Social media, mobile, analytics, and cloud: integration and value creation

This study examined how integrating two or more SMAC technologies (social media, mobile, analytics and cloud) add business value to organisations. Data was collected from fourteen business and technology stakeholders using semi-structured interviews to investigate critical success factors and barriers of adoption and integration of SMAC technologies. The data was analysed using a conceptual framework using the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) model integrated with value creation theories: value chains, value shops, and value networks. The findings show that relative advantage, compatibility, management support, technology competence, and competitive pressure were critical success factors for the integration of two or more SMAC technologies. Complexity, security, and government regulations were barriers to the integration of two or more SMAC technologies. Firm size was both a critical success factor and a barrier. The findings show that the integration of two or more SMAC technologies improve efficiency, resource optimisation, speed, business agility, competitive advantage, and enhanced customer experience. One possible limitation of this study was that only organisations in Australia were included. The results may be different in other countries. A second limitation was that the limited number of value chain organisations compared to value shops and value networks. Future research into value creation from the integration of various interrelated digital technologies integration (e.g., analytics & Internet of Things, cloud & artificial intelligence). The conceptual framework could be used in future studies to examine emerging and new applications of existing technologies to examine the integration of technologies and how these technologies add value in value chains, value shops, and value networks.