Knowledge management audit of Burger King Corporation

Knowledge Management Audit: Burger King Corporation

Importance of Knowledge Management

Knowledge management is essential within a business, as it enables individuals involved in the enterprise to gain a more complex understanding of the goals and principles associated with the company they work in. Consequent to this, people can concentrate on improving the firm as a whole and in providing customers with a better experience.

Overview of Burger King KM strategy, in particular the partner movement

Burger King has focused on providing customers with quality service and products in order to attract the masses and to influence individuals to feel that it would be in their best interest to consume products from the company. The institution puts great emphasize on the importance of communication within the company and with the company's partners. By choosing educated employees and by encouraging them to connect with each-other in order to work effectively, the company managed to build environments where most of its activities work flawlessly and where problems are being dealt with rapidly.

2. Burger King knowledge strategy

a. Types and characteristics of knowledge required

One of Burger King's attributes is the fact that it acknowledges the role the customer plays in the overall business the company conducts. As a consequence, customers are not simply observers in the process of purchasing their food, as they are provided with the opportunity to get actively involved by choosing all the ingredients in their food. "Burger King practices the concept of mass customization by giving the customer the option to choose the ingredients in a hamburger. To make customers aware of this concept they advertised the now famous slogan "Have it your way." (Cader)

In order to be able to provide services in accordance with the company's scope, employees thus need to have a good understanding of each product and each ingredient going into it. By having access to this information, they can then cooperate both with customers and with other employees with the purpose to experience little to no problems as they are doing their jobs.

3. Flow of Starbucks' knowledge

a. What encourages the flow of knowledge

As previously mentioned, communication is a key aspect in the company and this means that every single employee needs to be acquainted with the attitudes he or she needs to take on in order to make their jobs as effective as possible. Communication is especially efficient due to the fact that it influences employees to express themselves openly and to gain a good understanding of the benefits they can have as a consequence of cooperating with others.

b. What impedes the flow of knowledge

The fact that the masses are often inclined to criticize the health issues associated with consuming fast food products has a strong effect on how employees perceive the workplace. These people can be more hesitant when it comes to the self-esteem associated with their jobs and can thus come to feel that they should be less supportive toward the company as a whole. The fact that the company also seems reluctant to adopt unconventional ingredients in their foods also contributes to making customers in particular countries feel that they should not consume products from Burger King. "Burger King -- arguably McDonald's largest competitor in the world -- entered the French market in 1981 but closed its 39 stores in 1997." (Born in the U.S.A., Made in France: How McDonald's Succeeds in the Land of Michelin Stars)

4. Gaps in knowledge

As previously mentioned, with many employees being unable to comprehend the company's overall strategies when being based in countries outside the U.S., the company is less likely to succeed in a number of areas. Burger King's experience in France stands as an example of faulty communication between the management and employees. It is intriguing to observe how the company failed in France, especially considering the wide number of fast food restaurants that thrived in the country.

In many cases gaps also occur because of how employees perceive each-other. Entry-level employees are likely to feel intimidated in some situations and thus less likely to put across normal attitudes with regard to employees of a higher status.

5. Burger King knowledge

a. Knowledge cycle based on Wiig

b. Data, information, knowledge wisdom, based on Rowley

6. Burger King SWOT

a. Strength

One of the company's principal strengths is related to how it managed to expand across the world and to how it pervaded a series of markets initially unlikely to consume products associated with Burger King. "Burger King has over 11,500 fast food restaurants located in over 70 countries." (Burger King SWOT)

b. Weaknesses

c. Opportunities

The company is unhesitant about adopting new attitudes in order to connect with customers to a higher degree. With society currently acknowledging the significance of using healthy ingredients in food, Burger King has also gotten actively involved in introducing a series of healthy options to some of their traditional products.

d. Threats

One of the company's principal threats is related to the international economy. As a result of the recent economic crisis, the company lost significant resources while trying to function and it became clear that it could not avoid being affected by the incident -- especially considering the fact that it had businesses in a series of countries that experienced economic problems consequent to the financial crisis in 2007-2008.