ISSN: XXXX-XXXX Volume X, Issue X, Month Year

Analytic Study about Knowledge Application in

Saudi Arabian for Ground Services


Ahmed Hassan El Zihebi
Asst. Prof, Dept of Computer Science and Engineering

King Abdulaziz Unversity
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Ahmedth@gmail.com








Abstract
Knowledge is one of the most important elements of the
modern economy and the center of excellence, innovation
and competitiveness and who has the knowledge has the
power and the ability to lead. This study aims to determine
the extent to application knowledge management in Saudi
Ground Services, where the company is one of Saudi Airline
sections that turned to private company in order to ready for
the international competition. Its requires, focusing on
knowledge management and sharing and moving between
the employees to competition in the local and universal mar-
ket, particularly after opening the airspace for universal
flight companies to enter the Saudi market. Hence, there is a
need to evaluation the current situation for the company to
know the extent to knowledge management, which that it is
the competition base in the present time to set the necessary
programs and plans for the best application to knowledge
management.
Study uses the descriptive analytic method; the sample in-
cludes the company managers and officers in King Abdul
Aziz airport. Study found that knowledge management ap-
plication in the company more than the minimum and there
are proceedings, methods to documentation knowledge and
its sharing and it needs much of development, effectiveness,
application of the systems and procedures that ensure high
level of the application.

1- Introduction
Knowledge is the basic nerve for the present organizations,
it is the important resource in creation of the wealth and exe-
cution the difference and creative within the mental givens
that increased in its frame many of the intellectual concepts
as globalization, privatization, information revolution and
vast the different human communities distance. (1)
Management of that knowledge shows that knowledge is the
significant intangible assets that should be remained and
used and developed to create the value and increase the
competitive ability for the organizations, specifically with
opining the universal markets due to the massive develop-
ments in communications and information technique which
made the world as a small village.
General institution for Saudi Arabia air lines is one of Saudi
economic bases that turned to private company in order to
ready for the international competition. Its requires, focusing
on knowledge management and its sharing and moving be-
tween the employees to competition in the local and univer-
sal market, particularly after opening the airspace for univer-
sal flight companies to enter the Saudi market. Hence, there
is a need to evaluation the current situation for the company
to know the extent to knowledge management, which that it
is the competition base in the present time to set the neces-
sary programs and plans for the best application to
knowledge management.
Study depended on the descriptive analytic method that pro-
vides to the researcher quantity of the important information
about the research matter and the questionnaires were being
depended as an instrument to collect the data. The question-
naire includes four main aspects and each aspect is measured
by a number of questions that clear the extent of the compa-
ny applies this aspect. Study community involves general
managers, directors, supervisors, executive officers in King
Abdul Aziz airport at study prepare period in the first semes-
ter of 1434 1435 AH.
Study concluded that Saudi Arabian for ground services al-
ready partly applies knowledge management where study
declares that the application degree in the company is 3.6 out
5, the most aspects applied is aspect of information remain
and return and reaching to them, and the less aspect is the
clearly procedures and methods to participate the expertise
and useful lessons and reuse it and non-existing the suffi-
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ISSN: XXXX-XXXX Volume X, Issue X, Month Year 26
cient knowledge and the fit training to determine the availa-
ble lessons and experiences.
Study recommended to raise knowledge management appli-
cation level in the company to increase its competitive abil-
ity and keep its significant assets also to improvement it in-
vestments including but not limited to create strategic plan to
knowledge management in order to concentrate on
knowledge as one of the important assets for the company
and spread the awareness with knowledge management and
its sharing, investments. Study also recommended claim the
help from the universal experience in knowledge manage-
ment scope to create information system and proceedings
aim to continue of knowledge management operations be-
ginning from produce knowledge to keep it and sharing,
finally to its investments and reuse it.
Study structure included review the literature reviews, the
problem, study methodology, its importance, and significant
of its outcomes and recommendations.

2- Literature reviews:
Study objected to know the relation between the organiza-
tional factors that are described in the organizational culture,
the organizational structure, technology, human resources,
political orientations, and between creation of knowledge
assets, sharing and move the knowledge. The two research-
ers were designed a questionary to collect the necessary in-
formation from the study community and ministry of busi-
ness development in Malaysia is chosen as a study case.
Two researchers are reached to many outcomes, provide of
knowledge assets (implicit and explicit) has a direct influ-
ence upon the performance and that there is a positive rela-
tionship between the level of availability of regulatory ele-
ments and the availability of knowledge assets and level of
knowledge transfer. Two researchers are recommended
about the need to the best utilization of technology, where it
plays a critical role in the development and sharing of
knowledge and the importance of changing the culture and
content organization to enable individuals to share what they
have about necessary knowledge to interest to other factors
as the organizational structure and human resources; public
sector organizations should not to neglect the political orien-
tations when applying knowledge management.
Study sought (3) to the statement of the influence the organ-
izational culture on the entrance and initiatives knowledge
management, researchers have used the study case method to
achieve the objectives of the study by case study of two uni-
versal companies, number of employees of each company
more than 300 thousand employees and has branches in most
regions of the world. The necessary information have been
collected from the community study through interviews
semi- structured with small groups of managers and profes-
sionals in the two companies. The researchers concluded that
the organizational culture affects on knowledge management
through their impact on organizational values for individuals
and their behaviors. Knowledge management can be a part
of the organizational culture and the during the process of
forming a knowledge management and organizational values
reflected in the organizations and researchers recommended
the need for a qualitative change in the culture of individuals
and their behavior before beginning application of
knowledge management. Management should influence on
the culture of individuals gradually in order to support the
trend towards the application of knowledge.
As study gone to know the trends of managers in centers of
the Jordan ministries toward application of knowledge man-
agement concept and impact that on their job performance
and test the differences in all directions depending on the
different demographic characteristics (4). Researcher has
used the descriptive analytical method and use of the instru-
ment questionery to collect the necessary information from
the community study that includes departments directors in
twenty-three Jordanian ministry (298) director. Study found
many of the results including the following: the adoption of
Jordan Ministries knowledge management concept moder-
ately and that the respondents feel a high level of functional-
ity as the study shows the commitment of the ministries in
Jordan dimensions of knowledge management which can be
arranged according to their relative importance as follows:
knowledge generation, storage knowledge, sharing of
knowledge, application of knowledge, technology
knowledge.
The study concluded to many recommendations which are
mentioned as follows: create an organizations culture based
on the corporation between the operators, encourage to
knowledge mutual, voluntary participation in that culture in
order to reach to learned culture and improve the organiza-
tional climate for the work, to provide comfortable work
environment for the employees and give them sufficient au-
thorizations able them to application their information as
well as improvement and training the employees abilities
according to studied scientific programs aim to environment
their abilities and improvement their performance level
through adopting objective system for moral and material
incentives and prompting the employees about knowledge
creative and production.
The study (5) focused on knowledge management significant
and its role in achieving the standing competitive feature for
Syrian governmental banks sector and declares the relation
between knowledge management and the competitive fea-
ture for these banks. In order to achieve these objectives, the
female researcher uses a questionary tool to collect the nec-
essary information from the study community which repre-
sents six Syrian governmental banks from a random sample
consists of (54) mangers in the high administration of these
banks. The female researcher concluded to many results as
follows: there is a strong and moral relation between
knowledge management and the competitive feature lacking
of depending the banks on the helpful information for
knowledge management as experiences systems and support
group decisions systems, lacking of the presented services
from the Syrian government due to not adopting concepts of
the total quality management, lack of employment creative,
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ISSN: XXXX-XXXX Volume X, Issue X, Month Year 27
skill, abilities employees and high experience. The study
concluded to many recommendations as follows: updating
knowledge management in every bank to participate with
information technology in achieving its competitive feature
through adopting information technology as: support group
decisions systems and experiences systems, introduce the
banking services through the dependence on internet, in-
crease the moral and material incentives for the employees
in order to increase their impulses to acquire knowledge and
using it to achieve the employees satisfy.

3- Study issues
Privatization of the governmental sectors and turn to private
companies process requires prepare these companies organi-
zational and managerial to increase that ability to a degree,
which through it, that institution can compete the private
sectors to achieve money, standing, development the pre-
sented services quality through adopting the latest manageri-
al methods, the ability to creation and create the added val-
ue. Knowledge management concept is one of the modern
concepts which the modern companies seek to adopting it to
increase its competitive ability. Usually, the first stage is
determine the current state and make an analysis studies
which define application level to create a scientific plans
depending on correct information.
That study defines, evaluates the current state to know the
extent of knowledge application and analysis the main di-
mensions and axes to application of knowledge management
in Saudi company for ground services through answering the
main study question what is the extent of application of
knowledge management in Saudi company for ground ser-
vices? And what is the extent of the application in several
main axes: the organizational culture axis, knowledge regis-
tration axis, knowledge remain and retrieval axis and pro-
cesses and proceedings axis.

4- Study methodology
That study is an application study aims to knowing to what
extent Saudi company for ground services applies
knowledge management. Researchers used the analysis de-
scriptive method in preparing of the application part of that
study, because of that part considers from the application
aspect is a common factor between all methods. The analysis
descriptive method provides significant information quantity
for the researcher in respect of the state.
Study community includes common managers, directors,
supervisors, executive officers in Saudi company for ground
services officers in King Abdul Aziz airport at study prepare
period in the first semester of 1434 1435 AH, where the
total number of the study community is (50) officer. Re-
searcher depends on questionary method as main tool to
collect data and structures in order to know the research
samples opinion and directions, where the questionary tool
is one of the significant tools to collect data in the field
study. That returns to ability of the researcher to control in
questions and the desired collect information from the re-
search community. Questionary is designed to axes as fol-
lows:
Knowledge management culture, includes (4) axes regarding
the prevalent culture dimensions for knowledge management
in ground services company management and its impact on
knowledge participation and distributed on the following
axes:
First axis: includes (5) phrases about the culture dimension
(knowledge management culture)
Second axis: includes (7) phrases about certifying dimension
(knowledge management certifying)
Third axis: includes (8) phrases about remain and retrieval
dimension (store and retrieval of knowledge certifying)
Fourth axis: includes (5) phrases about proceedings dimen-
sion (knowledge management procedures)
Researcher cares of the simplicity and facility in formation
of the questionary phrases as possible in order to be under-
standable for all researchers. He also cares of that the
phrases formation are being comply with quinary Likert
scale. Likert scale is a method to measure the used behaviors
and preferences in the psychological tests, which the psy-
chologist Rensis Likert that is used in questionnaires, par-
ticularly in statistical field. This measure is based on an-
swers indicate to whether accept or objection degree about a
formation. Researcher also used several statistical methods
through using (SPSS) to present a statistical analysis of all
results and diagrams.

5- Study results
Hence, we will review the study results; firstly, review the
answers results about the main question: To what extent
knowledge management is applied in ground services man-
agement in King Abdul Aziz international airport in Jeddah?
The following table declares the study results:

Table 1: Knowledge management application in Saudi
company for ground services
Axis Probable average
Knowledge management appli-
cation in Saudi company for
ground services
3.6

We found that the arithmetic mean is (3.6), (i.e. the degree
of knowledge management application in ground services
management in King Abdul Aziz international airport in
Jeddah in 72 %).
It is means that knowledge management application in the
company higher than the average, and there are proceedings
and methods to certifying knowledge and its participation.
Knowledge management application in the company needs
more of development, activation and application the systems
and procedures that insure a high level of application.
Through a deeply sight on dimensions and axes knowledge
application and through the study results, study concluded to
the following results as follows:

International Journal of Innovatory research in Engineering and Technology - IJIRET


ISSN: XXXX-XXXX Volume X, Issue X, Month Year 28
Table 2: Axes of knowledge management application
degree measure in the company

Study dimensions The proba-
ble arithme-
tic mean
Arrangement
as per the
application
Culture dimension
(knowledge manage-
ment culture)
3.66 2
Certifying dimension
(knowledge manage-
ment certifying)
3.58 3
Remain and retrieval
dimension (store and
retrieval of knowledge
certifying)
3.76 1
Proceedings dimension
(knowledge manage-
ment procedures)

3.40 4



We are finding from the previous table that the most aspects
applied with 75 % is remain and retrieval dimension, it re-
turns to application the company for international standards
and specification as ISO 9001 and ISAGO.
Culture dimension comes in the second degree of more di-
mension applied with 73 %, it reflects differentiate the cul-
ture awareness with reasonable degree about knowledge
management and its application.
Knowledge certifying comes with 71 %, while proceedings
and methods dimension considers the less application with
68 % due to non-existing of any proceedings but perhaps
non-application of knowledge management processes and
lack of providing the electronic systems.

6- Conclusion, recommendations and future works
With reference to results of that study and to increase
knowledge management application level in the company for
the desired level, researcher concluded to the significant
following recommendations:
- High management shall support and commit knowledge
management and provide all methods and means to success
the application.
- Setting a strategy adopting knowledge management and
watch knowledge as one of the important assets of the com-
pany and deals with knowledge as one of the significant fac-
tors to achieve a competitive feature.
- Replan and study development exchange methods and pro-
ceeding, participation and certifying knowledge in accord-
ance with the management ambitious and its future plan.
- Using the available abilities and materials in Saudi compa-
ny for ground services in creation strong and effective
knowledge management systems to protect and provide
knowledge to planning the materials and prepare the plans
and future studies.
- Prepare the managerial and technical staffs and training
them to achieve application success as these programs.
- Prepare the processes engineering and activities and target-
ed programs insuring its success.
- Work graduation in knowledge management is necessary
and achieves better results, in particular in the initial aspects
where showing the whole project from the beginning may
lead to that the employees may feel that the matter is com-
plicated and hard. Subsequently, reject the idea and unwill-
ingness to participate in it.
- Focusing on awareness spread stage, giving it a sufficient
time and variety in the used methods in order to gain more
of support that is based on the understanding and realization.
- Participate big number of the officers and operators in
knowledge management and doesnt confine on limited team
conducts the task where the others feel that they have not
any important but the matter confines only on the deter-
mined team. Success of knowledge management bases on
group participation in knowledge management processes.
- Check the electronic preparation to application knowledge
management processes where the electronic preparation is a
main feature to achieve knowledge management.
- Development the incentives and rewards systems in order
to encourage the officers to participate in knowledge and
contribute in creation an organizational culture encourages
to deliberation and participation knowledge.
- It is necessary to build or rent information network or par-
ticipation in an international information networks to ex-
change the international experiences and scientific
knowledge in respect of the international aviation compa-
nies, particularly in ground services companies that work in
airports.
- Training programs with a special significant in knowledge
management processes, it is necessary to aware of these pro-
grams according to the internal and external training grade
where that training assures on the matter significant, declare
the best practices in that field and allows all employees to
participate in knowledge management processes.



International Journal of Innovatory research in Engineering and Technology - IJIRET

ISSN: XXXX-XXXX Volume X, Issue X, Month Year 29
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