Towards an information security awareness process for engineering SMEs in emerging economies

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dc.contributor.advisorFlowerday, Sen
dc.contributor.authorGundu, Tapiwaen
dc.date.accessioned2026-08-20T07:22:59Z
dc.date.available2026-08-20T07:22:59Z
dc.date.issued2013en
dc.description.abstractWith most employees in Engineering Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) now having access to their own personal workstations, the need for information security management to safeguard against loss/alteration or theft of the firms’ important information has increased. These Engineering SMEs tend to be more concerned with vulnerabilities from external threats, although industry research suggests that a substantial proportion of security incidents originate from insiders within the firm. Hence, technical preventative measures such as antivirus software and firewalls are proving to solve only part of the problem as the employees controlling them lack adequate information security knowledge. This tends to expose a firm to risk and costly mistakes made by naïve/uninformed employees. This dissertation presents an information security awareness process that seeks to cultivate positive security behaviours using a behavioural intention model based on the Theory of Reasoned Action, Protection Motivation Theory and the Behaviourism Theory. The process and model have been refined and verified using expert review and tested through action research at an Engineering SME in South Africa. The main finding was information security levels of employees within the firm were low, but the proposed information security awareness process increased their knowledge thereby positively altering their behaviour.en
dc.format150 leaves; 30 cmen
dc.formatpdfen
dc.identifier.citationGundu, Tapiwa. 2013en
dc.identifier.othervital:11138en
dc.identifier.otherhttp://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007179en
dc.identifier.otherComputer security -- South Africaen
dc.identifier.otherInformation technology -- South Africaen
dc.identifier.otherComputer networks -- Security measures -- South Africaen
dc.identifier.otherInformation resources management -- South Africaen
dc.identifier.otherSmall business -- South Africaen
dc.identifier.otherEngineering firms -- South Africaen
dc.identifier.otherConfidential communications -- South Africaen
dc.identifier.otherInformation Security Awarenessen
dc.identifier.otherInformation Security Behaviouren
dc.identifier.otherInformation Security Trainingen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11837/4958
dc.language.isoEnglishen
dc.publisherUniversity of Fort Hareen
dc.publisherFaculty of Management & Commerceen
dc.rightsUniversity of Fort Hareen
dc.subjectComputer security -- South Africaen
dc.subjectInformation technology -- South Africaen
dc.subjectComputer networks -- Security measures -- South Africaen
dc.subjectInformation resources management -- South Africaen
dc.subjectSmall business -- South Africaen
dc.subjectEngineering firms -- South Africaen
dc.subjectConfidential communications -- South Africaen
dc.subjectInformation Security Awarenessen
dc.subjectInformation Security Behaviouren
dc.subjectInformation Security Trainingen
dc.titleTowards an information security awareness process for engineering SMEs in emerging economiesen
dc.title.alternativeTowards an information security awareness process for engineering SMEs in emerging economiesen
dc.typeThesisen
dc.typeMastersen
dc.typeMCom (Information Systems)en

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