Supporting entrepreneurial venturing of SMEs in collaborative cloud computing environments: A dependency-driven construction of scenario maps

Abstract

Cloud computing is a relatively new computing paradigm and opens up possibilities to build new inter-organisational business configurations. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are often neglecting the opportunities and potentials that inter-organisational collaboration in the context of cloud computing can offer them. SMEs are prevalently unaware of all possible business collaboration scenarios that can emerge in such environments. In this paper we follow a construction-oriented research approach and design scenario maps. These scenario maps are conceptual models that serve as a reference catalogue of all conceivable collaboration scenarios and participating actors in cloud computing environments and are representing extensions of works from literature. The design science research artefacts presented in this paper are useful for decision makers and allow SMEs and start-ups to extract and analyse alternative inter-organisational collaboration scenarios. Copyright © 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.