Knowledge Diffusion Through Sme Websites

AbstractThe discipline of knowledge management (KM) is no longer emerging in large organizations, but also small and medium-sized (SME) organizations are focusing on finding the right process that will allow them to make advantages of their intellectual capital. In this article the authors suggest a three-dimensional research framework for the determination of knowledge diffusion in SMEs. The research framework can be described by the following dimensions each being detailed through factor tables: (1) Data/Information/Knowledge, (2) information technology, (3) cognitive/social aspects of knowledge diffusion. The article presents the results of an empirical study investigating the knowledge diffusion process through SME websites in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The study provides evidence that the knowledge diffusion through SME websites is an unbalanced system regarding the three-dimensional research framework.