An examination into the role of knowledge management and computer security in organizations

Organisations develop their computer security procedures based on external guidelines such as ISO 17799 with very little provision to incorporate organisational knowledge in their security procedures. While these external guidelines make recommendations as to how an organisation should develop and implement best practices in computer security they often fail to provide a mechanism that links the security process to the organisational knowledge. The result is that often, security policies, procedures and controls are implemented that are neither strong nor consistent with the organisation's objectives. This study has examined the role of Knowledge Management in organisational Computer Security in 19 Australian SMEs. The study has determined that although the role of knowledge management in organisational computer security is currently limited, there appears to be evidence to argue that the application of knowledge management systems to organisational computer security development and management processes will considerably enhance performance and reduce costs. The study supports that future research is warranted to focus on how existing computer security standards and practices can be improved to allow for a stronger integration with organisational knowledge through the application of knowledge management systems

Determining whether ICT improves social interactions

[Abstract]: Governments are increasingly aware of the power of the Internet as medium for communication and social interaction. Using the Internet Technology on broadband provides fact access to information and communication. In Western Australia, a network neighborhood is built on the combination of these technologies as a pilot project. This technology is expected to be used by the Western Australian government in order to provide services that would realize in a better quality of life to the residents of this neighborhood. This paper presents the results of a study conducted to test whether ICT actually improves the quality of life by facilitating social interactions as this appears to be a major cause for concern. The aim of the study is to present evidence that ICT is capable of enhancing social interactions and then to justify the use of this technology for improving the quality of life. For this purpose, after studying the Network Neighborhood by a team of students, a survey was conducted among residents of a small township in Western Australia to determine the positive effect of technology or otherwise. The initial survey administered prior to the implementation of the technology indicated that people in the Picton Waters neighbourhood were socially isolated and needed social interactions to improve the quality of their lives

A discussion on the legal barriers in addressing sleeping disorders in aged care using wireless technology

[Abstract]: Disturbed sleep can affect personal well being. In the case of old people, disturbed sleep will impede recovery from any illness. Therefore, sleep quality is an essential ingredient for well being. While previous studies have provided a number of solutions based on clinical trials, it appears that 'technology' solutions are not yet caught up with the problems of sleeping specific to aged care. This 'research in progress' paper provides a conceptual model of how wireless technology solutions can provide answers to some of the monitoring problems of sleeping disorders. Based on the review conducted by the JBI on sleep research, this paper provides guidelines to future research. The paper also provides current status of regulatory issues that may affect the uptake of wireless solutions in this domain

Wireless technology and clinical influences in healthcare setting: an Indian case study

This chapter argues that current techniques used in the domain of Information Systems is not adequate for establishing determinants of wireless technology in a clinical setting. Using data collected from India, this chapter conducted a first order regrssion modeling (factor analysis) and then a second order regression modeling (SEM) to establish the determinants of clinical influences as a result of using wireless technology in healthcare settings. As information systems professionals, the authors conducted a qualitative data collection to understand the domain prior to employing a quantitative technique, thus providing rigour as well as personal relevance. The outcomes of this study has clearly established that there are a number of influences such as the organisational factors in determining the technology acceptance and provides evidence that trivial factors such as perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are no longer acceptable as the factors of technology acceptance

The enablers and implementation model for mobile KMS in Australian healthcare

In this research project, the enablers in implementing mobile KMS in Australian regional healthcare will be investigated, and a validated framework and guidelines to assist healthcare in implementing mobile KMS will also be proposed with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The outcomes for this study are expected to improve the understanding the enabling factors in implementing mobile KMS in Australian healthcare, as well as provide better guidelines for this process

Determinants for a generic mobile commerce transformation framework

Current technological advancement has given the necessary impetus for businesses to transform from traditional ways into to mobile business or m-businesses. This transformation has begun from the Internet era, where traditional businesses transformed to e-businesses by taking advantages of the facilities offered by the Internet. Recent development in wireless technology facilitated businesses to move further to m-businesses. Despite the development in the technical domain, it appears that businesses still struggle to comprehend the processes involved in the transformation because a proper framework is yet to evolve. This work-in-progress paper provides a background to such transformation with a method to achieve this transformation

Wireless Applications: Influences and Risks of Location Identification Technologies

With the advent of Wireless Application Protocols (WAP), location technologies have gained sudden importance. These location technologies combined with wireless devices (or commonly known as mobile devices) assist organisations to locate and precisely identify individuals. While the technology is a boon to instant marketing, certain implications associated with security and privacy has been questioned in recent weeks. This paper provides a discussion on the type of location technologies used in a wireless application domain, their influences in terms of identifying individuals and associated applications, and the implications in the uptake of electronic commerce

A study of the influences of computer interfaces and training approaches on end user training outcomes

Effective and efficient training is a key factor in determining the success of end user computing (EUC) in organisations. This study examines the influences of two application interfaces, namely icons and menus, on training outcomes. The training outcomes are measured in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and perceived ease of use. Effectiveness includes the keystrokes used to accomplish tasks, the accuracy of correct keystrokes, backtracks and errors committed. Efficiency includes the time taken to accomplish the given tasks. Perceived ease of use rates the ease of the training environment including training materials, operating system, application software and associated resources provided to users. In order to facilitate measurement, users were asked to nominate one of two approaches to training, instruction training and exploration training that focussed on two categories of users, basic and advanced. User category was determined based on two questionnaires that tested participants\u27 level of knowledge and experience. Learning style preference was also included in the study. For example, to overcome the criticisms of prior studies, this study allowed users to nominate their preferred interfaces and training approaches soon after the training and prior to the experiment. To measure training outcomes, an experiment was conducted with 159 users. Training materials were produced and five questionnaires developed to meet the requirements of the training design. All the materials were peer reviewed and pilot tested in order to eliminate any subjective bias. All questionnaires were tested for statistical validity to ensure the applicability of instruments. Further, for measurement purposes, all keystrokes and time information such as start time and end time of tasks were extracted using automated tools. Prior to data analysis, any \u27outliers\u27 were eliminated to ensure that the data were of good quality. This study found that icon interfaces were effective for end user training for trivial tasks. This study also found that menu interfaces were easy to use in the given training environment. In terms of training approaches, exploration training was found to be effective. The user categorisation alone did not have any significant influence on training outcomes in this study. However, the combination of basic users and instruction training approach was found to be efficient and the combination of basic users and exploration training approach was found to be effective. This study also found out that learning style preference was significant in terms of effectiveness but not efficiency. The results of the study indicates that interfaces play a significant role in determining training outcomes and hence the need for training designers to treat application interfaces differently when addressing training accuracy and time constraints. Similarly, this study supports previous studies in that learning style preferences influence training outcomes. Therefore, training designers should consider users\u27 learning style preferences in order to provide effective training. While categories of user did not show any significant influence on the outcomes of this study, the interaction between training approaches and categories of users was significant indicating that different categories of users respond to different training approaches. Therefore, training designers should consider the possibility of treating differently those with and without experience in EUC applications. For example, one possible approach to training design would be to hold separate training sessions. In summary, this study has found that interfaces, learning styles and the combination of training approaches and categories of users have varying significant impact on training outcomes. Thus the results reported in this study should help training designers to design training programs that would be effective, efficient and easy to use

Drivers for wireless handheld technology: views from Queensland nurses

[Abstract]: The use of wireless hand held devices is becoming popular in healthcare due to its flexibility and mobility. In the nursing domain, the use of handheld devices, a specific component of wireles technology appears to be beneficial for data collection and other information management functions nurses may undertake. Studies in nursing literature have indicated that handheld devices deliver advantages and benefits at the point of care. In this study a set of 30 interviews with Queensland Nursing Staff in one district health centre was conducted over a period of three months to establish the drivers for the introduction of wireless technology among nurses. The outcome of these interviews is developed into a preliminary model and reported in this paper