Part 2: Facilitating information and knowledge management through information systems and operational research: From theory to practice

Welcome to Part 2 of our special issue. The focus of this part of the special issue is on more practical studies on knowledge management. The management and sharing of information and knowledge belongs, inter alia, to a set of core competencies with a direct and profound effect on reaching and sustaining competitive advantage. We live in the ‘Information Society’, where the amount of information and knowledge a firm possesses equals its ability to deal on time with the challenges created by the external context in which it is embedded. Information and knowledge management bring various challenges for a firm, such as how to retrieve the most relevant and trustworthy sources; how to use these resources so as to succeed in the achievement of its strategic plans; and how to use the resources for knowledge enhancement and improvement of its role as ‘knowledge worker’ in today’s information society (Edwards et al, 2009). Over the last 20 years, there has been considerable research in the deployment and management of effective business strategies and information systems (IS) to deal with the aforementioned challenges, but, clearly, further research is required to shed light into these topics (Benbasat and Zmud, 1999; Baskerville and Myers, 2009). Research, however, should not appeal only to academics or practitioners (Clark et al, 2009), but cater for anyone who would like to have a more in-depth understanding of the underlying machinations of the utilisation of OR and IS in managing information and knowledge in today’s complex contexts. In this vein, a more practice-based approach to knowledge would be promoted (for example Nicolini, 2011). Aligning ourselves with these concerns expressed, our aim in this special issue, presented in two parts, is to contribute and strengthen discussion and debate on the processes which enable or inhibit the management of information and knowledge through IS and bridge the gap between academia and practice. We include articles which emphasise the role of IS and OR as a