Does visual attention help? Towards better understanding and predicting users’ good abandonment behavior in mobile search

Information security and technical issues of cloud storage services: a qualitative study on university students in Hong Kong

Purpose

Although cloud storage services can bring users valuable convenience, they can be technically complex and intrinsically insecure. Therefore, this research explores the concerns of academic users regarding cloud security and technical issues and how such problems may influence their continuous use in daily life.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study used a semi-structured interview approach comprising six main open-ended questions to explore the information security and technical issues for the continuous use of cloud storage services by 20 undergraduate students in Hong Kong.

Findings

The analysis revealed cloud storage service users' major security and technical concerns, particularly synchronization and backup issues, were the most significant technical barrier to the continuing personal use of cloud storage services.

Originality/value

Existing literature has focused on how cloud computing services could bring benefits and security and privacy-related risks to organizations rather than security and technical issues of personal use, especially in the Asian academic context.

Exploring gender differences in foreign domestic helpers' mobile information usage

Purpose

With the increasing computation and communication speed of mobile devices, their use and roles have been repositioned to act more than a communication tool. Around 0.4 million foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) form an integral part of Hong Kong society and have the highest concentrations of FDHs worldwide, but scant studies focus on their mobile technology usage. This study aims to discuss the aforementioned issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This research investigated mobile technology usage by 145 FDHs in Hong Kong with a quantitative survey, covering their actual mobile technology usage, perceptions, influences and adoption barriers.

Findings

Besides communication and connection with friends and family, participants used mobile technology for information seeking, productivity, utility and entertainment. Perception of usefulness was the greatest influence, and they would use any mobile technology once its basic function supports their daily needs. They considered no “very serious barrier,” though data tariff was their biggest concern. Overall, there were some significant differences between genders in the usage of mobile technologies.

Originality/value

Scant studies focus on the mobile technology usage of FDHs. The results reveal the usefulness of mobile technologies to FDHs for government policy-making and for employers and employment agencies to better support the FHDs' daily lives.