Building Information Model as a Collaborative Knowledge Management Tool for Construction Professionals

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess benefit of BIM as a collaborative knowledge management tool for construction professionals. Study Design: It was a mixed design research, the study was effected via literature review and a well-structured questionnaire. Likewise, interviews were carried out to substantiate the findings of the questionnaire survey. Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in Kaduna State, Nigeria for a period of 2 years. Methodology: Being a mixed design research, a total of 250 questionnaires were administered and 235 were properly completed and returned representing a percentage response of 94%. Data garnered were analysed using relative importance index and presented in tables and charts. Results: The study found that 94% of construction industry’s professionals are familiar with the concept of BIM but 94.47% of them never applied it whereas 4.68% rarely apply BIM, while 0.85 often apply BIM. Also, the research identified that all the thirteen areas where BIM can be used as a KM tool for collaboration among construction professionals were significantly important, however, Constructability Reviews and 4D Simulations which involves providing an interface to visualize the entire structure and simulate the construction process stood out as the most important. Conclusion: The study concludes by recommending that the built environment professional bodies in Nigeria should carry out a proper sensitization programme in-order to train and retrain professionals in Nigerian construction industry as regards BIM tools and its applications. Also, BIM should be introduced as an integral part of the school curriculum for the training of future construction professionals so equipped them with the requisite BIM knowledge.

TOWARDS A FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATED AND COLLABORATIVE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FOR ENGINEERING DESIGN – A CASE STUDY

In automotive industry, the design process is costly and time-consuming. Car safety is a crucial factor in the development of a vehicle, which is why crash simulation is an essential step in the design process. To improve car crash simulation analysis, it is necessary to reduce the time required and support the resolution of encountered design issues. We propose a knowledge management approach to support car crash simulation analysis and ensure the collaboration of different stakeholders. In a knowledge-intensive context, we used an ontology-based approach to formalise and capture knowledge.

Conceptualisation of the Three-Dimensional Matrix of Collaborative Knowledge Barriers

Nowadays, collaborative knowledge management (CKM) is well accepted as a decisive asset in the field of networked enterprises and supply chains. However, few knowledge management initiatives have been performed successfully because, in most cases, the barriers that hinder the CKM process are unknown and misunderstood. Currently, the research reveals different uni- and bi-dimensional barriers’ classifications, however multi-dimensional approaches provide a better view of the complexity in the area of CKM. Therefore, this paper proposes the three-dimensional matrix of collaborative knowledge barriers taking into account: (i) perspectives; (ii) levels and (iii) barriers blocks to provide a reference way to audit the CKM barriers, and thus, in further research, focus on the corrections and adjustments to guarantee the success while implementing a CKM project.

Collaborative knowledge management for corporate ecological responsibility

Purpose Knowledge has become the basis of enhancing the core competitiveness of enterprises in this era of knowledge-driven economies. Collaborative knowledge management not only realizes the real-time exchange and communication of knowledge among different enterprises, but also facilitates the collaboration and integration of knowledge. Collaborative knowledge management has been successfully applied to different fields. To address the poor ecological responsibility of enterprises, the purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of collaborative knowledge management in this research to determine if the evolution of the decision-making process in collaborative knowledge management is involved in corporate ecological responsibility (CER). Design/methodology/approach This research established an evolutionary game model of collaborative knowledge management for CER. The behavioral, evolutionary law and stable behavioral, evolutionary strategy of the participants was identified according to the replicator dynamics equation. Simulation analysis was conducted using MATLAB software. Findings Research results demonstrated that, first, the strategic selection of firms is influenced by cost and interest coefficients. Second, the strategy, selection of enterprises, is related to the common benefits of enterprise cooperation. Third, during the systematic evolution and stabilization of strategies, enterprises adopt the same knowledge strategies. Originality/value On the basis of the research findings, policy suggestions were proposed to encourage enterprises to implement collaborative knowledge management strategies in ecological responsibility.