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Abolghasem Karimi, Alireza Rousta, Majid Ahmadi, Saeid Daniali,
Volume 11, Issue 1 (6-2024)
Volume 11, Issue 1 (6-2024)
Abstract
Information search strategies change rapidly in continuous mode, and successive searches gradually teach the user what can be retrieved inside the system. Users must be able to interact with the system appropriately to achieve their information needs. The information revolution is not a new issue, but understanding information seeking behavior is important and vital in this era. In future projects, extraordinary efforts should be made to create intelligent systems. Therefore, success or failure in this matter is not the responsibility of the new information technology, but it requires awareness of human needs and his behavior to obtain information. Therefore, in the companies based in Pardis Technology Park, according to the technology-oriented approach and innovation, it is necessary to pay attention to the issue of market information learning and joint innovative capacities to improve the organization's performance. Generally, because the environment and technology are constantly and rapidly changing, and specifically, the demographic characteristics of customers and their expectations undergo changes and transformations, Certainly, in order to have a successful presence in the national and international arena and their dynamism, as well as greater adaptation to environmental changes, these companies should aim to activate their potentials through improving the performance of the organization. In fact, this research seeks to answer the question of what is the role of explaining the effect of market information learning ability and joint innovative capacities on the organization's performance with an information approach?
Methods and Materoal
This research is based on the applied purpose and according to the descriptive type of correlation, according to the model, we should use the structural equation modeling method. The statistical community of the research is top and middle managers of companies that are members of Pardis Technology Park in Tehran. Using Cochran's formula, 384 people were selected as a sample and 400 questionnaires were distributed by available sampling method and 387 questionnaires were collected in 50 companies. The data collection method of this research was done by library method and using books and articles, and questionnaire was used in the field method. To measure the variable of market information learning ability with 7 items, internal learning ability with 10 items, relational learning ability with 7 items and administrative innovation with 6 items from Teece et al., 1997; Weerawardena et al., 2015; and to measure the variable of service innovation with 4 items and organization performance with 5 items from Thakur & Hale, 2013 questionnaire; and to measure the variable of shared innovative capacities with 3 items, Oly Ndubisi et al., 2019 questionnaire was used.
Resultss and Discussion
Demographic characteristics of the sample include gender, age and education. In the method of structural equation modeling, the fit of the model is checked to ensure the accuracy and correctness of the findings before implementing the model to test the hypotheses. Also, Cronbach's alpha indices of combined reliability of average variance were extracted and the coefficient of determination was used to measure the model. The average values of the extracted variance of all 7 model structures are at the optimal level. The amount of Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability is for all model constructs, so the questionnaire has good and acceptable reliability. The amount of Cronbach's alpha and combined reliability for all model constructs is more than 0/7, so the questionnaire has acceptable and acceptable reliability. The value of R2 for the endogenous constructs of the research confirms the appropriateness of the fit of the structural model. The results of the Q2 criterion for the endogenous structure indicate the appropriate predictive power of the model regarding the endogenous constructs of the research and indicate that the fitting model has appropriate and favorable predictive power. Confirmatory factor analysis is used to measure the reliability and validity of the measurement scale. The final results of the confirmatory factor analysis are reported in Table No. 4. Factor loadings greater than 5% have good validity. Figure 1, shows the confirmatory factor analysis for the whole model. Figure 2, shows the analysis of significant coefficients for the whole model. Since all the numbers on the paths are above 1/96%, it indicates the significance of the paths, the appropriateness of the structural model and the confirmation of all research hypotheses. The GOF criterion was used for the overall fit of the model, Since three values of 0/01, 0/25 and 0/36 are determined as weak, medium and strong values for GOF and on the other hand, the coefficient is in a good condition (0/598), Therefore, the results show that the fit of the model in the statistical population of the research is appropriate. Also, the t-test for all hypotheses is greater than 1/96. Therefore, with 95% confidence, the relationship between the variables is significant.
Conclusion
The present research was done by explaining the effect of market information learning ability and joint innovative capacities on the performance of the organization with an information approach. Organizational performance is a valuable activity at the community level. It also has a fundamental role in the economy and is considered as a useful tool to achieve economic growth and benefits of the organization. In fact, it is like an umbrella that includes all concepts related to the success and activities of the entire organization. In this research, 7 hypotheses were tested and the results of the hypothesis analysis indicate that the ability to learn market information plays a role in the internal learning ability (0/945) and the ability to learn interfaces (0/785) and internal learning ability (0/220) and interface learning ability (0/662) have been effective on administrative innovation. Also, administrative innovation has had an effect on the organization's performance (0/488), and shared innovative capacities have a significant effect on service innovation (0/904). Finally, service innovation has played a role in the organization's performance (0/590).
Methods and Materoal
This research is based on the applied purpose and according to the descriptive type of correlation, according to the model, we should use the structural equation modeling method. The statistical community of the research is top and middle managers of companies that are members of Pardis Technology Park in Tehran. Using Cochran's formula, 384 people were selected as a sample and 400 questionnaires were distributed by available sampling method and 387 questionnaires were collected in 50 companies. The data collection method of this research was done by library method and using books and articles, and questionnaire was used in the field method. To measure the variable of market information learning ability with 7 items, internal learning ability with 10 items, relational learning ability with 7 items and administrative innovation with 6 items from Teece et al., 1997; Weerawardena et al., 2015; and to measure the variable of service innovation with 4 items and organization performance with 5 items from Thakur & Hale, 2013 questionnaire; and to measure the variable of shared innovative capacities with 3 items, Oly Ndubisi et al., 2019 questionnaire was used.
Resultss and Discussion
Demographic characteristics of the sample include gender, age and education. In the method of structural equation modeling, the fit of the model is checked to ensure the accuracy and correctness of the findings before implementing the model to test the hypotheses. Also, Cronbach's alpha indices of combined reliability of average variance were extracted and the coefficient of determination was used to measure the model. The average values of the extracted variance of all 7 model structures are at the optimal level. The amount of Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability is for all model constructs, so the questionnaire has good and acceptable reliability. The amount of Cronbach's alpha and combined reliability for all model constructs is more than 0/7, so the questionnaire has acceptable and acceptable reliability. The value of R2 for the endogenous constructs of the research confirms the appropriateness of the fit of the structural model. The results of the Q2 criterion for the endogenous structure indicate the appropriate predictive power of the model regarding the endogenous constructs of the research and indicate that the fitting model has appropriate and favorable predictive power. Confirmatory factor analysis is used to measure the reliability and validity of the measurement scale. The final results of the confirmatory factor analysis are reported in Table No. 4. Factor loadings greater than 5% have good validity. Figure 1, shows the confirmatory factor analysis for the whole model. Figure 2, shows the analysis of significant coefficients for the whole model. Since all the numbers on the paths are above 1/96%, it indicates the significance of the paths, the appropriateness of the structural model and the confirmation of all research hypotheses. The GOF criterion was used for the overall fit of the model, Since three values of 0/01, 0/25 and 0/36 are determined as weak, medium and strong values for GOF and on the other hand, the coefficient is in a good condition (0/598), Therefore, the results show that the fit of the model in the statistical population of the research is appropriate. Also, the t-test for all hypotheses is greater than 1/96. Therefore, with 95% confidence, the relationship between the variables is significant.
Conclusion
The present research was done by explaining the effect of market information learning ability and joint innovative capacities on the performance of the organization with an information approach. Organizational performance is a valuable activity at the community level. It also has a fundamental role in the economy and is considered as a useful tool to achieve economic growth and benefits of the organization. In fact, it is like an umbrella that includes all concepts related to the success and activities of the entire organization. In this research, 7 hypotheses were tested and the results of the hypothesis analysis indicate that the ability to learn market information plays a role in the internal learning ability (0/945) and the ability to learn interfaces (0/785) and internal learning ability (0/220) and interface learning ability (0/662) have been effective on administrative innovation. Also, administrative innovation has had an effect on the organization's performance (0/488), and shared innovative capacities have a significant effect on service innovation (0/904). Finally, service innovation has played a role in the organization's performance (0/590).
Abdulamir Mabhoot, Mohammad Reza Farhadpoor, Ebrahim Hoseini,
Volume 11, Issue 1 (6-2024)
Volume 11, Issue 1 (6-2024)
Abstract
One of the most important current debates in organizational information security is information leakage. Information leakage, which refers to the unauthorized sharing of information by one organization with another, is one of the serious problems faced by organizations. Information leakage can cause losses to the company and affect its ability to gain a competitive advantage. Information leakage includes two types of leakage or intentional or unintentional disclosure of data or exclusive content to unauthorized persons. Intentional information leakage includes the intentional disclosure of information by employees to unauthorized persons. Deliberate information leakage is often caused by employee dissatisfaction with the company or a motive for personal gain. The main cause of intentional information leakage is revenge or unethical behavior of employees who are willing to betray their company or disclose sensitive information to competitors. In other words, if employees are not aware of how much information to disclose to outsiders, then unwanted/inadvertent information leakage may occur. These cases damage the reputation of the organization, its income and business. As a result, the pervasiveness of this uncertainty about information security in the work environment puts the organization's information assets at risk. In order to minimize or prevent information leakage, it is important to investigate and identify the factors that lead to this happening.
Regardless of the type of information leakage and the related motives, the impact of these actions in itself can lead to financial losses, disruption of the organization, loss of reputation and long-term impact on the organizational culture. Although the phenomenon of information leakage may happen in any organization; But considering the opportunities and values that every organization loses as a result, its importance can be understood. For this reason, the consequences of information leakage will be different from one organization to another, and accordingly, its degree of importance will also be different. The study and identification of factors affecting the phenomenon of information leakage is interesting from several aspects. First, the airport environment with the presence of various airlines is an example of a highly competitive market where the actions and operations of the airport are exposed to the customers. The second point is that the customers of the airport system are heterogeneous and may be people of different nationalities. Third point, the issue of security in airport systems is a complex and interesting phenomenon that is provided by the participation of different organizations. The fourth point is that the flow of information in the airport system is intense, intra-organizational and trans-organizational/cross-border. The fifth point is that the occurrence of an error in the flow of information in airport systems can have unfortunate human, financial, and other consequences. Considering these points, the present study was conducted at Ahvaz International Airport. Preventing information leakage is one of the most important security issues at Ahvaz International Airport. Because with the loss of data, the reputation of the airport is damaged and it loses its customers, it has to pay a high cost to fix the damages, and this will sometimes lead to the destruction of the organization. According to the mentioned contents, this research seeks to answer the question, what are the factors affecting organizational information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport? How are they ranked? Hence, the purpose of this study was to identify and rank the factors affecting organizational information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport using the Hierarchical Analysis Process.
Methods
Since the ultimate goal of the current research was to improve the understanding of the problem of information leakage as an important concern for the organization and to find a practical solution to reduce it, it is practical research in terms of the goal. Also, from the point of view of nature, the current research is descriptive-exploratory; Because what follows the data follower approach to "describe" and "interpret" the factors affecting organizational information leakage as it is. The research community was all information security experts in different parts of Ahvaz Airport; that by the snowball method (because it was difficult to identify the experts and the possibility of contacting and accessing them) 15 experts in the information security field of Ahvaz Airport (having relevant work experience of more than 15 years, a master's degree or higher and familiar with security issue and information leakage). In this study, the library method was used to compile the theoretical foundations of the research, the background of the research and the design of the decision tree. Then, the field method was used to distribute the five-point paired comparison questionnaire to collect data. The first questionnaire was taken from the research literature and was distributed among 15 experts using the Delphi technique. Opinions were sought from the expert group of the Delphi study, in the form of sending a structured questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale, consisting of 22 questions, in two rounds with the participation of 15 people, in such a way that first, the first questionnaire consisting of 22 questions was sent to the members of the Delphi group. After distributing and collecting completed questionnaires and evaluating the results of this Delphi round, 5 main factors and 21 important sub-factors were identified (laws and regulations sub-factor with an average of 2.87±83 and a t value of 0.61 was not recognized as significant and was excluded from the questionnaire for the second round) and after twenty days, from the initial opinion poll, the important factors were re-evaluated in order to conduct the next round of Delphi in the form of a questionnaire with 21 questions related to the important sub-factors, the collected data It showed the confirmation of all subfactors. Finally, the data was analyzed using the hierarchical analysis method and using Expert Choice software.
Resultss and Discussion
Based on the results, 5 main factors and 21 sub-factors affecting organizational information leakage were identified. The weighting and prioritization of indicators showed that intentional individual factors (0.277) ranked first, unintentional individual factors (0.235) ranked second, organizational factors (0.188) ranked third, infrastructural factors (0.167) ranked fourth and environmental factors (0.133) ranked fifth.
Conclusion
The results showed that information leakage is a complex phenomenon that various individual, organizational, infrastructural and environmental factors are involved in its occurrence. However, the first and second rank of the intentional and unintentional dimensions of information leakage by individuals, on the one hand, indicate the complexity of the information leakage phenomenon, and on the other hand, require a review in the strategies related to human resources management in Ahvaz International Airport.
Based on the results, intentional individual factors with a weight of 0.277 were the first effective factors on information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport. Also, among intentional individual sub-factors, personal greed with a weight of 0.232 was the most important sub-factor and the experience of invasion of privacy with a weight of 0.078 was the least important sub-factor. The findings confirmed that intentional information leakage due to human factors should still be of concern to managers. Since it is not possible to abandon human factors in the organizational life cycle of information, managers should accept this challenge and look for appropriate mechanisms. In other words, despite human factors, organizations face the challenge of intentional or unintentional information leakage. Intentional leakage of information in the organization may have happened due to personal greed against organizational interests, where employees are willing to sell the organization's information to competitors for material reasons and prefer their interests over the interests of the organization. Jealousy of a company employee to colleagues or employees of competing companies, being dissatisfied with the company or feeling a grudge for any reason also causes the intentional leakage of information. Disgruntled employees may also intentionally disclose important information to unauthorized parties. Unintentional individual factors with a weight of 0.235 were the second most effective factors on information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport. Also, among unintentional individual sub-factors, negligence with a weight of 0.283 was the most important sub-factor and the use of contract and temporary employees with a weight of 0.133 was the least important sub-factor. An inadvertent leak occurs when an insider inadvertently discloses business-critical information that is not intended to be shared with third parties. Unintentional individual threat is the potential behavior of an individual who has access to the network, system or data of an organization through an accidental act or action, without malicious intent, and causes damage or significantly increases the likelihood of serious damage in the future to confidentiality, integrity Or the value of the organization's information.
Organizational factors with a weight of 0.188 were the third most effective factors on information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport. Also, among the organizational sub-factors, lack of understanding the value of information with a weight of 0.392 was the most important sub-factor and lack of proper intra-organizational communication with a weight of 0.262 was the least important sub-factor. The first is a lack of understanding of the value of information. Employees evaluate information differently depending on the hierarchical level, the type of information and the type of organizational structure. Employees' perception of the value of information is described by various researchers as an important aspect. This lack of awareness leads to the fact that the value of information is not clear, so the negative consequences of information leakage are not taken seriously by them. The second case is inappropriate organizational structure. Large companies are sensitive to data protection in the long term. Smaller companies do not have such extensive awareness. In general, organizational structure in terms of formality and existing control mechanisms may affect information leakage. The third case is the lack of proper communication within the organization. To achieve shared understanding, communication is required to convey a set of necessary values and norms that define the rules or context of interaction. Infrastructural factors with a weight of 0.167 were the fourth most effective factor on information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport. Similarly, among the infrastructure sub-factors, the weakness of information systems with a weight of 0.418 was the most important sub-factor and the presence of security holes in the network infrastructure with a weight of 0.258 was the least important sub-factor. The first is the weakness of information systems. Buying an incomplete information system and weak design of information systems may cause serious problems for organizations. Mechanisms that insiders use to perform business tasks based on their usual information systems can also be used to steal information assets. To prevent leakage and theft of information, mechanisms and protective measures against these methods should be used. The second case is improper use of physical means of data storage (hard drives, USB, CD, etc.). These days, most of the information inside the organization is stored electronically, the media of this information are hard drives, C drives. D. and U. S. etc.) are physical tools that are likely to be physically stolen. Preventing leakage with these devices requires implementing physical security measures. The third thing is the presence of security holes in the network infrastructure. The organization's networks are one of the essential parts of the organization's information technology infrastructure. There are several types of communication in the network. Internal-to-external communication includes any communication that is initiated within the boundaries of the organization and whose destination is outside the organization.
Finally, environmental factors with a weight of 0.133 were the fifth most effective factors on information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport. Also, among the environmental sub-factors, the stakeholders' request for information about security incidents with a weight of 0.416 was the most important sub-factor and the requirements of business partners with a weight of 0.259 was the least important sub-factor. One of the input sources that shape the behavior of people in an organization is the organizational environment. Employee decisions are influenced by environmental structure, the availability of environmental information, and the relevant meaning that employees assign to environmental information. The first case is the request of stakeholders to inform about security incidents. In the recent era, the demand for the type of information leakage events for companies is more intense, external and internal stakeholders are constantly concerned about maintaining a good public image of the organization. Overall, public interest in data breach incidents appears to exert pressure on organizations, while organizational responses are dynamic and appear to change over time. If stakeholder expectations are ignored and social influence is allowed to run its course, political and legal pressure will build, often leading to negative corporate outcomes. Stakeholder dissatisfaction arises when corporate actions do not meet societal expectations, and the gap between corporate actions and stakeholder expectations widens as public trust declines. Therefore, the greater the employees' understanding of information protection as a social expectation, the greater the perception of public leakage events as a threat to the company's image.
In general, the results show that information leakage is a major concern for organizations. In this context, the more the organization depends on information assets, the more relevant the concern of information leakage becomes. In such a situation, the taste of the competitors is stimulated more and more to think of the necessary mechanism to deal with it by getting the information of the organization, while being aware of the related organization's plans. Therefore, the identification of factors affecting information leakage in the form of 21 sub-factors in 5 groups provided the necessary insight to the managers of Ahvaz airport to strengthen the vulnerable points by adopting the necessary measures such as building trust, strengthening the sense of cooperation, observing professional ethics. , using motivational measures, raising awareness of the value of information, proper training of employees regarding information security, redesigning information systems, and designing targeted programs regarding information storage, sharing, and transfer.
Regardless of the type of information leakage and the related motives, the impact of these actions in itself can lead to financial losses, disruption of the organization, loss of reputation and long-term impact on the organizational culture. Although the phenomenon of information leakage may happen in any organization; But considering the opportunities and values that every organization loses as a result, its importance can be understood. For this reason, the consequences of information leakage will be different from one organization to another, and accordingly, its degree of importance will also be different. The study and identification of factors affecting the phenomenon of information leakage is interesting from several aspects. First, the airport environment with the presence of various airlines is an example of a highly competitive market where the actions and operations of the airport are exposed to the customers. The second point is that the customers of the airport system are heterogeneous and may be people of different nationalities. Third point, the issue of security in airport systems is a complex and interesting phenomenon that is provided by the participation of different organizations. The fourth point is that the flow of information in the airport system is intense, intra-organizational and trans-organizational/cross-border. The fifth point is that the occurrence of an error in the flow of information in airport systems can have unfortunate human, financial, and other consequences. Considering these points, the present study was conducted at Ahvaz International Airport. Preventing information leakage is one of the most important security issues at Ahvaz International Airport. Because with the loss of data, the reputation of the airport is damaged and it loses its customers, it has to pay a high cost to fix the damages, and this will sometimes lead to the destruction of the organization. According to the mentioned contents, this research seeks to answer the question, what are the factors affecting organizational information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport? How are they ranked? Hence, the purpose of this study was to identify and rank the factors affecting organizational information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport using the Hierarchical Analysis Process.
Methods
Since the ultimate goal of the current research was to improve the understanding of the problem of information leakage as an important concern for the organization and to find a practical solution to reduce it, it is practical research in terms of the goal. Also, from the point of view of nature, the current research is descriptive-exploratory; Because what follows the data follower approach to "describe" and "interpret" the factors affecting organizational information leakage as it is. The research community was all information security experts in different parts of Ahvaz Airport; that by the snowball method (because it was difficult to identify the experts and the possibility of contacting and accessing them) 15 experts in the information security field of Ahvaz Airport (having relevant work experience of more than 15 years, a master's degree or higher and familiar with security issue and information leakage). In this study, the library method was used to compile the theoretical foundations of the research, the background of the research and the design of the decision tree. Then, the field method was used to distribute the five-point paired comparison questionnaire to collect data. The first questionnaire was taken from the research literature and was distributed among 15 experts using the Delphi technique. Opinions were sought from the expert group of the Delphi study, in the form of sending a structured questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale, consisting of 22 questions, in two rounds with the participation of 15 people, in such a way that first, the first questionnaire consisting of 22 questions was sent to the members of the Delphi group. After distributing and collecting completed questionnaires and evaluating the results of this Delphi round, 5 main factors and 21 important sub-factors were identified (laws and regulations sub-factor with an average of 2.87±83 and a t value of 0.61 was not recognized as significant and was excluded from the questionnaire for the second round) and after twenty days, from the initial opinion poll, the important factors were re-evaluated in order to conduct the next round of Delphi in the form of a questionnaire with 21 questions related to the important sub-factors, the collected data It showed the confirmation of all subfactors. Finally, the data was analyzed using the hierarchical analysis method and using Expert Choice software.
Resultss and Discussion
Based on the results, 5 main factors and 21 sub-factors affecting organizational information leakage were identified. The weighting and prioritization of indicators showed that intentional individual factors (0.277) ranked first, unintentional individual factors (0.235) ranked second, organizational factors (0.188) ranked third, infrastructural factors (0.167) ranked fourth and environmental factors (0.133) ranked fifth.
Conclusion
The results showed that information leakage is a complex phenomenon that various individual, organizational, infrastructural and environmental factors are involved in its occurrence. However, the first and second rank of the intentional and unintentional dimensions of information leakage by individuals, on the one hand, indicate the complexity of the information leakage phenomenon, and on the other hand, require a review in the strategies related to human resources management in Ahvaz International Airport.
Based on the results, intentional individual factors with a weight of 0.277 were the first effective factors on information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport. Also, among intentional individual sub-factors, personal greed with a weight of 0.232 was the most important sub-factor and the experience of invasion of privacy with a weight of 0.078 was the least important sub-factor. The findings confirmed that intentional information leakage due to human factors should still be of concern to managers. Since it is not possible to abandon human factors in the organizational life cycle of information, managers should accept this challenge and look for appropriate mechanisms. In other words, despite human factors, organizations face the challenge of intentional or unintentional information leakage. Intentional leakage of information in the organization may have happened due to personal greed against organizational interests, where employees are willing to sell the organization's information to competitors for material reasons and prefer their interests over the interests of the organization. Jealousy of a company employee to colleagues or employees of competing companies, being dissatisfied with the company or feeling a grudge for any reason also causes the intentional leakage of information. Disgruntled employees may also intentionally disclose important information to unauthorized parties. Unintentional individual factors with a weight of 0.235 were the second most effective factors on information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport. Also, among unintentional individual sub-factors, negligence with a weight of 0.283 was the most important sub-factor and the use of contract and temporary employees with a weight of 0.133 was the least important sub-factor. An inadvertent leak occurs when an insider inadvertently discloses business-critical information that is not intended to be shared with third parties. Unintentional individual threat is the potential behavior of an individual who has access to the network, system or data of an organization through an accidental act or action, without malicious intent, and causes damage or significantly increases the likelihood of serious damage in the future to confidentiality, integrity Or the value of the organization's information.
Organizational factors with a weight of 0.188 were the third most effective factors on information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport. Also, among the organizational sub-factors, lack of understanding the value of information with a weight of 0.392 was the most important sub-factor and lack of proper intra-organizational communication with a weight of 0.262 was the least important sub-factor. The first is a lack of understanding of the value of information. Employees evaluate information differently depending on the hierarchical level, the type of information and the type of organizational structure. Employees' perception of the value of information is described by various researchers as an important aspect. This lack of awareness leads to the fact that the value of information is not clear, so the negative consequences of information leakage are not taken seriously by them. The second case is inappropriate organizational structure. Large companies are sensitive to data protection in the long term. Smaller companies do not have such extensive awareness. In general, organizational structure in terms of formality and existing control mechanisms may affect information leakage. The third case is the lack of proper communication within the organization. To achieve shared understanding, communication is required to convey a set of necessary values and norms that define the rules or context of interaction. Infrastructural factors with a weight of 0.167 were the fourth most effective factor on information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport. Similarly, among the infrastructure sub-factors, the weakness of information systems with a weight of 0.418 was the most important sub-factor and the presence of security holes in the network infrastructure with a weight of 0.258 was the least important sub-factor. The first is the weakness of information systems. Buying an incomplete information system and weak design of information systems may cause serious problems for organizations. Mechanisms that insiders use to perform business tasks based on their usual information systems can also be used to steal information assets. To prevent leakage and theft of information, mechanisms and protective measures against these methods should be used. The second case is improper use of physical means of data storage (hard drives, USB, CD, etc.). These days, most of the information inside the organization is stored electronically, the media of this information are hard drives, C drives. D. and U. S. etc.) are physical tools that are likely to be physically stolen. Preventing leakage with these devices requires implementing physical security measures. The third thing is the presence of security holes in the network infrastructure. The organization's networks are one of the essential parts of the organization's information technology infrastructure. There are several types of communication in the network. Internal-to-external communication includes any communication that is initiated within the boundaries of the organization and whose destination is outside the organization.
Finally, environmental factors with a weight of 0.133 were the fifth most effective factors on information leakage in Ahvaz International Airport. Also, among the environmental sub-factors, the stakeholders' request for information about security incidents with a weight of 0.416 was the most important sub-factor and the requirements of business partners with a weight of 0.259 was the least important sub-factor. One of the input sources that shape the behavior of people in an organization is the organizational environment. Employee decisions are influenced by environmental structure, the availability of environmental information, and the relevant meaning that employees assign to environmental information. The first case is the request of stakeholders to inform about security incidents. In the recent era, the demand for the type of information leakage events for companies is more intense, external and internal stakeholders are constantly concerned about maintaining a good public image of the organization. Overall, public interest in data breach incidents appears to exert pressure on organizations, while organizational responses are dynamic and appear to change over time. If stakeholder expectations are ignored and social influence is allowed to run its course, political and legal pressure will build, often leading to negative corporate outcomes. Stakeholder dissatisfaction arises when corporate actions do not meet societal expectations, and the gap between corporate actions and stakeholder expectations widens as public trust declines. Therefore, the greater the employees' understanding of information protection as a social expectation, the greater the perception of public leakage events as a threat to the company's image.
In general, the results show that information leakage is a major concern for organizations. In this context, the more the organization depends on information assets, the more relevant the concern of information leakage becomes. In such a situation, the taste of the competitors is stimulated more and more to think of the necessary mechanism to deal with it by getting the information of the organization, while being aware of the related organization's plans. Therefore, the identification of factors affecting information leakage in the form of 21 sub-factors in 5 groups provided the necessary insight to the managers of Ahvaz airport to strengthen the vulnerable points by adopting the necessary measures such as building trust, strengthening the sense of cooperation, observing professional ethics. , using motivational measures, raising awareness of the value of information, proper training of employees regarding information security, redesigning information systems, and designing targeted programs regarding information storage, sharing, and transfer.
ِdr Shahnaz Khademizadeh, Mrs Fatemeh Rafieinasab, Dr Natarajan Radhakrishnan,
Volume 11, Issue 1 (6-2024)
Volume 11, Issue 1 (6-2024)
Abstract
Introduction
With the emergence of the Internet and the expansion of information technologies in the current era, along with the increase in awareness and literacy levels in human societies, there has been a growing interest in accessing information in various fields. One type of information that has always captivated the general public is health-related information, as it directly impacts their quality of life. Health information encompasses a wide range of data that can influence decisions related to individual and social well-being. Electronic health resources play a crucial role in helping individuals manage important health issues, make informed decisions about their health, and communicate with healthcare providers. Studies have shown that internet users not only exhibit better adherence to treatment, reduced anxiety, and a greater sense of security, but also demonstrate improved self-care behaviors compared to those who do not utilize online resources (Riahi, 2017). By seeking health information online, individuals can gain a better understanding of their health status, which in turn can lead to the formation of informed opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards healthy behaviors, ultimately aiding in making informed decisions regarding healthcare (Ahedzadeh and Sharif, 2017; Brown, Skelly, Chew-Graham, 2020). Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the health information-seeking behavior of clients within health and treatment networks in Ahvaz city.
Methods and Materoal
The current research is an experimental study conducted using the pre-test and post-test intervention method. The research population consisted of 40 clients from Ahvaz Medical Center, whose average score of health information-seeking behavior was one point below the average. Of these, 20 individuals were randomly assigned to the control group. Additionally, two groups of 20 people each were formed using block randomization: one as the control group and the other as the test group for the intervention. The educational intervention took the form of a 4-hour online training workshop. To assess changes in online health information search behaviors, uncertainty, and cyberchondria in the study group, the Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) method was utilized. The protocol used for online education on social networks was the SDI protocol (Bhushan 2006, Juyani et al. 2022). A questionnaire served as the data collection tool, completed by the test groups within one month and returned to the researchers. Data collection occurred at baseline (pre-intervention) and at one, two, and three months post-intervention. Baseline scores were used as covariates in the model to adjust for differences between the control and intervention groups. The results of the GEE model reflected changes in the desired factors at the three measurement points post-intervention. Furthermore, Bonferroni's post hoc test was employed to compare the distribution of online health information search scores, uncertainty, and cyberchondria between the two groups at each time point. All analyses were conducted using SPSS software version 26.
Resultss and Discussion
Findings: There was no significant difference in the effect of the educational intervention on changes in the online health information search score (P>0.05). For the control group, the average uncertainty score increased over time. However, there was a significant difference in the effect of the educational intervention on changes in the uncertainty score (P<0.001). Results of the external post-hoc test comparing changes in the uncertainty score between the two intervention groups and the control group showed a significant difference in the distribution of uncertainty scores before the intervention (P>0.046), as well as two and three months after the intervention (P>0.001). Additionally, there was a significant difference in the cyberchondria score before the intervention (P>0.076) and three months after the intervention (P>0.025) in each case.
Conclusion
Health information behavior training is a positive step towards increasing the decision-making self-efficacy of community members and patients. When combined with other efforts to promote health and care, it can lead to improved health outcomes. The effectiveness of educational interventions in different groups depends on the methods, materials, and content used. This study found that a patient educational intervention aimed at teaching information-seeking behavior skills to health center visitors had a positive impact on reducing cyberchondria and increasing certainty. The availability of information search platforms, the type of sources used, and the ability to utilize them based on age requirements are important factors in information seeking (Bahadir and Dundar, 2022). Uncertainty and doubt can drive individuals to seek health information online (Khademizadeh, Rafieinasab and Radhakrishnan, 2024), making educational interventions focused on empowerment dimensions beneficial in improving clinical and psychological outcomes. These interventions can enhance quality of life for both society and patients, taking into account factors such as age, education, occupation, and income status. This research presents a new approach to educational interventions that are cost-effective, accessible, and complication-free for health management and promotion in society.
With the emergence of the Internet and the expansion of information technologies in the current era, along with the increase in awareness and literacy levels in human societies, there has been a growing interest in accessing information in various fields. One type of information that has always captivated the general public is health-related information, as it directly impacts their quality of life. Health information encompasses a wide range of data that can influence decisions related to individual and social well-being. Electronic health resources play a crucial role in helping individuals manage important health issues, make informed decisions about their health, and communicate with healthcare providers. Studies have shown that internet users not only exhibit better adherence to treatment, reduced anxiety, and a greater sense of security, but also demonstrate improved self-care behaviors compared to those who do not utilize online resources (Riahi, 2017). By seeking health information online, individuals can gain a better understanding of their health status, which in turn can lead to the formation of informed opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards healthy behaviors, ultimately aiding in making informed decisions regarding healthcare (Ahedzadeh and Sharif, 2017; Brown, Skelly, Chew-Graham, 2020). Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the health information-seeking behavior of clients within health and treatment networks in Ahvaz city.
Methods and Materoal
The current research is an experimental study conducted using the pre-test and post-test intervention method. The research population consisted of 40 clients from Ahvaz Medical Center, whose average score of health information-seeking behavior was one point below the average. Of these, 20 individuals were randomly assigned to the control group. Additionally, two groups of 20 people each were formed using block randomization: one as the control group and the other as the test group for the intervention. The educational intervention took the form of a 4-hour online training workshop. To assess changes in online health information search behaviors, uncertainty, and cyberchondria in the study group, the Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) method was utilized. The protocol used for online education on social networks was the SDI protocol (Bhushan 2006, Juyani et al. 2022). A questionnaire served as the data collection tool, completed by the test groups within one month and returned to the researchers. Data collection occurred at baseline (pre-intervention) and at one, two, and three months post-intervention. Baseline scores were used as covariates in the model to adjust for differences between the control and intervention groups. The results of the GEE model reflected changes in the desired factors at the three measurement points post-intervention. Furthermore, Bonferroni's post hoc test was employed to compare the distribution of online health information search scores, uncertainty, and cyberchondria between the two groups at each time point. All analyses were conducted using SPSS software version 26.
Resultss and Discussion
Findings: There was no significant difference in the effect of the educational intervention on changes in the online health information search score (P>0.05). For the control group, the average uncertainty score increased over time. However, there was a significant difference in the effect of the educational intervention on changes in the uncertainty score (P<0.001). Results of the external post-hoc test comparing changes in the uncertainty score between the two intervention groups and the control group showed a significant difference in the distribution of uncertainty scores before the intervention (P>0.046), as well as two and three months after the intervention (P>0.001). Additionally, there was a significant difference in the cyberchondria score before the intervention (P>0.076) and three months after the intervention (P>0.025) in each case.
Conclusion
Health information behavior training is a positive step towards increasing the decision-making self-efficacy of community members and patients. When combined with other efforts to promote health and care, it can lead to improved health outcomes. The effectiveness of educational interventions in different groups depends on the methods, materials, and content used. This study found that a patient educational intervention aimed at teaching information-seeking behavior skills to health center visitors had a positive impact on reducing cyberchondria and increasing certainty. The availability of information search platforms, the type of sources used, and the ability to utilize them based on age requirements are important factors in information seeking (Bahadir and Dundar, 2022). Uncertainty and doubt can drive individuals to seek health information online (Khademizadeh, Rafieinasab and Radhakrishnan, 2024), making educational interventions focused on empowerment dimensions beneficial in improving clinical and psychological outcomes. These interventions can enhance quality of life for both society and patients, taking into account factors such as age, education, occupation, and income status. This research presents a new approach to educational interventions that are cost-effective, accessible, and complication-free for health management and promotion in society.
Dr. Afshin Hamdipour, Dr. Hashem Atapour, Negin Kajaiee,
Volume 11, Issue 3 (12-2024)
Volume 11, Issue 3 (12-2024)
Abstract
Information Seeking Behavior is a broad term encompassing a series of actions undertaken to articulate individuals’ information needs, search for information, evaluate it and select relevant data, ultimately leading to its use (Ozowa and Aba, 2017). According to Case and Given (2016), information-seeking is an integral part of human life. They note that humans frequently feel the need for information and actively seek it throughout their daily lives. In their research, which examined the information-seeking behaviors of professionals from various fields, including physicians, nurses, managers, engineers, journalists, customers, and other groups, the authors found significant differences in the information-seeking behaviors of various professions. These differences can be attributed to professional roles, work environments, and specific information needs. As a dimension of human behavior, information-seeking is influenced by numerous factors. Given the critical role of psychological aspects in shaping human information-seeking behavior and their impact on the interaction between humans and information, addressing these factors is vital. The increasing focus on user-centered (human-centered) studies in recent decades highlights the importance of such studies. This research explores personality traits that influence the information-seeking behavior of graduate students at the University of Tabriz.
Methods and Materials
This study used a descriptive-survey method. The statistical population comprised 2,826 graduate students (2,258 master’s and 568 doctoral students from 17 faculties at the University of Tabriz, excluding dependent units and the international campus, during the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. The students were enrolled in four fields: humanities, basic sciences, engineering, and agriculture. Using Cochran’s formula, the sample size was calculated to be 338 students selected through stratified random sampling. The study employed a localized version of John and Srivastava’s (1999) questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire included two sections: six demographic items and 42 items rated on a five-point Likert scale to assess information-seeking behavior and five personality traits (Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, Neuroticism). Validity was ensured through expert review by five faculty members, and reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha, with coefficients ranging from 0.588 to 0.903. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multiple linear regression). Skewness and kurtosis coefficients that fell within ±2 confirmed the normal distribution of the data.
Results and Discussion
The findings of the present study showed that all five dimensions of personality traits (extroversion, conscientiousness, adaptability, acceptance of experience, and neuroticism with averages of 4.13, 3.94, 3.99, 4.11, and 2.69 respectively) have a significant effect on the information-seeking behavior of graduate students at Tabriz University; Specifically, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience demonstrated positive effects, while Neuroticism exhibited a negative effect. Other results showed that among information-seeking behaviors, "referring to the Internet to obtain information" has the highest priority among students, with an average of 4.72. In the extraversion dimension, "being friendly in the process of acquiring information" is the most important, with an average of 4.34. In the dimension of conscientiousness, "observance of order in the process of obtaining information" has the highest average score, with an average score of 4.22. In the adaptability dimension, "tendency to cooperate with others during information searching" has the highest score with an average of 4.29. In the experience acceptance dimension, "having an active imagination in the information seeking process" has the highest rank with an average of 4.42. In the dimension of neuroticism, "being nervous in the process of finding information" is the highest average score (3.03). The results of multiple linear regression also showed that the independent variables, extroversion, conscientiousness, adaptability, acceptance of experience, and neuroticism are significant predictors of information-seeking behavior, which explain 25.6% of the changes related to the dependent variable. Among the 5 independent variables, the conscientiousness variable, with a beta coefficient of 0.220, made a greater contribution than the other variables.
Conclusion
The findings of this study confirmed the effect of five important personality traits on information-seeking behavior. It is expected that librarians and information specialists will consider the different aspects of personality traits in information-seeking behavior and pay attention to the fact that knowledge of these issues will help them to provide effective information services to students. According to the findings of the present study, it is recommended that the libraries of University of Tabriz establish information systems based on individual student differences to facilitate an optimal environment for information searching. In addition, organizing workshops on communication skills can help students perform more effectively in information-seeking activities. These skills can be beneficial for both extroverted and even neurotic students. It is also recommended that information system designers tailor their systems and services based on the needs and personality traits of students. Furthermore, it is recommended that librarians receive the necessary training to identify students’ individual characteristics and differences and provide information services tailored to their personality traits during interactions with users. Finally, offering psychological counseling and stress management support for students can help them reduce their anxiety and improve their performance in information-seeking activities. This is particularly beneficial for students with high neuroticism levels.
Methods and Materials
This study used a descriptive-survey method. The statistical population comprised 2,826 graduate students (2,258 master’s and 568 doctoral students from 17 faculties at the University of Tabriz, excluding dependent units and the international campus, during the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. The students were enrolled in four fields: humanities, basic sciences, engineering, and agriculture. Using Cochran’s formula, the sample size was calculated to be 338 students selected through stratified random sampling. The study employed a localized version of John and Srivastava’s (1999) questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire included two sections: six demographic items and 42 items rated on a five-point Likert scale to assess information-seeking behavior and five personality traits (Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, Neuroticism). Validity was ensured through expert review by five faculty members, and reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha, with coefficients ranging from 0.588 to 0.903. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multiple linear regression). Skewness and kurtosis coefficients that fell within ±2 confirmed the normal distribution of the data.
Results and Discussion
The findings of the present study showed that all five dimensions of personality traits (extroversion, conscientiousness, adaptability, acceptance of experience, and neuroticism with averages of 4.13, 3.94, 3.99, 4.11, and 2.69 respectively) have a significant effect on the information-seeking behavior of graduate students at Tabriz University; Specifically, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience demonstrated positive effects, while Neuroticism exhibited a negative effect. Other results showed that among information-seeking behaviors, "referring to the Internet to obtain information" has the highest priority among students, with an average of 4.72. In the extraversion dimension, "being friendly in the process of acquiring information" is the most important, with an average of 4.34. In the dimension of conscientiousness, "observance of order in the process of obtaining information" has the highest average score, with an average score of 4.22. In the adaptability dimension, "tendency to cooperate with others during information searching" has the highest score with an average of 4.29. In the experience acceptance dimension, "having an active imagination in the information seeking process" has the highest rank with an average of 4.42. In the dimension of neuroticism, "being nervous in the process of finding information" is the highest average score (3.03). The results of multiple linear regression also showed that the independent variables, extroversion, conscientiousness, adaptability, acceptance of experience, and neuroticism are significant predictors of information-seeking behavior, which explain 25.6% of the changes related to the dependent variable. Among the 5 independent variables, the conscientiousness variable, with a beta coefficient of 0.220, made a greater contribution than the other variables.
Conclusion
The findings of this study confirmed the effect of five important personality traits on information-seeking behavior. It is expected that librarians and information specialists will consider the different aspects of personality traits in information-seeking behavior and pay attention to the fact that knowledge of these issues will help them to provide effective information services to students. According to the findings of the present study, it is recommended that the libraries of University of Tabriz establish information systems based on individual student differences to facilitate an optimal environment for information searching. In addition, organizing workshops on communication skills can help students perform more effectively in information-seeking activities. These skills can be beneficial for both extroverted and even neurotic students. It is also recommended that information system designers tailor their systems and services based on the needs and personality traits of students. Furthermore, it is recommended that librarians receive the necessary training to identify students’ individual characteristics and differences and provide information services tailored to their personality traits during interactions with users. Finally, offering psychological counseling and stress management support for students can help them reduce their anxiety and improve their performance in information-seeking activities. This is particularly beneficial for students with high neuroticism levels.
Mozhgan Oroji, Nadjla Hariri, Fahimeh Babalhavaeji,
Volume 11, Issue 3 (12-2024)
Volume 11, Issue 3 (12-2024)
Abstract
Introduction
Introduction There are many data collections in decision-making and every day a large number of these data are collected in research projects by humans or by devices and in this data, to better understand the issues related to data, we need to first understand the data and the literacy related to them. Data literacy is defined as information by reading, creating and communicating with data: that we can find data, make information about it, learn the tools to work with data, have less management of it. We can have, analyze and refine data, learn to share data and make simple decisions.
Research data management includes; production, access, tools, storage and reuse of research data with sufficient and easy-to-use help in virtual research infrastructures that form the main part of the monitoring cycle, which itself includes ideation. It is to create or receive, evaluate, select, ingest, preserve, store, access, reuse (Cox and Verban, 2014).
Studies on research data management are now common, while there is a global ease of research data, but it continues to be difficult to keep data easily accessible. Session, we know more than yesterday about the role of research data in the design and implementation of new research, but the trends and infrastructure to support researchers in research data management, need. (Varana, 2024).
Considering the research that has been conducted on research data management literacy, the aim of this study is to determine the components and indicators of management literacy. ) and to provide a suitable model for research data management literacy.
Methods and Materoal
The present study was conducted with a quantitative and survey method and aimed at evaluating and validating the tool built using the proposed research model. The statistical population of the National Institute of Higher Education Research and Planning was 112 academic centers affiliated with the Ministry of Science and the total number of faculty members of the humanities and social sciences of the country's public universities was 8,441. Due to the large volume of data, 360 people were selected using cluster sampling. Then, the questionnaire was completed and descriptive statistical methods (mean, deviation indices, frequency table) and inferential statistics (structural equation modeling and exploratory factor analysis) and SPSS and Smart Pls software were used to analyze the data.
Resultss and Discussion
The findings indicate that the six factors of stakeholders, services, policy, types of literacy, data cycle, and financial issues are critical together, explaining 60 percent of the total variance of changes. Also, the highest level of the level is related to the stakeholders factor with a mean of 4.09 and a standard deviation of 0.57, followed by the factors of services, policy, data life cycle, types of literacy, and financial issues, respectively. Using the Pearson correlation coefficient test, it was shown that all components of research data management literacy have a positive and significant correlation with the set at the 0.01 error level. The coefficients of the factor loadings of the subscales of research data management literacy also have a good understanding of the concept of their analysis and have a strong and significant correlation with their belief.
Conclusion
Research data management contributes to scientific integrity at different levels. When research data management literacy is sufficient, research data are accurate, complete, valid, and reliable. The risk of losing or damaging data, as well as the risk of unauthorized access, is minimized. In addition, research data can be shared with others with minimal effort and individuals can easily confirm the results.
The relationships between the components and indicators of research data management literacy from the perspective of faculty members in the humanities and social sciences of Iranian public universities show that higher than any of these components in improving the quality and efficiency of research, research data management literacy has a positive effect. The search for understanding the methods and infrastructures related to data management is a research for individuals to achieve better research results and valuable results. The results of this study show that different levels of research data management literacy among university professors know, and also need to have literacy skills in research data management that they do and create. Collecting, processing, validating, publishing, sharing, and archiving data are involved, and this is a characteristic of good research data management.
Introduction There are many data collections in decision-making and every day a large number of these data are collected in research projects by humans or by devices and in this data, to better understand the issues related to data, we need to first understand the data and the literacy related to them. Data literacy is defined as information by reading, creating and communicating with data: that we can find data, make information about it, learn the tools to work with data, have less management of it. We can have, analyze and refine data, learn to share data and make simple decisions.
Research data management includes; production, access, tools, storage and reuse of research data with sufficient and easy-to-use help in virtual research infrastructures that form the main part of the monitoring cycle, which itself includes ideation. It is to create or receive, evaluate, select, ingest, preserve, store, access, reuse (Cox and Verban, 2014).
Studies on research data management are now common, while there is a global ease of research data, but it continues to be difficult to keep data easily accessible. Session, we know more than yesterday about the role of research data in the design and implementation of new research, but the trends and infrastructure to support researchers in research data management, need. (Varana, 2024).
Considering the research that has been conducted on research data management literacy, the aim of this study is to determine the components and indicators of management literacy. ) and to provide a suitable model for research data management literacy.
Methods and Materoal
The present study was conducted with a quantitative and survey method and aimed at evaluating and validating the tool built using the proposed research model. The statistical population of the National Institute of Higher Education Research and Planning was 112 academic centers affiliated with the Ministry of Science and the total number of faculty members of the humanities and social sciences of the country's public universities was 8,441. Due to the large volume of data, 360 people were selected using cluster sampling. Then, the questionnaire was completed and descriptive statistical methods (mean, deviation indices, frequency table) and inferential statistics (structural equation modeling and exploratory factor analysis) and SPSS and Smart Pls software were used to analyze the data.
Resultss and Discussion
The findings indicate that the six factors of stakeholders, services, policy, types of literacy, data cycle, and financial issues are critical together, explaining 60 percent of the total variance of changes. Also, the highest level of the level is related to the stakeholders factor with a mean of 4.09 and a standard deviation of 0.57, followed by the factors of services, policy, data life cycle, types of literacy, and financial issues, respectively. Using the Pearson correlation coefficient test, it was shown that all components of research data management literacy have a positive and significant correlation with the set at the 0.01 error level. The coefficients of the factor loadings of the subscales of research data management literacy also have a good understanding of the concept of their analysis and have a strong and significant correlation with their belief.
Conclusion
Research data management contributes to scientific integrity at different levels. When research data management literacy is sufficient, research data are accurate, complete, valid, and reliable. The risk of losing or damaging data, as well as the risk of unauthorized access, is minimized. In addition, research data can be shared with others with minimal effort and individuals can easily confirm the results.
The relationships between the components and indicators of research data management literacy from the perspective of faculty members in the humanities and social sciences of Iranian public universities show that higher than any of these components in improving the quality and efficiency of research, research data management literacy has a positive effect. The search for understanding the methods and infrastructures related to data management is a research for individuals to achieve better research results and valuable results. The results of this study show that different levels of research data management literacy among university professors know, and also need to have literacy skills in research data management that they do and create. Collecting, processing, validating, publishing, sharing, and archiving data are involved, and this is a characteristic of good research data management.
Yazdan Shirmohammadi, Fatemeh Safa,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (1-2025)
Volume 11, Issue 4 (1-2025)
Abstract
Tourism is recognized as one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing economic sectors in recent decades, acting as a major driver of economic development, employment generation, and cultural exchange worldwide (Cristó & Sharpley, 2019). Within this broader industry, tourism start-ups play a central role in developing innovative products and services, enhancing destination attractiveness, and increasing stakeholder engagement. The performance of such start-ups, especially in urban tourism ecosystems such as Tehran, is increasingly dependent on their ability to leverage Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), foster knowledge integration, and innovate in both products and services. ICT has emerged as a key enabler of competitiveness in knowledge-intensive and service-oriented industries. It facilitates the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge across organizational boundaries, allowing firms to accelerate internal learning, adopt open innovation practices, and improve overall performance (Harif et al., 2022). Moreover, in the context of start-ups, where agility, adaptability, and resource constraints are often interwoven, strategic application of ICT becomes not just an operational necessity, but a performance catalyst.
Methods and Materoal
The present study employed a descriptive-correlational methodology based on structural equation modeling (SEM) using the SmartPLS 3 software. A total of 280 managers and employees from tourism start-ups based in Tehran were selected through convenience sampling. Standardized questionnaires were used to measure the constructs of interest, including ICT (Azam, 2015), open innovation (Hamed et al., 2018), knowledge integration, knowledge management (Iqbal et al., 2023), service innovation (Hu, 2009), marketing strategy (Koksal & Ozgul, 2007), and firm performance. Validity and reliability of the constructs were confirmed through Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, Average Variance Extracted (AVE) and discriminant validity measures. Items with factor loadings below 0.4 were removed to ensure model parsimony. The GoF (Goodness-of-Fit) index was computed and interpreted based on Kline's (2010) thresholds to ensure robustness of the overall model.
Resultss and Discussion
The results reveal that ICT significantly influences three critical mediating variables: external knowledge integration (β = 0.60, t = 18.0), open innovation (β = 0.75, t = 26.55), and knowledge management (β = 0.512, t = 7.17). These findings support prior studies that conceptualize ICT not only as a data processing tool but also as a vehicle for organizational learning and innovation (Scuotto et al., 2017; Bhatt & Grover, 2005).Moreover, the integration of external knowledge has a direct and significant effect on knowledge management (β = 0.40, t = 8.59), underscoring the importance of external inputs in shaping internal learning systems and innovation capacity (Liao & Marsillac, 2015). In contrast, the direct relationship between open innovation and knowledge management was not statistically significant (t = 0.18), suggesting that open innovation may be more effective when coupled with internal absorptive capabilities or organizational culture conducive to knowledge utilization.Knowledge management, as a central construct in this model, demonstrated strong effects on both service innovation (β = 0.70, t = 24.96) and organizational performance (β = 0.389, t = 3.87). This aligns with the existing literature that highlights the strategic role of knowledge systems in enabling innovation and competitive advantage (Darroch, 2005; Harif et al., 2022). Furthermore, service innovation itself has a modest yet significant impact on performance (β = 0.17, t = 2.66), echoing previous studies that link new service development to firm-level outcomes (Aas & Pedersen, 2010; Cheng & Huizingh, 2014).Surprisingly, the direct effect of marketing strategy on performance was not significant (t = 1.62), which contradicts the results of some earlier studies (Kitsios & Kamariotou, 2016). However, a significant moderating effect of marketing strategy was found on the relationship between service innovation and performance (t = 3.10, β = 0.138), indicating that when strategically aligned with innovation initiatives, marketing strategies can enhance the impact of innovation efforts.The structural model exhibited strong explanatory power, with R² values of 0.658 for knowledge management, 0.494 for service innovation, and 0.429 for performance. The global GoF value of 0.638 exceeded the threshold for strong model fit (Kline, 2010), confirming the robustness of the conceptual framework.
Conclusion
This study offers multiple contributions to both academic theory and managerial practice. First, it empirically validates the critical role of ICT as a driver of performance in tourism start-ups, particularly through its impact on knowledge integration and innovation mechanisms. Second, it emphasizes the importance of effective knowledge management systems as a bridge between external knowledge inputs and internal innovation outcomes. Third, it suggests that while marketing strategy may not directly influence performance, it plays a valuable role as a moderator when combined with service innovation.The implications for practitioners are clear: tourism start-ups should invest in ICT infrastructure and training not merely for operational efficiency but as strategic assets for learning and innovation. Knowledge integration systems, such as customer databases, supplier collaboration platforms, and staff training modules, should be prioritized. In addition, marketing strategies should be designed to amplify the value created through service innovation.Given the limited geographic focus of the study, future research should replicate this model in other cities and cultural contexts. Mixed-method approaches incorporating qualitative insights could also enrich the findings. Moreover, examining the role of individual characteristics such as entrepreneurial orientation, digital literacy, or organizational culture may shed further light on the boundary conditions of these relationships.
Methods and Materoal
The present study employed a descriptive-correlational methodology based on structural equation modeling (SEM) using the SmartPLS 3 software. A total of 280 managers and employees from tourism start-ups based in Tehran were selected through convenience sampling. Standardized questionnaires were used to measure the constructs of interest, including ICT (Azam, 2015), open innovation (Hamed et al., 2018), knowledge integration, knowledge management (Iqbal et al., 2023), service innovation (Hu, 2009), marketing strategy (Koksal & Ozgul, 2007), and firm performance. Validity and reliability of the constructs were confirmed through Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, Average Variance Extracted (AVE) and discriminant validity measures. Items with factor loadings below 0.4 were removed to ensure model parsimony. The GoF (Goodness-of-Fit) index was computed and interpreted based on Kline's (2010) thresholds to ensure robustness of the overall model.
Resultss and Discussion
The results reveal that ICT significantly influences three critical mediating variables: external knowledge integration (β = 0.60, t = 18.0), open innovation (β = 0.75, t = 26.55), and knowledge management (β = 0.512, t = 7.17). These findings support prior studies that conceptualize ICT not only as a data processing tool but also as a vehicle for organizational learning and innovation (Scuotto et al., 2017; Bhatt & Grover, 2005).Moreover, the integration of external knowledge has a direct and significant effect on knowledge management (β = 0.40, t = 8.59), underscoring the importance of external inputs in shaping internal learning systems and innovation capacity (Liao & Marsillac, 2015). In contrast, the direct relationship between open innovation and knowledge management was not statistically significant (t = 0.18), suggesting that open innovation may be more effective when coupled with internal absorptive capabilities or organizational culture conducive to knowledge utilization.Knowledge management, as a central construct in this model, demonstrated strong effects on both service innovation (β = 0.70, t = 24.96) and organizational performance (β = 0.389, t = 3.87). This aligns with the existing literature that highlights the strategic role of knowledge systems in enabling innovation and competitive advantage (Darroch, 2005; Harif et al., 2022). Furthermore, service innovation itself has a modest yet significant impact on performance (β = 0.17, t = 2.66), echoing previous studies that link new service development to firm-level outcomes (Aas & Pedersen, 2010; Cheng & Huizingh, 2014).Surprisingly, the direct effect of marketing strategy on performance was not significant (t = 1.62), which contradicts the results of some earlier studies (Kitsios & Kamariotou, 2016). However, a significant moderating effect of marketing strategy was found on the relationship between service innovation and performance (t = 3.10, β = 0.138), indicating that when strategically aligned with innovation initiatives, marketing strategies can enhance the impact of innovation efforts.The structural model exhibited strong explanatory power, with R² values of 0.658 for knowledge management, 0.494 for service innovation, and 0.429 for performance. The global GoF value of 0.638 exceeded the threshold for strong model fit (Kline, 2010), confirming the robustness of the conceptual framework.
Conclusion
This study offers multiple contributions to both academic theory and managerial practice. First, it empirically validates the critical role of ICT as a driver of performance in tourism start-ups, particularly through its impact on knowledge integration and innovation mechanisms. Second, it emphasizes the importance of effective knowledge management systems as a bridge between external knowledge inputs and internal innovation outcomes. Third, it suggests that while marketing strategy may not directly influence performance, it plays a valuable role as a moderator when combined with service innovation.The implications for practitioners are clear: tourism start-ups should invest in ICT infrastructure and training not merely for operational efficiency but as strategic assets for learning and innovation. Knowledge integration systems, such as customer databases, supplier collaboration platforms, and staff training modules, should be prioritized. In addition, marketing strategies should be designed to amplify the value created through service innovation.Given the limited geographic focus of the study, future research should replicate this model in other cities and cultural contexts. Mixed-method approaches incorporating qualitative insights could also enrich the findings. Moreover, examining the role of individual characteristics such as entrepreneurial orientation, digital literacy, or organizational culture may shed further light on the boundary conditions of these relationships.
Ms Elham Askarian Kakh, Ms Somaye Sadat Akhshik, Mr Abdolhossein Farajpahlou, Mr Reza Rajabali Beglou,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (1-2025)
Volume 11, Issue 4 (1-2025)
Abstract
Information poverty has a wide-ranging negative impact on people’s health and socio-economic well-being. Over the past twenty years, researchers have used Chatman’s information poverty theory as a guide to understanding information behaviors in diverse contexts and situations, and it continues to be useful in advancing our understanding of the social dynamics and cultural contexts of information behaviors.
Information poverty is a condition in which individuals and groups in a particular context lack the skills, abilities, and tools necessary to access information appropriately, or to transform and use it optimally. The marginalization of information through institutional and contextual processes such as economic and racial inequalities, as well as information overload, negatively affects an individual’s information behavior. Marginalized groups find limited resources to meet their information needs, have limited economic and social capital, are suspicious of outside information, and engage in self-protective behaviors to reduce marginalization. Chatman (1996) proposed the information poverty theory. According to him, people who do not believe that external information can help them are inclined to engage in self-protective behaviors such as deception and secrecy, which ultimately make them unable to obtain richer information. The theory he proposed makes the following six propositions:
1. The information poor perceive themselves to be devoid of any sources that might help them.;
2. Information poverty is partially associated with class distinction;
3. Information poverty is determined by self-protective behaviors which are used in response to social norms;
4. Both secrecy and deception are self-protecting mechanisms due to a sense of mistrust regarding the interest or ability of others to provide useful information;
5. A decision to risk exposure about our true feelings is often not taken due to a perception that negative consequences outweigh benefits;
6. New knowledge will be selectively introduced into the information world of poor people. A condition that influences this process is the relevance of that information in response to everyday problems and concerns.
The components associated with Chatman's information poverty theory are: Secrecy, deception, risk-taking, and situational relevance. Risk-taking refers to a person’s perception of the value of a particular type of information and the perception of the risk involved in seeking or sharing this information. Secrecy is the intentional protection of oneself from revealing information. In contrast, deception involves the intentional presentation of a false reality, as the person shares meaningless information, and the information received is irrelevant. Situational relevance refers to the fact that, to be useful, information sources must be meaningful to the individual and accepted by others in the group. Lack of knowledge about issues leads people to resort to rumors and superstitions, to feel helpless, and to avoid actively seeking information. One area that has been particularly affected by information poverty has been the field of medicine, especially infectious diseases. The experience of illness is a phenomenon that evokes suffering, intense emotions, and a desire to talk to others. The desire to talk to others is shaped by the perception that other people who do not suffer from the disease are unable to understand the world of patients, so relevant information should only be obtained from insiders who share their experiences. One of the social concerns about pandemics is fatalism. Some attribute the information poverty during the COVID-19 outbreak to the spread of fake news through social media, and believe that fake news, conspiracy theories, poverty and hunger, a shortage of doctors for patients, and social ignorance have created challenges in combating the pandemic. A combination of fear, social stigma, criminalization, and narrow-minded laws prevent marginalized individuals and social groups from volunteering for information when they need health and medical care. Stigma has always been a social challenge in social studies of health. Social stigma caused by infectious diseases causes psychosocial stress and other social barriers. Stigma can hinder health information-seeking behaviors and delay diagnosis and treatment; and can also lead to poverty and ignorance through social marginalization, resistance to health institutions, and mistrust of information and information sources. One of the main challenges for health policymakers is to develop effective measures to reduce stigma associated with illness, which requires further research. Since Chatman's theory has been used for many years to assess information poverty, it is expected to be useful for investigating the subject of the present study.
The problem is that in such circumstances, when the level of trust between individuals (patients and non-patients) and medical staff decreases, the role of people such as healthcare workers as a bridge between specialists and non-specialists can be necessary. Healthcare workers also play the role of transferring information between these two groups. Therefore, measuring the level of information poverty of healthcare workers in relation to epidemic diseases is so important. On the other hand, if the factors affecting the information poverty of different groups of individuals, including medical staff, in the field of infectious diseases are identified, the results can also be extended to possible epidemic conditions in the future and help in appropriate interventions at different stages of managing and controlling public health emergencies as quickly as possible. Identifying the challenges and problems of information behavior of healthcare workers who face epidemic diseases and appropriate and timely planning for their management can lead to the design of effective strategies for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of affected communities.
The aim of the study was to show how the small world of Tehran healthcare workers fits into Chatman's information poverty theory. The main question of this research was to investigate their information poverty situation based on the components of Chatman's information poverty theory.
The sub-questions were as follows:
1. What is the situation of the secrecy component in healthcare workers?
2. What is the situation of the deception component in healthcare workers?
3. What is the situation of the risk-taking component in healthcare workers?
4. What is the situation of the situational relevance component in healthcare workers?
5. What is the grouping of healthcare workers based on the components of Chatman's information poverty theory?
Methods and Materoal
The method of this survey study included the identification and analysis of the key components of information poverty of healthcare workers who were working in health homes in Tehran during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because due to their direct contact with the community, they had valuable information about their health situation and health needs, and the information poverty of healthcare workers in this field could be extended to the community.
Data collection was conducted using a researcher-made questionnaire based on Chatman's information poverty theory. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha formula, and the content validity ratio was used to examine the validity of the questionnaire.
A stratified random sampling method was used and 125 questionnaires were collected. In order to ensure better diversity and representation, the population was divided into subgroups, and the categories were identified based on the supervising universities, and a sample was selected from each category to ensure the necessary statistical sample size.
Results and Discussion
The findings related to the main components showed that deception had the highest mean with a value of 3.85. This indicates a conscious effort to present a false social reality. After that, the mean of secrecy, protecting oneself from revealing information, is in second place with a value of 3.728. The mean of situational relevance is also in third place with a value of 3.687. This index indicates that the healthcare workers selectively received information about their daily lives. In addition, the mean of risk-taking (3.615) also indicates the healthcare workers' fear of the consequences of seeking information in complex health conditions.The findings related to the secrecy show that the highest mean (3.924) belonged to the component of "Coping with a lack of information processing skills". This was followed by “mistrust”, “privacy protection”, “adherence to one’s own in-group culture”, “welcoming cyberspace to exchange information”, “hiding one’s position, feeling or opinion”, “establishing and maintaining superiority over unwell individuals”, “lack of information and information assets”, and “avoiding negative consequences” and finally, “adherence to a unique personal attitude”.Findings related to the risk-taking showed that “usefulness and value of information” had the highest mean of 3.752. After that, "privacy protection" with an average of 3.74, "adherence to one's own in-group culture" with an average of 3.645, "welcoming cyberspace for information exchange" with an average of 3.642, "emotional and cognitive effort to choose between true and false information" with an average of 3.64, "mistrust" with an average of 3.58, "avoidance of possible negative consequences".
The situation of the situational relevance shows that the "usefulness and value of information" component with an average of 3.726 has the highest score. This was followed by “using insider information” with an average of 3.725, “adherence to one’s own in-group culture” with an average of 3.688, “lack of information and information assets” with an average of 3.616, and the “mistrust” with the lowest average.
Analysis of the situation of the deception showed that the “risk avoidance” had the highest average (3.988). This was followed by “mistrust” with an average of 3.884, “lack of information and information assets” with an average of 3.876, “maintaining privacy” with an average of 3.876, and “failing to present the true reality, situation, or feeling” with an average of 3.828, respectively. Finally, the lowest average (3.796) was related to the “establishing and maintaining superiority over unwell individuals” component.
The findings related to the grouping of healthcare workers showed that the deception component had the highest number of observations and the situational relevance component was in second place after the deception. Also, the number of observations of secrecy was higher compared to risk-taking.
Conclusion
The results indicate the complex behaviors of healthcare workers in interacting with information and information sources, and "deception" was prominent as the main strategy among these components, while situational relevance, risk-taking, and secrecy acted as complementary behaviors.
The most effective factor on healthcare workers' secrecy was coping with the lack of information processing skills. This is while mistrust of information sources and information also played a prominent role in the process of not presenting facts, feelings, and thoughts of healthcare workers. While the most important factor on risk-taking was ignoring information that did not match their conditions, because they were afraid of its consequences and possible risks. The second factor affecting risk-taking was due to the preservation of information and personal and group privacy. Also the most effective factor on "situational relevance" was that they assessed the usefulness and value of information from the perspective of their own needs and limited information. Another factor was that the healthcare workers prioritized the use of inside information because they considered it relevant to their position. Finally the most influential factor in the deception of the healthcare workers was that they reduced the risks of seeking information. Another factor was that they did not trust the information and the sources from which it was disseminated.
The grouping of healthcare workers showed that the largest number of them was in the deceptive group. A smaller number of them also assessed the relevance and usefulness of the information to their current situation and were placed in the second group. The third group, with a smaller number, belongs to the secretive group, while the number of risk-averse individuals was lower compared to secretive healthcare workers. There are signs in the findings that place people in two groups at the same time. This phenomenon can be caused by psychological and social complexities and the effects of various factors on information poverty. On the other hand, all four components can be involved in an individual's information-seeking behavior at the same time. It is also possible for one component to have an effect on the other. For example, the concept of secrecy is closely related to risk-taking. This highlights the depth of information poverty and the complexity of human behavior, which can be influenced by multiple factors, including social and cultural contexts. It also allows us to understand that individuals do not simply fit into a particular pattern and may act differently in different situations. Overall, these findings emphasize the need to develop training programs and create safe spaces for information exchange so that healthcare workers can more confidently access and utilize new information.
The analyses lead us to conclude that in order to reduce information poverty, we need to strengthen educational infrastructure, improve access to information, and create a culture of transparency and trust. Finally, the findings provide new insights into the constraints experienced by healthcare workers in health homes, and provide evidence of systematic marginalization and classification of access to and use of information, indicating that protective, secretive, and deceptive measures were employed by healthcare workers not only to cope with living in a small world, but also to circumvent socio-cultural boundaries. The results provide further insight into the role of health professionals and policymakers in supporting the information needs of healthcare workers and guiding their information behaviors.
Keywords: Information Poverty, Chatman's theory, Primary healthcare worker.
Information poverty is a condition in which individuals and groups in a particular context lack the skills, abilities, and tools necessary to access information appropriately, or to transform and use it optimally. The marginalization of information through institutional and contextual processes such as economic and racial inequalities, as well as information overload, negatively affects an individual’s information behavior. Marginalized groups find limited resources to meet their information needs, have limited economic and social capital, are suspicious of outside information, and engage in self-protective behaviors to reduce marginalization. Chatman (1996) proposed the information poverty theory. According to him, people who do not believe that external information can help them are inclined to engage in self-protective behaviors such as deception and secrecy, which ultimately make them unable to obtain richer information. The theory he proposed makes the following six propositions:
1. The information poor perceive themselves to be devoid of any sources that might help them.;
2. Information poverty is partially associated with class distinction;
3. Information poverty is determined by self-protective behaviors which are used in response to social norms;
4. Both secrecy and deception are self-protecting mechanisms due to a sense of mistrust regarding the interest or ability of others to provide useful information;
5. A decision to risk exposure about our true feelings is often not taken due to a perception that negative consequences outweigh benefits;
6. New knowledge will be selectively introduced into the information world of poor people. A condition that influences this process is the relevance of that information in response to everyday problems and concerns.
The components associated with Chatman's information poverty theory are: Secrecy, deception, risk-taking, and situational relevance. Risk-taking refers to a person’s perception of the value of a particular type of information and the perception of the risk involved in seeking or sharing this information. Secrecy is the intentional protection of oneself from revealing information. In contrast, deception involves the intentional presentation of a false reality, as the person shares meaningless information, and the information received is irrelevant. Situational relevance refers to the fact that, to be useful, information sources must be meaningful to the individual and accepted by others in the group. Lack of knowledge about issues leads people to resort to rumors and superstitions, to feel helpless, and to avoid actively seeking information. One area that has been particularly affected by information poverty has been the field of medicine, especially infectious diseases. The experience of illness is a phenomenon that evokes suffering, intense emotions, and a desire to talk to others. The desire to talk to others is shaped by the perception that other people who do not suffer from the disease are unable to understand the world of patients, so relevant information should only be obtained from insiders who share their experiences. One of the social concerns about pandemics is fatalism. Some attribute the information poverty during the COVID-19 outbreak to the spread of fake news through social media, and believe that fake news, conspiracy theories, poverty and hunger, a shortage of doctors for patients, and social ignorance have created challenges in combating the pandemic. A combination of fear, social stigma, criminalization, and narrow-minded laws prevent marginalized individuals and social groups from volunteering for information when they need health and medical care. Stigma has always been a social challenge in social studies of health. Social stigma caused by infectious diseases causes psychosocial stress and other social barriers. Stigma can hinder health information-seeking behaviors and delay diagnosis and treatment; and can also lead to poverty and ignorance through social marginalization, resistance to health institutions, and mistrust of information and information sources. One of the main challenges for health policymakers is to develop effective measures to reduce stigma associated with illness, which requires further research. Since Chatman's theory has been used for many years to assess information poverty, it is expected to be useful for investigating the subject of the present study.
The problem is that in such circumstances, when the level of trust between individuals (patients and non-patients) and medical staff decreases, the role of people such as healthcare workers as a bridge between specialists and non-specialists can be necessary. Healthcare workers also play the role of transferring information between these two groups. Therefore, measuring the level of information poverty of healthcare workers in relation to epidemic diseases is so important. On the other hand, if the factors affecting the information poverty of different groups of individuals, including medical staff, in the field of infectious diseases are identified, the results can also be extended to possible epidemic conditions in the future and help in appropriate interventions at different stages of managing and controlling public health emergencies as quickly as possible. Identifying the challenges and problems of information behavior of healthcare workers who face epidemic diseases and appropriate and timely planning for their management can lead to the design of effective strategies for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of affected communities.
The aim of the study was to show how the small world of Tehran healthcare workers fits into Chatman's information poverty theory. The main question of this research was to investigate their information poverty situation based on the components of Chatman's information poverty theory.
The sub-questions were as follows:
1. What is the situation of the secrecy component in healthcare workers?
2. What is the situation of the deception component in healthcare workers?
3. What is the situation of the risk-taking component in healthcare workers?
4. What is the situation of the situational relevance component in healthcare workers?
5. What is the grouping of healthcare workers based on the components of Chatman's information poverty theory?
Methods and Materoal
The method of this survey study included the identification and analysis of the key components of information poverty of healthcare workers who were working in health homes in Tehran during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because due to their direct contact with the community, they had valuable information about their health situation and health needs, and the information poverty of healthcare workers in this field could be extended to the community.
Data collection was conducted using a researcher-made questionnaire based on Chatman's information poverty theory. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's alpha formula, and the content validity ratio was used to examine the validity of the questionnaire.
A stratified random sampling method was used and 125 questionnaires were collected. In order to ensure better diversity and representation, the population was divided into subgroups, and the categories were identified based on the supervising universities, and a sample was selected from each category to ensure the necessary statistical sample size.
Results and Discussion
The findings related to the main components showed that deception had the highest mean with a value of 3.85. This indicates a conscious effort to present a false social reality. After that, the mean of secrecy, protecting oneself from revealing information, is in second place with a value of 3.728. The mean of situational relevance is also in third place with a value of 3.687. This index indicates that the healthcare workers selectively received information about their daily lives. In addition, the mean of risk-taking (3.615) also indicates the healthcare workers' fear of the consequences of seeking information in complex health conditions.The findings related to the secrecy show that the highest mean (3.924) belonged to the component of "Coping with a lack of information processing skills". This was followed by “mistrust”, “privacy protection”, “adherence to one’s own in-group culture”, “welcoming cyberspace to exchange information”, “hiding one’s position, feeling or opinion”, “establishing and maintaining superiority over unwell individuals”, “lack of information and information assets”, and “avoiding negative consequences” and finally, “adherence to a unique personal attitude”.Findings related to the risk-taking showed that “usefulness and value of information” had the highest mean of 3.752. After that, "privacy protection" with an average of 3.74, "adherence to one's own in-group culture" with an average of 3.645, "welcoming cyberspace for information exchange" with an average of 3.642, "emotional and cognitive effort to choose between true and false information" with an average of 3.64, "mistrust" with an average of 3.58, "avoidance of possible negative consequences".
The situation of the situational relevance shows that the "usefulness and value of information" component with an average of 3.726 has the highest score. This was followed by “using insider information” with an average of 3.725, “adherence to one’s own in-group culture” with an average of 3.688, “lack of information and information assets” with an average of 3.616, and the “mistrust” with the lowest average.
Analysis of the situation of the deception showed that the “risk avoidance” had the highest average (3.988). This was followed by “mistrust” with an average of 3.884, “lack of information and information assets” with an average of 3.876, “maintaining privacy” with an average of 3.876, and “failing to present the true reality, situation, or feeling” with an average of 3.828, respectively. Finally, the lowest average (3.796) was related to the “establishing and maintaining superiority over unwell individuals” component.
The findings related to the grouping of healthcare workers showed that the deception component had the highest number of observations and the situational relevance component was in second place after the deception. Also, the number of observations of secrecy was higher compared to risk-taking.
Conclusion
The results indicate the complex behaviors of healthcare workers in interacting with information and information sources, and "deception" was prominent as the main strategy among these components, while situational relevance, risk-taking, and secrecy acted as complementary behaviors.
The most effective factor on healthcare workers' secrecy was coping with the lack of information processing skills. This is while mistrust of information sources and information also played a prominent role in the process of not presenting facts, feelings, and thoughts of healthcare workers. While the most important factor on risk-taking was ignoring information that did not match their conditions, because they were afraid of its consequences and possible risks. The second factor affecting risk-taking was due to the preservation of information and personal and group privacy. Also the most effective factor on "situational relevance" was that they assessed the usefulness and value of information from the perspective of their own needs and limited information. Another factor was that the healthcare workers prioritized the use of inside information because they considered it relevant to their position. Finally the most influential factor in the deception of the healthcare workers was that they reduced the risks of seeking information. Another factor was that they did not trust the information and the sources from which it was disseminated.
The grouping of healthcare workers showed that the largest number of them was in the deceptive group. A smaller number of them also assessed the relevance and usefulness of the information to their current situation and were placed in the second group. The third group, with a smaller number, belongs to the secretive group, while the number of risk-averse individuals was lower compared to secretive healthcare workers. There are signs in the findings that place people in two groups at the same time. This phenomenon can be caused by psychological and social complexities and the effects of various factors on information poverty. On the other hand, all four components can be involved in an individual's information-seeking behavior at the same time. It is also possible for one component to have an effect on the other. For example, the concept of secrecy is closely related to risk-taking. This highlights the depth of information poverty and the complexity of human behavior, which can be influenced by multiple factors, including social and cultural contexts. It also allows us to understand that individuals do not simply fit into a particular pattern and may act differently in different situations. Overall, these findings emphasize the need to develop training programs and create safe spaces for information exchange so that healthcare workers can more confidently access and utilize new information.
The analyses lead us to conclude that in order to reduce information poverty, we need to strengthen educational infrastructure, improve access to information, and create a culture of transparency and trust. Finally, the findings provide new insights into the constraints experienced by healthcare workers in health homes, and provide evidence of systematic marginalization and classification of access to and use of information, indicating that protective, secretive, and deceptive measures were employed by healthcare workers not only to cope with living in a small world, but also to circumvent socio-cultural boundaries. The results provide further insight into the role of health professionals and policymakers in supporting the information needs of healthcare workers and guiding their information behaviors.
Keywords: Information Poverty, Chatman's theory, Primary healthcare worker.
Dr Mahdieh Mirzabeigi, Ms Reihaneh Bahri,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (5-2025)
Volume 12, Issue 1 (5-2025)
Abstract
Introduction
Given the important impact of information literacy in today's societies and in line with the efficiency of individuals, especially students, information literacy can be predicted and planned for its management through indicators. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the relationships between the variables of cognitive flexibility and openness to experience with the level of information literacy by examining students of Shiraz University, a university that enjoys a distinguished scientific position in the country and the results of this study may contribute to its scientific growth through further understanding of the factors affecting the information literacy of its students, and to test the extent of the impact of the two variables in predicting the level of information literacy of the said society, if a relationship exists.
Methods and Materoal
This research is descriptive in terms of data collection and quantitative in terms of data nature. The statistical population also includes students of Shiraz University in the academic year 1400-1401, about 17,000 people, and the sample size was calculated as 375 people using the Cochran formula. The members of the research sample were selected using convenience sampling. Data collection was carried out through a questionnaire. To measure the level of information literacy, the research questionnaires of Seng et al. (2020), Pinto et al. (2020), and Lee et al. (2020) were used, based on the classification of the Information Literacy Framework for Higher Education (2016). To measure face and content validity, the questionnaire was sent to seven information science and knowledge experts, and the final version was obtained based on their opinions. The reliability of the research tool was obtained using Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.937. To measure cognitive flexibility, the cognitive flexibility questionnaire developed by Dennis & Vander Wal (2010) was used, whose validity was measured by these researchers, and its convergent validity with the cognitive flexibility scale of Martin and Robin (1995) was 0.75. The reliability of this questionnaire was also obtained using Cronbach's alpha, which was 0.787. To measure openness to experience, the Big Five Personality Factors questionnaire by Goldberg (1999) was used, whose validity was proven in the Khormai study (2006) using factor analysis. The reliability of this questionnaire was obtained using Cronbach's alpha, which was 0.788. Pearson correlation tests, linear regression, and stepwise regression were also used to analyze the data.
Resultss and Discussion
in order to examine the power of each variable in predicting the level of information literacy, the correlation between the variables was first calculated through the Pearson correlation test, and the results showed that cognitive flexibility, openness to experience, and information literacy have a positive and significant relationship with each other.
Then, a simple linear regression test was used to examine the role of cognitive flexibility in predicting the level of information literacy of the subjects, and the cognitive flexibility variable was entered as a predictor variable and information literacy as a criterion variable in the regression equation. The findings showed that the regression model of the predictive power of the cognitive flexibility variable on information literacy (F(1/278)=(43/682 p=0/000) with a coefficient of determination R2=/136 is significant. For each unit increase in cognitive flexibility, the information literacy score increases by 58/567 units. In other words, according to the calculated standard regression coefficient, cognitive flexibility explains 36/8 percent of the variance in information literacy (Table 2). Then, a simple linear regression test was used to examine the role of openness to experience in predicting the level of information literacy of the subjects, and the openness to experience variable as a predictor variable and information literacy as a criterion variable was entered into the regression equation and the findings showed that the regression model of the predictive power of the variable of openness to experience on information literacy is significant F(1/ 298) = (97/167 p = 0/000) with a coefficient of determination R2 = /246. For each unit increase in openness to experience, the information literacy score increases by 112/313 units. In other words, according to the calculated standard regression coefficient, openness to experience explains 49/6 percent of the variance in information literacy (Table 3). Finally, the stepwise regression test was used to predict the level of information literacy of users based on the variables of cognitive flexibility and openness to experience. The results of the stepwise regression test showed that among the predictor variables in the first step, the component of openness to experience was able to be the strongest The variable was significantly able to predict the level of information literacy of the subjects (p= /000). This variable alone was able to explain about 50/9 percent of the variance in the level of information literacy. In the second step, the variable of openness to experience explained about 43/1 percent of the variance in the level of information literacy, and cognitive flexibility was able to enter the model and explained 19/5 percent of the variance in the level of information literacy (p= /000). Accordingly, in total, the two variables of openness to experience and cognitive flexibility were able to explain 62/6 percent of the variance in information literacy (Table 4).
Conclusion
The results of this study can be an effort to improve the existing knowledge about information literacy and identify more factors that influence it. Also, the results of this study can help universities, with the help of information literacy experts, design curricula and training workshops to strengthen these components and improve the level of information literacy and to develop students who have higher information literacy and are prepared for future life and careers. Students, also aware of the important role of openness to experience and cognitive flexibility, can overcome the potential problems associated with their lack of information literacy by improving their level of openness to experience and cognitive flexibility by participating in workshops related to these components and also by increasing their information literacy skills by participating in workshops and information literacy training courses.
Given the important impact of information literacy in today's societies and in line with the efficiency of individuals, especially students, information literacy can be predicted and planned for its management through indicators. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the relationships between the variables of cognitive flexibility and openness to experience with the level of information literacy by examining students of Shiraz University, a university that enjoys a distinguished scientific position in the country and the results of this study may contribute to its scientific growth through further understanding of the factors affecting the information literacy of its students, and to test the extent of the impact of the two variables in predicting the level of information literacy of the said society, if a relationship exists.
Methods and Materoal
This research is descriptive in terms of data collection and quantitative in terms of data nature. The statistical population also includes students of Shiraz University in the academic year 1400-1401, about 17,000 people, and the sample size was calculated as 375 people using the Cochran formula. The members of the research sample were selected using convenience sampling. Data collection was carried out through a questionnaire. To measure the level of information literacy, the research questionnaires of Seng et al. (2020), Pinto et al. (2020), and Lee et al. (2020) were used, based on the classification of the Information Literacy Framework for Higher Education (2016). To measure face and content validity, the questionnaire was sent to seven information science and knowledge experts, and the final version was obtained based on their opinions. The reliability of the research tool was obtained using Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.937. To measure cognitive flexibility, the cognitive flexibility questionnaire developed by Dennis & Vander Wal (2010) was used, whose validity was measured by these researchers, and its convergent validity with the cognitive flexibility scale of Martin and Robin (1995) was 0.75. The reliability of this questionnaire was also obtained using Cronbach's alpha, which was 0.787. To measure openness to experience, the Big Five Personality Factors questionnaire by Goldberg (1999) was used, whose validity was proven in the Khormai study (2006) using factor analysis. The reliability of this questionnaire was obtained using Cronbach's alpha, which was 0.788. Pearson correlation tests, linear regression, and stepwise regression were also used to analyze the data.
Resultss and Discussion
in order to examine the power of each variable in predicting the level of information literacy, the correlation between the variables was first calculated through the Pearson correlation test, and the results showed that cognitive flexibility, openness to experience, and information literacy have a positive and significant relationship with each other.
Then, a simple linear regression test was used to examine the role of cognitive flexibility in predicting the level of information literacy of the subjects, and the cognitive flexibility variable was entered as a predictor variable and information literacy as a criterion variable in the regression equation. The findings showed that the regression model of the predictive power of the cognitive flexibility variable on information literacy (F(1/278)=(43/682 p=0/000) with a coefficient of determination R2=/136 is significant. For each unit increase in cognitive flexibility, the information literacy score increases by 58/567 units. In other words, according to the calculated standard regression coefficient, cognitive flexibility explains 36/8 percent of the variance in information literacy (Table 2). Then, a simple linear regression test was used to examine the role of openness to experience in predicting the level of information literacy of the subjects, and the openness to experience variable as a predictor variable and information literacy as a criterion variable was entered into the regression equation and the findings showed that the regression model of the predictive power of the variable of openness to experience on information literacy is significant F(1/ 298) = (97/167 p = 0/000) with a coefficient of determination R2 = /246. For each unit increase in openness to experience, the information literacy score increases by 112/313 units. In other words, according to the calculated standard regression coefficient, openness to experience explains 49/6 percent of the variance in information literacy (Table 3). Finally, the stepwise regression test was used to predict the level of information literacy of users based on the variables of cognitive flexibility and openness to experience. The results of the stepwise regression test showed that among the predictor variables in the first step, the component of openness to experience was able to be the strongest The variable was significantly able to predict the level of information literacy of the subjects (p= /000). This variable alone was able to explain about 50/9 percent of the variance in the level of information literacy. In the second step, the variable of openness to experience explained about 43/1 percent of the variance in the level of information literacy, and cognitive flexibility was able to enter the model and explained 19/5 percent of the variance in the level of information literacy (p= /000). Accordingly, in total, the two variables of openness to experience and cognitive flexibility were able to explain 62/6 percent of the variance in information literacy (Table 4).
Conclusion
The results of this study can be an effort to improve the existing knowledge about information literacy and identify more factors that influence it. Also, the results of this study can help universities, with the help of information literacy experts, design curricula and training workshops to strengthen these components and improve the level of information literacy and to develop students who have higher information literacy and are prepared for future life and careers. Students, also aware of the important role of openness to experience and cognitive flexibility, can overcome the potential problems associated with their lack of information literacy by improving their level of openness to experience and cognitive flexibility by participating in workshops related to these components and also by increasing their information literacy skills by participating in workshops and information literacy training courses.
Rahman Marefat, Mahmood Sangari,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (5-2025)
Volume 12, Issue 1 (5-2025)
Abstract
Background and purpose: The present study was conducted with the aim of identifying methods of validating methods of resources among sports science students of Birjand University. In numerous classes involving students from various disciplines, a recurring challenge reported by students was their unfamiliarity with source validation methods. Students, consistently indicated a lack of knowledge on how to assess the credibility of sources. When provided with examples of valid and invalid sources, many students struggled to properly evaluate them. Some students even expressed the belief that source validation was unnecessary, emphasizing merely the importance of using sources rather than verifying their validity. The researchers focused on a specific group—sports science students at Birjand University—to investigate how these students evaluate the sources they need and what challenges they encounter in the process.
Studies suggest that students often lack the skills to assess the credibility of articles found in databases or general websites like Wikipedia and online encyclopedias (Marefat, 1401; Azarang, 1399). For printed sources, students typically consider the author's credibility, organizational affiliation, and the publisher’s reputation as indicators of source reliability (Moradi, 1384). Marefat identified ten main categories related to evaluating sources, including institutional credibility, author credibility, content accuracy, observational reliability, referential validation, publication date, information distortion, credibility doubts, recognition of source credibility, and citation rate, particularly from psychology students’ perspectives (Marefat, 1396).
Research by Keshavarz, Vasfi, and Sha'bani (1393) examined the credibility of internet health information and how personality traits like conscientiousness influence evaluation methods among health-medical professionals. They found that many struggle to assess quality, relying mainly on impartiality, timeliness, and author credibility. Similarly, Roozbahani and Riahi-nia (1395) highlighted that faculty members prioritize content accuracy, data reliability, logical consistency, and relevance in determining source credibility. Kader’s study (Kader, 2013) on nurses identified a six-stage process for evaluating online health information, depending on skills, time, and website quality. Liu and Huang’s research (2005) among Chinese students revealed that current students often base their judgments on author name, affiliation, and website reputation, whereas graduates focus more on the information’s accuracy and quality.
Despite many evaluation efforts, challenges remain: first, understanding how users process unobservable information is difficult; second, differing information needs lead to varied processing approaches; and third, establishing a universal criterion for correct information processing is often impossible outside controlled environments. These issues highlight the complexity of assessing information credibility and the ongoing need for effective evaluation strategies (Liu, 2000).The main questions of the present study are:
1. What are the challenges faced by sports science students at Birjand University in evaluating their required resources?
2. How do sports science students at Birjand University evaluate their required resources?
Method:The statistical population of the present study consisted of 67 sports science students at Birjand University at the time of the research. Given the effort to collect maximum data, all 67 individuals were considered part of the research population, and no sampling was performed. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. In total, twenty master's students in sports science were interviewed. The interview process continued until saturation was reached, after interviewing sixteen students. From the sixteenth to the twentieth interview, the data obtained were repetitive, and based on this, the researchers decided to stop data collection. The initial codes were placed under sub-categories and main categories. In the present study, member checking was used to determine the research's credibility. In the present study, the constructivist approach in grounded theory, as proposed by Charmaz (2014), was adopted as the basis for the work, therefore, there is no need to present a paradigmatic model. Data analysis was also performed using MAXQDA 2020 software.
Findings: Among the 67 members of the research population, a total of 20 sports science students from Birjand University were interviewed. A totoal of 50% of the interviewees were women (10 people), and 10 (50%) were men. Categorizes and presents the concepts and codes extracted from the interviews related to the research questions. In the axial coding of the data, a total of 6 main challenges related to the validation methods of resources of sports students present in the interviews were found, such as lack of familiarity with investigating research violations, lack of familiarity with plagiarism, lack of familiarity with plagiarism software, etc. Also, 15 core codes related to the second research question, how to accredit sports students, were obtained.
Conclusion: Interviews with the research population revealed that students in the research population face certain challenges in validating sources. They highlighted "unfamiliarity with examining research misconduct, unfamiliarity with plagiarism, unfamiliarity with plagiarism software, unfamiliarity with citation styles and citation management software, disregard for the author's academic rank, and unfamiliarity with the credibility of open-access articles" in their conversations with researchers.
These points were derived from the overall final concepts identified during the interviews, which included "unfamiliarity with how to examine research misconduct, unfamiliarity with examining research misconduct, unfamiliarity with examining plagiarism, unfamiliarity with plagiarism software, unfamiliarity with citation styles, unfamiliarity with EndNote, disregard for the author's academic rank, and unfamiliarity with the credibility of open-access articles." The findings of the present study emphasize the need for serious attention from all students, including sports science students and other students, to the issue of information credibility and quality, and the necessity of sufficient and continuous training and skills in this area. Skill training in determining the quality and credibility of sources, based on specific and strong criteria, in the form of training courses, workshops, laboratories, projects, and research, are among the immediate actions in this field.
Especially, It is suggested that to better understand the problems and provide better solutions, other qualitative and mixed methods such as foresight and videography with highly standardized checklists be conducted in more extensive and broader research to achieve more generalizable and broader results. It seems that training in source validation methods is needed for the sports science students participating in the research, and their training can reduce the challenges of source validation among students and improve their source validation methods. It is suggested that the data from this research be measured as a quantitative study among students of Birjand University and other various universities across the country.
Studies suggest that students often lack the skills to assess the credibility of articles found in databases or general websites like Wikipedia and online encyclopedias (Marefat, 1401; Azarang, 1399). For printed sources, students typically consider the author's credibility, organizational affiliation, and the publisher’s reputation as indicators of source reliability (Moradi, 1384). Marefat identified ten main categories related to evaluating sources, including institutional credibility, author credibility, content accuracy, observational reliability, referential validation, publication date, information distortion, credibility doubts, recognition of source credibility, and citation rate, particularly from psychology students’ perspectives (Marefat, 1396).
Research by Keshavarz, Vasfi, and Sha'bani (1393) examined the credibility of internet health information and how personality traits like conscientiousness influence evaluation methods among health-medical professionals. They found that many struggle to assess quality, relying mainly on impartiality, timeliness, and author credibility. Similarly, Roozbahani and Riahi-nia (1395) highlighted that faculty members prioritize content accuracy, data reliability, logical consistency, and relevance in determining source credibility. Kader’s study (Kader, 2013) on nurses identified a six-stage process for evaluating online health information, depending on skills, time, and website quality. Liu and Huang’s research (2005) among Chinese students revealed that current students often base their judgments on author name, affiliation, and website reputation, whereas graduates focus more on the information’s accuracy and quality.
Despite many evaluation efforts, challenges remain: first, understanding how users process unobservable information is difficult; second, differing information needs lead to varied processing approaches; and third, establishing a universal criterion for correct information processing is often impossible outside controlled environments. These issues highlight the complexity of assessing information credibility and the ongoing need for effective evaluation strategies (Liu, 2000).The main questions of the present study are:
1. What are the challenges faced by sports science students at Birjand University in evaluating their required resources?
2. How do sports science students at Birjand University evaluate their required resources?
Method:The statistical population of the present study consisted of 67 sports science students at Birjand University at the time of the research. Given the effort to collect maximum data, all 67 individuals were considered part of the research population, and no sampling was performed. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. In total, twenty master's students in sports science were interviewed. The interview process continued until saturation was reached, after interviewing sixteen students. From the sixteenth to the twentieth interview, the data obtained were repetitive, and based on this, the researchers decided to stop data collection. The initial codes were placed under sub-categories and main categories. In the present study, member checking was used to determine the research's credibility. In the present study, the constructivist approach in grounded theory, as proposed by Charmaz (2014), was adopted as the basis for the work, therefore, there is no need to present a paradigmatic model. Data analysis was also performed using MAXQDA 2020 software.
Findings: Among the 67 members of the research population, a total of 20 sports science students from Birjand University were interviewed. A totoal of 50% of the interviewees were women (10 people), and 10 (50%) were men. Categorizes and presents the concepts and codes extracted from the interviews related to the research questions. In the axial coding of the data, a total of 6 main challenges related to the validation methods of resources of sports students present in the interviews were found, such as lack of familiarity with investigating research violations, lack of familiarity with plagiarism, lack of familiarity with plagiarism software, etc. Also, 15 core codes related to the second research question, how to accredit sports students, were obtained.
Conclusion: Interviews with the research population revealed that students in the research population face certain challenges in validating sources. They highlighted "unfamiliarity with examining research misconduct, unfamiliarity with plagiarism, unfamiliarity with plagiarism software, unfamiliarity with citation styles and citation management software, disregard for the author's academic rank, and unfamiliarity with the credibility of open-access articles" in their conversations with researchers.
These points were derived from the overall final concepts identified during the interviews, which included "unfamiliarity with how to examine research misconduct, unfamiliarity with examining research misconduct, unfamiliarity with examining plagiarism, unfamiliarity with plagiarism software, unfamiliarity with citation styles, unfamiliarity with EndNote, disregard for the author's academic rank, and unfamiliarity with the credibility of open-access articles." The findings of the present study emphasize the need for serious attention from all students, including sports science students and other students, to the issue of information credibility and quality, and the necessity of sufficient and continuous training and skills in this area. Skill training in determining the quality and credibility of sources, based on specific and strong criteria, in the form of training courses, workshops, laboratories, projects, and research, are among the immediate actions in this field.
Especially, It is suggested that to better understand the problems and provide better solutions, other qualitative and mixed methods such as foresight and videography with highly standardized checklists be conducted in more extensive and broader research to achieve more generalizable and broader results. It seems that training in source validation methods is needed for the sports science students participating in the research, and their training can reduce the challenges of source validation among students and improve their source validation methods. It is suggested that the data from this research be measured as a quantitative study among students of Birjand University and other various universities across the country.
Dr Mahdieh Mirzabeigi, Ms Reihaneh Bahri,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (5-2025)
Volume 12, Issue 1 (5-2025)
Abstract
Purpose: Studying the role of cognitive flexibility and openness to experience in predicting the information literacy level of Shiraz University students in the academic year 1401-1402.
Methods: The present research method is descriptive-correlation. The number of Shiraz University students is about 17,000people, of which 375 people were selected as the statistical population of the study by calculating Cochran's formula through available sampling. To collect data, three questionnaires were used, including Goldberg's Big Five Personality Factors (1999), Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire made by Dennis and Vanderwaal in 2010, and Information Literacy Questionnaire, which was created using the research questionnaires of Seng et al. (2020), Pinto et al. (2020) and Lee et al. (2020) and based on the classification of information literacy framework for higher education (2016) prepared and used. For data analysis, Pearson correlation test, linear regression and multiple regression were used in SPSS software.
findings: the findings of the research show that by adding cognitive flexibility and openness to experience , the level of information literacy of subjects increases . also , openness to experience ( higher rate ) and cognitive flexibility were able to predict information literacy of subjects .
originality / value: the relationship between cognitive flexibility , openness to experience and level of information literacy as well as the ability of cognitive flexibility and openness to experience in students " knowledge literacy level will lead researchers to know what aspects of cognitive features should be considered in information literacy . also , students can overcome the difficulties associated with the lack of literacy education by promoting the level of openness to experience and cognitive flexibility and increasing their skills through participation in workshops and training courses.
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