Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Judith Forbes

Abstract

Increased vulnerabilities and attacks of business information in recent years was linked to unauthorized access for employees utilizing corporate systems. Research noted a lack of planning was a factor leading to 50-80% of annual security breaches since 2014, with greater than $20 billion of noted damages a year for firms operating in the United States. The quantitative correlational study addressed the connection with public firms, announcements pertinent to systems breaches, and a reduction of corporate revenues. The context of constraints provided the lens that guided the examination of system violations and breaches. A random sample of 134 annual reports of public firms listed with the NASDAQ exchange assisted with examining events, corporate reports, and utilizing Pearson’s Correlation to test variable relationships. The dependent variable was corporate performance and revenues as denoted by annual and quarterly reports. The independent variables were the degree of systems security and the availability of technical assistance. The study confirmed that there was a statistically significant correlation between level of systems security policy and the number of security breaches. Similarly, there was also a statistically significant correlation between the level of systems security policy and the self-reported loss in corporate earnings associated with the security breach as a percentage of revenue. Findings from the project data suggested that leaders might improve performance by ensuring security policies include a training component to more fully equip all stakeholders with best practices in the workplace. Social change benefits are evidenced by managers having a stronger ability to navigate security risks, and thus creating healthier companies.

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