Kristen Bell DeTienne

Toward a Model of Effective Knowledge Management and Directions for Future Research: Culture, Leadership, and CKOs:

Organizational culture, organizational leadership, and Chief Knowledge Officers (CKOs) each play important roles in overcoming human barriers associated with knowledge creation, transfer and sharing. This paper examines three key components of organizational culture: cooperative involvement, trust and incentives. In addition, the impact of organizational leadership on knowledge management as well as the roles and qualifications of CKOs are discussed. Through an examination of previous research and existing literature on knowledge management, this paper also shows where gaps in research exist and suggests directions for future organizational research.

Neural Networks as Statistical Tools for Business Researchers

Artificial neural networks are rapidly gaining popularity in the hard sciences and in social science. This article discusses neural networks as tools business researchers can use to analyze data. After providing a brief history of neural networks, the article describes limitations of multiple regression. Then, the characteristics and organization of neural networks are presented, and the article shows why they are an attractive alternative to regression. Shortcomings and applications of neural networks are reviewed, and neural network software is discussed.

An empirical examination of service recovery design

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present results from an empirical study of various service recovery designs. When service failures occur, service recovery is the primary way a firm can retain its customers and minimize the costs associated with customer defection and negative word of mouth. While researchers concur on the importance of service recovery in retaining customers, recommendations on implementation differ considerably. Consequently, actual service recovery design and results vary widely among practitioners.Design/methodology/approach – The method employed uses an experimental design, employing controlled scenario manipulations.Findings – This paper examines two issues that offer possible explanations for the variation in previous research results: elements of service recovery system design that make a difference and degree of primary failure. An additional issue, research methodology, may also contribute to variations in research results and is likewise addressed.Practical implication...

Assessing the Need for Printed and Online Documentation: A Study of Customer Preference and Use:

The document has become one of the few tangible deliverables of intellectual capi tal in an information age. As the value of business and technical communication has grown, the importance of designing information to meet customers needs has increased. This article explores the design option of channel choice or medium selection (delivering information in print or electronic form) and reports the results of two studies that examine customers preferences and use of printed man uals and online help, common documents used in the computer software industry. Through the past several years, many businesses have been anxious to move docu mentation online to reduce costs. However, research has not adequately addressed how users react to print versus online documentation or whether this approach is cost effective over time, taking into account customer satisfaction, repeat sales, and other business issues. The first study reports the results of a survey of 400 users of a word-process ing application and their preferences and use of printed and online documenta tion. The second study uses an ethnographic approach, contextual inquiry (CI), to examine 18 subjects use of printed and online documentation in context. Results showed that users prefer different types of documentation for different types of tasks. The implications of these findings for business communication practice and research are discussed

How Fortune 500 Companies Are Using Electronic Resume Management Systems

Scanning technology is now playing a major role in Human Resource Infor mation Systems (HRIS). As new applications are received, many organiza tions scan the résumés into their databases and subsequently search key words to achieve a match between applicants qualifications and job requirements. But typographical embellishments on some résumés cause scanning difficul ties. This research article reports the impact of electronic résumé-management systems in Fortune 500 companies and examines the implications of this technology, providing guidelines for producing scanner-friendly résumés.

Engaging embedded information

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a model of knowledge transfer that takes into account both the perspective of the sender and the perspective of the receiver, with an emphasis on the latter. The contention is that, although externalizing knowledge residing in an individual or group and making it accessible to others either through direct communication or embedding information in the organizational system is a necessary component of knowledge transfer, it is not the only component. An equal, but understudied, share of the knowledge transfer effort takes place when the receiver of the knowledge engages with it, internalizing it and making it usable for the receiver as well.Design/methodology/approach – The paper first defines knowledge from a pragmatic, organizational perspective. Second, it presents the model. Finally, it evaluates the current direction of knowledge transfer studies in light of the main tenets of the model.Findings – Engagement of information is a necessary step before kno...

Customers' use of documentation: the enduring legacy of print

Because of newly developed technologies and the escalating cost of printing, more organizations are delivering documentation through online mediums. This trend has serious implications for users of legacy documents (i.e., printed documentation). This paper reports the results of two studies that assessed customers’ use of documentation. The studies found that printed documentation remains an important source of information and support for some usersthat despite an increased amount of documentation delivered in online mediums, printed documentation continues to be significantly valued and used by customers with particular learning strategies and by customers in retrieving certain types of information. The paper concludes by discussing implications for organizations whose products require documentation and for technical communicators who produce it.

Privacy, e-mail, and information policy: where ethics meets reality

Although the use of e-mail is prevalent, few articles address the legal and ethical implications of e-mail monitoring. The paper argues that managerial monitoring of e-mail is ethically questionable because of its potential to violate privacy rights. After examining the legal guidelines related to e-mail monitoring, the article explores the ethical considerations surrounding this type of monitoring. Privacy issues and implications for management are addressed. The paper also offers suggestions for organizations that choose to monitor employees e-mail. >

“Mere Measurement Plus”: How Solicitation of Open-Ended Positive Feedback Influences Customer Purchase Behavior

In two studies (a longitudinal field experiment with an established business-to-consumer national chain, and a field experiment with a business-to-business software manufacturer), the authors demonstrate that starting a survey with an open-ended positive solicitation increases customer purchase behavior. Study 1, a longitudinal field experiment, shows that one year after the completion of a survey that began by asking customers what went well during their purchase experience, those customers spent 8.25% more than customers who had completed a survey that did not include the positive solicitation. Study 2 utlizes multiple treatment groups to assess the stepwise gains of solicitation, measurement, and solicitation frame. The results demonstrate (1) a mere solicitation effect, (2) a traditional mere measurement effect, and (3) an additional “mere measurement plus” effect of an open-ended positive solicitation; all effects increased customer spending. Specifically, starting a survey with an open-ended positive solicitation resulted in a 32.88% increase in customer spending relative to a survey with no open-ended positive solicitation. The findings suggest that firms can proactively influence the feedback process. Soliciting open-ended positive feedback can create positively biased memories of an experience; the subsequent expression of those memories in an open-ended feedback format further reinforces them, making them more salient and accessible in guiding future purchase behavior.

Big brother is watching: computer monitoring and communication

A study was conducted to examine employees reactions to computer monitoring. Associated issues that were examined included the employees level of stress, job satisfaction and commitment; their feelings of personal control; and their opinions regarding managements use of information gathered through monitoring. Results of the study indicated that, contrary to many reports, computer monitoring can be positive when used correctly and accompanied with effective management communication. Employees levels of stress were negatively correlated with their feelings of job satisfaction, personal control, commitment to the organization, and the employees feelings about the appropriateness of the way in which their managers used the information gathered by monitoring. These results highlight the importance of the responsible use of monitoring, the significance of communication, and the value of recognizing and rewarding good performance. >