[MBA] case study, Mercedes-Benz, dealers, customer data

Toronto-based Mercedes-Benz, Canada, with a network of 55 dealers, did not know enough about the customers. Dealers provided customer data to the company on an ad hoc basis. Mercedes did not force dealers to report this information. There was no real incentive for dealers to share information with the company.

1. What is the role of knowledge management and knowledge management programs?

a. Define knowledge management and explain its value to businesses
b. Describe the important dimensions of knowledge.
c. Distinguish between data, knowledge, and wisdom and between tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge.
d. Describe the stages in the knowledge management value chain.
2. What types of systems are used for enterprise-wide knowledge management and how do they provide value for businesses?

a. Define and describe the various types of enterprise-wide knowledge management systems and how they provide value for businesses.

b. Describe the role of the following in facilitating knowledge management portals, wikis, social bookmarking, and learning management systems.

1. Knowledge management includes gathering, storing and disseminating information from various sources. The information be any process or new techniques for performing a define tasks. Knowledge management program enable users to get information best matching the situation either by directory system or search engines.

a. Knowledge management is the approach where knowledge and information about any surpassed issues and condition along with guidelines, strategies are maintained in organized manner so that it is accessible as and when required for all or to authorized person. Knowledge management provide manpower, tools and structures to enhance learning, make it available for right time/right people.

b. Knowledge management includes a eco-system that includes respondents, regular updating task and maintenance. It means users and content providers along with appropriate location for storing the information is fundamentally required aspects. We may enlist the dimensions as:

i. Management of information organized in a database that is available as and when required. When some hard situation or event already faced then a record is maintained with detail of background, method and techniques
ii. Expert person who know more knowledge, who can update the information is required regularly
iii. When such information are kept on KM then the entities of organization should best practice referring such item. Referring such item on any difficulties not only helps quick solution and save in resources but also find possible errors on the information maintained.

c.
Data are raw facts that available in any form that inherently carries some information and needs processing to extract information.
Knowledge may be defined as collection of information, with the intent to be useful. Knowledge is a deterministic process. Knowledge is theoretical concept that need skill to perform tasks.

Wisdom is a non-deterministic approach that includes the quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgment. Wisdom creates wise. Wisdom is human state that requires capacity to think, feel and interpret.
Explicit knowledge can be recorded digitally and can be transferred from one location to another. Knowledge management Tools can only see explicit knowledge.
Tacit knowledge is inherent approach that includes personal ability and best practices, generated from experiences, it is unreportable intellectual property living within individuals and teams.

d.
Knowledge management basically includes gathering knowledge, storing them, maintain update or regularity, transfer or share them, apply gathered knowledge and disseminate them. Moreover we may enlist them as:
Acquire knowledge by knowledge discovery or exploration of resources or data mining. Gathering may be from genetic algorithms, expert knowledge and jury network.
Gathered knowledge then Store in database system by expert person. Storing includes maintaining update, diagnose error and perform corrective actions.
Dissemination of knowledge by intranet portals, emailing the regular collection to on subscription base, making the knowledge available via search engines etc.

2.
KM system used in any organization depends on the size of organization, nature of business it performs and the volume of staff. Varieties of tools and applications are available that have built in Search engines for easier access. There exist collation tools to communicate with participants in the system. Different portals and learning management systems helps storing, locating and searching information.

a. Different type of enterprise wide knowledge management system are general purpose system that are integrated firm-wide storing digitized information.
More than 80% of organization implements semi structured or unstructured approach. Enterprise knowledge management system are
Structure Knowledge system : includes reports presentations and with formal rules
Semi Structure : includes e-mails and videos
Unstructured : includes tacit knowledge
b.
Portal are like bus station that enable us search and go for the location we desire. In knowledge share world portal are applications that enable us find topics of our interest and get response. They includes internet portals like Search engines, Job Search portals, chat messaging etc.
Basic concept behind Wiki is its availability of editing and accessing anywhere, anyone and anything. There are large number of contributors and moderators to maintain up-to-date information. Most popular Wikimedia is supported by Wikimedia. We can maintain our own wiki downloading source code from Wikimedia site.
When we visit a site we experience reading it later or it’s important for us, then we copy, save and/or bookmark it to our browser. But social bookmarking is concept where people store and share bookmarks online publicly. It not only aids on social sharing but also availability globally. Most popular social bookmarking sites are http://www.del.icio.us and http://www.digg.com . A good social bookmarking site includes keyword search, tagging and categorizing them.
Thus use of such technical entities broadens our knowledge, enable us to share the knowledge and make it accessible from anywhere, anytime and anyone.

How could CRM and PRM systems solve this problem?

In the given scenario there has been isolation between the company and customers. Company attempts to communicate with customers bridged by Dealers. But they are failing to do so.
Customer Relationship Management tools helps dealers keep updated information about customers, analyse it and make decisions based on it. CRM is software system that facilitates day to day operation. If dealers used it to ease their tasks, the information will be updated, latest and genuine. The data and information in CRM can be exported, imported and manipulated to extract useful statistics. Moreover web-based CRM tools are platform independent and accessible anywhere. Web-based CRMs can have features to connect customers to dealers and ultimately the company.
On the other hand Partner Relationship Management (PRM) is generally web-based system used to communicate with partners. It also helps performing administrative tasks scheduling better. So use of web based CRM and PRM will help dealers get managed customer information well and PRM helps communication with Company and among dealers more efficiently. Dealers and Company can share reports, information and can have better communication with help of PRM. So for larger and/or overseas companies CRM and PRM are really useful.

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