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Intention to Use a Cloud-Based Point of Sale Software Among Retailers in Malaysia: The Mediating Effect of Attitude

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Abstract

The on-premise point of sale (POS) system has been using by retailers for years. However, this system causes some user pains and problems, i.e. high capital investment, setup and maintenance hassle, lack of flexibility and reliability, and data security and privacy concern. Cloud computing as an emerging technology is used for developing a cloud-based POS software named RetailNow. A cloud service provider is in charge of delivering and maintenances of the software to retailers based on their environments. The provider is also responsible for security and privacy of data on its servers. Due to the pay-per-use subscription model of the cloud, retailers also save in their finance. The retailers only require a basic computer and an internet connection in order to connect to RetailNow. RetailNow is targeted for all scales and environments of retail outlets. The purpose of the study is to understand the influential factors that impact on intention to use RetailNow among retailers in Malaysia. The proposed model is the combination of the TOE and the TAM to obtain applicability and predictive power. In order to test the proposed model, a quantitative study using a self-administrated survey will be directed. A research method which is based on the multi-analytical approach of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) is applied which enables extra verification of the results provided by the PLS-SEM for direct relationships in the model. We only apply PLS-SEM for testing the mediation effect.

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... They conclude that the system suffers from both oversubscription (resulting in resource waste and low utilization) and undersubscription (resulting in performance degradation). The influencing factors that influence the intentions of retailers to adopt cloud-based point of sale system, was studied by [37], in a sample of retailers in Malaysia, using a model that combines Technology, Organization, Environment (TOE) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). ...
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that affect the adoption of cloud computing by firms belonging to the high‐tech industry. The eight factors examined in this study are relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, top management support, firm size, technology readiness, competitive pressure, and trading partner pressure. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire‐based survey was used to collect data from 111 firms belonging to the high‐tech industry in Taiwan. Relevant hypotheses were derived and tested by logistic regression analysis. Findings The findings revealed that relative advantage, top management support, firm size, competitive pressure, and trading partner pressure characteristics have a significant effect on the adoption of cloud computing. Research limitations/implications The research was conducted in the high‐tech industry, which may limit the generalisability of the findings. Practical implications The findings offer cloud computing service providers with a better understanding of what affects cloud computing adoption characteristics, with relevant insight on current promotions. Originality/value The research contributes to the application of new technology cloud computing adoption in the high‐tech industry through the use of a wide range of variables. The findings also help firms consider their information technologies investments when implementing cloud computing.
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Software as a Service (SaaS) is a relatively new organizational application sourcing alternative, offering organizations the option to access applications--via the Internet--that are remotely hosted on offsite servers instead of installing equivalent applications in-house, thus presumably saving costs. Although SaaS has been offered since the late 1990s, so far it has not become a dominant sourcing alternative for organizational core applications, in spite of the fact that most leading IT companies now offer remotely-hosted organization-wide applications. This study conceptualized and empirically tested a model of the effects of the perceived risk of SaaS and trust in the SaaS vendor community on the organizational intention to adopt SaaS at this early stage of the SaaS market. Three novel, risk-related constructs were developed: perceived risk of SaaS, perceived risk of systems unavailability, and perceived risk of data insecurity. Likewise, three new trust-related constructs were also conceived: trust in the SaaS vendor community, perceived capabilities and perceived reputation of the SaaS vendor community. An empirical test of the model demonstrated the negative effect of perceived risk and the positive effects of trust in, and the reputation of, the SaaS vendor community, on the intention to adopt SaaS. Trust in the SaaS vendor community was also found to strongly affect all three risk concepts.
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Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is an emerging business model that delivers software applications to users through web-based technology. Adopting SaaS applications allow companies to dramatically save their Information Technology (IT) costs. This paper discusses the concepts and applications of services, SaaS, outsourcing and their economic implications. SaaS can be adopted as an excellent outsourcing model since it exhibits the technological and economic benefits of IT services.
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Among several types of “cloud services”, the Software as a Service (SaaS) solution is promising. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and its modified versions have been popularly utilized for examining how users come to accept a new technology, but have not yet been employed to handle issues regarding SaaS adoption. This paper attempts to develop an explorative model that examines important factors affecting SaaS adoption, in order to facilitate understanding with regard to adoption of SaaS solutions. An explorative model using partial least squares (PLS) path modeling is proposed and a number of hypotheses are tested, which integrate TAM related theories with additional imperative constructs such as marketing effort, security and trust. Thus, the findings of this study can not only help enterprise users gain insights into SaaS adoption, but also help SaaS providers obtain inspiration in their efforts to discover more effective courses of action for improving both new product development and marketing strategy.
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This paper discusses the concept of Cloud Computing to achieve a complete definition of what a Cloud is, using the main characteristics typically associated with this paradigm in the literature. More than 20 definitions have been studied allowing for the extraction of a consensus definition as well as a minimum definition containing the essential characteristics. This paper pays much attention to the Grid paradigm, as it is often confused with Cloud technologies. We also describe the relationships and distinctions between the Grid and Cloud approaches.
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