Knowledge is a broad and abstract notion that has defined epistemological debate in western philosophy since the classical Greek era. In the past few years, however, there has been a growing interest in treating knowledge as a significant organizational resource. Consistent with the interest in organizational knowledge and knowledge management (KM), IS researchers have begun promoting a class of information systems, referred to as knowledge management systems (KMS). The objective of KMS is to support creation, transfer, and application of knowledge in organizations. Knowledge and knowledge management are complex and multi-faceted concepts. Thus, effective development and implementation of KMS requires a foundation in several rich literatures.

/pdf/review-knowledge-management-and-knowledge-management-systems-1mpbigqrg8.pdf

Review: Knowledge management and knowledge management systems: conceptual foundations and research issues

Technology brokering and innovation in a product development firm.

This paper investigates how the age of the knowledge that firms search affects how innovative they are. Two seemingly contradictory propositions are examined: (1) old knowledge hurts by making innovation activities obsolete, and, (2) old knowledge helps because it is more reliable and legitimate, thereby promoting innovation. Results based on longitudinal data on 131 robotics firms reconcile the contradictory propositions: while old intra-industry knowledge hurts, old extra-industry knowledge promotes innovation.

New Product Search Over Time: Past Ideas in Their Prime?

The controversy over using college students as subjects in applied research has been a topic of philosophical discourse and empirical investigation. Thirty-two studies are reviewed in which students and nonstudents participated as subjects under identical conditions. In studies reporting statistical tests of between-group differences, the preponderance of findings indicated that the experimental results differed in the two samples. By contrast, no major differences associated with the type of subject were reported in the majority of studies which did not employ statistical procedures to compare the findings in the two samples. Explanations for differences in the sample are offered, and serve as a basis for recommendations for future research.

The “Science of the Sophomore” Revisited: from Conjecture to Empiricism

Using 94 published empirical articles in academic journals as a data base, this paper provides a critical review of the methodology employed in the study of ethical beliefs and behavior of organizational members. The review revealed that full methodological detail was provided in less than one half of the articles. Further, the majority of empirical research articles expressed no concern for the reliability or validity of measures, were characterized by low response rates, used convenience samples, and did not offer a theoretic framework, hypotheses, or a definition of ethics. Several recommendations, including a reviewer rating form addressing methodological decisions and inclusion of methodologists on the review panel, are offered to improve methodological rigor in published ethics research.

Methodology in Business Ethics Research: A Review and Critical Assessment

This essay seeks to link management action with business ethics. It utilizes two conceptual models of decision making (bounded rationality and preferred decision styles) to examine the important processes of information gathering and information processing. This analysis is then related to the ethical aspects of a business decision to help explain differences in the selection of ethical criteria.

A suggested approach to linking decision styles with business ethics

The experimental results of this study suggest that there are significant differences in decision making between business managers and academics. This casts doubt upon the validity of using student...

Managers As Subjects In Business Decision Research

The constraints of corporate tradition: Alan M. Kantrow. Harper & Row, New York, 1987, 216 pages, $19.95

It is the purpose of this study to identify the most-referenced authors, works, periodicals and publishers in business ethics. A computer analysis was made of over eight hundred references taken from fifty-seven recent articles. The result is a special type of bibliography designed to conserve time for readers in this field. The two most-cited authors were Milton Friedman and Christopher Stone; while the most-referenced works were Where the Law Ends by Stone, “Is the Ethics of Business Changing?” by Brenner and Molander, and Ethical Theory and Business edited by Beauchamp and Bowie.

John E. Fleming

Papers

A suggested approach to linking decision styles with business ethics

Managers As Subjects In Business Decision Research

The constraints of corporate tradition: Alan M. Kantrow. Harper & Row, New York, 1987, 216 pages, $19.95

Authorities in Business Ethics

A Systems Approach to Purchasing