THE IMPLICATION OF ADOPTING A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT APPROACH AS PART OF THE ENHANCEMENT OF BUSINESS SUPPORT OF THE INCUBATORS NETWORK AT THE AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF MEXICO

Abstract

“The implication of adopting a knowledge management approach as part of the enhancement of business support of the incubators network at the autonomous university of the state of Mexico” Wednesday 10th of July 2019 Knowledge management has raised attention for learning organizations as a management strategy to foster competitive advantage. This research is developed in a Mexican context within a network of incubators (Incubators Network UAEM) which is associated with a Higher Education Institution; the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico. This research project’s aim is to understand the implications of adopting a knowledge management approach as part of the enhancement of business support of the Incubators Network at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico. This thesis outlines a number of issues (business incubators, networking and knowledge management) that need attention in order to better understand the implications of applying a knowledge management approach at the research settings (Incubators Network UAEM). The researcher used case study as the methodology, for data collection the technique used was a ‘semi-structured interview’ and data analysis was made using the principles of qualitative content analysis. Twenty-two interviews to participants belonging to the Incubators Network UAEM associated with the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico were conducted. The interview results were then compared with the literature findings regarding incubators, networking and knowledge management in order to establish the implications of adopting a knowledge management approach at the research target. A number of issues require attention and generate new opportunities for future work. These are 1 Assessment of incubators as creators of knowledge- based companies. 2 Assessment of institutional mechanisms’ -i.e. universities- effectiveness as network mechanisms in facilitating innovation. 3 Assessment of the relationship between intra-organizational culture and networking and 4 Assessment of successful factors of networking.

Date of Award	31 Dec 2019
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Margaret Emsley (Supervisor) & Timothy Jones (Supervisor)