The Impact Of Organizational Factors, Technological Capabilities, And Knowledge Management As Mediators On Customer Relationship Management In Sri Lankan Travel Agencies

Abstract

The research intends to identify how Knowledge Management (KM) explains the relationship between Organizational Factors (OF), Technological Capabilities (TC) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in travel agencies operating in Sri Lanka. This quantitative study employed simple random sampling, distributing 320 questionnaires to travel agencies and receiving 245 valid responses. The Resource-Based View (RBV), Knowledge Creation Theory (KCT), and IDIC theories and model were used in this study. Statistical tools, including SPSS and AMOS, were used for data analysis, with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) applied to explore relationships within the data. The study found that OF and TC were both significantly related to KM which greatly influenced the success of CRM. More specifically, KM is found to only partial mediate the relationship between OF and TC and CRM enhancing them, which means that these organizational resources do have a direct effect on improvements of the metrics of CRM. Such strategies for efficiently utilizing internal and external resources are strategies for accumulating of resources without spending on internal developments are employed. It becomes clear that KM strategies need to be part of organizational policies so that CRM systems work better and can be adapted accordingly adding to both theory and practice to the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. Finally, it is contended that such travel agencies should make every effort to enhance KM capabilities for better performance and sustaining their competitive edge in dynamic marketing scenarios.