Incentives for Knowledge Sharing at Hill and Knowlton

Hill and Knowlton, which was founded in 1927, is a leading international communications
consultancy headquartered in New York with 74 offices in 41 countries and an extensive
associate network. It is part of one of the world’s largest communications services groups
(WPP), and provides services to local, multinational, and global clients. The company is
hired by organizations to manage their product launches, media relations, and
communication during crises.

Hill and Knowlton offered “Beenz,” which was a system of micropayments, each worth
$0.001, to encourage employees to contribute case studies and bios. Employees could
redeem Beenz online for CDs, books, and other items. For example, an employee could win
a weekend for two in a Caribbean villa for 110,000 Beenz. After the company offering
Beenz shut down on August 17, 2001, some offices started rewarding employees through
gift certificates and pizza parties.

Hill and Knowlton also offered bonuses to individuals managing departments that were
active in knowledge sharing. This was based on two criteria: whether the department made
knowledge contributions and whether the department extracted and used knowledge from
another department. Bonuses varied from one year to the next.

Hill and Knowlton also established a “best-seller” list to publicize the contributions that
were most frequently accessed. Users were encouraged to discuss their rank on the best-
seller list during conversations about advancement opportunities.
Word processing, desktop publishing, and electronic calendars are examples of:
A.    Knowledge work systems
B.     Artificial intelligence systems
C.    Decision support systems
D.    Document imaging systems
E.     Group collaboration systems
F.     Office systems
ANSWER-F

2.      The stored learning from an organization’s history that can be used for decision-making
and other purposes best describes:
A.    Organizational learning
B.     Tacit knowledge
C.    Knowledge warehouse
D.    Best practices
E.     Organizational memory
F.     Knowledge base
ANSWER-E
3.      The most successful solutions or problem-solving methods that have been developed by a
specific organization or industry best describes:
A.    Organizational memory
B.     Knowledge management
C.    Best practices
D.    Standard operating procedures
E.     Explicit knowledge
F.     Business objectives
ANSWER-C

4.      Systems that convert documents and images into digital form so that they can be stored
and accesed by the computer are called:
A.    Virtual reality systems
B.     Document imaging systems
C.    Knowledge work systems
D.    Neural networks
E.     Presentation graphics systems
F.     Scanners

ANSWER-B

5.      Major knowledge work applications include:

A.    Investment workstations, computer-aided design systems, and intelligent agents
B.     Document imaging systems
C.    Virtual reality systems, investment workstations, and intelligent agents
D.    Virtual reality systems, intelligent agents, and investment workstations
E.     Computer-aided design systems, virtual reality systems, and investment workstations
F.     None of the above

ANSWER-E
6.      Interactive graphics software and hardware that create computer-generated simulations
which provide sensations that emulate real world-activities describes:
A.    VRML
B.     Fuzzy neural networks
C.    Virtual reality systems
D.    Genetic algorithms
E.     Pilot programs

ANSWER -C

7.      Groupware is build around each of the following principles:

A.    communication, collaboration, and coordination
B.     communication, collaboration, coordination, and knowledge sharing
C.    communication, collaboration, coordination, and investigation
D.    communication, collaboration, coordination, and teamware
E.     communication, collaboration, coordination, and groupware
F.     None of these
ANSWER-B

8.      Artificial intelligence systems:

A.    Do not exhibit the same level of intelligence as human beings
B.     Can solve all problems intelligently
C.    Substitute for experts
D.    Can come up with new and novel solutions to problems
E.     Can develop associations and use metaphors and analogies
F.     Have a unique ability to impose a conceptual apparatus on the surrounding world
ANSWER-A
9.      A knowledge-intensive computer program that captures the expertise of a human in
limited domains of knowledge describes:
A.    virtual reality
B.     a neural network
C.    a decision support system
D.    fuzzy logic
E.     a genetic algorithm
F.     an expert system

ANSWER-F

10.  The strategy used to search through the rule base in an expert system defines:
A.    an AI shell
B.     fuzzy logic
C.    CASE
D.    an inference engine
E.     a genetic algorithm
F.     SWOT

ANSWER-D
11.  Which of the following is a specialist who elicits information and expertise from other
professionals and translates it into a set of rules or frames for an expert system?
A.    Knowledge translator
B.     Knowledge analyst
C.    Knowledge specialist
D.    Knowledge engineer
E.     Expert analyst
F.     Systems analyst
ANSWER-D

12.  Which of the following refers to rule-based AI tolerates imprecision by using non-specific

terms called membership functions to solve problems?
A.    Genetic algorithms
B.     Expert system
C.    Hybrid system
D.    Fuzzy logic
E.     Virtual reality system
F.     Neural network

ANSWER-D

13.  Which of the following is a software program that uses a built-in or learned knowledge
base to carry out specific, repetitive, and predictable tasks for an individual user, business
process, or software application?
A.    Expert system
B.     Intelligent agent
C.    Genetic algorithms
D.    Neural network
E.     Fuzzy logic
F.     Hybrid system
ANSWER –B
14.  Knowledge workers need:
A.    powerful graphics
B.     quick and easy access to external databases
C.    communications and document management tools
D.    a user-friendly interface
E.     analytical tools
F.     all the above
ANSWER-F

15.  A collection of internal and external knowledge in a single location for more efficient
management and utilization by the organization, best describes:
A.    a knowledge repository
B.     organizational memory
C.    a data warehouse
D.    knowledge management
E.     an external database
F.     none of the above

ANSWER- A

16.  A typical document imaging system used:

A.    an index server
B.     workstations
C.    scanners
D.    an optical disk system
E.     printers
F.     all the above
ANSWER-F
17.  Offices and office workers have these basic functions:
A.    managing and coordinating the work of data and knowledge workers
B.     scheduling for individuals and groups
C.    managing documents, including document creation, storage, retrieval, and dissemination
D.    connecting the organization to the external world
E.     connecting the work of local information workers with all levels and functions of the
organization
F.     all the above

ANSWER-F

18.  Technologies that uniquely and directly address the organizational learning and knowledge
management tasks include:
A.    enterprise systems, external and internal networks, databases, datamining, and
communication-based applications
B.     just office systems and knowledge work systems
C.    just external and internal networks and databases
D.    office systems, knowledge work systems (KWS), group collaboration systems, and AI
applications
E.     just group collaboration systems and AI applications
F.     all the above

ANSWER-D
19.  The set of processes developed in an organization to create, gather, store, transfer, and
apply knowledge, best describes:
A.    organizational learnings
B.     knowledge management
C.    organizational memory
D.    knowledge assets
E.     business process engineering
F.     none of the above
Answer: B

20.  Expertise and experience of organizational members that has not been formally
documented is known as:
A.    knowledge sharing
B.     tacit knowledge
C.    organizational learning
D.    organizational memory
E.     best practices
F.     none of the above
Answer: B

Return to Top
T R U E /FA LS E QU ES TI ON S
1.      Providing quick and easy access to external databases is a requirement of a knowledge
work system.
1.      True
2.      False
Answer: True
2.      Organizations are using artificial intelligence technology to capture individual and
collective knowledge and to codify and extend their knowledge base.
1.      True
2.      False
 Answer: True
3.      One of the primary advantages of expert systems is their ability to perform a variety of
tasks.
1.      True
2.      False
Answer: False
4.      Expert system benefits include reduced errors, reduced cost, reduced training time,
improved decisions, and improved quality and service.
1.      True
2.      False
Answer: True
5.      Knowledge workers are skilled at avoiding information overload.
1.      True
2.      False
Answer: False
6.      Knowledge maps are tools for identifying and locating the organization’s knowledge
resources.
1.      True
2.      False
Answer: True
7.      Portals are used to connect knowledge workers to external databases.
1.      True
2.      False
Answer: False
8.      A community of practice is an informal group of people in an organization with a common
professional interest.
1.      True
2.      False
Answer: True
9.      Information systems can also provide knowledge networks for linking people so that tacit
knowledge can be shared.
1.      True
2.      False
Answer: True
10.  Knowledge assets are as important as physical and financial assets for competitive
advantage and survival.
1.      True
2.      False
Answer: True