Fear and perceived likelihood of victimization in the traditional and cyber settings

This study considers the influence of perceived likelihood, demographics (gender and education) and personality on fear of victimization and cyber-victimization using a survey design (N=159). The results suggest that perceived likelihood of victimization predicts fear of victimization in traditional contexts. Women tend to be more fearful of victimization in traditional and cyber contexts, confirming previous research. No group differences emerged in relation to education. Self-esteem and self-efficacy were not significant predictors of fear or perceived likelihood of victimization. However, perceived likelihood was a significant predictor of fear of victimization in traditional settings. This may suggest that different variables (such as awareness of vulnerability) may play a role in fear of victimization in cyber settings. Further group comparisons revealed that fear of victimization and cybervictimization depended on whether or not participants reported high or low perceived likelihood of victimization and internet use. Higher internet use was associated with greater fear of victimization, especially in combination with greater perceived likelihood of victimization. This may suggest an exposure effect, in that being online more frequently may also increase awareness of cyber incidents

Screening job applicants on social media may hurt the firm

There are legal and ethical implications for employers, write Debora Jeske and Kenneth Shult

Student learning opportunities in traditional and computer-mediated internships

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a student learning outcome focussed assessment of the benefits and limitations of traditional internships, e-internships, and simulated internships to evaluate the potential of computer-mediated internships (CMIs) (e-internships and simulated internships) within higher education from a student perspective. Design/methodology/approach: The paper undertakes a systematic conceptually based assessment of the extent to which CMIs are able to replicate the cognitive, skill-based and affective learning outcomes of traditional internships. In addition, the key limitations of traditional internships from a student perspective are identified, and the potential ability of CMIs to address these limitations is assessed. Findings: The findings of this paper highlight that CMIs are able to replicate most of the benefits of traditional internships, whilst concurrently addressing many of their limitations. However, the current paper also identifies a number of important limitations for student learning in CMIs, and provides advice that aims to assist students in maximising their learning outcomes in these situations. Originality/value: The paper is the first to provide a systematic student learning outcome focussed comparison of traditional internships and CMIs. In addition, the paper establishes the high potential of simulated internships for student learning in higher education, and provides students, higher education providers and researcher with learning outcome focussed criteria sets that enable the empirical evaluation of CMIs in future research

A review of the literature on cross-functional integration (2010-2020):Trends and recommendations

Purpose: Structural and technological changes are driving functional reorganization in many organizations. To date, there are very few articles that explicitly, consistently and cumulatively focus on cross-functional integration. This paper aims to review and explore the literature that does directly address cross-functional integration. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted a literature review within the general management domain for the time frame 2010 to 2020 and identified 71 relevant articles that provide an overview of current practices and trends. Findings: This conceptual paper reviews this identified literature and outlines key trends, noteworthy articles and a summary of relevant theories, and provides an overview of outcomes linked to cross-functional integration in the literature. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for practitioners and an outline of potential research areas for academic researchers, including a call for more theory integration, building and testing in the area of cross-functionality. Originality/value: This paper is the first of its kind to attempt to summarize the literature on cross-functionality (published between 2010 and 2020), a currently very fragmented field of study spread out across different management disciplines

Familiarity with Internet threats: Beyond awareness

The degree of familiarity with threats is considered as a predictor of Internet attitudes and security behaviors. Cross-sectional data were collected from 323 student participants about their familiarity about 16 different Internet threats. All participants were presented with definitions of threats and then asked to state how familiar they were with each. Their responses were then used to identify the extent to which threat familiarity differed among the sample. Three different clusters were identified. One set of participants were relatively knowledgeable about all threats. Cluster 1 was therefore labeled experts (n = 92). Clusters 2 (n = 112) and 3 (n = 92) showed very different patterns as familiarity appeared to depend on the novelty of the threat (with one cluster showing more familiarity with well-known threats and the other more familiarity with new threats). Participants who were experts were more likely to engage in computer security behaviors than the other two groups. Mediation analysis showed that time spent on the Internet and the length of Internet experience were significant predictors of familiarity, and both were significant indirect predictors of computer security use (suggesting a relationship fully mediated by familiarity). Our paper makes several important contribution. First, the research reflects a systematic effort to investigate the relationship between the familiarity and engagement of online security activities. Second, we provide evidence that familiarity is a mediator between Internet use and security behaviors – making this a baseline variable to consider in terms of training on future threat-oriented interventions aimed at changing security behavior. This study also provides implications for practitioners to improve user familiarity of security risks

Remote workers’ experiences with electronic monitoring during Covid-19: Implications and recommendations

Purpose: This conceptual article outlines the known effects of employee monitoring on employees who are working remotely. Potential implications, as well as practitioner suggestions, are outlined to identify how practitioners can create more supportive employee experiences as well as apply these to workplace health management scenarios. Approach: This overview is based on a selective and practically oriented review of articles that hitherto considered the health implications of remote workers being monitored electronically over the last two years. This overview is subsequently complemented by a discussion of more recent findings that outline the potential implications of monitoring for remote employees, employees’ work experience, and workplace health management. Findings: Several practitioner-oriented suggestions are outlined that can pave the way to a more supportive employee experience for remote workers who are monitored electronically by their employers. These include the various health and social interventions, greater managerial awareness about factors that influence well-being, and more collaboration with health professionals to design interventions and new workplace policies. Organizations would also benefit from using audits and data analytics from monitoring tools to inform their interventions, while a rethink about work design, as well as organizational reviews of performance and working conditions further represent useful options to identify and set up the right conditions that foster both performance as well as employee well-being. Originality: The article outlines practitioner-oriented suggestions that can directly and indirectly support employee well-being by recognizing the various factors that affect performance and experience

HCI expertise needed! Personalisation and feedback optimisation in online education

Two key challenges in education relate to how traditional educational providers can personalise online provisions to the students’ skill level, optimise the use of tools and increase both the generation and utilisation of feedback (in terms of timing, content, and subsequent use by students). The application of traditional programmes in the online setting is often complicated by the legacy of traditional universities infrastructures, knowledge bases (or lack thereof in the human-computer-interaction/HCI realm), and pedagogical priorities. It is here that HCI experts (designers and researchers) can have real-world impact in line with macro-HCI, while also being able to test new innovations in collaboration with educators (e.g., the practitioners in such education settings). In this note, we make a case that the HCI community is in a situation where it can make a significant contribution to traditional providers in two prospective areas: personalisation, feedback generation and increased feedback utilisation

Virtual internships: Learning opportunities and recommendations

As teleworking and remote working options are adopted more and more widely in many countries, so are e-Internships, one of two forms of virtual internships. The first form involves simulated training settings that allow students to train certain skills and test their knowledge in simulated environments. In this paper, virtual (or e-)internships involve real-world but computer-mediated internships with employers. This development is fostered by new tools and software that support e-mentoring, online webinars and remote working applications. In addition, cloud and social media make it easy to access work-related resources and networks. These features make virtual internships particularly promising options for small businesses that lack certain expertise in their local area or lack office facilities to accommodate interns. Indeed, a number of studies have demonstrated the increasing popularity of virtual internships over the last ten years. The present paper draws on the author’s online interviews with 13 internship providers as well as interns and the results of several surveys conducted with virtual interns over the span of several years. Interviewees included representatives of a dozen small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The interviewees were located across the USA, the UK, Ireland, Romania and India and the interns who were surveyed came from almost all continents and three dozen countries. The current article considers insights from these sources and focuses specifically on organizational learning outcomes that may emerge when employers adopt certain HR practices and processes. Relevant example references for further reading are also provided

Monitoring remote employees: Implications for HR

Purpose: More and more organizations have resorted to the employment of monitoring software to keep track of employees’ everyday performance and task completion. The current article outlines the capabilities, pros, and cons of monitoring for employees. Several recommendations for HR professionals are outlined to inform best practice. Approach: The article summarizes recent literature and trends on electronic monitoring aimed at remote workers, focusing specifically on trends observed in the UK and the USA. Findings: The number of pros and cons, as well as the resulting recommendations for HR professionals, outline how technology may aid – but also undermine – performance. Originality: The summary of capabilities, pros and cons represents a snapshot of current monitoring practices. The recommendations will give readers an overview of all the aspects and factors that ought to be considered when monitoring software and related tools are selected