319 K Knowledge Management in Tourism Daniel Xodo Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina Héctor Oscar Nigro Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina Copyright © 2006, Idea Group Inc., distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI is prohibited. INTRODUCTION Management greatly depends on knowledge, and its detection, creation, transmission, and number of intan- gibles play a fundamental role in success. In tourism, information systems must work on im- material concepts and take steps to satisfy the expecta- tions of multiple potential customers. These systems require complex models of reality and suitable concep- tual tools to work out strategies. This article expounds the use of different math- ematical and management techniques that can be applied to the modeling, application, and control of strategic and operative management. BACKGROUND Data, Information, and Knowledge These three concepts, which are frequently used as synonyms, are different representation stages of reality and its apprehension enables us in different ways. Data, as simple representations, do not tell us much about themselves unless they are related to other data. It is from this relation that we get information. Information is useful because of the possibility of intervention (e.g., cause–effect relationships), which is provided by knowledge. What is knowledge? Knowledge can be understood as representation, production or estate (Marakas,1999). In relation to this definition, any of the aforementioned concepts are, generically, knowledge. The definition of knowledge will depend on the usage and application of the term. If we consider knowledge as “behavior support” (Lopez, 1999)—sharing perceptions in a socioeconomic system by means of the knowledge of goals, means, and evaluation of accomplishments—it will be easier to accomplish it effectively and efficiently. If we consider knowledge taxonomically, we could derive, by means of appropriate processes, a linguistic and assimilative level of conceptualization and shared understanding from a primary level (descriptive, proce- dural, and rational). Hence, the possibilities of organi- zation management success will be improved. Concepts such as “mission” are hard to explain, as its vagueness facilitates a certain mission to be attractive to many people who, at the same time, give their own meaning to it that does not always coincide with that of the others. The same happens with the comprehension of different functions, qualities, or behaviors, which must be shared by numerous actors. The information systems meant to communicate knowledge vary according to what we want to transmit. However, it is always necessary to reduce ambiguity and unify concepts. The following four types of formal systems can be distinguished (Simon, 1995): a. of beliefs b. of limit setting c. of diagnosis control d. of interactive control In any of these, knowledge can be represented, generated, or established in different states, accord- ing to its usage, relationship, and application. For ex- ample, a certain number of guests in a hotel may be rather meaningless, but if we add the capacity, the date, and the category of the hotel to the number of people, it will have different meanings for the owner, the competi- tor or a new guest. These meanings will be influenced by, among other factors, the vision, the knowledge, and the expectations of the people involved. In this way, we will build up representation models, whose complexity will favor or damage our decisions according to our ability to deal with them. Knowledge as Representation: The Indicators If we take the concept “intellectual capital” to mean useful knowledge, which we develop “increasing the human capital” (Olve, Roy, & Wetter, 2000), it is obvi- ous that people’s knowledge varies from individual to