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Factors influencing Non-Compliance behavior towards Information Security Policies

IT organizations and CEO‟s are, and should be, concerned these days about the (lack of) data confidentiality and the usage of „shadow‟ IT systems by employees. Not only does the company risk monetary loss or public embarrassment, the senior management might also risk personal fines or even imprisonment. Several trends reinforce the attention for these subjects, including the fact that an increasing number of people perform parts of their work tasks from home (RSA, 2007) and the increasing bandwidth available to internet users which makes them rely on the Internet for satisfying their business and personal computing needs (Desisto et al. 2008). Employee compliance with the existing IT security policies is therefore essential. This paper presents a study on factors that influence non-compliance behavior of employees in organizations. The factors found in literature are tested in a survey study amongst employees of a big-four accountancy firm in the Netherlands and Belgium. The study concludes that stricter IT governance and cultural aspects are the most important factors influencing non-compliance behavior.

Physical Activity After Surgery for Severe Obesity: The Role of Exercise Cognitions

BackgroundPhysical activity after bariatric surgery is associated with sustained weight loss and improved quality of life. Some bariatric patients engage insufficiently in physical activity. This may be due to exercise cognitions, i.e., specific beliefs about benefits of and barriers to physical exercise. The aim of this study was to examine whether and to what extent both physical activity and exercise cognitions changed at 1 and 2 years post-surgery and whether exercise cognitions predict physical activity.MethodsForty-two bariatric patients (38 women, 4 men; mean age 38 ± 8 years, mean body mass index prior to surgery 47 ± 6 kg/m2) filled out self-report instruments to examine physical activity and exercise cognitions pre- and post-surgery.ResultsA large increase in physical activity and favorable changes in exercise cognitions were observed after surgery, viz. a decrease of fear of injury and embarrassment and an increase of the perception of exercise benefits and confidence in exercising. Perceiving less exercise benefits and having less confidence in exercising before surgery predicted less physical activity 2 years after surgery. High fear of injury 1 year after surgery predicted less physical activity 2 years after surgery.ConclusionsAfter bariatric surgery, favorable changes in physical activity and beliefs about the benefits and barriers of exercising are observed. Our results suggest that targeting exercise cognitions before and after surgery might be relevant to improve physical activity.

The perceived risk and the high involvement product purchase : Location-based advertisements using fearful and sensual appeals as risk reduction strategy in condom purchases

The goal of this research was to investigate the perceived risk of purchasing condoms and the risk-reducing effects of location-based advertisements. For the research, a quantitative approach was used. A questionnaire was distributed to 238 participants, using the Internet and physical distribution. This study found that 66% of the sample perceived social risk during the purchase of condoms. Of this percentage, 39% stated that embarrassment has stopped them from purchasing the product. Location-based advertisements were perceived negative, however also perceived informative by almost half of the sample. This study implies that advertisements have a positive effect on the perceived risk since the majority of the sample stated that their perceived purchase embarrassment was reduced after seeing the sensual (65%) and fearful (59%) advertisement.

Effects of aquajogging in obese adults: a pilot study

Aim and method: To examine in obese people the potential effectiveness of a six-week, two times weekly aquajogging program on body composition, fitness, health-related quality of life and exercise beliefs. Fifteen otherwise healthy obese persons participated in a pilot study. Results: Total fat mass and waist circumference decreased 1.4 kg (p = .03) and 3.1 cm (p = .005) respectively. The distance in the Six-Minute Walk Test increased 41 meters (p = .001). Three scales of the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite questionnaire improved: physical function (p = .008), self-esteem (p = .004), and public distress (p = .04). Increased perceived exercise benefits (p = .02) and decreased embarrassment (p = .03) were observed. Conclusions: Aquajogging was associated with reduced body fat and waist circumference, and improved aerobic fitness and quality of life. These findings suggest the usefulness of conducting a randomized controlled trial with long-term outcome assessments.

The role of embarrassment to shape public interactions

The role of embarrassment to shape public interactions

Can audience embarrassment be used to shape interactions in public settings? Is this the threshold for an audience to step in and / or out of the interaction in performative interactions in public space? The proliferation of mobile and ubiquitous devices has shifted the attention to the design of interactive systems for use in public settings. This design applies the notion of performance to attract and engage audiences. Because performance becomes such a core part of the interaction, the success of those interactive systems heavily depends upon the physical, social and emotional context in which they are to be used. Indeed, strangers around a potential user may hinder or encourage that individual's participation in the interaction. Similarly, the physical space in which the interaction takes place, public or semipublic space may as well facilitate audience participation or prevent it. This paper investigates what characteristics of this setting (perceived / felt) can trigger audience participation in the interaction. A model based on the notion of performance and entailing some degree of felt embarrassment is applied to two cases to explain how the potential embarrassment implicit in any interaction in public space can be used to encourage users’ participation in it.