Technology Readiness of Business School Students in Learning Advanced ERM Software Applications: A Sequential Multiple-Mediation Framework
AUTHORS
Dr. Mohammad Rezaur Razzak, Assistant Professor of Management, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman
Dr. Golam Mostafa Khan, Associate Professor of Management, Abu Dhabi School of Management (ADSM), United Arab Emirates
ABSTRACT
The use of advanced Enterprise Resource Management (ERM) applications is becoming ubiquitous. As a result, organizations are prioritizing the hiring of graduates with working knowledge of such cutting-edge applications that incorporate new business intelligence capabilities through AI-driven algorithms that analyze large volumes of data. However, a chasm exists between the advanced technology skills that industry demands today from recruits and the actual knowledge that they bring with them after graduating from business schools. Some empirical evidence points to the possibility that part of the problem lies with insufficient understanding of whether perceptions of students in terms of complexity and benefits of learning such advanced ERM systems influences the relationship between their technology readiness and their behavioral intention to adopt such systems in their learning. Therefore, the goal of this study is to develop a conceptual framework to propose the possible mediating effects of Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and Perceived Usefulness (PU) regarding advanced ERM applications, in the relationship between technology readiness of business school students and their behavioral intention towards actual usage of technology. The framework is developed with the support of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) leading to a set of propositions positing relationships between the constructs in the model. This study is likely to pave the path for further empirical research that may enable educators in business education programs at colleges and universities to determine pertinent factors that drive the behavior of students in adopting advanced ERM applications and thus close the gap between expectation of employers and the learning that students acquire through their business degree programs.
KEYWORDS
Enterprise resource management, ERM, Technology readiness, User perceptions
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