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This article examines and defines the main concepts in knowledge management. Since our economy has evolved over the last couple of years into a knowledge‐based economy, knowledge has become one of the main assets of companies. Knowledge can be defined as: information; the capability to interpret data and information through a process of giving meaning to these data and information; and an attitude aimed at wanting to do so. In making these factors productive knowledge management can be defined as achieving organisational goals through the strategy‐driven motivation and facilitation of (knowledge) workers to develop, enhance and use their capability to interpret data and information (by using available sources of information, experience, skills, culture, character, etc.) through a process of giving meaning to these data and information. Consultants and managers should ask themselves strategic, organisational and instrumental questions regarding knowledge management to stay competitive in a highly dynamic and changing world.

This article deals with a field which gets little or no attention in the research done into knowledge management: small and medium‐sized companies. In the first part of this article a conceptual model will be developed. This model can be used to analyse the most important knowledge management processes in companies. In the second part of the article our model is used to analyse 12 innovative companies from the industrial and business service sector. Knowledge management appears in small and medium‐sized companies to get its form especially at an operational level. A total of 79 instruments were found with which knowledge is organised in practice: 18 instruments for determining the knowledge gap and for evaluating knowledge; 41 instruments for acquiring and developing knowledge; 20 instruments for knowledge sharing. On a strategic and tactical level there are provisions for knowledge management but they have not been developed as such.

Following the current debate on the importance of external sources of knowledge as predictors of small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) performance, this chapter aims to open the black box of the innovation process. Since it is still unclear how and what internal capabilities are involved in that process, this chapter demonstrates the relevant mediating role of knowledge integration mechanisms (KIMs) as facilitators of firms’ innovation. A sample containing 98 Italian SMEs operating in different industries is analyzed to test the proposed theoretical model through a regression analysis. The results suggest that KIMs operate as a full mediator in the relationship between the depth of external knowledge sources and opportunity exploitation. In conclusion, theoretical and managerial ­implications of this study are presented.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of knowledge management (KM) enablers on KM activities in the context of Malaysian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The effects of organizational culture, transformational leadership, organizational structure, and technology utilization as infrastructural KM enablers are examined on KM activities as knowledge acquisition, knowledge conversion, application, and protection.

A total of 227 responses from SMEs’ top management are used to assess the measurement and structural models applying partial least squares-structural equation modeling.

The results show that technology utilization and organizational structure are two main factors in KM activities (all structural relationships are supported). Surprisingly, organizational culture is only associated with knowledge conversion and protection and the findings indicate no relationships between organizational culture and knowledge acquisition and application. The results also indicate a positive relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge acquisition and the hypotheses on the association between transformational leadership and knowledge conversion, application, and protection are rejected.

The results of importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) imply that technology utilization has the highest importance on knowledge acquisition, conversion, and protection while organizational structure has the highest importance on knowledge application. The results of IPMA also show that organizational culture has the highest performance on all KM activities.

This study is amongst the few that examines the structural relationships between organizational factors and KM activities in a SME context.

Most of the literature on knowledge management (KM) and its application has, until recently, been centered on large organizations. Pertinent issues in small businesses have to a large extent been neglected. However, small businesses do not necessarily share the same characteristics and ideals as large ones. There are certain unique features of small businesses that need to be understood before KM is implemented in their environment. This paper aims to redress some of this imbalance in the literature by putting KM into the context of small businesses. It looks at their characteristics, their advantages and disadvantages, their strengths and weaknesses, and their key problems and issues, all associated with KM. Recognition of all these elements is crucial in order to provide a well‐suited KM approach for small businesses. The paper culminates with recommendations that will provide important insights to help them accomplish this.

This paper aims to investigate the factors influencing the adoption and diffusion of knowledge management systems (KMSs) in Australia.

A qualitative field study was undertaken, in which six Australian organizations of various sizes, all in various stages of KMS adoption and diffusion, were studied via face‐to‐face interviews with key personnel in the organizations.

A comprehensive combined model of adoption and diffusion of KMS was developed and is presented in detail.

This paper explains how the combined model can be used for practical applications in companies that are embarking on KMS adoption and diffusion.

This study contributes to the KMS literature by taking a qualitative research approach to develop a comprehensive model.

Social entrepreneurship courses are among the fastest growing category of course offerings to entrepreneurship students (Brock and Kim, 2011) because both high growth potential- and steady growth-social ventures can create value and help solve social issues effectively and efficiently. As knowledge disseminators, entrepreneurship educators are in prime position to develop the knowledge, skills and abilities of students, which, in turn, increases their intentions to start a social venture and their ability to manage and grow their venture. Students gain an understanding about the role of entrepreneurship in addressing social opportunities, as well as knowledge related to starting, managing and growing social entrepreneurship ventures. This paper is divided into three parts. First, the authors broadly discuss the concept of social entrepreneurship. Second, the authors present an overview of the field of social entrepreneurship education (SEE) and its evolution. Finally, the authors supplement this review with an analytical examination of SEE, in which the authors present results of a cross-country analysis survey of over 200 entrepreneurship education programs in the USA and Canada. This paper aims to present information about: student enrollment in social entrepreneurship courses in comparison to other entrepreneurship courses; the frequency of offering social entrepreneurship courses and programs compared to other entrepreneurship courses and programs; and future trends in SEE. The results revealed a strong demand for social entrepreneurship from students, room for improvement in terms of the supply of course offerings, and a strong belief in the continued growth of social entrepreneurship. The authors conclude with suggestions about the future of SEE.

Analysis of secondary data derived from the oldest and most-frequently cited sources regarding entrepreneurship education in the USA and a novel data set examining entrepreneurship education in Canada. Both data sets were collected using an online self-report survey.

Demand for SEE continues to rise in both the USA and Canada. However, course and program offerings have not kept pace. Prominent trends in social entrepreneurship such as cross-campus programs and addressing the evolving demographics of students in higher education institutions need more attention.

A cross-cultural study of SEE that provides a high-level view of the state of the field today. In addition, the paper outlines the potential of the field of knowledge management for the future of SEE.

Much of the literature on knowledge management (KM) has focused on KM practices in large organisations where KM seems to encompass every KM process from capture of knowledge to its eventual reuse. Small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) practise KM processes to a lesser degree or differently owing to their special characteristics and limitations. The purpose of this study is to understand how the special characteristics of SMEs influence their KM processes.

An in‐depth exploratory research study using a multi‐case design was conducted in four SMEs in Thailand. Four enterprise resource planning (ERP) service providers – two locally owned and two subsidiaries of multinational companies – participated in this qualitative study.

The analysis demonstrates that, in general, ownership and management structure as well as culture and behaviour characteristics of SMEs seem to have a more positive effect than other SME characteristics on KM processes. System, process and procedure, and customer and market characteristics have a more moderate effect. Human capital management seems to hinder somewhat rather than facilitate KM processes.

The study covers four organisations; all are ERP service providers. Hence, the results may not directly apply to other types of business such as manufacturing or trading.

The findings may be used as prescriptions for improving KM practices in SMEs. Further, this study may also serve as a basis for future quantitative research studies constructed to generalise these findings.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of knowledge management (KM) in terms of organizational performance using structural equation modeling. To enhance organizational performance, KM is used as a powerful strategic tool. The factors such as management commitment, leadership and organizational culture are the KM enabler’s conditions, and the step processes of KM are knowledge capture, creation, organizing/storing and transfer, and through this, KM is analyzed on organizational performance in the context of leathers manufacturing company. This study constructs with questionnaire consist of 34 variables.

There are about 101 samples that were collected through the questionnaire survey method in the leather companies in Ranipet. The data were collected from executives and associates in the leather companies. Data were analyzed using the SPSS tool and SMART PLS tool used for framing a research model and the hypothesized relationships were tested through partial least squares structural equation modeling technique.

The finding of this study is mandatory to implement a structured KM practice in the leather companies. Application of KM is quite an impact on organizational performance, which leads to profitability and productivity.

This is the first paper to empirically investigate the KM enablers, process and support for the role of KM practices at leather industry. Further, the positioning of KM practices as a strategic competitive tool can be considered as an influential factor to organizational performance.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of total quality management (TQM) practices in terms of leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, teamwork, process management, information, and analysis on organizational performance in Jordanian telecommunications companies. In addition, the mediating effect of knowledge management (KM) processes is tested.

A survey instrument was used to gather empirical data, and it was distributed to all managerial and non-managerial employees. A total of 477 questionnaires were valid for analysis, resulting in a response rate of (97 percent). Factor analysis and multiple regression analyses were used to test the study’s hypotheses.

Customer focus and process management were found to have an insignificant impact on organizational performance, while teamwork had the strongest impact on KM processes. The results also revealed that only knowledge sharing and application processes had a significant impact on organizational performance. More importantly, KM processes fully mediated the impact of TQM practices on organizational performance, except for teamwork, which had a partial mediating effect.

This study was limited to a survey of the headquarters of three telecommunication companies: Zain, Orange, and Umniah, in Amman City.

Originality of the paper lies in testing the influence of TQM practices on organizational performance in a novel context, where most TQM initiatives fail for one reason or another.