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Knowledge Management and Innovations

Course developer

Course abstract

The course provides an in-depth knowledge and understanding of knowledge management and innovation. Students are familiarised with the most important concepts in the field of knowledge management and innovation as well as practically applicable theories, and the knowledge acquired is needed to select the most proper knowledge management strategy, which is a critical prerequisite for innovation by an enterprise. Insight into ICT tools is the basis for students’ ability to use the ICT tools for creating a knowledge management system and improving the overall performance of an enterprise.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Students will be able to:
Demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of the nature of a knowledge management system (KMS) and relevant concepts. Test.
Demonstrate a profound and in-depth knowledge and understanding of innovations needed at an enterprise and how to acquire information on research products and financing the research. Independent work.
Reasonably explain and discuss a knowledge management system. Discussions.
Engage in and assume responsibility for group work and analyse the results of the work. Group work, formation of a team.
Integrate the knowledge of different fields and contribute to creating a new knowledge. Independent work.
Independently define and critically analyse enterprise knowledge management systems, demonstrate the understanding of and ethical responsibility for potential effects of innovations. Presentation.

Course Content(Calendar)

Lectures (12 hours)
1. Harmonisation of knowledge management and a business strategy – 2 hours.
2. Design of a knowledge management architecture and the integration of it into the existing infrastructure – 1 hour.
3. Knowledge auditing – 1 hour.
4. Formation of a knowledge management team – 1 hour.
5. Development of a KMS project – 1 hour.
6. KMS expansion – the result-focused approach – 1 hour.
7. Maintenance of the structure and culture of management – 1 hour.
8. Presentation of a project developed – 1 hour.
9. Definitions, nature and indications of an innovation. The innovation introduction process – 1 hour.
10. Kinds and policy of innovation support – 1 hour.
11. Intellectual property. Copyright. Patents. Intellectual property rights-related problems – 1 hour.
Practicals (12 hours)
12. Role of knowledge in business – 2 hours.
13. Analysis of practical examples of the SECI model – 1 hour.
14. Building a knowledge community – 1 hour.
15. Test (the concept and creation of knowledge, push knowledge and pull knowledge, knowledge communities) – 1 hour.
16. Support for innovation (a study tour) – 1 hour.
17. Technology and knowledge transfer (a study tour) – 1 hour.
18. Practical insight into data/knowledge acquisition sites, knowledge transfer sites, the document management system – 1 hour.
19. Presentation of a developed plan Use of ICT in the Knowledge Management System of an Enterprise – 1 hour.
20. Presentations of independent work (the knowledge management system or successful knowledge transfer or innovation), discussions – 1 hour.

21. Learning trip to the LLU Department of Technology and Knowledge Transfer – 2 hours.

Requirements for awarding credit points

A test must be passed, group work must be performed and independent work must be presented.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Independent work in a group “Formation of a knowledge management team and the development of a research project”.
Independent work “Innovations and their introduction at an enterprise”.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The final mark is based on a cumulative assessment of the test, group work and independent work.

Compulsory reading

1. Bioekonomika: attīstības ceļvedis: monogrāfija / Dina Popluga [un vēl 6 autori]; galvenais redaktors: Kaspars Naglis-Liepa. Jelgava: Latvijas Biozinātņu un tehnoloģiju universitāte, 2024. 185 lpp. ISBN: 978-9984-48-434-1
2. Shipton H., Budwar P., Sparrow P., Brown A. Human resource management, innovation and performance. Palgrawe Macmillian. 2016. pp 352.
3. Lynch R. Strategic management. Pearson Education Limited. 2015. pp 751.
4. Staber U. Understanding Organizations: Theories & Images. Sage Publikation Ltd. 2013. pp 280.
5. Tiwana A. The Knowledge Management Toolkit. Orchestrating IT, Strategy, And Knowledge Platforms, Second Edition, Prentice Hall PTR, 2002. pp 640.
6. Adner R. The Wide Lens. Portfolio Penguin. 2012., pp 278.

7. Hila A.L. u.c. Kolektīvais ģēnijs. Inovāciju vadības māksla un prakse. Latvijas Mediji. 2014., 288 lpp.

Further reading

1. Argyris C. On Organisational Learning, Blackwell Publishing, Incorporated, 1999.
2. Ābeltiņa, A. Inovācija – XXI gadsimta fenomens. Turība, Rīga, 2009., 152 lpp.
3. Inovatīva domāšana, Lietišķās informācijas dienests, Rīga, 2007, 203.lpp.

4. Rivža, B. u.c. Simtam pāri. Viedā Latvija. VPP EKOSOC-LV. Zinātņu akadēmija, Rīga, 2018. 416 lpp.

Periodicals and other sources

1. Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūra. http://www.liaa.gov.lv/lv
2. Dienas Bizness: nedēļas laikraksts: ISSN 1407-2041
3. Forbes. "SK Media" SIA. Forbes. Rīga: ISSN 1691-6018

4. Kapitāls. Rīga: Lietišķās informācijas dienests. ISSN 1407-2505

Notes

Compulsory course for the ESAF professional master programme Business Management and Project Management