Smart Higher Education Systems: Investigating the Relationship Between Digital Transformation, Administrative Innovation and Academic Excellence in Universities within Global Financial Hubs

Abstract

In view of the necessity of optimizing the operational efficiency, governance and academic excellence in a progressively competitive global environment, digital transformation has become an important strategy for higher education institutions. Institutions that operate in global financial centers experience unique challenges and opportunities because they operate in highly dynamic environments characterized by rapid development of new technologies, international cooperation and development of knowledge-based economy. The present research deals with the relationship between digital transformation, administrative innovation and academic excellence in universities operating in global financial centers. It particularly focuses on how implementation of advanced digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, ERP, big data analytics, blockchain and intelligent learning platforms facilitates administrative innovation and increases academic outcomes. With the use of the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory and the Dynamic Capabilities Theory, it is hypothesized that administrative innovation mediates between digital transformation and academic excellence. The present research proposes a research framework for conducting quantitative study of the issue. Specifically, it is proposed to conduct the study using a standardized questionnaire distributed to academic and administrative leaders as well as professors at selected universities. The collected data will be analyzed with the help of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine both direct and indirect relationships among the variables of the study. It is expected that digital transformation increases administrative innovation facilitating decision making, automation of processes, organizational agility and service quality and thus increasing academic effectiveness. The research contributes to the existing body of knowledge about intelligent higher education systems by developing a framework that combines technological expertise, administrative innovation and academic excellence. In addition, it contributes to developing strategies for creating competitive universities in rapidly changing financial and knowledge economy.