Abstract:

Misuse of organizational computer resources is observed in all industry sectors. The introduction of an acceptable use policy is expected to help reduce misuse of computers at workplace. This study explores the effectiveness of employee awareness of acceptable use policy in deterring misuse. A questionnaire measured the level of non work related use of computers at workplace along with the level of awareness of acceptable use policy. The results revealed that the level of awareness on acceptable use policy was negatively correlated with the level of misuse. However the existence of an acceptable use policy was observed to have no influence in deterring misuse. It was also observed that employees who do not possess Internet connectivity away from work were employed in significantly high levels of misuse compared to their counter parts.