Influence of Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure on the Adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning at The Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

Organizational capabilities are critical sources of creating and building long-term competitive advantage. Organizations that can develop and deploy unique, inimitable, and valuable capabilities will gain sustainable competitive advantage. There is a dearth of information on the role of organizational capabilities in the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning. Thus, this research analyzed the influence of Information and Communication Technology infrastructure on the adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning at the Kenya Medical Research Institute. This research was premised on the resource-based view theory, technology acceptance model, and dynamic capabilities theory. A descriptive survey design was utilized in the study. Semi-structured questionnaires will be administered for the data-gathering process. A census approach was used to select 52 employees of Kenya Medical Research Institute. The researcher personally issued the questionnaire to the subjects. The drop-and-pick method was adopted later in cases where participants might be unable to complete and return the questionnaires at the time of their administration. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was utilized for descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Regression and correlation analyses were performed to unearth the associations among variables. All ethical conducts were duly followed. Prose discussion was used to display the data collection’s findings and the validity of the questionnaire was conducted by the use of expert opinions that assisted to establish content validity and the supervisor reviewing the items suggested while reliability was determined using Cronbach’s Alpha test. The findings indicated a positive influence of Information and Communication Technology infrastructure on the adoption of ERP. The study concludes that a robust IT infrastructure is essential for supporting the scalability requirements of an ERP system. Senior management support helps in securing necessary resources for the ERP implementation, including budget allocation, staffing, and technology infrastructure. The study recommends that KEMRI should upgrade hardware and software by investing in new servers, storage devices, and networking equipment can help ensure that the IT infrastructure can support the demands of the ERP system.