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Research on employee non-/compliance to information security policies suffers from inconsistent results and there is an ongoing discussion about the dominating survey research methodology and its potential effect on these results. This study aims to add to this discussion by investigating discrepancies between what the authors claim to measure (theoretical properties of variables) and what they actually measure (respondents’ interpretations of the operationalized variables). This study asks: How well do respondents’ interpretations of variables correspond to their theoretical definitions? What are the characteristics of any discrepancies between variable definitions and respondent interpretations?

This study is based on in-depth interviews with 17 respondents from the Swedish public sector to understand how they interpret questionnaire measurement items operationalizing the variables Perceived Severity from Protection Motivation Theory and Attitude from Theory of Planned Behavior.

The authors found that respondents’ interpretations in many cases differ substantially from the theoretical definitions. Overall, the authors found four principal ways in which respondents interpreted measurement items – referred to as property contextualization, extension, alteration and oscillation – each implying more or less (dis)alignment with the intended theoretical properties of the two variables examined.

The qualitative method used proved vital to better understand respondents’ interpretations which, in turn, is key for improving self-reporting measurement instruments. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is a first step toward understanding how precise and uniform definitions of variables’ theoretical properties can be operationalized into effective measurement items.

This study aims to collect empirical data and observe the type of influences that were causing impact to the implementation of information technology governance (ITG) mechanisms in Malaysia’s technical universities. This study enhanced the understanding on the status of ITG implementation and revealed internal and external influences that were shaping the types of ITG mechanisms implemented within universities and present a new perspective through the lens of resource-based view and continuous improvement.

This study focused on two Malaysia’s technical universities belongs under same university’s network. Five IT leaders involved in the implementations of ITG from each university were interviewed. Qualitative content analysis was used as the main analyzing method to extract categories and themes from the transcripts. Final results were produced after multiple efforts of refining categories and themes in ITG implementations.

The findings revealed that both Malaysia’s technical universities had more soundly implementations in structure mechanisms than relational and process mechanisms. The shaping of implemented mechanisms was influenced by environment surrounding the universities, internally and externally. The findings proposed that the internal and external factors are best addressed with the growth of internal ITG expertise.

This research was conducted on two of Malaysia’s technical universities that were under a university network. Although both universities had presented the exact trend in the type of ITG mechanisms implemented in the universities, more empirical data were needed to further solidify the findings from this study. Other than that, the major respondents for this research were middle-level IT officers and leaders in the universities. Further research could be conducted specifically on top-level managements to further understand the point of views of top managements in the aspect of ITG mechanisms implementations in universities.

This study discussed how each factor could influence the types of ITG mechanisms implemented in Malaysia’s technical universities and concluded the attentions needed to improve the overall environment for ITG implementations in universities through the lens of resource-based view and continuous improvement.

This research aspires to contribute in the area of exploration of the psychological traits evolving by practitioners within the project management profession. Specifically, it investigates whether there is any difference in optimism levels among experienced project management practitioners and newcomers in the profession.

The research used the life orientation test-revised (LOTR) (Scheier et al., 1994) to calculate respondents’ optimism scores. With these scores at hand, the researchers could then apply inferential statistics in order to deduce any differences observed among optimism score and the respondents’ characteristics (age, years of experience etc.).

Based on the results of this research, several demographic variables were shown to be statistically significant with optimism. These were (1) the number of years of experience the respondent had in managing projects, (2) working in a government organisation and (3) possessing specific project management certifications, all of which were found to adversely affect the respondent’s optimism score.

This research was unique in applying a well-known psychological test instrument (LOTR) to provide insight into the psychological impacts of a career as an information technology (IT) project manager. It is also highly likely that this correlation between the length of time working as a project manager and the adverse impact on their optimism would also apply to not just IT project managers but all experienced project managers.

The innovativeness of dressmakers is a concern to respondents to satisfy their clothing needs. The purpose of this study is to determine the criteria that respondents use to judge the quality of clothing and its influences on the innovative ability of dressmakers in the clothing manufacturing industries.

Three hundred and ninety-seven (397) respondents in the Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana filled out a questionnaire, and the results were used to compile data for the study. The sample size was calculated using Miller and Brewer formula. The data was analysed using structural equational modelling with the SmartPLS v.4 software.

The results showed that respondents are very interested in the calibre of clothing produced by their dressmakers. However, the study revealed that when evaluating the quality of a garment, respondents do not simply accept what has been sewn for them but also consider the performance, appearance, fit and shape of the garment. Findings revealed that there was a significant relationship between garment appearance quality (t = 2.605; p < 0.05), garment performance quality (t = 3.915; p < 0.05), garment shape quality (t = 6.248; p <0.05) and fashion innovations. Subsequently, the evaluation of garment fit quality by respondents revealed it does not bring about innovations (t = 1.310; p > 0.05).

The continuous evaluation of custom-made clothing from customers will go a long way towards highlighting the relative criteria they use to evaluate the innovation of dressmakers. This will help improve the creativity of the dressmakers since such feedback will help them understand and innovate their production skills to meet the preferences of customers.

The present study provides an in-depth understanding of how garment quality evaluation by customers influences the innovation of dressmakers in Takoradi, Ghana. The constructs were developed for the study to capture the appropriate data from customers for the study. This presents an evaluation criterion on four garment quality variables imperative for use or modification by other studies.

The current study investigates perceptions of street harassment from a linguistic perspective. With regard to the theory of speech acts, some may deem street remarks as compliments instead of catcalls. There is a lack of linguistic research regarding the issue conducted with a Bruneian demographic. This study recognises the difference in the use of language by men and women and aims to find whether there is a difference in their perceptions of street remarks.

A method of triangulation between questionnaire surveys and focus group interviews was carried out to actualise these aims. Thirty-two female and thirty-two male respondents from the survey were used to conclude quantitative findings, whereas three male and three female participants were recruited for the focus group interview. Data were analysed through a t-test and discourse analysis consecutively.

Quantitative data (p = 0.398) reveal that both men and women perceive street remarks almost equally as a form of street harassment. However, qualitative data reveal that male language and behaviour portray a more positive and tolerant attitude.

This study provides evidence of the difference in perceptions between men and women towards street harassment.

This study explores a relatively unexplored area, that is investigating street remarks in a non-Western context, where the demographic could have different perceptions towards street remarks.

The purpose of this paper is to examine FaceReader as a tool to compare the olfactory preferences of two selected countries. This paper examines the olfactory preferences of customers in the bakery department of a grocery store in the Slovak and the Spanish market.

The aim of this study is to examine subconscious/unconscious preferences in the selection of aromas suitable for the bakery department in the Slovak and the Spanish market. In this case, it is not a classical qualitative sensory testing of the perception of fragrances. The aim is to identify the associations of scents related to the selected sales department through images of the selected aromas. A special platform is used to obtain subconscious/unconscious feedback, which allows online collection of implicit feedback using the software FaceReader 7.

The authors noticed the different moods of the two groups of respondents when they answered the question about what they associate with the smell of bakery products. The Spanish respondents were slightly pleasantly disposed, while the Slovak respondents were slightly unpleasantly disposed. The smell of bakery products evoked more memories and emotions in the Spanish respondents than in the Slovak respondents, which can be explained by the higher pleasant mood. The main contribution of this work lies in the new opportunities to obtain feedback that can be used in marketing research and that rely not only on explicit but also implicit data. The extension of the methodological apparatus to implicit feedback presupposes some form of control of the data collected by the questionnaire. The use of biometric tools can represent an efficient alternative in terms of time and money to the use of neuroimaging tools in the selection/research of aromas for specific stores/departments.

It must be noted that the sample is small, and adequate conclusions cannot be made about entire population. Based on empirical findings and pandemic-related limitations, the authors plan to conduct similar research with real aroma samples and with even larger sample of tested respondents, considering weather, season, olfactory sensitivity (anosmia, hyposmia and normosmia) and participant fatigue (beginning and end of the week).

Today, marketers are facing the greatest challenge of how to attract consumers’ attention. Every individual has a different perception of the shopping environment based on his own experience, beliefs and attitudes. This is why new marketing techniques and approaches are becoming increasingly popular in the marketing environment.

El objetivo de esta investigación es examinar FaceReader como una herramienta para comparar las preferencias olfativas entre dos países. Concretamente, examinamos las preferencias olfativas de los clientes en el departamento de panadería de un supermercado en el mercado eslovaco y español.

El objetivo de este estudio es examinar las preferencias subconscientes/inconscientes en la selección de aromas adecuados para el departamento de panadería en el mercado eslovaco y español. En este caso, no se trata de una prueba sensorial cualitativa clásica de la percepción de fragancias. El objetivo es identificar las asociaciones de olores relacionados con el departamento de ventas seleccionado a través de imágenes de los aromas seleccionados. Se utiliza una plataforma especial para obtener comentarios subconscientes/inconscientes, que permite la recopilación en línea de comentarios implícitos utilizando el software FaceReader 7.

Observamos diferentes estados de ánimo de los dos grupos de encuestados cuando respondieron a la pregunta sobre qué asociaban con el olor de los productos de panadería. Los encuestados españoles estaban ligeramente más predispuestos hacia aromas más agradables, mientras que los encuestados eslovacos estaban ligeramente más predispuestos hacia aromas menos agradables. El olor de los productos de panadería evocó más recuerdos y emociones en los encuestados españoles que en los eslovacos, lo que puede explicarse por el estado de ánimo. La principal contribución de este trabajo radica en las nuevas oportunidades para obtener comentarios que pueden ser utilizados en investigaciones de marketing y que no solo se basan en datos explícitos, sino también implícitos. La ampliación del aparato metodológico para obtener comentarios implícitos presupone algún tipo de control de los datos recopilados mediante el cuestionario. El uso de herramientas biométricas puede representar una alternativa eficiente en términos de tiempo y dinero al uso de herramientas de neuroimagen en la selección/investigación de aromas para tiendas/departamentos específicos.

Debe tenerse en cuenta que la muestra utilizada es pequeña y no se pueden extrapolar conclusiones para toda la población. Basándonos en los resultados empíricos y con las limitaciones relacionadas con la pandemia, planeamos realizar una investigación similar con muestras de aroma reales y con una muestra aún más grande de encuestados, considerando el clima, la temporada, la sensibilidad olfativa (anosmia, hiposmia, normosmia) y la fatiga de los participantes (inicio y fin de semana).

Hoy en día, los profesionales del marketing se enfrentan al gran desafío de cómo atraer la atención de los consumidores. Cada individuo tiene una percepción diferente del entorno de compra basada en su propia experiencia, creencias y actitudes. Es por eso que las nuevas técnicas y enfoques de marketing se están volviendo cada vez más populares en el entorno del marketing.

本文旨在探讨FaceReader在比较斯洛伐克和西班牙两个国家的顾客嗅觉偏好方面的效用。我们以斯洛伐克和西班牙市场一家食品杂货店的面点部门顾客为研究对象, 考察其嗅觉偏好。

本研究的目标是探讨在斯洛伐克和西班牙市场选择适合面点部门的香气时潜在的/无意识的偏好。与传统的定性感官测试不同, 我们旨在通过选定香气的图像识别与选定销售部门相关的气味的联想, 并通过FaceReader 7软件在线收集隐性反馈。

我们观察到两组受访者在回答关于面点产品气味联想时的心境差异。西班牙受访者略带愉悦, 而斯洛伐克受访者略带不悦。西班牙受访者对面点产品的气味引起的记忆和情感更为丰富, 这可能是由更高愉悦心境所解释的。该研究的主要贡献在于提供了在营销研究中利用反馈的新机会, 该反馈不仅依赖于明确的数据, 还依赖于隐性数据。将方法学工具扩展到隐性反馈的前提是以某种形式对问卷收集的数据进行控制。在为特定商店/部门选择/研究香气方面, 相对于使用神经影像工具在时间和金钱方面的花费, 生物测定工具的使用可以作为高效替代。

由于本研究的样本量较小, 因此不能对整个人口做出充分的结论。基于经验发现和受到大流行病限制, 我们计划进行类似研究, 使用真实的香气样本, 并考虑更大规模的受试者样本, 同时考虑到天气、季节、嗅觉敏感度（嗅觉缺失、嗅觉减退、正常嗅觉）和参与者疲劳程度（周初和周末）对受试者的影响。

当今, 营销人员面临着吸引消费者注意的最大挑战。每个个体根据其自身经验、信仰和态度对购物环境有着不同的感知。因此, 在营销环境中, 新的营销技术和方法变得越来越受欢迎。

This study aims to explore how information technology (IT) professionals perceive work-life balance (WLB) in a work-from-home (WFH) setup. Additionally, it explores what emotions one may associate with such changing work environments, which have high implications for organisational success.

The two primary research questions guided this research. An online questionnaire-based survey was conducted to collect the data so that respondents’ both subjective and objective perceptions were documented. Purposive cum snowball sampling was used to collect data from 262 IT professionals. However, the data was analysed using both qualitative (content analysis) and quantitative (chi-square) techniques.

The findings of this study are interesting in nature and reported the work-life experiences at various socio-demographic levels (age, gender, educational qualification, designation, work experience, income, type of family and the number of children). The comprehensive examination of the data obtained from diverse aspects related to remote work environments has shed light on crucial facets impacting IT professionals. A predominant observation derived from the study reveals a significant disparity in working hours between male and female respondents during remote work. This discrepancy is notable, with male employees tending to work longer hours (i.e. 10 or more hours daily) than their female counterparts. The investigation into respondents’ sleep patterns revealed that the majority slept between 5 h and 7 h daily, underscoring reduced sleep hours for IT professionals during remote work. This comprehensive study thus emphasises the multifaceted nature of gender-associated influences on work patterns, health and well-being during remote work scenarios among IT professionals. As remote work is the new normal, this study has high implications for future work arrangements and organisational success.

The findings of the study will assist managers in dealing with the work conflict issue of remote workers. Importantly, these managers should try eliminating or reducing workplace conflict, emotional exhaustion and social overload associated with remote work.

This study is a humble attempt to highlight the employee’s WLB in the context of WFH in an emerging market (i.e. India). Furthermore, emphasises practical issues associated with changing work paradigms and concludes with interesting recommendations for future work arrangements.

Discusses the results of a telephone survey of course leaders in taught Masters‐level courses in the LIS sector in the UK, which sought to gather information about the role of the course leader and course leaders’ perceptions of that role. A response rate of 62.5 per cent was achieved. The interviews dealt with the duties of the course leader in relation to admissions, the subject content of the course, respondents’ major administrative duties, their role in managing the course and in course evaluation. Respondents were also asked what they saw as being their major successes and where they felt that improvements could be made in their funtioning. Results show that respondents were keen to participate in the survey and had strongly held views on many of the points raised. Concerns related chiefly to lack of resources and time to perform their role ably and effectively. For a number of respondents successes related primarily to interaction with students, while others were proud of achievements in management or administration of the course. There was evidence that respondents felt closely associated with the course. A significant number emphasised not the weight of this responsibility but that their responsibility was not supported by authority or executive power.

The integration of the Internet has affected all functions of the library, particularly reference services. In the reference department, this integration has led to the utilisation of new tools and methods for providing information to library users. This study investigates the effect of the Internet on reference services in Malaysian academic libraries. The objective of the study was to find out how the integration of the Internet has affected reference professionals and services. The study also investigated respondents’ perceptions of the importance of the Internet in reference work. A total of 40 library professionals working in the reference department of nine Malaysian academic libraries participated in the study. Respondents felt that the Internet has contributed positively to reference work and has enhanced their effectiveness and efficiency. However, a majority of them disagreed that the Internet should completely replace traditional reference tools. Respondents also felt that reference librarians should possess good computing and Internet use skills for providing effective reference services.

Reports a survey which investigated the funding of library research in six federal government owned universities in Nigeria, and the impact of research funding on the publication output of librarians. Findings indicate that research is either self‐funded, or funded by the respondents’ employers, and an insignificant number have been funded by international agencies. Grants are given for postgraduate degree and personal research. About half the respondents see the research grants they receive to be either fairly adequate or adequate: but the majority expressed dissatisfaction with their research allowances. All agreed that enhanced research grants and allowances would lead to a greater research output. Most publications produced by the respondents resulted from self‐funded research, followed by research sponsored by grants from employers, and lastly from researches funded by foundations, agencies and associations.