【作者】 李敏；

【导师】 赵定涛；

【作者基本信息】 中国科学技术大学 ， 管理科学与工程， 2014， 博士

【摘要】 继个人计算机和互联网革命之后,云计算技术成为最新一次的信息技术产业革命。这项新技术不仅关系到信息技术产业,而且与科技消费者息息相关。因为基于云计算技术的云服务将会很快地渗入到商业活动中的方方面面。基于云的在线信息技术服务模式改变了组织获取信息技术的方式。对于中小企业群体而言,以快速的接入能力、低水平的前期投入成本、使用即付费的付费模式等为特征的云服务信息技术解决方案是一种更加灵活,更具效率的信息技术能力提升渠道。云服务市场无限的商业前景和中小企业用户群在云服务用户市场占据的主导地位引起了众多云服务利益相关者的极大关注。然而,目前关于中小企业云服务转换的理论与实证研究还相对匮乏。在信息技术创新加速的网络信息时代,传统的信息技术创新行为理论研究是否能够充分地指导基于云的企业在线信息技术服务实践?中小企业云服务行为决策过程基于哪些理性框架?不同的理性框架下,中小企业云服务转换行为决策的关键影响因素有哪些?中小企业云服务转换行为决策的关键内外部影响因素又有哪些?这些内外部因素通过何种机制及如何对中小企业云服务转换行为产生影响?针对以上这些问题的探索是理论的发展需要,更是实践的迫切需求。本项研究基于理论研究方法构建相关理论模型,基于问卷调查的定量研究方法研究中小企业云服务转换行为决策过程。首先,以技术经济理性和信任理性的双重理性框架为基础,结合交易成本理论、代理理论及信任的相关理论研究,本项研究构建了中小企业云服务转换行为的双重理性框架决策模型。在双重理性的基础上,本项研究考察了云服务感知收益与云服务信任在中小企业云服务转换行为中发挥的作用,更深入地探究和验证了云服务感知收益和云服务信任的关键影响因素。其次,通过对组织层面信息技术创新行为内外部影响因素和组织信息技术创新行为决策过程的考察和相关理论文献的回顾,在战略选择理论、管理时尚理论和信任相关理论的基础上,本项研究建立了信任中介的战略选择与管理时尚中小企业云服务转换模型。基于对中国地区珠江三角洲、长江三角洲区域的中小企业的问卷调查所收集到的107份有效数据,通过统计分析软件Smart PLS对所收集数据进行的分析所得出的分析结果,本项研究验证了基于研究模型所提出的研究假设。本项研究的主要结论有以下几点：(1)技术经济理性与基于信任的理性对于中小企业云服务转换意愿均具有显著的正向影响。研究结果表明：基于技术经济理性的云服务感知收益对于中小企业云服务转换意愿具有显著的正向影响,中小企业的云服务感知收益越高,则其越倾向于进行云服务转换;基于信任理性的云服务信任对于中小企业云服务转换意愿具有显著的正向影响,中小企业对于云服务的信任越高,则其越倾向于进行云服务转换。值得关注的是：在云服务背景下,与感知收益对于中小企业信息技术创新行为决策的影响相比,信任对于中小企业信息技术创新行为决策的影响更为突出。这说明了基于信任的理性是在考察中小企业信息技术创新行为决策时不可忽视的重要方面。(2)在线信息技术服务的不确定性与信息不对称性对于中小企业的云服务感知收益具有显著的正向影响；云服务的信息安全性、云服务供应商的稀缺性和云服务感知制度压力对云服务信任分别产生显著正向、显著负向和显著正向影响。(3)中小企业创业导向和管理时尚下的制度压力对于企业云服务制度信任和技术信任的建立具有显著,但是力度不同的影响。研究结果表明：中小企业的制度压力感知对云服务制度信任产生的显著影响力度大于对云服务技术信任产生的显著影响力度；中小企业感知到的制度压力对于云服务制度信任产生的显著影响力度大于企业创业导向对于云服务制度信任产生的显著影响力度；中小企业感知到的制度压力对于云服务技术信任产生的显著影响力度大于企业创业导向对于云服务技术信任产生的显著影响力度。(4)云服务制度信任与云服务技术信任在中小企业云服务转换过程中所起作用不同,信任在中小企业云服务转换过程中起到的中介作用有着自身的顺序性。研究结果表明：中小企业云服务制度信任对于企业云服务转换意愿并没有显著的直接影响,而中小企业云服务技术信任对于企业云服务转换意愿有着显著的正向影响；云服务制度信任对于云服务技术信任有着非常显著的正向影响,并且通过云服务技术信任的完全中介效应对企业云服务转换意愿有着间接的影响。云服务制度信任与中小企业云服务转换意愿之间的关系中,云服务技术信任所起到的完全中介作用表明,企业云服务信任的建立有着内在的顺序性。当企业接触云服务时,首先考量与云服务相关的制度环境,而后对云服务相关的技术属性进行评估。(5)在中小企业创业导向和感知制度压力与企业云服务转换意愿之间的关系中,云服务制度信任与云服务技术信任均起到了中介作用,即复杂的信任构建是一种潜在的企业战略选择与管理时尚影响企业信息技术创新行为的解释机制。研究结果表明：在中小企业创业导向和感知制度压力与企业云服务转换意愿之间的关系中,云服务制度信任起部分中介作用；在中小企业创业导向与企业云服务转换意愿之间的关系中,云服务技术信任起部分中介作用；在中小企业感知制度压力与企业云服务转换意愿之间的关系中,云服务技术信任起完全中介作用。(6)本项研究证实了云服务背景下制度信任与技术信任双层构面测量模型的合理性。研究结果表明：对于云服务制度信任而言,结构保障和情景规范均是其显著的组成因素；情景规范对于制度信任的贡献高于结构保障对于制度信任的贡献；对于云服务技术信任而言,帮助性与可靠性是构成技术信任的显著组成因素,而功能性不是构成技术信任的显著组成因素。本项研究的创新之处有以下几点：第一,提出了基于技术经济理性与基于信任理性的整合框架,并在此整合框架基础上研究中小企业云服务转换意愿。深入发掘建立在技术经济理性基础上的云服务感知收益的主要影响因素及建立在信任理性基础上的云服务信任的主要影响因素。双重的理性框架及其影响因素的深入发掘丰富了组织层面信息技术创新的行为研究,有利于加深对于组织云服务转换过程的了解。第二,从战略选择与管理时尚两个角度,提出并通过实证的方法验证了中小企业内部创业导向与企业外部制度压力对于中小企业云服务转换意愿的影响。从企业内部的战略选择和企业外部的管理时尚探究云服务转换意愿为组织层面的信息技术创新行为研究开辟了一个新的视角,丰富了组织层面信息技术创新行为研究和信息技术时尚的相关研究。第三,提出并通过实证的方法研究了两种不同类型的信任(云服务制度信任与云服务技术信任)在中小企业创业导向、制度压力与中小企业云服务转换意愿关系之间的中介作用,并揭示了中介效应过程中的顺序性。信任中介效应及其顺序性的揭示丰富了信任研究,不同类型信任之间关系的探讨为信任研究开辟了一个新的方向。另外,信任双层构面合理性的验证对于技术信任这一相对较新的概念尤为重要,为以后的相关研究提供了实证基础。本项研究的实践意义在于：第一,为云服务供应商更好地运营云服务市场提供了策略建议；第二,为云服务的潜在使用者提供了关于云服务转换所需环境的参考；第三,为云服务市场的管理者提供了云服务市场管理,促进云服务市场繁荣方面的建议。更多还原

【Abstract】 Cloud computing technology is a new information technology industry revolution after Personal Computer and Internet. The new technology is not only associated with information technology industry, but also closely related to technology consumers, since cloud technology based service is integrated with all aspects of business activities. Specifically, cloud service changes the way organizations obtain their information technology capability. Especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), cloud service is a more flexible and efficient information technology solution, which proposes its fast access, pay for use mechanism, and lower upfront investment. Tremendous business prospects of cloud service market and leading position of SMEs are attracting great attention of cloud service stakeholders. However, there has been little literature systematically explaining this phenomenon. In the era of digital network and when the rate of information technology innovation is accelerated, whether traditional theoretical research on information technology innovation research is still able to guide the practice of cloud service? What kinds of rationalities that SMEs would depend on to make decisions in the cloud transformation process? What are the key influential determinants of SMEs’ decision-making of cloud service transformation under different rationality? What are the critical internal and external determinants of SMEs’decision-making of cloud service transformation? How these internal and external factors have impacts on SMEs’cloud service transformation behavior, and through what kind of mechanism? The exploration of these research questions is the development of related theory and meets the urgent needs of practice.Based on theoretical approaches, related theoretical models are built and the phenomena of SMEs’cloud service transformation are examined by data sample collected through survey. Firstly, based on technical-economic rationality, trust-based rationality, transaction cost theory, agent theory, and trust related research, an integrated SMEs’cloud service transformation decision model is constructed. Based on integrated rationality framework, this research investigates the role of perceived benefit of cloud service and cloud service trust in SMEs’cloud service transformation process, and further explores and tests the critical determinants of perceived benefit of cloud service and cloud service trust. Additionally, drawing on strategic choice theory, management fashion theory, trust literature, and organizational information technology innovation literature, trust-mediated entrepreneurial orientation and institutional pressure model is built to investigate SMEs’cloud service transformation. A survey involving107Chinese SMEs in Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta was conducted to examine the research model and hypotheses. Smart PLS (Version2.0) was used to conduct data analysis. The main conclusions are as follows:(1) Technical-economic rationality and trust-based rationality both have significant influence on SMEs’cloud service transformation intention. Research results indicate that:perceived benefits of cloud service based on technical-economic rationality has a significant positive effect on SMEs’cloud service transformation intention, that is the more benefit SMEs can perceive from adopting cloud service, the more they will be willing to transform to cloud service; cloud service trust based on trust-based rationality has a significant positive effect on SMEs’cloud service transformation intention, that is SMEs with higher trust towards cloud service are more likely to transform to this new information technology usage mode; cloud service trust has a greater impact on SMEs’ cloud service transformation intention than perceived benefit of cloud service. It is notable that the dominant factor leading to organizational information technology innovation transformation decision-making is trust in the context of cloud service. The salient effect of trust indicates that trust-based rationality is a critical point of view in investigating SMEs’information technology innovation behavior.(2) Uncertainty and information asymmetry are positively associated with perceived benefit of cloud service; information security, vendor scarcity, and institutional pressure are found to have significant positive, negative, and positive influence on trust respectively.(3) Entrepreneurial orientation and institutional pressure both have significant but different effect on cloud service trust building. The analysis results indicate: institutional pressures exert a significant greater impact on institution-based trust on cloud service than on the information technology artifact trust on cloud service; institutional pressures not only present a greater impact on institution-based trust on cloud service than that entrepreneurial orientation has, but also present a greater impact on information technology artifact trust on cloud service than entrepreneurial orientation has.(4) Another finding is related to the distinguished roles that the two types of trust play in SMEs’transformation towards cloud service, and the mediating effect of trust has a sequential process in itself. The analysis results indicate that:while SMEs’ institution-based trust on cloud service is found to have insignificant effect on their cloud service transformation intention, information technology artifact trust on cloud service is found to have a significant positive effect on the SMEs’transformation intention to cloud service. Further, institution-based trust on cloud service has a significant positive effect on information technology artifact trust on cloud service, and has an indirect impact on cloud service transformation with a full mediation of information technology artifact trust. The full mediating effect of information technology artifact trust on the relationship between institution-based trust on cloud service and cloud service transformation intention indicates cloud service trust building in SMEs is a sequential process. SMEs are more likely to first scan their surrounding environments and communication networks and pay more attention to the overall situation of adopting information technology innovations, then evaluate the innovative information technology artifact itself.(5) Our results indicate the mediation roles of institution-based trust and information technology artifact trust that link SMEs’entrepreneurial orientation and institutional pressures to their cloud service transformation intention, suggesting that the complex trust building is one underlying interpretive mechanism of how an organization’s strategic choice and management fashion can results in information technology innovation acceptance and diffusion. The institution-based trust partially mediates the effects of SMEs’entrepreneurship and perceived institutional pressures from external sources on their transformation intention to cloud service. The information technology artifact trust partially mediates the effects of SMEs’ entrepreneurship on their cloud service transformation and fully mediates the effect of SMEs’perceived institutional pressures on their transformation.(6) This study empirically validates the appropriateness of second-order conceptualization of both types of trust in the cloud service context. The analysis results indicate:for institution-based trust, both structure assurance and situation normality are found significantly form the concept of institution-based trust. Situation normality exhibits a greater contribution to institution-based trust than structure assurance. When we check the contributions of three attributes to information technology artifact trust, we found that helpfulness and reliability contribute significantly to information technology artifact trust of cloud service, but functionality does not. This conceptualization validation is especially important for the emerging concept of information technology artifact trust.Originality of the study is that:First, this study investigates SMEs’cloud service transformation intention based on an integrated framework of technical-economic rationality and trust-based rationality, and deeply explores the antecedents of perceived cloud service benefit based on technical-economic rationality and the antecedents of cloud service trust based on trust-based rationality. The integrated rationality framework enriches organizational information technology innovation behavior research and deepens our understanding of cloud transformation process. Second, based on strategic choice theory and management fashion theory, this research empirically investigates the effect of organization internal entrepreneurial orientation and external institutional pressures on SMEs’cloud service intention. This is a new framework for organizational information technology innovation behavior research, enriching information technology innovation research and information technology fashion research. Third, this study proposes and examines the sequential mediating role of two types of trust, and also empirically approves the appropriateness of second-order conceptualization of both types of trust in cloud service context. Trust mediating effect and its sequential process enriches trust related research. The exploration of relationships between different types of trust supplies a new research direction for trust research. Additionally, the appropriateness of second-order conceptualization of trust is especially of critical value for the new conception information technology artifact trust, supplying empirical basis for future research.This research has the following practical implication:First, for cloud service vendors, this study has potential to provide some insights for them to offer appropriate services in effective ways. Second, organizational users of cloud service can also grab insights to deal with this new information technology innovation wave. Third, for cloud service market regulators, our study supplies some insights of governing the cloud service market and promoting the prosperity of cloud service market.更多还原