Identifying organisational and behavioural factors that influence knowledge retention

The wave of knowledge loss that organisations are facing on account of layoffs, retirements, staff turnover and mergers gave rise to this research. The main research aim was to identify the organisational and behavioural factors that could enhance or impede tacit knowledge retention. A multidisciplinary approach focusing on knowledge management, organisational behaviour and organisational development was followed. The nature of knowledge in organisations was explored by following a contextualised theorybuilding process, focusing on epistemology, and the appearance and application of knowledge. Knowledge in the context of this research is the knowledge and experience that reside in the minds of people. It is not easily documented, and is referred to as tacit knowing. A theoretical model was developed that revealed the factors that could influence tacit knowledge retention. The model focused on human input factors taking into account knowledge loss risks, strategic risks and behavioural threats that could cause knowledge loss.The main purpose of the empirical research was to operationalise the theoretically derived knowledge retention constructs, determine statistically the enhancing and impeding factors that influence knowledge retention and develop a structural equation model to verify the theoretical model. A quantitative empirical research paradigm using the survey method was followed. A questionnaire was compiled, and a survey conducted in the water supply industry. The principal component factor analysis postulated nine factors. A composite factor, knowledge retention, as the dependent variable was compiled. The questionnaire was found to be reliable, with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of .975. A structural equation model development strategy produced a new best-fitting knowledge retention model based on the new constructs postulated in the factor analysis. The model indicated that there is a direct causal relationship between strategy implementation and knowledge retention and between knowledge behaviours and knowledge retention. The regression analysis showed that most of the intercorrelations are significant, thus confirming the theory. The research contributed towards a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence tacit knowledge retention. The questionnaire and the new knowledge retention model could assist organisations in determining the extent to which knowledge is retained and where to focus in developing and implementing a knowledge retention strategy. The study encourages practitioners to take cognisance of the fact that organisations are different and that the enhacing and impeding factors of knowledge retention are to be considered.Information ScienceD. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science

An investigation into the relationship between customer relationship marketing and customer retention: superstore retailing context in Bangladesh

The context of this study is Bangladesh`s food retailing sector. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) and customer retention. The core aim of Relationship Marketing is to build long lasting mutually bonded relationships with customers and various other important stakeholders. The concept has attracted considerable attention among scholars in recent decades and has appeared in service marketing literature as a new marketing paradigm. The concept is critical to the success of any organisation as it has been an accepted phenomenon that maintains that existing customers are far easier to retain than is the process of acquiring new customers. In order to stay in business and cope with the challenging business dynamism, organisations are continuously searching for reliable and serviceable strategies to be employed in order to increase customer retention. However, there is a lack of consensus among researchers on the core antecedents of relationship marketing that can be used to achieve the above aims, especially while the concept is new in the context of organised retailing sectors in Bangladesh. In response, the study developed a conceptual framework of customer retention strategy which incorporates bonds, service quality and relational quality into one relationship model. The model establishes eleven hypotheses. A sample of 202 grocery food retail customers were selected in a random sample from four selected superstores. The results support hypothesized relationships built on the model. The findings indicate that service quality, trust, bond and customer satisfactions are vital for creating positive customer loyalty which in turn creates customer retentionPeer reviewedFinal Published versio

Analysing relationship quality and its contribution to consumer relationship proneness

Relationship marketing has been the dominant paradigm in the sphere of marketing in the last decades. However, aspects such as globalisation, development of information technologies, or the growing competitiveness pressure have caused the way of approaching relationship management with consumers to change. A consumer feels as the lead character and demands personalised treatment customised to his/her needs and specific characteristics. In this context, relationship quality (RQ) allows to understand the proneness of consumers to keep their commercial relations alive. Several are the studies that analyse RQ antecedents, but none has used a comprehensive management approach that includes resources and capabilities (such as market orientation or knowledge management) that a company has available for management in order to enhance said RQ. Furthermore, we analyse the effect of said perceived quality on the consumer’s proneness to maintain the relationship

Deliver security awareness training, then repeat:{deliver; measure efficacy}

Organisational information security policy contents are disseminated by awareness and training drives. Its success is usually judged based on immediate post-training self-reports which are usually subject to social desirability bias. Such self-reports are generally positive, but they cannot act as a proxy for actual subsequent behaviours.This study aims to formulate and test a more comprehensive way of measuring the efficacy of these awareness and training drives, called ASTUTE. We commenced by delivering security training. We then assessed security awareness (post-training), and followed up by measuring actual behaviours. When we measured actual behaviours after a single delivery of security awareness training, the conversion from intention to behaviour was half of the desired 100%. We then proceeded to deliver the training again, another two times.The repeated training significantly reduced the gap between self-reported intention and actual secure behaviours

Identifying the Key Issues Measuring Loyalty

In the past researchers have chosen to measure loyalty using purely behavioural or attitudinal measures or attitude-behaviour combinations. The authors recommend that both attitudinal and behavioural loyalty should be measured to gain an appreciation of the loyalty make-up of the firm's customer base. Knowing the proportion of each type of loyalty is important as customer reactions to marketing efforts will differ depending on the factors underlying consistent purchase behaviour

Patterns in participation: Factors influencing parent attendance at two, centre-based early childhood interventions

Interventions training parents of at-risk children have received considerable empirical support but their effectiveness is undermined by low attendance rates. This research sought to clarify why parents, even with the best of intentions, fail to follow through to full participation in workshop programs; and to provide insight into ways to improve parental engagement. We examined participation in Parents as Partners, a school-based, early childhood intervention. Demographic and ongoing educational, social, emotional and behavioural data for 136 parent-child dyads were gathered from parents, teachers and children. Mitigation of a wide range of factors previously identified as barriers to attendance was also attempted. A post-intervention survey was conducted to examine parents’ insights into their attendance patterns. Overall, 91 parents attended and 44 failed to attend any workshops. Higher parent education and SEI, and better child language skills were good predictors of attendance (87%), but poor predictors of nonattendance (42%). Additionally, parent-child dyad profiles suggested that children of nonattending parents were more likely to benefit from workshop content than attenders’ children. Survey data suggested that attenders organised their schedules to facilitate follow-through but nonattenders were unable to do so. Family characteristics and practical reasons were central, interacting factors affecting attendance. Parental self-organisation appeared to moderate follow-through and to stem from lifestyle constraints related to lower SEI and parent education. This produced high nonattendance rates in parents of children who most needed support. It is urgent to discover to what extent innovative delivery platforms currently being explored (e.g., internet/social media) can improve parental engagement

Lighting, well-being and work performance: A review of the literature

Commissioned White Paper Report for Philips International

Health initiatives to target obesity in surface transport industries: review and implications for action

Lifestyle-related chronic diseases pose a considerable burden to the individual and the wider society, with correspondingly negative effects on industry. Obesity is a particular problem for the Australasian road and rail industries where it is associated with specific cardiac and fatigue-related safety risks, and levels are higher than those found in the general population. Despite this recognition, and the introduction of National Standards, very little consensus exists regarding approaches to preventative health for surface transport workers. A review of evidence regarding effective health promotion initiatives is urgently needed to inform best practice in this cohort. This review draws together research informing the scope and effectiveness of health promotion programs, initiatives and interventions targeting overweight and obesity in safety critical surface transport domains including the truck, bus and rail industries. A number of health interventions demonstrated measurable successes, including incentivising, peer mentoring, verbal counselling, development of personalised health profiles, and offer of healthier on-site food choices – some of which also resulted in sizeable return on investment over the long term. &nbsp

The Impact of Knowledge Behavioural Factors on Tacit Knowledge Retention: Empirical Study in Oil and Gas Industry

Organisation need be more effective in retaining the tacit knowledge (know-how and know-what) and made it accessible for another staff to be more productive and enable management to make better decisions. Relying on explicit knowledge and old-style training courses is simply no longer effective to transfer or retain knowledge; therefore, understanding the role of tacit knowledge retentions as part of knowledge management is becoming increasingly more important to fulfil the organisation strategic goals. To attain the aim, theoretical and empirical study using (275) samples from different international oil and gas companies have quantitatively assessed three main factors; the strategic impact of tacit knowledge loss, the impact of knowledge and organisational behaviour at the individual level on knowledge retention within the organization. Based on the study results, both knowledge and organisational behaviour shows direct impact in knowledge retention enhancement. What knowledge and whose knowledge should be emphasised to reduce the impact of crew change. Knowledge management implementation to be the most important factor as Learning and sharing knowledge is affected by the cognitive processes and the way the organisation practice and implement the knowledge share such as mini-workshops, short assignment and community of practice (CoP). The last factor is positive individual attitude, which reflected in more effectiveness knowledge share and transfer. These factors improve tacit knowledge retention and fulfil the strategic goals such as competitiveness advantage and improve the performance, productivity and employee’s effectiveness. Keywords: Oil and Gas, Knowledge Retention, Tacit knowledge, knowledge behaviour, organisational behaviour