Knowledge management systems: a comparative study of knowledge work systems and office automation systems in small- and medium-sized firms in Aragon

This work aims to define Knowledge Work Systems and to differentiate them from Information Systems. The differences between knowledge and information workers will also be clearly established. It starts with a methodological introduction, which provides the theoretical framework for the empirical study. The sample basis for that empirical study was the database provided by the Registro de Establecimientos Industriales (REI – Register of Industrial Establishments) of the MINER on newly created PYMES (small- and medium-sized businesses) in Aragon from 1992 to 1998. It was intended that the surveyed companies were all of certain significance. Firstly, we offer a description of the surveyed companies' profiles, which will lead to a better understanding of the results and the conclusions drawn from the analysis. Secondly, there is an analysis of the types of information and knowledge systems used by the surveyed companies, those systems' architecture and their coordination with the business strategy. Thirdly, a sectorial study is carried out in order to make a comparative analysis possible. Lastly, the conclusions drawn from the empirical analysis are laid out.