To What Extent do Quality of Education and Quality of Research Influence the Adoption of ICT by Companies?

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the influence of education and research quality provided by local educational institutions on the innovative adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by the workforce in Saudi Arabia. The study tests whether this influence is mediated by domestic competition and/or the level of ICT penetration. A model was developed and tested using data collected from 119 CEOs of foreign companies in diverse local business sectors. The data is analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that educational quality exhibited a lesser contribution to the ICT adoption compared to research quality. These results are analyzed in terms of business environment, market constraints and pedagogical approaches in schools and universities.