Role of ICT facilitation in mobilizing the performance of business research process in North India. An empirical study on HEIs
| Date | 05 February 2018 |
| Pages | 70-90 |
| Published date | 05 February 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-06-2017-0055 |
| Author | Suhail Ahmad Bhat,Ahmed Tauqeer Zahid |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information in society,Information literacy,Library & information services |
Role of ICT facilitation
in mobilizing the performance
of business research process
in North India
An empirical study on HEIs
Suhail Ahmad Bhat and Ahmed Tauqeer Zahid
Department of Management Studies, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study undertaken to understand
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilitation and performance of business research
process in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The study has investigated the influence of ICT-aided
infrastructure facilitation on the effectiveness of business research in HEIs. Scale development for the
various dimensions of ICT facilitation and business research process performance has also been
established.
Design/methodology/approach –Structural equationmodeling has been used for data analysis across
a sample of 164 respondents,which have been randomly selected from the population of businessresearchers
pursuing their research in the HEIs in northern India. Questionnaire has been used for survey and data
collection.
Findings –The findings of the study reveal that implementation of ICT initiatives have significantly
enhanced the efficiency and quality of business research in higher education. Further, the study has found
that ICT facilitation is multidimensional, consisting of three sub-constructs (infrastructure availability,
human resource capacity and e-resourcefinancing) and business research process performance consistingof
four sub-constructs(facilitator, accessibility, ethical dimensionsand data processes). It has been found that all
the sub-constructsare related to their respective constructs.
Research limitations/implications –The study uses a small sample as the number of business
researcherswas less in the northern region of India. For more generalization and authentication,larger sample
size should be used. Further, the study developed a scale and tested it in the northern region of India.
Therefore,it becomes important to examine whether the same scale can be applied to othersector/regions and
countries.
Originality/value –The study has added to the understanding of the relationship between variables,
namely, ICT facilitation and business research process performance. It also identifies the ICT factors and
business researchperformance factors, and empiricallytests their dimensionality. The study emphasizesthat
higher learninginstitutes should be more knowledge and result-drivenwith immediate practical implications
for businessdevelopment and revenue generation.
Keywords Business research process performance, Data processes, E-resource,
Higher education institutions (HEIs), ICT facilitation, ICT infrastructure
Paper type Research paper
The authors express their sincere gratitude and thanks to reviewers for professional proofing of the
manuscript and providing fruitful suggestions in improving the quality of the manuscript. Their
support has been invaluable and the authors are extremely grateful to them.
GKMC
67,1/2
70
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.67 No. 1/2, 2018
pp. 70-90
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-06-2017-0055
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9342.htm
Background
Knowledge, innovation and Informationand Communication Technology (ICT) have strong
repercussions on many economic sectors like research and development, informatics and
communication, finance and transport sector (Boyer, 2002;Foray, 2004). The knowledge-
based economy presents new scenes and challenges for education and scientific research
and new promises for higher education.ICT has been considered as one of the powerful tools
for diffusing knowledge, information and advanced scientific research. Indian higher
education system has been considered as one of the largesteducation systems in the world.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have a major role in creating, storing and
disseminating knowledge and should primarily focus on specialized learning. ICT can be
defined as a diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, create,
disseminate, store, retrieveand manage information (Blurton, 1999). ICT is broadly used as
an umbrella term which encompasses a wide range of applications or communication
devices like radio, television, mobile phones, computer and networking hardware and
software, satellite systems etc. Under this umbrella, various services and applications
associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance level learning, are also
included (Rouse, 2005). ICT in education sector originated from the growing use of audio-
visual and educationaltechnologies because 1980’s educators, researchersand scholars have
been able to use it with diverse degrees of success(Sun, 2004;White, 2008).
Business research process involves a series of steps that systematically investigate a
business problem or opportunityfacing an enterprise. Business research in many fields has
also been revolutionized by new possibilities offered by ICT from the digitization of
information to new recording, simulation, ethical dimension accountability and data
processes possibilities(Atkins et al.,2003). Most visible impact of ICT has been witnessedin
the instant access to data and information in digital form that allows manipulations which
otherwise are not possible. Obioha (2005) has opined that some of the achievements
regarding usage ofICT tools include a quick search and easy access to information,varieties
of information, ease and speed of processing information and increased knowledge. Kozma
(2008) emphasizes the need for ICT implementation through various operational and
strategic policies which leads to motivation,bring changes, coordinate disparate efforts and
ultimately contribute toward achieving a nation’s holistic educational goals. The
combination of computers and electronic communications has dramatically enhanced the
output and productivity of researchers in all domains ranging from higher education to
space technology. It has become strategically important for business research in HEIs to
realize the fact that valuable knowledge and information cannot be improved without
strategic and proactive embracing of ICT in support of institution’s mission. ICT has
facilitated the availability of open access resources globally. These resources have made
their presence online for the convenience and time saving for students, faculty and other
staff.
Knowledge and information imparted by ICT have been the key factor for productivity,
competitivenessand increased wealth and prosperity that HEIs are now prioritizing more on
developing their human capital (Howells, 1995). HEIs which care for creating value for the
well-being of society are managed professionallyby able leaders who are well versed in the
state of art technology (Ryhan and Mohammed, 2013). Onecan say with certainty that ICT
facilitation has now become oneof the core agendas in the education system, around which
education policies are formulated and rightly implemented. India is aiming to become a
knowledge-driven economy, and the government considers HEI’s repositories as a valuable
human capital (Bhattacharya and Sharma, 2007;World Bank, 2005). Despite recent
reductions in the budgetary allocation to the education sector, the education policy is still
An empirical
study on HEIs
71
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