Knowledge Management Mechanisms in E-Commerce: A Study of Online Retailing and Auction Sites

Co-authored by Fiona Nah, Keng Siau, Yuhong Tian, and Min Ling

Knowledge management is vital to a company's success in this e-commerce era. Not only has the topic of knowledge management attracted much research attention, but the management of customer knowledge is also becoming increasingly important. Despite its significance, few research studies have systematically investigated knowledge management in the e-commerce context and no empirical studies on knowledge management mechanisms in e-commerce was found in our literature search. This research presents an analysis of the knowledge management mechanisms employed by fourteen e-commerce sites that were rated as being the best by Gomez.com, an independent Internet quality measurement firm. Specifically, we analyzed the knowledge acquisition, knowledge dissemination, and knowledge sharing mechanisms employed by these leading e-commerce sites. As a pioneering research in this area, the findings have important implications for e-commerce companies seeking to enhance their knowledge management practices.

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	Nah, Fiona Fui-Hoon Professor of Management in Information Systems Expertise: Information Systems Human-Computer Interaction Electronic, Mobile, and Ubiquitous Commerce Web 2.0, Virtual World, and 3-D Web Management CBA 267 P.O. Box 880491 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588-0491, USA Phone: (402) 472-6060 Fax: (402) 472-5855 fnah@unlnotes.unl.edu	Nah, Fiona Fui-Hoon	Management
	Siau, Keng L Edwin J. Faulkner Professor Expertise: Systems Analysis and Design Design Science Web 2.0, Virtual World, and 3-D Web Supply Chain Integration and Management Electronic, Mobile, and Ubiquitous Commerce Management CBA 255 P.O. Box 880491 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588-0491, USA Phone: (402) 472-3078 Fax: (402) 472-5855 ksiau@unl.edu	Siau, Keng L	Management