Employment Dissertation Topics

Employment Dissertation Topics

Info: Employment Dissertation Topics
Published: 26th July 2025 in Employment Dissertation Topics

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Dissertation Topic 1:

Understanding Employee Compliance with Information Security Policies: A Behavioural Approach

Background Context

Although technical improvements in cybersecurity have been studied extensively, behavioural components that affect employee security compliance have been significantly overlooked. Most studies that find a way to address all of the reasons an employee is not compliant lean heavily on the technological side and focus little to no effort on employee awareness of policies, the organisational culture, and the management support for policy compliance. Clearly, this study attempts to fill the void left by other researchers using behavioural theories (e.g., Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Protection Motivation Theory (PMT)) to explicate and improve employee compliance with security policies and, ultimately, improve organisational cybersecurity.

Research Questions

1. What are the key behavioural components that impact employee compliance with information security policies?
2. What is the impact of information security awareness and perceived effectiveness of security measures on employee’s compliance behaviour?
3. What organisational strategies and behavioural interventions achieve the greatest levels of compliance with cybersecurity policies?

Potential Implications

  • An increased understanding of the behavioural components could result in more effective cybersecurity policies that focus on employee behaviour.
  • An enhanced training and awareness program may help address discrepancies between knowledge and compliance.
  • The findings can inform organisations about both technological and behavioural strategies to mitigate non-compliance.

    • Suggested Reading

  • Delso-Vicente, A. T., Diaz-Marcos, L., Aguado-Tevar, O., & de Blanes-Sebastián, M. G. (2025). Factors influencing employee compliance with information security policies: a systematic literature review of behavioral and technological aspects in cybersecurity. Future Business Journal, 11(1), 28
  • Tran, D. V., Nguyen, P. V., Le, L. P., & Nguyen, S. T. N. (2025). From awareness to behaviour: understanding cybersecurity compliance in Vietnam. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 33(1), 209-229.

    • Dissertation Topic 2:

    Investigating the Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Adherence to Cybersecurity Policies

    Background Context

    Although organisational culture is a dominant influence on employee behaviours, and organisational culture affects cybersecurity policy compliance, little is understood about the relationship between organisational culture and the factors that influence compliance. How the organization values security, promotes communication and exercising agency for compliance, and ultimately rewards compliance can have significant implications on how employees comply with information security policies. This study aims to understand how organisational culture influences behaviour within the domain of cybersecurity by identifying how cultural values and assumptions affect the compliance of behaviours.

    Research Questions

    1. How does organisational culture influence employee compliance with cybersecurity policy?
    2. What cultural attributes support or inhibit compliance to information security procedures?
    3. How might organisations cultivate a security culture that would promote compliance with cybersecurity policies?

    Potential Implications

  • The findings from this study can lead to a better understanding of organisational culture’s influence in the context of cybersecurity and represent an opportunity for organisations to create conditions in which to build cultures to support compliance.
  • Possible understanding of cultural change may help organisations design bespoke interventions to improve their cybersecurity compliance.
  • A culture-based approach to human error may help organisations mitigate human error and improve organisational cybersecurity resilience.

    • Suggested Reading

  • Akinsulire, A. A., & Ohakawa, T. C. Enhancing Cybersecurity Governance in Financial Institutions: A Quantitative Study on Control Deficiencies and Regulatory Compliance (2024).
  • Sutton, A., & Tompson, L. (2025). Towards a cybersecurity culture-behaviour framework: A rapid evidence review. Computers & Security, 148, 104110.

    • Dissertation Topic 3:

    Exploring the Role of Behavioural Reinforcement Strategies in Enhancing Cybersecurity Compliance

    Background Context

    Employee awareness programs often do not result in behaviour change, particularly since there is typically a knowing-doing gap. This study investigates the effect of behavioural reinforcement strategies, such as rewards and punishments, on compliance with cybersecurity policies that concern employee behaviours. Using reinforcement theory, this study seeks to clarify the most appropriate strategies for improving employee security-related behaviours.

    Research Questions

    1. What is the effect of reinforcement strategies on employee compliance with cybersecurity policies?
    2. What type of incentives (positive and negative) are most effective in encouraging compliance with information security policies?
    3. How can organisations develop reinforcement systems for behaviour that maximises long-term compliance with security policies?

    Potential Implications

  • A behavioural reinforcement type of intervention may yield more compliance with respect to information security policies that is long-lasting and meaningful.
  • Results may also aid organisations in refining their compliance programs through new and potentially more effective behavioural incentives.
  • It may provide insight into aligning organisational rewards and recognition to be consistent with security objectives.

    • Suggested Reading

  • Ahsun, A. (2025). Unveiling the Role of Psychological Principles in Cybersecurity Defense: Developing Frameworks for Improved User Behavior and Threat Mitigation.
  • Reittinger, T., & Pernul, G. (2025, January). A taxonomy of positive incentives to motivate cybersecurity behaviors. In Proceedings of the 58th HI International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-58).

    • Dissertation Topic 4:

    The Role of Information Security Awareness in Mitigating Insider Threats

    Background Context

    The cybersecurity threat posed by insiders is a significant challenge. Employees can violate security policies either unintentionally or intentionally. This study seeks to evaluate whether security awareness at the employee level decreases insiders from violating cybersecurity policies. In addition, the study assesses the value of training programs and awareness campaigns in reducing employee behaviours that can lead to a breach of security.

    Research Questions

    1. How does information security awareness control the likelihood of insider threats?
    2. What form of awareness programming has greater effectiveness in decreasing risk associated with employee behaviours?
    3. How do employee perceptions of security effectiveness impact employee usage of security policy?

    Potential Impact

  • Greater awareness can decrease insider threats, specifically in cases related to negligent behaviours.
  • The safety in a workplace can improve via awareness and security training to help organisations develop useful onboarding/training and ongoing training intervention.
  • Additional awareness of the relationship between awareness and insider threats can potentially improve insider threat security policy.

    • Suggested Reading

  • Zangana, H. M., Sallow, Z. B., & Omar, M. (2025). The Human Factor in Cybersecurity: Addressing the Risks of Insider Threats. Jurnal Ilmiah Computer Science, 3(2), 76-85.
  • Okika, N., Okoh, O. F., & Etuk, E. E. (2025). Mitigating Insider Threats and Social Engineering Tactics in Advanced Persistent Threat Operations through Behavioral Analytics and Cybersecurity Training. International Journal of Advance Research Publication and Reviews, 2(3), 11-27.

    • Dissertation Topic 5:

    Evaluating the Influence of Management Support on Employee Compliance with Information Security Policies

    Background context

    There is ample evidence that employee behaviour is influenced by the support from top management. If top management is engaged in security policymaking and offering facilitation and communication support, this study will also explore how management engagement influences employees’ intentions to adopt compliant information security policies and contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of management influence, specifically in relation to cybersecurity policies.

    Research Questions

    1. How does top management engagement influence employees’ compliance behaviour with information security procedures?
    2. What role do management communication and behaviour play in influencing employees’ intentions towards compliance with information security procedures?
    3. How can organisations develop ongoing and meaningful engagement with management on security-related activity?

    Potential Implications

  • Greater understanding of management support may lead to better leadership strategies and give rise to better leadership practices that contribute to a more compliant security culture.
  • The results may force organisations to undertake more managerial engagement on cybersecurity compliance.
  • Better understanding of how management support influences employee behaviour may allow organisations to specialise their security programs for better outcomes

    • Suggested Readings

  • Alshareef, A. (2025). Cultivating Compliance: Building a Robust Information Security Culture in Higher Education Institutions Through Organisational Culture.
  • Arif, M., Badila, M., Warden, J. M., & Ur Rehman, A. (2025). A study of human factors toward compliance with organization’s information security policy. Information Security Journal: A Global Perspective, 34(3), 235-250.

    • Do you want to select a topic for your research in employment?
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