Development and testing of a VOIP adoption framework for public organizations in Kenya: a comparative case study of the university of Nairobi and Telkom Kenya Limited

Abstract

VoIP is a relatively new technology. Current research suggests that firms are using VoIP to cut costs, to improve productivity, and organization's strategic position. The existing literature is rich with how to articles and a discussion of possible benefits, costs, and implementation barriers; but, very few academic studies exist especially in the Kenyan context. The main purpose of this study, therefore, was to identify and present the issues related to VoIP adoption and implementation in Kenyan public organizations. The intention of this study was to lay the foundation for a comprehensive understanding of the forces shaping the VoIP market in order to help industry participants and new entrants to position themselves correctly. This was achieved by evaluating technology adoption and diffusion models, in particular the Grover and Goslar Telecommunications Technology Adoption Model, in which the authors attempt to identify factors that enable the initiation, adoption and implementation of a set of 15 distinct telecommunication technologies. Based on this model and other existing literature, a VoIP adoption framework was developed and empirically tested to determine what factors influence VoIP adoption in public organization in Kenya. A case study method was employed in this study since it is a method used to narrow down a very broad field of research into one easily researchable topic. Case study research excels at bringing an understanding of a complex issue or object and can extend experience or add strength to what is already known through previous research. Telkom Kenya Limited and University of Nairobi were chosen as representative case study organizations. The researcher used self-administered questionnaires to collect data from respondents from the two organizations. Data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using descriptive statistical techniques. Descriptive statistical techniques were used to examine four broad variables: financial factors, technical factors, organizational factors and regulatory factors. The results of statistical analysis of empirical data led to the refinement of the developed conceptual research framework to capture the relative influence of the various VoIP adoption factors. The researcher concluded by discussing the practical and future implications of the research.