Knowledge Creation Systems in Seven-Eleven Japan

Japanese convenience store chain Seven-Eleven Japan (hereinafter 'SEJ') has been profitable for 30 years by constantly anticipating changing trends regardless of the severe business environment. In this paper, the knowledge creation process and its supportive systems in SEJ to examine how information system can support knowledge creation are described. Using case study method, the knowledge creation theory is applied to SEJ, and the results show that facilitating 'dialogue' and reinforcing 'creative routine' might be the most important functions of information system to support knowledge creation.

KNOWLEDGE SCIENCES AND NANATSUDAKI： A NEW MODEL OF KNOWLEDGE CREATION PROCESSES

The paper starts from a discussion of the concepts of knowledge management versus technology management, and the emergence of knowledge sciences. This is followed be a summary of recent results in the theory of knowledge creation. Most of them concern diverse spirals of creative interplay between rational （explicit） and intuitive or emotional （tacit） aspects of knowledge. Some of them concentrate on organizational （market or purpose-oriented） knowledge creation, other describe academic （research-oriented） knowledge creation. The problem addressed in this paper is how to integrate diverse spirals of knowledge creation into a prescriptive or exemplar model that would help to overcome the differences between organizational （market-oriented） and normal academic knowledge creation. As such prescriptive approach, the JAIST Nanatsudaki Model of knowledge creation is proposed. It consists of seven spirals, known from other studies, but integrated in a sequence resulting from the experience of authors in practical management of research activities. Not all of these spirals have to be fully utilized, depending on a particular application, but all of them relate to some essential aspects of either academic or organizational knowledge creation. The paper presents Nanatsudaki Model in detail with comments on consecutive spirals. The results of a survey of opinions about creativity conditions at JAIST indicate the importance of many spirals constituting the Nanatsudaki Model. Directions of further testing the Nanatsudaki Model are indicated.

MODELING THE KNOWLEDGE CREATION PROCESS OF GRADUATE RESEARCH

Graduate students who are beginning academic research want to learn how to create and verify new knowledge in their research. Their supervisors, on the other hand, are seeking appropriate research environments including effective research guidance methods. In order to meet these demands, this paper proposes a knowledge creation model that supports the objectives of both graduate students and their supervisors. This is an academic knowledge creation model for individuals supported by a group and its origin can be traced back to a famous organizational knowledge creation model. Since this type of model is constructed from empirical knowledge, it is not easy to prove its objective significance. But, this paper tries to show the effectiveness of the proposed model as an initial stage of model validation based on a questionnaire survey of students in a graduate school in China.

ELECTRONIC SUPPORT FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION IN A RESEARCH INSTITUTE

This paper focuses on the question how to build an electronic support environment for knowledge creation in a research institute （JAIST）. In order to assess the importance of diverse conditions of scientific creativity, we performed a survey in JAIST, and extracted useful knowledge from the database of survey results. Following the analysis of the theory of academic processes of knowledge creation and the survey findings in JAIST, a computer-based integrated system is proposed. In the aspect of the system design, we postulate that an electronic support environment for academic creativity can be achieved through a seamless integration with Internet, Application Server, Middle Ware, Database and Data Warehouse. The paper addresses issues of knowledge representation in the Electronic Support System for academic research, testing and evaluation issues and conclusions.

The roles of gamification, knowledge creation, and entrepreneurial orientation towards firm performance

In a highly competitive industry,it has been a best practice that dynamic capabilities guide technology firms to cope with challenging situations.Meanwhile,knowledge creation enables the firm to condition the success and continuity of innovations,entrepreneurial orientation to support companies in winning the competition,and gamification to engage employees in a collaborative way towards better firm performance.This study examines how technology companies can improve their performance using gamification,knowledge creation,and entrepreneurial orientation.To test the proposed model,we collected data using a questionnaire survey of 124 technology companies in Indonesia.The theoretical model used structural equation modeling(SEM)with SmartPLS 3.The results show that all constructs have a direct and positive relationship,except for the direct relationship between gamification and firm performance.Thus,entrepreneurial orientation and knowledge creation are essential components of technology companies that mediate the effect of gamification on firm performance.This study provides a theoretical and empirical basis for the antecedents of technological firm performance.

Implementation of Business Game Activity Support System

Business game can be used not only as an educational tool for the development of decision making ability, but also can be used for supporting the knowledge creation activity in organizations. In this paper, some conceptual considerations to meanings of the business game in the knowledge creation activity by using the knowledge creation theory and other related theories are given, and business game activity concept which refers to game play and development is proposed. Then focusing on the business game activity as an instantiation of the knowledge creation activity, and a Web based gaming activity support system based on the former system called YBG that enables us to play and develop many business games through the standard web browser is proposed. This system also provides us a lot of opportunities to play and develop the business games over business game communities.

KNOWLEDGE-SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE SYSTEMS

This paper proposes a knowledge-scientific approach to evaluation of community service systems from the viewpoints of knowledge creation, consciousness reform, and value co-creation. A concrete example of the commtmity service system treated here is an education program for old men to find their reason for living after the retirement. After introducing this program and the traditional evaluation methods for such a program, the paper emphasizes the necessity of developing new evaluation methods for such a community service system based on knowledge science. The paper proposes a new evaluation framework and reports an actual evaluation result using the interview data from participants in that program.

SYSTEMS INTUITION:ORIENTAL SYSTEMS THINKING STYLE

This paper put forward the concept of systems intuition. In the paper, features of intuitivethinking are described at first. Then the origins of Oriental intuitive thinking from the ancient Chinesephilosophy are explored. Finally put the focus on new concepts: systems intuition and collectivesystems intuition as well as the relation between intuition and tacit knowledge.

Which Strategy Maximizes the Innovation Output of Firms in China:Using a Control or an Entrepreneurial Sphere?

Innovation is a key stimulus for firms’survival and growth.However,many of Chinese firms fail to make it due to the lack of adequate financial resources.Previous studies have been deeply investigated the relationships between financial resources and firms’innovation performance.This paper extends such stream of the literature by focusing on a vital question for entrepreneurs:how to maximize innovation output under resource constraints.Based on an extensive dataset collected at Zhongguancun Science Park(ZSP),Beijing,China,over the period 2011-2014,this paper discusses whether entrepreneurs should pursue extra public funding(control sphere).Besides,this paper also provides empirical evidence for entrepreneurs to make proper choices about resource allocation(entrepreneurial sphere).This paper hypothesizes that enterprises allocating resources by using the entrepreneurial sphere,rather than the control sphere,can advance innovation output.To test our hypothesis,this paper adopts a dynamic panel model estimated by a bootstrapbased bias correction procedure.We find that,in advancing innovative performance,the entrepreneurial sphere is more effective than control.Indeed,at the overall level,the crowding out effect merely offsets the additionality effect when enterprises pursue extra public funding.Therefore,the control sphere does not play an essential role in advancing innovation performance.Thus,extra efforts in that direction will turn out to be in vain.Consequently,as a policy implication we claim that entrepreneurs should spend more time and energy on productive activities rather than lobbying and rent-seeking.In addition,managers should allocate resources properly for internal knowledge creation,external knowledge absorption and S&T activities.