The Impact of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in Higher Education Institutions: Support in improvement of academic processes

Abstract Recently the universities in Pakistan started replacing their old legacy systems with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to improve their academic and administrative processes. Previously, ERP systems were used in business organizations to gain a competitive edge over competitors. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has implemented ERP systems at eight different universities in Pakistan. The HEC has invested a significant amount of money to facilitate the integration, customization and implementation of these systems. Little research is reported to assess the impact of ERP systems in higher education institutions. Previous studies reported in the literature focus mainly on Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and risk factors in success and failure of ERP systems. To explore the research problem, various Information System (IS) success models were studied as part of the literature review. This study also presents a conceptual research model based on re-specification of the DeLone and McLean IS success model to empirically measure the impact of ERP in higher education in the Pakistani universities’ context. This research study empirically evaluated the post implementation impact of the ERP systems in higher education institutions, focusing on improvement in the academic and administrative processes. This study used a sequential explanatory mixed method design approach to meet the objectives and address the research questions. Quantitative data were collected from a survey involving 230 respondents (120 students and 110 faculty members) from two selected universities that had implemented ERP systems. The qualitative data was collected through 12 interviews (five faculty members, five heads of department and two VCs). The results of both the quantitative and qualitative findings highlight that the ERP implementation has a positive and significant impact on the improvement of academic processes such as student satisfaction, teaching quality, better communication and feedback mechanism and the higher management decision-making process in Pakistani university contexts. The research findings will help future researchers to build on the research, perhaps with different samples and methodologies and will be useful for higher education to formulate strategies for the implementation of ERP system in their respective public-sector universities. Keywords: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems, Higher Education, mixed methods research, DeLone and McLean IS Success mode

Technological, organizational and environmental factor: the mediation of e-commerce and moderation of entrepreneurial competencies on SME performance

In the 21st century, e-commerce is essential for a rapidly changing business environment and increases the firm's overall value. The study aims to explore the influence of technological (relative advantage and technology readiness), organizational (cost of adoption and top management support), and environmental (government support and competitive pressure) factors of the TOE model with mediation effect of the use of ecommerce on manufacturing SMEs' performance. Also, the present study includes the mediator variable e-commerce use between TOE factors and firm performance. The research framework was developed based on the resource-based view (RBV) combined with the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory and TOE model. The research chose a stratified proportionate random sampling method to collect data by selecting four (04) heterogeneous strata (textile, leather, sports, and surgical). The 800 questionnaires were distributed to top and middle-level managers of Pakistan's manufacturing SMEs. Thus, 368 were returned. The study applied partial least square structural equation modeling (PLSSEM) by utilizing the SmartPLS3 to investigate the hypothesized relationships and SPSS 24 for the data screening. The result showed that technological factors, directly and indirectly, have a significant positive relationship with e-commerce and firm performance. However, organizational factors, top management support has proved a significant positive influence on the use of e-commerce directly and indirectly. Furthermore, in environmental factors, competitive pressure found a significant influence on e-commerce usage and subsequently on firm performance. The study provides theoretical and practical implications. The contribution of the study is introducing entrepreneurial competencies as a moderator between e-commerce use and firm performance. The study helps SME managers and practitioners understand the underlying factors for the successful implementation of e-commerce

Evaluation of the Success of an Academic Portal: the students\u27 perspective

This paper aims to present the initial results of the students\u27 evaluation of an information system dedicated to the management of the academic activity, based on the DeLone and McLean\u27s information systems success model. This study targeted the Academic Portal of the Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto (ISCAP), known as Secretaria Online. The methodological approach used in this work was the case study, with the application of a quantitative methodology for data collection, namely with a questionnaire. This paper presents the consolidated results of the 342 student responses

Investigating Successful Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation in Higher Education Institutions

This thesis investigates the successful implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). ERP is a business management system that has emerged to support organisations with a system of integrated applications to enhance their Information Technology (IT) infrastructures, enhance business processes and deliver a high quality of services. Research indicates limited success for implementing numerous ERP ventures and failure rates estimated between 60% and 90%. The failure of ERP implementation in higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide is much higher in comparison to other sectors, such as banking or manufacturing, yet limited research has been conducted on this issue. There is a lack of sufficient knowledge, expertise and training to implement such sophisticated integrated systems and top management lacks the ability to take appropriate decisions for ERP implementation. However, merely focusing on several factors influencing ERP implementation may not suffice, as there is a need for a systematic decision-making process for adopting and implementing ERP systems in HEIs. The limited number of ERP applications being used in HEIs has resulted in inadequate research and many issues which require further exploration. Despite this, all the implications for successful implementation of ERP systems have yet to be assessed in HEIs, making it a relevant area for study and creating a need for a unique piece of research work. Thus, the researcher demonstrates that it is of high importance to investigate this area and contribute towards successful ERP implementations. The present study adopted an interpretivist research philosophy and the approach was inductive in nature. To collect the data from the selected case studies, a semi structured interview protocol was designed in accordance with the research objectives which was aimed at getting the views and opinions of both the higher management personnel as well as technical level staff from the selected sample of universities. The study was focused on the implementation of ERP systems for higher education institutions in Jordan. Jordan has the highest demand for higher education in the region and the number of enrolments is growing annually. The demand for ERP systems in Jordan is rising owing to the rapid growth of the Internet and mobile users and the increase in the literacy rate. The content analysis technique was used supported by NVivi11 software to process the data gathered from the sample. The key success factors identified from the participants were split into technical, organizational, project and project support categories. This research made several contributions to knowledge. These included 1) the identification and characterisation of three new sector and context-specific KSFs, namely: the selection of the right ERP system; the need for qualified IT staff for in-house maintenance and fair vendor relations. 2) The development of a framework for enhancing ERP implementation. 3) Evaluation measures of ERP performance from an organisational, technical, project, and project support system perspective. 4) Development of a synthesized model that contains mapped and prioritised KSFs on the ERP implementation lifecycle based on their importance for successful implementation. In addition to these reflected theoretical contributions, this research also highlights the implications on the practices of higher education institutes, particularly for, but not limited to, Jordanian HEIs. The research findings provide an insight into the KSFs that are important for the successful implementation of ERP systems, identifying two new implementation lifecycle stages, the influential factors being mapped across the lifecycle phases providing a more detailed and in-depth understanding of what is required

Culture, demography and individuals' technology acceptance behaviour: A PLS based structural evaluation of an extended model of technology acceptance in South-Asian country context

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The models that predict the factors of individuals’ acceptance behaviour are predominantly based on a technology acceptance model (TAM) or the TAM’s conceptualisation. Although the TAM has a parsimonious structure and good explanatory power across the time, population and context, it is still criticised by a number of researchers. Categorically, it is criticised due to: inherent ‘cultural bias’ that limits its generalisability across cultures (national to organisational level); its underlying conceptualisation of predicting acceptance behaviour solely based on an ‘individual-based reactions’ that limits its applicability over the group’s effect (normative and social influence); and finally, due to its presupposition to examine the effect of ‘external variables’ through the only mediation effect of beliefs’ perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) that limits its ability to be extended beyond its boundaries by adding further factors directly or indirectly affecting intention behaviour (BI). To overcome mentioned limitations, an extended technology acceptance model to suit a developing country context is presented. The model attempted to delineate the direct relationship between behavioural beliefs, normative and control beliefs, management support beliefs, and task-specific beliefs towards acceptance intention and usage. In addition, the model examined the overlooked moderating impact of demographic and situational variables (age, gender, organisational type, academic position, educational level, experience usage and voluntariness) and cultural dimensions (masculinity-femininity, individualism-collectivism, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance) on indirect relations predicting acceptance behaviour. This study used a quantitative methodology to investigate the correlational paths. Using a cross-sectional survey method, data was collected from 504 academics working in 25 public and private higher educational institutions in Pakistan. Overall response rate was 53.9% (i.e. 504 out of 935). After data-screening, the final model was tested with 380 subjects. Hypothetical relationships were examined using structural equation modelling (SEM) based on the partial least squares (PLS) at the first stage, and with analysis of moment structures (AMOS) at the second stage. The indirect exploratory effect of the moderators was examined using multi-group analysis (MGA) method. The study findings indicate that the extended model achieved an acceptable fit with the data and most of the hypothetical paths were significant. Specifically, in the direct relationships, out of 20 paths representing 12 hypotheses, 11 were supported leaving 9 as unsupported. The highest variance explained by the independent variables towards dependent variables was quite similar in PU and BI (R2=26% in both using PLS; R2=34% in BI and 33% in PU using AMOS). The highest significant path was perception of usefulness, followed by academic tasks and resource facilitations towards intention; and perception of ease of use, subjective norms, and institute support towards perception of usefulness. The findings of moderating factors i.e., demographics revealed that subjects younger in age, female in gender and bachelor degree in education were influenced by the perception of ease of use, and normative beliefs; control beliefs were influenced by the organisation being private; management support at institute level was more influential in private organisations with mandatory settings; and the effect of perception of usefulness and normative beliefs was decreased with the increased experience. From the cultural perspective, the highly sensitive path was between normative beliefs and the perception of usefulness, so that the effect was stronger for subjects who were feminine in nature, collectivist in society, and high on power distance. Demographic factor academic-position and cultural dimension uncertainty avoidance did not produce any moderation effect. Finally, based on the findings, limitations and implications for theory and practices are devised.University of Sindh Jamshor

Actions Lead to Results: How the Behaviors of Information Systems Professionals Influence the Success of Information Systems Departments

The growing complexity of systems, the increasing intensity of their use, and the greater prominence of technology in supporting organizational activities has meant that information systems (IS) professionals in organizations have to go beyond offering routine task-related support when working with their non-IS colleagues. For organizations to see IS professionals as effective, they have to carry out empathic behaviors such as sharing their IT knowledge with their non-IS colleagues and taking the initiative to minimize inconveniences during IS projects. Drawing from the organizational citizenship behavior concept, we develop a multilevel research model to examine how behaviors that IS professionals perform influence IS departments’ effectiveness. Using data from more than 1,000 respondents working in the global finance industry, we conducted both cross-level and unit-level analyses and found results that support our arguments. Our results deepen the extent to which we understand the role that IS professionals play in supporting post-adoption IS use and digitally empowering business units while also performing their traditional roles

ICT and InnovationA Step Forward to a Global Society

ItAIS (www.itais.org) was established in 2003 as the Italian Chapter of the Association for Information Systems (AIS - www.aisnet.org) and has since then been promoting the exchange of ideas, experience, and knowledge among both academics and professionals committed to the development, management, organization and use of information systems. The itAIS conference is the major annual event of the Italian Information System community and it is thought as a forum to promote discussions and experiences exchanges among researchers in the field, both from the academy and the industry. Being the current the eleventh edition, in 2016 itAIS was held in Verona. The previous editions took place in Rome on 2015, Genova on 2014, Milan on 2013, Rome on 2012 and 2011, Naples on 2010, Costa Smeralda on 2009, Paris on 2008, Venice on 2007, Milan on 2006, Verona on 2005, and again Naples on 2004. itAIS 2016 aims to bring together researchers, scientists, engineers, and doctoral students to exchange and share their experiences, ideas, challenges, solutions, and research results about all aspects related to the impact of Information Technology and Innovation Trends in Organizations. The conference includes 16 tracks: (1) Organizational change and Impact of ICT; (2) Accounting Information Systems; (3) Advanced ICT support for innovation strategies, management, and implementations; (4) Human-computer interaction; (5) Continuous Redesign of Socio-Technical Systems; (6) Digitalization trends in Human Resources Management; (7) e-Services, Social Networks, and Smartcities; (8) ICT-enabled innovation in public services: co-production and collaborative networking; (9) The new era of digitalization in Healthcare and Public sector; (10) IS (lost) in the Cloud; (11) Internet of Things: exploring tensions in global information infrastructures; (12) Technology- enhanced learning: transforming learning processes in organizations; (13) Supply Chain Resilience and Security; (14) Digital Marketing and Analytics. The participation success that has been registered in the previous editions is confirmed this year. The conference attracted more than 80 submissions from Italian and foreigner researchers. Among them, more 6 than 68 contributions have been accepted for presentation at the conference following a double-blind review process. Among them, 19 are published in this book, the other will appear in a volume of the Springer Series Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisations1. The conference took place at Economics Department, University of Verona (Santa Marta campus) on October 7th \u2013 8th, 2016 and is organized in 5 parallel sessions. We would like to thank all the authors who submitted papers and all conference participants. We are also grateful to the chairs of the fourteen tracks and the external referees, for their thorough work in reviewing submissions with expertise and patience, and to the President and members of the itAIS steering committee for their strong support and encouragement in the organization of itAIS 2016. A special thanks to all members of the Organizing Committee for their precious support to the organization and management of the event and in the publication of the enclosed proceedings

Investigating e-procurement barriers within six Saudi Arabian SMEs

Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Bedfordshire.This study aims to investigate factors affecting the adoption of e-procurement in Saudi Arabian SMEs. The study adopted the Gunasekaran and Ngai (2009) model as a theoretical framework and foundation for the research to investigate current status and readiness, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived critical success factors and perceived future organisational performance. Through an extensive literature review and detailed data analysis, the study extended the model to incorporate perceived cultural and external factors that were found to be necessary for the adoption of e-procurement in Saudi Arabian SMEs. Through case studies and AHP analysis, the proposed model elements were validated and prioritised in the Saudi Arabian context. Three different methods were adopted for data collection. First, an exploratory study was conducted to understand the current status of e-procurement and provide an overview of the factors that affect the adoption of e-procurement using the Gunasekaran and Ngai (2009) model.Second, a detailed survey was conducted to find the relative importance of various factors related to each of the five elements of the Gunasekaran and Ngai (2009) model. Third, detailed interviews were conducted across four selected SMEs to gain an insight into the factors that affect the adoption of e-procurement. The results of the exploratory study were helpful in identifying perceived factors that affect the adoption of e-procurement. Detailed survey analysis using AHP validated the theoretical framework and the relevance of the factors of the Gunasekaran and Ngai (2009) model. However, some of the factors were found to be more important than in the Gunasekaran and Ngai (2009) model, while others were less important. Results of the qualitative study (interviews) found additional factors that were relevant to each of the five elements of the GN model. They further suggested that “Current e-procurement activities” was an additional factor in the “current status and readiness” element and “Increased transparency” was an additional factor in the “perceived benefits” element. Similarly, the analysis of the qualitative results found two additional factors in the “perceived barriers” element (i.e. absence of e-procurement specific laws and regulations and lack of trust in the electronic transfer of funds), three additional critical success factors (i.e. cost-benefit analysis of the solution, technical maturity of the marketplace and user-friendliness of the solution) and two additional factors in perceived future organisational performance (i.e. strategic alliance and networking and knowledge management and data warehousing). Further, analysis of the qualitative findings revealed two additional elements (i.e. perceived external and perceived cultural factors). The study thus suggests that organisational culture, cultural inertia and business culture of the country are three important cultural factors that are perceived to affect the adoption of e-procurement, while government support, having one’s own postal addresses and delivery services, providing secure and trustworthy online payment options, low cost and high speed internet connection, suppliers’ willingness and readiness, pressure from competitors, policy and regulations are the seven important perceived external factors that affect the adoption of e-procurement in Saudi Arabian SMEs. The results of the qualitative data analysis led to the development of an extended Gunasekaran and Ngai (2009) model to incorporate perceived culture and perceived external factors. The study has significant implications in terms of further e-procurement research for SMEs in Saudi Arabia and also its adoption in the developing world in general

THE IMPACT OF ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP) SYSTEMS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF ACADEMICS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF UNIVERSITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA

This study investigated the impact of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) on the performance of academics in Saudi Arabian universities. It identified the factors that significantly impact the academics' performance while using ERP systems in the context of Saudi universities within the Higher Education sector, which will enhance and increase the universities’ overall performance. It developed and validated a model that portrays the critical factors, which significantly impact academics’ performance while using the ERP systems in the Saudi universities context. The literature reveals that there is a limited consensus of views on ERP research and that many studies fall short of providing empirical evidence about the practical implications, failure rates and users’ evaluation of the systems. ERP research tends to be polarised between the critics who see its benefits as rather limited and others who believe ERP is a multi-dimensional and complex system, which can successfully be implemented and evaluated. The combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches provides an in-depth investigation of the factors that significantly impact academics’ performance while using ERP systems within the context of Saudi universities. Data were collected using a questionnaire involving 457 academic users. This was supported by qualitative data using semi-structured interviews with six participants and public documentation. The findings of the quantitative phase revealed that there were nine significant factors related to both dimensions, system quality and service quality, which impact the academics’ performance while using ERP systems. The factors were timeliness, ease of use, currency, training, compatibility, tangible, empathy, assurance and responsiveness. However, other factors such as flexibility, authorisation and reliability were not significant in the current context. These findings were consistent with those of the qualitative phase, which gave more insights into the findings of the study. This study has provided a platform for further in-depth research into the users' evaluation of ERP systems in the context of Saudi universities, by expanding the literature, which will benefit future research. In addition, the theoretical contribution for this study is providing an examination of the viability of the model of research proposed, using the example of Saudi universities, for explanation of the factors that have a direct and significant influence on academics’ performance when using ERP systems. Moreover, another important contribution to existing theory from this study is research model validation through the collection of empirical data from academic members of staff within a developing Middle Eastern country, Saudi Arabia. The practical contribution for the current study is that the proposed model can be applied by the decision-makers and academics in universities to coordinate their efforts to effectively support the ERP systems in order to increase the universities’ overall performance

Exploring key antecedents through a technology acceptance perspective

The main aim of this Ph.D. thesis in Management is to provide better understanding of the role of Information Systems (ISs) in the decision-making process and successful performance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), exploring the antecedents of technology acceptance. To achieve the objectives defined, four articles were elaborated: a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and three articles of an empirical nature. Therefore, the first article aimed to identify, explore and systematize the main topics regarding the role of web portals as tools to support information management in HEIs. Based on 126 articles published up to 5 November 2016 on the Web of Science and SCOPUS databases, four major topics were identified, namely, the software used in web portals, internal and external benefits of using web portals, technology acceptance and information storage and management. The main contribution of this research lies in identifying the main topics and trends in scientific production for each topic identified, and in identifying gaps and future lines of research in this field of study. The second article aimed to study the influence of web portals in supporting HEI management and performance, considering personality traits, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, through an empirical study. To achieve the aim proposed, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used together with a structured questionnaire administered to teaching and non-teaching staff in Portuguese HEIs. The results obtained, through 338 valid responses, indicate a positive influence of personality traits on the use of web portals and that their use also has a positive influence on HEIs’ performance. The third chapter sought to identify the factors influencing the use of e-learning platforms in the Portuguese academic context through an empirical study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information. Based on 631 valid responses, SEM was applied, leading to the conclusion that, in accordance with Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT), the characteristics of e-learning platforms and Personal Innovativeness in Information Technology (PIIT) have a positive influence on the use of this tool. The fourth and final article aimed to identify and explain the factors of successful operation, implementation and use of e-libraries in the academic context of Portuguese higher education. To achieve this goal, a qualitative approach was adopted, through a case study of the e-library at the University of Beira Interior (UBI). Primary data were obtained from interviews with staff of the library, computer services and administration of this teaching institution holding leadership positions and directly involved in the implementation, maintenance or use of the e-library. The empirical evidence highlights the importance of minimizing costs, particularly by forming cooperation protocols, the use of open-source software and training of UBI library staff. Acceptance and use of the e-library depends on the platform’s characteristics, the ease of access to information, actions to publicise and make the whole academic community aware of the e-library and its functions, and implementation of appealing, intuitive User Interfaces (UIs). In addition, the training of students and library staff was revealed as a relevant factor for acceptance of this tool. For the future, the creation of a functional search aggregator is suggested, to allow a simultaneous search in all the databases and creating the least noise possible. This function could be implemented based on multi-disciplinary teams with skills acquired through specific training. This study was based on Resource-Based View (RBV) and Social Learning Theory (SLT). In this thesis, considering the four studies developed, it was possible to support the influence of IS acceptance on HEIs’ performance and determine the role of ISs in supporting these institutions’ management, in the Portuguese academic context. This research also presents contributions to theory and implications for practice, as well as future lines of study on the topic.O principal objetivo desta tese de doutoramento em Gestão consistiu em proporcionar uma melhor compreensão acerca do papel dos Sistemas de Informação (SIs) no processo de tomada de decisão e no sucesso da performance das Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), explorando os antecedentes da aceitação das tecnologias. Para conseguir alcançar os propósitos definidos, foram elaborados quatro artigos: uma Systematic Literature Review (SLR) e três artigos de natureza empírica. Neste sentido, o primeiro artigo teve por objetivo a identificação, exploração e sistematização dos principais temas sobre o papel dos portais web como ferramentas para apoiar a gestão da informação nas HEI. Tendo por base 126 artigos publicados até ao dia 5 de novembro de 2016, nas bases de dados Web of Science e SCOPUS foi possível identificar quatro grandes temáticas, nomeadamente, software utilizado em Portais Web, benefícios internos e externos da utilização de Portais Web, aceitação das tecnologias e o armazenamento e gestão da informação. O principal contributo desta investigação prende-se com a identificação das principais temáticas e tendências da produção científica em cada temática identificada, bem como, a identificação de lacunas e futuras linhas de investigação dentro deste campo de investigação. O segundo artigo teve por objetivo estudar a influência dos portais web no apoio à gestão e no desempenho das HEIs, tendo em consideração os traços de personalidade, a perceção acerca da utilidade e da facilidade de utilização, através de um estudo empírico. Para conseguir alcançar o objetivo proposto, recorreu-se ao Strucutral Equation Modeling (SEM) e a um questionário estruturado, dirigido a pessoal docente e não docente de HEIs portuguesas. Os resultados obtidos, através de 338 respostas válidas, indicam que existe uma influência positiva entre os traços de personalidade e a utilização dos portais web e que a sua utilização também influencia positivamente o desempenho das HEIs. No terceiro artigo procurou-se identificar os fatores que influenciam a utilização de plataformas de e-learning no contexto académico português, através de um estudo empírico. Recorreu-se a um questionário estruturado como objeto de recolha de informação. Tendo por base 631 respostas válidas, aplicou-se o SEM e podemos concluir que, em concordância com a Teoria da Difusão da inovação (TDI), as caraterísticas das plataformas de e-learning e o Personal Innovativeness in Information Technology (PIIT) influenciam de forma positiva a utilização desta ferramenta. O quarto e último artigo teve por objetivo a identificação e explicação de fatores para o bom funcionamento, implementação e utilização de e-librarys no contexto académico do ensino superior português. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto adotou-se uma abordagem qualitativa, através de um estudo de caso da e-library da Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI). Os dados primários obtiveram-se com recurso a entrevistas ao Staff da Biblioteca, dos Serviços de informática e da Administração desta instituição de ensino, com posições de chefia e envolvidos de forma direta na implementação, manutenção ou utilização da e-library. As evidências empíricas ressaltam a importância para a minimização de custos, nomeadamente, a celebração de protocolos de cooperação, a utilização de software open source e a formação do staff da biblioteca da UBI. A aceitação e utilização da e-library, depende das caraterísticas da plataforma, da facilidade do acesso à informação, de ações de divulgação que deem a conhecer a toda a academia a e-library e as suas funcionalidades e da implementação de User Interfaces (UIs) apelativas e intuitivas. Adicionalmente, a formação de alunos e do staff da biblioteca revelou ser um fator relevante para a aceitação desta ferramenta. De futuro sugere-se a criação de um agregador de pesquisa funcional, que pesquise em simultâneo em todas as bases de dados e crie o menor ruido possível. Esta funcionalidade será possível ser implementada com base em equipas multidisciplinares com as skills adquiridas através de formação especifica. Este estudo teve por base a Resource-Based View (RBV) e a Social Learning Theory (SLT). Neste trabalho de tese, tendo em consideração os quatro estudos desenvolvidos, foi possível sustentar a influência da aceitação de SIs no desempenho das HEIs e averiguar o papel dos SIs no apoio dado à gestão destas instituições, no contexto académico português. Esta investigação apresenta também contributos para a teoria e implicações para a prática, bem como, futuras linhas de investigação acerca da temática em estudo