Information Technology Outsourcing

Nordstrom has taken the first step in trying to increase its competitive advantage by using a knowledge management system (KMS). Their main goal is to give Nordstrom's apparel design team the ability to check in real time the availability and price of materials, such as denim, because it has a view of the supplier databases. It can also keep a tab on the manufacturing schedule and delivery with a view into the databases of manufacturing …

…was created. Identifying recurring problems allowed the company to enhance the training of its support desk staff in critical areas and resulted in greater customer satisfaction and more efficient response time" (Oz, 2002, p.343-344). KMS is a wonderful tool but upper management just needs to be able to ensure that they are developed by the right people and sell their use to the employees. Only then will they truly be useful for increasing competitive advantage.