The roles of uncertainty avoidance and strategic agility in cloud storage adoption among multinational manufacturing companies in Malaysia

Abstract

Cloud technology adoption is becoming a key sustainable information technology (IT) strategy for companies in developing countries with an investment potential of US$900 million by 2020. This study examined the antecedents and outcome of cloud storage adoption among multinational manufacturing companies (MNCs) in Malaysia. A total of 122 responses were collected and analysed with SmartPLS 3.2.7. Results show that relative advantage, top management support, technology readiness, cost saving and stakeholder pressure significantly influence cloud storage adoption; while uncertainty avoidance moderates the relationship between technology readiness and adoption. Interestingly, cloud storage adoption impacts firm performance while strategic agility enhances this relationship. This study provides a new perspective by examining the influence of national culture and strategic agility in the context of cloud storage adoption and its outcome among MNCs in Malaysia. In conclusion, this study contributes holistic and meaningful insights to IT practitioners and researchers in adopting cloud technology as a sustainable IT strategy. Biographical notes: Vivegananthan Supramaniam is an IT Director with a leading Fortune 500 corporation. He has 21 years of progressive management and technical expertise in diverse leading multinational manufacturing companies. He is an Information Technologist by training and holds a Bachelor of Information Technology and a Master of Business Administration. Ai Ping Teoh is a Senior Lecturer with the Graduate School of Business, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Her areas of expertise focus on business intelligence, enterprise systems, enterprise risk management and online 132 V. Supramaniam and A.P. Teoh education. She possesses a Doctor of Business Administration, Master's of Information Technology and Bachelor's (Hons.) in Accountancy. Prior to joining academic, she was an enterprise resource planning consultant and had successfully delivered projects for multinational companies.