THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMPETENCE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL PERFORMANCE: THE CASE OF QATAR

Abstract

Information and communication technologies have revolutionized how business is conducted in the twenty-first century. Information and communication technologies are the intricate bundles of IT resources which facilitate entrepreneurs' efforts to coordinate business activities competently through the utilization of these IT-based resources. This review aims to explore how entrepreneurial traits affect technology acceptance and use. Additionally, it aims to comprehend the connection between entrepreneurial performance and information technology. A proposed framework that guides the research method was built based on the integrated Task-technology Fit (TTF) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The model postulates that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and task technology fit predict an entrepreneur's technology acceptance behavior. Additionally, the model presupposes an association between task-technology fit and entrepreneurial performance. The results of this study found that entrepreneurial traits including, working with uncertainties in decision making process, the ability to be creative and innovative, decisiveness, the need for achievement and willingness to take advantage of new opportunities to have a positive effect on task-technology fit, making entrepreneurial traits an important factor in future discussions relating to technology acceptance and entrepreneurial performance. Additionally, findings in this study revealed that tasktechnology fit is an important indicator of entrepreneurial performance and behavioral intentions, with R2 values 0.733 and 0.794 respectively. The one-way ANOVA test performed to investigate the effects of educational qualifications on adoption and usage of information technologies found that entrepreneurial traits (n2= 0.070), task characteristics (n2= 0.037) and behavioral intentions (n2= 0.070) are affected by the level of education an entrepreneur holds. The findings of this study established that educated entrepreneurs in Qatar can navigate the complexities of information technologies, making the concept perceived of ease of use immaterial. Additionally, this study discovered that highly educated entrepreneurs are more inclined to embrace information technologies to improve their entrepreneurial success, implying that programs that foster a tech-friendly environment during the formal schooling years may be a critical catalyst for widespread technology use.