The diploma thesis focuses on the assessment of the information system of a developing marketing agency and subsequent proposals for the improvement of its components. The theoretical part describes the importance of the information system in the company, its components and methods of distribution. The analytical part deals with strategic analysis of the company and its surroundings and a description of the current state of the company's information systems. The final part deals with changes proposed to improve the situation in the field of information systems and economic assessment of the changes proposed.

Det ökade antalet mejlanvändare idag har lett till en upptrappning och ytterligare problem som är relaterade till phishing. Phishing är ett stort samhällsproblem idag som drabbar både individer och organisationer. Sedan den första attacken kom 1996, verkar phishing vara ett olöst mysterium än idag. Utvecklingen av artificiell intelligens (AI) och maskininlärning (ML) har pågått länge, men i samband med introduceringen av djupinlärning (DL) 2010 så har nya innovativa lösningar tillämpats inom flera problemområden. Det här arbetet undersöker ett av dessa, nämligen automatisk detektering av phishing baserad på AI. Arbetet presenterar en överblick av AI-utveckling men också lyfter fram viktiga aspekter som är av betydelse för framtida forskning. Arbetet ger bidrag i termer av nya idéer och ny kunskap till ett nystartat projekt vid högskolan i Skövde där målet är att utveckla ett verktyg som kan varna användaren när den befinner sig i en phishing situation. Vidare har olika lösningar identifierats och presenterats med avseende på skydd åt organisationer mot phishing. Det är dock fortfarande oklart om utmaningen med phishing är löst, eftersom merparten av lösningarna inte har implementerats i verkliga miljöer. Baserat på nuvarande forskning pekar de framstegen som har gjorts inom AI att en lösning av utmaningen kan komma inom en snar framtid. / The increased number of email users today has led to an escalation and additional problems related to phishing. Phishing is a major problem for society affecting both individuals and organizations. Since the first attack came in 1996, phishing still seems to be an unsolved challenge to this day. The development of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) has been going on for a long time, but in connection with the introduction of deep learning (DL) in 2010, new innovative solutions have been applied in several problem areas. This thesis examines one of these, namely automatic detection of phishing based on AI. The thesis presents an overview of the developments in this area, but also highlights important aspects that are of importance for future research. The work contributes in terms of new ideas and knowledge to a newly started project at the University of Skövde where the goal is to develop a tool that can alert the user when in a phishing situation. In addition, various solutions have been identified and presented with regard to protection for organizations against phishing. However, it is still unclear if the challenge of phishing has been solved, since most of these solutions have not been implemented in realworld environments. Based on current research, advances made in the area of AI indicates that a solution to the challenge of phishing may come in the near future.

In January 2004, the United States Congress passed and put into effect the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN SPAM). The Act was set forth to regulate bulk commercial email (spam) and set the limits for what was acceptable. Various sources have since investigated and speculated on the efficacy of the CAN SPAM Act, few of which report a desirable outcome for users of electronic mail. Despite the apparent consensus of anti-spam firms and the community of email users that the Act was less than effective, there is little to no research on the efficacy of the Act that utilizes any significant statistical rigor or accepted scientific practices. The present study seeks to determine what, if any, impact the CAN SPAM act had on spam messages, to identify areas of improvement to help fight spam that is both fraudulent and dangerous. The data consisted of 2,071,965 spam emails sent between February 1, 1998 and December 31, 2008. The data were aggregated by month and an interrupted time series design was chosen to assess the impact the CAN SPAM Act had on spam. Analyses revealed that the CAN SPAM Act had no observable impact on the amount of spam sent and received; no impact on two of three CAN SPAM laws complied with among spam emails, the remaining law of which there was a significant decrease in compliance after the Act; and no impact on the number of spam emails sent from within the United States. Implications of these findings and suggestions for policy are discussed.

When man first learned to write, his primary objective was to have his message delivered as quickly as possible. Consequently, in ancient civilizations runners transported clay tablets from city to city, and ships sailed the known seas and rivers carrying in their holds precious cargoes of the written word. As methods of transportation were improved, the speed and safety by which communication could be relayed was likewise advanced. In fact, within the evolution of transportation progress it is possible to trace the importance and the influence of the mails. Runners were succeeded by horsemen or coaches, primitive board by modern steamers, horses and coach by locomotives, and now comes the airplane. ... The story of the Air Mail Service is the story of the conquest of a new frontier, a frontier which, like all its predecessors, has yielded grudgingly but surely to Man's indomitable courage and resourceful intelligence. The story is filled with visionary dreams, bitter disappointments, and encouraging realizations. It contains elements of romance, heroism, and intrigue, and throughout its course runs the thread of Man's unquenchable desire to overcome those physical barriers which have so long restricted him to mere surface travel upon the earth. To the casual observer this particular phase of mail transportation is comparatively new, but viewed from the perspective of history it is merely the modern link in the long chain of mail communication devices. Thus, the story is not ended, but is in a constant state of expansion, and the present phase of it would seem to indicate that the future will produce a chapter more startling than any that has yet been revealed.

In the context of the Internet, spam generally refers to unsolicited and unwanted electronic messages, usually transmitted to a large number of recipients. The problem with spam is that almost all of the related costs are shifted onto the recipients, and many of the messages contain objectionable content. Spam has become a significant problem for network administrators, businesses and individual Internet users that threatens to undermine the usefulness of e-mail. Globally, spam spiralled to account for over 60% of all e-mail near the end of 2004. It is a problem that costs the global economy billions of dollars a year in lost productivity, anti-spam measures and computer resources. It has forced governments to enact legislation against the problem and it has prompted the development of numerous technical countermeasures. Spam can only be defeated by a combination of legal measures, informal measures (including self regulation and social norms), technical measures and consumer education. Because spam is a relatively recent and evolving problem, the application of various common law mechanisms are explored, including the law of privacy and the law of nuisance. Various constitutional concerns may also arise in the context of spam, and the right to freedom of expression must be balanced against other competing rights and values, including the right to privacy. Comparative legislation is examined, because it is important to recognise trends in spam legislation in other jurisdictions so as to ensure a measure of interoperability with those laws. The practical difficulties in identifying spammers, and the lack of jurisdiction over offshore offenders affect the practical implementation of the current protection offered by the ECT Act. In conclusion, this thesis identifies the need for direct anti-spam legislation in South Africa, and suggests various clauses that will need to be catered for in the legislation. It is submitted that "opt-in" legislation should be preferred over "opt-out" legislation. It is further submitted that a definition of spam should be based on the volume and indiscriminate nature of the e-mail, and not only on whether the communication was commercial. Therefore, a definition of bulk unsolicited e-mail is proposed. / Criminal & Procedural Law / LLD

在網際網路普及率高居不下的時代裡，知識工作者平日使用網路之時間比例已有逐年升高的趨勢。在這種潮流下，工作場域中知識工作者花費於網路訊息傳播的時間，佔用工作時間之比率驚人，尤以電子郵件為甚。對於使用電子郵件所產生的問題，使用者似乎感到能力不足，而且在面對超載的資訊流通量時，更覺得難以應付。因為個人不佳的電子郵件使用習慣所引發的問題，都會直接或間接衝擊到時間資源的運用以及增加時間的壓力。因此，瞭解如何有效處理電子郵件，對於知識工作者的生產力非常重要。 本研究採用Creswell所提出之三階段混合方法探討研究議題。首先，第一階段採用質性之焦點群體訪談法，瞭解知識工作者典型的電子郵件使用行為。第二階段以大樣本的調查研究，探討知識工作者的人格主動性如何經由電子郵件管理行為影響其電子郵件使用時間控制感及工作時間控制感，並以社會認知理論及目標設定理論之整合觀點探討。第三階段以實地實驗的方式，在實際組織場域中進行員工電子郵件管理教育訓練，以觀察是否能產生訓練遷移之效果，亦即提升受訓者之電子郵件自我效能、電子郵件時間管理行為及電子郵件使用時間控制感。 第一階段焦點群體訪談的重要結論包括：1)使用者被電子郵件支配著，但他們往往毫無知覺；2)日常工作使用上，電子郵件的弱點卻變成其強項；3)具有資訊系統背景的使用者，不必然會使用電子郵件工具的複雜功能；4)電子郵件被認為是平面媒體，而非即時互動媒體；5)電子郵件在工作場合，已經大幅度地取代面對面溝通；6)電子郵件使用者習慣性地使用副本轉寄功能，但並非出於真正的需要；7)使用者並不常將工作或個人電子郵件分開處理；8)使用者非常珍惜學習電子郵件功能的機會，但機會並非輕鬆即能獲得。有關以上相關結論及看法間之對照情況也在本文中提及。另外，本階段也歸納出有效率使用電子郵件之方法，並據以發展下一階段調查研究法之問卷。 第二階段經由251位知識工作者之分析結果顯示，人格主動性透過電子郵件時間管理行為及電子郵件自我效能，可以推測電子郵件使用時間控制感及工作時間控制感。此外，電子郵件自我效能較高者，其電子郵件時間管理行為的評量分數也較高。 第三階段實地實驗共涵蓋280位受測者，其中實驗組有175位，控制組有105位。ANCOVA分析之結果顯示，相較於控制組，實驗組之受測者經過教育訓練後展現較高的電子郵件自我效能及較佳的電子郵件時間控制感，但是受測者於訓練後並未投入更多心力於電子郵件時間管理行為。此外，接受此電子郵件訓練課程一個月後，平均每一位受訓者節省約17%之電子郵件使用時間。 / At the high widespread rate of the Internet era, the time spent on the Internet among knowledge workers has gradually increased. Because of this trend, these people have spent an alarming proportion of their work time on message communications tools, such as emails. Problems arising from e-mail management make users helpless particularly when they have to deal with information overload. Problems caused by inefficient e-mail use would directly/ indirectly affect the time resource, inevitably increasing time pressure to the workers. Therefore, it is essential for knowledge workers to understand how to use e-mail efficiently to heighten their productivity. This study adopted Creswell’s three-phases mixed methods to investigate our research issues. First, this study investigates the e-mail usage behavior of knowledge workers through an in-depth literature review and a focus group discussion. Then, a sample survey method, along with a social cognitive theory and a goal setting theory, was adopted to investigate how personality affects perceived control of time in the context of e-mail handling. The third phase includes a quasi-experimental field study carried out in an organizational setting to examine the effects of an e-mail management training program on e-mail self-efficacy, e-mail-specific time management behavior, and time control over e-mail use. The important findings in phase one include : 1) people are ruled by e-mail, but they think otherwise; 2) in daily usage, many weaknesses of e-mail are turned into strengths; 3) an information system background does not necessarily lead to sophistication in using e-mail tools; 4) e-mail is regarded as a print medium rather than an interactive medium; 5) e-mail to a large extent replaces face-to-face communication in the workplace; 6) e-mail users use the carbon copy and forwarding features habitually and not out of necessity; 7) users do not usually handle work-related and personal e-mail messages separately; and 8) users seek opportunities to learn about e-mail functionality out of convenience, but these are not attained with ease. A contrast between these findings and conventional wisdom concludes this study. In addition, we also conclude efficient e-mail usage approaches in this phase and develop the questionnaire for the next stage. Based on data collected from 251 knowledge workers in second phase, the results show that personality predicts perceived control of time in e-mail handling and work through both e-mail-specific time management behavior and e-mail self-efficacy. In addition, higher e-mail self-efficacy leads to improved e-mail-specific time management behavior. The field experiment in third phase includes 280 subjects, with 175 subjects in the experimental group, and 105 subjects in the control group, the ANCOVA results show that, after the training, the subjects exhibited greater e-mail self-efficacy and better time control over e-mail use but not paid more attention to e-mail-specific time management behavior According to the study reported here, this employee training program leads to a perceived time saving of about 17%.

In the context of the Internet, spam generally refers to unsolicited and unwanted electronic messages, usually transmitted to a large number of recipients. The problem with spam is that almost all of the related costs are shifted onto the recipients, and many of the messages contain objectionable content. Spam has become a significant problem for network administrators, businesses and individual Internet users that threatens to undermine the usefulness of e-mail. Globally, spam spiralled to account for over 60% of all e-mail near the end of 2004. It is a problem that costs the global economy billions of dollars a year in lost productivity, anti-spam measures and computer resources. It has forced governments to enact legislation against the problem and it has prompted the development of numerous technical countermeasures. Spam can only be defeated by a combination of legal measures, informal measures (including self regulation and social norms), technical measures and consumer education. Because spam is a relatively recent and evolving problem, the application of various common law mechanisms are explored, including the law of privacy and the law of nuisance. Various constitutional concerns may also arise in the context of spam, and the right to freedom of expression must be balanced against other competing rights and values, including the right to privacy. Comparative legislation is examined, because it is important to recognise trends in spam legislation in other jurisdictions so as to ensure a measure of interoperability with those laws. The practical difficulties in identifying spammers, and the lack of jurisdiction over offshore offenders affect the practical implementation of the current protection offered by the ECT Act. In conclusion, this thesis identifies the need for direct anti-spam legislation in South Africa, and suggests various clauses that will need to be catered for in the legislation. It is submitted that "opt-in" legislation should be preferred over "opt-out" legislation. It is further submitted that a definition of spam should be based on the volume and indiscriminate nature of the e-mail, and not only on whether the communication was commercial. Therefore, a definition of bulk unsolicited e-mail is proposed. / Criminal and Procedural Law / LLD

"Mitteilungen des URZ" 4/2003

This dissertation concerns the structures and individual agency of Filipina brides who met their American husbands through Internet or pen pal advertisements. Popular media, legal scholars, and some feminists have largely described the phenomenon in terms of its oppressiveness toward the women involved, thus dismissing any agency on the part of the women. Similarly, much of the scholarship has located the American Internet grooms as ogres who are out to exploit these women for domestic and sexual services. If prominent researchers of this phenomenon are correct in their assessments that Filipina Internet brides operate as effective agents, then one also assumes these women continue that agency when they settle into their new lives as Filipina wives married to American men. Therefore, my central research question is: How has this agency manifested itself, and has this manifestation been problematic for the American groom, who, from the typical Internet ad's text and images and couple d with prevailing American cultural assumptions, assumed he was getting a submissive wife? To explore possible answers to these questions I performed a rhetorical analysis of two typical Internet advertisements. The focus on the ads is important to my study because the Internet advertisements both shape and reflect the popular view of the so-called Filipina "mail-order bride." Next, in order to gain the Internet brides' and grooms' perspectives of the phenomenon, I interviewed three Filipina-Americano couples currently living in South Florida between November, 2005, and October, 2007. My findings support the scholars who forefront the brides' agency and, therefore, reject the stereotypes projected on the Internet advertisements. My findings also reject the stereotype of the exploitative husband. From my interview data, the women appeared agentive and the men encouraged their wives' agency. / An unanticipated and paradoxical outcropping of the interview descriptions of their courtshand subsequent marriages. In this one area both the brides and grooms unanimously deemphasized their own agency, and instead highlighted romantic narratives with each insisting that they had "fallen in love." / by Pamela Sullivan Haley. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Every big scam starts with a small invite. You are about to face the inconvenient accusation of you being responsible for your own loss. At least, this was the case for the seller of ”Macbook Pro 15” 2.4 intel-core, 4GB, glossy” in early December 2010. This thesis is breaking apart the comfort zone of being a victim, suggesting we want to be betrayed. Although the ”victim” has detected a risk, his wish to beleive that the affair is what it’s told to be, nourishes the betrayal that can proceed. Cooperation is the key word and a possible explanation to scam or betrayal – spun out of our natural urges fear, vanity and boredom. By rhetorically analysing a mail conversation, consisting of 21 mails sent between a scammer and his prey, the full scamming process can be reveiled. Investigating the nature of convincement and adaptation, it seems we put our trust in trust itself. On the other hand our greed makes us all possible scammers – a matter of the heart for 1920‘s essayist Walter Serner, who’s hand book for scammers appears relevant even to this day. Has the truth lost it’s charm? Who’s fooling who? Consider that there is no such thing as being fooled – only being a fool.