ABSTRACT
Retention
of enterprise of key personnel and improved interaction between people,
technology and processes continue to drive investments in knowledge management
(KM) initiatives. Since seventy percent of the employees knowledge is tacit
knowledge that is stored in long-term knowledge resources and activities. An
organization continues to be challenged by the dynamic nature of competitive
global market place, the necessity to outsource critical knowledge tasks and
manage rapid turnover of key personnel, it has become imperative that managers
implement knowledge management (KM) practices. An effective knowledge
management (KM) application for preserving knowledge base within the firm is
presented. The study was carried out in Nestle Nigeria Plc Enugu Depot. The
data for this research was collected from the distribution of questionnaires to
various respondents. A total of thirty questionnaires were distributed in which
twenty seven were completed and returned. The statement of the problem deals on
how an organization have the problem of planning for the human resources
recruitment, selection and employment of qualified persons who are knowledgeable
enough to acquire and manage for efficiency. The result/findings of the
research show that there is a relationship between knowledge and information,
culture and skills as these cannot do without the other. The study therefore
recommends that the proper use of knowledge management and information
technology develops an organization capacity to acquire, share and utilize
knowledge in ways to improve its survival and success. Finally, proper
knowledge management helps to protect, exploit intellectual properties to avoid
brain drain and build and sustain competitive advantage.
Nwobodo U.P.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Cover
page – – – – – – – – – i
Title
page – – – – – – – – – ii
Certification
page – – – – – – – – iii
Dedication – – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgement – – – – – – – – v
Abstract – – – – – – – – – vi
Table
of content – – – – – – – – vii
Chapter
One: Introduction
1.
1 Background of the Study: – – – – – – 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem: – – – – – – 4
1.3 Objectives of the Study: – – – – – – 6
1.4 Research Questions: – – – – – – 7
1.5 Scope and limitations of the study: – – – – 8
1.6 Significance of the study: – – – – – – 9
1.7 History of Nestle Foods Nigeria plc: – – – – 9
1.8 Definition of Terms: – – – – – – – 13
Reference – – – – – – – – 14
Chapter
Two: Review of Related Literature
2.1 concept of knowledge management: – – – – 15
2.1.1 Business
process re-engineering (BPR): – – – – 19
2.1.2. Aging work force: – – – – – – – 20
2.1.3. Business continuity planning: – – – – – 21
2.2 Building
a knowledge reserve: – – – – – 23
2.3 Elements
of knowledge management:- – – – – 27
2.4 Drivers’ of knowledge management and
knowledge
management enables: – – – – – – 29
2.5 Commercial knowledge economic models within
the firm. – 31
2.5.1.
Managing commercial knowledge for economic value – – 33
2.5.2. Knowledge management and innovation – – – – 34
2.5.3 Knowledge
management and ex-novation – – – 34
2.5.4.
Knowledge management and cash flow cycle – – – 35
2.6 Types
of knowledge management – – – – 35
2.6.1 Knowledge
management framework – – – – 36
2.6.2.
Effective knowledge dissemination for productivity in nestle food 37
2.7 Managing knowledge to build and sustain
competitive
advantage in nestle Nigeria plc. – – – – – 39
2.8 Implications for creating competitive
advantage: – – 41
2.10 purpose of knowledge management in nestle
Nigeria Plc
Enugu depot – – – – – – – – 42
2.11 Harvesting information for meaningful
knowledge – – 44
2.12.
Knowledge and information filtering for efficiency in Nestle – 46
2.13
Knowledge management/ database configuration – – – 48
2.14
Interrelatedness of knowledge work processes and
social context – – – – – – – – 50
Reference: – – – – – – – – 51
Chapter
Three: Research Design and Methodology
3.1 Research Design: – – – – – – – 62
3.2 Source
of data: – – – – – – – 29
3.2.1. Primary data – – – – – – – – 63
3.2.2. Secondary data – – – – – – – 63
3.3 Population
of the study: – – – – – – 30
3.4 Sample
size and sampling technique – – – – 64
3.5 Instruments
for data collection – – – – – 66
Reference: – – – – – – – – 69
Chapter
Four: Data Presentation and Analysis
4.1 Data presentation and analysis: – – – – – 70
4.2 Analyses of the questionnaires: – – – – – 32
Chapter
Five: Summary of Findings, Conclusion and Recommendations
5.1 Summary of Findings: – – – – – – 81
5.2 Conclusion: – – – – – – – – 84
Bibliography: – – – – – – – – – 86
Appendix:
Questionnaire: – – – – – – – 88
LIST
OF FIGURE
Figure
one – – – – – – – – – 26
Figure
two – – – – – – – – – 28
Figure
three – – – – – – – – – 31
Figure four – – – – – – – – – 51
Figure
five – – – – – – – – – 52
LIST
OF TABLE
Table 4.1: Relationship between the organization and
mistakes among staff. – – – – – 70
Table
4.2: Employees and knowledge
organization are
made accessible. – – – – – – 71
Table
4.3: M. I. S. Are integrated and
continually
undated in the organization. – – – – 72
Table
4.4: Barriers to the use and exchange
of
Knowledge. – – – – – – – 72
Table
4.5: Employees have the skills to
adequately
categorize use and maintain
knowledge. – – – 73
Table
4.6: Organizational structure is
simple,
hierarchical and autonomous. – – – – 73
Table
4.7 There are active programmes for
developing ideas where knowledge is
generated – 74
Table
4.8 Organization is characterized by
diversity. – – 74
Table 4.11: Management has relevant knowledge
to ensure organizational success. – – – – 75
Table
4.12: Manager are committed to
developing
employees knowledge. – – – – – 75
Table 4.13: Managers are action oriented and
facilitate the process of learning by
practice. – – 76
Table 4.14: Knowledge managers coaches and
facilitate the learning process. – – – – 77
Table 4.15: Knowledge management is a strategic
theme that is part of organizational
ambition. – – 78
Table 4.16: There are continuous collective learning to
develop the core competencies of the
organization. – 78
Table 4.17: Customer information is strategically
valuable to the organization. – – – – 79
Table 4.19: Knowledge gaps are continually mapped out – – 79
Table
4.20: Communication and information
system
are used to broadly knowledge – – – – 80
Table 4.21: Is obtained and developed knowledge
continually documented and made
available to every one in the
organization? – – 81
Table 4.22: Knowledge management and goal accomplishment – 81
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Knowledge
management is concerned with the creation of structures that combine the most
advanced elements of technological resources and the indispensable input of
human response and decision making (Scarnbrough, 1999:70). Corporations have
always had experience and integrate it with knowledge acquired from outside sources
(Polanyi, 1958).
However,
not until recently have scholars and practitioners alike become increasingly
attracted to the science of applied knowledge within organizations. This work
investigates the vital link between the management of knowledge in contemporary
organizations and the development of sustainable competition for efficiency in
the Nestle Food Nigeria Plc Enugu Depot. The researcher chooses Nestle Food
Nigeria Plc as it deem necessary considering the fact that no virile
manufacturing organization can perform effectively without adequate information
gotten from reliable sources and from those who are knowledgeable about the
facts. The promising field of knowledge management (KM) is differentially
defined from other more traditional information technology functions and the
evaluation of knowledge management discussed.
The
abstract construct of knowledge can be understood through its relationship to
data and information (Parikh, 2001:5), posits that data are merely raw facts
collected from business transactions and activities and data must be structured
into a meaningful, composite model to become information. Once information is
created from such of constitution of pure data sets, it is able filtered
through a relative model of understanding. Thus, knowledge is created only as
information is interpreted and evaluated from a contextual mental model.
Individuals and companies as whole have different mental models (Senge,
1994:40), the knowledge gleaned from the same compilation of information can differ
greatly not only in quality but also in applicability. Knowledge management
thus differs from information management because the former implies a
persistent, international effort of extracting from available what is critical
for business success, while the latter is more concerned with making critical
information available in structure. (Bolterll, 2001:19), knowledge management
is therefore the creative mining of information from diverse sources with the
purpose business opportunities in mind. As a firm works diligently towards
pursuing its information assets through the multitude of perceptual filters
available, high impact matchless gems are unearthed, which have the potentials
to substantially affect the bottom line.
The
recognition of knowledge management as an imperative for improving the
knowledge base of an organization will
