Can E-Business Adoption Be Influenced by Knowledge Management - Research Paper Example

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT Assignment Cover-sheet   Student ID number  U3041219 Unit name  Knowledge Management Systems PG Unit number 6688 Name of Convener Craig McDonald / David Williams Assignment topic 1.1.1.1.1.1.1 KMS for Explicit Knowledge Due date Friday 25st July 2014 Signature of student: Mingquan (Vernon) WU    Date: 25/07/2014  Date of submission: 25/07/2014 Important: Please see précis in Appendix 4.2 Research Paper: “Can e-business adoption be influenced by knowledge management? An empirical analysis of Malaysian SMEs” by Alain Yee-Loong Chong, Keng-Boon Ooi, Haijun Bao and Binshan Lin Key Ideas: E-business is a tool for business competitiveness; supply chain efficiency is enhanced by information sharing effective knowledge management; information sharing is best facilitated through IT-based collaboration tools; implementation of e-business technology is easier with appropriate knowledge management; knowledge management determine small and medium enterprises adoption of e-business supply chain technology; knowledge acquisition and application is more important in terms of SMEs adoption of e-business supply chain technology; reluctance and perceived risks associated with information sharing makes knowledge dissemination less significant. 2 Introduction 2.1 Explanation of the Task of Reviewing a Research Paper The assignment requires three different tasks and these include selecting the paper for review, conduct an analysis of the paper selected, and posting of the abstract of the completed review to a forum. For this reason, this author went online and looked for an article related to KM research and practices that was published in the last two years. The article of Yee-Loong et al (2013) was selected and reviewed as it is a recent research paper dealing with both organisational and societal context. The guidelines for writing an analysis was followed accordingly including questions that must address in order to better understand the content of the selected research paper. The next section contains a brief summary of the research paper review. 2.2 Brief Summary of the Research paper The purpose of the article authored by is to evaluate the impact of knowledge management in the supply chain of Malaysian SME’s that previously adopted e-business. The article explains the benefits of information technology and Internet in terms of business operations, competitive advantage, and knowledge management. In particular, the paper emphasises the need for adopting information sharing tools such as e-business supply chain technology providing better integration and linkages between supply chain partners, and issues in e-business implementation in developing countries such as Malaysia. The research paper proposed a conceptual framework that incorporates three KM processes such as knowledge acquisition, dissemination, and application in order to highlight their influence on Malaysian SMEs e-business supply chain technology adoption. For this reason, 200 Malaysian SME’s were asked through survey questionnaires and data were analysed using regression analysis. The survey questionnaire contains 29 items aiming to measure four constructs (acquisition, dissemination, application, and e-business tools adoption). Participants are randomly selected and questionnaires were distributed to each organisations top management. Data were tested for normality using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, scale reliability and factor analysis were conducted using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, and multi-regression analysis was applied to test the study’s hypotheses. Findings of the investigation suggest that knowledge acquisition and application are central to most SME’s decision to adopt e-business in their supply chain while knowledge dissemination is generally insignificant. The irrelevance of knowledge dissemination was found associated with Malaysian SMEs reluctance to share their internal information and perceived risks of sharing information with others in terms confidentiality, competitiveness, and company sustainability 3 Analysis and Review of Selected Research Paper 3.1 Main KM Concepts and Ideas The authors of selected research paper believed that e-business is now a vital tool for businesses organisations seeking competitiveness through information technology and the Internet. These in particular are benefits gained from adopting e-business for supply chain management, communication, information and knowledge management. However, although e-business implementation in supply chain was reported successful in firms such as Dell, Wal-Mart, Cisco and others, the research paper claimed that only 30% of Malaysian SME’s were interested . The concepts presented by include appropriate management of business related knowledge improve competitiveness, information sharing with supply chain partners enhances supply chain efficiency and knowledge management, e-collaboration tools facilitate information sharing, and knowledge management help businesses effectively in implement e-business technology. Moreover, the research paper sees Knowledge Management as a determinant in implementing e-business supply chain technology among SMEs in Malaysia. Based on the research model and hypotheses presented by , the research paper’s conceptual framework is based on the concepts that knowledge acquisition, dissemination, and application influences adoption of e-business supply chain technology. Knowledge acquisition as defined by Gilbert and Code-Hayes (1996) as cited in for instance is an initial step in the KM process while knowledge dissemination enable transfer and knowledge sharing, a business organisation seeking competitive advantage therefore must acquire and distribute knowledge so they can refine ideas and make effective business decisions such taking advantage of e-business supply chain technology. 3.2 Comparison with Ideas Learned from this Unit Comparing the concepts presented by mentioned above to those learned from this suggest that there are similarities between them. For instance, noted the ability of ICT tools and applications in enabling KM processes as well as sharing of knowledge through collaborative tools while encourages organisations to enhance their competitive advantage through information technology implementation and adaption of e-business, a internet based information sharing or collaboration tool. and saw the importance of understanding knowledge management cycle including knowledge capture and distribution while findings highlighted the significance of knowledge acquisition and application. Moreover, both researcher paper and concepts learned from this unit recognised knowledge distribution as less important part of the KM cycle such as the result of multi-regression analysis conducted by where knowledge dissemination received p > 0.05 statistical significance. 3.3 Required Update to Dalkir Text The most probable addition to Dalkir text is the research paper’s findings that adoption of information technology and Internet-based sharing or collaborative tools such as e-business supply chain technology depends on the need, interest, and ability of the organisation to acquire knowledge . Another is the impact of knowledge application on e-business adoption particularly among small businesses where use of existing information and creating new knowledge are more attractive than knowledge distribution that most SMEs find risky in terms of knowledge confidentiality, competitiveness, and sustainability . 3.4 Contribution of the Paper to the Field The contribution of to the field of knowledge management is the concept that small businesses are likely to adopt sharing and collaborative tools when they have the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge. Similarly, the research paper provided additional evidence that in terms of IT based knowledge sharing tools adoption, most small business organisations give less importance to knowledge distribution mainly because of reluctance and implications of sharing internal information. 3.5 User of Research Paper Conclusion and Purpose The most likely users of the research paper’s conclusion are small business organisations aiming to enhance their competitive advantage. The purpose on the other is mainly to enhance their competitive advantage For instance, these organisations according to often tends to acquire external information whenever competition gets more intense and need to expand their knowledge about their capabilities in relation to economy, technology, finance, and others . The paper is also useful for students interested in understanding knowledge management application in small business organisations operating in Asian countries such as Malaysia or seeking information on how knowledge management can help businesses gain competitive advantage. 3.6 Information that needs to be obtained as a result of the analysis Based on the result of the analysis, the additional information that may be obtained to establish the relationship between adoptions of e-business supply chain technology and similar information sharing tools and knowledge management quality of SMEs operating in the West and other Asian countries. The perception of different SMEs about risks associated with information sharing and the actuality that intense competition and expansion of knowledge are determinants of information sharing or collaborative tools adoption. 4 Appendix: 4.1 Abstract 4.2 Precis Analysis of the Yee-Loong et al. (2013) article suggest that adoption of e-business supply chain technology among Malaysian SMEs is highly dependent on the organisations ability to acquire and apply knowledge. The concepts presented in the research are similar to Dalkir text particularly in the area where ICT tools and applications are enabler of KM processes and knowledge sharing, knowledge management cycle, and knowledge distribution as less important part of KM cycle. However, this review found some useful ideas that may be added to Dalkir text. These include need, interest, and ability of an organisation as determinants of e-business technology adoption, attractiveness of using existing information and creating new knowledge for SMEs, and the perceived risks associated with information sharing. The research paper’s contribution to the field includes the concept that SMEs are more likely to adopt IT-based sharing and collaborative tools when they are capable of acquiring and applying knowledge. Another is the evidence that knowledge distribution is less important in terms of adoption. SMEs seeking to enhance their competitive advantage and individuals interested in enhancing their knowledge of KM can benefit from the concepts and evidence presented in the paper. However, some more information may be necessary to validate the findings of the research paper and these include the relationship between e-business adoption and quality of KM in SMEs, and the generality of perceived risks associated with information sharing. 5 References: Dalkir, K. (2011). Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice, Premedia Limited.MIT, USA Yee-Loong, A., Keng-Boon, O., Bao, H. & Lin, B. 2013. Can e-business adoption be influenced by knowledge management? An empirical analysis of Malaysian SMEs. Journal of Knowledge Management, 18, 136. Zack, M. 1999. Managing Codified Knowledge. Sloan Management Review [Online].  Read More