Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2007. / Title from title screen (site viewed Oct. 10, 2007). PDF text: v, 110 p. : ill. (some col.) UMI publication number: AAT 3258768. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

<p> Business leaders may see social media as a distraction for their workers; however, blocking access could lead to a reduction in productivity. Using social media technologies with knowledge workers could achieve cost reductions for payroll of 30% to 35%. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how business leaders used a social media policy to support employee productivity. The conceptual framework for this study was social exchange theory, which supports the notion that dyad and small group interactions make up most interactions, and such interactions enhance employees&rsquo; productivity. The research question was to explore how finance industry leaders are using a social media policy to enhance productivity. The target population for this study was leaders from financial companies in Charlotte, North Carolina, who have experience in using social media policies to increase employee productivity. Data collection included semistructured interviews with 9 technology leaders and company documents at two companies related to the research phenomenon. Yin&rsquo;s 5-step data analysis approach resulted in 3 themes: employee productivity, communication, and open company culture. Business leaders should consider using a social media policy to engage employees to support productivity, enhance communication both externally and internally, and enrich company culture in a way that is visible to employees. Employee engagement in a social media platform to connect and communicate with people could lead to a happier workplace and encourage employees to volunteer more frequently for social good.</p><p>

<p> Military leaders, both active duty and General Schedule (GS), must understand cyber warfare with its environmental connections and rapid evolution while finding ways to develop strategies that may lessen threats and attacks to government infrastructure. The Department of Defense (DoD) sought training and certification programs from the civilian sector to help create and enforce safeguards to ensure critical infrastructure was less susceptible to increasingly hostile cyber-attacks. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory single case study was to gain insight on Air Force leaders&rsquo; perspectives of integrating civilian Information Technology (IT) certification training into the military IT certification process, the perception of benefits of such implementations, and how processes and benefits aligned with the DoD 8570 directive. The research method consisted of an exploratory case study focused on experiences of both military and civilian leaders at an AFB in the Southeastern United States. Data collection was conducted through audio-recorded interviews of 10 military leaders. Six themes emerged from data provided by participants when answering the two research questions. The DoD 8570 Mandate should address, revise and emphasize the guidance and polices surrounding the training program, and provide more information on how to manage the program. The DoD should improve the training and education specifically as it pertains to individuals&rsquo; workloads. Finally, revisions in the program would vastly improve the success and potentially save money with consideration to a DoD created certification program.</p><p>

<p> Organizations of all types and their computer networks are constantly under threat of attack. While the overall detection time of these attacks is getting shorter, the average detection time of weeks to months allows the attacker ample time to potentially cause damage to the organization. Current detection methods are primarily signature based and typically rely on analyzing the available data sources in isolation. Any analysis of how the individual data sources relate to each other is usually a manual process, and will most likely occur as a forensic endeavor after the attack identification occurs via other means. The use of graph theory and the graph databases built to support its application can provide a repeatable and automated analysis of the data sources and their relationships. By aggregating the individual data sources into a graph database based on a model that supports the data types and relationships, database queries can extract information relevant to the detection of attack behavior within the network. The work in this Praxis shows how the graph model and database queries will reduce the overall time to detection of a successful attack by enabling defenders to understand better how the data elements and what they represent are related.</p><p>

<p> The Personal Computer is one of the most versatile inventions of the modern world. From its introduction in the 1980s, businesses have used these devices to perform everything from routine administrative tasks to complex engineering activities. Without proper attention to the security, companies put their ongoing operations and data at risk of theft, alteration, or destruction. Employees using personal computing systems are the primary gatekeepers of intellectual property and at the same time are the source of most data breaches. The purpose of this study was to analyze attitudes and behavioral patterns of end-users who repeatedly fall victim to simulated phishing attacks. Using a Q-Methodology approach, participants rated their level of agreement or disagreement of statements collected from research about end-user attitude and training towards computer security. Analysis of participant responses yielded three factors that demonstrated a pattern of behavior and opinion and categorized participants into three groups; <i>gatekeepers, oblivions</i>, and <i> conformists</i>. Analysis of the three group&rsquo;s alignment with the studies research questions reveals that although all groups are well trained in computer security procedure and policy, two of the groups demonstrate deficiency in recognizing cyber risk and understanding how to protect against the threat. For companies to be secure, the end-user must view themselves as the <i> primary gatekeeper</i> to protect intellectual property. Technology can be circumvented, passwords can be compromised, and systems can be penetrated. The most effective method therefore to combat cyber threat is to create a culture of vigilance that every end-user understands, accepts, and embraces as their primary responsibility.</p><p>

<p> Business leaders in Nigeria are concerned about the high rates of business failure and economic loss from security incidents and may not understand strategies for reducing the effects of information security threats on business performance. Guided by general systems theory and transformational leadership theory, the focus of this exploratory multiple case study was to explore the strategies small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders use to minimize the effects of information security threats on business performance. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 5 SME leaders who worked in SME firms that support oil and gas industry sector in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, had a minimum of 2 years experience in a leadership role, and had demonstrable strategies for minimizing the effects of information security threats in a SME. The thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed 10 strategies for reducing the effects of information security threats: network security, physical security, strong password policy, antivirus protection and software update, information security policy, security education training and awareness, network security monitoring and audit, intrusion detection, data backup, and people management. The findings may contribute to social change by providing SME leaders with more insight about strategies to minimize the effects of information security threats on business performance. The improved business performance can increase the flow of funds into the local economy and allow community leaders to provide social services to residents.</p><p>

No description available.

<p> Since the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 and the Global Financial Crisis of 2007, members of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) have sought to strengthen ASEAN&rsquo;s regional economies through a digital trade project known as the ASEAN Single Window (ASW). The purpose of this case study was to explore the business strategies that multinational organizational leaders used to overcome business barriers while implementing ASEAN partnership contracts and ASW region-wide projects. This study may be unique in that, at the time of this research, there was no published study in which researchers had explored a single window for a vast, multination geographical region. Data collection was done via in-depth interviews with ASW executives, studying online ASW-related conferences, and examining relevant strategic documents. A 6-phase thematic analysis process based on methodological triangulation corroborated the data and addressed construct validity through data familiarization, generating initial coding, categorizing codes and searching for themes, breaking codes into subcategories, data reduction and defining and naming themes, and report generation. The 4 strategic themes that emerged were business models and processes, public&ndash;private partnerships, project management methodologies, and overlapping themes. The findings offer insights into ways to overcome the ASW&rsquo;s constraints and barriers. These strategic themes developed into a list of critical success factors and a summary list of principle business strategies and best practices. The implication for social change is a regionally collaborative trading environment providing potential economic options that not only impede the deterioration of the regional social fabric but support new opportunities such as trade liberalization and economic stability.</p>

<p> Measuring knowledge management performance was one of, if not the most challenging knowledge management activities. This study suggested using intellectual capital as a proxy for knowledge management performance in evaluating its impact on organizational performance. The Value Added Intellectual Coefficient model was employed to measure intellectual capital. Although being used widely in research, the model had its limitations. Also, for intellectual capital measurement, there was a lack of guidelines supported by empirical evidence or best practices. The present study aimed to test the classic and a modified version of this model, and based on the results, shed light on whether the classic version was good enough or the modified one should be highly recommended. The financial fundamental and market data of 425 randomly selected publicly listed firms were collected, and the structural equation modeling technique was employed to test the models. Chi-square difference test was performed to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between these two models. The results of the tests indicated that the difference between them was insignificant. Therefore, it was concluded that the classic model is adequate, and it can be used effectively to measure intellectual capital. Adding two new efficiency elements&mdash;research and development efficiency and relational capital efficiency&mdash;in the model did not provide any significant benefit.</p>

<p> The Oman government developed a vision to transform the nation into a sustainable knowledge society by supporting information and communication technologies to improve government services (ITA, n.d.). According to a United Nations (2012) report, Oman ranks 64th worldwide in e-government readiness, the lowest compared to other countries in the region. The goal of this qualitative grounded theory study was to explore processes associated with selected unsuccessful e-government projects in Oman, as well as the driver of failure, and generate a model with recommendations for the role of executives in government organization for successful execution of e-government initiatives. The main findings developed into a theoretical concept for a recommended leadership model for executives in Oman to use for the successful implementation of e-government initiatives. The research was guided by three research questions: &ldquo;How do leadership roles in government organizations in Oman support the success of e-government projects?&rdquo;, &ldquo;What leadership skills do leaders need to possess to achieve successful implementation of e-government projects?&rdquo;, and &ldquo;What model of e-government projects in Oman could explain or account for the value of successful leadership?&rdquo;. Study participants were 25 executives from five government organizations in Oman. Four themes emerged from analyzing research data (a) there is a need for e-government, (b) the e-government creates challenges, (c) challenges require a leader, and (d) a leader with particular skills mitigates challenges and influences the way to success. Four e-government essential leadership skills emerged from the study (a) determined, (b) knowledgeable, (c) communicator, and (d) social. </p>