KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

In

SMEs

ALI KOOHESTANI

1041200899

a.koohestani@gmail.com

IN COLLABORATION WITH

PROFFESOR A. SEETHARAMAH

ASSOCIATE DEAN

MBA CENTRE

MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSITY

CYBERJAYA - MALAYSIA

January 2006

ABSTRACT

As the new century is characterized by the era of knowledge and information, these terminologies affect each and every aspect of our daily life as individuals. Obviously the role of these concepts is stronger in business levels. So as to benefit from the implication of knowledge, first and foremost one should determine the various functions of it. Small-Medium size Enterprises, compose a large portion of today's businesses, thus, practical extension of such a concept to dipper stratums of SMEs is essential.

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This case considers the importance role of Knowledge Management (KM) in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) and the appropriate KM techniques for such organizations. This study relates and analyses the conceptual approaches appropriate for knowledge management in the region of SMEs. In this regard, theory suggests that this is an important area of activity which should be considered. However, a dilemma exists, as there is no in-depth study on which to base this research. Given this lack of existence, it is inescapable to look at antecedents to identify areas of appropriateness for the chosen context.

INTRODUCTION

Today, Knowledge has become one of the most critical driving forces for business success. Organizations are becoming more knowledge concentrated, hiring "minds" more than "hands", and the need for leveraging the value of knowledge to a large extent is increasing. As a result, knowledge has been treated systematically much like other tangible resources and many organizations are exploring the field of knowledge management (KM) so as to improve and sustain their competitiveness. In this regard, organizations need to be aware of the factors that will affect and drive the success of a KM...