Investigating the Relationship between Customer Knowledge Management and Customer Agility: The Mediating Effect of Marketing Capabilities in Five-Star Hotels in Amman طيسولا رثلأا :نوبزلل ةقيشرلا ةباجتسلإاو نوبزلا ةفرعم ةرادإ نيب ةقلاعلا رابتخا نامّ ع يف موجن سمخلا قدانفب قيوستلا تاردقل Prepared by Raya Melhem Supervised by Prof. Dr. Laith Al-Rubaiee A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master degree in Business Administration, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business, Middle East University Augest,2016 II III IV ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would extend my deepest gratitude to my supervisor P All the credit and success are due to the Merciful Allah always and forever. rof, Dr. Laith Al-Rudiee for his instructions, guidance and support. I am also thankful to him for carefully reading, commenting and for offering good advice at critical point along the way. I would extend my deepest gratitude to member of discussion commission for their efforts and support. I will forever be thankful to my wonderful and generous family for helping and supporting me through this journey. Special thanks for my friends who have helped me to accomplish my thesis. I greatly value their friendship. V DEDICATION Words are short to express my deep sense of gratitude towards my whole family. I would extremely like to express my heart-felt gratitude to them for their unconditional love, concern, support, encouragement and inspiration. I dedicate this work to my beloved Mother and Father. To my sweet brothers. VI Table of contents Chapter One: Introduction Title I Authorization II Thesis Committee Decision III ACKNOWLEDGMENT IV DEDICATION V List of contents VI List of Tables VIII List of figures X ABSTRACT XI Abstract in Arabic XIII 1-0 Introduction 2 1-1 Study Problem 5 1-2 Study Objectives 6 1-3 Study Significance 6 1-4 Study Question and Hypotheses 7 1-5 Research Hypothesis 8 1-6 Study delimitations 9 1-7 Study Limitations 10 1-8 Study Operational Definitions 10 1-9 Study Model 13 Chapter Two: Theoretical Review and Previous Studies 2-0 Literature Review 16 2-1 Customer knowledge management 23 2-2 Marketing Capabilities 29 2-3 Customer Agility 35 2-4 Previous Studies 39 Chapter Three: Study Methodology Method and Procedures 3-1 Introduction 52 3-2 Study Methodology 52 3-3 Study Population 53 3-4 Study Sample 53 3-5 Personal and Occupational Characteristics 53 3-6 Study Tools and Data Collection 57 3-7 Validity and Reliability 60 3-8 Study Variables 74 3-9 Statistical Treatment 75 3-10 Normal Distribution of Study Variables 76 VII Chapter Four: Analysis Results & Hypotheses Test 4-1 Introduction 80 4-2 Descriptive analysis of study variables 80 4-3 Analysis adequacy of the data to test the study hypotheses 93 4-4 Study Hypotheses Test 94 Chapter Five: Results Discussion and Recommendations 5-1 Results Discussion and conclusions 113 5-2 Recommendations 115 References 117 VIII List of Table 2.1 Definitions of Agility in the Extant Literature 37 3-1 Hotels names and the number of questionnaires distributed, retrieved, and good for 54 analysis 3-2 Descriptive of the study sample according to Gender 54 3-3 Descriptive of the study sample according to Age 55 3-4 Descriptive of the study sample according to Educational Qualification 55 3-5 Descriptive of the study sample according to Job (Position) Title 56 3-6 Descriptive of the study sample according to Number of Years of Service in the 56 Present Job 3-7 Descriptive of the study sample according to Number of Years in Profession 57 3-8 Exploratory Factor Analysis results for Customer Knowledge Management 62 constructs 3-9 Exploratory Factor Analysis results for Marketing Capabilities constructs 65 3-10 Exploratory Factor Analysis results for Customer Agility (Sensing & Responding) 67 constructs 3-11 Reliability of Questionnaires Dimensions 74 3-12 Normal Distribution of Study Variables 77 4-1 Arithmetic mean, SD, one sample t-test, item importance and importance level of 81 Knowledge for customer 4-2 Arithmetic mean, SD, one sample t-test, item importance and importance level of 83 Knowledge from customer 4-3 Arithmetic mean, SD, one sample t-test, item importance and importance level of 84 Knowledge about customer 4-4 Arithmetic mean, SD, one sample t-test, item importance and importance level of 86 Marketing Research 4-5 Arithmetic mean, SD, one sample t-test, item importance and importance level of 87 Pricing & Product development 4-6 Arithmetic mean, SD, one sample t-test, item importance and importance level of 88 Distribution Channels 4-7 Arithmetic mean, SD, one sample t-test, item importance and importance level of 90 Promotion & Market Management 4-8 Arithmetic mean, SD, one sample t-test, item importance and importance level of 92 Customer Agility (Sensing & Responding) 4-9 Results of Variance Inflation Factor, Tolerance and skewness coefficient 94 4-10 Multiple regression analysis to ensure the positive effect of Customer Knowledge 95 Management on Marketing Capabilities 4-11 Multiple regression analysis to ensure the positive effect of Customer Knowledge 97 Management on Marketing Research 4-12 Multiple regression analysis to ensure the positive effect of Customer Knowledge 99 Management on Pricing & Product development IX 4-13 Multiple regression analysis to ensure the positive effect of Customer Knowledge 101 Management on Distribution Channels 4-14 Multiple regression analysis to ensure the positive effect of Customer Knowledge 102 Management on Promotion & Market Management 4-15 Multiple regression analysis to ensure the positive effect of Customer Knowledge 104 Management on Customer Agility (Sensing & Responding) 4-16 Multiple regression analysis to ensure the positive effect of Marketing Capabilities 106 on Customer Agility (Sensing & Responding) 4-17 Path analysis test results of the mediating effect of Marketing Capabilities on the 109 relationship between Customer Knowledge Management and Customer Agility (Sensing & Responding) X List of Figures 1.9 Proposed Research Model 14 2.1 Converting customer’s knowledge to frim’s knowledge 26 3-1 Results of the confirmatory factor analysis to Customer Knowledge Management 69 3-2 Results of the confirmatory factor analysis to Marketing Capabilities 71 3-3 Results of the confirmatory factor analysis to Customer Agility (Sensing & 73 Responding) 3-4 Study Model 78 4-1 Standardized effect value for Study Variables 111 List of Appendices 1 Study Tool (English Form) 129 2 MEU s Litter 137 3 Names of Arbitrators 138