CCE Theses and Dissertations

A Model for the Implementation of a Blog in a Manufacturing Environment

Date of Award

2003

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences

Advisor

Marlyn Kemper Littman

Committee Member

Sumitra Mukherjee

Committee Member

Junping Sun

Abstract

Despite a growing awareness in the corporate environment that knowledge equals intellectual capital, corporations have struggled to find a beneficial way to effectively capture and commoditize corporate knowledge. The research addressed this problem of capturing and sharing corporate knowledge through the use of a new and little known communications tool called a Blog or Weblog. A Blog is a Web page that could be easily updated by an individual within a team. A Blog contains a chronological record of thoughts on a subject. In addressing the problem, this investigator used the case study method to examine the design, implementation, and evaluation of a corporate intranet Web site incorporating a Blog at DaimlerChrysler Component Operations for the design and manufacturing of specific steering column programs. This case study was based on the hypothesis: Small workgroups at distributed corporate locations who utilized a Blog achieved a greater level of collaborative communications and knowledge sharing activity in the completion of a task, thereby streamlining the complexities associated with KM implementation as compared to those workgroups who relied on written meeting minutes and telephone communications. The goal of this research was to provide a model for large manufacturing companies for deploying Blog technologies. Developed from the case study, the model described how Blog technology can be used to manage knowledge efficiently and provide a platform for effective collaborative communications in a manufacturing environment.

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