Oct'18
Welcome to the IUP Journal of Knowledge Management
Focus
For any business organization, customer knowledge can be viewed from different angles�knowledge from customers, knowledge of customers and knowledge about customers. When customer relationship management (CRM) is oriented towards knowledge management, it can be treated as customer knowledge management (CKM). Because of the constraints on finance and resources, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can benefit from utmost utilization of customer knowledge by understanding the requirements, behavior and preferences of customers and satisfying them by meeting the goals. The authors, Mario Barcelo-Valenzuela, Edlyn Hernandez-Rojas, Alonso Perez-Soltero and Jos� Luis Ochoa-Hern�ndez, in their paper, �A CRM Strategy for Integrating Customer Knowledge�, have proposed a model which consists of five phases and includes the knowledge of the client in the application of CRM and uses social networks and mobile applications. The model was implemented in a Mexican SME. It is reported that the application of CRM strategy could reduce the amount of rework, and the use of preferred communication for each customer could enhance client trust and clarity in understanding customer expectations and specifications and ensure that the end product meets the requirements of the clients.
In an exploratory study of attitudes about knowledge sharing, Bock (2002) reaffirmed that positive attitude toward knowledge sharing leads to positive intention to share knowledge and finally to actual Knowledge Sharing Behaviors (KSBs). In the paper, �Predicting Knowledge Sharing Behavior Based on People�s Early Core Beliefs�, the authors, Yasha Afshar-Jalili and Samaneh Ghaleh, by investigating the psychological theories, have examined the deep beliefs of people influencing their attitude and intention to share their knowledge. They have developed a research model, supported by a questionnaire. They collected data from an Iranian mature knowledge-oriented company, which measures individual knowledge performance, including KSB, semi-annually. From the analysis of data, it is found that there is a strong positive relationship between �I am OK and you are OK� core belief and KSB; a negative relationship between �I am OK and you are not OK� core belief and KSB; and no meaningful relationship between �I am not OK and you are OK� core belief and KSB.
The society has been updating and exchanging knowledge with the existing technology. This is supported by the relationships and connectivity established among the particular group of individuals who form a society. This trend is common in all kinds and ages of people, including children, adults and professionals from different fields. Such knowledge can be helpful to the members of that society in judging their observations. Sohn (1994) treated one�s ability to understand and predict others� general patterns of behavior as social knowledge and reported that social knowledge can be used as a control mechanism to manage firms. In the paper, �A Primer on Social Knowledge�, the author, Sidharta Chatterjee, has reviewed the definition of social knowledge, explored its concept and attempted to consolidate its implications and ongoing evolution, particularly, in the modern economic systems. The author has considered the elucidation of Arrow (1994) on social knowledge as the base. The author has also presented a brief analysis of the knowledge related to the economics of externalities.
Consulting Editor
A CRM Strategy for Integrating Customer Knowledge
In recent years, customer knowledge has become a crucial element to meet customer demands; it represents essential information for the development of the company�s processes and provides competitive advantages that could create value for the client. This converts the customer into an active part of the company and reduces product setbacks or mistakes. This paper proposes a model that utilizes customer knowledge as well as the knowledge of the organization to recognize needs; it is based on a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) process. The model was implemented in a company dedicated to the machining of precision parts in northwestern Mexico; it identified which knowledge was necessary for each customer project and the preferred communication channel per customer; a CRM software was installed in the company which provided traceability of the work starting with the quotation. This paper demonstrates that the continuous use of a CRM strategy can improve communication, reduce rework and improve customer trust.
Predicting Knowledge Sharing Behavior Based on People�s Early Core Beliefs
Knowledge sharing has always been a challenge for organizations practicing knowledge management initiatives. Although comprehending Knowledge Sharing Behavior (KSB) requires psychological study, there are a few studies that have investigated the psychological aspects of KSB deeply. This quantitative research aims to predict knowledge sharing by studying the relationship between people�s early core beliefs and their KSB. For evaluating people�s core beliefs, a questionnaire was distributed among the employees of Oil Industries Commissioning and Operation (OICO) Company, Tehran, Iran. 214 employees from different levels of the organization participated in the survey. The response rate was 61.84%. Early core beliefs, including �I am OK and you are OK�, �I am OK and you are not OK�, �I am not OK and you are OK�, and �I am not OK and you are not OK�, are shaped in early age and influence people�s adulthood behavior as a fundamental attitude. The results show that there is a positive relationship between core beliefs and KSB.
A Primer on Social Knowledge
The primary goal of this research is to search for relevance in social knowledge with respect to the role played by social information in economic modeling. Social information is derived from social processes. We attempt to explore how social concepts and principles find applications in science of economics and how they could be used more efficiently to model the behavior of economic agents. In attempting to do so, we try to elucidate what social knowledge is and what constitutes the body of social information per se. With the growing importance of digital knowledge and information in the society, our analysis sheds light on the role played by social elements in economic theory and modeling that furnishes important data and information about various social processes which can no longer be ignored, despite the preponderance of scientific and technical knowledge in the society. We review, from the point of view of Kenneth Arrow�s perception of social knowledge, how knowledge of social processes could be employed more efficiently in economic modeling in dealing with practical economic problems that have much relevance to economic processes. This research takes an aim at that direction by elucidating the concept of social knowledge in its present context�the digital age�with the aim of advancing knowledge in this field. Finally, the study also provides general knowledge about the subject of social knowledge in the context of economic growth.