Interpreting the management of information systems security

The management of adverse events within organisations has become a pressing issue as the perceptions of risk continue to heighten. However the basic need for developing secure information systems has remained unfulfilled. This is because the focus has been on the means of delivery of information, i.e. the technology, rather than on the various contextual factors related to information processing. The overall aim of this research is to increase understanding of the issues and concerns in the management of information systems security. The study is conducted by reviewing the analysis, design and management of computer based information in two large organisations - A British national Health Service Hospital Trust and a Borough Council. The research methodology adopts an interpretive mode of inquiry. The management of information systems security is evaluated in terms of the business environment, organisational culture, expectations and obligations of different roles, meanings of different actions and the related patterns of behaviour. Findings from the two case studies show that an inappropriate analysis, design and management of computer based information systems affects the integrity and wholeness of an organisation. As a result, the probability of occurrence of adverse events increases. In such an environment there is a strong likelihood that security measures may either be ignored or are inappropriate to the real needs of an organisation. Therefore what is needed is coherence between the computer based information systems and the business environment in which they are embedded. In conclusion, this study shows that to resolve the problem of managing information systems security, we need to understand the deep seated pragmatic aspects of an organisation. Solutions to the problem of security can be provided by interpreting the behavioural patterns of the people involved

Importance and impacts of visual merchandising for customers at The Warehouse

The benefits of visual merchandising have been well discussed in previous literature. For large retail service providers this topic is of special importance. Evidence of challenges for consumers to locate the product that they need has been observed in The Warehouse, Te Rapa. The purpose of this research report is to assess the importance of visual merchandising on customers’ purchasing behaviour at The Warehouse, Te Rapa. In addition, visual merchandising strategies to increase sales at The Warehouse are offered, based on the findings of this study. The primary data for this research project was gathered from 50 questionnaires, which were distributed among customers at The Warehouse, Te Rapa. Many different aspects of visual merchandising, including window displays of the store, floor merchandising, mannequin displays, signage and promotional banners, were reviewed. The results of this report suggest that there is a direct relationship between how the products are displayed and sales

Importance and impacts of visual merchandising for customers at The Warehouse

The benefits of visual merchandising have been well discussed in previous literature. For large retail service providers this topic is of special importance. Evidence of challenges for consumers to locate the product that they need has been observed in The Warehouse, Te Rapa. The purpose of this research report is to assess the importance of visual merchandising on customers’ purchasing behaviour at The Warehouse, Te Rapa. In addition, visual merchandising strategies to increase sales at The Warehouse are offered, based on the findings of this study. The primary data for this research project was gathered from 50 questionnaires, which were distributed among customers at The Warehouse, Te Rapa. Many different aspects of visual merchandising, including window displays of the store, floor merchandising, mannequin displays, signage and promotional banners, were reviewed. The results of this report suggest that there is a direct relationship between how the products are displayed and sales

A brief educational intervention in personal finance for medical residents.

IntroductionAlthough medical educational debt continues to escalate, residents receive little guidance in financial planning.AimTo educate interns about long-term investment strategies.SettingUniversity-based medicine internship program.Program descriptionAn unselected cohort of interns (n = 52; 84% of all interns) underwent a 90-minute interactive seminar on personal finance, focusing on retirement savings. Participants completed a preseminar investor literacy test to assess baseline financial knowledge. Afterward, interns rated the seminar and expressed their intention to make changes to their long-term retirement accounts. After 37 interns had attended the seminar, a survey was administered to all interns to compare actual changes to these accounts between seminar attendees and non-attendees.Measurements and main resultsInterns' average score on the investor literacy test was 40%, equal to the general population. Interns strongly agreed that the seminar was valuable (average 5.0 on 5-point Likert scale). Of the 46 respondents to the account allocation survey, interns who had already attended the seminar (n = 25) were more likely than interns who had not yet attended (n = 21) to have switched their investments from low to high-yield accounts at the university hospital (64 vs 19%, P = 0.003) and to enroll in the county hospital retirement plan (64 vs 33%, P = 0.07).ConclusionsOne 90-minute seminar on personal finances leads to significant changes in allocation of tax-deferred retirement savings. We calculate that these changes can lead to substantial long-term financial benefits and suggest that programs consider automatically enrolling trainees into higher yield retirement plans