55035 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Year	No.	Offer	Mode	Description			Cred. Pts
01	55035 	S2  	X 	KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT      	1.00

Contents


STAFFING:

Examiner: C. RYAN
Moderator: E. FITZGERALD
Instructional design: C. COTTMAN

SYNOPSIS:

The climate of rapid technological change which that characterises modern society and the desire for increased efficiency and effective decision making in today's business have resulted in many organisations beginning to understand that the knowledge of their employees is their most valuable asset. In recent times, innovative organisations are endeavouring to actively manage how organisational knowledge can be used more effectively on a day to day basis. Research reveals that knowledge will be the modern corporation's most valuable resource in the future. It is therefore crucial that tertiary courses provide the postgraduate student with the skills to understand and manage organisational knowledge. This unit enables students to gain an understanding of Knowledge Management (KM) concepts and their practical application. Using an information management viewpoint, students examine concepts of KM from perspectives including decision support, document management, and organisational and management theory. The unit explores explicit and implicit tacit knowledge, and techniques for modelling knowledge in decision-making processes. Topics include: definitions and characteristics of KM; knowledge versus data and information; decision support and KM; workflow approaches to KM; developing knowledge systems: evaluation of the knowledge requirements of organisations; knowledge elicitation techniques; techniques for validation of knowledge; strategies for applying KM in organisations.


OBJECTIVES:

On successful completion of this unit students will be able
to:

  1. Comprehend and explain the role of Knowledge Management in the
    technologically advanced organizations;
  2. Identify sources of organisational knowledge;
  3. Evaluate methods of knowledge storage and retrieval;
  4. Identify potential barriers to the effective management of
    knowledge;
  5. Comprehend and explain the role of people in Knowledge
    Management;
  6. Comprehend and explain Information Technology's role in
    Knowledge Management;
  7. Analyse and evaluate current models of Knowledge Management;
  8. Comprehend relevant legislative requirements and industry
    standards;
  9. Evaluate and apply strategies to move a traditional
    organisation to a knowledge-enabled organisation;
  10. Evaluate an organisation to establish its current position of
    the effectiveness of its Knowledge Management;
  11. Select and apply various computer-based Knowledge Management
    tools and techniques to introduce and support Knowledge
    Management in an organisation.

TOPICS:

 Description                                                    Weighting(%)
  1. Knowledge within the organisation 20.00

  2. The Process of Knowledge Management 20.00

  3. Enablers of Knowledge Management 20.00

  4. Making practical use of knowledge 10.00

  5. Getting started in Knowledge Management 20.00

  6. Knowledge Management Software 10.00


TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed:

Davenport, T.H.& Prusak, L. 19982000, Working Knowledge: How
Organizations Manage What They Know
, Harvard Business School Press.

Summers, J. & Smith, B., (eds) 2001, Faculty of Business
Communication Skills Handbook
, 4th edn, Faculty of Business, USQ,
Toowoomba, Qld.


REFERENCE MATERIALS:

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the unit and enrich their learning experience.

Baets, W.R.J. 1998, Organisational Learning and Knowledge
Technologies in a Dynamic environment
, Kluwer Academic Publishers:
Dordrecht.

Cortada, J.W. and Woods, J.A. 2000, The Knowledge Management Yearbook
2000-2001
, Boston, USA: Butterworth Heinemann.

Davenport, T.H.& Prusak, L. 1997, Information Ecology, Oxford
University Press, New York.

Giannetto, K. and Wheeler, A. 2000, Knowledge Management Toolkit,
Hampshire, England: Gower Publishing Limited.

Liebowitz, J. 1999, Knowledge Management Handbook, Boca Raton: CRC
Press.

Liebowitz, J. and Beckman, T. 1998, Knowledge Organizations: What
Every Manager Should Know
, Boca Raton: St Lucie Press.

Malhotra, Y. 2000, Knowledge Management and Virtual Organizations,
Hershey USA: Idea Group Publishing.

Stewart, T, 1997, Intellectual Capital: The New Wealth of
Stewart, T, 1997, Intellectual Capital: The New Wealth of
Management Systems for Business
, Westport, Connecticut: Quorum Books.

Tissen, R., Andriessen, D. & Deprez, F.D. 1998, Value-Based Knowledge
Management
.

Webb, S.P. 1998, Knowledge Management: Linchpin of Change, London:
The Association for Information Management.


STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

	ACTIVITY				HOURS
Directed Study                                	165

ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

No  *F/S Marks     Due        Description                              Wtg(%)    LBL WWW
1   S    20.00     24/08/01  ASSIGNMENT 1                              20.00     Y   N
2   S    30.00     12/10/01  ASSIGNMENT 2                              3040.00   Y   N
3   S    50.00     END S2    3 HOUR EXAMINATION                        5040.00   N   N

*F=Formative, S=Summative

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

1    To  obtain  a  pass in a unit, students must normally:  obtain  a
     passing  mark in aggregate for the unit's assessment  items;  and
     obtain  a  passing  mark in the examination; and  submit  genuine
     attempts for the items of assessment.
2    The due date of an assignment is the date by which a student must
     submit  the  assignment to the University, and is  normally  that
     defined in the relevant unit specification.
3    Students  should organise their affairs to ensure that they  meet
     due  dates  for all assignments. Extensions will be granted  only
     under exceptional extenuating circumstances, normally involving a
     significant  medical  condition.  Work  commitments   would   not
     normally constitute exceptional extenuating circumstances.
4    Students  may  apply  for  an  assignment  extension  either   by
     application  to  the  Unit  Leader before  the  due  date  or  by
     including application with the submitted assignment after the due
     date.   Such  applications  should  be  in  writing  and  include
     supporting  documentary  evidence.  The  authority  for  granting
     extensions rests with the relevant Unit Leader.
5    All  assignments  submitted after due dates  without  appropriate
     extension  approvals  or after approved extension  dates  may  be
     penalised  up to a maximum of 20% of the assigned mark  per  work
     day.
6    Students  must  retain a copy of all assignments  which  must  be
     produced if/when required by the Unit Leader.
7    Unit  weightings of topics should not be interpreted as  applying
     to  the  number  of  marks allocated to questions  testing  those
     topics in an examination paper.
8    Unless  otherwise directed by the Unit Leader,  all  written  and
     oral  assignments  submitted  by students  must  conform  to  the
     guidelines  laid out in the {Communication Skills Handbook}.  Any
     work  not  prepared  in accordance with these guidelines  may  be
     subject to penalty or requirement for resubmission.
9    Any  appeal  against the award of a grade in  the  unit  will  be
     conducted  in  accordance  with  University  Regulations.   These
     Regulations are published in the University Handbook.
10   If  students  are  unable to attend a nominated  USQ  examination
     centre, an examination fee may apply.

This information is accurate as at 15/01/02