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- Have other companies successfully applied KM to their marketing functions?
- Has anyone identified any special problems associated with the use of KM in marketing?
- In that the application of KM to our marketing department may necessitate additional investment in information technology, is there any evidence that information technology and computerization actually impacts marketing performance in a positive manner?
Answers to these questions may be obtained by carrying out library research. For example, "The Impact of Computerization on Marketing Performance" by David Good and Robert Stone (published in 2000 in Volume 15, Issue 1 of The Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing on pages 34-56) provides empirical evidence that "computer usage enriches individual marketer productivity and, in turn, organizational performance."
Another extremely important advantage associated with library research is "the relationship between the provision of information services and the productivity of an organization" (see Michael Koenig, Fall 1992, "The Importance of Information Services for Productivity "Under-Recognized" and Under-Invested" Special Libraries Vol. 83(4), p. 119). An extensive literature exists demonstrating that information can contribute significantly to the resolution of technical problems, and that information obtained from library research is often as important in this process as information obtained from personal contact. Moreover, access to information "is a very critical component of the productivity of knowledge workers and consequently the productivity of the information dependent organization employing those persons" (see Michael Koenig, Fall 1992, "The Importance of Information Services for Productivity "Under-Recognized" and Under-Invested" Special Libraries Vol. 83(4), p. 206; Koenig's article also features a comprehensive literature review on the topic).
A final advantage associated with library research is that it can be an effective tool for contending with managerial information overload. In today's business world, an organization's capacity for producing information can far exceed the human capacity for processing it. Moreover, the proliferation of Internet technology has created an information-saturated environment for many -- but not all -- regions in the world. Literature exists demonstrating that library research in an environment characterized by information overload can contribute to more efficient and effective decision making (see Maureen Grieves, 1998, "The Impact of Information Use on Decision Making: Studies in Five Sectors -- Introduction, Summary and Conclusions" Library Management Vol. 19(2), p. 78+ for an overview of studies on information use in decision making by "very experienced managers" in pharmaceuticals, government, health care, and insurance).
Purposes of the Tutorial
This tutorial is specifically intended to introduce and familiarize the user with MSOE Library resources that can be employed to carry out library research for the MSEM program. Relevant resources are described and their usage is explained. Sample research strategies are featured.
This tutorial is updated annually.
It is hoped that this tutorial can assist all MSEM students in meeting some of the expectations of the MSEM faculty in the preparation and presentation of reports, projects, and theses and other work associated with the MSEM program.
These expectations include:
- An ability to conduct credible research on a management-related topic
- An ability to analyze and interpret research in a meaningful way
- An ability to provide documented support of any conclusions stated in a report, research paper or other work
- An ability to locate and use current and credible research sources
- The avoidance of plagiarism
- An ability to follow the documentation standards
- An ability to locate and use research sources appropriate to a topic
- An ability to clearly identify the source for all direct quotations and the ability to identify an author's qualifications
- An ability to understand and follow the format requirements for a report, research paper or other work
- An ability to provide clear explanations of new or complex concepts in a manner appropriate to graduate school level
- An ability to communicate in a report, research paper or other work in a manner that avoids sweeping generalizations and invalid assumptions
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Occasionally, busy managers and students may initially view these expectations as secondary in importance, perhaps even tedious. As a result, they may question the emphasis in the expectations on credible research, critical thought skills, proper documentation, and clear and logical writing. In response, it may help to understand that the expectations are not only part of the normal academic standards encountered in any credible graduate program, but they also help students to realize practical purposes. These practical purposes are very often recognized by leaders in the business world. Consider the words of Robert Lutz, "the product-development genius and iconoclastic leader behind Chrysler's second renaissance." "Being detail-conscious, being punctual, being fastidious and reasonably well dressed, being punctilious (even so punctilious as to make sure punctilious is spelled right), being, in short, a little anal ... isn't a bad thing. Quite the opposite. ... What of the big picture -- doesn't it matter more than details? It matters, but not more. As the saying goes, "Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle." Yet where trifles are concerned, we seem to have lost our capacity for outrage. Sloppiness, carelessness, and thoughtlessness go increasingly unchallenged. You see this slacking off in everything from rudeness on the street to a laid-back "Hey-what's-the-big-deal-it-still-works- doesn't-it?" attitude regarding product defects to my personal pet peeve: typos and misused words in national newspapers and magazines. ... Right now we are raising a generation of kids who cannot think inside, on top of, or outside the box. And unless we smarten them up soon, ... [this] is going to compromise our country's ability to compete economically somewhere down the road. ... It's a big world, of course; and maybe there's a place in it for people who can sit around feeling good about themselves but can't write a coherent sentence. But that place is not my office or anybody else's." From Robert A. Lutz, 1998, Guts: The Seven Laws of Business That Made Chrysler the World's Hottest Car Company (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), pp. 113, 118, and 199. This book is in the MSOE Library's Davis Collection. |
Audience
The intended audience of this tutorial includes the following people:
- MSEM students, including:
- Students who are not familiar with, or who desire a review of, MSOE library resources.
- Students who need to complete research for a paper, presentation, or project in an MSEM class.
- Students who need to complete research for a Capstone project.
- Students who need to complete research for a thesis.
- MSEM faculty who are not familiar with, or who desire a review of, MSOE Library resources.