Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Psychology/Industrial-Organizational

Cybervetting, defined as a practice of performing internet-based background checks on prospective employees including reviewing Social Networking Websites (SNWs; Mikkelson, 2010), is becoming widely used among hiring managers. Although prevalent in practice, the topic of cybervetting remains largely understudied by industrial and organizational psychologists. Lack of systematic research leaves cybervetters with little guidance on how to engage in psychometrically sound web-based searches. The aims of the current study were twofold: (1) to propose and empirically test a taxonomy of cyber-behavior, according to which SNW-based behaviors fall into four categories (professional, prosocial, antisocial, and job-irrelevant); and (2) to advance and test a common antecedents model of cybervetting, according to which (a) personality and general mental ability (GMA) serve as common antecedents of cyber-behavior and workplace criteria and (b) privacy settings usage and activity level serve as moderators of the relationship between cyber-behavior and cybervetters' judgments of employability. Using a multitrait-multimethod approach, the data were collected from 200 full-time employees and 131 supervisors at several large Mid-Western universities. Ten trained research assistants rated the participants' Facebook profiles using a standardized cybervetting form, developed specifically for this study. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the taxonomy. Although personality and GMA were not found as common antecedents of cyber-behavior and workplace criteria, privacy settings usage and activity level were found to moderate the relationship between cyber-behavior and employability. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Committee: Michael Zickar Dr. (Advisor); Hanfeng Chen Dr. (Other); Margaret Brooks Dr. (Committee Member); Richard Anderson Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Science in Engineering (MSEgr), Wright State University, 2010, Industrial and Human Factors Engineering

Social networking websites have become very popular amongst people of all ages in recent times. These websites have brought into existence a new form of data - 'User generated content'. Companies everywhere have begun to identify the potential of these sites and have commenced efforts to take advantage of the profitable opportunities available. In spite of all this, it is reasonable to say that the latent possibilities in social networking sites are yet to be fully explored. This is due to the fact that the technology is still young and research on its potential is still ongoing. The current research is also an effort in this direction. The present study examines the impact of culture and age on the use of social networking websites by analyzing the user generated content on the most popular social networking website in USA - Facebook. Five hypotheses were derived and tested using a two-factorial between-subject quasi experiment. Instead of studying all cultural dimensions, this study focuses on the most studied cultural dimension in the literature - collectivism vs. individualism. Eight groups of American subjects were used to represent the individualistic culture and eight groups of Indian subjects were used to represent the collectivist culture. Two age groups were analyzed in both cultures - young group (25 years and below) and old group (35 years and above). ANOVA of the experiment showed that participants from the American groups displayed a tendency to be unique and hence did not have a significant influencer within the groups, while the participants from the Indian groups chose more to be in harmony together and follow rather than lead thus having a more significant individual leader. Testing age, the results indicated that the younger subjects in both cultures were more active than the older group. In addition, the experiment indicated significant interaction effect between age and culture on the activity levels of the participants. Culture and age were (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sundaram Narayanan PhD (Committee Chair); Yan Liu PhD (Committee Co-Chair); David Kender MS (Advisor) Subjects: Information Systems

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2011, Human Ecology: Hospitality Management

This study investigates three questions: (1) Generation Y's dining decision-making styles, (2) Generation Y's use of social networking websites (SNWs) for dining information search and sharing, and (3) the factors that influence Generation Y's dining information search and sharing on SNWs. Specifically, three factors regarding consumer characteristics were examined: consumer decision-making styles (CDMS), consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence (CSII), and consumer opinion leadership (COL). Gender difference was also examined. A pilot study was conducted using 38 undergraduate students from the Consumer Sciences Department of a Midwestern University in the United States. A final survey was conducted using 162 undergraduate students from the same program. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were performed to validate all variables. Descriptive statistics were gathered to describe the subjects' age, gender, and their use of social networking websites. A Consumer Style Inventory was produced to profile respondents regarding their decision-making styles. A series of Mann-Whitney U tests were performed, alternately using CDMS, CSII, COL, and gender as grouping variables. Results show that Generation Y uses a variety SNWs. There is a moderate usage of SNWs for the purpose of dining information search and sharing. Five decision-making styles of Generation Y diners were identified: hedonistic/ recreational style, habitual/brand-loyal style, price conscious style, confused by over-choice style, and brand conscious style. Results also indicated that CSII and COL influence Generation Y's use of SNWs for dining information search and sharing. CDMS has a partial influence. In particular, confused by over-choice style has an influence on dining information search and price conscious style has an influence on dining information sharing. No gender difference was detected. Limitations of this study and future research directions are also discussed.

Committee: Jay Kandampully PhD (Advisor); Jae-Eun Chung PhD (Committee Member); Thomas George PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Education