An Analysis of Factors Influencing the Adoption of the Common Criteria Certification Process in the Private Sector of the Defense Industrial Base

The analysis of factors influencing the Common Criteria certification process adoption in the private sector industrial complex of the defense industrial base for Information Assurance (IA) and IA-enabled devices was performed with the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. The UTAUT theory has been the basis for studying multiple government policies' adoption but has not been applied to the Common Criteria certification process. Studies around the challenges, applications, and adoption of Common Criteria evaluation methodology are lacking in the research literature. The purpose of this research was to examine the adoption factors of the Common Criteria certification process utilizing the UTAUT framework, specifically the variables of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and their relationship with behavioral intent. This study focused on the defense industrial base (DIB) private sector industrial complex as the target sample. The study provided insight into the perception of members of the DIB regarding the Common Criteria certification process. A Spearman rho correlation of data obtained from the UTAUT survey instrument hosted on the SurveyMonkey platform of members of the private sector of the defense industrial base within two targeted LinkedIn groups revealed a positive correlation between behavioral intention and all three of the studied UTAUT independent variables: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence. Further t-test analysis revealed there is a statistically significant difference between voluntariness of use and social influence mean. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]