1. Faculty of Management, Tribhuwan University, Kritipur, Nepal.
2. Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand.

* Correspondence: spnepal98@gmail.com

Keywords: Nepal, Information technology, KPIs, Nepalese women

1. INTRODUCTION

In recent decades Information technology gets priority among different functional areas of a business venture. Intenal integration of functional areas to exchange real time information and results achieved by the functional areas through internet of things enables the firm to maintain the records, analyze and produce necessary documents at the desired time. Prompt reporting of results achieved by functional areas of the firm supports the management to develop strong strategies in a competitive business environment. Digital dashboards are information delivery mechanisms that provide decision-makers with customizable, assessable, and real-time information. The streamlined flow of information through the dashboard keeps managers focused on goals and objectives [1]. Dashboards are an information supply component of business intelligence. The number of computers and types of software that are in use determines the adaptation of information technology by an entrepreneur. Information technology (IT) is the life blood of modern business organizations and plays vital role in business activities [2]. Accessibility, integration, completeness, and currency of the data provided in the digital dashboard are all factors considered in this study for determining the digital dashboard adopted by Nepalese women entrepreneurs. Although there are different definitions of digital dashboard, the main goal is to help decision-making by turning data into useful information [3]. Visual presentation of relevant information of different functional areas in a single screen to watch them at a glance is the goal of digital dashboards. The dash board serves the information and helps to evaluate the performance of the period [4,5]. Dashboards provide customers with a useful, interactive, and clever way to access and evaluate the aggregated data kept in the data warehouse for quick business performance evaluation, quick decision-making, and the generation of various reports without the help of IT specialists. ETL tool that is programmed to periodically pull data into the data warehouse from various database sources or whenever fresh records or data are made available. Once the data has been stored, users can load the necessary or aggregated data and then quickly and whenever they choose to do so, use the ETL in the dashboard application to analyze, visualize, and generate reports. Acquisition and development of resources by an organization is one of the important area of competition among the business ventures. A firm can differentiate it from its competitors in terms uniqueness of resources available with it. Internal strength of an organization depends on how the organization converts its resources in value creation processes. Those resources which are unique and hard to copy by others enhances firm’s position in market.  Human, financial, physical, structural, and informational resources are all types of organizational resources. Businesses will succeed if they have the most appropriate resources and know how to deploy them more effectively than their competitors [6]. Practice of data driven decision through digital dash boards enhance the competitiveness of the business venture in complex business environment. Enterprise resource planning is the common theoretical aspect of the adaptation of information technology by an organization. Enterprise resource planning is the internal integration of functional activities of an organization with the help of information technology. valuable information is collected and generated at different functional centers of an organization. unless there is common information sharable platform within the organization activities of various functional areas are unable to produce synergic impact on the performance. ERP helps the organization by integrating all the functional areas of the business venture through information technology. Real time information when uploaded in ERP system data are available at different levels of management. ERP system contributes on effectiveness of an organization. According to [7] internal integration of all functional areas of the business venture to coordinate all the resources, information, and activities needed to complete business processes is an Enterprise resource planning. If people believe new technology has advantages over current technology, they are more inclined to adopt and use it. When it comes to competitive advantages, the new technology ought to be better than the current technology. Technology is one of the areas where corporate entities compete. In general, the organization sets itself apart from rivals by the technologies it uses. Existing technology gets supplanted by new technology. Information technology can be used to improve the efficiency and efficacy of decision-making. Public awareness towards protection of physical environment, green manufacturing concept, digitalization of commercial activities, worldwide flow of resources and advancement in information technology forced the enterprises to think about the replacement of traditional approach of business management [8]. Future adoption and use of the technology will be more likely if potential users can see how it can benefit them. Three factors make up the IT adoption model: expectation, satisfaction, and confirmation. The expectation variable in this model is the perceived usefulness, or the additional benefits, which drives potential users to test out IT in their organization. The initial use outcome is compared to the benchmark for the anticipated result. Users are typically happy if the outcome of the first use meets their expectations. Confirmation is defined as the extent to which a person’s initial expectations regarding a system’s performance are confirmed following an encounter with the system. Based on the degree of expectation and confirmation that was established, people form a level of satisfaction at a later point. Dashboards are necessary for the following four reasons: disorganized array of numerous potentially info that is crucial to decisions, Biases in decision-making and information processing by managers, the growing expectations for marketing accountability, considering that businesses want to increase their top line while maintaining a healthy bottom line and the requirement for resource allocation and cross-departmental integration in performance reporting procedures. The company’s important performance metrics are shown on a dashboard. An internal management tool known as a key performance indicator (KPI) measures performance in accordance with a strategic target and goal [9]. KPI visualization is a crucial component of dashboards. Key performance indicators (KPIs) in executive support system are used to measure the dimensions of firm performance, including financial performance, operational (process) performance, marketing (customer) performance, and learning and growth performance. Once KPIs are established, the next step is to use computer technology to automate the information flow so that executives and other managers can receive real-time information to make informed decisions. There are two specific holes in the literature that need to be filled:  a consensus on the concept of dashboards as services;  study on how diverse dashboard starting points result in the identical end result,  managers’ actions and how they should choose dashboard metrics,  modeling the causal relationships between these metrics, determining whether dashboard benefits outweigh costs, what motivates dashboard adoption, and  highlighting the differences between dashboards in the goods and service industries[10].In Nepal, the idea of women entrepreneurs is developing and is evident in both urban and rural regions. The fact that more and more women in this state are taking chances and launching their own businesses is promising. Today, the interest-subsidized concessional credit policy of the Nepali government, which provides loans to women, is a source of advantage for businesswomen in that country. A businesswoman may qualify for a maximum of 1.5 million Nepali rupees under this arrangement, free of collateral, plus a 6 percent bank interest subsidy. Women entrepreneurs’ rights are supported by the Women Entrepreneurship Development Fund Procedural. The National Micro Entrepreneurs Federation Nepal (NMEFN), Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Associations of Nepal (FWEAN) are the organizations supporting women entrepreneurs in Nepal. FWEAN ignites the entrepreneurial ecosystem to create favorable conditions for current and prospective women entrepreneurs, with the goal of empowering Nepali women socioeconomically and building the nation as a whole. The Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (WEAN), which was founded in Lalitpur in 1989, With 61 subsidiaries operating in each of Nepal’s seven provinces, FWEAN hopes to eventually reach all 77 districts. More than 100 people are direct members of FWEAN, and more than 3000 are active members connected through WEAN Chapters. FWEAN upholds and encourages the following key values: accountability, ambition, collaboration, and creativity. FWEAN is a hub for communication between many national and international women’s organizations and stakeholders, and the government. Its headquarters are in Kathmandu., Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), and Federation of Nepal Cottage and small Industries (FNCSI) are among the umbrella organizations that recommend loans to women entrepreneurs [11]. Women’s entrepreneurship is a crucial instrument for ensuring women’s economic independence and raising their prestige in their communities, both of which contribute to overall empowerment. The rise in economic activity in Nepal has led to a rise in the number of female entrepreneurs; yet, there is still a significant lack of fair resources and opportunities for these women. The goal of the nation’s 15th National Plan (2019–2024) is to establish a “gender accountable” political structure that will guarantee women’s leadership in the nation’s economic development equal access to opportunities, resources, and rewards. Some of the main obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs include restricted mobility, an excessive amount of household chores, a higher than average prevalence of illiteracy, a lack of business training, market awareness, and networking opportunities. In addition, problems with collateral brought on by a lack of property ownership obstruct loan availability, which is essential for launching a firm. Furthermore, it is challenging for women-owned businesses to request for loans and benefit from government-led initiatives because the majority of them are in the unofficial sector [12]. Transformation of Nepalese society is possible if financial freedom is provided to Nepalese women. Data presented by national economic census 2018 proves that 26.84% entrepreneurs are female. At present Nepal government is encouraging female empowerment by providing quotas in government employee sectors, soft loan for startup businesses. This study aimed to investigate the readiness of Nepalese women entrepreneurs to use information technology in their commercial endeavors. Because using a dashboard helps executives evaluate, monitor, and control organizational performance more successfully. The metrics, measures, and KPIs used to monitor performance are graphically shown on a Key Performance Indicators (KPI) dashboard. Departments and managers can use this KPI monitoring tool to track the progress of business goals through digital graphs and charts, which enables them to make more educated business decisions. With a KPI dashboard, management has access to a platform for tracking and analysis. It can be used by companies to track the performance of groups, divisions, workers, or the entire organization. Managers may quickly spot patterns and get notifications when KPIs surpass preset thresholds thanks to dashboards. These five simple steps will have your dashboard up and running quickly: Decide which KPIs and metrics to track, Select the data sources, identify the target audience, then use graphs and other visual aids to create an understandable dashboard. Lack of study on technological acceptance behavior of Nepalese women entrepreneurs was the source of motivation for the study. Manufacturers need to develop the capabilities of information communication technology in their organization to acquire, analyze and use of the data [13]. Poor IT infrastructural Status of Nepal among the countries of the world indicates the lack of study in the field of IT capabilities of Nepalese business organizations [14].

2. MATERIAL AND METHODS

Components of Digital dashboard intention of Nepalese women entrepreneurs: Marketing function, Operation function, accounting function and Human Resource function are analyzed. In the first stage, items are tested and in the second stage, those constructs are linked with Digital dashboard intention of Nepalese women entrepreneurs. Cross-sectinal study with survey study design was used to achieve the aim of the study. Population of the business organizations owned by feamles in Neapl is 247,880 (Economy Census, 2018). Sample size of the study was calculated by using  Slovins Formula: n= 1.96*1.96*.5*.5/.05*.05. n= 384, at 5% margin of error (level of significance). The sample size was more than 384 and it was 613. Purposive sampling technique was used to collect primary data because there is a necessity of informants rather than mere respondents. Based on the number of business organizations, level of competition, availability of information technology infrastructure, availability of reliable software vendors, availability of IT manpower and the presence of government women entrepreneurs of Kathmandu valley was purposely selected. Questionnaire survey of Nepalese women entrepreneurs was carried out to collect necessary data. Drop and pick up strategy was adopted during data collection. Data were obtained from the respondents who were voluntarily willing to participate. Total 650 questionnaires were distributed out of which only 620 questionnaires were collected. Seven respondents returned incomplete questionnaires, so they are excluded from the study. The primary data of the study were collected through semi-structured questionnaire. The survey instrument was divided among three parts. The first part was related with demographic variables. The second part was related with independent variables where 20 seven-point Likert scale items were presented with respondents. The third part was related with willingness of digital dashboards, dependent variable where four seven-points Likert scale items were presented with respondents. The following steps were used during data processing and analysis to establish a relationship between endogenous and exogenous variables. Unengaged and missing responses were identified by using MS EXCEL (count blank cell and standard deviation of responses). No blank cells and standard deviation value greater than 0.20 indicated that responses are suitable for further analysis. Pattern matrix with ML estimation was computed using expletory factor analysis (EFA) to identify the number of variables to be included in the study. Factor loading of each item are greater than 0.50 indicates no items should be delated from the study. To test the reliability and validity of the study confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. Reliability of items was tested with Cronbach Alpha and Convergent validity of the study variables was tested with average variance explained method.  Measurement model was checked through absolute model fit index (Chi-square, RMSEA and GFI), incremental model fit indices (AGFI, CFI, NFI and TLI, fit indices will be greater than 0.90), Parsimonious fit index. The model was revised based on modification indices. New data file with composite variables was developed using optionally impute composite available in AMOS 20 and Structural equation modeling was applied to test the relationship among the independent and dependent variables.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

There is no single statistical test of significance for model fits in structural equation modeling, hence a number of fit indices were employed to assess the model’s soundness. Chi-square, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), Goodness of Fit Index (GFI), and Incremental Fit Indexes (AGFI, AGFI, CFI, NFI, and Parsimonious Fit Index (CMIN / DF) are examples of absolute model fit indices. The minimum discrepancy split by its degrees of freedom is known as CMIN/DF. For accurate models, the ratio should be near to one; a ratio of about five or less is considered to be suitable.  A well-fitting model is indicated by a ratio of CMIN / DF which should be less than three. A close fit is indicated by a root mean squared error of approximation (RMESA) of less than 0.05; a reasonable fit is indicated by a value in the range of.05 to.08; and a poor fit is indicated by a value larger than 0.10. Fair fit is indicated by an RMSEA between 0.05 and 0.08. When comparing a group of alternative models, the best model is determined using the RMSEA. Any model with a GFI, AGFI, CFI, NFI, and TLI index above 0.90 is approved. If these (URFI, CFI, GFI, etc.) were more than 0.90, the majority of authors who employed an index scaled up to unity for perfect fit considered them to be acceptable [15]. To decrease the amount of significantly miss-specified models that are deemed acceptable based on the 0.90 criterion, the CFI (Comparative Fit Index) was increased from 0.90 to 0.95. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the measurement model that included all five constructs. Twenty-four elements were included in the survey to gauge the digital dashboard of female entrepreneurs. Paths from each construct to every object used to measure it were included in the measurement model. Standardized factor loadings and modification indices were used to analyze these pathways [16]. A measurement methodology that outlines five dimensions—Accounting, Marketing, operation, human resource and digital dashboard—was designed with theoretical considerations in mind. All 24 survey items were included, and a preliminary analysis showed that none of them needed to be excluded from additional study. Irrespective elements can be excluded from additional examination based on theoretical considerations and statistical analysis. The results of the measurement model for the digital dashboard in female entrepreneurs are shown in Table 01.

 Table 01: Factor loading of Items

RMSEA was 0.071 and all other goodness of fit indices is also appropriate for further analysis. The indicator reliability of the model seems at acceptable labels as shown in Table 02.

 Table 02: Indicator reliability

Table 03 summarizes the test result of convergent validity which clearly indicates that AVE are greater than 0.50. The test results justify the convergent validity.

Table 03: Convergent validity

The theoretical model was tested to examine whether the model is fit on empirical data collected through questionnaire survey in this study and revised model was developed. The test result of the theoretical model and revised models are presented in table 04 (for detail see annex A).

Table 04: Output of structural models

Table 04 revealed that the theoritical model is The theoretical model is under identified . Critical ratio of Opearion and Accounting variable in theoritical model was 1.595 and p value was insignificant (0.111). The covariance between Operation and Accounting is set as zero on revised model.The model seems good fit since RMSEA is 0.050, insignificant (0.361) and all the fit indices are more than 0.900 criteria.

Figure 01: Structural Model

Figure 01 portrays the path from Human resource and Digital Dashboard of Nepalese businesses women was significant (p≤ 0.001). Human resource variable explained 23 percent of variance of Digital Dashboard of Nepalese businesses women. Similarly, paths from operation and Digital Dashboard of Nepalese businesses women was significant (p≤ 0.001). Operation variable explained 28 percent of variance of Digital Dashboard of Nepalese businesses women. Path from Marketing and Digital Dashboard of Nepalese businesses women was significant (p≤ 0.001). Marketing variable explained 35 percent of variance of Digital Dashboard of Nepalese businesses women. Path from Accounting and Digital Dashboard of Nepalese businesses women was significant (p≤ 0.001). Accounting variable explained 36 percent of variance of Digital Dashboard of Nepalese businesses women. A digital dashboard, to put it simply, is a tool that, when used on a web browser, shows important strategic objectives set by the management for major functional areas of the operation of the business organization and actual performance of those areas through straightforward visuals like gauges, charts, and tables to identify the problems, analyze the situation using statistical software and draw right conclusion to solve those problems. Dashboards are visually appealing due to their ability to: The text outlines the process of presenting multiple metrics in a unified, intuitive manner, integrating details into higher-level summaries, and establishing connections with the data. Internal integration through information technology enhances the productivity of an organization. The findings of the study revealed that digital dashboard of accounting function is in the first priority of Nepalese women entrepreneurs. Connection of functional areas (marketing, finance, human resource management and operation) of the business venture owned by Nepalese female entrepreneurs enhances the willingness of Nepalese women entrepreneurs to adopt digital dashboard. The findings are in the line of Steven [17] who noted that communication between departments on the internal and external sides of the company needs to be improved and overhauled to support the company’s operational activities. It is the digital dashboard which enables a firm to integrate the functional areas of business organization which is essential for better performance in competitive business environment [18]. The findings of the study Nepalese women entrepreneurs are interested in digital dashboard is supported by the findings [19] who also claimed that the interest of entrepreneur on digital dashboard has increased recently. It is recognized that digital strategy facilitates enterprises’ productivity [20] and operational performance [21], which in turn improves sustainability [22].

4. CONCLUSION

Digitalization of business activities and data driven decision through digital dashboard in Nepalese context was the scope of the study. Internal and external integration of the organization through information technology enhance the performance of a firm. Global competition forced the entrepreneur to shift from traditional communication system to internet of things. Account related real time information is in the first priority of Nepalese women entrepreneurs. Willingness of Nepalese women entrepreneurs towards the integration of functional areas of their business venture through digital dashboard is strong and positive. Suppliers of information technology software should customize their product and reliable service is the necessity of Nepalese women entrepreneurs. Brenda Bushell a researcher who focuses on the question, “What prevents women entrepreneurs in Nepal from leading the sector?” demonstrated that women may be empowered by entrepreneurship in the form of small and medium-sized businesses, which can eventually change the power dynamics in a society and create a space where women can take the lead. The solution of women empowerment and successful women entrepreneur is the investment on IT capabilities. National economic census 2018[23] proves that 26.84 percent entrepreneurs are female and how much they lead Nepal is the area for future study. Globalization, protection of national industry, free and open market policy of Nepal government, image of Nepalese product as low quality among Nepalese consumer, largest portion of Nepalese workforce in foreign countries are the barriers of Nepalese industrial sector. Technological literacy among Nepalese women entrepreneurs enable them to understand how to increase the value of the product to the consumer.  Although Nepal government is very positive for women empowerment it should give the priority to facilitate them for digitalization of their business venture. The primary obstacles that Nepalese women entrepreneurs face are as follows: (a) laws that discriminate against or fail to consider the unique needs, circumstances, and interests of women; (b) restricted access to banking and ICTs; (c) a lack of opportunities for capacity building; and (d) biased socio-cultural norms and beliefs.

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