Steven Willison, senior HR associate at Fairchild Semiconductor, explains how the company’s drive for continuous improvement led to the achievement of a new quality standard that…
Abstract
Steven Willison, senior HR associate at Fairchild Semiconductor, explains how the company’s drive for continuous improvement led to the achievement of a new quality standard that keeps it one step ahead of the competition
Steven Willison, senior HR associate at Fairchild Semiconductor International, provides 10 tips for making the most of your company’s talent, suggesting useful ways to nurture…
Abstract
Steven Willison, senior HR associate at Fairchild Semiconductor International, provides 10 tips for making the most of your company’s talent, suggesting useful ways to nurture those ideas into fruition.
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Gaurav Bansal, Steven Muzatko and Soo Il Shin
This study examines how neutralization strategies affect the efficacy of information system security policies. This paper proposes that neutralization strategies used to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines how neutralization strategies affect the efficacy of information system security policies. This paper proposes that neutralization strategies used to rationalize security policy noncompliance range across ethical orientations, extending from those helping the greatest number of people (ethics of care) to those damaging the fewest (ethics of justice). The results show how noncompliance differs between genders based on those ethical orientations.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was used to measure information system security policy noncompliance intentions across six different hypothetical scenarios involving neutralization techniques used to justify noncompliance. Data was gathered from students at a mid-western, comprehensive university in the United States.
Findings
The empirical analysis suggests that gender does play a role in information system security policy noncompliance. However, its significance is dependent upon the underlying neutralization method used to justify noncompliance. The role of reward and punishment is contingent on the situation-specific ethical orientation (SSEO) which in turn is a combination of internal ethical positioning based on one's gender and external ethical reasoning based on neutralization technique.
Originality/value
This study extends ethical decision-making theory by examining how the use of punishments and rewards might be more effective in security policy compliance based upon gender. Importantly, the study emphasizes the interplay between ethics, gender and neutralization techniques, as different ethical perspectives appeal differently based on gender.
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Moufida Sadok, Steven Alter and Peter Bednar
This paper aims to present empirical results exemplifying challenges related to information security faced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It uses guidelines based on work…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present empirical results exemplifying challenges related to information security faced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It uses guidelines based on work system theory (WST) to frame the results, thereby illustrating why the mere existence of corporate security policies or general security training often is insufficient for establishing and maintaining information security.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was designed to produce a better appreciation and understanding of potential issues or gaps in security practices in SMEs. The research team interviewed 187 employees of 39 SMEs in the UK. All of those employees had access to sensitive information. Gathering information through interviews (instead of formal security documentation) made it possible to assess security practices from employees’ point of view.
Findings
Corporate policies that highlight information security are often disconnected from actual work practices and routines and often do not receive high priority in everyday work practices. A vast majority of the interviewed employees are not involved in risk assessment or in the development of security practices. Security practices remain an illusory activity in their real-world contexts.
Research limitations/implications
This paper focuses only on closed-ended questions related to the following topics: awareness of existing security policy; information security practices and management and information security involvement.
Practical implications
The empirical findings show that corporate information security policies in SMEs often are insufficient for maintaining security unless those policies are integrated with visible and recognized work practices in work systems that use or produce sensitive information. The interpretation based on WST provides guidelines for enhancing information system security.
Originality/value
Beyond merely reporting empirical results, this research uses WST to interpret the results in a way that has direct implications for practitioners and for researchers.
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Anjali Pathania and Gowhar Rasool
The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of power tactics by hospital administrators in order to gain employee compliance. It attempts to understand the influence of power…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of power tactics by hospital administrators in order to gain employee compliance. It attempts to understand the influence of power bases of hospital administrators on the employee compliance using an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a mixed method technique and was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, qualitative analysis was carried out through content analysis of the anecdotes collected from the employees working in tertiary hospitals. Content analysis of responses aided in obtaining a list of criteria and sub-criteria affecting employee behavioural compliance. In the second phase, quantitative analysis was carried out using the AHP technique. While applying AHP, the issue pertaining to employee behavioural compliance with hospital’s policies, procedures and related instructions was formulated in form of a hierarchy of one objective, two criteria, six sub-criteria and five alternatives established through literature review and content analysis. Furthermore, the subject matter experts were asked to conduct pairwise comparison wherein priority rankings were achieved.
Findings
The results indicated that reward power (25 per cent) is the most significant power style exercised by effective hospital administrators in achieving employee behavioural compliance followed by expert (24 per cent), referent (22 per cent) and legitimate powers (17 per cent). As coercive (12 per cent) came out to be the least preferred power style, it should be cautiously exercised by hospital administrators in the present day scenario.
Research limitations/implications
The major limitation of this study is that the sample was drawn only from three tertiary hospitals in Jammu district that limits the generalizability of the findings in all the hospital settings across different regions. No attempt is made in this study to understand the variations with regard to demographics of the respondents that can be taken as a future research study. This study is cross-sectional in nature and provides the perspective of specific time. A longitudinal study could further provide insights into different time variations and the comparison and henceforth can be more comprehensive, thus supporting the generalizability of this study.
Practical implications
The study empirically identifies the relative importance of exercising power styles in order to gain employee behavioural compliance. The study helps in understanding the complex problem of behavioural compliance in hospital setting by examining the intensity of each factor affecting employee behavioural compliance. This knowledge is very critical in effective hospital management and getting the work done. The priority rankings obtained for power styles can be used for developing selection batteries and performance records of hospital administrators. As the behaviour of the employees is not static, there may exist the inherent limitations of adopted cross-sectional design for the present study. Furthermore, longitudinal study can be conducted at different time periods, to understand the variations in the patterns of employee’s compliance behaviour and associated practiced power styles by hospital administrators.
Originality/value
This is perhaps the first study that has scientifically attempted to integrate the power styles and analyzed their effective use in hospital administration. This research study has attempted to develop an elementary base for academicians, scholars as well as management practitioners on the effective use of power styles for achieving employee behavioural compliance in hospitals.
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Renuka Mahajan, Pragya Gupta and Richa Misra
The paper aims at examining the employability skills relevant in the unprecedented times of turbulence in businesses due to COVID-19 in the Indian context.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims at examining the employability skills relevant in the unprecedented times of turbulence in businesses due to COVID-19 in the Indian context.
Design/methodology/approach
The study examined the recent skills model through an extensive literature review. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is conducted to identify the employability skills perceived as important by multiple stakeholders. ANOVA was applied to examine the differences in perceived importance attached to these dimensions by the three stakeholders.
Findings
The ten-factorial solution was extracted based on the results of EFA The findings offer a fresh perspective on digital competencies perceived as most important to ensure successful long-term employability, followed by business fundamentals and behavioral skills.
Research limitations/implications
The study has been able to map perceptions of employers, faculty and students based in Delhi-NCR regarding essential employability skills. It would be worthwhile to validate the proposed employability skills framework across different geographical sections of India and ascertain if the perceptions vary in the employment sector and employer size.
Practical implications
Although the study has put forth practical employability skills, there is a need for convergence between the business stakeholders and Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to develop a broad skill-base for the fresh graduates. The study will prepare them for the volatile business environment.
Originality/value
Many previous studies have lacked the employability skill framework in the Indian context from the multiple stakeholders' perspective. The HEIs can rethink their current employability, including the most prominent skills required in succeeding in a technology-enabled business environment transformed by the pandemic.
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Malcolm R. Pattinson and Grantley Anderson
The aim of this paper is, first, to discuss how the risk perceptions of computer end‐users may be influenced by improving the process of risk communication by embedding symbols…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is, first, to discuss how the risk perceptions of computer end‐users may be influenced by improving the process of risk communication by embedding symbols and graphics within information security messages. The second aim is to describe some pilot study research that the authors have conducted in an attempt to ascertain whether the embedding of symbols and graphics within information security messages achieves a shift in the risk perceptions of computer end‐users.
Design/methodology/approach
Two pilot studies were undertaken. The objective of each study was to establish whether the embedding of a relevant graphic relating to some known aspect of information security, when placed inside an information security message, would have any influence on the information security risk perceptions of any individual to whom the message was being communicated. In both studies, the method of eliciting a response from each participant involved the use of a type of semantic differential (SD) grid.
Findings
On completing an analysis of the responses to the SD grid survey for both studies, no statistically significant differences were detected between the groups with respect to any of the six relevant scales. Nevertheless, it seems that the differences were large enough for the present authors to be convinced that the SD measures used are an appropriate survey technique for future studies in a workplace environment.
Research limitations/implications
The research subjects (i.e. survey participants) for both pilot studies were students of the University of South Australia. There are many ways in which information risk communication could be made more effective and this paper only attempts to show how graphics and symbols could be used to convey risk messages more effectively. This paper does not in any way attempt to provide any “silver‐bullet” solutions for management in terms of what they can do towards managing information risk.
Practical implications
The ultimate objective of this research is to subsequently advise management on how they can communicate information risk simply and more effectively to achieve the final outcome, i.e. the mitigation of actual risks.
Originality/value
It is believed that, if the effectiveness of the various forms of risk communication within an organisation can be increased, then the general perception of the risks to the information systems will be more realistic.
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Hiep-Cong Pham, Jamal El-Den and Joan Richardson
This paper aims to extend current information security compliance research by adapting “work-stress model” of the extended Job Demands-Resources model to explore how security…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to extend current information security compliance research by adapting “work-stress model” of the extended Job Demands-Resources model to explore how security compliance demands, organization and personal resources influence end-user security compliance. The paper proposes that security compliance burnout and security engagement as the mediating factors between security compliance demands, organizational and personal resources and individual security compliance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a multi-case in-depth interview method to explore the relevance and significance of security demands, organizational resources and personal resources on security compliance at work. Seventeen participants in three organizations including a bank, a university and an oil distribution company in Vietnam were interviewed during a four-month period.
Findings
The study identified three security demands, three security resources and two aspects of personal resources that influence security compliance. The study demonstrates that the security environment factors such as security demands and resources affected compliance burden and security engagement. Personal resources could play an integral role in moderating the impact of security environment on security compliance.
Research limitations/implications
The findings presented are not generalizable to the wider population of end-users in Vietnam due to the small sample size used in the interviews. Further quantitative studies need to measure the extent of each predictor on security compliance.
Originality/value
The originality of the research stems from proposing not only stress-based but also motivating factors from the security environment on security compliance. By using qualitative approach, the study provides more insight to understand the impact of the security environments on security compliance.
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With expansion of higher education in most developed and developing economies, graduates constitute a large section of the workforce. However, even prior to the economic problems…
Abstract
Purpose
With expansion of higher education in most developed and developing economies, graduates constitute a large section of the workforce. However, even prior to the economic problems of the past few years, the transition from higher education into graduate employment has not been and is not straightforward. The purpose of this paper is to draw upon relational, social constructionist perspectives to examine such transition and early careers in terms of “emergent identity” trajectories. The “graduate identity” is considered in terms of the interaction between identity claim by the individual and the identity ascriptions by others.
Design/methodology/approach
A model is presented, providing for five “modalities” of such emergent identity, whereby any particular individual may pass in varied trajectories. This is illustrated by three case examples of graduates, based on biographical interview data. The exploration is continued in terms of discussion of the discursive warranting of identity claims and ascriptions, enabling a reconsideration of the discourse of skills and attributes. Implications for research and practice are considered.
Findings
The paper argues that the approach presented provides a cogent approach for conceptualising and for engaging in empirical investigation of the early career trajectories of individuals entering post-graduation employment. Such individuals may “formally” be graduates, but face the task of “becoming” graduates, i.e. gaining acceptance by significant others that they are “worthy” of being employed in “graduate jobs”. That task involves identity claim making, warranting their claim on the identity of a graduate.
Research limitations/implications
The model and approach presented provide a framework for analysis of early-career trajectories of graduates, in a way that the dominant skills and attributes approach cannot. It contributes to other empirical studies based on qualitative, biographical research, by providing conceptual tools for the analysis of such studies.
Practical implications
The paper provides a practical approach to help undergraduates and new graduates to enhance their prospects for gaining employment they consider desirable and appropriate. It enables staff who seek to support students to gain appropriate employment to develop practical strategies, unencumbered by flawed notion of “skills” and “attributes”.
Social implications
Post-graduation employment continues to be a major policy issue for government, and a matter of considerable concern for students themselves and for their families. The approach presented promises considerable opportunity for addressing the critical issues faced.
Originality/value
The paper elaborates the graduate identity approach, and provides empirical support for the claims made.