Research Paper on Knowledge Management Among Women Entrepreneurs

Introduction

Knowledge management (KM) is important in any enterprise. It helps business to become sustainable in its growth and development. Due to advancement in technology, it is easy to share information between different stakeholders and also there is a need to give knowledge management a priority in ensuring that the business organization survives in a competitive business environment. It is also aimed at preparing entrepreneurs in such a way that they can enhance the performance of the society through the acquisition of better skills and proficiencies. The paper provides a research plan with information such as the research rationale, purpose of the research, significance of the study, research question(s), method, research design, approach, design rationale, the population, and ethical considerations. Also, a literature review of the sources used for the research plan is included in the paper.

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Research Plan

Research Rationale

Knowledge management improves the success of any small or large organization. Through it, employees can work together to improve their performance. Knowledge management can improve the management of businesses.

Beijerse (2000) conducted a study to determine whether knowledge management is used as a practice for ensuring there is effective management of small business enterprises. Through the assessment and evaluation of different companies through the application of a unique framework, it was determined that small business enterprises have different instruments which can be used in identifying the knowledge gap.

Purpose of the Research

The purpose of the research is to examine data that discusses the function of knowledge management in improving women entrepreneurial skills.

The data examined is from small towns such as Yucatan, Mexico (Tanoira and Valencia, 2014). In the study, it was determined that there is a strong correlation between knowledge management and growth in entrepreneurship. Also, research conducted by Kamberidou (2013) show challenges that women face when sharing knowledge with other people as an essential strategy of encouraging entrepreneurship.

The Significance of the Study

The study is significant because, in the contemporary era, entrepreneurial skills matter in any organization and knowledge management plays a huge role in the attainment of these skills. Women, for example, are encouraged to utilize knowledge management in their ventures.

The research done by Jiao, Yu Cui, Zhu and Chen (2014) would be helpful because it highlights the influence of knowledge management on entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the study by Kyrgidou and Petridou (2013) would be equally useful as researchers investigated the need for knowledge management in supporting women in coming up with business ideas in the rural area. Another helpful study will be by Bandera, Keshtkar, Bartolacci, Neerudu, Katia, and Passerini (2017) who conduct a study to discuss women who have just entered the business in the USA.

Research Question

Sources from the literature review guide the generation of the research questions. Also, information from the Capella University Writing Center, Convert Your Topic into a Research Question has helped in designing the research questions. The research questions are the following:

• Does technology influence knowledge management in an organization?
• How does knowledge management improve entrepreneurial skills?
• Does knowledge management result in the success of an organization?

Method Overview

The method of data collection for the research will be questionnaires, surveys, and interviews. First, a survey of companies in the rural parts of the USA will take place. Next, women entrepreneurs who will volunteer for the study will be given open-ended questionnaires to fill. Then, there will be one on one interviews with the participants. Both the open-ended questionnaires and interviews will include discussions on knowledge management as well as if and how they use it to enhance their entrepreneurial skills. I will make use of The Components of a Research Plan (Personal Communication, Unit 6, Capella University, n.d.) to help me construct the method section.

Research Design

In this section, the first step would be to send online questionnaires to the participants. The questions that will be contained in the open-ended questionnaires would be regarding knowledge management and the way it has helped them to improve their entrepreneurial skills. The first question will be for the participants to agree or disagree on whether they are familiar with the concept of knowledge management. The next question will ask them to explain how it has helped them to improve their entrepreneurial skills. In the design, participants will be required to submit any reports that show their improvement before and after using knowledge management. After reviewing the questionnaires, participants will be required to attend a face to face interview where the researcher will corroborate their answers. Once more, The Capella University Research Center will be useful. The design will include setting up criteria that enterprises might utilize in the entrepreneurial world. Again, I will utilize The Components of a Research Plan (Personal Communication, Unit 6, Capella University, n.d.) to help me formulate the research design.

Approach

The research will take a qualitative approach. The reason is that this approach would help to cover many research gaps in knowledge management. Furthermore, it would help the researcher to establish whether knowledge management improves entrepreneurial skills. Both the questionnaire and the interview will be qualitative. The aim of the research is to discuss the function of knowledge management in improving entrepreneurial skills. The Capella University Research Center would be useful as it would guide on the way to handle this section.

Design Rationale

The research design well suits the research because it would look into the vast amount of research about women as entrepreneurs. It is believable that the design would open ways for future research on knowledge management and women as entrepreneurs. Most importantly, it would answer the research questions. With that in mind, the Capella University Research Center would be helpful in providing guidance on the design rationale.

Population

The sample population will be women business entrepreneurs. The sample population will be retrieved from rural towns of the USA. More information about the selection of the sample population, retrieval of data, and the grouping of participants will be discussed in the method section. The inclusion criteria of the participants are that they have to own their own companies and must have been CEOs for more than five years. Also, their business must have over 20 employees. On the other hand, the exclusion criteria are companies with less than 20 employees and those that are facing economic hardships or foresee failure in the future.

Ethical Consideration

The Ethical consideration for the paper would be to ensure that there is informed consent from all the participants. Furthermore, participants will be informed on the aspects of the study and have prior knowledge before they volunteer. Also, cultural bias and company rules will be an ethical consideration. Lastly, women will be assured of their anonymity during the study.

Literature Review

Entrepreneurship can be defined as a way in which businesses use a style of management that allows the entire corporation to expand their markets. For years, women have ventured into entrepreneurial projects. This literature review contributes to the growing field of entrepreneurial knowledge management among women.

There are a lot of research works which has been carried out on the importance of knowledge management and its ability to enhance entrepreneurial ability. Beijerse (2000) indicates that knowledge management plays a significant role in improving the management of small business enterprises. The study was conducted to determine whether knowledge management is used as a practice for ensuring there is effective management of small business enterprises. Through the assessment and evaluation of different companies through the application of a unique framework, it was determined that small business enterprises have different instruments which can be used in identifying the knowledge gap. It can also be assessed, reviewed, obtained and formed to encourage entrepreneurship. These are common at the level of operation as compared to another management level. The importance of this research is to give more information about the recognition of the importance of KM by entrepreneurship in business operations. Although it has this specific contribution, there is still a gap which has not been covered on the extent to which knowledge management affect the creation of business operations.

Also, there were other research works which were done on the function of knowledge management in enhancing entrepreneurial skills that can be used in creating and forming business enterprises in different small towns especially Yucatan, Mexico (Tanoira and Valencia, 2014). In the study, it was determined that there is a strong correlation between knowledge management and growth in entrepreneurship. The findings denote that knowledge management builds competencies of investors which is essential in coming up with crucial business idea necessary for enhancing business management. The study revealed that KM offers influential knowledge required in creating business opportunities for less fortunate people in society. It empowers such groups of persons and ensures they dare to start their businesses.

The findings of Kyrgidou and Petridou (2013) which was aimed at investigating the need for knowledge management in supporting women in coming up with business ideas in the rural area. The researcher was concerned with determining the function of e-support in providing knowledge that empowers women engaging in entrepreneurial activities. It also seeks to foster behavior that encourages entrepreneurship. The result showed that e-support provides necessary skills for women thus make them participate actively in entrepreneurial activities. At the same time, it changes the negative attitude of women and builds a favorable opinion towards the ability of women to do business. The kind of such information offers essential information to women that do business and even those who have the desire to empower other women to become entrepreneurs to build the economy.

The research that was focused on the relationship between knowledge management and business sustainability was carried out by Bandera, Keshtkar, Bartolacci, Neerudu, Katia Passerini (2017) with the aim of determining what KM offers to women in the society. This study was geared towards women who have just entered the business in the USA and applies content analysis to find out the relationship between the two. The result of the report indicated that KM is capable of enhancing business sustainability through the creation of awareness and supporting business planning. This study was not on women, but it highlights the best way of using KM in creating business ideas that promote business survival in a competitive business environment. Therefore it is relevant in this study.

The acquisition of knowledge management is straightforward, and it requires the engagement of entrepreneurs in several ways. The research done by Jiao, Yu Cui, Zhu and Chen (2014) highlights the influence of knowledge management on entrepreneurs. In determining this researcher used partial least squares structural equation model for investigating how KM fosters creativity and innovation. The result of th...