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With the widespread use of online communications, users are extremely vulnerable to a myriad of deception attempts. This study aims to extend the literature on deception in computer-mediated communication by investigating whether the manner in which popularity information (PI) is presented and media richness affects users’ judgments.

This study developed a randomized, within and 2 × 3 between-subject experimental design. This study analyzed the main effects of PI and media richness on the imitation magnitude of veracity judges and the effect of the interaction between PI and media richness on the imitation magnitude of veracity judges.

The manner in which PI is presented to people affects their tendency to imitate others. Media richness also has a main effect; text-only messages resulted in greater imitation magnitude than those viewed in full audiovisual format. The findings showed an interaction effect between PI and media richness.

The findings of this study contribute to the information systems literature by introducing the notion of herd behavior to judgments of truthfulness and deception. Also, the medium over which PI was presented significantly impacted the magnitude of imitation tendency: PI delivered through text-only medium led to a greater extent of imitation than when delivered in full audiovisual format. This suggests that media richness alters the degree of imitating others’ decisions such that the leaner the medium, the greater the expected extent of imitation.

One of the key characteristics that distinguishes the family business from other firms is the importance of accruing and maintaining socioemotional wealth (SEW). Using an experimental design, this exploratory study investigates the communication practices of family business leaders responding to employees responsible for a business disruption. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether managers take action to protect SEW while responding to a crisis.

Three employees of a family firm participated in the experiment. A family member employee and a non-family employee were instructed to write a message informing a family member leader of a business disruption they created (infecting a computer with malware). The family member leader then received these messages and wrote a response to each employee. These responses were then content analyzed to determine whether messages expressed SEW importance and to see if SEW content differed based on the recipient’s familial status.

Content analysis of messages intended for family members and non-family employees indicated that messages intended for family members contain significantly different content associated with dimensions of Socioemotional Wealth Importance scale, particularly in terms of reinforcing family dominance, sustaining family continuity, and maintaining family enrichment.

This study is the first to examine crisis communication within the family firm and whether SEW endowment occurs via internal communication within the family firm. By utilizing an experiment, this study extends the SEW literature further by adding to the diversity of techniques utilized to study this topic.

An increasing amount of attention is being paid to the human side of information security programs, leading to research designs that require the manipulation of study variables. The purpose of this paper is to highlight a traditional assessment of such designs, the manipulation check, and examine how its absence can undermine otherwise solid research efforts.

This paper reviews literature from the fields of research methods, organizational behavior and information systems for extant perspectives and viewpoints on manipulation checks, which are then brought into the realm of information security research.

The possible risks involved with failing to perform manipulation checks are discussed, which include a possibility of making Type II errors. The paper provides further insight on the timing, method and manner in which manipulation checks can be performed.

A disappointing number of research articles in the area of information security fail to report manipulation checks when they should. This paper seeks to remind researchers to perform this vital assessment and to use the results accordingly.

There is widespread concern about the fact that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seem to be particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks. This is perhaps because smaller businesses lack sufficient situational awareness to make informed decisions in this space, or because they lack the resources to implement security controls and precautions.

In this paper, Endsley’s theory of situation awareness was extended to propose a model of SMEs’ cyber situational awareness, and the extent to which this awareness triggers the implementation of cyber security measures. Empirical data were collected through an online survey of 361 UK-based SMEs; subsequently, the authors used partial least squares modeling to validate the model.

The results show that heightened situational awareness, as well as resource availability, significantly affects SMEs’ implementation of cyber precautions and controls.

While resource limitations are undoubtedly a problem for SMEs, their lack of cyber situational awareness seems to be the area requiring most attention.

The findings of this study are reported and recommendations were made that can help to improve situational awareness, which will have the effect of encouraging the implementation of cyber security measures.

This is the first study to apply the situational awareness theory to understand why SMEs do not implement cyber security best practice measures.

The technological convergence of the means of mass communication has produced a new situation regarding intellectual property, particularly in connection with the internet. This paper gives an overview of the situation. Increasingly, information professionals find themselves in the battlefield between copyright holders and users. Two central EU Directives on copyright are analysed, especially regarding the consequences for libraries open to the public.

Sheds light on the process leading to new enterprise formation and identifies the impact of some selected demographic variables on business start‐ups. In contrast to traditional research methodologies, this study used a new and more comprehensive approach to survey entrepreneurial intention. It studied both those who actually set up a new business and those “nascent entrepreneurs” who abandoned their idea prior to trading. The findings of an empirical analysis of 93 such entrepreneurs are presented. Using multivariate techniques to analyse the data, the importance of three demographic variables ‐ gender, previous government employment and recent redundancy ‐ was identified as having potential negative influences on small business formation, and comparisons are made with past studies.

This paper aims to analyse the determinants of business start-ups and their impact on entrepreneurial performance. The theoretical part indicates that the importance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) considers the role of entrepreneur in the business process and provides an overview of theoretical and empirical findings in the main determinants of business start-ups.

The empirical part is based on quantitative survey results from a model of business start-up factors and relations with the entrepreneurs' performance. The data were analysed using the statistical package for data analysis SPSS for Windows. The factor analysis was performed separately for the set of variables that have measured the reasons for founding the start-up, the personality traits, environmental factors and performance. The paper used a multiple linear regression model to identify the strength, direction and impact of different factors on the start-up performance.

In general, the study identifies which indicators influence entrepreneurs' performance (personal and business) in the first years of their companies. The paper revealed the heterogeneity of the measures for performance and their different natures (from financial indicators to those related to the entrepreneur satisfaction). Consequently, one of the most significant findings of the research is that, in spite of the fact that the most commonly used indicators for the firm performance in the literature are financial, the paper should not neglect the so-called perceived performance. This is how entrepreneurs are satisfied with their success.

The study is limited to Slovenian SMEs, but can be generalised to other regions. The study offers notable contributions for research and practice (improvements in SME environmental factors).

The personal traits and appropriate business environments can have beneficial effects on the entrepreneur's perceived performance. The findings can be used to guide the government in efficient management of different dimensions of entrepreneur environment.

This study proved the existence of latent elements of the entrepreneur's perceived performance. It gives valuable information, which hopefully will help the policy makers and entrepreneurs to give greater respect to the meaning of critical personal and environmental factors.

Theory is needed for a discipline to mature. This research aims to provide a summary analysis of the theories being used in contemporary logistics and supply chain management (SCM) studies.

A comprehensive literature review of articles appearing in five top tier logistics and SCM journals is conducted in order to identify how often theory is used and to classify the specific theories used. An analysis of the theoretical categories is presented to explain the type and frequency of theory usage.

Over 180 specific theories were found within the sampled articles. Theories grouped under the competitive and microeconomics categories made up over 40 per cent of the theoretical incidences. This does not imply all articles utilize theory. The research found that theory was explicitly used in approximately 53 per cent of the sampled articles.

Two implications are central. First, in the minds of editors, reviewers and authors is approximately 53 per cent theory use enough? Literature suggests there continues to be a need for theory‐based research in the discipline. A first step may be to increase our theory use, and to clearly describe the theory being used. Second, the vast majority of theories used in recent logistics and SCM research originated in other disciplines. Growth in the discipline dictates the need for greater internal theory development.

Despite multiple calls for the use of theory in logistics and SCM, little formal research has been produced examining the actual theories being used. This research provides an in‐depth review and analysis of the use of theory in logistics and SCM research during the period 2004‐2009.