Effect of Business Operation Period on the Relationship Between Knowledge Management Applications and Ship Performance

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effect of knowledge management (KM) on the cargo performance (CP) and navigational performance (NP) of ships and to determine whether the business operation period of the firm has a moderating effect in this relationship by means of KM applications used in businesses operating in international markets. This work also investigates the impact of the business operation period on the ship's CP and NP. Data were obtained by administering a questionnaire to 451 employees who work in a total of 67 ship businesses operating in Turkey and analyzed using SPSS 22 Hayes (2019) Process macro (v3.4) and AMOS 22 programs. Findings indicated that the KM applied in ship businesses has a positive effect on both performances of ships, explaining about 17% and 13% of the change in their navigation performance and CP, respectively. This study concluded with suggestions to the managers of ship businesses on how to render their KM applications more efficiently and effectively.