Effect of GSS on knowledge acquisition

Learning and Education Experience in System Dynamics of Management Students

Article describes experiences in the teaching of a modelling and simulation course for students at Faculty of Organizational Sciences. The course consists of time-continuous simulation based on System Dynamics (SD) and discrete event simulation (DES). It is held in the 3rd year of studies, at which point students have taken courses in mathematics, statistics, theory of systems, as well as organizational and economic courses. The final grade for the course is derived from the student's project and written exam. Students took part in an experiment where they had to solve a managerial decision problem supported by a simulation model. Experimental results were then analysed and discussed in the students' projects. Students' contributions were part of their final grade. The results show that students, taking the course of Modelling and Simulation, thought that application of the simulation model contributes to a greater understanding of the problem, the faster finding of solutions, and enhanced confidence of the participants. The results are explained and discussed using a learning model.

The Relationships Among Knowledge Types, Organisational Learning, and Performance

This study adopts the organisational learning perspective to examine knowledge required by advanced total quality management (TQM) for the purpose to attain organisational performance. Regression analysis was used to test the proposed hypothesis of interest based on a survey of senior managers in 153 largest manufacturing firms in Taiwan. The results of this research showed a positive correlation between TQM practice and knowledge types (e.g., experiential, conceptual, systematic, and routine knowledge). This observation partially indicating that the TQM practice has a mediating effect on organisational performance through the knowledge types. They also demonstrate that organisational learning facilitators have a moderate impact on the relationship between knowledge types and performance improvement. It is concluded that when organisational learning facilitators are well arranged, a provision of knowledge is more likely to be linked to effective learning, hence improving organisational performance.

Sustaining Organizational Innovativeness

This paper aims to provide a conceptual basis for creating semi-virtual communities that facilitate knowledge creation and sharing that seeks to promote organizational innovativeness. In addition, based on the theoretical discussion, the paper proposes a concrete context that supports and stimulates the conversion of personal knowledge into new innovations and organizational decisions. As a methodological means, scenario driven innovation process is employed as a way to enhance creativity and knowledge convergence within an organization. The authors discuss that in its deepest sense knowledge is the capability to make decisions. Scenarios aim to increase that capability, and are thus a piece of organizational knowledge. The practical implementations of the contexts and the experiences with these implementations are evaluated by two real case studies in real life contexts.

Impact of Management Accounting Information and AMT on Organizational Performance

This study empirically examined and identified specific types of management accounting information as well as conditions of learning facilitators for effective organizational learning under high levels of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT). In this study, the interaction and communication among functions as well as job rotation and experience were considered as the facilitators of organizational learning. This research investigated the relationship between the level of AMT and the amount of management accounting information (i.e. planning and control information and nonfinancial performance information). The empirical results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between the AMT level and the amount of information produced by management accounting information systems (MAISs). Significant positive correlations among the amount of information, degree of organizational learning, and production performance were also observed. Using structural equation modeling, this study examined causal relationships among AMT level, amount of information, learning facilitators, organizational learning, and production performance. The results of the study showed that under a high level of AMT, to give rise to a high degree of learning and, consequently, an increase of performance through the provision of information, facilitators of learning must be well-coordinated (i.e. highly utilized), and MAISs must produce a large amount of management accounting information (i.e. planning and control information and nonfinancial performance information).