INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS - Essay Example The notion of knowledge management views knowledge as tacit or something which is present in one’s mind. Human expression and practice compound to the making of knowledge. However, knowledge cannot be enhanced in an isolated state of mind; that is, for knowledge to flourish, information must be enhanced through interaction (Kalkan, 2008). Both explicit and implicit knowledge must be tapped by organizations in order to progress successfully in today’s globalised world. Knowledge management is, therefore, focused on the attainment of organizational goals and objectives by enhancing the productivity of organizational knowledge in all activities, tasks and programs pertaining to knowledge. The aim is to create and sustain competitive advantage for the firm in the global marketplace by helping organizations exploit untapped knowledge. Hence, knowledge management essentially involves learning through social experiences and interactions. Researchers have broken down knowledge management into four major constructs including the development, manifestation, diffusion and use of knowledge (Kalkan, 2008). It is rather simplistic to think of knowledge management as a linear process in today’s global village. ... Factors such as geographic dispersion, interaction across different time zones and cross-cultural differences result in increased challenges for the firm (Pawlowski & Bick, 2012). Thus, the global arena has opened a new window for viewing knowledge management which incorporates introductory level, implementation and process issues pertaining to knowledge management (Alavi & Leidner, 2005). Despite increased awareness of these issues, research indicates that most businesses fail to successfully implement global knowledge management (Pawlowski & Bick, 2012). Global knowledge management encompasses all knowledge related activities, tasks, policies and processes that are performed within or between organizations that are globally dispersed. Culture of both the organization and the nation/region plays a vital role here (Holden, 2001). The global environment, therefore, brings with it a host of challenges including those pertaining to humans, organization, management and technology. All hu man interaction and communication (including the dissemination of knowledge) is heavily influenced by culture (Holden, 2001). But perhaps, the greatest of these challenges is to define the very nature of knowledge management itself. Although there have been efforts to differentiate data and information from knowledge, a concrete working definition has not yet been developed in the context of global dynamics (Roberts, 2009). Despite increasing emphasis on knowledge-oriented markets, there has been criticism which calls into existence the very existence of such markets. The absence of a concrete definition questions whether or not these markets actually exist or whether they are â€Å"old wine in a new bottle† (Roberts, 2009). The term knowledge has become a metaphor rather than a term with