Management Question

‫المملكة العربية السعودية‬
‫وزارة التعليم‬
‫الجامعة السعودية اإللكترونية‬

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Education
Saudi Electronic University

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences

Assignment 3
Knowledge Management (MGT 403)
Due Date: 30/11/2024 @ 23:59
Student’s Name:
Zahra Ali Almadlouh
Course Name: Knowledge
Management

Hind Aldabel
Ayah Seed Salem
Jana Aldhayan

Student’s ID Number:
S210034896
Course Code: MGT-403

S210028287
S200154021
S210028389

Semester: 1st

CRN: 16435
Academic Year: 2024-2025 1st Term

For Instructor’s Use only
Instructor’s Name:
Students’ Grade: / 10

Level of Marks: High/Middle/Low

Instructions – PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Education
Saudi Electronic University

‫المملكة العربية السعودية‬
‫وزارة التعليم‬
‫الجامعة السعودية اإللكترونية‬

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
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This assignment is a group assignment.
Each group will consist of 3-5 Students only.

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Due date for Assignment 3 is 30-11-2024

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The Assignment must be submitted only in WORD format via allocated folder.

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Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted.

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Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented; marks may be reduced
for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page.

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Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.

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Late submission will NOT be accepted.

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Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or other
resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.

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All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) font. No
pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).

Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.
Assignment Workload:
This Assignment is a mini project type assignment.
This assignment is a group Assignment

Course Learning Outcomes-Covered
Demonstrate effective knowledge management skills to utilize knowledge
management tools for the benefits of the organization.
Demonstrate ability to work with others effectively as a team member in knowledge
management projects, related to case studies.
Assignment 3

Choose any organization of your choice (Preferably from Saudi Arabia) and
write a detailed report with following headings. (700-900 Words)
Report Title: Knowledge management systems in organizations.
Part A. Introduction:

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Education
Saudi Electronic University

‫المملكة العربية السعودية‬
‫وزارة التعليم‬
‫الجامعة السعودية اإللكترونية‬

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
The introduction part must highlight the following.
❖ Briefly describe knowledge management and its benefits to organizations in general. (1.5
Marks)
❖ Brief description of the selected organization. (1.5 Marks)
❖ Is Knowledge management practiced in your selected organization? If yes, what are the major
tools and techniques used by the organization to capture and disseminate knowledge.
If not, what are the obstacles? How can your selected organization overcome these obstacles to
implement and practice knowledge management? (3 Marks)
❖ Highlight the major challenges faced by the organizations in Saudi Arabia to implement
knowledge management systems. (2 Marks)
Part B. Recommendation and Conclusion: (200-300 Words)

(2 Marks)

What suggestions/recommendations would you like to provide to the selected organization for
improving knowledge management systems.
Write down conclusion in one paragraph.

Answer

Part A. Introduction

Knowledge Management and Its Benefits

Knowledge management was defined differently throughout the years starting from Nonaka and
Takeuchi in 1995 when they described it as the progress of setting a system in order to capture,
structuring, dissemination, and management of knowledge within the firm to boost the speed of the
work and reduce costs. However, the accurate definition of knowledge management is the deliberate

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Education
Saudi Electronic University

‫المملكة العربية السعودية‬
‫وزارة التعليم‬
‫الجامعة السعودية اإللكترونية‬

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
and systematic coordination of the people of the organization, their technology, processes, and the
structure to make more value and innovation. The knowledge management can be achieved by
applying knowledge, creation of knowledge, and sharing knowledge in the organizational learning
using the corporate memory practices. Knowledge management is giving benefits to individuals,
organizations, and communities as well. As for individuals, knowledge management can save a lot of
time for people whenever they are trying to solve problems and also to make better decisions.
However, individuals will need to collect information from their experiences and skills and then
compare their interpretations to each other and finally the organization to turn this information into
knowledge so the individual can benefit from it. As for communities, knowledge management can
develop both common language and a professional code of ethics. The benefit that the knowledge
management can give the organization is to solve problems quickly and build organizational memory.
Overview of Aramco
Aramco is the largest company for oil production, and it’s known as Saudi Arabian Oil Company.
Aramco is mainly located in Saudi Arabia specifically in Dhahran region. The history of this company
started in 1933 by an agreement between the Standard Oil Company of California and the government
of Saudi Arabia and after that in 1938 the operations started to take place and Saudi Arabia made sure
to build the longest distribution pipeline to keep up with the production. However, the official
establishment of Saudi Aramco took place in 1988 before they started to do partnerships and alliances
in 1990.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Education
Saudi Electronic University

‫المملكة العربية السعودية‬
‫وزارة التعليم‬
‫الجامعة السعودية اإللكترونية‬

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences

Knowledge Management Practices at Aramco

The global energy and chemical company Aramco recognize the importance of knowledge
management (KM) and has implemented several tools and techniques to do so.
Aramco uses Share to share knowledge and collaborate. It acts as a central repository for project
information, documents, and expert knowledge. Aramco also utilizes a variety of tools and techniques,
including:
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Collaboration, knowledge exchange, and problem solving are all possible through
Communities of Practice (CoPs).

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Employee mentoring programs: Experienced employees’ mentor younger employees,
transferring valuable knowledge and skills.

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An organization’s knowledge assets are identified and visualized using a knowledge
mapping technique.

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Knowledge audits: Regular assessments of the organization’s knowledge assets and practices
help identify gaps and areas for improvement.

Obstacles to Knowledge Management in Aramco:
Despite these efforts, Aramco may still face some obstacles in its knowledge management initiatives.
Some potential challenges include:
•

Cultural barriers: Some employees may be reluctant to share knowledge or may not see the
value of KM.
Technical challenges: Integrating KM tools and systems with existing IT infrastructure can
be complex.
Time constraints: Employees may be too busy to participate in KM activities.

Overcoming Obstacles and Implementing KM:

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Education
Saudi Electronic University

‫المملكة العربية السعودية‬
‫وزارة التعليم‬
‫الجامعة السعودية اإللكترونية‬

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
To overcome these obstacles and further enhance its KM practices, Aramco can consider the following
strategies:
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Leadership support: Strong leadership support is essential for driving KM initiatives.

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Employee engagement: Involve employees in the design and implementation of KM
programs.

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Incentives: Reward employees for sharing knowledge and participating in KM activities.

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Training and development: Provide training on KM concepts and tools.

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Continuous improvement: Regularly evaluate and refine KM processes.

By addressing these challenges and implementing effective KM strategies, Aramco can further
leverage its knowledge assets to drive innovation, improve decision-making, and achieve its business
objectives.

Challenges in Implementing KM in Saudi Arabian Organizations

Saudi organizations face some challenges in implementing knowledge management systems. These
include Aramco and others

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Education
Saudi Electronic University

‫المملكة العربية السعودية‬
‫وزارة التعليم‬
‫الجامعة السعودية اإللكترونية‬

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
Lack of a clear knowledge management strategy aligned with business objectives, resistance to sharing
knowledge due to fear of losing value, lack of integration between different knowledge management
systems and databases, insufficient investment in technological infrastructure and tools, limited focus
on obtaining tacit knowledge, lack of… Rewards or incentives for knowledge sharing, lack of executive
commitment and leadership in knowledge management
Aramco faces several major obstacles, including:
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Political instability or conflict could disrupt the company’s operations and supply chain. A high
level of volatility exists in the region where the company operates.

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As a result of global economic conditions and geopolitical factors, Aramco’s revenue is heavily
dependent on oil prices.

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Concerns about the environment: The company is under increasing pressure to reduce its
carbon footprint and adopt more sustainable practices, which could require significant
investments and changes to its business model.

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There is intense competition in the global oil and gas market, with other major players vying
for market share. There is a potential impact on Aramco’s profitability and pricing power due
to this competition.

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Regulatory risks: Aramco operates in a heavily regulated industry, and changes in regulations
could impact on its operations and costs.

•

Cybersecurity threats: The company is a prime target for cyberattacks, which could disrupt its
operations and damage its reputation.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Education
Saudi Electronic University

‫المملكة العربية السعودية‬
‫وزارة التعليم‬
‫الجامعة السعودية اإللكترونية‬

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
Despite these challenges, Aramco remains a dominant player in the global oil and gas industry. The
company has a strong track record of innovation and efficiency, and it is well-positioned to adapt to
the changing energy landscape

Part B. Recommendation and Conclusion
Recommendations for Aramco Knowledge Management Enhancement

References:
–

Delventhal, S. (2024, May 19). What is Saudi Aramco? its history, IPO, and financials.
Investopedia.

‫المملكة العربية السعودية‬
‫وزارة التعليم‬
‫الجامعة السعودية اإللكترونية‬

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Education
Saudi Electronic University

College of Administrative and Financial Sciences

–

Sundiman, D. (2013, January). (PDF) the role of Knowledge Management on Individu, the
community

and

the

organization.

Research

gate.

nt_on_Individu_the_Community_and_the_Organization

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