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Under increasing pressure, many industrial enterprises are seeking means to improve their performance. Years of rationalizations led to the conclusion that no one‐time improvement will enable continuing success. Thus companies realize that their edge lies in the transformation of knowledge to action. The field of knowledge management addresses a broad range of aspects but still is rooted in a rather technical methodology. Establishing knowledge management is a process of organizational innovation. As the implementation of application software packages is now considered the major driving force of organizational innovation, a close look at IT implementation projects as a means to establish integrated knowledge management at operational business levels seems promising. The paper will present the knowledge network concept as a means of establishing an integrated approach to knowledge management and will highlight it using observations made during system implementation in SMEs.

Citation/Publisher Attribution Stolt, M.; Bradley, M.; Turenne, J.; Payne, M.; Scherer, E.; Cicchetti, G.; Chumchenia, E.; GUARINELLO, M.; KING, J.; Boothroyd, J.; OAKLEY, B.; Thornber, C., and AUGUST, P., 2011. Mapping shallow coastal ecosystems: a case study of a Rhode Island lagoon. In order to effectively study, manage, conserve, and sustain shallow-subtidal ecosystems, a spatial inventory of the basic resources and habitats is essential. Because of the complexities of shallow-subtidal substrates, benthic communities, geology, geomorphology, and water column attributes, few standard protocols are fully articulated and tested that describe the mapping and inventory processes and accompanying interpretations. In this paper, we describe a systematic approach to map Rhode Island's shallow-subtidal coastal lagoon ecosystems, by using, integrating, and reconciling multiple data sets to identify the geology, soils, biological communities, and environments that, collectively, define each shallow-subtidal habitat. We constructed maps for these lagoons via a deliberate, step by step approach. Acoustics and geostatistical modeling were used to create a bathymetric map. These data were analyzed to identify submerged landforms and geologic boundaries. Geologic interpretations were verified with video and grab samples. Soils were sampled, characterized, and mapped within the context of the landscape and geologic boundaries. Biological components and distributions were investigated using acoustics, grab samples, video, and sediment profile images. Data sets were cross-referenced and ground-truthed to test for inconsistencies. Maps and geospatial data, with Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)-compliant metadata, were finalized after reconciling data set inconsistencies and made available on the Internet. These data allow for classification in the revised Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS). With these maps, we explored potential relationships among and between physical and biological parameters. In some cases, we discovered a clear match between habitat measures; in others, however, relationships were more difficult to distinguish and require further investigation.

Process orientation in production and business administration is a major means of increasing flexibility and speed while decreasing costs. During the past years the notion of human resources as a potential and means of ensuring flexibility in decentralised organisations gained importance. Even though systematic approaches to modelling and design of business processes and process organisation do exist, they mostly are related either to the derivation of targets on a strategic enterprise level or to specification of information technology and structures. Conversion of strategic targets into design of process activities at an operational level is usually not done in any systematic way and leaves a gap in existing methodology. This paper presents a human oriented approach to analysis and conceptual design of activities within a business process reengineering framework and its application to shop floor management.

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