Title: How to use KM effectively in a European context: the case of BCT in Romania

Authors: Elena Marilena Porumb, Farhad Analoui

Addresses: Ramona Lula, Bianca Muntean Faculty of European Studies, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, Romania. ' BCID, University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, UK

Abstract: The Business Centre Transylvania (BCT) has organised many diverse and prestigious activities in order to help the business community in the region. The |smE-MPOWER| project will initially be active in ten European regions, including SME networks from Ireland and Cyprus; SME intermediaries from Slovakia, Lithuania, Romania, Switzerland and Israel; and researchers from Germany, France and the UK, bridging the worlds of industry and academia. The case of BCT in Knowledge Management (KM) is related to the specific smE-POWER that attempts to develop a new culture of empowering high-tech SMEs. The smE-MPOWER project empowers SMEs in long-term international Research, Training and Development (RTD) activities, by supporting initiatives and SME-driven innovation projects through a network of European communities and SME intermediaries. The focus will be on the KM productions and KM Methodology, which are SIGs and the PEER-NET, along with other tools used such as Innovation Coach or Coordinators, Moderators, Integrators of SME business networks or mixed regional innovation networks. The project analysis in macro design of smE-Power and the impact over time form a basis for the transfer of the best practice to other regions using the kit tools developed. The collaborative technologies, for example, the method of blended learning, involving interactive multimedia environments, autodidactic and web-based training, as well as structured peer-to-peer exchange are focused upon. Finally, based on the above, a model of knowledge generation/creation, mapping, sharing and structuring is developed and presented.

Keywords: knowledge management; KM; Romania; knowledge transfer; learning; Business Centre Transylvania; BCT; SMEs; small and medium-sized enterprises; Europe; research and development; R&D; training; collaboration; interactive multimedia; internet.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2008.018993

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2008 Vol.3 No.6, pp.609 - 623

Published online: 27 Jun 2008 *

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