Business Commons^™

How State Universities Are Addressing The Shortage Of Cybersecurity Professionals In The United States, Gary Harris

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Cybersecurity threats have been a serious and growing problem for decades. In addition, a severe shortage of cybersecurity professionals has been proliferating for nearly as long. These problems exist in the United States and globally and are well documented in literature. This study examined what state universities are doing to help address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals since higher education institutions are a primary source to the workforce pipeline. It is suggested that the number of cybersecurity professionals entering the workforce is related to the number of available programs. Thus increasing the number of programs will increase the number of …

The Use Of Selected Social Media Platforms By South African-Listed Companies For Stakeholder Engagement, Kashmira Hansjee, Zakiyyah Varachia, Dannielle Cerbone

The African Journal of Information Systems

This study aimed to determine whether South African-listed companies use social media to engage with stakeholders. Emerging economies are experiencing rapid growth, which increases the need for transparent communication to build trust with investors to facilitate resource exchange. Social media has changed many aspects of communication by offering instant, interactive channels that can reach numerous stakeholders. However, there is limited research into the utilization of social media for stakeholder communication within emerging economies. This study aimed to address that topic and examined the social media practices of listed entities to determine whether companies use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for …

Leveraging Propagation Delay For Wormhole Detection In Wireless Networks, Harry May, Travis Atkison

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Detecting and mitigating wormhole attacks in wireless networks remains a critical challenge due to their deceptive nature and potential to compromise network integrity. This paper proposes a novel approach to wormhole detection by leveraging propagation delay analysis between network nodes. Unlike traditional methods that rely on signature-based detection or specialized hardware, our method focuses on analyzing propagation delay timings to identify anomalous behavior indicative of wormhole attacks. The proposed methodology involves collecting propagation delay data in both normal network scenarios and scenarios with inserted malicious wormhole nodes. By comparing these delay timings, our approach aims to differentiate between legitimate network …

Warhol Speaks: How One Museum Leverages Communications Strategies To Engage In An Era Of Innovation And Value Creation, Kristina Kaufman, Peter Kaufman

Atlantic Marketing Journal

As museums face increasing competition for guests amidst a growing number of cultural options, these institutions are challenged to reinvent themselves to offer a more modern experience for guests that addresses inclusivity, and a balance of active (engaging) and passive (reflective) experiences. This paper documents researcher observation at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Through the lens of sensory perception theory, several themes emerge as communication strategies that aim to offer visitor engagement and added value. This paper analyzes and highlights how museums can offer multisensory experiences which cater to guests’ ability to cognitively invest and engage with the …

Brand Engagement Through Branded Mobile Apps Among The “Small-Screen” Gen, Waros Ngamsiriudom, Trang Phuc Tran, Russell K. Lemken

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Using the technology acceptance model, this study examines the combined impact of brand and technology on users' intention to continue using the branded app. A Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling with data from 454 experienced branded app users reveals two mechanisms: perceived usefulness has a favorable influence on the customer-brand connection, and perceived simplicity of use improves the customer's brand experience. Branded app interactions and experiences increase customer brand engagement, resulting in continued use. The study offers managerial insights for businesses looking to improve brand experiences using mobile technology, highlighting the importance of technology-driven marketing tactics and user-friendly branded …

A Breadth Review Of Digital Landscape And Related Foundational Theories, Jie Gao Fowler, Amy Watson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The dominating information technology of the present time is digital media. Platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok encourage new types of connection, influencing friendships, family and peer groups, and business relationships while reshaping public involvement and discourse through influencers, memes, and viral media. However, algorithms dictate how social media is consumed, as well as the influence these platforms can have on individuals and society. As a result, the primary goal of this study is to investigate the impact of social media/artificial intelligence on society. This study examines the digital media ecosystem and its interaction with today's customers in depth. Furthermore, …

College Students’ Financial Literacy At An Eastern Kentucky Regional University, Hannah Barrett, Steve S. Chen, Christy L. Trent

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Financial literacy is essential knowledge for recent college graduates to be able to manage a stable job, career, and personal wealth. This study examined the financial literacy of 228 college students (49.8% males; 50.2% females) at a regional public university in Eastern Kentucky. The participants were randomly invited to complete a 22-item online financial literacy survey, which was created based on the work of Cude et al. (2006). The survey contents included five demographic questions and 17 five-point Likert scales (1= strongly agree/ always, 5= strongly disagree/ never) to rate participants’ knowledge on investing, saving, budgeting, and credit. The data …

Privacy Perceptions On Personal Data And Data Breaches In South Africa, Phillip Nyoni, Mthulisi Velempini, Nehemiah Mavetera

The African Journal of Information Systems

Research shows that data breaches often occur when organizations fail to protect users’ personal data sufficiently well. Many devices are connected to the Internet such as mobile phones, smart cars, wearables and ‘Things’ which increase the number of potential entry points into data stores. This paper discusses the potential data privacy risks that users face online. The study used online content analysis and surveys to establish the privacy perceptions of users and trends of data breaches in South Africa. The findings reveal that users have a positive perception of data managers and view them as knowledgeable in data protection. Nevertheless, …

Using Gamification To Enhance Mastery Of Network Security Concepts, Kevin Hilliard, Xiaohong Yuan, Kelvin Bryant, Jinsheng Xu, Jinghua Zhang

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Gamification has proven to be effective in engaging and encouraging people to work towards and achieve goals. Many students struggle to focus on schoolwork, due to a lack of interest, lack of understanding, or other factors unique to the student. Applying gamification elements to education can help engage these students in learning their course material and help them excel academically. This study examines the effectiveness of using gamification techniques to enhance the learning experience in college Computer Science courses. A video game application is utilized to review and reinforce cybersecurity concepts that students have already been taught in class. Previous …

Development Of Cyber Security Platform For Experiential Learning, Abhishek Vaish, Ravindra Kumar, Samo Bobek, Simona Sternad

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The cyber security education market has grown-up exponentially, with a CAGR of 13.9 % as reported by Data Intelo. The report published by the World Economic Fo- rum 2023 indicates a shortfall of 2.27 million cyber security experts in 2021 across different roles and hence manifest that Skill-based cyber security education is the need of the hour. Cybersecurity as a field has evolved as a multi-discipline, multi-stakeholder and multi-role discipline. Therefore, the need to address formal education with an outcome-based philosophy is imperative to address for a wider audience with varied past training in their formal education. With the Internet …

An Alternative Approach To Data Carving Portable Document Format (Pdf) Files, Kevin Hughes, Michael Black

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Traditional data carving relies on the successful identification of headers and trailers, unique hexadecimal signatures which are exclusive to specific file types. This can present a challenge for digital forensics examiners when pitted against modern anti-forensics techniques. The interest of this study is file signature obfuscation, a technique which alters headers and trailers. This research will focus on the development of a new, proof-of-concept algorithm that analyzes content in segments based on unique elements found within the body of a file. The file type being targeted is the Portable Document Format (PDF) and this research is built upon previously successful …

Digital Technology Affordances Reshaping Entrepreneurship Development Process: A Systematic Review, Emmanuel Okoro Ajah

The African Journal of Information Systems

Digital technology has brought about the emergence of digital entrepreneurship, which has significantly disrupted existing products and services and the way that they are marketed. This new wave of entrepreneurship has piqued the interest of scholars from various disciplines, including Information Systems. However, in the literature, there are insufficient theoretical explanations of digital technology's role in the processes involved in digital entrepreneurship development. To address this, a systematic review was conducted to comprehensively explore digital technology affordances in digital entrepreneurship development. Such affordances are the factors that cause the digitalization of the events that characterize digital entrepreneurship development. The outcome …

Crisis Management: Unveiling Information And Communication Technologies’ Revamped Role Through The Lens Of Sub-Saharan African Countries During Covid-19, Ruthbetha Kateule, Egidius Kamanyi, Mahadia Tunga

The African Journal of Information Systems

The management of COVID-19 pandemic has revealed inefficiencies in coordinating global response, particularly in African countries. Therefore, creating an urgent need to examine the literature on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in crisis management to appreciate its contextual role. Employing a systematic review, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA), this paper critically assessed the extent of the use of ICT in crisis management in Africa’s response to COVID-19 to reconstruct its resilience against future crises. Findings indicate that while countries with limited ICT infrastructure faced considerable challenges in utilizing ICT solutions in COVID-19 management, countries …

Get Smart About Your Money, Sharonda Singleton Brown, Imani Beverly, Jacquelyn J. Daniel

Georgia Library Quarterly

“Get Smart About Your Money” was an event held at the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Robert W. Woodruff Library for Money Smart Week 2023. The goal of the event was to introduce the new business librarian, promote financial literacy in the Atlanta University Center community, and participate in National Money Smart Week.

Factors Influencing The Perceptions Of Human-Computer Interaction Curriculum Developers In Higher Education Institutions During Curriculum Design And Delivery, Cynthia Augustine, Salah Kabanda

The African Journal of Information Systems

Computer science (CS) and information systems students seeking to work as software developers upon graduating are often required to create software that has a sound user experience (UX) and meets the needs of its users. This includes addressing unique user, context, and infrastructural requirements. This study sought to identify the factors that influence the perceptions of human-computer interaction (HCI) curriculum developers in higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing economies of Africa when it comes to curriculum design and delivery. A qualitative enquiry was conducted and consisted of fourteen interviews with HCI curriculum developers and UX practitioners in four African countries. …

Teaching Digital And Social Media Marketing Through Community Engagement: An Online Asynchronous Class Longitudinal Case Study, Joie Hain, Anita Whiting

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Abstract - While marketing educators have identified the need for community engagement projects within the marketing curriculum, there is little research on implementing a community engagement project in marketing, especially in digital marketing. Therefore, this longitudinal case study aims to demonstrate how a community engagement project was implemented into digital and social media marketing classes at one university. This case study discusses (1) how the community engagement project was developed, (2) the work conducted, and (3) the results provided to the client. This case study also provides feedback from both students and the client. Overall, students were pleased with the …

Honesty In Marketing Communications: The Role Of Humor, Can Trinh

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Amid the crisis of trust in the marketplace, there have been increasing calls for advertisers to show more honesty in marketing communications. However, firms are still hesitant to follow suit out of concerns that more honesty may mean more losses than gains. Against such background, there is still scant empirical evidence about the effect of honest marketing communications on marketing outcomes to help provide practical guidance for marketers. The present research helps fill this crucial gap by examining the role of humor in honest marketing communications. Three studies in this research reveal novel insights that an interrelationship exists between humor …

The Impact Of “Humorous” Ads Featuring Social Media Influencers On Perceptions Of The Influencer, Brand, And Purchase Intention, Jason L. Snyder, Robert Forbus

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The present study explored the use of humor in social media ads that featured both a product being advertised and a social media influencer (SMI). Using extant literature and the theory of planned behavior as guides, the goal of the study was to explore the role of perceived humorousness on consumer perceptions of the SMI, the ad, the brand, and consumer purchase intentions. The experiment (N = 292) exposed self-identified males living in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 40 to one of two versions of an ad for a men’s grooming product. The ads were run …

The Effect Of Consumer Socialization, Perceived Employee Identification, And Flexibility On Store Loyalty For Beauty Products, Harash Sachdev

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The survey data from a Chinese university suggests that consumer socialization and digital engagement profoundly influence employees' identification with their retailers. This identification, in turn, empowers retailers to become more flexible and adaptive to consumers' ever-changing needs, resulting in higher levels of store loyalty. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis revealed that retailers’ flexibility was vital in mediating employee identification and store loyalty.

Familiarity, Sensationalism, And Forward Referencing In Celebrity Clickbait: Effects On Curiosity And Click Intention, Cynthia B. Hanson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study investigates the effects of celebrity familiarity, sensational copy, and forward referencing on curiosity and intention to click on a digital post using a 2 (familiar/unfamiliar celebrity) X 2 (high/low sensationalism) X 2 (high/low knowledge gap) experimental design. The results show that curiosity and click intention are significantly greater when the copy points to missing information and when familiarity is greater, supporting the information gap theory of curiosity and illustrating its application to the forward referencing technique used in clickbait. However, contrary to expectations, sensational copy produced lower levels of arousal, curiosity, and click intention, suggesting a backlash against …

The Impact Of The Anthem Protest Movement And Covid On Nfl Viewership, George W. Stone, Michael A. Jones, Kirsten Passyn

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research is based on 3 different surveys conducted over several NFL football seasons. The first study investigated the impact of the Anthem Protest Movement on the attitude of NFL fans. The “Anthem Protest” reemerged during the 2020 season during the “lockdown” season associated with the COVID epidemic. Co-mingled with COVID and societal unrest, many analysts were predicting irreparable harm to the NFL’s once indomitable position as America’s favorite sport resulting from this confluence of events. Given the importance of the topic in terms of future NFL fan support, this report looks back over the last several NFL seasons to …

How Politics Affects Practitioner Attitudes Of Marketing Faculty Interns, William T. Neese, W. Frank Thompson, Charla Brown

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Marketing student internships are widely discussed in the literature, yet little has been published regarding the value of marketing faculty internships. In applied disciplines like marketing, faculty internships can bridge experience gaps between theory and practice and help provide critical information to keep the curriculum current. Unfortunately, politics can manifest itself as one barrier to academic engagement with the business community. To explore this potential problem, we first test a model that measures the influence political party combined with political ideology has on three Contempt-Anger-Disgust (CAD) outcome measures common in psychology literature. We model a statistically significant political backdrop that …

A Review Of River And Small Ship Cruising In The Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, And Eastern Canadian Markets, Mark Mitchell, Michael Dowd, Paul Clark

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Currently, there is a lack of cruise industry related articles in the tourism, business, and marketing literature. This manuscript provides an overview of river and small ship cruise activity in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada in three geographic clusters and waterways: (1) Mid-Atlantic Coast; (2) New England Coast and Canadian Maritimes; and (3) Eastern Canada & the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The existing cruise options in each market are identified. The operating characteristics of this region that aid and challenge cruise operators are then explored. Finally, the Product-Market Growth Matrix is used to present growth strategies available to …

The Influence Of Job Embeddedness On Voluntary Salesforce Turnover, James Deconinck, Drew Carnes, Mary Beth Deconinck

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Turnover is a critical issue encountered by organizations. However, salesforce turnover is especially important for companies given the vital role played by salespeople. This study developed and tested a model of turnover among a sample of 331 business-to-business salespeople. The results indicate that perceived supervisor support, perceived organizational support, and supervisor satisfaction are important variables indirectly impacting salespersons’ search behavior and voluntary turnover through job embeddedness.

Person-Supervisor Fit Antecedents: Self Determination Theory In Salesforce Turnover Intention, Ilgim Benoit, Jeffrey R. Foreman, Bonnie S. Guy

Atlantic Marketing Journal

In this paper, by utilizing Self-Determination Theory (SDT), we discuss possible antecedents for Person-Supervisor (PS) fit, which is important in decreasing turnover intentions of salespeople. Specifically, this is the first paper to discuss autonomy, relatedness and competence as social antecedent variables that are influential in predicting the PS fit, which is the congruence of values and goals of salespeople and sales managers, that ultimately decreases turnover intentions of salespeople. Survey results show that autonomy and relatedness are both positively related to salespeople’s perception of PS fit, and have indirect effects on turnover intention through PS fit. Accordingly, by enhancing relatedness, …

Comparing Cognitive Theories Of Learning Transfer To Advance Cybersecurity Instruction, Assessment, And Testing, Daniel T. Hickey Ph.D., Ronald J. Kantor

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The cybersecurity threat landscape evolves quickly, continually, and consequentially. This means that the transfer of cybersecurity learning is crucial. We compared how different recognized “cognitive” transfer theories might help explain and synergize three aspects of cybersecurity education. These include teaching and training in diverse settings, assessing learning formatively & summatively, and testing & measuring achievement, proficiency, & readiness. We excluded newer sociocultural theories and their implications for inclusion as we explore those theories elsewhere. We first summarized the history of cybersecurity education and proficiency standards considering transfer theories. We then explored each theory and reviewed the most relevant cybersecurity education …

It Deployment And Integration – An Assessment Of Enabling And Inhibiting Factors, Lesley Matshwane, Carl Marnewick

The African Journal of Information Systems

Although delivery of services in South Africa is the responsibility of all spheres of government, the provision of basic services lies at the doorstep of local municipalities. Local municipalities have, for many reasons, frequently been unable to live up to this mandate despite the fact that some of the challenges that they face can be addressed by using IT. This paper assesses factors enabling and inhibiting the efficient deployment and integration of IT in local municipalities. The technological, organizational and environmental (TOE) framework was deployed to assess the factors. A multiple case study in which semi-structured interviews were conducted produced …

Blockchain Applications In Higher Education Based On The Nist Cybersecurity Framework, Brady Lund Ph.D.

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This paper investigates the integration of blockchain technology into core systems within institutions of higher education, utilizing the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework as a guiding framework. It supplies definitions of key terminology including blockchain, consensus mechanisms, decentralized identity, and smart contracts, and examines the application of secure blockchain across various educational functions such as enrollment management, degree auditing, and award processing. Each facet of the NIST Framework is utilized to explore the integration of blockchain technology and address persistent security concerns. The paper contributes to the literature by defining blockchain technology applications and opportunities within …

Improving Belonging And Connectedness In The Cybersecurity Workforce: From College To The Profession, Mary Beth Klinger

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This article explores the results of a project aimed at supporting community college students in their academic pursuit of an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Cybersecurity through mentorship, collaboration, skill preparation, and other activities and touch points to increase students’ sense of belonging and connectedness in the cybersecurity profession. The goal of the project was focused on developing diverse, educated, and skilled cybersecurity personnel for employment within local industry and government to help curtail the current regional cybersecurity workforce gap that is emblematic of the lack of qualified cybersecurity personnel that presently exists nationwide. Emphasis throughout the project …

University Of Johannesburg Institutional Repository Cybersecurity Output: 2015-2021 Interdisciplinary Study, Mancha J. Sekgololo

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This study examines cybersecurity awareness in universities by analyzing related research output across different disciplines at the University of Johannesburg. The diffusion of innovation theory is used in this study as a theoretical framework to explain how cybersecurity awareness diffuses across disciplines. The University of Johannesburg Institutional Repository database was the data source for this study. Variations in cybersecurity keyword searches and topic modeling techniques were used to identify the frequency and distribution of research output across different disciplines. The study reveals that cybersecurity awareness has diffused across various disciplines, including non-computer science disciplines such as business, accounting, and social …