THE INFLUENCE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT STAGES ON COMPETITIVE ABILITY IN INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES

Recently the idea is prevailing that knowledge management is the main source creating the competitive ability of an enterprise. In contemporary world of business the complicated processes take place: strong competition, rapid changes in price, confusion in the market. Enterprises seek for new ways how to remain in business and to compete effectively against other enterprises each day. One of the methods how to do it effectively is to recognize or to discover anew such resources of the enterprise, which have not been exploited sufficiently. It is more often noticeable that the results of an organization are highly affected not by material resources but by continuously dominating knowledge resources and which are difficult to measure. To improve results and to possess an appropriate advantage the knowledge should be managed properly. The empirical research is presented, the basis of which is a questionnaire. The research results have revealed a positive effect of separate stages of knowledge management on the competitive ability of an enterprise. The highest attention of the stages being assessed should be paid by managers to the practical application of knowledge, since this stage reflects the ability of the enterprise to turn knowledge into the competitive advantage.