Purpose Expert systems have come to the forefront in the modeling of problems. One of the major problems facing the expert system designers is to develop an accurate knowledge base and a meaningful model of uncertainty associated with complex models. Decision-making is based on knowledge, and decision system support needs a knowledge base as well. An adequate knowledge acquisition (KA) process leads to accurate knowledge and improves the decision-making process. To manage the risk of a medical service (twin pregnancy in this case) a knowledge management system was created. The captured knowledge may be associated with an uncertainty. This study aims to introduce a method for evaluating the reliability of a tacit KA model. It assisted engineering managers in assessing and prioritizing risks. The study tried to use this method in risk management and new case in the health domain. Design/methodology/approach In this study, relevant variables were identified in the knowledge management literature reviews and the domain of expertise management. They are validated by a group of domain experts. Kendall’s W indicator was used to assess the degree of consensus. On the basis of combined cognitive maps, a cognitive network was constructed. Using Bayesian belief networks and fuzzy cognitive maps, an uncertainty assessment method of tacit KA was introduced. To help managers focus on major variables, a sensitivity analysis was conducted. Reliability of model was calculated for optimistic and pessimistic values. The applicability and efficacy of the proposed method were verified and validated with data from a medical university. Findings Results show that tacit KA uncertainty can be defined by independent variables, including environmental factors, personality and acquisition process factors. The reliability value shows the accuracy of the captured knowledge and the effectiveness of the acquisition process. The proposed uncertainty assessment method provides the reliability value of the acquisition model for knowledge engineers, so it can be used to implement the project and prevent failures in vital factors through necessary actions. If there is not a satisficed level of reliability, the KA project reliability can be improved by risk factors. The sensitivity analysis can help to select proper factors based on the resources. This approach mitigated some of the disadvantages of other risk evaluation methods. Originality/value The contribution of this study is to combine the uncertainty assessment with tacit KA based on fuzzy cognitive maps and the Bayesian belief networks approach. This approach used the capabilities of both narrative and computational approaches.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct a survey on the knowledge for supplier correlation with their capabilities and willingness as segmentation criteria. There are many contexts for sharing knowledge. What are more beneficial contexts? Design/methodology/approach After developing the research hypothesis, a structured questionnaire was adopted to gather primary data from suppliers. The draft questionnaire was sent to five academic and industry experts to comment on the content. Received feedback was used to change the layout of the questionnaire. Instead of the traditional partial least squares, the state-of- art consistent partial least square technique was put into practice. Findings By definition, knowledge for supplier has a large impact on supplier capabilities. The Important-Performance Matrix Analysis (IPMA) prioritizes the indicators and suggests to focus on knowledge sharing about manufacturing processes, development expertise and marketing expertise. Results showed that supplier willingness for sharing confidential knowledge and longtime relationship depends on development programs. Practical implications Having a communication mechanism for each of the partnerships’ specific contexts was suggested to maximize the knowledge flow. Originality/value For maximizing the knowledge flow and studying the effect on the segmentation criteria such as capability and willingness, the main contribution of the paper is to survey the supplier knowledge in depth. The IPMA was implemented to highlight the indicators.