scholarly journals Evaluation of design support tools for additive manufacturing and conceptualisation of an integrated knowledge management framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Werner Claudius Ellsel
Author(s):  
Nelson Leung ◽  
Sim Kim Lau

Information technology has changed the way organizations function. This resulted in the reliance of help desks to deal with information technology related areas such as hardware, software, and telecommunication. Besides, the adoption of business process reengineering and downsizing has led to the shrinkage of the sizes of help desks. Consequently, the help desks have to cover more information technology products and resolute more technical enquiries with less staff. Thus, the outcome is clear that users have to wait comparably longer before the help desk staff are available to offer assistance. This chapter describes the development of help desk, ranging from help desk structures to support tools. This chapter also discusses the application of knowledge management techniques in the development of a proposed conceptual knowledge management framework and a proposed redistributed knowledge management framework. While the conceptual knowledge management framework proposes a standard methodology to manage help desk knowledge, the proposed redistributed knowledge management framework allows simple and routine enquiries to be rerouted to a user self-help knowledge management system. The proposed system also enables help desk to provide technical knowledge to users 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Regardless of time and geographical restrictions, users can solve their simple problems without help desk intervention simply by accessing the proposed system through portable electronic devices.


Author(s):  
Gundong Francis Pahng ◽  
Sungdo Ha ◽  
Sehyung Park

Abstract Product design is a knowledge-intensive activity. Many product development companies have recognized that design knowledge obtained by individual designers is a valuable asset to a company for enhancing the competitiveness of products the company designs and produces. Therefore, companies are becoming more concerned with the effective use of design knowledge accumulated over previous design practices and the qualitative and quantitative utilization of the knowledge toward the rapidly changing market. This paper presents a design knowledge management framework called Active Design Support (ADS). ADS framework is aimed to provide designers with critical design knowledge and guide them toward rational design decisions based upon relevant design errors and successful design decisions in the past during product development processes. Based upon a formal information modeling for managing design information, ADS framework determines and proactively provides the critical design knowledge for designers. To provide an intuitive starting point for retrieving design knowledge, ADS framework also provides a set of different viewpoint, called Knowledge Perspective, for browsing the knowledge base of ADS framework.


Author(s):  
Yuanbin Wang ◽  
Robert Blache ◽  
Xun Xu

Additive manufacturing (AM) has experienced a phenomenal expansion in recent years and new technologies and materials rapidly emerge in the market. Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) becomes more and more important to take full advantage of the capabilities provided by AM. However, most people still have limited knowledge to make informed decisions in the design stage. Therefore, an interactive DfAM system in the cloud platform is proposed to enable people sharing the knowledge in this field and guide the designers to utilize AM efficiently. There are two major modules in the system, decision support module and knowledge management module. A case study is presented to illustrate how this system can help the designers understand the capabilities of AM processes and make rational decisions.


Author(s):  
Asa Romeo Asa ◽  
Harold Campbell ◽  
Johanna Pangeiko Nautwima

This study critically reviews the literature that demonstrates the relevance of knowledge management process and business intelligence, as well as the challenges arising when it comes to organising for innovation in today’s business organisations. Hence, the to attain desired innovation it is important to integrate business intelligence (BI) and knowledge management (KM) for the diffusion of innovation. Hence, importance of integrating business intelligence (BI) and knowledge management (KM) for the diffusion of innovation. Organisations’ innovation dynamics and knowledge processes that lead competitive advantage of organisations are examined. Literature points that many organisations rely on individual employees’ knowledge and skills. As a result, information systems that enable knowledge management (KM) as a critical tool for gaining a competitive advantage (Campbell, 2012). The seminal argument in this study is that knowledge diffusion and knowledge externalities are the main drive of increase in economy. As a result, this is expected to be a win-win value proposition for such organisations integrating business intelligence and knowledge management. However, owing to changing business conditions and the rapidity of technological development, as well as the rising expenses involved with carrying out R&D operations in many of these organisations, maintaining competitive advantage through internal R&D alone is becoming increasingly challenging. The importance of innovation processes and network dynamics in the context of Integrated Knowledge Networks is explored, which provide feasible possibilities for utilising innovation as an interactive process as well as knowledge processes for creating business intelligence in organisations. Due to the challenges of organising for innovation, the organisations figured to rely on “Open innovation” approach to intentionally seek out unique knowledge and information outside of their organisational bounds. This study also discusses the challenges that organisations hurdle on in managing inter-organizational cooperation because of external knowledge sourcing techniques (Campbell, 2009). This is due, in part, to the fact that they span a wide range of organisations, people, and resources, as well as the interactions that exist between them. The creative processes and network dynamics are facilitated by an architecture that blends organisational and technical aspects in Integrated Knowledge Networks. Hence, the study focuses on twofold to sourcing external knowledge in particular: learning from international business environments and corporate venturing strategy for corporate incubators.


Author(s):  
Vili Podgorelec ◽  
Boštjan Grašič

In this chapter, a Semantic Web services-based knowledge management framework that enables holistic knowledge management in organizations is presented. As the economy is becoming one single global marketplace, where the best offer wins, organizations have to search for competitive advantage within themselves. With the growing awareness that key potentials of an organization lie within its people and their knowledge, efficient knowledge management is becoming one of key focuses in organizational activities. The proposed knowledge management framework is based on Semantic Web technologies and service-oriented architecture, supporting the operational business processes as well as knowledge-based management of services in service-oriented architecture.


This chapter compares the universal TB model with the previous TB interpretation discussed in the first half of the book. Special attention is devoted to 19 selected TB properties ranging from adaptability to universality. Furthermore, tangible results follow in form of potential implications to business administration. Namely, information and knowledge management and information technologies are considered. In the area of information management, a generic time bank information management framework is outlined. In the scope of knowledge management, the function of TB is compared with the phenomenon known as communities of practice. Finally, co-productive behavior of the TB related to open source communities are depicted in the area of information technologies.


Author(s):  
Alea Fairchild

IT professionals who want to deploy foundation technologies such as groupware, CRM or decision support tools, but fail to justify them on the basis of their contribution to Knowledge Management, may find it difficult to get funding unless they can frame the benefits within a Knowledge Management context. Determining Knowledge Management’s pervasiveness and impact is analogous to measuring the contribution of marketing, employee development, or any other management or organizational competency. This chapter addresses the problem of developing measurement models for Knowledge Management metrics and discusses what current Knowledge Management metrics are in use, and examines their sustainability and soundness in assessing knowledge utilization and retention of generating revenue. The chapter discusses the use of a Balanced Scorecard approach to determine a business-oriented relationship between strategic Knowledge Management usage and IT strategy and implementation.


Author(s):  
Stephen Burgess ◽  
Don Schauder

How should a small business decide whether and in what ways to use Web technology for interactions with customers? This case describes the creation of a practical decision support tool (using a spreadsheet) for the initiation and development of small business Web sites. Decisions arise from both explicit and tacit knowledge. Using selected literature from a structuration theory, information management and knowledge management, decision support tools are characterized as knowledge documents (communication agents for explicit knowledge). Understanding decision support tools as knowledge documents sheds light on their potentialities and limitations for knowledge transfer, and assists in maximizing their potentialities. The case study deploys three levels of modeling: a high-level structuration model of the interplay between information management and knowledge management, a conceptual model of small-business decision-making, and an applied model the practical decision support tool, itself. An action-research methodology involving experts and stakeholders validated the development of conceptual categories and their instantiation in the practical tool.


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