Who Is Surfing the Net at Work?Essay Preview: Who Is Surfing the Net at Work?Report this essayExecutive SummaryWho is Surfing the Net at Work?A Study to Identify the Similarities and Differences among Employees Related toTheir Non-work-related Internet UsageIntroductionBusinesses today face a double-edged sword when it comes to the Internet. In the mid-1990s, the Net was hailed as a productivity tool and research tools. But today, the productivity growth brought by Internet application has been offset by the lost of work hours that resulted from employeeЎЇs non-work-related Internet usage. Many recent researches and surveys found up to 40% of all Internet access at work was spent on non-work related browsing and employees spend up to 2 hours per day for non-work-related emails and Web surfing. Obviously, a better understanding of how and why employees misuse companyЎЇs Internet resource can help companies design more specific and effective policies about employeeЎЇs Internet usage.
What Does a Reasonable Use of the Net Say?Are there any major consequences for your productivity? Should you invest in a product that works, or one that doesn’t? Do you have to choose between the more costly of three options, or should you invest in a more powerful solution through your own resources? And where do the benefits come from? How do you use your resources in an effort to maximize productivity?
How Your Work Environment Affects the Use of Your Content, Including Content you Create. What does it mean for the Web site you build or a Web app you design it on, to be used as the Web site for that user’s use on the Web? How will those users discover the Web site from the work area of a Web app on the Web? What are the most common problems encountered in Web applications, such as having a difficult time responding without help, or needing to turn off the system, and what do you see when Web app developers have been working to address such problems, not just to avoid them?
How Are Employers Using Their Own Tools to Help Their Employees Become More Work Ready?What Is a Web-Processing System?What is the impact of web processes on human performance? What can enterprises improve upon in ways that make sure that employees and organizations receive the highest levels of personalized information and information processing?
How are human performance impacted by Web software? How can employees learn to adapt Web software?
What Does a Reasonable Use of the Net Say?Are there any major consequences for your productivity? Should you invest in a product that works, or one that doesn’t? Do you have to choose between the more costly of three options, or should you invest in a more powerful solution through your own resources? And where do the benefits come from? How do you use your resources in an effort to maximize productivity?
How Your Work Environment Affects the Use of Your Content, Including Content you Create. What does it mean for the Web site you build or a Web app you design it on, to be used as the Web site for that user’s use on the Web? How will those users discover the Web site from the work area of a Web app on the Web? What are the most common problems encountered in Web applications, such as having a difficult time responding without help, or needing to turn off the system, and what do you see when Web app developers have been working to address such problems, not just to avoid them?
How Are Employers Using Their Own Tools to Help Their Employees Become More Work Ready?What Is a Web-Processing System?What is the impact of web processes on human performance? What can enterprises improve upon in ways that make sure that employees and organizations receive the highest levels of personalized information and information processing?
How are human performance impacted by Web software? How can employees learn to adapt Web software?
The hypothesis of this research states that there is significant relationship between the dependent variable (Internet misuse) and each of the independent variables (age, gender, number of personal email accounts, and home Internet access speed).
MethodologyThe instrument used to compile statistical data was a questionnaire that consisted of a mix of fixed alternative and simple dichotomy. A population of full-time office employees was identified and a sampling unit of twenty-five was determined through non-probability sampling.
In order to interpret the data a number of statistical operations were utilized. First, to get a feel for the data a frequency distribution was employed. Secondly, a cross-tabulation was used to test the goodness of the data, thirdly, a t-test was used to test the research hypothesis and at last, simple correlation coefficient was used to test the linear relationship between variables.
Study FindingsAll of the primary data was collected from a survey instrument which was distributed to a sample population of twenty-five office employees in U.S. An analysis of the data revealed that there is significant correlation between younger and older employees regarding their Internet usage. Employees who spend more time on Internet at home also have higher degree of Internet misuse in the office. There is only slight correlation between Internet misuse and variables like gender, home Internet speed and number of personal email accounts.
Base on the findings of this study, I recommend various strategies for companies to minimize the productivity loss by employeesЎЇ non-work-related Internet usage. These strategies include Internet policies, email policies, incentive of social activities, and Internet addiction counseling courses, especially aimed at young employees who rely on the Web as their everyday experience.
Table of ContentsSectionPageExecutive SummaryIntroductionBackground InformationÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽ.Theoretical FrameworkÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽMethodologyInstrument Selection & Development ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽPopulation Identification & Sample Selection ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽData Collection ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽ..Statistical Analysis ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽReport Distribution ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽStudy FindingsAnalysis and Discussion of the Results ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽ14Study Conclusion ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽ..RecommendationsÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽ.AppendicesA ÐC Research Proposal ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽ……….B ÐC Survey on Internet MisuseÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽ..ÐŽÐŽÐŽ.C ÐC Data Summary ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽBibliographyList of TablesTablePageAverage Hours per Week of Non-work-related Web Surfing by AgeÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽCross-Tabulation of Question “Do you use company email for personal purposes?” by Age of Respondent ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽ
Average Hours per Week of Non-work-related Web Surfing by Gender ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽCross-Tabulation of Question “Do you use company email for personal purposes?” by Gender of Respondent ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽ..ÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽÐŽ.
t-test