planned change initiatives on technology adoption behavior. We propose that technology trust and interpersonal trust, when coupled with planned change initiatives, lead to greater technology adoption and internalization. A series of propositions are introduced and examined between trust, planned change, technology adoption, and internalization. Implications and recommendations for future explorations and development are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the development of knowledge management (KM) was surveyed, using a literature review and classification of articles from 1995 to 2004. With a keyword index and article abstract, we explored how KM performance evaluation has developed during this period. Based on a scope of 108 articles from 80 academic KM journals (retrieved from six online databases), we surveyed and classified methods of KM measurement, using the following eight categories: qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis, financial indicator analysis, non-financial indicator analysis, internal performance analysis, external performance analysis, project-orientated analysis and organization- orientated analysis, together with their measurement matrices for different research and problem domains. Future development directions for KM performance evaluation are presented in our discussion. They include: (1) KM performance measurements have tended towards expertise orientation, while evaluation development is a problem- orientated domain; (2) different information technology methodologies, such as expert systems, knowledge-based systems and case-based reasoning may be able to evaluate KM as simply another methodology; (3) the ability to continually change and obtain new understanding is the driving power behind KM methodologies, and should be the basis of KM performance evaluations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For pattern recognition, the weight of the feature index is very important and is usually used to measure the feature index's importance. The weight is usually divided into two types. One is determined by the knowledge and experience of experts or individuals, and called subjective weight; the other is based on statistical properties and measurement data, and is called objective weight. In this paper, a new objective weight, information entropy weight (IEW) is defined and constructed based on information entropy and the practical background of the survey data. On the basis of gray relation analysis and IEW presented here, a new concept of information incidence degree (IID) is proposed. A new method of incidence pattern recognition based on IID is set up, and applied to soil nutrient data processing. The results of simulation application show that the method presented here is feasible and effective. It provides a new research approach for information pattern recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic data management has become an increasingly challenging task as research evolves over time. Essential tasks such as information retrieval and research networking have turned into extremely difficult operations due to an ever-growing number of researchers and scientific articles. Numerous initiatives have emerged in the IT environments to address this issue, especially focused on web technologies. Although those approaches have individually provided solutions for diverse problems, they still can not offer integrated knowledge bases nor flexibility to exploit adequately this information. In this article, we present REDI, a Linked Data-powered framework for academic knowledge management and research networking, which introduces a new perspective of integration. REDI combines information from multiple sources into a consolidated knowledge base through state-of-the-art procedures and leverages semantic web standards to represent the information. Moreover, REDI takes advantage of such knowledge for data visualisation and analysis, which ultimately improves and simplifies many activities including research networking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific publications written in natural language still play a central role as our knowledge source. However, due to the flood of publications, obtaining a comprehensive view even on a topic of limited scope, from a stack of publications is becoming an arduous task. Examples are presented from our recent experiences in the materials science field, where information is not shared among researchers studying different materials and different methods. To overcome the limitation, we propose a structured keywords method to reinforce the functionality of a future e-library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective knowledge management (KM) has been a topic of great interest and extensively studied by organization researchers. Yet there is little research that attempts to explain the organizational KM performance in terms of employees' satisfaction. To address this gap, this paper proposes a path model employing a number of constructs: innovativeness, interfunctional coordination, the KM processes of socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization, and employees' perceived KM satisfaction. Empirical testing of the model is based on a sample of 157 enterprises from the Taiwanese information service industry. The results show that 10 of the 16 hypothesized relationships are supported by empirical data. The implications of these findings for knowledge management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information science has played a limited role in providing fresh insights into the emerging interdisciplinary discourse of knowledge management. There are opportunities and challenges posed by the new discourse. An analysis of the knowledge management literature within information science journals shows a need for a wider academic perspective and a more philosophically grounded one. As the current knowledge management discourse is fragmented, we propose an integrative, interdisciplinary framework that would be useful for resituating knowledge management among scholars and practitioners. The principal pillars of this theoretical framework are organizational learning; systems and technology; and culture and strategy. Current criticisms of the knowledge management discourse are closely examined. The notions of knowledge sharing, social capital and organizational learning processes provide fundamental insights into knowledge management. These processes are explored from a social, cognitive and technological perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the method of enriching a thesaurus by differentiating the related term relationship with specific semantic relations and expanding related terms. It also tests the usefulness of an enriched thesaurus as a better question-answering tool and information retrieval aid based on users’ perceptions. A small portion of the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) thesaurus was enriched, and two enriched mini-thesauri were compiled with different levels of detail. A total of 22 participants were recruited to test the usefulness of the three mini-thesauri for facilitating question-answering and information retrieval within the ERIC Abstracts of the EBSCOHost Database and on the Web using Google. The experimental results suggest that the enriched thesauri are better question-answering tools and information retrieval aids than the original thesaurus. The findings imply that thesauri enriched with semantic relations are useful in question-answering and modern information retrieval, although the role of the traditional thesaurus in modern information retrieval has diminished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intellectual Capital Management (ICM) and Knowledge Management (KM), two highly popular topics in current management discussions, are often bracketed together. The common understanding of ICM is that concepts of measurement, reporting and valuation most distinctively define this perspective, whereas KM connects debates about organizational knowledge with possibilities and limitations of management. That raises the question of how the management focus on knowledge in KM discussions is connected to the valuation and measurement approaches of ICM. An extensive review of the literature shows that knowledge plays a background role in Intellectual Capital (IC) measurement discussions. Referral to knowledge as an intangible asset appears more rhetorical than based on in-depth understanding of what knowledge as an organizational resource or capability is or is not. More particularly, the predominant view of knowledge in IC measurement discussions is a neo-functionalist, possession approach, even if flow elements of knowledge are used to supplement stock elements. Critical understanding of knowledge, for instance, as practice-based dispute, are virtually absent from the ICM discussions. What the blind spots identified in the review highlight is that ICM and KM discussions, which are presently mostly developed in isolation, should set up more meaningful and elaborated liaisons than are currently established. Two important areas for building such liaisons include (1) the perusal of the contextual, possibly disputed and power-related nature of knowledge in relation to measurement and (2) developing a systematic approach to understanding what measuring or not measuring does to organizational knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reports exploratory research on the meanings associated with the concept of wisdom by two groups of intending information professionals. Concern for the limited success of knowledge management initiatives and the complexity and hyperturbulence of organizational environments has provoked discussion of the role of wisdom in organizations, management, leadership, and decision making. A literature review provides a distillation of the literature on the notion of wisdom as a foundation for investigating the alignment between these perspectives and those of the respondents. Data was collected through a survey using one open question. The findings of the content analysis of the responses are reported and discussed. It is evident that wisdom is a polysemantic concept, but that there is some level of agreement that knowledge, experience and action are key aspects of wisdom; but there is very little allusion to possible ethical and spiritual dimensions of wisdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While several knowledge management systems' (KMS) success measures have been developed in previous studies, most of them focus on the measurement of knowledge use and performance of KMS. Little research has been conducted to develop specific instruments for measuring KMS success from the perspective of KMS knowledge production. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop an instrument for measuring userperceived knowledge and information quality (KIQ) of KMS from the side of knowledge production. In this study, the characteristics of KMS were firstly analysed, and previous instruments for measuring information quality and KMS success then reviewed. Finally, an instrument for measuring the construct of KIQ in the KMS context was developed and validated in terms of its psychometric properties. The proposed instrument will be of value to researchers and practitioners interested in designing, implementing, researching, and managing KMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research area of knowledge transfer is a critical one in the current era of the knowledge economy. Previous studies have channelled much effort into understanding how knowledge transfer could be facilitated efficiently. Yet most of these studies conducted research only at the individual level, ignoring the fact that, in many organizations, the team now serves as the basic unit for transferring and preserving knowledge. In addition, these studies have not put much emphasis on the learning side of knowledge transfer. This study attempts to fill the gaps left by previous studies. First, we identify two determinants of knowledge transfer, namely, knowledge sharing and learning intensity. Furthermore, we discuss how to efficiently foster knowledge sharing and learning intensity at the team level from the perspective of social capital. Finally, we conduct an empirical survey to examine relationships among the components of social capital (i.e. trust and social interaction), and knowledge sharing and learning intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent concerns about the issue of knowledge management (KM) within an organization have accentuated the need for more efficient and effective knowledge sharing - that is, knowledge sharing plays an increasingly significant role in determining the outcomes of KM. Most scholars explore this issue from the economic perspective, while only a few research studies have focussed on organizational capabilities. Drawing from the theories of resource-based view and KM, this study aims to investigate the relationship between organizational knowledge capabilities (OKC) and knowledge sharing (KS). Using regression analysis with data from questionnaires collected in different industries with a valid response rate of 62.4%, the results show that OKC have a positive association with KS. Technical, structural, and human knowledge capabilities are significant for organizational knowledge sharing. Moreover, the effects of implementing KM on OKC and KS are also significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a knowledge-based perspective of the firm (KBV), this study develops a framework that delineates the interrelationships among ‘the roles of individuals as well as organizations,’ ‘the IT capabilities of knowledge storage/retrieval,’ and ‘knowledge creation.’ In order to test the feasibility of this framework, we conducted an empirical study. This study employed a survey instrument, which collected data from 1000 respondents from organizations in manufacturing, trade, transportation, service industries, and academic institutions. A total of 271 useable responses were analyzed. The major contributions of this research are to: (a) develop a knowledge management framework based on individual and organizational perspectives; (b) identify the impact of individuals' absorptive capacity, and organizational mechanisms, on knowledge creation; and (c) specify the moderating effect of organizational memory. The implications of the study are provided, and further research directions are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjectivity is discussed in the context of information processing, and its properties are considered in relation to Popper's three Worlds model of information. The uncertainties that subjectivity creates are seen as central to some problematic issues of information handling, including classification and retrieval. An appreciation of problems relating to subjectivity also has relevance in several subject areas of interest to information science, including understanding, relevance and significance, knowledge management, and creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]