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• Module overview
• 1. Introduction to knowledge management
  • 1.1 Knowledge management in organisations: Theory and practice
  • 1.2 Information and knowledge
    • 1.2.1 Distinguishing information, data, knowledge and wisdom
    • 1.2.2 Knowledge defined and managed

• 2. Type and structure of knowledge

  • 2.1 Type and structure of knowledge
    • 2.1.1 The structure of purposeful knowledge in an organisation
    • 2.1.2 Explicit and tacit knowledge
  • 2.2 Acquiring knowledge
    • 2.2.1 Sources of knowledge

• 3. Knowledge and learning

  • 3.1 The ability to learn as knowledge
  • 3.2 Types of knowledge and culture, meaning, and learning
  • 3.3. Knowledge management and balanced learning strategies

• 4. A knowledge management cycle

  • 4.1 A Knowledge Management Framework
    • 4.1.1 Stages in KM Cycle
  • 4.2 Dimensions to KM Strategy
    • 4.2.1 Leadership dimension to KM
    • 4.2.2 Governance and policy dimension
    • 4.2.3 Architecture dimension
    • 4.2.4 Absorption dimension
    • 4.2.5 Measurement dimension
  • 4.3 Knowledge as a basis for organising

• 5. Conduct a knowledge audit

  • 5.1 Knowledge audit
    • 5.1.1 Conducting a knowledge audit
    • 5.1.2 The Audit Process

• 6. Organisational Knowledge Capital

  • 6.1 Building an organisational Knowledge Capital framework
    • 6.1.1 IC and KC
    • 6.1.2 The value of knowledge
  • 6.2 Structural capital
  • 6.3 Social capital
  • 6.4 Human Capital defined
    • 6.4.1 Capital resources for organisations
    • 6.4.2 The individual as a capital resource
    • 6.4.3 Ingredients to HCM

• 7. Valuing forms of knowledge

  • 7.1 Valuing forms of knowledge assets
    • 7.1.1 Valuing Intellectual assets
    • 7.1.2 Valuing knowledge as an intangible asset

• 8. Information management systems

  • 8.1 Information management systems
    • 8.1.1 A basic information management framework
    • 8.1.2 Building systems to meet individual and organisational needs
    • 8.1.3 Information guardians versus stakeholders
  • 8.2 Structure and information transfer
    • 8.2.1 Information relevance and timeliness
    • 8.2.2 Information characteristics versus decision types
    • 8.2.3 Storage and retrieval

• 9. Information capture and intelligence gathering

  • 9.1 Information capture and intelligence gathering
    • 9.1.1 Developing a 'wish list'
    • 9.1.2 Finding answers
    • 9.1.3 Integrating intelligence within a knowledge management framework
  • 9.2 Forecasting methods
    • 9.2.1 Issues to consider when forecasting

• 10. IT and E-commerce

  • 10.1 An overview of e-commerce
  • 10.2 The Internet, computer networks and e-commerce
    • 10.2.1 Internet speed, innovation and change
  • 10.3 E-commerce advantages and disadvantages
    • 10.3.1 E-commerce advantages
    • 10.3.2 E-commerce disadvantages and constraints
  • 10.4 The Internet and business
    • 10.4.1 Drivers of e-commerce and Internet growth
  • 10.5 E-commerce and e-business

• 11. IT and supply chain management

  • 11.1 Electronic supply chain management (eSCM)
  • 11.2 E-logistics
    • 11.2.1 Are e-logistics and e-commerce the same thing?
    • 11.2.2 E-logistics blurs older logistic business categories
  • 11.3 E-procurement
  • 11.4 E-fulfilment

11.4 E-fulfilment

It is not the purpose of this section to overview fulfilment in its entirety. Our aim is purely to illustrate the impact of e-commerce on fulfilment; i.e. uncover the current state of play for e-fulfilment.

E-fulfilment is broadly defined to mean:

The electronic integration and enablement of processes chartered with efficiently and effectively managing activities revolving around presenting, modelling, completing orders and delivering the products to the customer.

It is important to reiterate that, just as the Internet has transformed selling and sales to customers and businesses, so it has transformed supply side activities. This includes integration of fulfilment activities with order management, warehousing and logistics. For instance e-fulfilment data is increasingly integrated with back-end systems or information systems to ensure it informs not only logistics (right product and service, on time accurately to the customers’ order) but also e-procurement activities (supplies meet demand).

Businesses also expect e-fulfilment to:

• make every customer action visible
• synchronise supply-side data with data on customer actions, needs, preferences and trends
• integrate data and reporting across all stages of the supply chain

For the end customer e-fulfilment is not at all like previous fulfilment strategies such as direct order or catalogue sales. Electronic enablement means customers expect:

• a high level of performance, speed, and precision
• access to vast amounts of information that can be personalised
• traceability and status updates on any order

 

As stated by Hintlian, Mann and Churchman (2002:3-4) e-fulfilment revolves around e-business models that address three fundamental challenges:

1. Merging operational excellence with e-commerce opportunities.
2. Realising integrated fulfilment relies on creating new kinds of relationships and services.
3. Integrating fulfilment with strategies focused on capabilities required to support B2B/B2C and to better compete among emerging marketplaces.

 

The authors go on to detail the importance of carefully aligning e-commerce opportunities with an integrated fulfilment vision by:

• segmenting customers according to needs
• customising the logistics network
• integrating demand and supply planning
• integrating product, information and financial flows through the supply chain
• differentiating the product closer to the customer
• sourcing strategically
• using supply chain spanning performance metrics (2002:3)

Hintlian, Mann and Churchman also suggest the integration must come with collaboration and relationships with other businesses that reflect:

• collaboration between service providers and users
• win-win commercial arrangements
• a true understanding of core competencies and re-assessment of activities that can be outsourced
• arrangements that provide services to both networks as well as individual companies (2002:3)

 

Figure 11.9 The Changing Fulfilment Solution Landscape (Hintlian et al. 2002:3)

Activity 4

Profile and critique an apparent e-fulfillment strategy for a major company of your choice.

Conclusion

This chapter concludes not only the second section of our study on information technology and systems, it concludes our chapter Manage transport and logistics knowledge and information networks .

Study in this chapter has not aimed to provide absolute answers. The management of knowledge and information will vary with specific contexts. Our aim in this chapter has been to deal with the very complex concepts and issues involved with both topic areas. We have provided a series of chapters that stand-alone in their importance. We have also sorted these chapters into two main parts; a study of KM and an analysis of IT and information systems in light of our study on KM. While no direct connection between the two parts has been drawn, it obvious that managers of transport and logistic business operations will have to address such connections as and when they occur in their own context.

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