Diploma Thesis from the year 1999 in the subject Business economics - Marketing, Corporate Communication, CRM, Market Research, Social Media, grade: 1, Reutlingen University, language: English, abstract: Increasingly, companies have started to recognise that with the transition from the industrial age to the knowledge era they are being forced to develop knowledge management strategies and tools to remain competitive. However, it is difficult to identify viable knowledge strategies and guidelines for the implementation of knowledge management. Research showing how employees view knowledge management and how they evaluate the implementation process are scarce. The report attempts to translate the theoretical findings of the literature review into the practical realities of the implementation process. It examines the basic framework of knowledge management. Questions such as: 'Where does knowledge management come from?' 'Why did it evolve?' and 'How can it be defined?' are answered before the implementation process is examined in more detailed. Finally, the critical analysis highlights common pitfalls and weaknesses of knowledge management. Based on these findings the most important success factors are identified. The main objective of the report was to make knowledge management tangible.