All Items on the topics Knowledge Management & Knowledge Economy

1. 
   Knowledge Economy Opportunities for Australian Firms in the Asia Pacific Region (Research)
   Feb 2004 | Dr Lyndal Thorburn, Viria Pty Ltd; Dr John Langdale, Macquarie University

   This briefing paper was produced for the Australian Business Foundation to stimulate debate and to explore options for engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.  Through a series of industry case studies, this paper demonstrates that there are untapped opportunities for Australian business in high growth knowledge intensive industries in the Asia Pacific region.  Although traditional commodity industries have contributed significantly to exports, the future lies in competing on superior knowledge and skills.  Within these industries there are hidden strengths that could be capitalised on, ie, adding valuable services to traditional products to provide customised solutions and adopting more sophisticated sales and marketing techniques.

   With a few exceptions, SMEs are lagging behind their competitors in adopting knowledge management approaches to capture their share of the export dollar in this rapidly growing regional economy.  These businesses would be better served by government policy which supports the potential for Australian businesses to tap into global production chains through better knowledge management processes and capabilities, rather than focusing on information and communications technology hardware and infrastructure. 

2. 
   Knowledge Management in the New Business Environment (Research)
   Jul 2003 | Dr Richard Hall, Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research & Training (ACIRRT) of the University of Sydney

   Managing knowledge is a key tool of trade for every business no matter how small or large.  But how do organisations use knowledge to gain a competitive advantage, and how canknowledge be managed anyway?  Through case studies, this report identified a number of ways that successful organisations are managing knowledge, not merely through the use of IT systems, but through building stronger relationships and knowledge flows among key staff and between ket staff and suppliers, customers and other clients. 

   Effective knowledge management is predicated on a workplace culture that fosters knowledge sharing and problem solving, a high degree of trust and mutual support and a commitment to individual and organisational learning.