At the invitation of the School of Management and Economics, Professor Robert M. Davison, Department of Information Systems, City University of Hong Kong, visited our institute. On the morning of April 13, 2018, in the conference room 216 of the main building, he gave a lecture titled "Knowledge Sharing in a Global Logistics Provider : An Action Research Project”. The report was hosted by Associate Professor Chen Zhenjiao. Many teachers and students attended the report meeting.
Prof. Davison first introduced the knowledge sharing in the organization and the research background for writing this paper. Then he took Velox Guangzhou Branch as the research object and detailed the research paradigms and procedures of Action Research. Specifically, the research framework of Action Research was constructed based on Work System Theory, Punctuated Equilibrium Theory, Instrumental Theory, and Focal Theory, and then the flow of Action Research was elaborated, including Entrance, Diagnosis, Action Planning, Intervention, Evaluation, Reflection, and Exit. Finally, the theoretical and practical contributions of the study were introduced.
Action Research is an exploratory research method. According to the practical problems of the research object, after long-term tracking and systematically analyzing the research object, it actively explores research strategies and provides a new paradigm for IS research. At the end of the report, the participating teachers and students gave full discussion and exchanges with Professor Davison on topics such as reports, issues related to their actual research, and the publication of academic papers.
Speaker Profile：Robert M Davison is a Professor of Information Systems from the City University of Hong Kong. He is chair of the IFIP WG 9.4 (Social Implications of Computing in Developing Countries) and editor in chief of (i) the Information Systems Journal and (ii) the Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. His research focuses on the use and misuse of information systems, especially in the knowledge management domain, in Chinese organisations. Much of his research involves qualitative data and an interpretive epistemology, with case studies and action research his preferred methods. Robert travels extensively, seeking to understand how people in different contexts and cultures make sense of their lives with IS. As a researcher and as an editor, he seeks to promote an inclusive and contextually-sensitive perspective to research. Robert has published over 90 journal articles in such outlets as Information Systems Journal, Journal of Information Technology, Journal of MIS, Information & Management, MIS Quarterly, JASIST, Decision Support Systems, CACM, etc.
