Social Networking in the Workplace - Assignment Example

Research Questions Name Course Lecturer Date 1 Social networking in the workplace i. How has social networking been of benefit to your organization? The question will try to answer the communication cost benefits, networking with other interrelated business unit or customers and how effective the personnel use it in line with the organization security, privacy and ethics operations. ii. Do you have specific policies and norms that guide the social networking usage in your workplace? Precisely, this will attempt to give the predetermined and planned decisions that facilitated the integration, monitoring and evaluation of social networking to deliver strategic goals. iii. Why did the management team integrate social networking and what have been their roles in its implementation and delivery? Mainly, this will seek for the purpose and delivery timeline coupled with strategic approach that ensures that the objectives and goals are fulfilled as planned. iv. How effective and responsive are the social networking security and privacy initiatives as articulated in the integrated plan? 1. Employee performance management i. What are the business goals that exist and shared by the IT team to achieve the goals at organizational level? The question will derive some specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound (SMART) goals that the IT workforce has adopted in their activities. ii. How does your organization’s recruitment, training and promotion strategies measures with the required security and privacy skills, requirements and competency in delivery of IT activities? This answers the overall approach to effective IT workforce. iii. What are the plans, structures and resources assigned to ensure that the IT workforce remain as effective as possible? The question will measure the organizational strategic approach to learning, improvement and development for ensuring business performance. iv. What aspects of activities, delivery and growth can be attributed directly to the IT workforce activities? Discussions and Findings Report Hardware security and privacy Security, ethics and privacy are increasing matters of concern in workplace. As noted from just co included group interview with an IT manager in a job consultant firm, most companies have adopted hardware that did not exist in some past decades. The integration of computers; laptops and desktops, CPUs and other databases is a common feature in ordinary office. From the reception desks to the C.E.O.’s computer facilitate most of the undertakings and activities. The hardware is accessible not only to the personnel in a workplace but also to their clients, consultants such as repair and maintenance people or any other unauthorized person. Computers are easily operated and data can be accessed by various people or carried through other hardware like USBs, and flash discs. This is a challenge that is approached through internal and external perspectives of companies operations and activities (Smith, Dinev & Xu, 2011). There are different data and information shared by an overarching organization for its operations. There is also other special information which is secured for specific departments and access controlled to restrain access by the other departments. Departments like IT, finance, human resource management and executive manage their information separately. The data is then accessed by specific people and shared across with definite restrictions. To ensure privacy and security, computer setting has been one of the measures taken by most companies to ensure that the data is not accessed and there is limited anxiety for the users about privacy. For instance, Richard indicated that their computers and monitors are set to log off after every 60 seconds and therefore it is hard for an employee to access the other employees’ data or access from other departments the information which was considered private. The external threats come from any other persons than the company’s personnel such as clients, consultants and facility maintenance. Technology advance and updated security is then ensured by permanent fixing of portable facilities such as computers, regulated entry and interference with company data. Variously, critical data is encrypted and a key is contained to specific people who owes the company loyalty or are accountable enough to be entrusted. Security measures involving both physical and electronic barriers promote security and ensure privacy. Client services point are also set in a dimension that they cannot interfere with company data at all by closed drawers, locked cabinets which are always behind the personnel at service points or behold a reachable position. In addition, critical information is restrained to some computers and offices like customer services. Policies and Ethics One of the strongest points identified in the primary data collection session was that security, ethics and privacy in a company are established through the set rules and policies. The IT department is sorely expected to gather, process, compute and manage data in an organization. It has an overarching policy which guides its activities and conduct with company’s data. One critical way to ensure this is orientation of the new members or worker which highly and in regard to privacy should comply. There are sanctions that are also communicated as the organization is also under some standards set by the sector, corporate institutions and government. As mentioned by the interviewee, data coverage and security is ensured through the government and legal perspective which are made known to all employee and demand compliance (Bélanger & Crossler, 2011). The established understanding within the organization forms as a culture which then maintains itself. In fact one area that was instead was that every employee is expected to show high levels of professionalism so as to be trustworthy that they care for their employers as well as their colleagues. The elements of personality and respect for others come in so that the relations between the members of the organization and the outsiders should be assured and continued. Furthermore the company has protocols on the specific gadgets and devices to use like work mobile phones which are then compatible with the company’s security system. Any other device that an employee may bring in is instantly noted and an administrator notified to block any data access. Ethics become interchangeable where in case there is a data that one views from other; it is only through the general agreement between the parties involved and in accordance to the company’s policy. The company’s policies are never enough and in particular when other members outside the company are involved. The legal system determines the cases between firms and clients which might occur due to mishandling of information that is critical for instance a company leaking private information to unauthorized person. The standards set by IT sectors are incorporated in various companies’ information expansion and storage. These further guides the people involved from the managers, employees and clients and reduce misunderstanding in handling, transfer and use of personal or firm data. Standards and policies do not ultimately promote threat or restrain use, but an understanding of concepts of data care that is desirable. Social networking and Privacy Social networking has been adopted variously by different organization and is accruing benefits in the current and future trends of adoption and usage. In most cases, not all companies have taken the use of social media platform positively due to an idea of time wastage and possibility of exposing critical information of the organization. However, the trends are changing and employees are increasingly being allowed to access their social site for referrals activities as well as raising awareness of the companies’ services, products and human resource needs. Companies are also opening their own accounts and assigning specific administrators and personnel to carry out their business goals. Others as indicated by the interviewee have adopted social networking as part and parcel of functionalities. Specifically, those companies that deal with recruitment of workers have accesses the profiles of people and identified links through Facebook and LinkedIn to access the best and specified personnel (Grobauer, Walloschek & Stocker, 2011). Motivation is very critical for gaining referrals and creating more networks. As indicated, it s possible for people who are in certain profession to indentify other with similar interests and form a good talent pools. People feel secure to entrust their information to others who appear as possible network for career development and other social benefits. Other companies can promote their culture by popularity of social networking which may boost their products and services. However, there requires more and stringent measures to be taken within social networking use to avoid unbecoming outcomes. One of such concerns is interference with people privacy or getting their data to third parties. However, when it comes to some approaches like job recommendation and connection, there are fewer strings attached to general personal information since much has to do with general personal and professional life. On the other hand, when employees are dealing with dissemination of company information to the relevant clients and customers such as in law and business sectors, there are regulations dealing with manufacture details, operations procedures or connection with security access to databases. The IT department must set regulations to the extent of information released and shared to limit over-use, piracy or exposure of critical data. Employees must also not use the company name, brand or logos for personal or extended relations benefit. This is restricted through policy and security that incorporated in corporate videos, photos and other logos. Generally, the social networking platforms have their terms and conditions which are applied and accepted before hosting data and intellectual products which encompasses company’s data. Training and monitoring of privacy As Karjoth, Schunter & Waidner (2003 argues, security, ethics and privacy are flexible and be controlled. For instance as indicated during the interview, the company stopped working with some organizations that were not ethical or which did not deal well with their clients. At recruitment, the HR personnel ensure those situations that are not good for a person are ruled out to avoid their exposure to misappropriation. Employee can do the right job as per their responsibility which is identifiable at recruitment stage. Ethics when doing virtual business are ensured through selling companies through necessary limits and through accredited number of groups. It is also expected that the managers and employees carry out their functions with ethical conduct. One of values upheld in ethics is to tell the truth, not to promise anything that is unattainable and raise expectations that are realistic for the company and to the clients. The organizational structure for monitoring is very important for ascertaining security, ethics and privacy. In the interview case, the head office personnel were identified to travel throughout with various managers in subsidiary companies to ensure that the policies are followed, permission gained in the right manner and goals and objectives maintained. The company conducts monthly and annual reviews and this includes the IT department, receptionist to C.E.O. Negotiations skills for instance for sales persons are very critical for they play a major role in ensuring the extent to which the company or client information is shared or disseminated. This is calls for highly training, updating and control of personnel to ensure that the data is shared in the right way and through the required formal channels that ensure that the company-client relationship remains intact. References Bélanger, F., & Crossler, R. E. (2011). Privacy in the digital age: a review of information privacy research in information systems. MIS Quarterly, 35(4), 1017-1042. Grobauer, B., Walloschek, T., & Stocker, E. (2011). Understanding cloud computing vulnerabilities. Security & privacy, IEEE, 9(2), 50-57. Karjoth, G., Schunter, M., & Waidner, M. (2003, January). Platform for enterprise privacy practices: Privacy-enabled management of customer data. In Privacy Enhancing Technologies (pp. 69-84). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Smith, H. J., Dinev, T., & Xu, H. (2011). Information privacy research: An interdisciplinary review. MIS quarterly, 35(4), 989-1016. Read More