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The paper introduces a process for brainstorming new product ideas and business concepts. The developed process utilises a group support system. It aims to enhance the innovation process and the transfer of knowledge inside a company by offering effective means for cooperation. The paper reports the experiences and findings of using the developed process in business cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proxies Knowledge Management (KM) enablers as strategy and leadership, organisational culture, employees, IT and establishing a special unit in charge of KM. By surveying small and medium enterprises in Taiwan, the results indicate that the four enablers of strategy and leadership, organisational culture, employees and establishing a special unit in charge of KM are significantly and positively associated with non-financial performance in the learning and growth perspective, internal process perspective and customer perspective. The outcomes of the learning and growth perspective and the internal business process perspective have mediating effects between the KM enablers and the performance in the customer perspective. This paper thus recommends that small and medium enterprises set up infrastructures of KM to increase the performance in the non-financial perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition process from building a minimum knowledge base to deploying the first strategic capabilities is a neglected issue in the literature on technological accumulation in Latin American firms. This paper analyses three organisational processes that may affect this stage and discusses the role of an unstable firm's technology strategy in influencing such processes. Based on a detailed case study of Vitro S.A., one of the largest and most successful Mexican industrial groups, this paper argues that a context characterised by macroeconomic instability and distortions, and the lack of vision of the firm's top management about the role of technology in competitiveness, contribute to explaining the instability of the firm's technology strategy. This, in turn, is a major factor that negatively influences the conversion of individual into organisational learning, the coordination of different learning strategies, and the steadiness of the knowledge-creation process. The weaknesses in these processes make the deployment of strategic capabilities and the completion of the transition process more difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theoretical paper explores the fundamental issue of how knowledge management initiatives impact business performance. Reflecting on the management literature in the fields of knowledge management and performance management enabled the deduction of four basic assumptions, representing the links of a conceptual cause-and-effect framework - the knowledge value chain. Drawing on the resource-based view and the competence-based view of the firm, the paper identifies strategic, managerial, and operational dimensions of knowledge management. The review of performance management frameworks discusses the role of knowledge management in those models. These reflections allow linking knowledge management with core competencies, strategic processes, business performance, and finally, with value creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the global knowledge based economy enterprises increasingly face the challenge of collaborative knowledge production in a networked context. Although the importance of the participation in such knowledge-networks is widely recognised, the capabilities for a successful participation have, so far, not been elaborated. Based on the dynamic capabilities view this paper proposes a holistic and practical concept of knowledge-networking capability (KNC). For this purpose knowledge-orientated and interaction-orientated capabilities elaborated in the literature are combined. Extracting the relevant strengths and weaknesses of German small and medium sized enterprises allows for identifying strategic starting points for a systematic development of KNC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the determinants of firms' external technology sourcing mode. Instead of focusing on opportunistic behaviour in knowledge transactions and assuming minimising transaction costs as a firms' objective, I focus on firms' absorptive capacity and emphasise gains from knowledge transfer in technology sourcing. I analyse how a firm matches a sourcing mode with its absorptive capacity to enhance knowledge transfer in technology sourcing, and I find positive relations between a firms' absorptive capacity and interactive technology sourcing modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of the mechanisms of knowledge accumulation that are employed by firms is a key to understanding the success of certain regions, and also of some industries and firms. This paper: proposes a general framework for the firm's organisational learning dynamics; provides empirical evidence of the organisational learning dynamics that actually appear in firms from the software publishing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the different types of knowledge involved in the process of knowledge creation, and analyses the main implications of such distinctions that managers need to consider in their attempt to build the dynamic capability of knowledge creation in the firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the management of Intellectual Property (IF) in R&D alliances, with a focus on two key IP types — patents and trade secrets. Since IP is both inputs to and outputs of R&D alliances, the key is to simultaneously achieve two objectives — IF protection and IF generation. As research inputs, IF could be devalued by partners' opportunistic learning. Thus, IP needs to be carefully selected and protected through mechanisms such as equity arrangement, non-disclosure and non-compete agreements, and monitoring and auditing. Meanwhile, the performance of R&D alliances is mostly measured by their IP outputs. Partner firms face new issues, such as IF classification and ownership. They must decide whether to patent or keep their R&D outputs confidential. In making IF ownership decisions, partners need to consider R&D outputs' potential as the firm's core competencies and the risk of patent interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on identifying external learning sources of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME5) and the relationship between external learning sources and dynamic capabilities. Our results indicate that the most common sources of external learning for SMEs, in order, are customers, suppliers, the scientific community and other industries. The least common sources are competitors, partnerships and consultants. Our results indicate that learning from customers is a predictor of innovation speed, learning from suppliers is a predictor of operational efficiency, and learning from other industries is a predictor of superior process technologies. However, learning from competitors is negatively associated with the development of product technologies and basic research. Additionally, smaller firms in our sample learn more from suppliers and the scientific community than larger firms, while larger firms learn more from partnerships and consultants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alliances formed to investigate emerging technologies often fall short of participants' expectations. Das and Teng (2000) proposed that successful alliances (such as those undertaken by R&D consortia) hold three 'competing tensions' in balance, with varying emphasis across several stages in the life of an R&D alliance. This paper reports on a longitudinal case study of an initiative conducted by the Financial Services Technology Consortium to develop and test a new payment system, the eCheck. Consistent with the studies of Das and Teng, we found strong evidence of the stages and competing tensions. However, all three tensions were seen across the stages of the eCheck initiative. Based on these findings, we propose that all three competing tensions need to be managed throughout the life of an inter-organisational learning initiative, and that tensions accelerate (and thus need to be managed most carefully) as a project moves closer to commercial implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the five fundamental alternatives within reach of the innovator for achieving a better appropriation of the results of technological activity. These are patents, industrial secret, cost and time for imitation, continuous innovation and complementary resources. We seek to contrast which factors determine the firm's choice of one method or another. By applying a model and different working hypotheses to a sample of 152 Spanish innovative firms, we establish how and to what degree the Spanish firms protect their technology and which resources and innovative characteristics determine the firm's choice of method of appropriation of innovative results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to study the influence of technological knowledge assets with different levels of codification on innovation capability from the resource- and knowledge-based view of the firm. To that end, a study of 1444 Spanish industrial firms was performed between 1998 and 2000, based on information provided by the Survey of Business Strategies (SBS). The results show that technological knowledge assets exert different levels of influence depending on their character. Thus, tacit assets exert more influence on firm innovation than other technological knowledge assets. Specifically, technological knowledge capabilities are the most significant during the three-year period of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In earlier years, licensing was primarily seen as a means of acquiring technology or technological knowledge developed outside of a firm's boundaries. With the introduction of the idea of technology marketing, a new perspective is given; from pull to push, item the demand and technology acquisition side to the supply and external technology commercialisation side, This paper explores the challenges firms are facing when confronted with the question of whether or net to commercialise technological knowledge outside of the firm's boundaries [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although much has been made of the trend towards knowledge and technology outsourcing by firms and organisations, few studies have attempted to analyse the specific factors associated with the decision to use external technological knowledge sources in the innovation process. This paper outlines some key results from a study of the practices of a number of UK firms and organisations and the development of a Decision Support Framework (DSF) model, to aid understanding of the decision-making process surrounding the external sourcing of technological knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last three decades global competition has dramatically changed. Formerly dominating firms from the Triad are facing competition from nearly all over the world. Due to an unprecedented exponential growth of global knowledge production and consumption, no longer firms do rely on go-it-alone strategies, Rather, firms have become proficient in sourcing technologies that are either state of the art or non-available inside their boundaries or they have intensified their activities regarding the external commercialisation of knowledge (mainly technological knowledge). This paper discusses the major drivers and challenges regarding the processes of knowledge acquisition and knowledge exploitation. And it introduces some of the instruments firms will have to master to compete in the global economy of the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a particular emphasis on knowledge and competence as increasingly important resources for successful enterprises. This notion of knowledge is based on 'positive knowledge', which considers knowing as merely a constructive, linear and accumulative process. We will introduce the notion of 'negative knowledge', which involves 'giving up' or 'bracketing' knowledge in certain situations. When experts encounter something that is incompatible with their knowledge, they should be sensitive enough to recognise a new situation by reconsidering or suspending their action. In addition to exploring the idea of 'unlearning', the paper introduces three other aspects of negative knowledge: 'to know what we do not know', 'to know what not to do' and 'the value of failure'. Negative knowledge seems to be possible, useful and even necessary in expert organisations because old ways of thinking or knowing something often prevent us from seeing new potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the set-up of a knowledge management system at GRS. A knowledge model has been used as a guideline through the stages of knowledge-related activities, including specification of the knowledge goals, knowledge identification, acquisition, development, use, dissemination, preservation and assessment of the knowledge management system. The activities related to these stages are described. In addition, process-oriented knowledge management as a means to integrate knowledge-related activities into everyday work, and semantic technologies for modelling knowledge domains and for improving search for relevant documents are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]