EUROPEAN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY

EUROPEAN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY : Project cycle management and SWOT analysis.

By Paolo Manzelli : Director LRE/EGO-CreaNET –University of Florence Italy.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS and REASONED BIBLIOGRAPHY

New project proposal "M-Change" developed in relation to the advancements of the Pilot Program of Communitarian Action "Leonardo" Called : FORCO-PRECANET – http://www.univ-tlse2.fr/form-; http://www.narnia.it/forcoprecanet/

Premise.

In the plans of international cooperation the insufficient "innovative knowledge management" and planning of the participation situation are often the cause of a result much limiting regarding the successful of projects. This shortage can carry in fact to one undervaluation of the risk factors in relation to the future sustainability of the project plan.

Working to carry on the development and contemporarily the future European sustainability of the FORCO-PRECANER PILOT PROJECT , the LRE/EGO-CreaNET , in the context of improving a BIBLIOGRAPHY an "on line" BIBLIOGRAPHY on the issues related to the key worlds "BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND INTERNET ECONOMY " , would like to experiment a new European project proposal , opening an action learning plan , for the adoption of the system of Management of a Project Cycle Management, putting particular attention and in particular of the Logical Picture of the "SWOT" analysis .

(SWOT stands for: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. - See –BIBLIO- LINK 1.0 )

Preliminary Considerations about the Project Proposal "MENTAL CHANGE" oriented to improve "BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND INTERNET ECONOMY " in the context of the European Extension of Knowledge Economy. ( See- Biblio –Link 1.1 )

-a- STRENGTS - BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS INNOVATION: Opening this preliminary considerations, first of all I would like to remember that the project

"Mental-Change" would improve the European Knowledge Economy sustaining the growing of "Knowledge Communities ", aiming to share the production of new knowledge management in the context of improving e.government for strengthening ERA. (European Research Area).

The FP6 -CITIZEN 3 program request to develop Research Action Areas especially in the evaluation of the "human component managing resources" in the context of European Market Extension.

In this context the economic performance of BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS are necessary for managing the future Knowledge Economy; fitting this goal is strongly depending by a method to share innovative knowledge management based on a deep knowledge of powerful indicators of "Regional Development".

As a matter of facts moving towards the future Knowledge Economy a fundamental endeavour of the economic growth will be the " knowledge work-creation " in each regional context of Europe; therefore the "M-Change" proposal will contribute to develop models methodologies and actions for a continuing education for citizen understanding of the European Knowledge Economy growth aiming at the same time to overcome the difficulties of job-insecurity of business managers.

For give e fundamental contribution to this goal it will be necessary a

"Mental- Change" ( M-Change) that permits an inversion of the traditional way to see the job-creation as a factor depending from the labour-market needs.

The new fundamental approach for policy and business managers in constructing the Knowledge Economy is to start to understand the intellectual work-force needs for sustaining their advancement in knowledge management for the new economic development.

Simplifying this concept it is easy to understand that without improving work-force productive employment in knowledge management it will be not new possibility of the expansion of the market in the "networking socio-economic environment" of the European post industrial society.

The "M-Change" program will concern to meet this global challenge creating a sense of urgency to action on favouring a "bottom up " e.Govern development based on an inter-active and pro-active methodology, especially concerning the needs of a cultural and conceptual change of the research areas directions of economic and social relevance, in a way to learn to be able to improve effectively the economic performance of the European Knowledge Society.

Hence the main effort of the "M-Change" is to change the individual and

Organization learning cultures improving a digital interactive and

Pro-active access to a "Down- Top " e.Govern methodology for improving Knowledge-based Economy

This means essentially, providing to develop a knowledge management strategy for growing up "Knowledge Communities" aiming to meet local with global challenges encouraging the debate in Science & Society developmental priorities, oriented to the intellectual job-creation , and to develop a large European comparison about the most important socio-economic developmental indicators and to diffuse and disseminate such debate to the general public and also to policy makers and business managers in Europe.

-b- WEAKNESSES- CRITERIA FOR CONTRIBUTING to the enhance co-operative knowledge management innovation developing the project "M-Change"

Now I would like to add some considerations about the need overcome the weaknesses mainly due to the cultural resistances to the change from industrial society to the future European knowledge society and to develop a shared R&D (research and Development) criteria for working for the success of the project "M-Change".

From my point of view we are living near to a socio- economic crisis

has exposed us to the a very strong "change of mentality" in terms of the criteria and methods to develop permanent education (Net-Learning), Science and Technology (S&T) and research and development ( R&D).

Therefore without acting consciously about the needs of "Mental Change in BUSINESS MANAGEMENT" for improving the KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY , the European competitiveness will be declined as a result of a structural changes in the world global economical trends.

The "globalization" has created in fact the prospect for a "new international division of labour" that need to be interpreted with new conception about work and production and new methods of analysis, because is changing the international distribution of production factors in a large reconstruction of the world economy.

I my life during the last century in the Industrial society advanced model of production I assist in my country (Italy) to a great shift between

"manufacturing and service sectors" that create a new balance between manual and intellectual job.

At the present time in the initial context of the development of Knowledge Economy, the "working roles" in society is changing again, and we need to understand the big shift that require to be assured to transform the traditional forms of job in a large spectrum of Knowledge Management activities, where it will be required an "higher skill levels" in "networking business innovation" and problem solving or saving capacities of all "e.workers".

A big aspect of the weaknesses of the Knowledge Economy is focused into a DIGITAL DIVIDE and SKILL SHORTAGE problems; hence is emerging for improving the "M-Change Proposal a knowledge management strategy for a "bottom-up e.GOVERN innovation" , that is not only limited to the shortage of technological ITC tools but is concerning a deep "change of mentality" about the developmental paths in the new division of labour in the World.

The above approach is a good way that explains why the creation of a

"knowledge-based economy" has become the top priority in the government's

agenda all over the world ( se for instance the recent developmental indicators reports of OCDE) (See BIBLIO LINK 1.2 )

So that we need to approach an R&D of "M-Change" in the context of ERA development, looking to exchange information about best practiced of the Regional changes in Europe for assessing the effects on growth and e.work employment of ITC innovation and commercial globalization in relation to the general impact of the traditional way of life both in physical and mental aspects, trying to understand and also to overcome the negative effects of globalization according to the quality of working-life of the people.

This means to develop a democratic strategy of e.Govern for improving appropriated new policy perspectives.

"Democracy" is by definition inclusive , so that the current level of

e.work exclusion is a fundamental constrain on the spread of e.democracy

in Europe with a consequence that it will become difficult to develop a large consent and a deep knowledge of citizen to the needs of "Mental Change" for improving new "e.work" creation on innovative knowledge management as well it will be useful in a new context of the new "international division of labour".

The need to change of individual and organization learning cultures is well

defined by ERSTI 2003 report, that makes frequent reference to the importance of strengthening the practical links between academic research and industrial application, in order to realize the social and economic value of the new Knowledge Economy . ( See BIBLIO LINK 1.3 )

Hence the structure of a European network of Regional Networking Groups of the project "M-CHANGE", will be devoted to strengthening the links between science and technology at Regional or National levels , because this "grouping" approach can help not only to enhance Europe's competitiveness in the Knowledge Economy , but also to increase its attractiveness as a place for researchers to work and as a place for firms to invest.

In conclusion the "M-Change" Project will improve a remarkable transformation in the culture of Universities and its collaboration with Industry especially SME's, in a way that will be possible to give a direct contribute to accelerate the Knowledge Economy development providing a crucial insights into a matter of fundamental concern to a range interdisciplinary research in Knowledge management innovation, including economics, economic history, political economy, the history of technology, and the history ed epistemology of science.

-c- OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS :

One of the fundamental opportunities of the economic growth and social change for

improving the knowledge as the basis of European Economy , will be rethinking science policy into a new international system of "down-top e.democracy" .

Therefore the "M-Change" project will concerns also with ITC models for managing science policy more effectively from down to top, aiming to innovate performance in the ability of science and technology to address the priority of socio-economic issues.

As a matter of facts in the strategy of growing up Knowledge Economy in Science & Innovation is too important to leave them only in the decision making of academic scientists.

The future European Knowledge Economy lies with a growing of ERA (European Research Area) that will be an expression of large networks including Governmental Regional Bodies and Public and Private research Institution that will get some complementary roles in the development of the highest competitiveness of the European Knowledge Society.

So that I think that "M-Change" Proposal will give a good contribute developing ITC Models and Dissemination strategies on S&T implementation planning for ameliorate "e.goverment in a bottom up cultural-democratic approach", founded about the citizen understanding of science & technology developmental problematic of knowledge driven Society. (see: BIBLIO LINK 1.4 )

In fact ITC applied to permanent education of Citizen, can give an extraordinary opportunity for growing up a modelling simulation and forecasts in "S. & T. perspectives" and therefore can allows a rapid "Mental-Change" based on the sharing and collaborative efforts in science policy performance , developed among networks of University's , Regional Governmental Institution and Industry and SME’s Associations.

Certainly at present situation "Mental Change" proposal also may present threats due to the old academic tradition of the Universities and also to the traditional Industry’s behaviour ,in particular of SME’s, that are not accustomed to share business information . Therefore a critical threats include essentially the difficulties related to develop a knowledge management strategy of networking enterprises . Hence the main expected result of the "M-Change" will be to find operative solutions that transforms ITC technologies in a powerful engine for BUSINESS MANAGEMENT on INTERNET ECONOMY.

In particular it will be important for overcoming those threats generated by a conservative mentality, to consider the importance of the "benchmarking in ITC collaboration organized by the "M-Change" project, in a way to growing up the productivity of Knowledge Management innovation. On this aspect about the level of the utilization of ITC-clustering management in various world wide countries is useful to get a look to the "Status of the Art of Global Competitiveness Programme" , that report the World Economic Forum data about the level of managerial skills in relation to accelerate the Knowledge Economy growth.

( see BIBLIO LINK 1.5)

FORCO-PRECANET - BIBLIO LINK : http://www.univ-tlse2.fr/form- ; http://www.narnia.it/forcoprecanet/

(ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS)

Main Thematic (IN CAPITAL FUCSIA-) Business-Managers, Internet Economy.

1, Key Words : (In Red "italico")

Knowledge based Economy, Business Management, Internet Economy.

(Abstracts in English language ) ; Search engine : www.google.it

BIBLIO-LINK

1.0) AA.VV "SWOT- STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT" (Information articles )

Electronic Documents: http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/swot/

Abstract - Note : Simple rules for successful SWOT PROJECT analysis

SWOT stands for : Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats obtained from a simple relation from internal and external factors as a premise for developing a strategic project’s planning

1) be realistic about internal strengths and weaknesses of your project proposal and be specific to avoid grey areas; analysis should distinguish between the knowledge management duties between the project leader organization and the partnership complementary roles

2) Carefully analyze the external environment constrains in the context of your competition through a well defined information research (for example, about the culture, economy, sources of funding, demographics, etc.).

3) Look at the main points in the environmental analysis, and identify those points that pose opportunities for your organization, and those that pose threats or obstacles to performance.

4) keep your SWOT short and simple. Avoid complexity and over analysis and remember that SWOT is subjective so that only a comparative analysis can be more objective.

Page Visited : 01/Sept/2003

- EGO-CreaNET Preliminary information : Mental Change Proposal –Search for Partners

Electronic Document : http://www.descrittiva.it/calip/mental/

Abstract: The "M-Change" Project Proposal will be co-organized trough an international partnership where each partner will be able to organize a clustering group of interest for improving "BUSINESS MANAGEMENT for INTERNET ECONOMY" in a way to be able to generate an Mental Change for developing an innovative cultural and scientific environment favouring the development of the European Research Area (ERA) and accelerating the development of the Knowledge Economy Based in turning Science and Technology into a " Networking Business Innovation".

Page Visited :01/sept/2003

1.2) – "Towards a knowledge based economy " OCDE -REPORT

Electronic Document: http://www1.oecd.org/publications/e-book/92-2001-04-1-2987

Abstract: The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Science Technology and Industry gives an available scoreboard 2001 that can be browsed though the home page of OECD : http://www.oecd.org.

Page visited : 01/Sept/2003

1.3) _ Third European Commission’s S&T Indicators (ERSTI-2003) (Study Reports)

Electronic Document : http://www.cordis.lu/indicators/

http://www.europa..eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/competitiveness/index.htm

Abstract: Those study reports presents the latest information about the European Commission of S&T developmental Indicators and about the Innovation trends Scoreboard proposed by the EU-Commission’s Directorate –General for Enterprises.

Pages visited : 01/Sept/2003

1.4) - P.Manzelli "Knowledge Driven Economy " (Article)

Electronic Document : http://www.edscuola.it/archivio/lre/knowledge_driven_economy.htm

Page visited : 01/Sept/2003

1.5)- F.Paua -WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM :"Global Competitiveness Programme"

(Study Report)

Electronic Document : http://www.weforum.org/ ; Fiona.paua@weforum.org

Abstract: Classification of world countries in developing networking business skills .

Page visited : 01/Sept/2003