Digital Knowledge and Organizational Performance in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Uzbekistan
Downloads
This paper examines the relationship between employee-level digital knowledge and perceived organisational performance in Uzbek enterprises. The theoretical framing draws on the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities, which treat digital knowledge as a strategic resource complementary to technology investment. Empirical analysis is conducted on a cross-sectional online survey of 288 respondents from five industry sectors. Digital knowledge is operationalised through the Composite Digital Knowledge Index (CDKI; Cronbach's α = 0.797), and organisational performance is captured through a global self-report item. Spearman's rank correlation between the two variables is ρ = 0.51 (p < 0.001), a moderate-to-strong positive association. Group comparisons show a clear gradient across knowledge tiers: among respondents in the low-knowledge tier, 57% disagree or strongly disagree that digitalisation benefits their organisation, whereas in the high-knowledge tier, 68% agree or strongly agree. Multivariate sensitivity analysis with position, age and industry controls confirms the primary association. The findings support the interpretation that digital investment produces performance returns only in the presence of adequate human-capital complementarity, and they argue for the integration of digital-literacy programmes into national digital transformation strategies.
L. G. Gborogbosi and B. C. Onuoha, “Entrepreneurial intention and innovation of SMEs in Rivers State,” International Journal of Academic and Applied Research, vol. 10, no. 23, pp. 45–59, 2024.
T. N. Garavan, P. Costine, and N. Heraty, Training and Development in Ireland: Context, Policy and Practice. Dublin, Ireland: Oak Tree Press, 1995.
G. G. Kpee, E. E. Uchendu, and B. I. Bethel, “Entrepreneurship education for quality assurance in tertiary institutions in Rivers State,” Academic Discourse Journal, 2021.
E. A. Amadi and S. Eze, “Factors influencing the implementation of entrepreneurship education in tertiary institutions in Rivers State,” International Journal of Innovative Social & Science Education Research, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 22–36, 2019.
SimVenture, “Hands-on learning in business education,” 2024. [Online]. Available: https://simventure.com/hands-on-learning-in-business-education/
D. Pholtha and K. T. Singh, “Entrepreneurial intention theories,” EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 45–56, 2024.
J. Travis and E. Freeman, “Predicting entrepreneurial intentions: Proactive personality and self-efficacy as moderators,” Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 103–117, 2020.
I. Ajzen, “The theory of planned behavior,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 179–211, 1991.
E. O. Ajike, G. K. Nnorom, B. H. Akinlabi, V. A. Onyia, and J. D. Kwarbai, “Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions: The role of the theory of planned behaviour,” Journal of Contemporary Research, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 55–68, 2023.
P. G. Greene, “Four approaches to teaching an entrepreneurship method,” Babson College Entrepreneurship Review, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 22–30, 2024.
F. N. Ogba, M. A. Alade, and C. E. Chukwuma, “Moderating role of initiative on the relationship between intrinsic motivation and entrepreneurial intention,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 13, p. 866869, 2022.
F. D. Murwani, A. Wibowo, I. Suryani, and A. Firdaus, “Which psychological characteristics strengthen the entrepreneurial intention–action relationship?” Cogent Business & Management, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 1823579, 2020.
Skill Wave Project, “State-wide vocational and entrepreneurship training initiative,” 2024. [Online]. Available: https://skillwaveproject.com
E. A. Amadi and S. A. Eze, “Factors influencing the implementation of entrepreneurship education in tertiary institutions in Rivers State,” International Journal of Innovative Social & Science Education Research, 2019.
Rivers State University, “Entrepreneurship Development Centre,” 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.rsu.edu.ng/entrepreneurship-development-centre/
C. S. Saranza, V. R. Bencito, and A. L. Ramos, “Teachers’ entrepreneurial competence and teaching methods in entrepreneurship education,” European Scholar Journal, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 66–74, 2022.
2.png)