Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/10397/93628
Title: | Protecting against threats to information security : an attitudinal ambivalence perspective | Authors: | Ng, KC Zhang, X Thong, JYL Tam, KY |
Issue Date: | 2021 | Source: | Journal of management information systems, 2021, v. 38, no. 3, p. 732-764 | Abstract: | A popular information security-related motivation theory is the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) that has been studied extensively in many information security contexts with promising results. However, prior studies have found inconsistent findings regarding the relationships within PMT. To shed light on these inconsistent findings, we introduce the attitudinal ambivalence theory to open the black box within PMT. We tested our model on data collect ed from 1,383 individuals facing potential cyberattacks of their emails in a field experiment. The results of polynomial regression with response surface analysis showed that attitudinal ambivalence is generated from the opposition between an individual’s evaluations of maladaptive rewards and social norms (i.e., descriptive norm and subjective norm). This attitudinal ambivalence, in turn, affects individuals’ evaluations of their coping appraisal process and protection motivation, and ultimately protection behavior. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of identifying the determinants and outcomes of attitudinal ambivalence in the information security context. From a theoretical standpoint, our work contributes to the information security literature by incorporating attitudinal ambivalence, which arises from the intrapersonal and interpersonal appraisal processes, into PMT. From a practical standpoint, our work provides insights into designing effective fear appeals to avoid triggering attitudinal ambivalence and thus encouraging adoption of security protection behavior. | Keywords: | Attitudinal ambivalence theory Cybersecurity Information security Maladaptive rewards Polynomial regression Protection motivation theory Response surface analysis Security breaches Social norms Two-factor authentication |
Publisher: | ME Sharpe Inc | Journal: | Journal of management information systems | ISSN: | 0742-1222 | EISSN: | 1557-928X | DOI: | 10.1080/07421222.2021.1962601 | Rights: | © 2021 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The following publication Ka Chung Ng, Xiaojun Zhang, James Y. L. Thong & Kar Yan Tam (2021) Protecting Against Threats to Information Security: An Attitudinal Ambivalence Perspective, Journal of Management Information Systems, 38:3, 732-764, is available at https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2021.1962601. |
Appears in Collections: | Journal/Magazine Article |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ng_Protecting_Against_Threats.pdf | 3.67 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
Page views
40
Last Week
0
0
Last month
Citations as of Apr 28, 2024
Downloads
77
Citations as of Apr 28, 2024
SCOPUSTM
Citations
14
Citations as of Apr 26, 2024
WEB OF SCIENCETM
Citations
13
Citations as of May 2, 2024
Google ScholarTM
Check
Altmetric
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.