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This paper describes the application of case based reasoning (CBR) to decision support for design managers and engineers during the early phases of new product development projects, in a concurrent engineering environment. The paper discusses the rationale of using CBR, emphasising its suitability for ill‐defined, unstructured problems, in comparison with traditional knowledge‐based systems. The overall research approach is presented, the importance of case collection, case base maintenance and user training is highlighted and the pre‐requisites for effective use of the system are discussed. Finally, the benefits and costs of the CBR system, as perceived by the user companies, are discussed. The experimental nature of the approach is emphasised and it is shown that the industrial environment for which the system is designed and in which it is used has great bearing on its capability.

This paper aims to find and rank the barriers of the four knowledge management (KM) processes including generation, storage, distribution and application in the gas and petroleum sector.

Reviewing the literature of KM and organizational learning, this paper extracted all of the barriers which impede KM processes. Then it designed a questionnaire for validating, ranking and categorizing barriers. Totally, 190 completed questionnaires were gathered from 26 gas and petroleum companies in Iran. Some statistical tests such as T, Friedman, Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney were used for analyzing data.

Findings reviewed the current literature of KM barriers, validated and ranked the barriers of knowledge generation, storage, distribution and application separately. The importance of knowledge generation and knowledge application barriers were significantly different between gas and petroleum companies. Hence they were disjointedly ranked for gas and petroleum. Finally, KM barriers were ranked according to their contribution to KM processes and the average mean of their importance in KM processes.

From the practical point of view, this paper suggests managers of gas and petroleum companies to emphasize solving high-priority barriers according to the KM process which they are focused on. Furthermore, the study provides a checklist that can be used as an assessment tool for evaluating KM processes considering barriers.

This paper finds the importance of each barrier for each of the four KM processes and ranks the “critical barriers” according to their contribution to four KM processes in the gas and petroleum sector.

This paper seeks to propose a managerial decision framework for different levels of supply chain, by addressing the strategic importance of competence values in supply chain effectiveness.

A conceptual framework for supply chain effectiveness is defined in levels of supply chain targets, knowledge management dynamics, competence levels and competence success attributes. Analysis of literature in the areas of competence management, knowledge management, supply chain and value chain management resulted in defining the factors of the model. Surveys of industrial practices were used to validate the choice of factors. The analytical network process (ANP) is used to determine the most beneficial competence success attributes in a case study performed for three companies that participate in different stages of the textile supply chain.

Individual competence in continuous learning and networking, as well as innovativeness of the team are found to be the three most important competence attributes in supply chain effectiveness.

The case study is executed in the regional textile industry. New case studies in other industries will help improve the framework. Further international surveys can improve the detail level of factors used.

The study creates awareness of knowledge management dynamics and competence management for companies which are in need of innovation to improve their supply chain competitiveness.

The proposed decision framework is one of the first efforts to consider the importance of competence in supply chain success. The ANP method is used to offer an accurate analysis of interdependent factors observed in management of knowledge dynamics and competence levels.

The purpose of this paper is to report the empirical findings of a survey aimed to investigate the need to improve cross‐phase learning between design and construction. Through exploring the need to introduce a design‐construction feedback loop, combined with the barriers against its development, an expansion of knowledge surrounding the deficiencies of current practice is provided.

The paper reports the results from an online survey conducted in spring 2011 targeted at experienced personnel in the planning, design, construction and facilities management phases of healthcare infrastructure projects.

The current approach of detecting and correcting errors is significantly hindering the extent to which learning from previous experiences is taking place. It is shown that improved integration between design and construction is required in the form of improved feedback if continuous improvement in the areas of efficiency, quality, value and general learning from previous experiences/projects is to be achieved.

The focused population of this study limits the extent to which the findings can be generalised. However, it is viewed that this context is potentially one of the most complex and unique project participant arrangements to overcome. Therefore if the need and ability to share learning outcomes across such a complex arrangement can be achieved, then it may be easier within traditional arrangements.

The practical implications of moving away from single‐loop learning towards a double‐loop learning approach are provided.

This paper identifies that there is a distinct need for further efforts to be applied in the area of improving feedback between the phases of design and construction.

Technology transfer becoming an important area especially in developing and less developed countries. The purpose of this paper is to address issue of supply chains’ benchmarking based upon their capability to mange technology transfer critical barriers mitigation efforts toward making technology transfer process implementation successful.

The present paper is based on two research stages. Initially, extensive literature review has been made to identify critical barriers. In total, 20 technology transfer critical barriers have been identified from literature review and categorized in to six criteria. In second stage, analytics hierarchy process has been utilized to rank the critical barriers of technology transfer in supply chain and provide a benchmarking framework.

Political barriers (PB) have been analyzed most significant criteria of critical barriers to technology transfer followed by socio-cultural barriers (SO) and economic barriers (EB). “Political instability,” “Difficulty in transfer and diffusion,” “Too expensive,” “Inappropriate/incompetent technology and resource wastage in technologies imported,” “Inactive role of SC members and resistance to change” and “Management attitude” have been found most hindering barrier in their respective category/criterion of technology transfer barriers.

Scope of the present study has been limited to propose framework to benchmark supply chains by analyzing 20 critical barriers of technology transfer grouped in to six dimensions using analytical hierarchy approach based on “ratings provided by experts,” which may be biased.

Benchmarking process has been proposed to calculate value of total of overall weights to a particular supply chain named as “Technology Transfer Barriers Mitigation Index (TTBMI)” useful to present capability of supply chains to manage technology transfer barriers by a single numeric value. From “provider” developed county’s view point, present benchmarking framework may be further applied to compare developing countries’ ability to absorb and diffuse new technology.

Benchmarking procedure has been dealt with using well-established methodology- analytical hierarchy process toward providing single numeric value index (TTBMI) indicating ability of supply chains to manage/mitigate technology transfer barriers.

While numerous studies have studied knowledge transfer (KT) and endeavored to address factors influencing KT, little effort has been made to integrate the findings of prior studies. This paper aims to classify the literature on KT through a detailed exploration of different perspectives of KT inter and intra organizations.

Using actor–network theory (ANT) as the baseline, we conducted a systematic review of KT research to summarize prior KT studies and classify the influential factors on KT. The review covered 115 empirical articles published between 1987 and 2017.

Drawing on the review and ANT guidelines, the authors proposed a conceptual model to categorize KT constitutes into objects including those related to (1) knowledge, (2) knowledge exchange and (3) technology, as well as actants including those related to (4) organization, (5) team/business unit and (6) knowledge sender/receiver.

Adopting a holistic synthesized approach based on ANT, this research puts forward a valid theoretical foundation on further understanding of KT and its antecedents. Indeed, this paper investigates KT inter and intra organizations to recognize and locate the key antecedents of KT, which is of substantial applicability in today’s knowledge-driven economy.

The findings advance managers and practitioners’ understanding of the important role of actants and objects and their interplay in KT practices.

While most studies on KT have a narrow focus, this research contributes to holistic understanding of motivational, behavioral, technological and organizational issues related to KT. It also offers a thorough and context-free literature review on KT, which synthesizes the findings of prior studies on KT.

This paper aims to design and develop a management game in the field of construction project management so that by playing the game, the required level of knowledge, skills, capabilities and overall project management competencies in individuals will be promoted. Also, player’s competencies can be measured.

This study, in terms of application, is applied research. The construction project management simulation game (CPMSG) was played by 18 university students. To evaluate the level of the players’ project management knowledge and quality of the game, questionnaires were used.

The game improves the players’ project management knowledge by 158%, and the educational program that was formulated in the game has also achieved the first three levels of bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. In the field of game quality, analysis of players’ results of responses and scores show that the game has a good quality level.

The CPMS game provides a useful tool for project management training, especially in the field of construction projects. It helps in addition to improving the quality of teaching theoretical topics, making students acquainted with the risks and uncertainties of such projects, and provides a simulated experience. In the field of common behavior analysis and player’s selection, the results indicated that the majority of groups used high-quality materials during the games to perform activities related to the appearance of the building (such as finishing and building facade activities) and used medium quality materials in implementing infrastructural activities such as brickwork and floor construction that are not visible in the appearance of work.

This research aims to understand whether and how the perceptions that employees build and share over time about training activities and opportunities at work are linked to the knowledge management processes within the organization. This study aims at measuring how different levels of job training satisfaction are linked to employee perceptions of knowledge-sharing (KS) practices at work.

A total of 179 employees from an information and technology firm in Italy took part in the study, by completing questionnaires on job training satisfaction, KS practices and job-related variables (i.e. years of experience, hours of training in the previous year, job role and organizational area of belonging).

Findings showed that high job training satisfaction is related to positive perceptions of KS practices, so that when employees are satisfied with their job training experiences, they are more likely to value and recognize those practices.

The relation between job training satisfaction and KS practices needs to be extended to different sectors and organizations to be generalized.

Training activities within the organization are at the core of knowledge management practices and constitute a main source of sustainable competitive advantage; human resource management should reconsider the importance of monitoring training perceptions inside the organization, to become more conscious of the value and impact of these practices, in particular about training strategies.

Although great attention has been given to single-training satisfaction, only few studies consider the wider impact of job training satisfaction and its possible impact on knowledge sharing.

This paper aims to propose a conceptual framework that illustrates how information technology (IT) applications may lead to competitive advantage in hotel companies.

The paper is written based on a synthesis of previous literature in this area.

Multiple areas need to be carefully evaluated in developing and implementing IT projects so that they can lead to competitive advantage in hotel companies. There are four closely related areas when analyzing IT decisions in hotels, which include coherence between the business strategy and IT decision, types of IT applications, intended benefits of IT decisions, and decision‐making style. Technology sophistication, management skills, and integration of resources are key issues when implementing IT decisions. Investments into IT applications in hotel companies can lead to superior IT competencies and IT capabilities, which can subsequently result in lower cost, agility, innovation, added value for customers, and better customer service. However, not all IT investments may result in positive outcomes or their sustainability may be short lived. In addition, there can be a lag time between making IT investment decisions and seeing their intended outcomes.

There are multiple areas and issues that need to be considered in making and implementing IT investment decisions if they are to contribute to the company's competitive advantage. Hotel companies need to be selective in their IT investment decisions and look at each IT investment from the strategic management perspective.

This is one of the first articles in the hospitality field that offers a theoretical framework on how IT applications can lead to competitive advantage in hotels. It also offers numerous theoretical and practical implications. Therefore, this paper should help hotel executives and researchers in evaluating IT projects in hotel companies.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of top-down knowledge hiding in buying and supplying firms.

This study uses a multiple case study methodology by considering four UAE-based firms and further employing 20 semi-structured interviews with managers of buying and supplying firms having a local and foreign nationality.

Based on the qualitative interviews, senior managers were found to be intentionally hiding knowledge from their managers based on five individual, three interpersonal and two firm-level reasons.

This study has some limitations. First, the results of this study are not generalizable to a broader population. Second, this study explores behavioural patterns with respect to United Arab Emirates culture only.

Firms can use the findings of this study to understand what really motivates senior managers to intentionally hide knowledge from their subordinates. Also, this study provides some constructive guidelines to firms/senior management, which can discourage the culture of knowledge hiding in firms.

This study contributes to knowledge management literature by revealing multi-level and multi-faceted antecedents of top-down knowledge hiding in buying and supplying firms in the supply chain context.