THE B2B KNOWLEDGE ENVIRONMENT IN CHINA: SHIFTING FROM TACIT UNDERSTANDING TO EXPLICIT REPRESENTATION

Robert M. Davison and Carol Xiaojuan Ou
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Robert M. Davison: Department of Information Systems, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Hong Kong, PRC
Carol Xiaojuan Ou: Department of Information Systems, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Hong Kong, PRC

Chapter 17 in Knowledge Management:Innovation, Technology and Cultures, 2007, pp 189-199 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: AbstractIn China, business transactions have traditionally involved substantial amounts of tacit understanding between buyers and sellers, generally as part of a social network arrangement known as guanxi. This situation appears to be changing, with online intermediaries enabling this tacit knowledge to be communicated explicitly. In this paper, we investigate the shift from tacit understanding to explicit representation of knowledge, focusing on the B2B practices enabled by Alibaba, China's largest online business intermediary. Our findings suggest that online intermediaries are substituting the offline social networks, providing explicit knowledge and communication channels in business relationships. We discuss the implications of this modification of business practices - in the Chinese context, as well as internationally.

Keywords: Knowledge Management; Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Discovery; KM Tools and Technologies; Communication and Organization Culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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