Purpose -The objective of this study is to discuss the critical success factors involved in implementing a knowledge management system (KMS), in order to enhance a firm's competitiveness, while keeping costs to a minimum. Design/methodology/approach -Based on field studies and a literature review, this study outlined 32 variables in the implementation of a KMS. The research targets were on members of the Taiwan Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management Association (TPMMA). Out of the 355 questionnaires sent, 98 valid questionnaires were returned, resulting in a valid return rate of 27.6 percent. Findings -After completing the statistical analysis, seven factors were determined to be critical: a benchmarking strategy and knowledge structure; the organizational culture; information technology; employee involvement and training; the leadership and the commitment of senior management; a learning environment and resource control; and evaluation of professional training and teamwork. Research limitations/implications -This paper chooses members of TPMMA as research targets; thus, to apply this study to other than pharmaceutical industries requires further research. Practical implications -Strategy and organizational culture are important in the adoption of a KMS. This study has determined that the pharmaceutical industry has paid special attention to benchmarking strategy. Adopting a KMS can be easy with a core department to maintain proper function of the system. However, companies should utilize the intangible assets available through a KMS to attain full participation from the employees to ensure the success of implementing an effective KMS. Originality/value -This paper identifies critical factors in adopting a KMS for the pharmaceutical industry. That can offer pragmatic indication for those companies intent on introducing a KMS.
The tourism industry has successfully pioneered the adoption of e-commerce with respect to its online trading systems. Given the potential for the tourism industry to impart knowledge to other industries, this study examines the acceptance of online trading systems for travel agencies in Taiwan. According to the results of a literature review, this study uses six critical factors that were identified in the literature review as formative influences on the adoption of e-commerce. These factors are then incorporated into a questionnaire designed to verify empirically the extent of their ability to be generalized. This survey reveals that 80% of the travel agencies in the sample have adopted online trading systems. Particularly noteworthy is how the adopters and non-adopters hold different viewpoints on the following factors; "compatibility of adopting innovative technology", "centralization of organization", "organizational scale" and "correctness of website transmission".
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.