Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Management and Decision Making

 

Special issue on "Cyber Harassment Impacts on Corporations and Corporate Valuation"

Guest Editor: Dr. Michael Workman, Florida Institute of Technology, USA

The ability to spread information (and misinformation) over the Internet in blogs and social media websites and has become accompanied by the growing pattern of cyber harassment against corporations. In many cases, harassment may arise from the process of critical discourse or difference of opinion, but increasingly such harassment has a more malevolent motive. In this case that attack is deliberately contrived to harm or extort from the legitimate financial interests of companies, and may include as its weapons defamation, tort interference, or other illegality that can damage corporate valuation. Because these attacks take place over the Internet, recourse through civil litigation may be complicated and expensive, or made difficult in pursuing attackers from abroad or circuitous routes. This leaves the victim in a vulnerable position. As with other types of Internet attacks, the attacker relies on this vulnerability to exploit for personal gain.

The aims of this special issue are to examine the motives of those who harass corporations, to identify the means used by cyber harassment attackers, and peer into the decision making processes within corporations on how to address the attacks, such as whether to ignore (extinguish) them, make attempts to defend against them (punish), or try to placate the attacker (reward) to curry favour. The objectives of the special issue are to:

• identify the range of motives for cyber harassment attacks,
• provide insights into how corporations perceive cyber harassment attacks,
• assess the financial impacts to corporations from these attacks, and
• determine the decision making processes used to combat them

The scope of this special issue examination includes studies on business economic impacts from cyber harassments, decision strategies, and comparative analyses with other forms of cyber attacks, such as cyber bullying and attacks against computer and information systems. The special issue will provide a global perspective from theoretical and applied research and case studies that are academically rigorous.

Subject Coverage
Suitable topics include but are not limited to:

• Development and validation of theory and models of cyber harassment, motives, factors and outcomes.
• Economic impacts on business from cyber harassment.
• Decision strategies and processes to respond to cyber harassment.
• Legal and legislative aspects related to cyber harassment.
• Effects of social media and other new technology on social or behavioural evolution in cyber harassment.
• Cyber harassment and implications for management and managerial decision processes.

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere

All papers are refereed through a peer review process. A guide for authors, sample copies and other relevant information for submitting papers are available on the Author Guidelines page

Important Dates

Full paper deadline: 15 August, 2011 (extended)