Role of big data analytics adoption and trust for operational excellence in the pharmaceutical industry

With an emphasis on the moderating function of trust, this article presents a study of the variables that affect the adoption of big data analytics (BDA) and its effects on operational excellence in Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical firms. The concepts addressed in this study, which is based on the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) paradigm, include relative advantage (RA), top management support (TMS), competitor influence (CI), government assistance, and vendor orientation and support (VOS). Data were gathered from 336 operational executives at pharmaceutical firms in Dhaka using a structured survey instrument grounded in a positivist mindset, a deductive approach, and a quantitative cross-sectional design. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that, while the adoption of BDA is not significantly predicted by governmental support, it is by RA, TMS, CI, and VOS. The adoption of BDA was found to greatly improve operational excellence, and this relationship was found to be considerably moderated by trust. This study advances theoretical understanding of the dynamics of BDA adoption in emerging economies and offers executives practical advice on how to leverage data technology to boost productivity. For greater generalizability, future studies could investigate sectoral comparisons and longitudinal effects.