Stmg 545: Knowledge Management Question Paper
Stmg 545: Knowledge Management
Course:Masters In Business Administration
Institution: Kenya Methodist University question papers
Exam Year:2010
FACULTY : BUSINESS STUDIES AND MANAGEMENT
DEPARTMENT : BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)
TIME : 3 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS Answer Question ONE and any other THREE Questions
QUESTION 1
In January 2000, President Kim Dae-Jung announced his intention for Korea to become an advanced, knowledge-based economy. Only three months later, the country put into effect a three-year action plan for implementing the KE strategy. It consisted of 83 associated action plans in the five main areas of information infrastructure, human resource development, and development of knowledge-based industry, science and technology, and elimination of the digital divide. The plan was led by five working groups that involved 19 ministries and 17 research institutes.
Thanks to support from Korea’s highest leadership and a strong buy-in from the business elite, the knowledge strategy was able to attract vast resources from both public and private sectors. The scale and pace of programs were tremendous. For example, MBN offered a million of free Internet connections. A special Informatization Promotion Fund supported ICT training classes for housewives, elderly, farmers, and other groups – many conducted in stadiums, no less.
Knowledge Revolution stopped being a policy buzzword in Korea; it is mainstreamed into government thinking. Not to allow complacency to set in, the Government in 2005 introduced new National Vision and Long-Term Fiscal Strategy. Its goals include leapfrogging to top 10 knowledge-information leaders in the globe, upgrading the educational environments to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standard and harnessing Science and Technology base to reach G-7 standard. The new plan tries to address some of the issues where the previous government efforts claimed only limited or moderate success, most notably the educational reform. It also puts high emphasis on “innovation” in a very broad understanding of the term. Korea’s new concept of innovation endeavors to give a balancing weight to "equality and participation" to fight against polarization trends throughout the Korean society, as opposed to focusing solely on efficiency in the value spectrum.
Having rapidly developed in very recent years, Korea showed strong interest in sharing its experience with developing and transitional economies. The Ministry of Planning and Budget has sent several specialists to the K4D team to work on Knowledge Economy issues in the global context. Korea financed a special “Knowledge Partnership” that funded K4D programs in other countries
a) Discuss the key drivers that have enabled Korea to be one of the Knowledge based economies in the world (10 marks)
b) How relevant is Knowledge Management in public sector? Would there be any impediments to its implementation? Explain.
c) Highlight the role of leadership in Korea’s transition towards knowledge-based economy. (8 marks)
d) You have been hired as a Knowledge Management consultant to advise on the strategic shift – for Kenya to become a knowledge-based and globally connected economy. Discuss the content of your presentation. (7 marks)
Question 2
a) Today’s Knowledge age brings with it an increasingly complex business environment worldwide. In the light of this discuss the key drivers that provide a compelling case for adopting Knowledge Management in organizations. (15 marks)
b) Using Nonaka’s Model explain knowledge creation and transformation in an organization. (10 marks)
Question 3
a) Highlight the characteristics of Chief Knowledge officer and his/her role in knowledge creating Company. (8 marks)
b) What is organizational learning? (5 marks)
c) Discuss some of the practices organizations and individuals can continue or even begin in terms of transformational thinking process? (12 marks)
Question 4
a) Knowledge may be classified as being explicit or tacit. What is your understanding of these classifications? What challenge do you think managers face in their attempt to convert tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge? (12 marks)
b) Discuss the physical and managerial systems that are necessary for Knowledge Management to be a core capability (13 marks)
Question 5
a) Taking the organizational perspective of Knowledge Management, it has been argued that in an attempt to use knowledge as a competitive resource, organizations need capabilities such as infrastructure capability (Gold et al, 2001). Demonstrate your understanding of “infrastructure capability” as applied to Knowledge Management (13 marks)
b) Would you subscribe to the view that human networks are as critical as IT systems in Knowledge Management effort in an organization? Explain and illustrate your answer with practical examples. (12 marks)
Question 6
a) Knowledge Management transfer is part of everyday organization life and a step in the Knowledge Management building life cycle. Discuss three main types of knowledge transfer. (7 marks)
b) Discuss the unique benefits of the internet in Knowledge transfer and its effect on organizational performance. (8 marks)
c) Knowledge Management is slowly gaining acceptance across organization globally. In view of this highlight the factor that has triggered interest in Knowledge Management. (10 marks)
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