# Continuance Use of Cloud Computing in Higher Education Institutions: A Conceptual Model
## 4 Research Model and Hypotheses
: _An institution's net benefits from CC use positively influence its satisfaction with CC use._  
**Hypothesis 3a (H3a)**. : _An institution's net benefits from CC use positively influence its CC continuance use._  
**Hypothesis 3b (H3b)**. : _An institution's extent of confirmation positively influences its net benefits from CC use._  
The relationships among system quality, information quality, and continuance intention [120] in the context of IS success can also be applied to CC continuance use in HEIs. Prior studies have examined the relationships among system quality, information quality, and satisfaction [159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165]. Hence, it follows:  
**Hypothesis 4a (H4a)**. : _System quality positively influences an institution's satisfaction with CC use._  
**Hypothesis 4b (H4b)**. : _System quality positively influences an institution's CC continuance use._  
Figure 3: Research Model. **Hypothesis 5a (H5a). **: _Information quality positively influences an institution's satisfaction with CC use._
**Hypothesis 5b (H5b). **: _Information quality positively influences an institution's CC continuance use._  
The relationships among technical integration, system investment, and discontinuance intention [16] can also be applied to CC continuance use in HEIs. Thus, we propose:  
**Hypothesis 6 (H6). **: _Technical integration positively influences an institution's CC continuance use._
**Hypothesis 7 (H7). **: _System investment positively influences an institution's CC continuance use._  
Presently, the success of HEIs depends in large part on effective collaboration. This is noteworthy because, by leveraging CC, it is possible for HEIs to exploit new modes of communication between key stakeholders [42; 142]. Digital natives, many of whom are students within HEIs, now require the Internet to undertake daily tasks [148; 149], and also to participate in online group activities (e.g., socializing, group studying, and so on) [166]. In order to satisfy student requirements, it is necessary to practitioners within HEIs to understand the various ways in which knowledge and content can be delivered to them [167]. In view of this, it is important to know what types of expectations students have, and to understand how technology can be leveraged or incorporated into teaching activities to meet these expectations. Hence, it is not unreasonable to suggest that the competitiveness of a HEI depends on its utilization of novel technology to satisfy student needs, and to enable streamlined collaboration and communication [168]. Taking the context into account, we thus predict:  
**Hypothesis 8 (H8). **: _The collaboration characteristics of CC services positively influence an institution's CC continuance use._  
Regulatory policy is another critical consideration that is likely to affect an organization's decision to use, or to continue using, a technology. One of the reasons for this is because the regulatory policies established by a government play a key role in setting laws relating to the use of certain technologies (e.g., CC) [147; 169; 170]. For example, the authors of [145; 146; 147] discussed how regulatory policies have shaped adoption trends in CC in various research settings. Taking the context into account, we therefore hypothesized:  
**Hypothesis 9 (H9). **: _Regulatory policy positively influences an institution's CC continuance use._  
Competitive pressure refers to the pressure that an institution's leadership may feel regarding the performance-related abilities that its competitors are gaining through the exploitation of CC services (e.g., an increase in student assessment outcomes due to the use of CC platforms) [137; 72; 138]. In the literature, several scholars have noted that competitive pressure plays a determining role in influencing CC use in multiple research settings [137; 170; 171; 153; 72; 73]. Taking the context into account, we thus predict:  
**Hypothesis 10 (H10).