Buying Knowledge: Effective Acquisition of External Knowledge

Technology acquisition, consultancy know-how, research data and services, marketing information, intellectual property...the list of sources and types of knowledge that organizations need to acquire, share and manage is growing exponentially. In relative terms this acquisition and management of ideas is brand new; something that has crept up on managers over the last fifteen years and something that many of them are fundamentally ill-equipped to make sense of. Yet, it is their ability to source, evaluate, acquire and manage knowledge on which the success of their organization depends. Peter Sammons provides managers with a readable, highly practical guide to buying and managing knowledge. The author looks at the knowledge economy, to set the scene on the manager's growing responsibility to buy-in knowledge for their organization. He explores intellectual property rights: how they are created, transferred and protected. He sets out some alternative strategies to buying knowledge. There's advice on how to work with universities, contract research organizations and consultancy firms.
And the most neglected area of all - knowledge transfer from supplier to buyer - is given exhaustive treatment. In a discipline (knowledge work) that is fraught with jargon, technology and arcane practice, Buying Knowledge enables every manager to acquire the knowledge their organization needs; in a form and at a cost that it most appropriate for them without exposing their organization to litigation or intellectual property disputes.