Government secrecy: public attitudes toward information provided by the authorities

Influence of employees’ perceptions of the uses and security of human resource records on employees’ attitude toward human resource records

Purpose

Human resource records are the cornerstone of human resource management. Organizations rely a great deal on their employees to furnish them with human resource records, which is crucial to the effective management of the employees and the success of the organization. It is evident, however, that personal information-related issues in organizations are of significant concern and that examining employees’ perceptions and attitudes regarding personal information management is extremely valuable. Yet, this is largely absent in the literature. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the influence of perceptions of employees concerning the uses and security of human resource records on their attitude toward human resource records in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive survey design was used in this study. An online questionnaire was used to gather responses from employees for analyses. A structural equation model was developed and assessed because of the advantages that come with its use and the characteristics of this study. The assessment of the structural equation model was done to determine the significance of the hypothesized paths. In addition, effect size, coefficient of determination and predictive relevance of the structural model were assessed. Before that, the validity and reliability of the measurement model were examined through the assessment of the indicator loadings, average variance extracted, Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability. An importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) was also conducted.

Findings

The hypotheses formulated in this study could not be rejected because the hypotheses tested were statistically significant. Thus, this study revealed that employees’ perception of the uses of human resource records influenced their attitude toward human resource records. Also, employees’ perception of the security of human resource records influenced their attitude toward human resource records. The IPMA revealed that the perception of uses of human resource records was more important, yet its performance was below the perception of security as significant.

Practical implications

Human resource records management professionals, particularly in Ghana, ought to ensure that the human resource records in their organizations are used for the purpose for which they are collected and also, secured. In addition, they should assure employees that their personal information is used as expected and secured. This could be realized with the use of international records management standards especially those in the ISO 30300 series. More so, human resource managers as part of their counseling duties also need to counsel employees so that they form positive perceptions about the uses and security of the personal information they give to their organization in the course of their employment.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study brings to light the attitude of employees toward human resource records based on their perceptions of uses and security in the Ghanaian context which is absent in the literature as previous studies have focused mainly on personal information management behavior only at the individual level.

Trust in Government, Perceived Integrity and Food Safety Protective Behavior: The Mediating Role of Risk Perception

Objective: This study examined the correlations between trust in government and the public's protective behaviors regarding food safety, focusing on the mediating role of risk perception. Methods: The 2013 (1,432 samples) and 2019 (1,276 samples) Taiwan Social Change Survey data were analyzed using ordinary least squares regression models. The bootstrap method was used to examine the mediating effect of risk perception. Results: Perceived integrity of government regarding food safety issues influences all four types of food protective behaviors directly and indirectly via risk perceptions. The four protective behaviors were "not eating that food," "preparing food kit," "preferring organic food," and "overall behaviors." Trust in government directly influences part of the protective food behaviors, while no mediating effects of risk perception were found. Conclusion: The results of this study will deepen our understanding of food consumption behavior, identify key factors that influence public food protective behaviors, and inform food safety management to implement strategies necessary to improve food consumption.

The importance of open government data for the private sector and NGOs in Indonesia

Purpose

Open government data (OGD) is making data available free to all by the government with the aim of ensuring accountability and transparency in government besides generating public value by its usage. OGD is an emerging government initiative in Indonesia and there is potential for harnessing OGD for spearheading innovation and improvising services in different economic sectors. This paper aims to investigate the usage of OGD in the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

Documentary analysis was conducted to review the national OGD portal of Indonesia. Structured interviews were conducted with 49 senior management representatives from the private sector and NGOs to solicit their perspectives regarding the usage of OGD for professional purposes. Also, questions were posed regarding the challenges in harnessing OGD for professional purposes.

Findings

OGD has immense potential for private sector and NGOs; however, more initiatives are required on the part of the government to open their data sets. Further, involvement of stakeholders from the private sector and NGOs and other interested partners is required for an optimum usage of OGD in different economic sectors of Indonesia.

Research limitations/implications

As the research focuses on the private sector and NGOs in Indonesia, the study requires a more broad-based approach to consider the perspectives of different users. Further research is required to appreciate the role of contextual factors in determining the usage of OGD in Indonesia.

Originality/value

The study is one of the first to be conducted in Indonesia about the OGD initiatives of the country. Soliciting views from the key management representatives in the private sector and NGOs, the paper contributes to the extant OGD literature, which is more supply-focused and not demand-driven. While conceding that there are ample usages of OGD for the different economic sectors, the paper underlines the need for refining the OGD initiatives of Indonesia.

The missing link in information and records management: personal knowledge registration

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a research on collaborative personal knowledge registration (PKR). It seeks to explain the interrelationship between records professionals and human resource (HR) and training professionals, as well as the views of management and quality managers on collaborative PKR. It aims to raise awareness of records professionals as specialists in information management, including personal knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative methodology was used to conduct the research. It was a multiple-case study, covering 12 organizations in Iceland. In these organizations, 32 professionals were interviewed. The research sought to understand how PKR was being facilitated, as well as how personal knowledge was made accessible and usable for employees.

Findings

The organizations had not been as successful as anticipated in PKR. The role and responsibility of records professionals was limited in the PKR process. Different professionals seemed unaware of the possible synergy effect of collaborative PKR.

Originality/value

There is a lack of studies that explore the juxtaposition and collaboration of records professionals and HR and training professionals in organizations. The aim of this research was to bridge this gap. Its originality lies in how it approaches diverse professions and their collaborative PKR effort. This research provides a valuable practical and theoretical contribution to a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of information and records management. It can lay the foundation for further research into the field.

Barriers to use open government data in private sector and NGOs in Pakistan

Purpose

Open government data (OGD) is making available data freely to all by the government with the aim to ensure accountability and transparency in government besides generating public value by its usage. OGD is an emerging government initiative in Pakistan, and there is a lot of potential for harnessing OGD for spearheading innovation and improvising services in different economic sectors. This paper aims to seek to investigate the usage of OGD in private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

Documentary analysis is conducted to review the national OGD portal of Pakistan. Besides, structured interviews were conducted with 49 senior management representatives from private sector and NGOs to solicit their perspectives regarding the usage of OGD for professional purposes. Also, questions were posed regarding the challenges in harnessing OGD for professional purposes.

Findings

OGD has immense usage for private sector and NGOs; however, more initiatives are required on the part of the government to open their data sets. Further, involvement of stakeholders from the private sector and NGOs and other interested partners is required for an optimum usage of OGD in different economic sectors of Pakistan.

Research limitations/implications

As the research focuses on private sector and NGOs in Pakistan, the study requires a more broad-based approach to take into account the perspectives of different users. Further research is required to appreciate the role of contextual factors in determining the usage of OGD in Pakistan.

Practical implications

Government should be more forthcoming in its OGD initiatives and encourage collaboration from citizens, businesses, voluntary organizations and the like.

Social implications

Working professionals from different economic sectors should tap OGD for generating value by improvising their services.

Originality/value

The study is the first one to be conducted in Pakistan about the OGD initiatives of the country. Soliciting views from the key management representatives in the private sector and NGOs, the paper contributed to the extant OGD literature which is more supply-focused and not demand-driven. While conceding that there are ample usages of OGD for the different economic sectors, the paper underlines the need for refining the OGD initiatives of Pakistan.