EFFECTS OF CUSTOMER KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMER ORIENTATION ON INNOVATION CAPACITY AND MARKETING RESULTS IN SMEs: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF INNOVATION ORIENTATION

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (07) ◽  
pp. 1850055 ◽  
Author(s):  
PILAR FIDEL ◽  
WALESSKA SCHLESINGER ◽  
ESPOSITO EMILO

Managing customer knowledge is a key of source for SMEs. The principal aim of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the direct effects of two specific strategic resources: customer orientation and customer knowledge management (CKM), on innovation capacity and marketing results in SMEs. The study also examines the role of innovation orientation as a mediator between customer orientation and CKM. For this purpose, a structural model was proposed and tested through an empirical investigation with variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS) using a sample made up of 210 Spanish SMEs. The findings highlight the relevance of CKM and customer orientation as important strategic resources for developing innovation capacity and marketing results, and they confirm the mediation effect of innovation orientation. Empirical evidence supports the importance of customer orientation and CKM in boosting innovation and performance. These findings have important implications for performance in SMEs.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Arslan Haider ◽  
Umar Nawaz Kayani

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the customer knowledge management capability (CKMC) on project performance through strategic agility in the context project based software companies of Pakistan. The aim of the paper is to find out whether and how is customer knowledge beneficial for project performance and recognized as the important source of advancement of the knowledge management (KM) theory and the essential subject in practical ground. Design/methodology/approach In this study, non-probability, simple random sampling method was used to collect the data because it excludes bias from the data collection process. Although, the population of this research includes 307 employees working in different 30 public and private projects based software firms, operating in twin cities Rawalpindi, Islamabad. The respondents are project supervisors, team members, customers working on these different projects. Because of time limitation data has been collected within four months (i.e. November 2018 to February 2019) for this study, it is not time-lagged study and the data were collected at one time, so the design is cross-sectional in nature. The analysis was established using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (Smart PLS-SEM v.3.2.8) software to test hypotheses. Findings The results revealed the structural equation modeling that the components creating, transferring, integrate and influence ensure the most significant job in clarifying the customer knowledge and enhancing the capability to understand the customer needs and want which lead to decrease project delay, over consumption of the budget and directly lead to increase the project performance. The analyzed results also successfully justified the gap of this research study by showing the significant relationship between CKMC and project performance, also the indirect effect of CKMC through strategic agility on project performance more than its direct effect. So, the strategic agility plays positive and significant mediating role between CKMC and project performance, therefore the all sub-hypothesis and primary hypothesis were accepted. Originality/value This study sets the context with a brief summary of the key characteristics of the CKMC to improve the new product performance, enhance product/service quality, also reduce costs and enhance the competitiveness of organizations. Organization ought to acknowledge how to use KM to generate their revenues and achieve their goals. However, available techniques and methodology to measure the sufficiency are dissatisfying and consistent need for assessments and evaluations of this issue are felt.


Author(s):  
Fatemeh Najafloo ◽  
Hatef Rasouli ◽  
Mehdi Shamizanjani

This chapter explores the affective role of Web 2.0 on customer knowledge management (CKM) in two ways. At first, a new conceptualization of customer knowledge regarding knowledge “for”, “from” and “about” customer is introduced through categorizing them in a detailed typological manner. The second part, attempts to find the relationship between Web 2.0 and three types of customer knowledge in a way that demonstrates each type of customer knowledge could be supported by using any kind of Web 2.0 tools. These parts are integrated as a comprehensive model which is named “Grape Model”. This model encompasses different types of customer knowledge in detail as “grapes” which is related to Web 2.0 tools as “leafs” which support encompassed grapes. The”Grape Model” was applied in four different Iranian industries so as to evaluate each industry in making benefits from CKM and using Web 2.0 tools in order to facilitate the CKM process.


Author(s):  
Abdollah Karimi ◽  
Seyed Mohsen Allameh

Customer orientation has attracted increasing importance and considered as the main competitive advantage of organizations in the process of firm achievement. If an organization can satisfy its customer and attract loyal customer, it would lead to its long term growth. Increasing competition in national, regional and global areas has led to more attention to competitive advantage as a key determinant of organization growth. To be successful in these circumstances, knowledge management and its procedures can be considered as a necessity. Knowledge management focuses on the knowledge usage to establish competitive advantage and form dynamics in a complex environment. Hence, current study aims to investigate the relationship between customer knowledge management and customer loyalty focusing on the mediating role of customer value by a case study conducted on Saderat Bank in Khozestan. Measurement items are adapted from existing scales found in the knowledge management and marketing literature. Academic colleagues reviewed the items for face validity and readability. The scales are evaluated for reliability using data collected in a survey of Saderat Bank’s customers. A structural equation modeling procedure is applied to the examination of the influences of customer knowledge management on customer value and customer loyalty. The research model was tested empirically using a sample of 500 customers who had referred to Saderat Bank’s agencies in Khozestan during the period of research. The paper found that the most influential dimensions of knowledge management on customer value are knowledge for customer, knowledge of customer, knowledge about customer, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of consistency between customer image and perceived value on customer loyalty was strong.Keywords: Customer knowledge management, Customer knowledge, Customer value, Customer loyalty 


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nastaran Taherparvar ◽  
Reza Esmaeilpour ◽  
Mohammad Dostar

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the effect of customer knowledge management (CKM) on continuous innovation and firm performance in 35 private banks in Guilan (Iran). CKM emerges as an important and effective system for innovation capability and firm performance. However, the role of CKM in innovation and performance is not well understood. Design/methodology/approach – Data have been collected via questionnaires from managers of private banks in Guilan. Feedback was received from 265 managers in 350 distributed questionnaires, and hypotheses were tested using the structural equation modelling. Findings – The results of this paper indicate that knowledge from customers has a positive impact on both innovation speed and innovation quality as well as operational and financial performances. Also, our results demonstrate a different effect of knowledge about customer and knowledge for customers on various dimensions of innovation and firm performance. By using customer’s knowledge flows, firms will be aware of external environment and new changes in customers’ needs and so will be more innovative and perform better. Practical implications – CKM is known as an important system to connecting internal environment to external environment to create novel ideas. The results of this paper shed light on the consequences of CKM on firms and provide support for the importance of CKM to enhance innovation capacity and firm performance. Originality/value – This article is one of the first to find empirical support for the role of CKM within firms and its importance on innovation capability and firm performance. This study can provide valuable insights and guidance for researchers and managers as well.


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