Does individual knowledge management in online education prepare business students for employability in online businesses?

Abstract

Business education has been currently challenged by the fast introduction of online learning platforms for students enrolled in higher education who had been previously used only face-to-face interaction, raising questions about the sustainability of online education. This new learning environment creates a different path for students managing their knowledge, who, due to the influence of online experiences, could develop different skills with different outcomes for their chances of employment. This study analyses knowledge management of business students in an online education setting to discover its influence on students’ perception of both their general employment chances, and specifically in online businesses. To conduct the study, we opted for a quantitative research design based on a questionnaire applied between November and December of 2020, which resulted in valid responses from 256 Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree students. In line with the research hypotheses, correlation, reliability tests and logistic regression were used to perform data analysis. The results clearly indicate that students’ perception of their employment chances depend on the increasing score of knowledge acquisition, knowledge revision, conceptual change and knowledge application, independently and under the action of control variables. Additionally, knowledge application proved to be an important determinant for students’ perception of their employment chances in online businesses.