Research On Enterprise-level User Technology Adoption And Alignment Of Cloud Computing Service

Cloud computing service is a brand new service mode where on-demand, easily expanded and rented online services are available to users through the network. From its inception, the cloud service has been a great success. The adoption of cloud services is of great potential for enterprises to reduce operation costs, reduce requirements for IT personnel quality, shorten the informationization construction period, enhance the information systems’ scalability, improve enterprises’ agility and innovation ability. Meanwhile, from the view of cloud service providers and the cloud service industry, enterprise-level users, as an important part of users, can bring more profits and values to them than individual users. From the aspect of national strategy, the specialization can be further fostered, duplication of IT investment can be avoided, and the efficiency and effectiveness of IT resources can be improved. Ultimately, we can upgrade the industrial structure and realize the transfer of IT services from extensive pattern to intensive pattern. Therefore, promoting enterprise-level users’ adoption and employment of cloud services is valuable for enterprises, cloud service providers, cloud service industry, and also national strategy.However, there is a poor knowledge of enterprise-level users’ adoption of cloud services and their usage behaviors. Enterprise-level users’ adoption and usage behaviors are far more complex than those of individual users, and the related research is limited. Why will enterprise-level users adopt cloud services? Facing with a variety of different cloud service technologies, how do the enterprises choose the right technology? What factors will affect the alignment of business and cloud services? What is the impact of the alignment of cloud services on the enterprise value improvement? Are cloud services valuable for enterprises? These issues are worth exploring from both the practical and theoretical aspects.Aiming at these problems, this paper studies four important issues: enterprise-level users’ technology adoption of cloud services, enterprise-level users’ cloud service technology selection behaviors, influencing factors of the alignment of business and cloud services and the impact of cloud service alignment on enterprise value improvement. The research models for these four issues are proposed based on TOE(technology-organization-environment) framework, modular system theory, dynamic theory and IT infrastructure capability theory. Data is collected through questionnaireandtheproposedhypothesesareverified.specifically,themainworkandconclusionsaregivenasfollows:(1)studyingenterprise-levelusers’ adoptionbehaviorofcloudservices.enterprise-levelusers’ adoptionmodelofcloudservicesisproposedbasedontoemodel.inthismodel,factorsaffectingtheadoptionintentionaresummedupintotechnicalfactors,organizationalfactors,environmentalfactorsandriskfactors.technicalfactorsincludecomparativeadvantage,technicalcomplexity,task-technologyfitdegreeandtechnologyorganizationcompatibility.organizationalfactorsincludeseniormanagers’ attitudeandresourcesreadiness.environmentalfactorsincludeimitatepressure,forcedpressureandnormativepressures.inadditiontothreefactorsintoeframework,riskfactorsareaddedinthemodel.theempiricalresultsshowthattask-technologyfitdegree,technologyorganizationcompatibilityintechnicalfactorsandnormativepressuresinenvironmentalfactorshaveasignificantpositiveeffectonusers’ intentiontoadoptcloudservices,whilesecurityrisksandprivacyconcernsinriskfactorshaveasignificantnegativeeffectonusers’ intention.interestingly,thisstudyfindsthatthetwoorganizationalfactors,seniormanagers’ attitudeandresourcereadiness,arenotimportantfactorsintheadoptionofcloudservices.(2)studyingenterprise-levelusers’ selectionbehaviorofcloudservicetechnology.basedonmodularsystemtheory,acloudservicetechnologyselectionbehaviormodelisintroduced,whichproceduremodularityanditdismantlabilityareproposedastwomaininfluencingfactorsfromtheperspectivesofenterprises’ businessprocessanditability.atthesametime,wealsopointoutthatsecurityriskswillmoderatetheinfluenceofproceduremodularityanditdismantlabilityoncloudservicetechnologyselectionbehavior.theempiricalresultsshowthatproceduremodularity,itdismantlabilityandsafetyriskshavesignificantpositiveimpactontheabstractiondegreeofcloudservices.theresultsalsoindicatethatsecurityriskswillpositivelymoderatetheimpactofproceduremodularityontheabstractiondegreeofcloudservices.(3)exploringtheaffectingfactorsofthealignmentofbusinessandcloudservices.inthispaper,theconceptofdepthofalignmentandwidthofalignmentaredistinguished.basedonthedynamiccapabilitytheory,abusinessandcloudservicealignmentmodelisproposed,whichenterprises’ dynamiccapabilityanditflexibilityaredefinedaskeyfactors.atthesametime,wealsopointoutthattheremayexistinteractioneffectbetweenthedynamiccapabilityanditflexibility.theempiricalresultsshowthatdynamiccapabilityanditflexibilityhaveapositiveinfluenceonthedepthandwidthofbusinessandcloudservicealignment.wealsofindthatthereisacomplementaryrelationshipbetweendynamiccapabilityanditflexibilityinpromotingthewidthofbusinessandcloudservicealignment.(4)investigatingtheimpactofbusinessandcloudservicealignmentonenterprisevalueimprovement.theresearchmodelisproposedtodescribetheimpactofdepthofalignmentandwidthofalignmentonenterprises’ agilityandinnovationperformance.atthesametime,wealsopointoutthatenvironmentalvolatilityplaysamoderationrole.theempiricalresultsshowthatthedepthofalignmenthasapositiveimpactoninnovationperformanceandthewidthofalignmenthasapositiveimpactonenterprises’ agility.meanwhile,thestudyalsofindsthatenvironmentvolatilitycanpositivelymoderatethewidthofalignment’simpactonenterprises’ agility,andnegativelymoderatethedepthofalignment’simpactoninnovationperformance.theinnovativepointsinthispapercanbesummarizedasfollows:(1)thetoeframeworkisextendedtothefieldofcloudservices,whichcombinesthegeneralmodeloftoewiththespecificcloudservicetechnology.itisfurtherenrichedanddevelopedbymainlystudyingtheinfluenceofsecurityrisksandprivacyconcernsastwouniqueriskfactorsofcloudservicesonenterprise-levelusers’ adoptionofcloudservices,inthemeanwhile,itperfectedtheresearchsystemoftechnologyadoptionofcloudservices.(2)forthefirsttime,modularsystemtheoryisintroducedintothestudyofcloudservicetechnologyselectionbehaviors.thispaperstudieshowproceduremodularityanditdismantlabilityaffectenterprise-leveluserstoselectacloudservicefromthetwodimensionsofbusinessprocessandinformationtechnology.thisistheexpansionandextensionofthescenarioofmodularsystemtheory,andit’stheenrichmentandsupplementforthetheoriesoftechnologyselectionofcloudservices.(3)basedonthedynamiccapabilitytheory,thispaperdescriptsthekeyfactorsaffectingthecloudservicealignmentfromtwodimensionsofoperationalandtechnicalonerespectively,extendingtherangeofdynamiccapabilitytheoryanddeepeningtheconceptofinformationsystemalignmentatthesametime,furtherenrichingthestudyofcloudservicealignment.(4)fromtheperspectiveofitinfrastructuretheory,thispaperselectsenterpriseagilityandenterpriseinnovationperformanceastheembodimentofenterprisevalue.withthecombinationofdynamiccapabilitytheory,thispaperattemptstoaddenvironmentalfactorsintostudyingtheinfluenceofcloudservicealignmentonenhancingenterprisevalue.thisisaninnovativemeasureofenterprisevalue,andit’saneffectivecomplementtothestudyofitvalueandcloudservicevalue.