This study examines the influence of the individual characteristic of playfulness on the use of the World Wide Web (WWW). Previous research suggests that microcomputer playfulness has an effect on computer usage in general, and we found support for a similar relationship in WWW use. Two samples of students were surveyed in this study; one consisting of undergraduate students and the other comprised of graduate students. Our findings also suggest that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect WWW use differentially for entertainment purposes and for course work purposes. Our study confirms previous research in that we found that ability to use the computer has a positive effect on WWW usage.

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Rapid technological advancements present many opportunities in the way people work, communicate and conduct business. That growth is especially prevalent in the World Wide Web. In the last five years, the Internet has expanded the market place to a global arena. More and more companies are conducting business online. Multinational corporations are becoming extremely dependent on the exchange of information across the Internet. As information flows across national borders, the concern for data security increases. Accordingly, personal data and business transactions collected by international companies are no longer safe once they enter the realm of the Internet. This paper addresses privacy concerns of e‐commerce customers, the security regulations imposed on multinational companies transferring data across international boundaries, and the risks of not complying with data protection regulations.

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<span>This study reports the results of an experiment that evaluated the reliability of alternative survey media. The components of reliability are compared for instruments characterized as paper-based and computer based. The evaluation was further partitioned by subjects preference for visual versus verbal stimuli. Results indicate that there is no significant difference in scale responses between the alternative media, but reliability was found to be low when subjects with verbal cognitive style were asked to respond in the visually oriented computer environment.</span>