Knowledge management is currently considered a key factor for organizational development, even more so with the constant competitive dynamics of companies, which see in knowledge a fundamental potential to improve productivity. In this sense, its assessment is key, but considering the culture as a conditioning variable to the development of this procedure nonetheless. Although several studies have addressed the subject, there has been insufficient research into the call center services companies in Colombia. The research results presented herein are part of a qualitative research project with descriptive and correlational studies on knowledge management in BPO companies in the city of Manizales, Colombia. An assessment of the knowledge management categories and organizational culture was made, based on the adaptation of a knowledge management assessment model, of which 312 observations were made. It is concluded that organizational culture is statistically significant for knowledge management.

Responding to the need to provide added value to milk produced in the towns of Salamis, Aranzazu and Viterbo in the Caldas department, a project was formulated with the overall objective of developing the production of ripened cheeses destined for domestic and international markets. The physicochemical characteristics of raw milk from these municipalities were thus studied initially, finding that standards regarding milk quality and density (1.030-1.033 g / l), total dry extract (11.30%) and defatted dry extract (8.30%) for the first two came within the range considered normal for cheese-making. Subsequently, Camembert, Cheddar, Emmental, Gruyere and Gouda cheese-making processes were developed in the University of Caldas' Food Technology Unit, using an preexperimental design having a single measurement and using techniques currently validated for ripened cheese preparation. Such processes were analysed for the sensory characteristics and evolution involved in ripening (proteolysis and lipolysis changes). Standardising Camembert, Cheddar and Gouda cheese production should be stressed among the results as they eventually complied with the highest sensory preferences and optimum ripening as verified by parameters such as degree of acidity, ripeness and protein and moisture percentage. It was thus found feasible to develop some ripened cheeses from milk produced in the northern municipalities of Caldas and transfer the results to its collection centres for providing greater added value to raw milk production at semiindustrial level.

This article presents the results of a research that aims to determine the state of advancement of the life cycle of organizational knowledge related to the organizational culture in the SMEs of the tourism sector in the Department of Caldas, Colombia (part of the Eje Cafeteria region of Colombia). From a qualitative research, with a descriptive and correlational study, an evaluation model was applied in the SMEs of the tourism sector of the Department of Caldas (87% valued), from which it was found the consolidation of an organizational culture for the development of the life cycle of knowledge in the SMEs evaluated. With these results, it is expected to deepen the dynamics of business knowledge management and propose strategies that help improve processes and generate social wealth.