Title:	THE INFLUENCE OF IS ON KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN MULTINATIONAL MANUFACTURING NETWORKS: EXPERIENCES FROM ALBANIAN AND MACEDONIAN PLANTS
Author(s):	Kreshnik Vukatana, Adrian Besimi, Kozeta Sevrani, Zamir Dika, Betim Çiço and Elira Hoxha
ISBN:	978-989-8533-74-6
Editors:	Miguel Baptista Nunes, Pedro Isaías and Philip Powell
Year:	2018
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Knowledge Sharing, Information Systems, Manufacturing Networks, Multinational Companies
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	113
Last Page:	120
Language:	English
Cover:
Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	This paper addresses the topic of knowledge sharing in multinational manufacturing companies. Its purpose is to examine the role and influence of Information Systems (IS) in knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer, with specific focus in Albanian and Macedonian manufacturing plants. The study covers companies with headquarters (HQ) located in European countries. The paper presents a literature review related to the importance of ISs as knowledge enablers for manufacturing networks and their role in competitive advantage of the companies. Furthermore, a review on Enterprise Systems, Management Information Systems and Knowledge Management Systems is presented. A qualitative research methodology is used and the data are collected through semi-structured interviews from seven manufacturing plants. The data are analyzed to find the role of the subsidiary plants within the network and their position as senders or receivers of knowledge through the means of ISs. The data highlight the tendency of the companies to cover all their business processes using ISs. Even in the cases where they are not implemented, their wish is to have fully functional systems in the near future. Another fact emerged from the data is that knowledge transfer between the plants in the manufacturing networks are heavily supported by ISs, where the tools used and analyzed in this paper are supporting very well the knowledge transfer.
	Go Back