Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Karla Phlypo

Abstract

Cloud services have emerged as a compelling technology with immense benefits, but many companies still have concerns about cloud services adoption because of several failures that have occurred, including mistakes by service providers, exploitation of security flaws by hackers, and immature policies and procedures. The specific problem is how small businesses often lack the understanding of the ramifications of their respective decision-making processes to adopt cloud services. There is little understanding of the decision-making processes managers use in cloud services adoption. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the decision-making processes of 3 small businesses in information technology, legal, and healthcare industries and 3 cloud service providers with a total of 12 participants. The primary question explored the decision-making factors that contribute to the success of companies adopting cloud services. The conceptual framework was based on Mintzberg et al.’s strategic decision-making model, which consists of problem identification, solution development, and selection. Data for the study were collected through semi structured interviews and were analyzed using cross-case analysis. Five prominent themes that emerged were cost savings, cloud information security, competitive advantage, skills availability, and reliability. This research uncovered important factors in the decision-making process, including lack of training and a formal cloud adoption framework. This research may influence positive social change by deepening small businesses’ understanding of essential factors in the decision to successfully adopting cloud services.

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