Abstract:

Knowledge management systems (KMS) have gradually become pivotal to supporting information access, collaboration, and decision-making in higher education settings. Despite the widespread adoption of KMS by universities, students’ use of them is not always optimal. Moreover, although several universities invest heavily in KMS, digital repositories, and knowledge-sharing platforms, limited empirical research investigates how specific KMS dimensions influence students’ academic decision-making quality. This study investigates the relationships between system quality, knowledge quality, knowledge sharing, KMS usage, and decision-making quality among business students in a Saudi Arabian context. Using a quantitative survey of undergraduate and postgraduate business students (n= 376), the proposed conceptual framework was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings show that system quality, knowledge quality, and knowledge sharing significantly enhance KMS usage, which in turn leads to improved decision-making quality. While knowledge quality and knowledge sharing show direct positive effects on decision-making quality, system quality also exerts both direct and indirect effects through KMS usage. The study contributes to the growing literature on knowledge management in higher education by demonstrating how KMS functionalities shape academic decision behaviors in digitally transforming universities. The findings extend KMS research by demonstrating that the benefits of digital knowledge environments are realized primarily through active usage and collaborative engagement.