dc.description.abstract | Globally, performance is a concern to every organization while information
communication technology (lCT) has been viewed as a tool that can be adopted to
strategically enhance it. Consequently, organizations have unprecedentedly adopted ICT
in recent years. The unprecedented adoption of ICT has raised expectations about their
potential effect on firms' performance. Deposit taking Saccos (lY[Ss) are preoccupied
with sustainable performance hence contribution to Kenya's Vision 2030 yet they face
competition from financial institutions. DTSs have consequently been adopting ICT yet
some continue to perform poorly as seen in their dwindling membership and rate of
dividend as witnessed in their final accounts. Literature acknowledges strategic
contributions of ICT adoption to performance. Prior studies on ICT adoption have
concentrated on its contributions to performance of manufacturing firms, micro-finance
institutions, small and medium enterprises, banks and governments in terms of efficiency,
profitability and service delivery. However, ICT infrastructure, innovation and policy
implementation have not been studied in relation to DTS performance, therefore, their
effect are not known. The main purpose was to evaluate effect of strategic ICT adoption
on performance of DTSs in Kisii region. Specific objectives were to evaluate effect of
ICT: infrastructure; innovations; and policy implementation on performance. Resource
Based Theory considering organizational performance as a function of tangible and
intangible resources and Innovation Diffusion Theory explaining how, why and what rate
new technology spread guided the study within a conceptual framework. Research was
designed as a correlational survey. The target population was 45 respondents comprising
nine top managers and 36 departmental heads in nine Saccos. A pretest on five
respondents in one Sacco confirmed instrument reliability (Cronbach's a=0.836). Subject
experts at Maseno University ascertained validity. Primary data were collected from a
saturated sample of 40 respondents. Using multiple regression analysis, the study found
ICT infrastructure W=O.l44, p=.028) and ICT policy implementation (~=0.255, p=.022)
as statistically significant positive predictors of Sacco performance, implying that a unit
adoption of ICT infrastructure and policy implementation will respectively lead to an
increase in the level of performance by 14.4% and 25.5% respectively. ICT innovation
(~=O.171, p=.199) was not a statistically significant predictor of performance. Study
concluded that continued adoption of K'T infrastructure and improved ICT policy
implementation yielded better Sacco performance. Study recommended strategic adoption
of ICT infrastructure and implementation of ICT policies. The study's significance is in
informing: Sacco managers in adoption of ICT infrastructure and implementation of ICT
policies; governments in making ICT policy implementation policies and future academic
research directions. | en_US |