Document Type

Dissertation

Rights

This item is available under a Creative Commons License for non-commercial use only

Publication Details

Dissertation submitted for the award of MSc in Computing (Knowledge Management), 2008.

Abstract

We are living in a knowledge society. Knowing what we know and managing it better to know more is considered the key enabler to sustainable economic growth. 70 to 80 percent of economic growth is directly attributed to new or better knowledge. With information communication technologies (ICT) readily facilitating the globalisation of economic activity, the key competitive advantage of this era is the ability to create, use and disseminate knowledge effectively. Although traditionally creators, guardians and disseminators of knowledge, universities and institutions need to also adapt to the challenges the knowledge society can bring and evolve their roles in education, research and service to society to meet these requirements. This becomes all the more complex, through the advancement of ICT and the deluge of information and knowledge this can spawn. The DIT recognises the challenges the knowledge society brings and it role to society in creating, disseminating and transferring its knowledge for society’s benefit. Academics are the key to fulfilling this role. It recognises its duty in managing its knowledge better and in more productive ways. It has enshrined this within its strategic aims. What it has not done thus far is develop a plan to make this an operational reality. The faculty of Tourism and Food is a typical faculty within DIT with the same need to manage its knowledge better as all faculties’ do. This research project developed a knowledge management strategy to do this. Building on literature reviews of knowledge and knowledge management and that of knowledge management initiatives undertaken by universities and institutes around the world, it consults academic staff of their knowledge management needs to develop a knowledge management strategy to meet these needs. Although a stated aim of many universities and institutes is that of managing its knowledge better and develop strategies to do so, it is more the exception than the norm for this to have happened. This research provides an insight to what such strategies require.

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