Using Conceptions of Knowledge Management in Selected Travel Agencies in the Tarnów Sub-Region

Globalization of economy, technological development and increasing competition about limited resources make tangible values, including knowledge, the key factor in economic growth. These phenomena influence national economies, households and enterprises. As a result, an increasing group of business entities, including also tourism companies, use the concept of knowledge management. The aim of this thesis is to analyse knowledge management performed by selected travel agencies from Tarnowski Subregion. Two main research methods are used in the thesis: documentation research method and diagnostic survey method. Based on the documentation method and using data from the secondary sources, one has made an inventory of travel agencies located in Tarnowski Subregion. Then, based on the diagnostic survey method and by means of questionnaire technique a research has been carried out on use of knowledge management at 44 travel agencies. The surveyed owners or managers of travel agencies indicated financial resources, then human resources and tangible resources (knowledge, patents, know how) as the most important groups of resources. Knowledge management is the most popular concept of management used at the surveyed travel agencies. Using and acquiring knowledge are the processes most frequently realized within this method. The most often used knowledge management tools there are: intranet, document management systems and workflow systems. According to the respondents, knowledge resources and trust-based interpersonal relations are the most important areas of knowledge management at their enterprises. It seems that large significance of the issues discussed in the thesis makes reasonable to continue research on this subject area.