Jan-Willem Bullee, Lorena Montoya, Marianne Junger and Pieter Hartel
When security managers choose to deploy a smart lock activation system, the number of units needed and their location needs to be established. This study aims to present the…
Abstract
Purpose
When security managers choose to deploy a smart lock activation system, the number of units needed and their location needs to be established. This study aims to present the results of a penetration test involving smart locks in the context of building security. The authors investigated how the amount of effort an employee has to invest in complying with a security policy (i.e. walk from the office to the smart key activator) influences vulnerability. In particular, the attractiveness of a no-effort alternative (i.e. someone else walking from your office to the key activators to perform a task on your behalf) was evaluated. The contribution of this study relates to showing how experimental psychology can be used to determine the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of physical building security measures.
Design/methodology/approach
Twenty-seven different “offenders” visited the offices of 116 employees. Using a script, each offender introduced a problem, provided a solution and asked the employee to hand over their office key.
Findings
A total of 58.6 per cent of the employees handed over their keys to a stranger; no difference was found between female and male employees. The likelihood of handing over the keys for employees close to a key activator was similar to that of those who were further away.
Research limitations/implications
The results suggest that installing additional key activators is not conducive to reducing the building’s security vulnerability associated with the handing over of keys to strangers.
Originality/value
No research seems to have investigated the distribution of smart key activators in the context of a physical penetration test. This research highlights the need to raise awareness of social engineering and of the vulnerabilities introduced via smart locks (and other smart systems).
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Jan-Willem Bullee, Lorena Montoya, Marianne Junger and Pieter Hartel
The purpose of this study is to explore how the opening phrase of a phishing email influences the action taken by the recipient.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how the opening phrase of a phishing email influences the action taken by the recipient.
Design/methodology/approach
Two types of phishing emails were sent to 593 employees, who were asked to provide personally identifiable information (PII). A personalised spear phishing email opening was randomly used in half of the emails.
Findings
Nineteen per cent of the employees provided their PII in a general phishing email, compared to 29 per cent in the spear phishing condition. Employees having a high power distance cultural background were more likely to provide their PII, compared to those with a low one. There was no effect of age on providing the PII requested when the recipient’s years of service within the organisation is taken into account.
Practical implications
This research shows that success is higher when the opening sentence of a phishing email is personalised. The resulting model explains victimisation by phishing emails well, and it would allow practitioners to focus awareness campaigns to maximise their effect.
Originality/value
The innovative aspect relates to explaining spear phishing using four socio-demographic variables.
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Maura Ewa Merson, Lorena Montoya and Chris Paresi
This work aims at developing guidelines and methods for establishing urban hazard information infrastructure (UHII) for the City of Windhoek (CoW) in Namibia, to set up an…
Abstract
This work aims at developing guidelines and methods for establishing urban hazard information infrastructure (UHII) for the City of Windhoek (CoW) in Namibia, to set up an institutional and technical framework for spatial data exchange and sharing in development control and hazard management. An analysis of UHII requirements in the Twente Fire Brigades (The Netherlands) was first conducted and the Spatial Information Management Reference Model (RSIMM) was created. RSIMM was used as a reference to the Case‐Specific Spatial Information Management Model (CSIMM) for the CoW, where young institutions face financial, structural, legal and technical uncertainties. The new methodology to introduce UHII to the CoW was developed using combined soft and structured system development methods. The policies and strategies supporting UHII development were identified. The Urban Hazard and Emergency Management Information System (UHEMIS) development was chosen to initiate UHII introduction creating data and metadata management base for decision making in spatial development control, risk assessment and emergency response planning. The UHII and UHEMIS models are being designed next in this on‐going research.
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Laura Rienda, Lorena Ruiz-Fernández and Rosario Andreu
The harmonisation of university degrees at the European level leads us to believe that training needs are addressed in the same way in different countries. However, the inevitable…
Abstract
Purpose
The harmonisation of university degrees at the European level leads us to believe that training needs are addressed in the same way in different countries. However, the inevitable adaptation to the changing environment faced by companies requires a continuous adjustment between training and future needs, according to the sector. The aim of this paper is to compare two leading and culturally similar countries in the tourism sector in order to determine whether training is being provided homogeneously in tourism higher education and whether more specific training is desired to meet the needs of the sector in each country.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is part of the European Next Tourism Generation (NTG) Project, the first European partnership to foster a collaborative and productive relationship between the education system and the tourism industry. A mixed research study was conducted with the purpose of development, i.e. with the intention that the results of one method (qualitative) are used to assist the development of the other method (quantitative) and an exploratory sequential design. Both qualitative (29 interviews) and quantitative (509 tourism organisations) methods are used.
Findings
For a sector that has undergone significant changes in recent years, the results show the differences between countries around the current level of soft skills of employees, the level they will need to develop in the future and the gaps that those responsible for training future employees in the sector need to focus on for the 2030 horizon.
Practical implications
Several recommendations have emerged from this paper: to complement higher education, to achieve a better link between the business world and future workers; to provide much more incentives for international student mobility, which will allow students to develop intercultural soft skills before they enter the world of work, and to propose the creation of a social network to share, communicate and learn about resources specific to the tourism industry.
Originality/value
Since the Bologna Plan, higher education institutions have been tasked with preparing students for the world of work and developing the employability of graduates. The link between the professional world (companies) and the educational world (training centres) is a crucial factor in determining students' future skills and needs. When educational programmes respond to the needs of industry, the university can gain a competitive advantage. Therefore, some authors suggest the need for coordination and regular communication between business and training centres, thus improving the competitiveness of companies and reducing the gap that currently exists. In this paper, comparing two culturally similar countries with a recognised trajectory in the tourism sector, we will try to observe this gap and propose interesting options for the future of the sector.
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Sergio Madero Gómez and Oscar Eliud Ortíz Mendoza
Education systems are currently being affected by COVID-19, given the suspension of academic and administrative on-site activities. This has hampered people’s access to…
Abstract
Education systems are currently being affected by COVID-19, given the suspension of academic and administrative on-site activities. This has hampered people’s access to connectivity services to continue their class sessions, in turn affecting the mental health of many students. The purpose of this study is to validate the scale used to measure the relationship between the various stress factors and academic activities performed by students in a teleworking environment in situations of isolation or confinement. A 36-item online questionnaire was designed and applied during the month of May 2020, obtaining 320 responses. According to the results of the survey, it is important to highlight that the teleworking scale is statistically valid and reliable for use in other contexts, and it is hoped that the results obtained can be used to develop strategies to strengthen the teaching-learning process and the teleworking modality.
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Lorena del Carmen Álvarez-Castañón and Pilar Arroyo
The chapter aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the entrepreneurship training programmes implemented in public and private universities in the entity of Guanajuato, located in…
Abstract
The chapter aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the entrepreneurship training programmes implemented in public and private universities in the entity of Guanajuato, located in the central part of Mexico. A simple random sample of 449 students who participated in these programmes was collected. The survey data were statistically analysed to determine if the participants’ capability of agency and the influence of their closest social groups – university, family and regional socioenvironmental – increase the entrepreneurial intentions of university students. Results showed that the capability of agency was directly improved after participation in the programme, while entrepreneurial intentions were indirectly influenced by the institutional and business environment.
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Sandra Milena Santamaria-Alvarez and Martyna Śliwa
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the transnational entrepreneurial activities of Colombian emigrants to the USA in the context of the Colombian government’s policies and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the transnational entrepreneurial activities of Colombian emigrants to the USA in the context of the Colombian government’s policies and initiatives aimed at encouraging and facilitating emigrants’ transnational entrepreneurship. It examines the profile of Colombian emigrants, the entrepreneurial transnational activities they pursue and the actual and potential role of the government in instigating and shaping these activities.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper analyzes data obtained from focus groups with migrant families and interviews with governmental officials and an expert researcher. It also evaluates secondary data sources relevant to the subject of the paper.
Findings
The impact of transnational activities of Colombian migrants upon Colombian economy and society is much lower compared with the activities of migrants in other countries and with the potential these activities could have for contributing to the economic development of Colombia. Possible causes of this include: the specific characteristics of the Colombian emigrant and entrepreneur profile, the fragmentation of transnational networks of the migrants and the lack of governmental strategies to support the development of transnational activities of migrants.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the debates on emigrant–state relation through offering an analysis of migrant entrepreneurship, technology and knowledge transfer and investment activities of Colombian emigrants in the home country. It also provides recommendations for policy action and concrete government programs that might encourage greater involvement of Colombian migrants in high value-adding activities that could benefit the country’s development.
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Mohamed Salaheldeen and Mohamed Battour
This study aims to conceptualize and investigate the relationships between halal entrepreneurial success, innovation capability and sustainable innovation in the halal industry.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to conceptualize and investigate the relationships between halal entrepreneurial success, innovation capability and sustainable innovation in the halal industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Both integrative and generative approaches are combined to move forward from the literature to a theoretical contribution. The paper presents a model that relates halal entrepreneurial success to innovation capability and sustainable innovation. A purposive sample of 340 Malaysian halal entrepreneurs is used to test the conceptualized model. The partial least square technique was then used to assess the structural model.
Findings
The results disclosed that halal entrepreneurial success is positively related to both innovation capability and sustainable innovation. Also, the innovation capability mediates the relationship between halal entrepreneurial success and sustainable innovation.
Originality/value
This research conceptualized and examined a novel model that assesses the relationships between halal entrepreneurial success, innovation capability and sustainable innovation in the halal industry.