Digital Transformation as a Driver of the Smart Business Environment: Evidence from Al-Mustaqbal University, Iraq

Abstract

The study investigates how digital transformation (DT) will impact the arrival of a Smart Business Environment (SBE) in the University of the Future in Iraq. This study rests on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) model and it is based on the very detailed model and will connect DT with the surrogates of institutional performance that are Operational Efficiency, Smart Decision Making, Innovation Capacity, and Stakeholder Satisfaction. It was a quantitative method. 150 faculty members, administrators and students were recruited to provide a structured questionnaire to collect the data. The analytic plan included descriptive statistics, correlation tests and multiple regression tests to test the hypotheses. The results show that DT plays a considerable role in predicting positive changes in all the dimensions of the smart environment with an explanation of 68 percent of overall performance of the organisation. The theoretical addition includes the redefinition of DT as a key institutional strength. In practice, the research provides practically relevant information to the leadership and policymakers of higher-education institutions in third-world countries that are seeking to build information-driven and intelligent institutional ecosystems