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Aim/Purpose This paper examines the behavior of financial firm employees with regard to information security procedures instituted within their organization. Furthermore, the effect of information security awareness and its importance within a firm is explored. Background The study focuses on employees' attitude toward compliance with information security policies (ISP), combined with various norms and personal abilities. Methodology A self-reported questionnaire was distributed among 202 employees of a large financial Corporation Contribution As far as we know, this is the first paper to thoroughly explore employees' awareness of information system procedures, among financial organizations in Israel, and also the first to develop operative recommendations for these organizations aimed at increasing ISP compliance behavior. The main contribution of this study is that it investigates compliance with information security practices among employees of a defined financial corporation operating under rigid regulatory governance, confidentiality and privacy of data, and stringent requirements for compliance with information security procedures. Findings Our results indicate that employees' attitudes, normative beliefs and personal capabilities to comply with firm's ISP, have positive effects on the firm's ISP compliance. Also, employees' general awareness of IS, as well as awareness to ISP within the firm, positively affect employees' ISP compliance. Recommendations for Practitioners This study can help information security managers identify the motivating factors for employee behavior to maintain information security procedures, properly channel information security resources, and manage appropriate information security behavior. Recommendations for Researchers Researchers can see that corporate rewards and sanctions have significant effects on employee security behavior, but other motivational factors also reinforce the ISP's compliance behavior. Distinguishing between types of corporations and organizations is essential to understanding employee compliance with information security procedures. Impact on Society This study offers another level of understanding of employee behavior with regard to information security in organizations and comprises a significant contribution to the growing knowledge in this area. The research results form an important basis for IS policymakers, culture designers, managers, and those directly responsible for IS in the organization. Future Research Future work should sample employees from another type of corporation from other fields and should apply qualitative analysis to explore other aspects of behavioral patterns related to the subject matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around two decades have passed since higher education institutions began incorporating the internet as an alternative studying environment, together with frontal class teaching and learning. This kind of environment still poses meaningful challenges for students and teachers that take an active part in E-learning courses. Today it is quite clear that taking part in online courses requires new technological, behavioral, and thinking skills, in order to best handle and even successfully finish the course. Although technological skills are a must for taking part in an online course, a majority of students participating in these kinds of courses have arrived thus far without suitable prior computer experience or background, internet working skills, and internet based studies skills. This research tests the effects of teaching and pedagogical elements in academic e-courses on the change of intellectual thinking dispositions according to the dispositional theory of Perkins, Jay and Tishman (1993). The study tested the changes that occurred in the thinking dispositions of 285 students from the Department of Information Science and the Department of Political Studies at Bar Ilan University as a result of studying in an e-learning environment. In the course of the study asynchronous and synchronous courses, which are transferred fully through the web (except for one frontal orientation meeting), were tested. The quantitative data was collected using three questionnaires in three phases. In the first phase was a 'previrtual course' questionnaire, which tested the seven thinking dispositions before taking an e-course. The second phase: at the end of each course a second questionnaire was distributed, which tested the seven thinking dispositions 'post virtual course'. The third questionnaire (post - part 2), also distributed at the end of the course, constituted the third phase and tested previous computer and internet knowledge and experience, further e-courses taken and the students' personal information. We found that in the e-courses there is an interactive system of relations between a number of elements that work together: the e-environment, study technologies, the teacher's activity and the teaching process and its elements. These components worked well together and brought on a change in the students' thinking dispositions in a functionally balanced and complete way. The study's results show that there is a significant statistical effect of studying in an e-environment on the changes of intellectual thinking dispositions in all seven thinking dispositions. This effect is evident in the pedagogical and technological elements of e-courses, in all seven thinking dispositions, in changing levels of positive power. The conclusions of the study show that studying in an e-environment online contributes to the change in thinking dispositions and, so, promotes intellectual thinking and behavioral patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]