Browsing by Subject "knowledge management"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Innovation & intellectual property: collaborative dynamics in Africa
    (UCT Press, 2014) De Beer, Jeremy; Oguamanam, Chidi; Schonwetter, Tobias; Sowa, Izabella; Holman, Kristen; Kawooya, Dick; Dagne, Teshager; Adewopo, Adebambo; Chuma-Okoro, Helen; Oyewunmi, Adejoke; Ouma, Marisella; Cocchiaro, Gino; Lorenzen, Johan; Maister, Bernard; Rutert, Britta; Rizk, Nagla; Sihanya, Ben; Mgbeoji, Ikechi; Dos Santos, Fernando; Pelembe, Simão; Awad, Bassem; Abou Zeid, Perihan; Ncube, Caroline; Abrahams, Luci; Akinsanmi, Titi; Belete, Wondwossen; Ama, Njoku; Armstrong, Chris; De Beer, Jeremy; Armstrong, Chris; Oguamanam, Chidi; Schonwetter, Tobias
    In the global knowledge economy, intellectual property (IP) rights – and the innovations they are meant to spur – are important determinants of progress. But what does this mean for the nations of Africa? One view is that strong IP protection can facilitate innovation in African settings. Others say that existing IP systems are simply not suited to the realities of African innovators. This book, based on case studies and evidence collected through research across nine countries in Africa, sheds new light on the complex relationships between innovation and intellectual property. It covers findings from Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa, across many sites of innovation and creativity including music, leather goods, textiles, cocoa, coffee, auto parts, traditional medicine, book publishing, biofuels and university research. Various forms of intellectual property protection are explored: copyrights, patents, trademarks, geographical indications and trade secrets, as well as traditional and informal mechanisms of knowledge governance. The picture emerging from the empirical research presented in this volume is one in which innovators in diverse African settings share a common appreciation for collaboration and openness. And thus, when African innovators seek to collaborate, they are likely to be best-served by IP approaches that balance protection of creative, innovative ideas with information-sharing and open access to knowledge. The authors, who come from a range of disciplines, are all experts in their fields, working together through the Open African Innovation Research and Training (Open A.I.R.) network.
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    Knowledge management practices and challenges in international networked NGOs: the case of one world international
    (Academic Conferences Ltd., 2008) Smith, Gretchen J; Lumba, Patricia Mweene
    This paper is based on the outcomes of a study that explored the knowledge management practices and challenges in an international NGO network. The investigation constituted comparative case studies of two centres (one in Zambia and the other in the Netherlands) belonging to a single international network. An empirically grounded framework of knowledge management practices based on the taxonomy proposed by Holsapple and Joshi was utilised as the reference framework for the study. The framework provided guidelines to characterize factors that influence organizational knowledge management; knowledge manipulation activities (processes) and organizational knowledge resources. The results of the empirical study confirm that a variety of factors affect knowledge management behaviours in an organization. These factors include managerial and internal controls such as management styles and incentives for knowledge creation and sharing; resource influences; and environmental influences relating to an organization's culture and the needs of partner organizations. The study highlights important variation in diversity, gaps and perceptions in managing knowledge between centres in the network that are based in Europe and Africa. This is despite significant communality in knowledge management processes and infrastructures. The results further show that institutionalization of knowledge management practices within a network seem to enable or constrain knowledge management at centre and network level. Recommendations are proposed to improve knowledge management practices at local and international level and include enhanced technical and advisory services at international level; capacity building; creating greater awareness of knowledge management; decentralization of knowledge management processes; implementation of a knowledge management strategy at network level and improving relationships between centres. The authors conclude that networked NGO's and specifically OWI could operate more efficiently and incrementally enhance service provision by leveraging their knowledge resources more effectively. It is in this light that knowledge management practices should be examined in NGOs and particularly networks with their complex structures and attendant reoccurring and unavoidable problems.
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    A review of the Knowledge Management Centre of the Economic and Human Development Department, City of Cape Town
    (2012-03) UCT Knowledge Co-op
    The Knowledge Management Centre (KMC) for a municipal department was set up by a Project Consultant in 1998, with the aim of providing a largely self-service resource centre to store and distribute appropriate and up-to-date information linking to economic development and tourism. The aim of the project is briefly to evaluate the current processes of the KMC and to determine whether these continue to address the needs of its present clients and of potential clients within the City of Cape Town municipal services sector, also to establish whether the KMC is suitably lined up with modern information service delivery techniques. This "As is" assessment is compared with current global best practice in Knowledge Management (KM) for information services of a similar scope and kind to identify a "To be" cluster of facilities and services. A gap analysis identifies areas of change, skill acquisition and suitable strategies for closing the gaps.
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    A review of the Knowledge Management Centre: conducted for the Economic and Human Development Department, City of Cape Town
    (2012-07) Underwood, Peter G; Smith, Gretchen
    Following a study of the resources and services of the Knowledge Management Centre (KMC) of the Economic and Human Development Department (EHD) and a survey of a sample of users and potential users, the conclusion is that the KMC is NOT operating in a Knowledge Management mode; it is operating as a small special library, in a demand-driven mode (page 7). Interviews with the sample of users indicate that a Knowledge Management mode of operation would be more appropriate for supporting the work of the EHD (page 9). It is proposed that the two mutually supportive KM initiatives of leveraging information content and the development and utilisation of knowledge communities should form the core of the EHD's KM strategy (page 13). A set of integrated actions are recommended to implement a Knowledge Management Programme and capacitate the KMC at the EHD (pages 15-18). A job description for a post of Knowledge Officer is provided (pages 19-20).