Corporate Knowledge‐based Systems: Implication and Impact

The application of information technology (IT) to corporate environments is now widespread. Recent years have seen IT successfully applied to a wide range of corporate activities. Artificial intelligence, in the guise of knowledge‐based systems is on the point of delivering its long awaited potential. With many successful systems developed over the past three or four years, the time is now ripe for the corporation to develop a coherent strategy to investigate and exploit this technology. In this, the second of two articles looking at knowledge‐based systems, we examine how the corporation can exploit this technology for strategic and competitive advantage. It discusses the organisational implications of KBS as well as the impact and pay‐off that can be expected.