A Study on the Dual Mediating Effects of Individual Optimistic Bias and Information Security Intent in the Relationship between Information Security Attitude and Information Security Behavior of Social Welfare College Students

The Big Five Factors Model (FFM) of personality traits theory was tested for its ability to explain employee information security behavior (EISB), when age, measured by generational cohort (GCOHORT), moderated the relationship between the independent variables (IVs) extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, intellect (EACESI) and the dependent variable (DV), employees’ information security behavior (EISB) which is measured by file protection behavior (FPB). Three age groups defined GCOHORT: 52–70 years old (1946–1964, Baby Boomers), 36–51 yrs old (1965–1980, Generation X), and 18– 35 yrs. Old (1981–1998, Millennial). Results of hierarchical multiple regressions analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between overall personality traits, four individual factors of personality traits, and the DV (p < .05). However, contrary to expectations, GCOHORT did not moderate the relationship between any of the main IVs and the DV (p > .05). Recommendations for future research are offered.

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The effects of moral disengagement and organizational ethical climate on insiders’ information security policy violation behavior

Information Technology and People ◽

10.1108/itp-12-2017-0421 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 973-992 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hao Chen ◽

Patrick Y.K. Chau ◽

Wenli Li

Keyword(s):

Information Security ◽

Security Policy ◽

Moral Disengagement ◽

Ethical Climate ◽

Content Type ◽

Information Security Behavior ◽

Security Behavior ◽

Organizational Ethical Climate ◽

The Relationship ◽

Moderating Role

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a model that integrates moral disengagement (MD) and organizational ethical climate (OEC) to understand information security policy (ISP) violation behavior in the workplace. This study extends prior work by identifying the moderating mechanisms of the ethical culture of OECs in the relationship between employees’ MD and ISP violation behavior intention. Design/methodology/approach By using scenario-based survey data from 433 employees in Chinese enterprises and by applying PLS-based structural equation modeling, the authors test a series of hypotheses. Findings Our empirical results highlight that the concept of MD has a significant effect on employees’ intention to violate ISPs. The authors also find that the OEC has a moderating role in the relationship between MD and ISP violation intention: the moderating role of law-and-rule-oriented OEC is significantly negative, but instrumentalism-oriented OEC positively moderates this relationship. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on information security behavior by integrating two ethical theory frameworks MD and OECs into one theoretical model, and it calls attention to how ethical factors at the individual cognition level and organizational climate level work together to influence personal information security behavior. This study provides a new perspective of OEC from which to understand policy violation caused by moral self-regulation failure, and empirically explores its moderating role.

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