Presently, new technologies, products and services are emerging in the market. The lifecycle of the existing technologies are short and changing. Information technology (IT) is one of them. Due to growth in the importance of IT in recent years, corporate data and information are available in plenty.

This is because data and information are easy to access and transfer across the globe using IT applications without any geographical restraints. In this context arises the involvement of the term knowledge. It leads to questions of where and how the word knowledge came from in the context of data and information.

About knowledge evolution
In reality, knowledge comes from data and information. When data and information are applied and used in a meaningful context for a decision, the reward is knowledge. The decision could be finding a solution or identifying a problem. The term knowledge points towards the decision outcome. It is the know-how of defining the solution or know-what of identifying the problem. This is very critical in any function of an organisation.

Knowledge evolving from data and information are of two forms. This is tacit and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is the knowledge created in individuals through formal training, insights, ideas and experiences learned and gained over the years of working in organisations. Tacit knowledge is individual specific, as individuals are different.

Explicit knowledge is the knowledge available in public that exists in documents either in paper or electronic form. Time and richness are the key ingredients of knowledge. Technology helps in supporting the value of time and richness of knowledge. For example, IT applications like intranets, internet, lotus notes and e-mail applications support the processes of knowledge creation, storage, transfer, sharing and application.

Moreover, technologies assist or enable the knowledge processes depending on the form of knowledge engaged in the process. If the knowledge is explicit, IT enables the process of sharing and transfer, and if it is tacit IT assists the process of sharing and transfer. Here, there is a stress on the two words: assist and enable. Assist means help (Oxford dictionary), which means IT helps the process of sharing to take place when the knowledge is not readily available, but is there in the individuals mind that solely depends on the individuals willingness to share.

On the other hand enable means make possible (Oxford dictionary), which means IT enables the sharing process itself, as the knowledge is readily available in public. In short, it is a discussion about the existing knowledge of the company represented in different forms (explicit and tacit).

Information and knowledge are essential for any business function. The business functions consist of several divisions. In general, they are strategy, production/manufacturing, systems, finance/accounting, human resources and advertising/marketing/sales.

Knowledge is the fundamental thread linking and integrating these divisions in an organisation as a whole. Being knowledge as the common thread, there are many distinctions in the existing and required types of knowledge for an organisation. For a more detailed understanding of the application of KM, consider the automobile industry.

A brief description of the automobile industry
The basic idea for selection is the general nature of the automobile industry. The word automobile depicts the real meaning of the industry. As we know in car manufacturing, key elements like automotive technology, design and development had a phenomenal transition in the 20^th century, from the early 1920s of Fords T-model car to the present trend of building a solar power-driven car.

The transition is always buoyant and it happens due to creativity of the human mind. In other words, it is knowledge creation which is the current buzzword used in corporate circles. So knowledge management is not a new theme, but an old saga that has come into prominence of awareness in the practitioners daily guide and the academics intellectual pursuit.

Since the industry is vibrant, there is a huge market potential in the Indian car market, particularly for foreign brand cars having manufacturing units India. As the nature of the industry is highly dynamic and competitive, managing existing knowledge and creating new knowledge are critical and valuable for sustained performance and growth.

Hence knowledge management will provide a growth engine for a sequence of tangible business indicators like profit growth, market share, product sales and intangible indicators like sustainable performance, product innovation, customer satisfaction and overall brand development.

Application of knowledge management in car manufacture
In the design of various components of assembling a car, different types of knowledge are required. Here the basic knowledge needed in the integration of design, development and manufacture of a car are of immense magnitude and greater importance.

To discuss in brief about the types of knowledge imperative for the production of a car are:

• Know-how about engine configuration engine design, gearbox structure, cylinder capacity, speed control, fuel efficiency etc.
• Know-how about the design of comfort level driving comfort, seating style, legroom space, mirror alignment etc.
• Know-how about the design of safety element durability and reliability of the vehicle, especially if children are travelling in the car.
• Know-how on other components aerodynamic design, braking system, tyres etc.
• Finally, the last and least, is the overall value of the vehicle in determining the most important decision to buy the car. Therefore, buying decision will be primarily influenced by the right and effective knowledge imparted by the carmaker to the ultimate buyer.

In all these elements, the different types of knowledge are desired to sustain in this ever-growing competitive industry of automobiles. To survive and win in this situation, corporations should create and expand the know-how of the existing designs and models competing in the market and the new designs entering the market. Corporations should also understand and develop knowledge capabilities and skills essential for improvement in the existing models and innovation of new designs in the market.

In conclusion, if the company is not able to identify and manage what knowledge exists and not exists, there will be an increasing knowledge space in the form of strategic knowledge gap. This strategic knowledge gap, if not addressed with importance, will induce inefficiency and ineffectiveness in performance of the corporation. The end result will be lesser sustainability of quality knowledge and market decline for the corporation.

The writer is a research student at University of Melbourne. The views expressed are entirely personal and does not imply any person or corporation in any sense. He can be contacted at