Managing Knowledge/Knowledge Management Systems Essay

SAMPLE EXCERPT . . .
In terms of information disclosure, the company may sometimes disclose personal information to its strategic partners or other entities, as solicited by the legislation. Apple as such discloses information to service providers, such as firms engaged in information processing, credit extension or product delivery. The data is as such only disclosed when necessary for the benefit of the customer or when this is imposed by law. In all other circumstances, Apple Inc. " takes precautions -- including administrative, technical, and physical measures -- to safeguard your personal information against loss, theft, and misuse, as well as against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction" (Website of Apple Inc., 2012).

Ultimately, to ensure that the customer data is best protected and preserved, the company has created an organizational commitment to data safeguarding. This commitment is implemented at the corporate level and all employees are trained to adequately handle the information.

3. Recommendations

Based on the analysis conducted above, it is now useful to forward some recommendation on how Apple Inc. could go about in the further improvement of its knowledge management systems. As it has been so far revealed, the knowledge management at Apple is based on the acquisition of knowledge and the creation of a solid knowledge base to be further integrated in the completion of the Apple products and the delivery of the Apple services. At this level as such, the knowledge management system of Apple is centered and strong.

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for only $8.97. Nevertheless, some issues are observed at the levels of knowledge management transparency. On the one hand, there is an issue related to the limited availability of information of the company's approach to knowledge management. This very trait has impeded the in depth completion of the current project, due to scarcity of available information. The company's reticence to disclose such data is understandable in terms of competitive issues, but it also distances the company from its shareholders.

Essay on Managing Knowledge/Knowledge Management Systems Taking Assignment

On the other hand, another problem with knowledge management is represented by the company's manipulation of data in its favor. The most relevant example in this sense is represented by the recent situation when the company removed negative reviews from its website. In this setting then, the Recommendations would revolve around propositions to address the lack of transparency and the manipulation of the knowledge offered to the stockholders, rather than to propose improvements in the acquisition of technical knowledge, which is already strong.

It is first necessary to review some options of strategic directions, and then recommend the most suitable course of action. At this level then, the following propositions are currently available:

The development of a company disclosure policy that is more opened and more flexible

The acceptance of negative inputs as well

The preservation of the current status quo.

Each of the alternative courses of action is characterized by its own advantages and disadvantages, as revealed in the table below:

Advantages

Disadvantages

Opened and flexible company disclosure

Increased flexibility and openness, leading to better perceptions from the stakeholders

Changes in organizational operations, leading to operational inefficiencies due to resistance to change

Acceptance of negative inputs

Improved company image

Improved reliability from customers

Possibility for more knowledge acquisition through feedback

Change resistance

Increases sensitivity to outside forces

Status quo

No additional efforts and investments

Limited trust from the stakeholders

Lack of transparency

Despite the disadvantages revealed, the recommendation is for Apple Inc. To engage in the creation of a more open and flexible knowledge sharing system, in which they are more transparent about their information and in which they also accept the negative inputs as sources of future development.

4. Conclusions

All in all, Apple Inc. is one of the largest companies in the global market place and its success has been due to complex managerial mechanism that places emphasis on a multitude of dimensions, including the management of knowledge. KM is a more and more commonly used concept among both practitioners as well as academicians, yet a formal definition has yet to be devised and universally accepted. Despite this, knowledge management is understood as an integrated effort made by organizations in order to create knowledge and to manipulate it in order to attain their pre-established organizational objectives.

Within Apple, the knowledge management system is centered on the acquisition and consolidation of technical information, and from this angle, the knowledge management system is powerful and stable. Shortages are nevertheless observed at the level of transparency and knowledge sharing with the various categories of stakeholders. At this level, it is recommended for the company to become more opened and flexible in terms of information sharing and this recommendation is based on the gradual uniformization of technologies; as more and more companies gain access to technologic development, their product offering become similar (Gopalakrishnan and Qadeer, 2011). This virtually means that Apple Inc. will have to focus on the generation of other competitive advantages and means of satisfying and attracting customers.

References:

Adhia, P., 2012, Apple removes negative reviews, for the DRM bug affected apps, All Things Apple, http://allthingsapple.me/apple-removes-negative-reviews-for-the-drm-bug-affected-apps / last accessed on July 18, 2012

Becerra-Fernandez, I., Sabherwal, R., 2010, Knowledge management: systems and processes, ME Sharpe, ISBN 076562351X

Gopalakrishnan, G., Qadeer, S., 2011, Computer aided verification: 23rd international conference, Springer

Gottscalk, P., 2005, Strategic knowledge management technology, Idea Group, ISBN 1591403367

Holsapple, C.W., 2004, Handbook on knowledge management 1: knowledge matters, Birksauser

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Myers, P.S., 1996, Knowledge management and organizational design, Routledge, ISBN 0750697490

2011, Apple without Steve Jobs: How the new CEO can 'think different', Knowledge Today, http://investor.apple.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1193125-11-282113&CIK=320193 last accessed on July 18, 2012

2012, Privacy policy, Website of Apple Inc., http://www.apple.com/privacy / last accessed on July 17, 2012

Apple Inc. 2011 Annual Report, http://investor.apple.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1193125-11-282113&CIK=320193 last accessed on July 18, 2012

Apple certified Macintosh technician (ACMT) certification, Website of Apple Inc., http://training.apple.com/certification/acmtlast accessed on July 18, 2012

Definitions of knowledge management, Knowledge Management Online, http://www.knowledge-management-online.com/Definition-of-Knowledge-Management.html… [END OF PREVIEW] . . . READ MORE