KSEF R&D Excellence:: Exploring the Knowledge Chain in E-Business and Knowledge Driven Enterprises

The PI proposes to build on recent basic research already successfully undertaken in the areas of knowledge management (KM) and e-business (EB). This research by the PI has resulted in several completed doctoral dissertations and numerous scholarly publications over the past five years. Specifically, this research has used a collaborative approach involving an international panel of experts to design the most comprehensive ontology to date for characterizing the conduct of KM in organizations; it has employed this ontology as a foundation for creating the knowledge chain model which gives a means for analyzing, understanding, and planning enterprise competitiveness in the new economy; it has established, via qualitative factor analysis, the five-fold nature of EB perspectives and proceeded to develop these into a unifying, integrated conception of EB as a KM phenomenon. The proposed research will fUrther explore the knowledge chain model: refining, extending, and substantiating it. The proposed research will study ways in which computer and communications technologies can enable, support, and facilitate the execution of activities in the knowledge chain of e-business and knowledge-based enterprises. Qualitative and empirical research methods will be used. The result of this exploration of issues along the knowledge chain will be. a more complete and systematic understanding of practices and technologies that can contribute to leveraging enterprise knowledge into increased competitiveness. Recent research by the PI suggests that this contribution can manifest in a four-fold fashion: greater productivity, agility, innovation, and/or reputation. The proposed research is of a very fundamental and widely applicable nature, having implications in these four directions for all EB and knowledge-based enterprises in the State. It is also expected that the proposed research will spur doctoral dissertations, filter into university coursework, attract additional external funding, and enhance the visibility of the State as a thought leader in KM and EB.