Does absorptive capacity affect project performance? A study based on project management practices, organization learning, and knowledge

The literature has emphasized that absorptive capacity (AC) leads to performance, but in projects its influences still unclear. Additionally, the project success is not well understood by the literature, and AC can be an important mechanism to explain it. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of absorptive capacity on project performance in the construction industry of São Paulo State. We study this influence through potential and realized absorptive capacity proposed by Zahra and George (2002). For achieving this goal, we use a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative research is based on 15 interviews with project managers in different sectors to understand the main constructs and support the next quantitative phase. The content analysis was the technique used to analyze those interviews. In quantitative phase through a survey questionnaire, we collected 157 responses in the construction sector with project managers. The confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical linear regression were the techniques used to assess the data. Our findings suggest that the realized absorptive capacity has a positive influence on performance, but potential absorptive capacity and the interactions effect have no influence on performance. Moreover, the planning and monitoring have a positive impact on budget and schedule, and customer satisfaction while risk coping capacity has a positive impact on business success. In academics terms, this research enables a better understanding of the importance of absorptive capacity in the construction industry and it confirms that knowledge application in processes and routines enhances performance. For management, the absorptive capacity enables the improvements of internal capabilities reflected in the increased project management efficiency. Indeed, when a company manages project practices efficiently it enhances business and project performance; however, it needs initially to improve its internal abilities to enrich processes and routines through relevant knowledge.

Proposing a systems vision of knowledge management in emergency care

This paper makes a case for taking a systems view of knowledge management within health-care provision, concentrating on the emergency care process in the UK National Health Service. It draws upon research in two casestudy organizations (a hospital and an ambulance service). The case-study organizations appear to be approaching knowledge (and information) management in a somewhat fragmented way. They are trying to think more holistically, but (perhaps) because of the ways their organizations and their work are structured, they cannot ‘see’ the whole of the care process. The paper explores the complexity of knowledge management in emergency health care and draws the distinction for knowledge management between managing local and operational knowledge, and global and clinical knowledge.

An investigation of SMEs’ inter-organisational knowledge transfer needs in Internet marketing

Internet marketing, as a key area of e-commerce, plays an important role in SMEs’ e-commerce success. It is the use of Internet technologies in facilitating and supporting marketing activities. Its implementation and success require expert knowledge and extensive experience. SMEs admit that they are willing to embrace Internet marketing to enhance their business competitiveness, but do not know where to start and suffer from a lack of guidance. Evidence suggests that Internet marketing analysis is one of the most needed areas of training in e-commerce for SMEs. It is therefore evident that SMEs need to acquire Internet marketing knowledge from external sources. However, the majority of the literature fails to study what specific knowledge they need and from whom they should acquire the knowledge. This paper has addressed these issues through a questionnaire survey of UK SMEs in the service sector. It identifies SMEs’ specific transfer needs for Internet marketing knowledge, and discusses strategic issues for improving SMEs’ effectiveness of leveraging knowledge.

Knowledge management in knowledge intensive service networks:a strategic management approach

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to analyze knowledge management in service networks. It analyzes the knowledge management process and identifies related challenges. The authors take a strategic management approach instead of a more technology-oriented approach, since it is believed that managerial problems still remain after technological problems are solved. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores the literature on the topic of knowledge management as well as the resource (or knowledge) based view of the firm. It offers conceptual insights and provides possible solutions for knowledge management problems. Findings – The paper discusses several possible solutions for managing knowledge processes in knowledge-intensive service networks. Solutions for knowledge identification/generation, knowledge application, knowledge combination/transfer and supporting the evolution of tacit network knowledge include personal and technological aspects, as well as organizational and cultural elements. Practical implications – In a complex environment, knowledge management and network management become crucial for business success. It is the task of network management to establish routines, and to build and regularly refresh meta-knowledge about the competencies and abilities that exist within the network. It is suggested that each network partner should be rated according to the contribution to the network knowledge base. Based on this rating, a particular network partner is a member of a certain knowledge club, meaning that the partner has access to a particular level of network knowledge. Such an established routine provides strong incentives to add knowledge to the network's knowledge base Originality/value – This paper is a first attempt to outline the problems of knowledge management in knowledge-intensive service networks and, by so doing, to introduce strategic management reasoning to the discussion.

Sourcing knowledge for innovation:the international dimension

Drawing knowledge from external sources in the UK, or internationally, has become increasingly important to small and medium-sized firms (SMEs). SMEs cannot generate all they need to know to develop new products and processes within their own companies, they need to look elsewhere for new ideas and expertise. This practice is known as knowledge sourcing. This report provides a detailed review of patterns of knowledge sourcing, and the key factors influencing these patterns, particularly from a small business perspective. We present key findings from a survey of 393 UK companies and analyse the results. We also highlight case studies of UK SMEs that work closely with overseas partners and agents to widen their own knowledge.

Innovációmenedzsment és innovációs stratégiák – a vállalati tudás szerepe az innovációs folyamatokban (Innovation management and innovation strategies – the role of corporate knowledge in innovative processes)

A szerzők kutatásának célja, hogy az innovációmenedzsment és az innovációs stratégiák összefüggéseiben rávilágítsanak a magyarországi vállalatokat jellemző stratégiai irányokra és azonosítsák a vállalati tudás szerepét az innovációs folyamatokban. Az induktív logikán alapuló, kvalitatív interjúkra építkező módszertan segítségével történt az adatok gyűjtése és elemzése. Kutatási eredményeik alapján megállapítható, hogy a magyar vállalatok többsége tisztában van az innováció stratégiai jelentőségével és a tudás innovációfokozó erejével. Azonban a bizonytalan szabályozási környezet, a negatív piaci hangulat, a finanszírozási forrásokhoz való hozzáférés és a globális verseny megnehezítik a hazai KKV-k innovációs törekvéseit. Ugyanakkor a multinacionális vállalatok élen járnak mind a technológiai, mind pedig a nem technológiai innovációk terén is. A nem technológiai innováció területén komoly fejlődési lehetőségek körvonalazódhatnak a magyar KKV-k számára is, hiszen ezek kevésbé költségesek és időigényesek, és a belső erőforrásokat felhasználva a szervezeti tudásbázisra is épülhetnek. ____ The aim of the authors’ research is to highlight the characteristic strategic directions of Hungarian companies and identify the role of corporate knowledge in the innovative processes in the context of innovation management and innovative strategies. The collection and analysis of data were helped by a methodology which is based on inductive logic and qualitative interviews. The diagnosis, based on there search results,was that the majority of Hungarian companies are aware of the strategic importance of innovation and the innovation enhancing power of knowledge.

Hospitality Administration Program Administrators View Core Areas of Knowledge

In 1992 the Accrediting Commission on Programs of Hospitality Administration established standards for hospitality administration programs. The authors surveyed program administrators regarding the current and preferred location for the teaching of the common core areas of hospitality administration knowledge.

Knowledge and writing in school mathematics : a communicational approach

This thesis is about young students’ writing in school mathematics and the ways in which this writing is designed, interpreted and understood. Students’ communication can act as a source from which teachers can make inferences regarding students’ mathematical knowledge and understanding. In mathematics education previous research indicates that teachers assume that the process of interpreting and judging students’ writing is unproblematic. The relationship between what students’ write, and what they know or understand, is theoretical as well as empirical. In an era of increased focus on assessment and measurement in education it is necessary for teachers to know more about the relationship between communication and achievement. To add to this knowledge, the thesis has adopted a broad approach, and the thesis consists of four studies. The aim of these studies is to reach a deep understanding of writing in school mathematics. Such an understanding is dependent on examining different aspects of writing. The four studies together examine how the concept of communication is described in authoritative texts, how students’ writing is viewed by teachers and how students make use of different communicational resources in their writing. The results of the four studies indicate that students’ writing is more complex than is acknowledged by teachers and authoritative texts in mathematics education. Results point to a sophistication in students’ approach to the merging of the two functions of writing, writing for oneself and writing for others. Results also suggest that students attend, to various extents, to questions regarding how, what and for whom they are writing in school mathematics. The relationship between writing and achievement is dependent on students’ ability to have their writing reflect their knowledge and on teachers’ thorough knowledge of the different features of writing and their awareness of its complexity. From a communicational perspective the ability to communicate [in writing] in mathematics can and should be distinguished from other mathematical abilities. By acknowledging that mathematical communication integrates mathematical language and natural language, teachers have an opportunity to turn writing in mathematics into an object of learning. This offers teachers the potential to add to their assessment literacy and offers students the potential to develop their communicational ability in order to write in a way that better reflects their mathematical knowledge.

Modelo de inclusão digital para construção do conhecimento em qualidade de vida e atividade fisica

Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Educação Física

Decentralized model reference control of flexible cable-stayed beam structures

A decentralized model reference controller is designed to reduce the magnitude of the transversal vibration of a flexible cable-stayed beam structure induced by a seismic excitation. The controller design is made based on the principle of sliding mode such that a priori knowledge

Hacking Tutorial & Quiz (INFO2009 Group 12)

This share has a web resource on hacking. The web resource provides a tutorial on hacking and then an interactive quiz to test the user's knowledge.

Recetas para la construcción nacional: la producción culinaria y la identidad en el siglo XIX colombiano

A lo largo del siglo XIX, el proyecto de creación de nación incluyó varios elementos asociados a la cotidianidad y vida diaria de los habitantes de la república en construcción. La cocina como uno de estos elementos puesto en consideración, se construyó desde el imaginario de las élites masculinas, pero con la intervención directa del conocimiento femenino. Aunque la construcción de una identidad culinaria para el siglo XIX, fue un planteamiento femenino, se construyó basándose en el universo femenino de la cocina y sus conocimientos orales.

Estudio de la interacción docente-estudiante como factor de apropiación de conocimientos en educación de primera infancia colombiana

La interacción docente-estudiante es un elemento primordial en el proceso de formación de los niños de primera infancia. Los cambios del rol docente en dicho proceso de formación están ligado al tipo de modelo pedagógico que lo defina, por esto desde un análisis tradicional este cumple un papel más de emisor de información, caso contrario al establecido en el modelo constructivista, en el que el docente es quien provee los medios y la metodologías para la construcción del conocimiento. Con el fin de analizar la interacción entre estos dos actores, se parte definiendo el término de primera infancia para posteriormente abordar los tipos de modelos pedagógicos existentes y los cambios de los mismos en la educación colombiana, haciendo énfasis en el constructivismo en primera infancia. De igual forma se estudia la apropiación de las teorías constructivistas por parte de los docentes de primera infancia, teniendo en cuenta que estos son uno de los actores principales que hacen parte del proceso de formación, a partir de lo cual finalmente se estudia la interacción docente-estudiante de primera infancia para la apropiación del conocimiento.

The Construction of grammar concepts at secondary school

In this study we make a general research question [1] and two specific ones [2] i [3]: [1] How can we establish a new model for teaching and learning grammar? [2] How metalinguistic knowledge is built within this model? [3] How can we elaborate an analysis model for exploring grammar knowledge?

Partial nitritation of landfill leachate in a SBR prior to an anammox reactor : operation and modelling

Els lixiviats d'abocadors urbans són aigües residuals altament contaminades, que es caracteritzen per les elevades concentracions d'amoni i el baix contingut de matèria orgànica biodegradable. El tractament dels lixiviats a través dels processos de nitrificació-desnitrificació convencionals és costós a causa de la seva elevada demanda d'oxigen i la necessitat d'addició d'una font de carboni externa. En els darrers anys, la viabilitat del tractament d'aquest tipus d'afluents per un procés combinat de nitritació parcial-anammox ha estat demostrada. Aquesta tesi es centra en el tractament de lixiviats d'abocador a través d'un procés de nitritació parcial en SBR, com un pas preparatori per a un reactor anammox. Els resultats de l'estudi han demostrat la viabilitat d'aquesta tecnologia per al tractament de lixiviats d'abocador. El treball va evolucionar des d'una escala inicial de laboratori, on el procés va ser testat inicialment, a uns exitosos experiments d'operació a llarg termini a escala pilot. Finalment, la tesi també inclou el desenvolupament, calibració i validació d'un model matemàtic del procés, que té com a objectiu augmentar el coneixement del procés.