An empirical study of factors impacting on knowledge processes in online forums: structural equation modelling analysis and results Online publication date: Wed, 27-Jun-2007
by Felix J. Schmitz-Justen, Adalbert F.X. Wilhelm
International Journal of Web Based Communities (IJWBC), Vol. 3, No. 3, 2007
Abstract: This paper presents an empirical, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)-based case study on the identification of factors contributing to collaborative knowledge creation and knowledge transfer processes in forum-based Online Knowledge Communities (OKCs), recently conducted at the International University Bremen (IUB). Following a brief outline of the theoretical background of the study with an outline of individual hypotheses, the paper expands on the methodology of the study. Following the validation of constructs and the validation of the measurement model, structural equation modelling is applied. The paper summarises with a detailed discussion of the individual path value results. The paper continues a prior IJWBC paper by Schmitz-Justen and Wilhelm (2006) and expands on a recent conference publication by Schmitz-Justen and Wilhelm (2005c), which addressed the first empirical results of the project.
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