Understanding and exploring the value co-creation of cloud computing innovation using resource based value theory: An interpretive case study

Research on the intrinsic mechanisms of how cloud computing ecosystems may enable value co-creation within business alliances and partnerships and their underlying mechanisms are scarce. Having identified this gap in the extant literature, and acknowledging that cloud computing is still taking off, our study seeks to explore and develop an understanding of the underlying mechanisms of value co-creation within business alliances of cloud computing providers and third-party enterprises. This study is informed by the Resource Based View (RBV) Theory and four layers of value co-creation to build on a qualitative case study using the interpretivist epistemological stance. In this study we illustrate how knowledge is shared between two firms and unpack the value co-creation process for the design and delivery of innovative cloud services. In terms of the RBV, it was discovered that reputation as a resource is valuable because it offers the smaller firms with the assets of global reach and a large partner network, which eventually may support in building its competitive advantage. For the larger organization the alliance offered the ability to provide clients with an innovation without additional facilities, and personnel.