Information Privacy and Affective Commitment in Chinese Organizations

Abstract

This study examines the impact of employees' perceptions of information privacy on their affective commitment to work organizations. Based on a survey of 320 Chinese employees, the findings suggest that, for information privacy, perceptions of information handling control and of legitimacy of organizational information practices positively relate with affective commitment. The relationship between perception of information handling control and affective commitment is only significant, however, for employees identifying weakly with collectivism and is stronger for male than for female employees. The relationship between perception of legitimacy of organizational information practices and affective commitment is only salient for female employees. The implications of these findings for organizational and legal polices are discussed.

Keywords:

• Affective Commitment
• Cross-Culture
• Gender Differences
• Individual's
• Espoused Collectivism
• Information Privacy
• China

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Xiaogang Chen

Xiaogang Chen is an Associate Professor in the School of Business Administration at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China. He received his PhD in information technology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research interests include information privacy, knowledge management in distributed teams, open source software, and electronic payment.

Jing Ma

Jing Ma is an Associate Professor in the School of Business Administration at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. She holds a PhD in management information system from Stevens Institute of Technology. She is interested in virtual teams and innovation, focusing on analyzing and evaluating different information technologies and their impacts on group collaboration and innovation.

Jiafei Jin

Jiafei Jin is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Management at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China. He received his PhD in human resource management from the University of Bristol, UK. His research interests include international HRM, cross cultural management and gender issues in Chinese societies.

Patricia Fosh

Patricia Fosh is an Overseas Professor of Human Resource Management at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China. She received her PhD from Cambridge University. Her research interests include international HRM, cross cultural management, HRM in China, gender in Asia Pacific countries, industrial relations and employment law.