The relationship between product liability and quality assurance is discussed and the role of the latter in minimising risk is examined. The future impact of the EEC Directive on…
Abstract
The relationship between product liability and quality assurance is discussed and the role of the latter in minimising risk is examined. The future impact of the EEC Directive on liability is emphasised.
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Explains how customers and suppliers should work together for greater profitability. Discusses how it is only with the advent of new quality philosophies that the relationship…
Abstract
Explains how customers and suppliers should work together for greater profitability. Discusses how it is only with the advent of new quality philosophies that the relationship between a customer and its suppliers has reached a level of strategic importance. Asserts that the relationship should be one of partnership in a common enterprise. Discusses two case studies which show different approaches using the concept. Describes how, in the first study, the suppliers are brought to the customer; in the second, the customer went to the suppliers. Concludes that all parties should be successful in their associated businesses and should make a profit.
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During the period of growth of e‐commerce, e‐business and online life in general, trust has been identified by a number of authors as a key factor, the absence of which can act as…
Abstract
During the period of growth of e‐commerce, e‐business and online life in general, trust has been identified by a number of authors as a key factor, the absence of which can act as a powerful disincentive to an individual’s engagement in a transaction. This has encouraged a great deal of research into the various facets of trust in an online environment, both theoretical and empirical. One of the many recommendations for business practice that have emerged from this research is the suggestion that online businesses should publish on their website a privacy policy that explains clearly the use that will be made of any personal information collected on the site, the third parties to whom it may be disclosed, and the circumstances under which disclosure may occur. A number of surveys have been conducted that highlight the rather patchy adoption of this recommendation in various countries. We now know, for example, that by no means all online organisations publish an online privacy policy, and that many of those that do exist display a range of serious shortcomings, including poor visibility on the site, incomplete coverage of the main issues of concern and poor readability. However, previous discussion of privacy policies has tended to assume that any particular policy can provide value to its readers by informing them of the privacy practices of its host organisation, and thus also to its publishers through encouraging customers and clients to trust them more than they otherwise would. This assumption is expected to be valid where the policy meets certain criteria, which are either established on the basis of theoretical considerations, or are derived from a kind of best‐in‐breed comparative exercise. This paper seeks to address the question how far privacy policies can ever achieve the goal of providing clear information to website visitors about the privacy practices of an organisation. It reports on an empirical study that was conducted between November 2005 and April 2006 using two groups of University students as subjects. The subjects were asked to read three privacy policies, selected in advance by the author, and to complete a short questionnaire on what the subject thought each policy had to say about certain key privacy issues. The results reveal that there is surprisingly little agreement about what a policy actually means. This has significant implications both for policy writers and their managers, and also for those who are considering entering into a transaction with the host website. There is a need for further research to investigate this question in more detail, but it is clear from these findings that we know less than we thought we did about the ways in which people interpret the notices that they read on websites.
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Kuang-Ming Kuo, Paul C. Talley and Chen-Chung Ma
The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a theoretical model that considers the predictors of an individual’s perceptions of information privacy, and also how…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a theoretical model that considers the predictors of an individual’s perceptions of information privacy, and also how it relates to his/her behavioral intention toward approaching hospital web sites.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper collects data using survey methodology. A total of 331 usable participants are gathered and analyzed via structural equation modeling.
Findings
Significant predictors of information privacy concerns include a stated online privacy policy and a hospital’s reputation. Further, online privacy policy predicts a hospital’s reputation. Finally, hospital reputation and information privacy concerns significantly predict an individual’s behavioral intention toward approaching hospital web sites.
Research limitations/implications
The study confirmed that an online privacy policy and reputation can effectively alleviate specific information privacy concerns; therefore, this may indicate that these two factors should be considered whenever investigating individuals’ information privacy concerns.
Practical implications
To acquire a good reputation and to diminish individuals’ information privacy concerns toward hospital web sites, hospitals should pay attention to the posting of an online privacy policy and communicating such policies to given individuals.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils the gap of exploring the relationship among online privacy policy, organization reputation, and information privacy concerns. Further, the hypothesized model and its findings could also provide useful information for managers who are intent on boosting hospital web site usage frequency patterns.
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Steve McRobb and Simon Rogerson
Many authors have identified fears about a lack of personal privacy online as a major disincentive to the take‐up of e‐commerce by private consumers. The publication of a privacy…
Abstract
Many authors have identified fears about a lack of personal privacy online as a major disincentive to the take‐up of e‐commerce by private consumers. The publication of a privacy policy is encouraged by information and communications technology industry groups such as the Online Privacy Alliance, and by online certification bodies such as TRUSTe. Privacy policies are taken to reassure the wary, and thereby to overcome the disincentive to trade. This paper offers an account of an ongoing research project into the practical measures taken by organisations to publish their online privacy policies. Late in 2000, a total of 113 disparate web sites were identified that included some kind of explicit privacy policy and the visibility and content of the policy was analysed. The primary research into privacy policies is set in context by relating it to a discussion of the nature and role of trustworthiness in online relationships. This highlights a number of issues that need further attention on the part of some of the organisations in the survey.
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Zimin Wu, Anne Ramsden and Dianguo Zhao
The electronic library is emerging as the library of the foreseeable future but its user aspect, particularly the usability, requires more research. This article describes the…
Abstract
The electronic library is emerging as the library of the foreseeable future but its user aspect, particularly the usability, requires more research. This article describes the ELINOR (Electronic Library and Information Online Retrieval) developments at De Montfort University from the user's perspective. It firstly shows the main features of the ELINOR user interface which illustrates how a user can find a document in the Electronic Library and subsequently read the retrieved document on the screen. This is then followed by a discussion of the methodology and findings of a user study based on a random sample of eight ELINOR users conducted in the Autumn term of 1993. The user study included searching/reading/browsing tasks and a questionnaire. The former is a controlled experiment designed to gauge objectively the usability of ELINOR by comparing the use of the electronic books with that of printed books. The questionnaire shows the user's subjective reaction to ELINOR. Future work on the user study will expand the sample to include all the first‐ and second‐year students doing the Business Information Systems Course at the University's Milton Keynes campus.
Le Wang, Zao Sun, Xiaoyong Dai, Yixin Zhang and Hai-hua Hu
The purpose of this paper is to facilitate understanding of how to mitigate the privacy concerns of users who have experienced privacy invasions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to facilitate understanding of how to mitigate the privacy concerns of users who have experienced privacy invasions.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the communication privacy management theory, the authors developed a model suggesting that privacy concerns form through a cognitive process involving threat-coping appraisals, institutional privacy assurances and privacy experiences. The model was tested using data from an empirical survey with 913 randomly selected social media users.
Findings
Privacy concerns are jointly determined by perceived privacy risks and privacy self-efficacy. The perceived effectiveness of institutional privacy assurances in terms of established privacy policies and privacy protection technology influences the perceptions of privacy risks and privacy self-efficacy. More specifically, privacy invasion experiences are negatively associated with the perceived effectiveness of institutional privacy assurances.
Research limitations/implications
Privacy concerns are conceptualized as general concerns that reflect an individual’s worry about the possible loss of private information. The specific types of private information were not differentiated.
Originality/value
This paper is among the first to clarify the specific mechanisms through which privacy invasion experiences influence privacy concerns. Privacy concerns have long been viewed as resulting from individual actions. The study contributes to literature by linking privacy concerns with institutional privacy practice.
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Hanne Sørum and Wanda Presthus
This paper investigates the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in information systems (ISs). The GDPR consists of 99 articles, and two articles are…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in information systems (ISs). The GDPR consists of 99 articles, and two articles are emphasised – namely Article 15, which deals with rights of access by the data subject, and Article 20, which deals with the right to data portability.
Design/methodology/approach
15 companies operating in the Norwegian consumer market were randomly selected. Each company received an inquiry pertaining to rights of access by the data subject (Article 15) and the right to data portability (Article 20). The research team carefully analysed the answers received and categorised the responses according to the two articles emphasised.
Findings
The findings show extensive variations among the companies in terms of response time, quality of feedback and how companies handle requests concerning rights of access by the data subject (Article 15) and the right to data portability (Article 20). Differences are also pertaining to the types of files, along with the content of these files. It should be noted, however, that most of the companies replied to the inquiry before the deadline. The findings show that companies comply better with Article 20 than Article 15. However, it appears that they do not differentiate between the two articles.
Originality/value
This study explores a research topic that is relatively new. It addresses a gap in the extant research by highlighting how the GDPR works in practice from a consumer's perspective. In addition, guidelines are offered to the consumers and companies affected by the GDPR.
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Because information technology (IT) can change the way we look at the world, some benefits for human communities, such as trust, care, friendship and commitment can be clearly…
Abstract
Purpose
Because information technology (IT) can change the way we look at the world, some benefits for human communities, such as trust, care, friendship and commitment can be clearly noticed as contributors to society. Providing an innovative way to help human society, enabling the achievement of good lives by evaluating information related to the concept of wisdom, this paper aims to propose technical guidelines as a reference model, specifically for empowering both professional and ethical bases associated with the instructional application strategy for adopting technology.
Design/methodology/approach
This study attempts to investigate the professional and ethical engagements that can underlie technology adoption. To achieve this, a literature review of peer-reviewed journals, conferences and books was conducted to propose the framework model for strengthening moral engagement in the digital era. By using keywords derived from the professional and ethical skills involved with technology adoption, multiple research findings can be achieved using meta-synthesis alongside an integrating, evaluating and interpreting process. As a result, phenomenological and grounded theories and ideas, extracted to identify their common features, elements and functionalities, can be integrated and used to propose a theoretical guideline.
Findings
The findings reveal that to engage the professional and ethical bases associated with the instructional strategy and application in technology adoption demonstrates how humans, with all their potency, can contribute significantly to society at large by enhancing their abilities and improving their capacities for the wise and appropriate utilization of technological tools.
Practical implications
With regard to experiences in the digital era, across differing cultures and age groups, based on emerging technology, it is necessary to use technological tools properly and wisely. An effort to foster positive outcomes as a result of increased digital media use, and address potential issues raised by empowering applications and strategies associated with professionalism and ethics, plays a significant role in contouring the main foundations for how to use technological tools in all the comprehensive coverage concerning the theory and applications addressed by this work.
Social implications
What is significant and essential about the technological bases examined is their core element of enabling humans to enhance any benefits garnered for social and personal development. This paper intends to expand upon how professional and ethical aspects of technology adoption should involve a wide exchange of particular elements that underlie the wise and appropriate fostering of technological implementation.
Originality/value
Emerging technology with its distinct facilities could enhance individual performance by improving abilities and capacities for wise and appropriate operation of technological tools. By critically exploring the professional and ethical balance involved with technology-based tools in society and how they might underpin their users’ social and personal awareness, this paper gives feedback that provides insights about emerging technological trends. This is done with reference to particular guidelines, enabling a clearer understanding of the importance of the impact of technology on the human condition.
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Kirstie Ball, Elizabeth M. Daniel and Chris Stride
The study goes beyond the more frequent interest in information privacy to identify other notions of privacy within the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to explore how…
Abstract
Purpose
The study goes beyond the more frequent interest in information privacy to identify other notions of privacy within the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to explore how these additional notions of privacy relate to key demographic and employment characteristics and how data protection training, often instigated as a means of highlighting and addressing issues relating to privacy of customers’ data, is related to employees’ notions of their own workplace privacy.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was undertaken in two telephone call centres since they offered a working environment where staff are highly monitored and hence there are likely to be issues relating to employee privacy. The study is exploratory in nature and adopts a mixed method approach based on a questionnaire survey that was followed by semi‐structured, qualitative face to face interviews.
Findings
The survey findings identified three distinct notions of privacy; the concern for personal information privacy (CfPIP), the concern for working environment privacy (CfWEP) and the concern for solitude privacy (CfSP). The findings were supported by the qualitative data provided by the interviews. CfWEP is found to be a gendered issue, with women showing a greater concern for the privacy of their working environment. Finally, the findings indicate that effective data protection training are associated with increased concern for their own privacy in the form of CfPIP, and that inclusion of data protection issues in performance reviews is associated their concern for CfWEP.
Originality/value
Previous studies of privacy in the workplace focus on the simplistic notion of information privacy. This study goes beyond such studies and provides empirically‐based evidence of multiple dimensions of privacy operant in a single, real‐world workplace setting. It also provides empirical insight to the previously unexplored issue of the association between data protection training employees’ notions of their own privacy.