This has been partially achieved by the use of business process re-engineering methods. Information technology provides the infrastructure to support improved recording of activities, data processing and communication between functions. Data reuse, and the feedback of information from manufacturing and operations to the design and tendering functions, enables companies to reduce costs and uncertainty. However, the effective use of information requires knowledge on its context, meaning and interpretation. It is widely accepted that competitive advantage flows from a firm's unique knowledge.
Thematic knowledge is formal and systematic and is easily communicated and shared.
It resides in formulas, procedures and catalogues. Tacit or embedded knowledge is disorganised, context dependent, informal and relatively inaccessible. It often provides the flexibility to overcome the inadequacies of formal systems and procedures. In principle, thematic knowledge should be amenable to business process analysis and computerisation.