Business Commons^™

Organizing Digital Platforms And Customer Needs For Digital Service Innovation, Gamel O. Wiredu

The African Journal of Information Systems

Digital organizations have become highly dependent on digital platforms and customer needs as key resources for digital service innovation. These resources in the competitive environment are making and shaping innovation of digital services because, though external, they remain central to digital organizations’ strategic innovation and competitiveness. Yet, how and why organizing these resources influences digital service innovation is under-explained in the literature. This paper, based on an empirical study and grounded theory methodology, addresses this limitation. It explains that digital service innovation occurs through two complementary types of organizing, namely: foundational knowledge organizing by combining digital platforms and customer needs, …

Reducing The Negative Effects Of Uncontrollable Factors When Designing New Courses, Nusser Raajpoot, Ran Liu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper seeks to introduce a novel course design method in academic literature. It uses advanced experimental designs to capture student preferences. It also makes a distinction between controllable and uncontrollable design factors and seeks to minimize the negative impact of uncontrollable design factors, ensuring a successful course introduction. We propose and test a design method that combines Taguchi experimental designs with discrete choice estimation where choice probabilities are used as input data for Taguchi's inner and outer arrays. Design efficiency is measured by calculating signal to noise (S/N) ratio, which accounts for both mean and variance of choice probabilities. …

Brides And Bridal Stores: Online Or Brick-And-Mortar, Libby C. Jones, Ismet Anitsal, Melek Meral Anitsal

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper explores the growing global bridal industry and the different trends, traditions, and aspects of specific countries' bridal industries. It outlines western and eastern traditions and how globalization contributes to their spread. A deeper focus is dedicated to the United States' bridal industry and the issues brick-and-mortar bridal boutiques face as more brides have started shopping at online bridal stores. The relationship between brick-and-mortar and online bridal stores is explored based on various propositions about the bridal industry's emerging challenges. These propositions include trust issues in the retail environment, convenience, selection of bridal gowns in different retail formats, incorporating …

Political Reality: Attack Ads Are Here To Stay, Rebecca Dingus, Chanho Song, Richard H. Kolbe, Michael Y. Hu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The primary research questions of this study center on two largely overlooked areas in negative political advertising: (1) Would the sponsor of the attack ad message be better off with a positive message? (2) When one is targeted by an attack ad, how should the attacked candidate respond? M-Turk subjects (n = 1,380) were used to conduct a multi-stage experimental design to capture the dynamic aspects of how subjects react to the use of attack ads in a hypothetical political campaign. In general, subjects did not respond favorably to attack ads, as these negative political messages caused damage to the …

Modelling Online Advertising Design Quality Influences On Millennial Consumer Attitudes In South Africa, Rodney G. Duffett Dr, Natassha V. Miller Ms

The African Journal of Information Systems

Millennials’ advanced knowledge and exposure to product experiences, and irrelevant placement of online advertising has led to an increase of online advertising avoidance. However, effective online advertising design may assist in establishing more positive sentiments towards digital forms of marketing communication. The study used the visual rhetoric theory as the theoretical basis to examine millennial consumer attitudes. The main research aims were to propose an online advertising design quality model, and to ascertain the influence of online advertising design quality on millennial consumer attitudes. The study employed a quantitative research design via an empirical online survey. Online advertising design quality …

Value Propositions Of Implemented E-Government Projects: Towards Developing A Framework From A Systematic Review, Yusuf Ephraim Chidama, Chidi Ononiwu

The African Journal of Information Systems

This study aims to develop a framework that identifies and measures the value propositions of implemented e-Government projects. Consequently, the study conducted a systematic review using a concept-centric and thematic approach by reviewing 84 articles as primary research data. In doing so, it identified: (1) effective public organizations; (2) quality service delivery; (3) open government and democratic value; and (4) social value and well-being. Furthermore, two gaps were identified, namely a dearth of studies on the measures well as actualization, and sustainability of the value propositions. The study synchronized the identified value propositions to develop a framework for value propositions …

Principles Of Information Security, Alison Hedrick

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

An introduction to the various technical and administrative aspects of Information Security and Assurance. This course provides the foundation for understanding the key issues associated with protecting information assets, determining the levels of protection and response to security incidents, and designing a consistent, reasonable information security system, with appropriate intrusion detection and reporting features.

Recreation Programming, Anne Demartini

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

This course will provide students with an overview of recreation programming across the age spectrum and diverse populations. Leisure programming trends and niche marketing are examined as well. This course also facilitates the understanding and application of the recreation program process for leisure delivery systems including an introduction to activity plans, program design, delivery and evaluation.

This class uses a hybrid format which gives students some flexibility and independence. It also allows for "flex time" for our high impact learning activies. The class performs service learning directly related to the course topic through volunteering with recreation programs both on campus …

The Legal And Ethical Environment Of Business, Cristen W. Dutcher

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

This course is an introduction of the relationship between law and the business environment. The material includes an overview of the areas of law that are relevant to business, including torts, crimes, contracts, the Constitution, antitrust, real estate, court procedure, government regulation, intellectual property and remedies. The class also addresses ethical issues that may arise in a business’s internal and external activities. Many of these topics will overlap such as computer crime legislation, liability for errors in data or programming for an IT system, or the ethics of revealing information to gain an advantage in business.

The 1-2-3 Of Market Research For Business Startups: A Case Study In Library Instruction, Daniel Le, Marie-Louise Watson

Georgia Library Quarterly

This article describes a practical way to teach student entrepreneurs to search and use market data for business startup plans. The conventional way of teaching students to find articles and business intelligence based on a class assignment can be challenging for many students without an academic business background. This library instruction approach sequentially uses three databases enriched with business data and infographics to support the development of critical thinking for student entrepreneurs. It teaches entrepreneurial personality support, analysis, visualization, and market mapping.

Cybersecurity Educational Resources For K-12, Debra Bowen, James Jaurez, Nancy Jones, William Reid, Christopher Simpson

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

There are many resources to guide successful K-12 cybersecurity education. The objective of these resources is to prepare skilled and ethical cybersecurity students at the earliest level to meet the demands of higher-level programs. The goal of this article is to provide, as a starting point, a list of as many currently popular K-12 educational resources as possible. The resources provided are broken into five categories: 1) Career Information, 2) Curriculum, 3) Competitions, 4) CyberCamps, and 5) Labs and Gaming. Each resource listed has a link, the K-12 levels that are supported, whether the resource is free or has a …

Digital Contact Tracing And Privacy, Mahdi Nasereddin, Edward J. Glantz, Galen A. Grimes, Joanne Peca, Michelle Gordon, Mike Bartolacci

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Digital contact tracing tools were developed to decrease the spread of COVID-19 by supplementing traditional manual methods. Although these tools have great potential, they were developed rather quickly resulting in tools with varying levels of success. The main issues with these tools are over privacy and who might have access to the information gathered. In general, their effectiveness varied globally, where users expressed privacy concerns associated with sharing identity, illness, and location information. This paper reviews these issues in deployments across Asia, Europe, and the United States. The goal is to begin a discussion that improves the design and development …

Security Simulations In Undergraduate Education: A Review, Joseph Simpson, Aaron Brantly

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Several decades of research in simulation and gamification in higher education shows that simulations are highly effective in improving a range of outcomes for students including declarative knowledge and interest in the topic being taught. While there appears to be a broad array of options to provide education in an undergraduate setting related to security, no previous reviews have explored computer-based simulations covering all facets of security. Given the increasing importance and adoption of interdisciplinary educational programs, it is important to take stock of simulations as a tool to broaden the range of problems, perspectives, and solutions presented to students. …

Assessing The Practical Cybersecurity Skills Gained Through Criminal Justice Academic Programs To Benefit Security Operations Centers (Socs), Lucy Tsado, Jung Seob "Scott" Kim

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Private-sector and public-sector organizations have increasingly built specific business units for securing company assets, reputation, and lives, known as security operations centers (SOCs). Depending on the organization, these centers may also be referred to as global security operations centers, cybersecurity operations centers, fusion centers, and corporate command centers, among many other names. The concept of centralized function within an organization to improve an organization’s security posture has attracted both the government and the private sectors to either build their own SOCs or hire third-party SOC companies.

In this article, the need for a multidisciplinary approach to cybersecurity education at colleges …

The Acceptance And Use Of Online Learning By Law Students In A South African University: An Application Of The Utaut2 Model, Jameson Goto, Anzanilufuno Munyai

The African Journal of Information Systems

COVID-19 forced many universities to shift from traditional face-to-face or blended learning, to full online learning. The sudden shift was not easy for both students and lecturers, who had to adapt to the new learning mode. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptance and use of online learning of university students in the law faculty at a South African university during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employs the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) model particularised to the online learning context in a country with a developing economy. An online survey was administered to the student …

Looking For Inclusivity In Higher Ed? Start In The Classroom!, Michelle C. Carpenter

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The rallying cry for inclusivity has never been greater in higher education. As professors look for ways to ensure all sociocultural perspectives are present in their course activities, lectures and discussions, many questions remain beginning with who should be addressing these issues as well as how exactly this might be accomplished. Increasingly more faculty are opening their classrooms to this discussion, even if diversity is not a required element of their course. Exit interviews conducted in Spring 2021 with senior marketing majors at a Mid Atlantic University provided an opportunity for students to share their perceptions about inclusivity and what …

Investigating The Impact On Student Engagement From Converting Face-To-Face Classes To Online In Response To Covid-19, Anita Whiting

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Paper investigates the impact on student engagement from converting traditional face-to-face classes to online in response to Covid-19. In particular, this study investigated the impact of conversion to online on four different types of student engagement: (1) participation engagement, (2) emotional engagement, (3) skill engagement, and (4) performance engagement. Survey data were collected from 160 business students who had their face-to-face classes converted to online due to Covid-19. Results of study show that all four types of student engagement significantly declined when classes were converted to online. Participation engagement declined the most while performance engagement declined the least. Non-traditional students …

Enhancing Sales Education By Incorporating An Innovative International Role Play, Diane R. Edmondson, Lucy Matthews, Hannah Makarczyk

Atlantic Marketing Journal

In today’s society, the global marketplace has become more relevant to all businesses to help ensure sustainability (Hummel, 2012). In marketing, students pursuing a career in sales can find significant opportunities; however, there are unique skills needed when selling internationally (Salesforce, 2021). Prior research has highlighted lost revenue due to internationally incompetent employees (Daniel, Xie, & Kedia, 2014). A content analysis of 139 Sales Education Foundation universities was completed to determine the extent to which international sales education is currently being incorporated in sales curriculum. Results indicate that only 6.5% include some international sales element as part of their program. …

Understanding Millennials Regarding Online Versus In-Store Grocery Shopping Preferences, Timothy L. Schauer

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Grocery shopping has changed in significant ways over the last 150 years – all to allow customers to choose their own items (Strasser, 1989). Within the last decade, large U.S. supermarkets, like Kroger, Walmart, and Safeway have rolled out online stores (Perez, 2015). However, in 2017, when the Internet-based giant, Amazon, acquired Whole Foods and developed the Amazon Go concept store, the march toward online-only sales came into question. The purpose of this research is to attempt to understand the preferences associated with Millennials regarding online versus in-store grocery shopping preferences. This paper provides the following contributions. First, it extends …

Keeping The Faith: The Impact Of Religiosity On Controversial Social Justice Advertising, Rebecca Rast, Josh Coleman, Christina S. Simmers

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Religious individuals have traditionally responded negatively to controversial advertising; however, little has been examined in their response to brand activism in the form of social justice issues. Interestingly, brands may find support from more religious individuals when promoting certain social issues. Across three studies using two social networks (Twitter and Instagram), this research demonstrates that individuals who identify as more religious (compared to those who identify as less religious) consistently display higher attitudes, intentions, and perceptions of authenticity for brands supporting social justice issues (precisely racial inequality, or “Black Lives Matter”). These findings are explained through social identity theory, in …

Validation Of Entrepreneurial Marketing Dimensions In North Carolina Wineries, George D. Shows, Pia A. Albinsson, James E. Stoddard

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This aim of this article is to test and validate a recently developed Entrepreneurial Marketing (EM) scale in the context of North Caroline Wineries. Previous EM literature suggests that EM consists of six dimensions, namely 1) proactive orientation, 2) opportunity orientation, 3) customer intensity, 4) innovation focused, 5) risk management, and 6) value creation. Using confirmatory factory analysis and structural equation modeling on data collected from small businesses (e.g., NC wineries), results confirm the EM consists of five of the proposed six dimensions in the NC winery context. Risk management was not included in the final model. Implications for theory …

Editorial, Michael E. Whitman, Herbert J. Mattord, Hossain Shahriar

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Since 2016, it has been the mission of the Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research, and Practice (JCERP) to be a premier outlet for high-quality information security and cybersecurity-related articles of interest to teaching faculty and students. This is the 12^th edition of the (JCERP) and, as ever, we are seeking authors who produce high-quality research and practice-oriented articles focused on the development and delivery of information security and cybersecurity curriculum, innovation in applied scholarship, and industry best practices in information security and cybersecurity in the enterprise for double-blind review and publication. The journal invites submissions on Information Security, Cybersecurity, …

Determinants Of Software-As-A-Service Adoption By Small And Medium Enterprises In Tanzania, Riziki Majengo, Mercy Mbise

The African Journal of Information Systems

Organizations in developed economies use the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model to improve performance and efficiency. However, its adoption in developing economies such as Tanzania is very low due to limited research on its adoption. This study enhances the adoption of SaaS in Tanzanian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by proposing a conceptual framework based on the diffusion of innovation theory and the technology-organization-environment framework and recommending strategies for improving adoption. The framework was tested using regression analysis on data collected from 139 SMEs. Findings show that eight factors, relative advantage, compatibility, awareness, cost, perceived security and privacy risk, reliability and availability, …

Challenges Smallholder Farmers Face In Extracting Value From Agricultural Information, Daniel Muhanguzi, John Ngubiri

The African Journal of Information Systems

Agricultural information can enhance smallholder farmers’ knowledge and decision-making ability, where the ubiquity of ICTs has resulted in an exponential increase of ICT based agricultural information services. However, there is still poor utilization of agricultural information. This study examines challenges that impede smallholder farmers from deriving value from agricultural information despite availability of information services. A mixed-method research approach was employed to gather data from 200 farmers using semi-structured interviews, Likert scale surveys and five focus group discussions. The findings indicate that the challenges faced include low education levels, poor quality information, poorly designed information channels, and high cost of …

Experimental Study To Assess The Impact Of Timers On User Susceptibility To Phishing Attacks, Amy E. Antonucci, Yair Levy, Laurie P. Dringus, Martha Snyder

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Social engineering costs organizations billions of dollars. It exploits the weakest link of information systems security, the users. It is well-documented in literature that users continue to click on phishing emails costing them and their employers significant monetary resources and data loss. Training does not appear to mitigate the effects of phishing much; other solutions are warranted. Kahneman introduced the concepts of System-One and System-Two thinking. System-One is a quick, instinctual decision-making process, while System-Two is a process by which humans use a slow, logical, and is easily disrupted. The key aim of our experimental field study was to investigate …

Faculty And Advisor Advice For Cybersecurity Students: Liberal Arts, Interdisciplinarity, Experience, Lifelong Learning, Technical Skills, And Hard Work, Brian K. Payne, Bria Cross, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The value of academic advising has been increasingly emphasized in higher education. In this study, attention is given to the most significant types of advice that a sample of cybersecurity faculty and advisors from the Commonwealth of Virginia recommend giving to cybersecurity students. The results show that faculty and advisors recommended that students be aware of six different aspects of cybersecurity education including the value of experience, the need for lifelong learning, the importance of hard work, the need to develop technical skills, the interdisciplinary nature of cybersecurity, and the need to develop liberal arts or professional/soft skills. Implications of …

Subject Matter Experts’ Feedback On Experimental Procedures To Measure User’S Judgment Errors In Social Engineering Attacks, Tommy Pollock, Yair Levy, Wei Li, Ajoy Kumar

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Distracted users can fail to correctly distinguish the differences between legitimate and malicious emails or search engine results. Mobile phone users can have a more challenging 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 research study was to design, develop, and validate a set of field experiments to assess user’s judgment when exposed to two types of simulated social engineering attacks: phishing and Potentially Malicious Search Engine Results (PMSER), based on the interaction of the environment (distracting vs. non-distracting) and type of device …

A Taxonomy Of Cyberattacks Against Critical Infrastructure, Miloslava Plachkinova, Ace Vo

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The current study proposes a taxonomy to organize existing knowledge on cybercrimes against critical infrastructure such as power plants, water treatment facilities, dams, and nuclear facilities. Routine Activity Theory is used to inform a three-dimensional taxonomy with the following dimensions: hacker motivation (likely offender), cyber, physical, and cyber-physical components of any cyber-physical system (suitable target), and security (capable guardian). The focus of the study is to develop and evaluate the classification tool using Design Science Research (DSR) methodology. Publicly available data was used to evaluate the utility and usability of the proposed artifact by exploring three possible scenarios – Stuxnet, …

The 2020 Twitter Hack – So Many Lessons To Be Learned, Paul D. Witman, Scott Mackelprang

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

In mid-July 2020, the social media site Twitter had over 100 of its most prominent user accounts start to tweet requests to send Bitcoin to specified Bitcoin wallets. The requests promised that the Bitcoin senders would receive their money back doubled, as a gesture of charity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The attack appears to have been carried out by a small group of hackers, leveraging social engineering to get access to internal Twitter support tools. These tools allowed the hackers to gain full control of the high-profile user accounts and post messages on their behalf. The attack provides many paths …

Editorial Vol 2021, No 2, Herbert J. Mattord, Michael E. Whitman, Hossain Shahriar

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Welcome to the Winter 2021 edition of the Journal for Cybersecurity Education, Research, and Practice.