How does Knowledge Management improve the Service Industry?

Competitive advantage is important for a company’s performance in emerging markets. Many companies lost sight of competitive advantage to grow and compete with domestic and global competitors. Thus, many companies try to gain it from managing knowledge.

However, while the companies have to leverage their knowledge internally and externally to create and sustain a competitive advantage, they have to face many problems to manage knowledge. This thesis takes a critical look at problems and barriers of managing knowledge as well as how the service companies use knowledge management to improve their efficiency.

Abstract

Entrepreneurs try to use technology to develop their business. However, using technology generates high costs. So companies need to find a new way to survive by using the existing resources to gain maximum benefit. Knowledge management is one of interesting alternatives as it can deliver competitive advantage such as greater competencies and synergy, more balanced decisions and less errors, more creativity and innovation, broader collaboration and knowledge sharing, and easier links to expertise and deeper understanding.This paper deals with various aspects of knowledge management particularly concentrating on knowledge sharing in service industry. Issues in the context of different data sources and the research with qualitative methodology create the in-depth knowledge to understand how to do knowledge work for gaining competitive advantage….

Contents

1 Introduction
1.1 Problem Discussion
1.2 Purpose
1.3 Research Questions
1.4 Keywords
2 Methodology
2.1 Qualitative research
2.2 Case study: definition
2.3 Single-case vs. multiple-case designs
2.4 Reliability and validity
2.5 Data collection methods
2.6 Data analysis and exposition
3. Theoretical frame of reference
3.1 Service Industry
3.2 The concept “Knowledge”
3.2.1 Knowledge creation
3.2.2 Knowledge codification
3.2.3 Knowledge transfer
3.2.4 Knowledge work
3.2.5 Some possible problems in Knowledge Management
3.2.6 Knowledge management sharing
3.2.7 The Importance of Sharing Knowledge
3.2.8 Barriers of Knowledge Sharing
3.3 The concept “Culture”
3.3.1 Culture Definition
3.3.2 Corporate Culture
3.3.3 Knowledge Management and the role of culture
3.3.4 Creating a knowledge sharing culture
3.3.5 Motivating and Rewarding Knowledge Sharing
4 Analysis/Results
4.1 Summary of the case studies
4.1.1 Case study 1: The WISECARE Project
4.1.2 Case study 2: HSBC
4.2 Data analysis
4.2.1 The importance of knowledge management in service companies
4.2.2 The utilization of knowledge management to gain competitive advantage
4.2.3 The problems that service companies might anticipate during the knowledge management implementation
5 Conclusions and reflections
5.1 Conclusion
5.2 Reflections over this thesis work
References
Appendix

Source: Jönköping University

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