Selecting lifestyle entrepreneurship recovery strategies: a response to the COVID-19 pandemic

The devastating context of the Covid-19 pandemic has created a new reality in which tourism has practically come to a standstill, a situation that must be reversed. This study focuses on the revitalization of businesses run by lifestyle entrepreneurs, a very significant class, of pivotal importance in innovation in the tourism sector. Specifically, this study aims to identify the most relevant indicators to select the recovery strategies of these entrepreneurs. Using the Delphi method combined with the Q-sort technique, a ranking of the indicators was produced on the basis of input from a panel of 26 senior managers and academics. The top five indicators were: creativity and innovation, level of innovation, qualification, startups number, and turnover volume. Findings reveal that the priority is on innovation and the qualification of the entrepreneurs. Only afterward do the traditional indicators of competitiveness of tourist destinations emerge.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Social Media Risk Perceptions of Human Resource Professionals: Issues Undergraduate Students Should Consider

This study contrasts the social media risk perceptions of undergraduate students, versus those of certified Human Resource professionals. Social media is widely used by most segments of the population, and particularly among the age group that includes most undergraduate students. Organizations hiring employees are increasingly examining job applicant\u27s social media postings as part of the applicant screening process. In this study we examine how these groups differ in their perceptions of the risks inherent in using social media, and what these differences may mean for students seeking employment. Recommendations are made for raising undergraduate student awareness of these risks

The future of audit

The purpose of this study is to discuss the current state and future of auditing. Expert consensus is used as a basis to examine the current state of auditing and generate modifications both needed and likely to occur in the audit profession. This study contributes to the literature by using the Delphi method to develop predictions as to the direction of the audit industry and discuss the implications associated with these predictions. If auditors can better understand where the profession stands and where it is headed, then they can better prepare for the future. Some predictions emerging from this study relative to future audit practices include increasing automation of audit procedures, more predictive financial statements, continuous auditing of financial statements and transactions, and an increasingly global perspective regarding audit activities

Customer Relationship Management in a Public Cloud environment – Key influencing factors for European enterprises

Customer Relationship Management is crucial influencing factor for competitiveness in saturated markets. Public cloud-computing services for customer-relationship management provide many benefits. However, their usage in Europe is reluctant. Our research identifies several core and sub-influence factors and reveals how strong they are. Enterprises strive for covering risks in terms of safety and security. Further important influencing factors are functional completeness and integration into the existing environment. Our research provides new knowledge of the use of public cloud services in general and in particular for the use of customer relationship in a public cloud environment

Big Data and its Applications in Supply Chain Management: Findings from a Delphi Study

Big data and its applications have increasingly received interest by both scholars and practitioners. However, there is still missing evidence regarding how big data is understood as well as its applications in supply chain management (SCM). Empirical contributions are especially limited. This study seeks to address this gap through an explorative Delphi study to understand the terminology of big data and its application in the SCM processes of sourcing, manufacturing, service, logistics, planning, and return. The findings reveal that big data is mostly concerned with data collection and logistics, service, and planning processes are the most applicable processes for deploying big data analytics in SCM. Furthermore, a range of applications have been identified and ranked within each process

Risk perceptions about personal Internet-of-Things: Research directions from a multi-panel Delphi study

Internet-of-Things (IoT) research has primarily focused on identifying IoT devices\u27 organizational risks with little attention to consumer perceptions about IoT device risks. The purpose of this study is to understand consumer risk perceptions for personal IoT devices and translate these perceptions into guidance for future research directions. We conduct a sequential, mixed-methods study using multi-panel Delphi and thematic analysis techniques to understand consumer risk perceptions. The results identify four themes focused on data exposure and user experiences within IoT devices. Our thematic analysis also identified several emerging risks associated with the evolution of IoT device functionality and its potential positioning as a resource for malicious actors to conduct security attacks

Information technology governance: legitimation, theorization and field trends

Purpose – investigate and analyze the aspects of legitimation, theorization and trends for the evolution ofresearch in information technology governance (ITG) in Brazil, according to researchers familiar with thematter.Design/methodology/approach – By means of a qualitative and quantitative research of exploratorydescriptive approach, the Delphi method was applied using a questionnaire supported by content analysis.Findings – ITG is an increasingly interdisciplinary research field, with significant help from other fields ofknowledge, such as administration, computer science and engineering. The main means of ITG publication areperiodicals (MISQ, JMIS, JISTEM RESI), scientific events (AMCIS, ECIS, HICSS, EnANPAD, CONTECSI) andresearchers, such as Peter Weill and Edimara Mezzomo Luciano. Best practice models are the most significanttheoretical frameworks, and the main trend of research are on emerging technologies such as cloud computingand Internet of things (IoT) in the context of ITG.Research limitations/implications – To the unavailability of some researchers to participate in the secondphase of the Delphi research performed, as well as the non-completion of a third Delphi round. Likewise, the“Block B (open answer questions)”it was not contemplated in the second phase for a new collection of answers,which could partially change the results presented here.Practical implications – The results show important insights for ITG researchers that can allow newresearches about its applications, jointly reflecting on relevant aspects for the advancement of thisresearch field.Social implications –There are several research contributions to broaden the discussion and the evolution ofthis new scientific field in Brazil and that can be grouped for each set of stakeholders: academia and relatedresearchers; the practicing community of business managers and private and public organizations; theacademic legitimizing bodies; the non-academic legitimating bodies and researchers from other areas ofknowledge.Originality/value – ITG is a concept that emerged as part of corporate governance (CG), which has evolved asan emerging theme and is expanding in the international academic arena. However, the current stage of legitimation, theorization and trends of ITG in the Brazilian researches are lacked greater understanding, inorder to provide better targeting for new researche

Post-pandemic recovery strategies: revitalizing lifestyle entrepreneurship

The pandemic resulting from COVID-19 disease has brought about an unprecedented crisis to tourism destinations, resulting in an almost complete shutdown of tourist flows. Whereas disaster recovery models focus on prevention and preparedness, the post-pandemic recovery strategies are underexplored, particularly in relation to the highly representative group of small-scale businesses run by tourism lifestyle entrepreneurs (TLEs). An integrated framework for Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) strategic thinking is developed using the Delphi method with Q-sort technique. Findings from a 26-element expert panel emphasize the priority of creating a favorable environment for small-scale business development and supporting the provision of resources and capabilities. After this initial effort to strengthen these fragile businesses, it is essential to increase their communication capacity, a common limitation of TLEs, allowing these entrepreneurs to access niche markets more suited to the business and lifestyle they run. With stronger businesses, DMOs can enhance destination competitiveness and innovation, stimulating cooperation and networking.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

A Continuous Improvement Implementation Framework for Manufacturing Companies: a Delphi Study-Based Approach for Development and Validation

Purpose – Due to the absence of industry and region-specific implementation guides, change efforts, in particular Continuous Improvement implementations, continue to report high failure rates. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to present a finalised implementation framework specifically tailored for manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework derived from the existing literature is validated, through a Delphi study, by an expert panel to review its content and suitability for a practical application. Findings – This paper proposes a finalised framework tailored to the practical needs of users. The results of the Delphi approach offer a phased implementation framework that provides an overview of the implementation process of Continuous Improvement initiatives and the key activities involved. The framework is suitable for use by both business leaders and Continuous Improvement practitioners with varying degrees of previous implementation experience. Research limitations/implications – The research was carried out in the UK and is specifically focused on the manufacturing industry. It is therefore not clear the applicability of the framework presented to other regions and industries. The framework, although validated through several phases of research, still requires practical application and testing. Originality/value – Business leaders and Continuous Improvement practitioners will benefit from having the necessary content presented in a manner that will promote its practical application. It has also been demonstrated that the framework is robust in its content, incorporating the literature findings as well as the experience of an expert panel encompassing 20 people

Towards an Assessment of Judgment Errors in Social Engineering Attacks Due to Environment and Device Type

Phishing continues to be a significant invasive threat to computer and mobile device users. Cybercriminals continuously develop new phishing schemes using email, and malicious search engine links to gather personal information of unsuspecting users. This information is used for financial gains through identity theft schemes or draining financial accounts of victims. Users are often distracted and fail to fully process the phishing attacks then unknowingly fall victim to the scam until much later. Users operating mobile phones and computers are likely to make judgment errors when making decisions in distracting environments due to cognitive overload. Distracted users can fail to correctly distinguish the differences between legitimate and malicious emails or search engine results. Mobile phone users can have even a harder time identifying malicious content due to the smaller screen size and the limited security features in mobile phone applications. Thus, the main goal of this work-in-progress research study is to design, develop, and validate a set of field experiments to assess users judgment when exposed to two types of simulated social engineering attacks (phishing & possibly malicious search engine results (PMSER)), based on the interaction of the kind of environment (distracting vs. non-distracting) and type of device used (mobile vs. computer). In this paper, we outlines the Delphi methodology phase that this study will take using an expert panel to validate the proposed experimental procedures and recommend further steps for the empirical testing. The conclusions, study limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed. Keywords: Cybersecurity, social engineering, judgment error in cybersecurity, phishing email mitigation, distracting environment