Introductions

• Many organisations have developed information systems to facilitate sharing and mobilisation of knowledge.

• Such systems that manage organisational knowledge process are referred to as Knowledge Management Systems (KMS).

• The organisational processes supported by KMS may include knowledge creation, storage/retrieval, transfer and application.

Alavi and Leidner (2001)

They argue that information technology plays a substantial role in 
knowledge sharing within organisations by 

increasing 'weak ties' between 

individuals and creating informal links.

Knowledge is transferred from individual 
to group to organisation 
through an interplay of tacit and 
explicit knowledge assisted by knowledge management systems (KMS).

For certain business applications, generic and standard software has been developed for mass - market appeal.

A major issue concerning off - the - shelf solutions is whether organisations want to follow practices and ontologies 

(a set of concepts and categories in a subject area or domain that shows their 

properties and the relations between them) 

embedded within the software.

In determining the appropriateness of KM solutions, one needs to be mindful of the five major concerns of 

senior executives related to 

IT investments in organisations 

( PriceWaterhouse 1995)

1. Integrating IT with corporate objectives
2. Transforming through IT
3. Infrastructure
4. Uncertainty
5. Cost Control