Guidebooks on Knowledge Management (KM) practice have been developed by several institutions but they propose a variety of methods and tools that can be overwhelming for a beginning KM practitioner in the Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) sector. CTA’s KM team explored if a framework could be developed to understand KM and a shortlist of KM methods and tools identified, providing a useful starting point for beginning KM practitioners.
This is a fully rewritten and extended version of the successful first edition of a textbook which focuses on consumer-driven food product innovation using a systems-oriented approach. It integrates marketing and consumer sciences with technological aspects such as processing, logistics and information technology, and presents an integrated view of how new food product development is to be situated in a chain-oriented approach. Attention is also paid to the impact of changes in the environment of the agri-food system on food innovation, such as the changing consumer, the growing concern about food safety and new insights in human nutrition.Topics covered include changing markets, consumer perception of product quality, quality function deployment, the use of new and improved technology in food production, logistics and information technology, the role of regulation and legislation, quality management and control systems such as HACCP and TQM.The chapters of the first edition have been updated and extended. New chapters have been added, on consumer behaviour, corporate strategy, food safety and nutritional aspects of food innovation.Researchers and professionals in the food industry as well as students of food science, food technology and management will find this publication provides valuable information on the latest developments in the product innovation by agri-food systems.
This volume offers a simple, systematic guide to creating a knowledge sharing practice in your organization. It shows how to build the enabling environment and develop the skills needed to capture and share knowledge gained from operational experiences to improve performance and scale-up successes. Its recommendations are grounded on the insights gained from the past seven years of collaboration between the World Bank and its clients around the world—ministries and national agencies operating in various sectors—who are working to strengthen their operations through robust knowledge sharing. While informed by the academic literature on knowledge management and organizational learning, this handbook’s operational background and many real-world examples and tips provide a missing, practical foundation for public sector officials in developing countries and for development practitioners. However, though written with a public sector audience in mind, the overall concepts and approaches will also hold true for most organizations in the private sector and the developed world.
Since April 2016, CTA implemented the “Capitalizing on Experiences for Greater Impact in Rural Development” project – working together with FAO and IICA, and with the financial support of IFAD. During these three years, this project worked with many organizations in different parts of the world. Its purpose was to empower these organizations with the tools and the skills needed to identify practices which can be brought to scale, to describe and analyze them in detail, and to share the lessons they teach. More specifically, this project aimed to facilitate the adoption of an experience capitalization process in rural development initiatives. This guidebook is meant to help facilitators. It builds on the many interesting resources which are already available, but it builds more specifically on the experience accumulated by the project, and on the lessons and insights drawn by all those who were involved in it – both as facilitators and as participants. It is their work which has shown what works and what can be presented as a recommendation that others can follow and adapt.
The book on Ontology in Information Science explores a broad set of ideas and presents some of the state-of-the-art research in this field concisely in 12 chapters. This book provides researchers and practitioners working in the field of ontology and information science an opportunity to share their theories, methodologies, experiences, and experimental results related to ontology development and application in various areas. It also includes the design aspects of domain ontologies considering the architecture, development strategy, and selection of tools. The intended audience of this book will mainly consist of researchers, research students, and practitioners in the field of ontology and information science.
Recent research shows that collaboration and social networking foster knowledge sharing and innovation by sparking new connections, ideas, and practices. Yet these informal networks are often misunderstood and poorly managed. Building on the groundbreaking, bestselling first edition, Knowledge Management Handbook: Collaboration and Social Networking, Second Edition focuses on two key elements in knowledge management: collaboration and social networking. To Innovate, Connect the People Jay Liebowitz, one of the top knowledge management authorities in the world, brings together 15 articles by researchers and practitioners who are among the leaders in their fields. They present numerous applications, concepts, techniques, methodologies, issues, and trends related to collaboration and social networking in a knowledge management context. They also point out areas that need more work, such as how to measure the impact of knowledge-sharing efforts in terms of innovation, profits, and customer perceptions. What Can You Learn from Your Informal Organization? Packed with case studies, this handbook explores how you can share knowledge, make connections, and generate new ideas through collaboration and interaction. It is a valuable reference and classroom text for those engaged in knowledge management, particularly from a collaboration and social networking perspective.
This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO license. This book comprehensively covers topics in knowledge management and competence in strategy development, management techniques, collaboration mechanisms, knowledge sharing and learning, as well as knowledge capture and storage. Presented in accessible “chunks,” it includes more than 120 topics that are essential to high-performance organizations. The extensive use of quotes by respected experts juxtaposed with relevant research to counterpoint or lend weight to key concepts; “cheat sheets” that simplify access and reference to individual articles; as well as the grouping of many of these topics under recurrent themes make this book unique. In addition, it provides scalable tried-and-tested tools, method and approaches for improved organizational effectiveness. The research included is particularly useful to knowledge workers engaged in executive leadership; research, analysis and advice; and corporate management and administration. It is a valuable resource for those working in the public, private and third sectors, both in industrialized and developing countries.
This book aims to strengthen the skills of professionals who use, manage data for the benefit of farmers and farmers organizations by exposing them to the topics of importance of data in the agriculture value chain and how new and existing technologies, products and services can leverage farm level and global data to improve yield, reduce loss, add value and increase profitability and resilience.
Knowledge Networking explains the strategic, organizational and human impact of technologies that support knowledge: the internet, groupware, collaborative technologies. It shows how they can transform organizational practices and help to improve both individual and team performances. Based on proven experience and includes customised toolkits, cases and action plans. From pooling expertise on a sales bid via computer referencing, to improving customer service using the flexible office, the author demonstrates how potential can become practice. Knowledge management is the big management idea currently influencing organizations, and Knowledge Networking explores the global impact of sharing knowledge and expertise. It is a highly practical text which includes customised toolkits, cases and action plans to enable individuals and teams to improve their performance.
Managing the ability of agriculture to meet rising global demand and to respond to the changes and opportunities will require good policy, sustained investments, and innovation - not business as usual. Investments in public Research and Development, extension, education, and their links with one another have elicited high returns and pro-poor growth, but these investments alone will not elicit innovation at the pace or on the scale required by the intensifying and proliferating challenges confronting agriculture. Experience indicates that aside from a strong capacity in Research and Development, the ability to innovate is often related to collective action, coordination, the exchange of knowledge among diverse actors, the incentives and resources available to form partnerships and develop businesses, and conditions that make it possible for farmers or entrepreneurs to use the innovations. While consensus is developing about what is meant by 'innovation' and 'innovation system', no detailed blueprint exists for making agricultural innovation happen at a given time, in a given place, for a given result. The AIS approach that looks at these multiple conditions and relationships that promote innovation in agriculture, has however moved from a concept to a sub-discipline with principles of analysis and action. AIS investments must be specific to the context, responding to the stage of development in a particular country and agricultural sector, especially the AIS. This sourcebook contributes to identifying, designing, and implementing the investments, approaches, and complementary interventions that appear most likely to strengthen AIS and to promote agricultural innovation and equitable growth. It emphasizes the lessons learned, benefits and impacts, implementation issues, and prospects for replicating or expanding successful practices. The information in this sourcebook derives from approaches that have been tested at different scales in different contexts. It reflects the experiences and evolving understanding of numerous individuals and organizations concerned with agricultural innovation, including the World Bank. This information is targeted to the key operational staff in international and regional development agencies and national governments who design and implement lending projects and to the practitioners who design thematic programs and technical assistance packages. The sourcebook can also be an important resource for the research community and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
