Knowledge management processes are considered one of the most important modern management strategies and methods that contribute to change and administrative development, achieving excellence and giving institutions a competitive advantage based on the optimal exploitation of the human element Institutions' awareness of the importance of survival and continuity in an environment characterized by complexity and permanent change in all its economic, political, social, and technological fields...etc. They must strive continuously to provide high levels of business performance and their activities in a way that enables them to keep pace with these developments and challenges and adapt to them. The most important resource of institutions and the most capable of upgrading them and transferring them to the ranks of global institutions. Knowledge management also plays an important role in the development of institutions by exploiting its intellectual and knowledge balance, which makes it better able than others to keep pace with development and achieve excellence in the light of the knowledge society. The tourism sector is one of the sectors most dependent on the human element in all the services it provides, This sector also plays an important role in the economies of many countries of the world as a source of national income. Tourism institutions are also among the most important active institutions within the local community, especially tourism companies, where many tourism companies are spread in Najaf Governorate. Therefore, this sector is one of the sectors that deserves attention, as it is one of the confiscations affecting the economy in Najaf Governorate. From the foregoing, we will divide the research into four sections. The first topic will include the scientific methodology of research through the research problem, its importance, and objectives. In the second topic, we will address the topic of the theoretical conceptual framework for the processes of managing essential knowledge and improving religious tourism. As for the third topic, we will address the practical side and the results of statistical analysis, and the fourth topic was devoted to the most important conclusions and recommendations reached by the research.

The First Topic: The Scientific Methodology of Research

First: The Research Problem: the tourism companies located in the province of Najaf are distinguished in their work and are considered among the important companies, where knowledge management processes are concerned with managing knowledge processes in tourism companies in terms of how to collect knowledge stored in minds instead of creating environments for knowledge creation, influence or even share it; It makes sure that the information is sent to everyone. The knowledge management processes consist of a series of procedures that will be implemented within the tourism companies. As the decision-making process - at various administrative levels - is one of the most prominent processes within tourism companies, which depends on knowledge and information management, as this process requires providing the information necessary for effective and successful decision-making. Which led the researchers to question the reasons for this type of behavior and try to develop effective solutions to it as follows:

• Is there a significant impact that knowledge management processes leave on religious tourism companies in Najaf Governorate

• Have the reasons for this impact of knowledge management processes on religious tourism companies in the holy Najaf Governorate been diagnosed

• How does the availability of knowledge management processes contribute to the process of improving decision-making in religious tourism companies in the Al-Najaf Governorate

The importance of the research

The importance of the current research lies in two aspects:

Theoretical importance: The current research derives its theoretical importance from the scarcity of Arab and local studies that dealt with the role of knowledge management processes in improving religious tourism. A theoretical framework for research variables.

Field importance

The field importance is reflected in the presentation of a group of religious companies practicing knowledge management processes and identifying aspects of implementation and benefits to improve the overall performance of religious tourism companies in Iraq.

Research Objectives

The main objective of the research is to reveal the role played by knowledge management in improving the performance of tourism companies in the Al-Najaf Governorate. This is achieved through achieving the following sub-objectives:

• Revealing the reality of knowledge management in tourism companies in Najaf Governorate

• Determining the performance level of tourism companies in Najaf Governorate

• Determining the relationship and the impact of knowledge management on the performance of tourism companies in the Al-Najaf Governorate

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• The Hypothetical Study Model: To achieve the objectives of the research requires building a hypothetical scheme to diagnose the core knowledge management processes and their role in improving religious tourism in Najaf Governorate and the relationship between them. As shown in the figure which includes two types of basic variables

• The Independent Variable: Core knowledge management processes: which includes: knowledge generation, knowledge storage, knowledge distribution, and knowledge application according to [1-3]

• The Adopted Variable: Improving religious tourism: which includes: increasing the number of tourist sites, increasing the number of customers, and improving performance efficiency according to [4-8]

Fifth: Research Hypotheses

To complete the requirements of the research and in order to answer the questions raised in the research problem, a set of hypotheses have been developed that contribute to developing an answer to the questions, as follows

The First Main Hypothesis

There is a correlation between knowledge management processes and the dimensions of improving religious tourism. The following sub-hypotheses emerge from it:

• There is a significant correlation between knowledge generation and the dimensions of improving religious tourism

• There is a significant correlation between knowledge storage and the dimensions of improving religious tourism

• There is a significant correlation between the distribution of knowledge and the dimensions of improving religious tourism

• There is a significant correlation between the application of knowledge and the dimensions of improving religious tourism

The Second Main Hypothesis

There is an influence relationship between knowledge management processes and the dimensions of improving religious tourism. The following sub-hypotheses emanate from it:

Figure 1: The hypothesis of the research, Source: Prepared by the Researchers

Table 1: Research Sample

Source: Prepared by the Researchers

• There is a significant influencing relationship between knowledge generation and the dimensions of improving religious tourism

• There is a significant influencing relationship between knowledge storage and the dimensions 

• of improving religious tourism

• There is a significant influencing relationship between the distribution of knowledge and the dimensions of improving religious tourism

• There is a significant effect relationship between the application of knowledge and the dimensions of improving religious tourism

Seventh: The Study Population and its Sample: The study population is the tourism companies in the holy city of Najaf, where the workforce is located in religious tourism activities in the holy city of Najaf. And the target sample in the current research is the intentional sample, as the researchers used the opinions of individuals working in travel and tourism companies in the province of Najaf, as 62 questionnaires were distributed, and the retrieved and valid questionnaires for statistical analysis were (50)questionnaires as in Table No 1. 

Eighth: Research Tools: In order to analyze the current research data collected from a sample of respondents, the researchers used a set of statistical methods in the SPSS v25 program to evaluate the measurement tool for research, describe the research variables, as well as test hypotheses, and these statistical methods following:

• Normal distribution test

• Cronbach's Alpha coefficient

• Coefficient of determination or interpretation, R²

• Descriptive statistics (arithmetic mean, standard deviation)

• Pearson correlation coefficient

• Simple regression equation

The Second Topic: The Theoretical Framework for the Research Variables

First: Core Knowledge Management Processes

The Concept of Core Knowledge Management Processes: The researchers tried to address the concept of knowledge management processes from multiple points of view according to their viewpoints and according to their specializations and intellectual orientations. Within the framework of these differences, it became difficult for the researchers to come up with a comprehensive concept of the concept, as we review through the following table the most important of these concepts, which we review in Table 2 Including the concepts of religious tourism from the viewpoint of a group of researchers and thinkers.

Through the above concepts, we conclude that the processes of knowledge management are the various activities that are related to tacit and explicit knowledge. Hence, knowledge management provides systematic management of activities and operations such as acquisition, creativity, use, codification storage, knowledge transfer, and sharing in the company, and these processes are not always in a linear sequence but are in a form synchronous.

Dimensions of Core Knowledge Management Processes 

Almost all writers and researchers agree that the role of knowledge management is determined by the process that works to bring it to the level of knowledge in terms of how to access and store it, enrich information, deliver it and reuse it, through its interaction, maintenance, use, sharing, distribution and merging to reach the desired result. Therefore, it becomes clear that the essence of knowledge management is to improve its processes, i.e. transforming knowledge inputs (information from internal and external sources) skills, and experiences into knowledge that can be shared and stored, how to distribute and maintain, and usually retrieved for application sequentially and then retrieved and integrated [11]. Therefore, the researchers describe these processes as a closed-loop form called the essential processes of knowledge management, where he sees that knowledge management processes include several dimensions as in Figure (2).

Table 2: The concept of core knowledge management processes

Source: Prepared by the Researchers Based on the Above Sources

Table 3: The concept of improving religious tourism

Source: Prepared by the Researchers Based on the Above Sources

Table 4: Results of the distribution test and the reliability test for the research variables

Source: Prepared by the researchers based on the outputs of SPSS V.25

Storage Knowledge

 The storage of knowledge includes both soft or hard recording and the retention of both (individual and organizational knowledge) in a manner that facilitates its retrieval. The documentation process for the policy. It allows many people to search for and retrieve codified knowledge without having to contact the person who originally developed it, and this saves time and other organizational resources and thus improves performance [13].

Knowledge Application

Knowledge contributes directly to organizational performance when it is used to make decisions and perform tasks. The process of applying knowledge depends on the available knowledge, and the knowledge itself depends on the processes of knowledge discovery, capturing, and sharing. When applying knowledge, the party using it does not necessarily need to understand it. All that is required is that the knowledge is used in some way to guide decisions and actions. Therefore, the use of knowledge benefits from two processes - routine and orientation - which do not involve the actual transfer or exchange of knowledge between the individuals involved but only the transfer of recommendations that are applicable in a specific context [14].

Knowledge Creation

Knowledge creation and expansion are fundamental and inherent characteristics of knowledge process management. An organization needs to develop competence in knowledge creation to survive in competition. Knowledge creation is the result of our daily activities in our work or social situation. Knowledge is formed through various vital methods. Some of these appear through some procedure or some technical means. Through the new knowledge that emerges, the knowledge creation process helps organizations to develop their ability to generate new knowledge, innovate, and add value [15].

Knowledge Distribution

Distribution of knowledge is also called dissemination of knowledge, dissemination, or transfer. It consists of systematic processes of fetching knowledge to employees who need it and pushing knowledge rather than knowledge in search and retrieval that includes knowledge sought by employees and knowledge withdrawal. Both cognitive tasks together essentially support the assimilation of knowledge at the receiving end of payments and withdrawals. Another alternative application of large-scale knowledge distribution by large organizations is the so-called organization-wide knowledge fair [16].

Second: Improving Religious Tourism

The concept of improving religious tourism:

In the majority of Islamic countries, religious tourism is at the forefront of types of tourism Religious tourism is a form of tourism that has existed for centuries that still bears some of the features of a proper pilgrimage[17] “(and that religious tourism as a special event has a very complex impact on local communities) [18], as religious tourism has long been the most popular compared to other types of tourism such as medical and heritage, and that visiting places The sacred as an activity has always been the focus of attention by nations and their peoples and throughout the centuries, and religious tourism at present represents the largest share of the income derived from tourism in general. The religious beliefs of human beings have a clear impact on all their actions and words, just as a person is an advocate of the thought that he carries with his tongue. Part of loyalty to his belief, religious practices are of great importance in the hearts of those who believe in them, and the movement of individuals to areas very far from their areas of residence where places of worship are located and in which vows and sacrifices are offered is nothing but an expression of true respect for the belief through the literal adherence to his teachings, which requires exclusively practicing these rituals in these places and no other. From this point of view, we will shed light on a set of concepts and definitions that writers and researchers touched on in this field. Therefore, religious tourism was known by several researchers, as shown in Table (3)

The researchers believe that religious tourism is the organized flow of tourists coming from inside or outside to visit holy religious places to be blessed, to perform a religious duty, or to get acquainted with the religious heritage of the state, as well as to satisfy the religious motive of the tourist with the spiritual values that he represents for this religion or belief.

Dimensions of improving religious tourism

• Improve Efficiency in Performance: Competencies take their meaning from continuous development, and therefore competencies must be developed to allow them to adapt to the factors of the development of the internal or external environment of the organization or to participate in bringing about its changes. Without a doubt, the rapid changes in the environment call for the development and development of human resources and their competencies, as the development and maintenance of competencies, especially the basic ones, represent Strategic importance, given the capabilities offered by competencies to occupy new positions in the market, considering that the core competencies represent the competitive advantage and that they have become the real treasury of every institution operating in an environment of knowledge-intensive forces, and since the basic knowledge holders in institutions are their workers, this calls for the necessity of Maintaining and developing this strategic resource represented in competencies with modern methods of control, training and training

• Increase the Number of Customers: The increased interest in the customer in recent times, after the intensity of competition between institutions, has led to intense competition between these institutions for the need to focus on satisfying the needs of the customer in an attempt to satisfy him and make him happy, as successful institutions always strive to improve the level of their services provided to customers to keep them Continuing their dealings with the institution and urging them to be loyal to the institution and the products they purchase in addition to trying to attract new customers to the institution. Based on common interest and interests, which is the pattern of long-term relationships, the marketing activity for a long time in the relationship of the institution with the customer was based on the transaction, but it soon discovered that the customer would not be profitable in the long run except based on long-term relationships, as these relationships In the eyes of the institutions, some huge factories and structures bring in hard currency [6]

• Increasing the Number of Tourist Sites: The importance of rehabilitating and increasing tourist sites comes for several reasons, the most important of which is that cities are the gateways to access places such as tourist and archaeological sites, and they are the main nucleus of the complementary elements to the tourist attraction of services and tourist facilities. The factor of increase in tourist sites is an important factor in the tourist demand for reasons that may be specific to some sites of attraction, especially their possession of tourist components that belong to a country other than the country in which the ingredients are. The importance of increasing the tourist site is highlighted in terms of determining the geographical framework of the region and the natural, social and economic characteristics of the tourist centers located within it on the one hand, and the distances between the places of departure for tourists and their places of reception, the sites of attraction and the time required to travel them on the other hand. Hence, this factor is one of the main natural ingredients that affect the emergence and development of tourism in any region [20]

The third topic: the practical aspect of research

Descriptive Analysis and Data Examination

Normal distribution: The normal distribution test is one of the necessary tests, especially in the parametric statistical tests that require that the data be distributed naturally. The fact that the data are naturally distributed will reduce the dispersion of the results and therefore will support the accuracy of the results that will be reached. Through the use of the SPSS program, the Skewness and Kurtosis test were conducted to test the normal distribution of the data, as the acceptable values for them are when they range between + 1.98 and - 1.98, and the following are the results of the test of the normal distribution of the search scale variables:

The Normal Distribution of the Core Knowledge Management Processes Variable

The results of the wobble and flattening test using the SPSS program for the core knowledge management processes variable, the results showed the achievement of the knowledge management processes variable and its dimensions to the acceptable values ​​of the normal distribution as shown in Table (4), and this enhances the Achieving accurate statistical results

Figure 2: Dimensions of Core Knowledge Management Processes

Source: Mertins, K, Heising, P, Vorbeck, J. [11] "Knowledge Management: Best Practices in Europe”, Springer –Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Descriptive Analysis of the Research Variables

• Descriptive Analysis of The Variable of Knowledge Management Processes: through the use of the SPSS program, the results of the descriptive analysis of the variable of knowledge management processes that are reviewed in Table 5 were reached. Triple Likert and therefore this indicates the spread of all items in the organization in question, in addition, the results of the descriptive analysis showed relatively low values of the standard deviation, and this indicates the consistency of the respondents' responses

• For a descriptive analysis of the variable of improving religious tourism: through the use of the SPSS program, the results of the descriptive analysis of improving religious tourism were reached, which are reviewed in Table 6. Triple and therefore this indicates the spread of all items in the organization in question, in addition, the results of the descriptive analysis showed relatively low values of the standard deviation, and this indicates the consistency of the respondents' responses

Second: Testing the research hypotheses

After completing the step of calculating the research variables, as well as the descriptive analysis of the research variables, the current step is to test the hypotheses, and at first the correlation hypothesis will be tested, and then the impact hypothesis will be tested and knowledge of the correlation and influence between the independent variable which is knowledge management processes and the dependent variable and It is to improve religious tourism, as follows:

• The Correlation Hypothesis Test: The social statistic program spss v.25 was used to measure the correlation between the research variables, through the Pearson correlation coefficient for the quantitative variables, as follows

• Test the First Main Hypothesis: Which states that (there is a significant correlation between knowledge management processes and improving religious tourism), the results of which appeared as shown in the following table

The results of the first main hypothesis test indicate that there is a significant correlation between knowledge management processes and the improvement of religious tourism, if the value of the correlation coefficient is (0.29), and with a level of significance less than (0.05) which is (0.036), and thus accepting the first main hypothesis.

Testing the hypotheses of the effect

The research hypotheses of the effect will be tested by the program spss v.25 by means of a simple regression equation, and the significance of the estimated function will be tested based on the value of the (f) test, and the significance of the parameters will be tested through the (t) test, as follows:

Y :  The dependent variable, a the constant term in the regression equation, or the cut-off part of the .y axis

B : The slope of the regression line, or the amount of change that occurs in the dependent variable when the independent variable changes by one unit. : X the independent variable, Ui: the random variable.

Testing the second main hypothesis: which states that (knowledge management processes significantly affect the improvement of religious tourism), and after it was tested using simple regression, the results were as in the following table

The results of Table 6 indicate the existence of a significant effect relationship between knowledge management processes and the dependent variable improving religious tourism, which was indicated by the results of the (T) test and (F) test if the calculated values ​​were higher than the tabular at the level of significance (0.05), if The calculated (t) value was 2.153, which is higher than the tabular value, which is 2.021, and the calculated (f) value was 4.633, and therefore it is higher than the tabular 4.03.

 The estimation of the simple regression model is as follows:

 Knowledge management processes = 1.777 + 0.353 Improvement of religious tourism

If the value of (B) indicates an amount of (0.353), and this means if the knowledge management processes increase by (1) one unit, the dependent variable of improving religious tourism will increase by (0.353), while (R2) whose value indicates an amount of (0.08). It means that the independent variable knowledge management processes explains the value of (8%) of the changes that occur in the dependent variable improving religious tourism, and based on the results above, the second main hypothesis is accepted.

Conclusions and Recommendations

First: The Conclusions

• The role of knowledge management is determined by the process that works to bring it to the level of knowledge in terms of how to access and store it, enrich information, deliver it and reuse it, through its interaction, maintenance, use, sharing, distribution and integration with each other for the purpose of reaching the desired result

• The increased interest in the customer in recent times, after the intensification of competition between institutions, and the sharp competition between these institutions has led to the need to focus on satisfying the needs of the customer in an attempt to satisfy him and make him happy

• Knowledge contributes directly to influencing the levels of organizational performance by adopting core knowledge management processes as a basis for distinguishing the administrative decision

• Religious tourism has long been the most popular in comparison with other types of tourism, such as medical and heritage tourism, due to the sanctity of the place and its Islamic status

• Religious tourism represents at the present time the largest share of the income derived from tourism in general

• Core knowledge management processes are considered one of the most important modern management strategies and methods that contribute to change and administrative development, achieving excellence and giving institutions a competitive advantage based on the optimal exploitation of the human element

• The results of the first main hypothesis test indicate that there is a significant correlation between knowledge management processes and the improvement of religious tourism

• The core knowledge management processes obtained a percentage of (8%), which explains the value of the changes that occur in improving religious tourism, and based on the above results, the second main hypothesis is accepted

Second: Recommendations

• The necessity for the research sample companies to pay attention to the processes of managing essential knowledge to create and develop distinctive capabilities and thus obtain a competitive advantage that is difficult to imitate

• The necessity of educating the individuals of the same companies in the direction of knowledge and its operations

• Providing means, equipment and devices that contribute to the transfer and sharing of knowledge

• Organizing training courses for working individuals to familiarize them with the importance of knowledge management processes

• The necessity of conducting future research and studies linking knowledge management processes and the tourism sector at the regional level as a comparative study for the purpose of development

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