'ABSTRACT Cloud computing is a modern term in today's IT related market. It basically addresses the real-time access to IT resources, globally, available anytime, servicing any kind of IT related services to better serve business and organizational needs and requirements. This study focuses on utilizing cloud computing in the B2B (business-to-business), electronical data interchange (EDI), and electronic commerce (EC) area, where companies certainly ask for influencing factors impacting the B2B cloud performance. Companies across the globe are connected through clouds, exchanging documents in a real-time mode. Processes are being made transparent, and users or companies will have transparency about trading partners, which are connected through the cloud. Processes such as shipping or delivery forecasts, firm purchase orders, but also value-added-tax related documents, such as invoices and credit notes, will be transferred and delivered in a seamless mode through a B2B cloud literally from the IT backend system of the buyer into the IT backend system of the supplier. The traditional approach of exchanging documents electronically, also known as electronic data exchange, is not new. However cloud computing in the B2B area may change this picture. The central claim of this research is the fact that companies, once connected to the B2B cloud, should have easy and fast access to other already connected companies (suppliers, customers, banks, logistic service providers, etc) and they should therefore see immediate business benefit by being a vital cloud member. In addition, the connected supplier should also easily connect its sub-supplier. Therefore we might see that the entire value chain is being represented in the B2B cloud. All cloud participants exchange business documents, planning information, visions and thoughts seamlessly via the B2B cloud. As a result, this might lead to a high degree of transparency of all could users for processes being operated within the cloud, which consequently may lead to a higher adoption rate and a higher performance of the B2B Cloud network. The purpose of this study is to examine the dependencies and impact of transparency, speed, ease of use, cost, security, and trust to the overall cloud adoption. At the same iv time, this thesis provides insights into the cloud market for the management level, before companies might enter the B2B cloud market place. The research methods were mixed methods, quantitative and qualitative. The methods provide cross-examination, and includes a research section, an interview part, and a data analysis section. Based on non-sufficient reliability and non-satisfying results for the confirmatory factor analysis (only 128 participants out of 400 have responded), the author has carried out an additional qualitative research with 15 participants, which shows that transparency and cost consciousness do have a (minimal) positive impact on cloud adoption; while ease-of-use / speed have a big positive impact on cloud adoption. The factor of security and trust is important when it comes to cloud adoption, however this is seen as a given factor, provided by the cloud application provider. The research also addresses the main benefits of a network, which come with the higher number of participants on both sides, seller, as well as buyer participants. Summarizing, this study analyses and discusses influencing factors which have an impact on B2B cloud adoption and on cloud performance, mainly around transparency, speed, ease-of-use, trust, security level, and cost structure. Keywords: Cloud Computing, Cloud Adoption, Business to Business, Transparency, Speed, Ease-of-Use, Trust, Security Level, Cost Structure '

1 INTRODUCTION

12 CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW OF B2B CLOUD

28 DISCUSSION OF TRANSPARENCY

38 IMPORTANCE OF SPEED FACTOR

43 DISCUSSION OF COST

51 THE BUSINESS VALUE PROPOSITION

53 Impact on Bottom Line

55 Impact on Top Line

58 THE TECHNICAL VIEW OF CLOUD INTEGRATION

59 Analysis of Non-B2B Connections

59 Analysis of B2B Connections

60 Analysis of Technical Integration Models

69 Comparison Direct vs. Indirect Connect

70 ANALYSIS OF BUSINESS VALUE

71 DISCUSSION OF SECURITY & VALUE

76 SCALABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY

85 MATCHING OF PIRATICAL STUDY RESULTS

88 DISCUSSION OF EXTERNAL ECONOMIES

92 CHAPTER 2. METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH

99 CHAPTER 3. DATA ANALYSIS OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCHES

99 ANALYSIS OF RELIABILITY

111 CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS

123 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

125 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

128 CHAPTER 4. RESULTS AND FINDINGS

130 RESULTS AND FINDINGS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

144 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

154 REFERENCES