Key Issues in the New Knowledge Management (KMCI Press) (KMCI Press)

Book Description

In 'Key Issues in the New Knowledge Management,' Firestone and McElroy, the architects of the New Knowledge Management (TNKM) provide an in-depth analysis of the most important issues in the field of Knowledge Management.

The issues the book addresses are central in the field today:
* The Knowledge Wars, or the issue of "how you define knowledge determines how you manage it"
* The nature of knowledge processing
* Information management or knowledge management?
* Three views on the evolution of knowledge management
* The role of knowledge claim evaluation in knowledge processing, or the difference between opinion, judgements, information, data, and real knowledge in knowledge management systems
* Is culture a barrier in knowledge management?
* The Open Enterprise and accelerated sustainable innovation
* Portals
* How should one evaluate KM software?
* Intellectual Capital
* Measuring the impact of KM initiatives on the organization and the bottom line
* KM and terrorism

* The first book to address head-on the central issues in Knowledge Management
* Moves the discussion of knowledge management into the hot area of innovation
* Charts the next generation of knowledge management thinking by the President of KMCI: the leading KM organization

Customer Reviews:

KM's Key Issues.......2005-01-03

Key Issues in The New Knowledge Management, by Joe Firestone and Mark W. McElroy, is the book that goes on - in some respects - where The New Knowledge Management (Mark McElroy, 2002) stopped. The book discusses the New Knowledge Management model, discusses theoretical underpinnings, and provides food for conversation and discussion regarding topics such as metrics of knowledge management, the organization's social capital and knowledge management standards.

Key Issues is one of the few works in the field of knowledge management that presents its model in a transparant way, open and ready to accept criticism. It is also a brave book, since it provides a an explicit knowledge theory, and normative stance to KM. More than enough edges to rub yourself against. However, the book does not seem to draw the ultimate consequence from the model, that positions KM as a source of corporate social innovation. The positioning is there, the argumentation strong, but there is no sign of practical elaboration of this aspect. Instead, this is left up to 'accountants', and it seems as if the authors define this aspect out of scope and remove it from their own working agenda. That is a missed opportunity, in view of the strong appeals made in TNKM, their earlier book. And it is contradicting the importance given to the issue in the model.

The book counts 350 pages and eleven chapters. The first five chapters deal with a thorough reflection on knowledge theory, and its implications for a knowledge management theory. Chapters six to ten deal with The New Knowledge Management Model. And chapter 11 is called "Conclusions", although it is 45 pages long and an interesting read on its own.

The authors carefully lay out the basic concepts of their model, taking a pragmatic and fallabilist perspective on knowledge. This means that knowledge development - a form of model construction - is led by pragmatic criteria. Knowledge is like a 'lense' used to define problems, develop acceptable solutions, and guide knowledge development. By making their model transparant, they provide openings to systematic scrutiny and discussion of their model. Even if the authors do not explicitly refer to it, I interpret the rationale of KM methodological approach to be an example of systematic, pragmatic model building. TNKM The KM model itself is laid-out in its various components as already available in my review of The New Knowledge Management, so that it is not necessary to discuss the model itself again.

In view of the model-character of knowledge, the heart of the matter of organizational KM is: what are the models governing decision-making and organizational behaviour, what is the quality of those models, and how can we improve those models in case we see that things go wrong in practice? The questions above make KM vulnerable to being misused, and to KM practices being ineffective or even destructive. This will be the case if KM practices are being used in a situation where basic assumptions or directives cannot be questioned (for reasons of misuse of hierarchy, power, ideology, desinterest etc.). The answer to this source of vulnerability is the normative concept of the Open Enterprise, which says that any assumption or priority should be open for discussion and scrutiny. Clearly, whether such a state will be present or not in an organization depends on the organizational culture and attitudes and ethics of actors. The degree in which such capacity is 'working', can be understood as the organization's social innovation capital. The normative element needed to pave KM's way to be a source of social innovation capital shows that KM as a pure instrumental management instrument can never be a solid source of innovation and renewal. And that is why the development of KM itself needs to expand into the direction of intangibles, social capital, and social development. In this respect, Firestone and McElroy do not challenge their audience as strongly as TNKM. TNKM demands attention for social innovation issues. But in Key Issues, the appeal seems to have dissolved into two streams. First, the element of learning and change still is present in the knowledge management life cycle, a core element of the books KM approach. But there, the innovation character isn't very strong, and 'just' part of a normal management process cycle. I doubt whether this will bring across the message as strongly as TNKM did. Second, the authors call upon the accountancy profession to improve on intellectual capital accounting and intangible reporting.

To conclude, Firestone and McElroy point to some really crucial aspects of KM, and provide a comprehensive knowledge management model. However, they seem to leave it up to non-qualified others to put their ideas into practice. Since social innovation and intangibles are such an important element of TNKM, I wonder why the authors seem to define the issue out of scope in their working agendas.

Book Description

Vietnam has recently come to the attention to global strategic planners. This report puts these executives on the fast track. Ten chapters provide: an overview of how to strategically access this important market, a discussion on economic fundamentals, marketing & distribution options, export and direct investment options, and full risk assessments (political, cultural, legal, human resources). Ample statistical benchmarks and comparative graphs are given.

Book Description

The unification of Germany is one of the most wrenching and dramatic transitions in economic history. A policy issue of worldwide interest, it holds key lessons for the remaining post-socialist economies. In Jumpstart two well-known German economists synthesize a vast body of literature to present the first well-structured, clearly argued analytical account of the reunification process and the policy alternatives. The Sinns' authoritative and primarily nontechnical account will Interest nonspecialists who want to keep up with economic events. Their summary of the German experience with radical reform will provide a valuable reference for specialists in transition economics.

Contrary to fears that German reunification would bring on a resurgence of nationalism, the Sinns point out, It has met with apathy and indifference. Nonetheless, a great deal is at stake in the battle for redistribution, and the present economic chaos poses a serious threat to social stability.

The Sinns suggest a "social pact" between labor and management that could put an end to the struggle over distribution and speed up the transformation of the former East German communist economy into a market economy. The core of this pact is a shift In emphasis from factor prices to the fundamental Issues of compensation and the distribution of real wealth.

Gerlinde Sinn was formerly Lecturer in the Department of Statistics at Dortmund University and in the Department of Economics at Mannheim University. Hans-Werner Sinn is Director of the Center for Economic Studies at University of Munich.

Jumpstart: The Economic Unification of Germany written with Hans-Werner Sinn.

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Jumpstart: The Economic Unification of Germany written with Hans-Werner Sinn.

Manufacturer: MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I84MR6

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Jumpstart Economic Unification Germany
Gerlinde Sinn
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQH1SO

JUMPSTART: THE ECONOMIC UNIFICATION OF GERMANY

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JUMPSTART: THE ECONOMIC UNIFICATION OF GERMANY

Manufacturer: MIT Massachusetts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IAHVB8

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Jumpstart: the Economic Unification of Germany
G & H SINN
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQANF2

Book Description

This text introduces the field of communication to students who may have little or no background in communication theory. The three overriding goals of the book are to help students understand the pervasiveness of theory in their lives, to demystify the theoretical process, and to help students become more systematic and critical in their thinking about theory. Chapter by chapter approach allows students to understand one theory at a time, staying focused on one theory before learning another theory.

Customer Reviews:

Terrible, obtuse and wordy.......2004-05-15

This book makes learning communication theory far too difficult. The definitions are often incomplete, nosensical, circular, and too abstract.

The printed figures do not help with illustrating the theories that are presented, which is disapointing because pictures could have really helped with teaching the material.

The text is laughable in many places, I actually chuckled outloud at the irony of how difficult it is to understand a communications textbook which purports to be easily understandable.

A side note: Although the supplimentary instructional materials are provided with the intent of aiding teaching communications theory, I believe they do more harm than good. If a student is having trouble understanding the material presented in this book, having their instructor teach from premade PowerPoint files which contain exact wording from the text will not help.

Clear, Concise, Interesting (for theory, that is).......2004-01-05

I was assigned this book in class! Loved it. I hate theory, but this book made sense and was interesting to read. I think the book has great examples that are real life. For those of you who hate theory or don't understand it, this book will help you understand that theory is all around.

Book Description

This text introduces the field of communication to students who may have little or no background in communication theory. Its three overriding goals are to help students understand the pervasiveness of theory in their lives, to demystify the theoretical process, and to help students become more systematic and critical in their thinking about theory.

Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application

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Well Done
Communication Theory Comes Alive
theory comes to life

Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application
Richard L West , Lynn H Turner , Richard West , and Lynn Turner
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0767430344

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Well Done.......2005-09-27

The book arrived in a timely fashion and fit the description very well.

Communication Theory Comes Alive.......2001-01-03

This book was a great book. The examples helped me understand communication theory and after I read the examples and the TIPS, I saw the relationship between theory and practice. Good job and a great price!

theory comes to life.......2001-01-03

this book is very helpful in giving the main points of many important communication theories. i really understood how theory and practice relate after reading the tips and the examples. it is well priced too.

Book Description

2006 Outstanding Academic Title Award from CHOICE Magazine
2007 Academy of Management's George R. Terry Book Award

Winner of the 2007 Academy of Management's George R. Terry Book Award
Michalle Mor Barak's book Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace has won the highly prestigious Academy of Management's George R. Terry Book Award. This award is granted annually to the most outstanding contribution to the advancement of management knowledge. Managing Diversity was selected from multiple publisher’s nominations for single authored books.

“This book introduces a unique and refreshing prism that is highly useful for managers and scholars alike. The authentic examples and case studies bring the content to life and make this book a very interesting and captivating read. It is a ‘must read’ for managers who need to effectively manage today’s diverse workforce in order to survive and thrive in the global economy.”
--Alan D. Levy, Chairman and CEO, Tishman International Companies

“[ Managing Diversity] is thorough, well-written and filled with interesting information and case examples. It deals with an important issue in a very complete manner, providing both theoretical and conceptual content and outstanding practical information. It should be valuable and useful to anyone studying international business management.”
--Sheila Akabas, Professor and Director, Center for Social Policy and Practice in the Workplace, Columbia University

“I would definitely adopt this book, since it offers an excellent resource for developing, theorizing, and working out the inclusive workplace in a very comprehensive way. [Mor Barak] gives many practical examples and very useful illustrations that make the book very interesting for both the conceptual researcher and the practitioner. It is also written with a very international and global perspective and outlook.”
--Cordula Barzantny, Associate Professor, Groupe Ecole Superieure de Commerce, Toulouse Business School

“A culturally diverse, inclusive workforce is well supported by social work values and ethics. A valuable resource for social work practice in a global context, the book is also highly recommended as a text in social work education programs.”

—John J. Stretch, Saint Louis University

Managing Diversity demonstrates the benefits of implementing inclusive practices and incorporates vignettes from different countries around the world and case studies illustrating practical solutions.

Key Features:

Offers up-to-date information on the new realities of the workforce, including demographic, legislation, and social policy trends around the world
Analyzes the causes and consequences of workforce exclusion, highlighting the groups commonly excluded in various countries
Provides a comprehensive model of the Inclusive Workplace suggesting policies, procedures, and programs that facilitate its implementation
Includes an Instructors Resource on CD-ROM containing a chapter overview, chapter outline, multiple PowerPoint slides, and sample test questions for each chapter

Michàlle Mor Barak, PhD, is a Professor at the University of Southern California with a joint appointment at the School of Social Work and the Marshall School of Business. She holds the Lenore Stein-Wood and William S. Wood Chair of Social Work and Business in a Global Society, is the Chair of the Industrial/Occupational Social Work Program, and is the founder and director of the International Center for the Inclusive Workplace.

Customer Reviews:

Commending Michalle Mor Barak's Managing Diversity.......2006-06-01

Mor Barak's Managing Diversity is a seminal work because of her contextualizing diveristy in terms of global inclusiveness. Not only does the book provide information and incisive insights, but is comprehensive in covering the topic and citing the very best of the current literature in the field.

This book will appeal to anyone who desires to heighten their awareness of this topic and be completely up to date with the literature (and ahead in some respects). The book will be particularly useful in undergraduate and graduate courses that feature diversity, globalization or understanding the complexity of the work force. In such courses, it could serve as the primary or one of the primary texts. For more general courses on business, management, social services, public administration and non-profit management, the book would fill a vital gap created by the paucity of focus on the topic (one chapter on diversity or multiculturalism in a management text is not enough to prepare students for an increasingly diverse and inclusive environment).

I recommend the interested reader and educator peruse the table of contents and materials presented here. This will surely inform them of the meticulousness of Mor Barak's coverage of the topic and tempt them with the promise of new and insightful knowledge-- a promise she delivers on in a well-written and easy to understand style. I commend this book to you.

Jon S. Sager

Assessment by a civil rights Judge.......2006-04-11

I write as a retired federal Administrative Judge who decided hundreds of employment discrimination cases and spoke at scores of conferences and forums on the subject of diversity. Today, I teach social work and law at USC and rely upon this book as a primary text. I strongly recommend Dr. Morbarak's excellent volume as a well written, understandable and thoughtful guide to both employers and employees to understand the values and to avoid or respond to conflicts of the modern workplace. She has provided insights, explanations, and models for dealing with situations in the increasingly globalized world of work.

An Important Contribution to the Management LIterature.......2006-03-27

Employee cohesion and high morale in the workplace are generally accepted, along with quality products and services, as contributing to a company's healthy bottom line. To be successful in today's complex multinational and multicultural as well as domestic work environments, however, businesses must concurrently manage new thresholds of employee, supplier and customer diversity at several levels all at once.

A welcome addition to the emerging dialogue on diversity management is Michàlle Mor Barak's inclusive workplace model. In Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace (Sage Publications, 2005), she encourages work organizations to adopt a new perspective on diversity. Building on its expanding importance to the workplace amid new socio-demographic and legislative trends, Managing Diversity comprehensively addresses the corporate role for inclusiveness as part of workforce management as well as at community, state and federal, and international levels.

In essence, the inclusive workplace is a layered ideal, each level of which complements the others and advances corporate effectiveness. At the workplace level, it honors individual and inter-group differences, while at the community level it also contributes to its surroundings, regardless of whether profits are directly realized. Within the wider environment, it expresses concern for and supports advancement of such disadvantaged or marginalized groups as immigrants, women, and the working poor. And in the instance of multinational companies, it willingly collaborates with individuals, groups and organizations across national and cultural boundaries.

Of note is the practical relevance threaded throughout the book, such as the important distinction that Mor Barak makes between visible (i.e., observable differences) and invisible diversity (such not readily apparent attributes as religion, education, tenure or world view). While discrimination toward either kind is unacceptable, the nature of invisible diversity presents human resource managers the added challenge of a consideration that is difficult to monitor.

A portion of Managing Diversity delves into the complex web of skills, knowledge, and values that combine to shape the inclusive workplace. From an overview of diversity-related employment legislation around the world, to theoretical perspectives on diversity and its meaning in different cultural contexts, to cross-cultural communications, the book is filled with colorful, well-researched examples. The inclusive workplace model itself, however, is applicable to work organizations large and small, transcending specific industries or where they are headquartered in the world.

In this excellent text, Mor Barak, who holds joint appointments at the University of Southern California Schools of Social Work and Business, has made a substantial and unique contribution to the human resources and management literature.

managing Diversity for Competitive Advantage.......2006-03-25

Several distinguishing feature of this very good book on diversity deliver value to the reader. Firstly, the book goes into the causal roots of workplace exclusion practices of employers as also their consequences. The analysis focuses on the groups that are commonly excluded in different parts of the world. Secondly, the book provides latest information on changing workplace realities across countries, including aspects of legislation, demography, and developments in social policy. This has been done through analyses, vignettes and case studies from different parts of the world. Thirdly, the book envisages a comprehensive "inclusive workplace model" which among others includes policies, procedures, and programmes that can help implement development of an inclusive workplace. Fourthly, the book gives cogent explanation for developing globally diverse workforce as a business case. Fifthly, it carries both theoretical content and practical propositions. The book has included some thoughtful illustrations and practical solutions to problems involved in developing a globally inclusive workplace.

While the book has the above-mentioned merits, I must add that the the author's definition of diversity could have been wider so as to include differences related with individual idiosyncrasies, competencies, roles, needs and mindsets as well? She has dealt with group differences such as those associated with race, age, sex, region, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, etc. Of course, that might have made her project heavier.

Overall, the book is a very useful resource for conceptualizing and implementing an inclusive workplace agenda. It reflects a global perspective and will interest readers across countries. The book has demonstrated well that when diversity and inclusion are being practiced as business strategies, they help in providing competitive advantage. It rightly suggests that in order to meaningfully practice DM people must be educated and held accountable for demonstrating new behaviours and competencies envisaging support for a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Debi S. Saini
MDI, Gurgaon, India

Michalle Mor Barak, Managing Diversity: Towards a Globally Inclusive Workplace.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

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Michalle Mor Barak, Managing Diversity: Towards a Globally Inclusive Workplace.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
Susan J. Lambert
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000VJB25C
Release Date: 2007-08-29

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2007. The length of the article is 891 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Michalle Mor Barak, Managing Diversity: Towards a Globally Inclusive Workplace.(Book review)
Author: Susan J. Lambert
Publication: Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Page: 185(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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What a Joke

I got the message load and clear

Direct to the point and clear easy reading

So easy to read and understand...It is my sales Bible

Exellent,not only for auto sales

Non-Confrontational Power Selling
David Jacobson
Manufacturer: Capital Results
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Techniques | Sales & Selling | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0966897439

Book Description

This book is for anyone who sells for a living. If your livelihood depends on your ability to communicate with others, this book will greatly assist in your growth.

Customer Reviews:

What a Joke.......2005-12-16

This author sounds like the biggest scumbag ever. The whole point of the book is to teach you how to rip people off. He has no real knowledge of selling or business. He entire book is about how to con someone. If he want to learn about selling learn from someone who actually has a business background. Not a used car salesmen

I got the message load and clear.......1999-09-25

I got the message loud and clear from this book. People are so easy to deal with IF you have the right responses in your head. Just read it! If you sell for a living.

Direct to the point and clear easy reading.......1999-09-18

I found the book easy to read. , after reading this book, I closed the highest percentage of sales ever. The author was even kind enough to respond to my e-mail message and help me even further. Great book and Thanks for the help!

So easy to read and understand...It is my sales Bible.......1999-06-22

I refer to the book after every customer. I do this to go over what I did right and what I could have done differently. It makes the whole crazy, complicated and stressful half hour with the customer so much more effective, natural and FUN!

Exellent,not only for auto sales.......1999-02-28

Very highly motivating book.This is a very clear description of every day selling tools.

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Inspectors General issues involving the Farm Credit Administration's Chairman and IG : report to congressional committees (SuDoc GA 1.13:AFMD-92-27)
U.S. General Accounting Office
Manufacturer: The Office The Office [distributor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Credit Ratings & Repair | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000109JRO

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