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SharePoint is a web-based collaboration tool that facilitates knowledge management process activities. It enhances operations and performance. Considerable resources to acquire these innovative technologies are tapped into by many universities. Staff are often faced with challenges of adopting, and adapting to, use of technologies whenever they have to fulfil operational requirements. Yet the sources of problems and the factors influencing the use of such technology by staff are often not known and considered in organisations. This study employs the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate the use of SharePoint as a tool for knowledge management by staff of a South African university. In particular, external factors commonly known to influence usage of technologies retrieved through literature review, are tested for correlations with Perceived Ease of Use (PEU) of SharePoint, on Behavioural Intention (BI) to use SharePoint, on Perceived Usefulness (PU) of SharePoint and on the Actual System Use (ASU) of SharePoint. This study is a quantitative cross-sectional case study conducted over a period of two months. This study was informed by data collected from 117 respondents from the study setting who submitted completed questionnaires. Respondents included academic and support staff. The review on the use of SharePoint in the study setting confirms that there are several factors driving use and acceptance in the adoption of new technology. University staff who participated in the study indicated limited use of SharePoint. The results have indicated that external factors commonly known to influence use of ICT technologies from literature were found to exist in this study setting. The results have further indicated that staff participants have confidence in the use of computers and knowledge in the use of the Internet. Factors apropos of job designation exhibit a positive relationship with Perceived Usefulness (PU) of SharePoint. Factors linked to technological expertise such as self-efficacy and personal innovativeness revealed a positive relationship with Perceived Ease of Use (PEU) of SharePoint. Access to SharePoint and its erratic availability contributed immensely to the dissertation results and also to the low Actual System Use (ASU) of SharePoint in the study setting. Uncertainty regarding the usefulness of SharePoint was also reasoned to impact negatively on the actual system use of SharePoint in the study setting. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by adding a case study on the adoption and use of a collaboration tool, SharePoint, as a tool for knowledge management, with focus on factors influencing the use of SharePoint and the adaptation of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in the South African university context. A practical contribution of the study is to illuminate factors to keep in mind when rolling out a knowledge management system such as SharePoint. Furthermore, the review findings and recommendations are expected to assist in the strategic decisions to further SharePoint strategies and roadmaps which offer support to staff in this study setting. The recommendations may also be useful for other universities implementing SharePoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vast amount of knowledge is created by businesses, both large and small, which may be strategically utilised in gaining key insight about the business - ultimately enabling a greater competitive advantage for the business. Based on previous studies, big firms have invested a lot into learning how to efficiently and effectively capture and reuse knowledge to gain growth through competitive advantage. Studies on the adoption of Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) together with the DeLone and McLean's Information Systems success model (DM) were sparse in the body of knowledge, especially those focusing on Knowledge Management (KM) adoption, which brought an opportunity for such research to be conducted. This study focuses on a Data Warehouse system (DWH) within a multinational insurance company with a purpose to understand perceptions of users towards the KMS. It further expands the body of knowledge for other researchers seeking information regarding the use of the UTAUT model in analysing the adoption of KMS, especially since little research has been conducted to test this on KMS such as DWH. The UTAUT and the DM were used to understand the correlation between the perceptions and behavioural intentions of the users to adopting the KMS. The following perception variables were measured and analysed: Performance Expectancy; Effort Expectancy; Social Influences; System Quality; Information Quality; Information Quality and Facilitation Conditions and Behavioural Intention, which came from the UTAUT and DM models. Data was collected by means of a survey sent to the full population of users. It is analysed and interpreted through various tests including analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple linear regressions, to define the relative contribution of each of the dependant variables. The results received were generally positive, indicating that users of the KMS had positive perceptions of the system. Users were positive that the KMS was relevant and useful to their jobs and that it assisted them in being more efficient in their delivery. However, there were also perceptions that were found not to have a strong relationship, which related more to the moderating variable being age, gender and experience, which then provided an opportunity for improvement efforts to be undertaken in order to change the perceptions. Further research can be conducted using the same approach on a wider scale, in other organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driving and enabling knowledge sharing in an organisation is no trivial task, especially where factors influencing knowledge sharing are not known and understood. In order to gain a better understanding of these factors that determine knowledge sharing, kinds of knowledge considered useful to share and the ways of sharing such knowledge also need to be understood. This study explores knowledge sharing in software development projects with focus on (i) kinds of knowledge considered useful to share, (ii) ways of sharing knowledge, and (iii) factors influencing the sharing of useful knowledge. In order to extract information, views and opinions from experts in the field of ICT, more specifically, from those who are involved in IT projects (project managers, business analysts, system testers, database administrators and programmers), expert sampling as subcategory of purposive sampling was employed. Four software developing organisations listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), South Africa, successfully participated in this research study. Quantitative data was collected using an online questionnaire with closed-ended questions. Findings from this research study revealed that, for the software developing organisations studied, top factors influencing knowledge sharing, include job security, motivational factors, lack of time, psychological factors, poor communication, resistance to change, lack of rewards, unrealistic expectations and education. Knowledge considered useful to share include methodology followed when designing a piece of software, database design, software testing, assigning of resources, communication skills, and algorithm. Ways of sharing knowledge include emails, wikis, chat rooms, scrum meetings and team networking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation and the promotion of innovation are increasingly reflected in the goals and objectives of organisations. To increase the likelihood and frequency of innovation, organisations strive to develop their innovative capacity. The ability or capacity to innovate is a determinant factor for survival and success in a free market economy. This research views innovative capacity as a subset of intellectual capital, referred to as innovation related intellectual capital. It draws upon literature on intellectual capital and on innovation to identify possible indicators for innovation related intellectual capital. These indicators span across the major categories of intellectual capital, including human capital, relational capital and structural capital. Indicators for innovation related intellectual capital are context dependent and therefore need to be customised for individual contexts, taking into account factors such as purpose of or motivation for assessment, level of assessment, goals and objectives of organisation, industry and line of business, business sector, size of organisation and resources the organisation is willing to commit. It is argued that the relevance, importance and significance of indicators proposed for measurement of innovation related intellectual capital need to be evaluated. This research subsequently explores possibilities for evaluating the suitability of these indicators for predicting innovation performance. This is done, for example, by analysing the extent and significance of the correlation of such indicators with innovation performance and subsequently the extent and correlation of innovation performance with organisational performance. Examples of indicators for assessment of innovation performance and organisational performance, retrieved from literature, were also provided. This research is of a qualitative, theoretical and explorative nature. The findings are expected to form the basis for future research towards determining appropriate indicators for assessment of innovation related intellectual capital in various contexts. Possibilities for such further research are provided. The resulting indicators are furthermore expected to be of value to practitioners and consultants by assisting in identification of development areas for promotion of innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite an overwhelming body of literature on methods, models, systems and frameworks for assessment of Intellectual Capital (IC), and increased awareness of the need for such assessment, relatively few organisations are actively and comprehensively assessing their IC. It has been argued that, due to the complexities involved in choosing (selecting and customising) an appropriate method for assessing intellectual capital in a particular context, management support systems with knowledge components are needed for managing the evolving body of knowledge concerning the assessment of intellectual capital. To empirically test this argument, a survey making use of a self-administered questionnaire was performed to test perceptions of suitable consultants, practitioners and researchers on the complexity levels of decisions to be made in selecting and customising methods for assessment of IC. Respondents were selected through convenience sampling coupled with snowball sampling. Data collected on respondents themselves confirms their expert status regarding IC and aspects thereof. The majority of these respondents indicated that, given any particular context, the decisions involved in selecting and customising an appropriate method for assessment of IC is often or always very complex. It is concluded that the perceived complexity of the decisions involved in choosing IC assessment methods supports the notion that supporting systems are required to assist human decision makers in making sense of the complexities involved in choosing IC assessment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]