Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Critical knowledge'
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Kraus, Katharina Teresa. "Psychological knowledge in Kant's critical thinking." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2014. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.648591.
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Mouzughi, Yusra. "Critical success factors for knowledge management." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2009. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/5905/.
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Lee, Helen. "Explicating spirituality through different knowledge sites." Thesis, Staffordshire University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.323840.
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Poulymenakou, Angeliki. "A contingency approach to knowledge acquisition : critical factors for knowledge based systems development." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.307773.
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Franco, John. "A critical analysis of Alvin Plantinga's position on classical foundationalism." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) Access this title online, 1992. http://www.tren.com.
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Doran, Peter. "Earth, power, knowledge : towards a critical global environmental politics." Thesis, University of Kent, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.311223.
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Weitsz, Marijke (Marijke Adriana). "Learning & knowledge : critical elements to sustained competitive advantage." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/53485.
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Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2003.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The increased rate of competitive challenges imposed on organisations by global economy, technological product changes, processes (Dixon, 1992; Dodgson, 1993), and abundance of information available (Huber 1991) necessitate organisations to unlearn, learn and relearn faster than others to survive. The development of sustainable competitive advantages is a vital management function and an important organisational requirement is to nurture learning and create new knowledge enabling organisations to exploit, develop and utilise resources better than rivals do. This paper originated from the need identified in my company that learning and use of new knowledge are essential elements to sustain competitive advantage. At the moment this is not the case and the challenges imposed on the organisation regarding technological advancements and rapid local and global environmental changes, has already negatively impacted the organisation's competitive position. Today learning is being experiences as just another expense and the use of new knowledge is not visible, as a matter of fact knowledge is being confused with information. Information is being "recycled"; in other words more of the same is shared and used within the organisation. Hardly any new knowledge is generated as the same minds that created problems are being used to solve them. In my opinion both learning and knowledge are strategic organisational requirements which must be nurtured and managed to (i) ensure return on investments, and (ii) strengthen the organisations future competitive position. The focus of the paper is to contribute to a deeper understanding of learning and knowledge, the linkage between individuals, organisations and learning loop approaches. Barriers preventing learning and use of knowledge will be identified as well as how the use of knowledge forms the foundation to achieve sustained competitive advantages to outsmart, outmaneuver and outwit the competition. Keywords: Knowledge; learning; organisational learning; competitive advantage; learning approaches, organisational barriers.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die snel veranderende kompeterende uitdagings waaraan maatskappy vandag blootgestel word, bv globalisering, ekonomiese impak, tegnologiese produk en proses veranderinge asook die oorvloed inligting wat beskikbaar is, vereis dat maatskappye hul leerprosesse mbt "unlearn, learn and relearn" vinniger moet toepas om kompterend te bly. Die ontwikkeling van kompeterende voordele is 'n kern bestuursfunksie en 'n belangrike voorvereiste tov die organisatoriese leerproses en skepping van nuwe kennis om 'n voorsprong bo die konkurrente te bewerkstellig. Die oorspronklike idee vir die skripsie het binne my eie maatskappy ontstaan, waar die tekortkominge mbt die gefokusde daarstelling en gebruik van nuwe kennis, vir die behoud van 'n mark leierskap posisie, tans nie sigbaar is nie. Die snel veranderende tegnologiese en ekonomiese eksterne omgewing het reeds 'n negatiewe en detrimentele impak op die maatskappy gehad. Vandag is die leerkurwe en gebruik van nuwe kennis binne die maatskappy nie 'n fokus area nie. Kennis word tans met inligting verwar en dieselfde persone verantwoordelik vir die oorsaak/skep van probleme word gebruik om probleme op te los, maw inligting word "gehersirkuleer" binne die maatskappy. Die doel van die skripsie is om 'n bydrae te maak mbt die raakvlakke tussen die onderskeie leer benaderings, kennis, individue en die maatskappy en hoe die onderskeie benaderings by die leerproses inpas. Hindernisse wat die gebruik van kennis kan inhibeer en beperk word ge-identifiseer en laastens word die fokus op hoe die gebruik van kennis en kundigheid die basis kan vorm vir die verkryging van onderhoudende kompeterende voordele, geplaas.
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Glowitz, Joseph Andrew. "Critical factors influencing knowledge exchange between global STEM organizations." Thesis, University of Maryland University College, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10031763.
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This research identifies critical factors that influence knowledge exchange between knowledge workers in professional organizations in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The influence of boundary systems on global knowledge exchange between organizations was also studied. The significance of the research was to establish the critical relationships so that best practices could be suggested for STEM organizations. Theoretical lenses that guided this research included absorptive capacity theory, boundary spanning theory, cultural dimension theory, and trust theory. These theoretical lenses focused on organizations engaged in global knowledge exchange. The study’s methodology employed an evidence-based research synthesis approach and systematic review technique with configurative thematic synthesis. The study’s findings identified ten critical factors that influence knowledge exchange between global STEM organizations. Findings also identified boundary system influences on global knowledge exchange, and the pivotal role that the level of trust between and within organizations has in global knowledge exchange. The research led to recommended management practices for practitioners in STEM organizations to improve their ability to facilitate global knowledge exchange within communities of practice.
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Jordaan, Beatrice. "The protection of indigenous medical knowledge a critical analysis /." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2006. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd/etd-07132006-120602/.
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Kroeger, Linda L. "Critical care nurses: their knowledge and experiences regarding the acutely confused elderly." Thesis, Boston University, 1988. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/38058.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Boston UniversityPLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you.
The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe critical care nurses knowledge and experience regarding the acutely confused elderly. A questionnaire, developed by the investigator, was mailed to two hundred nurses who were members of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). The questionnaire consisted of three parts; a case study and questions assessing the respondents' knowledge of acute confusion, questions about the respondents' past personal experiences with the elderly, and a section on demographics. The response rate was 45%. The essential findings were: 1) the mean score on the knowledge items was 60% correct 2) ICU nurses had limited personal experiences with confused elderly people 3) neither level of education nor years of nursing experience affected how well the respondents did on the knowledge items 4) ICU nurses tended to attribute the cause of acute confusion in an elderly patient to ICU psychosis. Further research needs to be done on the etiology and characteristics of acute confusion and on nursing actions and interventions concerning the acutely confused elderly patient. The concept of ICU psychosis needs to be further explored.
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Borda, Mara. "Knowledge, science, religion philosophy as a critical alternative to metaphysics." Würzburg Königshausen und Neumann, 2003. http://deposit.d-nb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?id=2868028&prov=M&dok_var=1&dok_ext=htm.
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MejiÌa, Jorge AndreÌs. "A critical systematic framework for studying knowledge imposition in pedagogy." Thesis, University of Hull, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.397889.
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Leung, Hai-ka Elaine, and 梁凱嘉. "Critical thinking and knowledge in liberal studies: ways of seeing." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B48364915.
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The study explores perceptions of critical thinking and knowledge by New Senior Secondary Liberal Studies teachers in Hong Kong. The insights in this study have implications for the curriculum development and pedagogy, particularly regarding how we can improve the teachers training of critical thinking.
Seven Liberal Studies teachers (with various levels of teaching experience and differing backgrounds) were invited to in-depth interviews about their experience teaching Liberal Studies, and particularly regarding critical thinking and knowledge, as well as their pedagogies and views of this subject.
Factors such as work experience, personality, school training, and cultural identity affect ways of seeing ‘critical thinking’ and ‘knowledge’. Also, these interviews provide insights into a better pedagogy in high order thinking. We can gain understanding of the difficulties and constraints of teaching critical thinking in Liberal Studies. The research is also a critical thinking process, which is explored in conversations with participants. The study asked them to reflect on what they thought and had experienced. The participants gave useful insights and suggestions.published_or_final_version
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O'Donoghue, Therese. "Critical thinking and psychiatric knowledge : psychosis as a contested area." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/40402.
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In 2014, the British Psychological Society and Division of Clinical Psychology (BPS/DCP) published a report outlining the multiple ways of thinking about psychosis or “schizophrenia” beyond a dominant bio-medical framing. They highlighted that psychosis is a contested area. One area of contention has been the role of dissociation as a response to traumatic experiences leading to psychosis. The current literature review aimed to evaluate the role for dissociation in the relationship between trauma and psychosis. Eighteen, peer-reviewed journal articles were included. There was evidence that dissociation is an important aspect of the relationship between trauma and psychosis. The type, frequency and chronicity were found to be important factors. The mechanisms of dissociation remain to be elucidated. The current research study aimed to engage psychiatrists in narrative accounts of their understanding of psychosis as a contested area considering the BPS/DCP report. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants at both trainee and qualified level. Critical Narrative Analysis was used which comprises six stages. The results highlighted the role of power, the barriers to opportunities for exposure to alternative views, and the role of dialogue and reflexivity. The Critical Appraisal considers, using a reflective account, the strengths and limitations of the current research, along with reflections on the whole research process.
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Stigendal, Mikael, and Andreas Novy. "A critical realist knowledge production: Enhancing a Potential-oriented Approach." WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, 2018. http://epub.wu.ac.at/6433/1/sre%2Ddisc%2D2018_06.pdf.
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This article explores the implications of founding transdisciplinary collaborations
of knowledge production in critical realism. We call such equal partnerships of
researchers and practitioners knowledge alliances. Using the distinction between
the referents that we refer to (what our research is about) and our references (our
research about that), we show that practitioners can contribute to the process of
knowledge production by providing access to referents and producing references
but also by achieving relevance. Researchers and practitioners bring different types
of knowledge. To become excellent, knowledge production should be organized in
ways, which engage these different types in a constructive interplay. We call this
approach potential-oriented, which we put in contrast to the empiricism of
evidence-based research and policy-making. Our deliberate choice of the term
potential-oriented reflects the shifts in philosophy suggested by critical realism,
but also a sensitivity for how practitioners communicate and express themselves.Series: SRE - Discussion Papers
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Stigendal, Mikael, and Andreas Novy. "Founding transdisciplinary knowledge production in critical realism: implications and benefits." Taylo&Francis Group, 2018. http://epub.wu.ac.at/6539/1/14767430.2018.pdf.
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This article explains the implications and benefits of founding transdisciplinary collaborations of knowledge production in critical realism. We call such equal partnerships of researchers and practitioners knowledge alliances. Drawing on the distinction between the referent to which we refer (the object that our research is about) and our references (our research about this object), we show that practitioners can contribute to the process of knowledge production by providing access to referents and producing references but also by achieving societal relevance. In order to accomplish excellence, knowledge production should be organized in ways that engage different types of knowledge in a constructive interplay and use the respective strong points of researchers and practitioners. Abduction and retroduction, two modes of inference vital to critical realism, are particularly inclined to benefit from involving practitioners in knowledge production. We call such an approach potential-oriented and put it in contrast to problem-orientation and the empiricism of evidence-based research and policy-making.
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Amidharmo, Suryanthono Surjo. "Critical success factors for the implementation of a knowledge management system in a knowledge-based engineering firm." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2014. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/68136/1/Suryanthono_Amidharmo_Thesis.pdf.
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This research identifies factors that are crucial to the success of a knowledge management system (KMS) implementation in a prominent Australian engineering consultancy firm. The study employs the Delphi method to solicit the opinions of experienced market leaders in the Australian construction industry, and then benchmarks the organisational profile of the consultancy firm against the Delphi findings. From this comparative case study, recommendations are made pertaining to the organisational and cultural changes required within the consultancy firm in order to improve its readiness to successfully implement a KMS.
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Luescher, Jan. "Methods for Knowledge Sharing in Professional Service Firms A Critical Evaluation /." St. Gallen, 2006. http://www.biblio.unisg.ch/org/biblio/edoc.nsf/wwwDisplayIdentifier/01652221002/$FILE/01652221002.pdf.
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Armstrong, Ryan. "Building knowledge in performance measurement and management: A critical realist approach." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/665462.
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Within management and organizational studies, researchers and practitioners alike have maintained a constant interest in the topic performance management as a means of improving individual and organizational performance. However, as a discipline, the field of performance management remains fragmented, its benefits disputed, and many of its major theoretical underpinnings hotly contested. To address these difficulties, this thesis explores the philosophical foundations upon which the study of performance management has been carried out and considers adopting critical realism as an alternative. The chapters explore the ontological, epistemological, and methodological implications of such a position for carrying out research on performance management. These include how performance management is described, the type of causal relations researchers may hope to find, how knowledge can be systematically synthesized to build theory, and how research may be carried out in the field. This discussion will help create an interdisciplinary study of performance management and to bridge the research—practice gap.
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Ilina, Elena. "Understanding the application of knowledge management to the safety critical facilities." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Bro- och stålbyggnad, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-27608.
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Challenges to the operating nuclear power plants and transport infrastructures are outlined. It is concluded that most aggravating factors are related to knowledge. Thus, of necessity, effective knowledge management is required. Knowledge management theories are reviewed in their historical perspective as a natural extension and unification of information theories and theories about learning. The first line is identified with names as Wiener, Ashby, Shannon, Jaynes, Dretske, Harkevich. The second line – with Vygotsky, Engeström, Carayannis. The recent developments of knowledge management theorists as Davenport, Prusak, Drew, Wiig, Zack are considered stressing learning, retaining of knowledge, approaching the state awareness of awareness, and alignment of knowledge management with the strategy of the concerned organizations. Further, some of the details and results are presented of what is achieved so far. More specifically, knowledge management tools are applied to the practical work activities as event reporting, data collection, condition assessment, verification of safety functions and incident investigation. Obstacles are identified and improvements are proposed. Finally, it is advised to continue to implement and further develop knowledge management tools in the organizations involved in various aspects of safety critical facilities.Utmaningar som kärnkraftverken och transportinfrastrukturer står inför har kartlagts. Kartläggningen pekar på att problemen är relaterade till brister i kunskap. Det är därför nödvändigt att fokusera på kunskap och implementera kunskapsmanagement med däri ingående teorier. Sådana teorier beskrivs i ett historiskt perspektiv. Det framgår att kunskapsmanagement har flera rötter av vilka de viktigaste är informationsteorier och teorier om inlärning. Den första är associerad med namn som Wiener, Ashby, Jaynes, Dretske, Harkevich. Den andra med namn som Vygotsky, Engeström, Carayannis. Även bidrag från moderna tänkare inom kunskapsmanagement som Davenport, Prusak, Drew, Wiig, Zack utvärderas för att förstå hur de involverade organisationerna kontinuerligt kan lära sig, bevara kunskap, nå medvetande gällande kunskap och integrera kunskapsmanagement med företagsstrategier. Vidare så presenteras ett urval av resultat för att illustrera vad som har åstadkommits hittills. Kunskapsmanagement-teorier appliceras på verksamheter som erfarenhetsrapportering, databaser, provning, verifiering av säkerhetsfunktioner och utredning av incidenter. Kunskapsmanagement gör det möjligt att identifiera och beskriva brister i de etablerade verksamheterna och att föreslå förbättringar. Rekommendationen för framtiden är att fortsätta arbetet med implementering och vidareutveckling av kunskapsmanagement för applikationer som är relevanta för kärkraftverk, transportinfrastrukturer och andra säkerhetskritiska anläggningar.
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Duclos, Pascal. "Blurred Lines : A Critical Inquiry into Power, Knowledge and (in)Security." Thesis, Försvarshögskolan, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:fhs:diva-7438.
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This paper seeks ways of understanding the new challenges of a rapidly changing world, and does so by attempting to resist the disciplinary power of orthodox research methodology, by critically and reflexively inquiring into the politics of (in)security, and ultimately, by seeking novelty. It begins by first declaring its ethical and methodological starting points, then draws out an assemblage of contemporary security problematics. This leads over and narrows down into an inquiry into how to understand the developing structure of information and cyber security in Sweden. Drawing from critical security studies and feminist research ethics, it sketches out an analytical story of power and knowledge in an age of boundless risk, security and information. It furthermore argues for the need of security scholars, practitioners and politicians alike to move beyond simplistic understandings of the world, and to revision it as shaped by more complex dynamics and flows of the global, digitalized and virtual reality of the world.
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Hsu, Shih-wei. "Towards a critical approach to knowledge management : framing a new paradigm." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/250.
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This thesis seeks to make a contribution to the critical literature on management, and, particularly, to the critique of knowledge management (KM). It suggests that the mainstream understanding of KM has some important problems, but we cannot see them as a disease curable by new managerial techniques. Rather, it is argued that management to a certain extent may be part of the problem of which it is purported to be the solution. The mainstream approach to KM has its roots in the predominant view of knowledge which assumes that the application of knowledge contributes to societal progress, within the context of the common social good. This view may be in some sense axiomatic and universal, but it might pose a problem insofar as it relies on a human-centred belief that knowledge endows man with the superior ability to dominant his environment. This belief is further strengthened by a neo-classical economic understanding of the world which presumes that we can see knowledge as a resource to serve our economic interest. However, from some poststructuralist perspectives, knowledge is inseparable from power, and this means that knowledge may contain uncontrollable dimensions and may generate unwarranted consequences beyond economic concerns. Moreover, from a deep ecological view, our industrial activity has become one of the major causes of environmental crisis, and the process is itself accelerated by the efficient application of knowledge in the production system. The limits of the application of knowledge are illustrated through a consideration of issues raised in mainstream KM because it seems to be an epitome of the predominant understanding of both knowledge and management. Via a theoretical excursion, it is suggested that the orthodox concept of KM has some intrinsic problems. On the one hand it embraces the age-old belief that, with modern techniques, we have ultimate control over our environment, and on the other it assumes that knowledge can be used to meet a sectional requirement - economic efficiency, while ignoring the dark side of economic growth in relation to non-monetary social and ecological costs. An additional element is the view that sees management as a (conceptual or practical) too] to serve the purpose of managing knowledge. However, it is not our business to discuss these problems except insofar as the current state of KM offers a weak response to them. One of the main reasons is that mainstream KM is often mired in a framework in which economic values have attained the highest regard and economic goals have somewhat displaced other social objectives. Nevertheless the, dilemma is that knowledge is too powerful and too indispensable for modem society; that is, we cannot simply abandon tile concept of KM, because the application of knowledge has already become an integral part of modem life, and business organisations are becoming more demanding in terms of the use of functionally specialised knowledge. Faced with these difficulties, it is argued that we need to articulate an alternative understanding of KM, and this work suggests that such a project can be grounded on what can be termed 'ecological consciousness'. However, this requires two major things. First, we suggest that since mainstream KM has its roots in the predominant, economic understanding of knowledge and management, we need to re-examine these two components and the relationships between them. Second, we shall illustrate an alternative set of worldviews and decision criteria for KM which escapes the eco-systematic problems and is emancipatory in essence. That is to say, the ultimate intention is to construct some alternative, thought tentative, possibilities of KM.
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McArthur, Janice Mary. "Knowledge and social justice : re-considering critical pedagogy in higher education." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.556693.
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This thesis is a contribution to the literature on the role and purposes of higher education. It is informed by the perspective of critical pedagogy, which is itself based on two mutually-reinforcing commitments: a belief in the inter-relationship between education and society, and a belief that education should further the cause of greater social justice within society. The thesis takes as its starting point a sense that critical pedagogy has tended to under-emphasize the role that knowledge, and particularly the disciplinary knowledge of higher education, can play in this movement towards greater social justice within and through higher education. Acknowledging the importance of diverse perspectives and 'takes' on critical pedagogy this thesis therefore offers another perspective to be considered, not necessarily as an alternative, but in conversation with those in the established literature. Like other examples of critical pedagogy, the ideas outlined in this thesis are based on particular streams and interpretations of critical theory. In this case, the work of Theodor Adorno is used to ground the major arguments about the contribution that knowledge within higher education can make to broader social justice. Of particular importance are Adorno's ideas on non-identity, negative dialectics, standing outside the mainstream and the relationship between theory and practice. This thesis argues that higher education can contribute to social justice through its engagement with complex and contested forms of knowledge; active forms of participation that embrace the necessity of risk and uncertainty in our engagement with knowledge; the provision of spaces and opportunities whereby those engaging with knowledge can escape mainstream domination, and thus have a stronger chance of changing the status quo; and, finally, a complex recognition of the relationship between theory and practice that challenges the division in social or academic life between thinking and doing, and thus releases the latent emancipatory potential of knowledge and thought.
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White, Matthew Neil. "The Problem of Easy Knowledge - Critical Perspectives on Cohen and Others." Master's thesis, Faculty of Humanities, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30516.
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In this paper, I aim to explore the problem of easy knowledge, outlined by Stewart Cohen (2002). I will examine the solutions given by Cohen (2002, 2005), Markie (2005), Black (2008),Klein (2004) and Becker (2013), and outline the problems that each faces. These problems, I will argue, constitute sufficient grounds to reject each of these theories as they stand. Following this, I will argue that we can adjust Becker’s (2013) theory such that it is able not only to adequately avoid the problem of easy knowledge, but also to give us a reasonable account of when and how we know and do not know propositions about the world. The central adjustment that I will make to Becker’s theory is to adopt a kind of epistemic contextualism. In particular, I will be drawing heavily on Jonathan Ichikawa’s (2011) essay on closure and contextualism in modal theories of epistemology. The consequences of adopting this perspective are that in heavyweight philosophical contexts, we turn out to know nothing at all - however, in ordinary everyday contexts, we can justifiably claim knowledge about the kinds of propositions we think we ought to be able to claim knowledge about. This consequence is pleasing to me, as it gives skeptical hypotheses their due - it treats them with the seriousness that they deserve, and admits that they are (often) unsolvable - while still preserving our intuitive belief that we can know many things about the external world.
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Reid, Grant Horace John. "General Knowledge? The Roles of the New Zealand University in a Knowledge Society." The University of Waikato, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2648.
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This thesis examines the roles of the New Zealand university in a knowledge society. Gaps in the literature of the New Zealand university in a contemporary context mean that the enquiry is informed by European and North American discussions of the educational requirements of a knowledge society. As the notions of the knowledge society and a liberal university education are both problematic and central to this enquiry, they are interrogated, in the second chapter, in some depth. A second review examines the work, recommendations and subsequent legislative outcomes of the Tertiary Education Advisory Commission (TEAC) policy process of 1999 to 2003. The principles of critical theory and critical policy scholarship inform these interpretative textual analyses. The two review chapters, which follow the introductory chapter, comprise the first part of the thesis. A description of the methodological framework employed throughout the project and a report of the findings of a survey of stakeholders follow. The discussion chapter comprises the third and final part of the thesis. The thesis seeks to distinguish the notion of the knowledge society from that of the neo-liberal approach to social and economic management. I argue that the notion of the knowledge society is viable in a range of socio-economic conditions. I suggest that the educational requirements of a knowledge society are better addressed when the scope of a university education is framed by holistic individual, social, and economic determinants, rather than rigid ideological imperatives such as those characteristic of neo-liberalism. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies is employed. Primary data are gathered by way of a postal questionnaire. The perceptions of three cohorts of stakeholders of the New Zealand university are analysed using both statistical and interpretative tools. Data gathered through a review of the literature of the university in relation to the notion of the knowledge society in New Zealand, North America, and various European contexts are analysed using a combination of critical and interpretive approaches. The major finding to emerge from the enquiry is that stakeholders of the New Zealand university associate an effective university education with breadth of learning. The notion of a liberal university education, with its attendant beyond-vocation curriculum assumptions, is not considered anachronistic by the majority of stakeholders surveyed during this project. Public and private sector employers and university students strongly associate a liberal university education with effective preparation for participation in a knowledge-intensive environment. Year 13 secondary students are less certain. A secondary finding is that most stakeholders consider that the research activities of the university academic should continue to inform university teaching, but that the teaching role is of growing importance, and therefore worthy of greater emphasis, in the context of a knowledge society. The project is intended to provoke further discussion around the relationship between the New Zealand university and the knowledge society. To date there has been little academic consideration of this relationship. The contribution of this thesis, relative to this gap, is therefore significant.
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McElroy, Brianna. "Pre-Service Teachers' Perspectives: Discussion Boards to Foster Critical Thinking and Knowledge Growth." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/35840.
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In today’s society it is expected that individuals completing teacher education programs harness the skill of critical thinking before entering into the classroom practice. This qualitative case study focuses on three (3) pre-service teachers’ experience in a teacher education course that was redesigned to foster and develop critical thinking skills and knowledge growth by the introduction of online discussion forums. This study was guided by the following question “How has the implementation of online discussion boards in the redesign of the two sections of a mandatory course of the Bachelor of Education program at a Canadian university supported the development of pre-service teachers critical thinking and contributed to their knowledge growth related to course content”? Data was collected from three (3) participants enrolled in the course, using semi-structured interviews and the data from the online discussion threads. Results show participants do not have a unified understanding of critical thinking and that online discussion boards can impact participant’s critical thinking development and knowledge growth provided they are given a strong foundation in the content area and have adequate time to reflect on the information presented. As well, findings revealed that participants used online discussion boards as a type of social media interface. By examining the participant’s perceptions and postings of online discussion boards, this study provides insights into how critical thinking can be developed in pre-service teachers through an online medium. Additionally, this study considers and how these skills might be translated into classroom practice.
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Jancsary, Dennis, Markus Höllerer, and Renate Meyer. "Critical analysis of visual and multimodal texts." SAGE, 2016. http://epub.wu.ac.at/6126/1/Dennis_etal_2016_SAGE%2Dcritical%2Danalysis.pdf.
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Mittelberg, Mark T. "A critical analysis of the epistemological starting points in presuppositional apologetics." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1988. http://www.tren.com.
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Washatka, John W. "A critical analysis of the religious epistemology of John Hick." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1988. http://www.tren.com.
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Ford, Carole. "Educating preservice teachers to teach for an evaluative view of knowledge and critical thinking in elementary social studies." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape17/PQDD_0027/NQ36638.pdf.
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Mannie, Avain. "Critical factors for enabling knowledge sharing between government agencies within South Africa." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1019699.
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Globally, organisations have recognised the strategic importance of knowledge management (KM) and are increasingly focusing their efforts on practices to foster the creation, sharing and integration of knowledge. Whilst most research in Knowledge Management (KM) has focused on the private sector, there is a breadth of potential applications of KM theory and practice for government agencies to adopt in search of resolving pertinent problems. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that influence the effectiveness of knowledge management towards collaborative problem solving in government. What is missing is research-based evidence of the factors that influence the main factors for knowledge sharing across government agencies. Given this gap, the researcher addresses the research question: In government agencies mandated to resolve issues of crime, what are the key factors required which support and influence the collaborative sharing culture? Upon analysing the data, the researcher found the following key factors as being determinants on knowledge management: organisational culture, learning organisation, collaboration, subject matter experts and trust. The two factors – organisational culture and learning organisation were identified as the most significant factors which lay as the root or core for the ‘knowledge tree’. Once these roots are in place, the other factors will gain their significance on knowledge management. These findings serve to extend the findings of the existing literature within the government sector. This study is important because the findings provide government agencies with critically important information to guide their actions towards ensuring a knowledge sharing culture is embedded in government. Whilst the empirical findings do not focus on databases or information technology specifically, it is important to acknowledge the use of both technology and people. The main concern is with managing an organisation’s knowledge assets: creating, storing, protecting, disseminating and using mission-critical knowledge. When people need knowledge, is it the right knowledge and is it timely and easy to locate and access? Is this precious commodity updated as learning occurs and better ways of doing things are discovered? The awareness of the value of knowledge to a business, coupled with its leadership, acts as an integrator that improves cross- functional communication and cooperation. Shared knowledge not only makes for a more effective, efficient and agile organisation, but creates a common perspective and culture that produces a natural consistency of successful decisions and actions. The collaborative knowledge tree model proposed in this study uses the analogy of a tree when viewing South African government agencies as the branches of a collective tree (government). This ‘tree’ requires leaders and policy making to ‘dig deep’ into understanding the roots of the tree in order to ensure that the appropriate ‘seeds’ are planted such that the tree grows and is able to provide the necessary fruit required. Ultimately, as suggested by former President Thabo Mbeki (2012) in his address, the role of knowledge would thus be seen as a collaborative means towards the betterment of society.
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Sulaiman, Nor Intan Saniah. "The critical success factors for knowledge sharing behaviour among Malaysian undergraduate students." Thesis, University of Salford, 2010. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/26929/.
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This research investigates the critical success factors of knowledge sharing behaviour among Malaysian undergraduate students. Each university has their own method in delivering knowledge to their undergraduates, but occasionally there would still to met the requirement of students and this had not received . The research question is: what makes knowledge sharing behaviour successful among two Malaysian undergraduate communities in Manchester, United Kingdom and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? The aim of this research is to identify the critical success factors for effective knowledge sharing behaviour among Malaysian undergraduate students. On that basis, this research identifies how Malaysian undergraduate students are using Web 2.0 applications and other media for knowledge sharing behaviour. For a pilot study, document web archives are searched. A pilot study was conducted as a preliminary research. The pilot study identified the types and mediums of knowledge shared among Malaysian undergraduate students from the perspective of community leaders. Moreover, challenges and difficulties in handling the community members of knowledge sharing behaviour have been identified. The target interviewees are student leaders in a student community representing Malaysian undergraduate students. The second data collection has investigated done using weblogs for each study through content analysis. From the analysis of the main data collection, the researcher has identified the success factors using relevant theories. The main theory that was use is Knowledge Sharing Behaviour theory which has been adapted from four main theories. The research method in the main data collection was content analysis and online questionnaire survey. The creation model which identifies the critical success factors in knowledge sharing (KS) methods among Malaysian undergraduate students is then presented as the main contribution of this research.
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KRITIKOS, ARISTOTELIS. "CERTIFYING SUPPLY CHAIN PROFESSIONALS IN GREECE : CRITICAL OCCUPATIONS, KNOWLEDGE AREAS AND SKILLS." Thesis, KTH, Tillämpad maskinteknik (KTH Södertälje), 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-170031.
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Masquelier, Charles. "Labour, knowledge and communication : rethinking the practical content of critical social theory." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2011. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/7343/.
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In response to the reification of social reality caused, according to the first generation of the Frankfurt School, by the instrumental mastery of nature, Adorno, Horkheimer and Marcuse have elaborated a critique of instrumental reason aimed at providing the theoretical tools for a treatment of the social realm as a field of human practice. Concerned with the risks of reproducing the relationship between humanity and nature hindering human emancipation, they have nevertheless sought to limit the task of critical theory to a theoretical form of resistance, thereby divorcing social theory from the practical orientations found in Marx‟s critique of political economy. It was not until the works of second-generation critical theorist Jürgen Habermas, that one could find a renewed attempt to link theory with the objective conditions of existence thought to be required for human emancipation. With these theoretical developments, however, social theory was effectively stripped of its critique of technology, and became primarily concerned with the problem of human emancipation as a matter strictly regarding intersubjective relations. The present work proposes that the formulation of a social critique oriented towards the institutionalisation of emancipatory practice cannot presuppose or apologise for the instrumental mastery of external nature. It shall be argued that in order to achieve such a task, the critique of instrumental reason elaborated by the first generation of Frankfurt School theorists must be complemented and completed with the broad outline of an institutional framework capable of indicating the conditions of existence required for the actualisation of human emancipation as the labour-mediated reconciliation of humanity with both internal and external nature, and for which the works of G.D.H. Cole provide a potential basis for rethinking critical theory and updating libertarian socialism.
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Li, Ruijing. "Critical thinking in Chinese higher education : a case study of knowledge transfer." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2017. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44035/.
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The issue of critical thinking (CT) amongst Chinese students has emerged as an important topic among educators. While there is some literature on CT and Chinese students’ performance, no study has tackled how this increasing focus on CT is impacting on higher education in China and what CT means to policy makers, teachers and students. This thesis sets out to fill this gap using insights from the theory of knowledge transfer. This theoretical framework was chosen in order to examine the ways in which Western CT theory and practice is gradually being imported to and integrated into Chinese culture, largely focusing on the understanding of CT. Using a case study approach, the thesis reports on empirical findings that have emerged from analysing Chinese Ministry of Education press releases and mission statements, observing university CT classes and studying chats about CT on a student internet discussion forum. Findings show that: 1. some core aspects of modern Western approaches to CT, such as how to deal with uncertainty, are missing in Chinese teaching; 2. disposition and emotion are sidelined in favour of a strong focus on logic and reason, and their inseparable relationship to reasoning ability found by Western scholars was neglected. 3. CT is regarded as crucial by Chinese educators and students but currently the teaching fails to make CT accessible and interesting to students and might therefore not foster CT itself. These findings have important implications for how policy makers and educators might continue to implement and teach CT in China.
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Botelho, Tristan Lee. "Here's an idea : knowledge sharing among competitors to build a critical mass." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98613.
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Thesis: S.M. in Management Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2015.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 33-37).
Knowledge sharing among competitors is counterintuitive; however, it has been found to occur in the economy under certain conditions. Recently, in the investment industry, platforms with the goal of promoting knowledge sharing among investment professionals have emerged. This knowledge sharing is noteworthy for two reasons: (1) the conditions that have previously been found to sustain knowledge sharing among competitors are not present, and (2) it is at odds with the neoclassical efficient-market hypothesis (EMH). Using a limitation of the EMH framework, I posit that expectations regarding the strength of the market's efficiency for a stock, measured as the amount of information available about that firm and the level of scrutiny it faces from key market institutions, plays an important role in sustaining this knowledge sharing. Using a unique dataset of knowledge sharing among investment professionals, on an online platform, this study leverages variation in the platform's sharing structure to test this theory. I find that knowledge sharing is most prominent for stocks that have less information available and that face a lesser degree of scrutiny from key market institutions. These findings highlight how market inefficiencies can sustain knowledge sharing among competitors, especially when a critical mass is needed.
by Tristan Lee Botelho.
S.M. in Management Research
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Odorisio, Cathy. "The relationship between critical care nurses' knowledge and attitude toward organ procurement /." Staten Island, N.Y. : [s.n.], 1991. http://library.wagner.edu/theses/nursing/1991/thesis_nur_1991_odori_relat.pdf.
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Moncayo, Gloria G. (Moncayo Cisneros Gloria Gabriela) 1966. "Knowledge transfer : a critical strategic asset in multinational firms : a corporate view." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/9775.
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Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-88).
This thesis examines the effectiveness of Knowledge Integration in a single multinational firm. Knowledge Integration is a concept that includes innovation, transfer and transformation of knowledge and much recent literature suggests that it is a key to competitive succcess, especia!!y within multinational organizations. The core of the thesis is a set of cases or descriptions of knowledge integration projects undertaken within the Beta corporation during the last 4 years. These descriptions were based on structured interviews within several managers within a single multinational company. The cases are then analyzed in order to determine possible causes and effects of the integration of knowledge across geographically dispersed units, with a primary goal of determining how the corporate role c.an contribute to knowledge integration during the development of projects. The framework fer analyzing these cases, based on the Kl literature, includes four different dimensions: Relations within the organizational structure, Organizational culture, Organizational environment, Resources & capabilities. The success of Kl in each project is related to each of these dimensions in order to determine whether its existence within corporate and the business units will produce better outcomes in the projects. Cross analysis of cases between the projects observed showed the patterns to emphasize in the framework of Knowledge Integration. The results of the analysis gave an interesting list of key task that corporate can perform to support Knowledge Integrations and obtain better outcomes in the projects. The ta.,k are: Provide infraestructure, Initiate the process, Structure the process, Motivate participants, Provide resources and Control progress.
by Gloria G. Moncayo.
M.B.A.
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Maddrell, Mander Avril M. C. "Geography, gender and the state : a critical evaluation of the development of geography 1830-1918." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.319108.
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Smith, Roderick. "A critical appraisal of the position of the university within the knowledge-economy." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/336.
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This thesis explores the contemporary position of the university by examining specific elements within the current knowledge discourse. In presenting a view of the Knowledge Management (KM) movement within the discipline of Management Science this thesis supports the claims that the emerging form of knowledge within the contemporary knowledge discourse is one that relates to or is embedded within performative criteria. This draws on the work of Jean-Francois Lyotard and other ‘postmodern’ thinkers to help explain why we appear to be facing a crucial paradox, i.e. a context where multiplicity and diversity appears to be paramount and yet knowledge itself is conforming to a more stable and less volatile form. This principal paradox is explained with the use of a model of the current knowledge discourse. The contemporary position is presented as one of ‘residual reflection’, where the contestation within the discourse results in a multiplicity of knowledge claims. Inevitably the existing structure of legitimacy within the discourse assists in the validation of knowledge claims within this fluid contested environment where there has not emerged a consensus through which legitimacy can be appropriately assigned. The current knowledge discourse appears to lie within this period of residual reflection and the manifestation of this is outlined in relation to the university. In particular, the university aligns itself with the commodification of knowledge and adopts an uncritical stance in relation to the imposition of market forces within Higher Education. This supports the legitimisation of learning that is external to the university and validates such phenomena as Lifelong Learning, Experiential Learning and other forms of work-based learning. Although not entirely critical of these forms of learning, this thesis presents a cautionary view of these developments. Specifically, the discipline of education in considering the position of the university within the postmodern, often calls for it to adopt or take up the critical position, to critically engage with the trends that appear to be emerging. However, where the university can be seen to be contributing to its own loss of legitimacy there is a danger that the opportunity for the university to undertake this necessary critical engagement is itself being undermined. The university is potentially losing its opportunity to engage within the knowledge discourse in an effective way. In many respects it is contributing to its own loss of legitimacy and in doing so opens up the discourse to other elements which themselves seek legitimacy. In its open acceptance of the benefits to be gained from the uncritical acceptance of the commodification of knowledge the university is doing more than allowing different views to be aired and considered. The university is, in fact, appearing to commercially succeed at the expense of its own position within the knowledge discourse. This thesis does not attempt to support the existence of the university as an institution. In presenting the deteriorating position of the university there is accepted only a greater degree of contestation within the knowledge discourse. The need to reconcile this contestation is necessary but the outcome or the means of reconciliation are not considered here. However, the opportunity for the university to play a part in this reconciliation is not fully appreciated currently, specifically within the academic community. The many claims that the university is in crisis and facing ruin are countered by the presentation of a genuine need, essentially the need to critically engage with the dynamism being experienced within the knowledge discourse. There is assumed to be an opportunity here for the university, but this opportunity is itself being lost and the position of the university, at a time when it appears to be at its most successful, is being undermined. Importantly its own actions are contributing to its inevitable loss of legitimacy and in turn its right or opportunity to position itself as the critical arbiter within the knowledge discourse.
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Gwasira, Goodman. "A history and critical analysis of Namibia’s archaeologies." University of the Western Cape, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/8152.
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Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis study critically examines the political, social and institutional settings in which archaeology was introduced in Namibia. I re-examine the idea of archaeology as a scientific and objective discipline that could be practiced without input from the knowledge systems of local communities. Archaeology developed alongside colonialism in Africa. Archaeology became an apparatus for knowing about the strategic resources that could be found in Namibia. Through the processes of recording sites and artefacts archaeology provided information that was useful to the colonial administration.
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Holmner, Marlene Amanda. "A critical analysis of information and knowledge societies with specific reference to the interaction between local and global knowledge systems." Thesis, Pretoria : [s.n.], 2008. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-11102008-143543/.
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Lo, Lina. "Multidimensional Knowledge Flow Dynamics in Context." Diss., NSUWorks, 2018. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd/1035.
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Knowledge is a sustainable advantage and knowledge assets can increase value with use. A snowball effect of knowledge advantage advocates effective knowledge management and fosters its continual growth as it flows. Knowledge, however, flows unevenly throughout an organization and the problem is that the fundamental dynamics of these flows are still not well characterized in theoretical and computational models. This study built on existing work—knowledge-flow theory, need knowledge generation, and the critical success factors for enterprise resource planning implementation—to examine the multidimensional knowledge-flow phenomenon in context, and used the case study methodology for knowledge-flow theory building. The research question was two-pronged: how can need knowledge and its flow across stakeholders within an organization be explained using a multidimensional knowledge-flow model and how can Nissen’s five-dimensional knowledge-flow model be validated using a real-life immersion case? The researcher relied on three sources of evidence for this case study: project-related documentation, archival records, and interviews. Data triangulation yielded three results components: (a) a chronology of key events that obstructed knowledge flow, (b) a logic model depicting themes that contributed to knowledge-flow obstruction, and (c) explanations of the knowledge-flow patterns. This case study suggested enabling need knowledge determinants and obstructing conditions are in play that determine the path of need knowledge flow. These two research artifacts should be considered together to provide a fresh research avenue towards better understanding of knowledge flow dynamics.
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Forte, Rita. "Understanding Critical Peace Education: A Case Study of a Moroccan School." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/36119.
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Despite seemingly remarkable progress on civic-political concepts in different cultural and national contexts, the co-existence of students and civilizations in the classroom remains underrepresented in critical peace education as a pedagogical approach. As a result, this qualitative case study seeks to understand the curriculum-as-planned, -implemented, and -lived of four Grade 5 classrooms at a school in Morocco. In this study, I suggest that their curriculum represents some of the key concepts taken up in critical peace education. Critical peace education works toward creating spaces of empowerment for students where they can critically analyze their relations to power. I use Foucault’s conceptions of discursive regimes, power/knowledge, care of the self, genealogy, and archaeology as the foundation for a postmodernist worldview. As part of my research methodology I collected data from curriculum documents, photos of activities/events/interactions at the school and/or within the classroom, responses from Grade 5 students to questions about their lived experiences about “making peace,” and journaling about my role as a participant-observer in the Arabic-speaking classrooms. This research seeks to mobilize knowledge that focuses on current practices for designing curriculum and pedagogical strategies that are needed to develop what we might call a “critical peace curriculum.”
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Anderson, James C. "Effect of problem-based learning on knowledge acquisition, knowledge retention, and critical thinking ability of agriculture students in urban schools." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/4832.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 4, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.
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Liu, Yongbing. "The cultural knowledge and ideology in Chinese language textbooks : a critical discourse analysis /." St. Lucia, Qld, 2003. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe17648.pdf.
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Yusoff, Mohd Hafiz. "Knowledge construction using web-based constructivist approach : a critical evaluation of students' performance." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/2137.
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Although web technology is widely used in today's classrooms, educationists are still unsure of its capacity to generate meaningful learning. As the numbers of web-based learning (WBL) materials keep increasing tremendously, more students will rely on such resources in their learning process. A WBL that applies a constructivist approach offers an alternative as it allows the users to explore the environment based on a given problem. This study investigates the effectiveness of two learning approaches in a WBL environment (constructivist and objectivist) on the achievemnt of students in terms of their knowledge level, retention and motiation with different cognitive style (field independent, FI and field dependent, FD). Two verson of a WBL material (constructivist and objectivist) were developed for this purpose. A 2x2 quasiexperiment pre-test, post-test design was utilized. The sample for this study comprised a total of 141 form four students from two secondary schools in Malaysia. The findings revealed that: (i) the FI students performed significantly better than the FD students after learning through the web learning based on constructivist approach. (ii) there were no significant different between the FI students and the FD student after learning through the web learning based on objectivist approach (iii) the FI students who learned through the web learning based on constructivist approach performed significantly better than the FI studetns who learned through the web learning based on objectivist approach. (iv) there were no significant differences for the FD students after learning using both approaches. (v) there were no significant difference on students' retention and motivation towards web learning. These findings suggest that the constructivist approach has the potential to be an effective learning approachj in a web environment. Other than that, to ensure the web based instruction effectiveness, cognititve style differences is among the factors that should be considered and applied in the said learning material environment.
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Sandjong, Arielle Dora Nganya. "A critical evaluation of knowledge transfer management in improving organisational effectiveness within MNCs." Thesis, Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10369/7530.
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This thesis would be trivial if it did not aim to assist organisations to continuously improve their activities and sustain long-term profitability in today’s competitive market. It reports the development of a knowledge transfer model within MNCs with the major focus on knowledge flow within international Lean and Six Sigma teams. The model highlights the inhibitory and facilitatory factors in knowledge transfer processes. To remain among the leaders in the market, firms must continuously strive for better performance. This often implies the best management practices such as continuous improvement processes. Lean and Six Sigma are two well-known approaches which are strategically important for businesses. The adoption and deployment of both Lean and Six Sigma, however, cannot be successful without a robust knowledge management structure, especially when deployed in an international dimension where subsidiaries and HQ constantly interact to maintain a high performance level. For many decades, efforts to develop knowledge management in multinationals have been important. Some of the well-know authors in this field are Davenport and Prusak, Szulanski, Minbaeva, Gupta and Govindarajan, and Holden. Although there have been many attempts to understand the phenomenon of knowledge management in multinationals, there are limited studies reported in the literature regarding knowledge transfer in international Lean and Six Sigma teams within MNCs in the broad triad of developed, underdeveloped and developing countries. Moreover, a number of knowledge transfer models have been proposed and described in many other research studies, but none is fully adaptable to the context of these international teams because of their lack of specificity to this particular field of practice. In fact, besides working within an international team, Lean and Six Sigma project leaders in MNCs are often seen as internal consultants, providing their services to two different categories of individuals: people with basic Lean and Six Sigma knowledge and those with no Lean and Six Sigma knowledge. Hence there is a need for a strong communication system to maintain good information flow and understanding in such international firms. This research thus investigated the existing phenomenon of knowledge transfer in Lean and Six Sigma teams within MNCs through a single case study carried out in four main regions Asia (Malaysia), Europe (France, Germany, the UK), Latin America (Argentina, Brazil) and the USA. It emphasised evaluating and comparing how (1) Lean and Six Sigma knowledge was developed, transferred and implemented in these different units, and (2) how the team members interacted together in order to successfully deploy Lean and Six Sigma projects internationally. This enabled the researcher to identify and understand the difficulties behind the success of knowledge transfer effectiveness in such teams. This study was conducted in three phases. In the preliminary phase, the literature review enabled the researcher to identify the gaps and establish the conceptual framework that helped the presentation of the phenomenon. Definitions of knowledge and knowledge management are put forward to highlight the characteristics of these concepts and to show how a good understanding of the complexity of ‘knowledge’ itself can improve knowledge absorption. An evaluation of the development of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies in MNCs was conducted. Secondly, the framework guided the researcher through interviews with Lean and Six Sigma experts and document analysis which resulted in a selection of frameworks. Finally, the resulting insights from the data analysis using expert knowledge, understanding, interpretation and experience enabled the refinement and validation of the proposed conceptual framework. A final model was then recommended to help Lean and Six Sigma project leaders and managers to effectively communicate and internalise, implement and innovate knowledge within their area of practice. This model contributes to knowledge in the area of international business, management practices and knowledge management within MNCs by incorporating new factors that affect knowledge transfer processes. To begin with, it suggests ensuring a balance between subsidiary autonomy and HQ–subsidiary networking for effective communication flow while investing more time in developing trust and understanding culture since cross-cultural differences appeared also to be seen as a positive asset for organisations, offering new opportunities for learning new ways of doing things and thus leading to innovation. Secondly, it proposes reinforcing the relationship base (common interest, individual commitment, trust, credibility and respect) in teams for better interaction, decision-making and change management. Thirdly, it emphasises training for knowledge development and internalisation, mentoring and coaching, and IT compatibility for ‘knowledge leveraging’. Knowledge transmission channels such as IT compatibility systems and mentoring and coaching enabled non-duplication of a piece of knowledge in the sense that it minimises the reinvention of knowledge that already exists elsewhere in the network. This thesis provides a constructive basis for further research within the field of both knowledge management and continuous improvement methodologies (Lean and Six Sigma) within MNCs and the researcher’s goal is to expand its analytical generalisation. Although DAS was specifically using Lean and Six Sigma as continuous improment methodologies, the company was the most appropriate case for this study as it has shown remarquable results in the deployment of continuous improvement methodologies (Lean Six Sigma). This success is mainly due to their capacity in improving organisational effectiveness by expanding knowledge transfer within their MNC through networking in international teams and geographically disperced units. Besides, they have a strong organisational culture which they try to align with other unit’s cultures. Other MNCs using continuous improvement teams can thus draw on this example to improve their organisational effectiveness.
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Nicholls, Jason A. "Omniscience in the divine openness a critical analysis of present knowledge in God /." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1997. http://www.tren.com.
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James, Nickolas John. "Power-knowledge and critique in Australian legal education : 1987-2003." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2004. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/15910/1/Nickolas_James_Thesis.pdf.
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While the word 'critique' appeared frequently in Australian legal education texts between 1987 and 2003, the meaning and the emphasis accorded critique varied widely. Michel Foucault's ideas about the close relationship between knowledge and power provide a theoretical framework within which this inconsistency of meaning and emphasis can be described, analysed and explained. Rather than monolithic, the discipline of legal education was by 2003 a dynamic nexus of distinct and competing discourses: doctrinalism, vocationalism, corporatism, liberalism, pedagogicalism and radicalism. Each of these six discourses was simultaneously a form of knowledge and an expression of disciplinary power within the law school. As a form of knowledge, each discourse accorded critique a different meaning and a different emphasis as a consequence of a range of historical, social and political contingencies. As an expression of power, each discourse was an attempt to achieve a set of objectives including the universalisation of a particular approach to the teaching of law and the enhancement of the status of a particular role within the law school. Critique, in a variety of forms, was a strategy employed by each discourse in order to achieve these objectives and to dominate and displace competing discourses.