zihni research.mis.ass.2.knowledge.society1

8/8/2019 zihni Research.mis.Ass.2.Knowledge.society1

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Management Information Systems

Assignment

2

Research Essay on

KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY

REQUIRED

Review relevant past theoretical and empirical literature (e.g. definitions, approaches, activities and

practices) on Knowledge Society and summarise your findings under appropriate sub-headings.

Comment on the potential of various social and technical factors to facilitate or hinder the

development of knowledge society.

Give your own views about the strategic advantages of knowledge society and suggest ways in which

Bosnia and Herzegovina should approach this issue.

AUTHOR

Recep ZIHNI

Sarajevo

Monday, 06 December 2010


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THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL LITERATURE ON

KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY

To look is one thing,

to see what you look at is another,

to understand what you see is a third,

to learn from what you understand is still something else,

to act on what you learn is all that matters.

Intelligence Hierarchy

Data

- words, numbers, code, tables, databases- categorize, calculate, collate, quantify, collect

Information

- sentences, paragraphs, equations, concepts, ideas, questions, simple stories- contextualize, compare, converse, connect, filter, prioritize, order, frame

Knowledge

- chapters, theories, axioms, conceptual frameworks, complex stories facts- structure, interpret, evaluate, deconstruct

Wisdom

- books, paradigms, systems, philosophies, school of thought, poetry, belief systems, traditions, principals, truths- weave, embody, discriminate, synthesize


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Recent History of Knowledge Society

The idea of the knowledge society has, over the last 30 or so years, become a focus for a rich and

diverse scholarly debate at both philosophical and empirical levels.

The knowledge society has also been presented in terms of the network society, where, it is

argued, the dominant role of IT is changing our understanding of what knowledge is, and isdetermining how it can be used.

The second half of the twentieth century saw the emergence of new types of social and economicarrangements. These arrangements were based not on the production of physical goods, but on

the production, organization and exchange of knowledge. But this change has been seen as more

than simply a move from manufacturing industries to ideas-based industries. A cognitive shift issaid to have occurred, as new knowledge became incorporated into cultural and institutional

forms, not merely economic ones, changing them in the process.

Knowledge societies are not to be confused with information societies. Knowledge societies

contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities, and encompass social, ethical andpolitical dimensions.

Example: Singapore, for example, started out as a developing country of shantytowns at

independence and achieved economic growth rates that surpass those of most industrializednations in just four decades by promoting knowledge (education) and creativity.

Characteristics of Knowledge Societies

Knowledge Societies and their economies have a range of characteristics. These include:

Advanced high-speed broadband domestic and enterprise;

High level of electronic transactions in public, private and government services;

High speed broadband and systematic usage in schools;

High participation of students in advanced mathematics and science; World ranking Universities with high level of international connectivity;

Technology industry producing innovative products and services for export;

Well defined national ICT (Information Communications Technology) research programs

which focus on documented strategic national needs;

High ranking in IT international surveys and global competitiveness; High number of full-time researchers in industry and at third-level;

Strength in ICT, Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals with high added value indigenous

manufacturing sectors; Evidence of Government endorsement of the knowledge agenda; Sophisticated intellectual property systems with high level of patents, trademarks and licensing

revenue;

High level of international business connectivity with strong export revenues from products andinternationally traded services;

Significant Government effort is underway to ensure social inclusion and active citizen

participation in topical and political issues.


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A Shared Heritage of Mankind

The Greek Commonwealth

Chinese, Indian, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Afghan period

Western science & technology (after 1100)

Central Africa, Maya, Aztecs etc

Abdus Salam (theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics 1979) wrote on science, technologyand science education in the development of the south. He said that science and technology are

cyclical. They are a shared heritage of all mankind. East and West, South and North have all

equally participated in their creation in the past as, we hope, they will in the future the joint

endeavour in sciences becoming one of the unifying forces among the diverse peoples on thisglobe.

UNESCO attaches very high importance to the World Summit on the Information Society andpromoted the concept of knowledge society rather than that of global information society in

Geneva, 2003.

SOCIAL AND TECHNICAL FACTORS TO FACILITATE AND HINDER

THE DEVELOPMENT OF KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY

Pros and Cons

The cost of ignorance is greater than the cost of education and knowledge sharing.Nobody should be excluded from knowledge societies, where knowledge is a publicgood, available to each and every individual.

Cultural and linguistic diversity are also central to the development of knowledgesocieties pointing out that local and traditional knowledge can be invaluable (for example

agriculture and health).

Information societies, on the other hand, are based on technological breakthroughs that

risk providing little more than a mass of indistinct data for those who dont have the

skills to benefit from it.

Only 11 percent of the worlds population has access to the internet and 90 percent of

those connected live in industrialized countries. Digital divide is itself the consequence of a more serious split.

The knowledge divide today more than ever, separates countries endowed with powerfulresearch and development potential, highly effective education systems and a range ofpublic learning and cultural facilities, from nations with deficient education systems and

research institutions starved of resources, and suffering as a result of the brain drain. The

Knowledge Society Strategy will cover both social and economic implications and

opportunities of moving to a knowledge-based society and economy.


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Four Essential Principles for the Development of Equitable Knowledge Societies

Cultural diversity

Equal access to education

Universal access to information (in the public domain)

Freedom of expression

Indeed, knowledge societies should be strongly based on a commitment to human rights and

fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression. Knowledge societies should also ensure

the full realization of the right to education and of all cultural rights. In knowledge societies,

access to the public domain of information and knowledge for educational and cultural purposes

should be as broad as possible. Information should be of high quality, diversified and reliable.

An important principle of knowledge societies should be the diversity of cultures and languages.

Three Strategic Objectives of Knowledge Societies

Fostering Digital Opportunities and Social Inclusion- Knowledge Societies are only equitable if all people, including disadvantaged and

marginalized groups such as people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, people living in

extreme poverty as well as women and youth benefit equally for network strengthening,

information sharing, creating knowledge resources and developing skills necessary for

life/work in the new digital environment.

- The enhancement of dialogue between citizens and public authorities should be one of

the major objectives of knowledge societies.

- They should be based on the sharing of information and the genuine participation of

social groups at various levels. Strengthening Capacities for Scientific Research, Information Sharing and Cultural

Creations, Performances and Exchanges

- Participation in all forms of intellectual life for educational, scientific, cultural and

communication purposes should be ensured.

- The production and dissemination of educational, scientific and cultural materials and the

preservation of the digital heritage should be regarded as crucial elements of knowledge

societies.

- Networks of specialists and of virtual interest groups should be developed.


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Enhancing Learning Opportunities Through Access to Diversified Content and

Delivery Systems

- Knowledge Societies should contribute to enhancing the quality of teaching and learning,

the sharing of knowledge and information.

- Knowledge Societies have potential to introduce in the educational process a higher

degree of flexibility in response to societal needs.

- The potential of Knowledge Societies is to lower the cost of education and to improve

internal and external efficiencies of the education system should be grasped.

- Knowledge societies should offer opportunities to use innovative and experimental tools

in the process of renewing education.

- Knowledge societies are to be seen both as educational discipline and as pedagogical

tools capable of enhancing the effectiveness of educational services.

- A broad-based dialogue among all stakeholders and consensus should be built at national

and international levels.

VIEWS ABOUT THE STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES OF KNOWLEDGE

SOCIETY AND WAYS IN WHICH BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

SHOULD APPROACH THIS ISSUE

Objectives and Proposals

Free access to knowledge

Knowledge as a public good owned by all the Commons

Openness of technical standards and open organization forms

Securing privacy in the use of knowledge and information

Cultural and linguistic diversity

Securing media diversity and public opinion

The long-term conservation of knowledge

Bridging the digital divide

Freedom of information as a civil right to political activity and transparent administration

Securing freedom of information in work environment


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Bosnia and Herzegovina as a Knowledge Society

The most important resources of Bosnia and Herzegovina are the talents, skills,creativity, dynamics and will of its people on the way to a Knowledge Society.

Development in terms of national unity and social union, in terms of our economy, in

terms of social justice, political stability, system of government, quality of life, social andspiritual values, national pride and confidence.

Establishing a united BIH with a sense of common and shared destiny. This must be a

nation at peace with itself, territorially and ethnically integrated, living in harmony and

full and fair partnership with political loyalty and dedication to the nation.

Creating a psychologically liberated, secure, and developed society with faith and

confidence in itself, justifiably proud of what it is, of what it has accomplished, strong

enough to face all manner of adversity.

This society must be distinguished by the pursuit of excellence, fully aware of all its

potentials, psychologically subservient to none, and respected by the peoples of other

nations. Investment in education at all levels.

Fostering and developing a mature democratic society, practicing a form of mature

consensual, community-oriented democracy that can be a model for many developing

countries.

Establishing a fully moral and ethical society, whose citizens are strong in spiritual values

and inspired with the highest of ethical standards.

Establishing a matured, liberal and tolerant society in which BIH of all colors and beliefs

are free to practice and profess their customs, cultures and religious beliefs and yet

feeling that they belong to one nation.

Establishing a scientific and progressive society, a society that is innovative and forward-

looking, and one that is not only a consumer of technology but also a contributor to the

scientific and technological civilization of the future.

Establishing a fully caring society and a caring culture, a social system in which society

will come before self, in which the welfare of the people will revolve not around the state

or the individual but around a strong and elastic family system.

Ensuring an economically just society.

Enabling a society in which there is a fair and equitable distribution of the wealth of the

nation, in which there is full partnership in economic progress.

Establishing a successful society, with an economy that is fully competitive, dynamic,strong and elastic.


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References

Conference and Annual Reports, 2007, Teaching in the Knowledge Society, 048 from

the Republic of Ireland

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2003 ,

Handbook of Knowledge Society Foresight,Dublin 18, Ireland, URL:

www.eurofound.eu.int

Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartzman, S., Scott, P. and Trow, M., 1994,

The New Production of Knowledge: The Dynamics of Science and Research in

Contemporary Societies, SAGE Publications, London

Giddens, A., 1991, The Consequences of Modernity, Cambridge: Polity Press

Heinrich Boell Foundation, WSIS/PC-2/CONTR/65-E, 2003, Towards a Charter of

Human Rights for Sustainable Knowledge Societies, Geneva

Held, D., McGrew, A., Goldblatt, D. and Perraton, J.,1999, Global Transformations:

Politics, Economics and Culture, Cambridge: Polity Press Knowledge Society Documents, URL:

http://recepzihni.org/[email protected]....../Knowledge.Society/

Paul Temple, 2004, What is the Knowledge Society?, Institute of Education, University

of London

Ritholtz, Barry, 2010, Intelligence Hierarchy, URL:

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/data-information-knowledge-wisdom/

Tapio Varis, 2008, Communication and New Literacies, Unesco Chair in Global e-

Learning, University of Tampere, Finland

Unesco Report, 2005, Knowledge Versus information Societies,Paris