Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Sample Answers to Discussion Questions
Chapter 15: HRIS Privacy and Security
1. Why are information security and privacy important considerations in the design,
development and maintenance of HRIS?
Organizations are required to capture and maintain a large amount of personal
information on employees. But despite the widespread use of HRIS and the
volume of information being collected, many companies have not developed
2. List and discuss the major information security and privacy threats to organizations.
Students should be able to identify and discuss the following threats:
• Human error
• Disgruntled employees and ex-employees
Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
3. What are the important goals/considerations of information security?
Using the McCumber cube as a guide, there are three major areas to consider
1. Confidentiality – ensuring that information is only accessed, used, or
disclosed by authorized users
State of Information
Security policies need to account for the information in an HRIS in multiple
different states.
Countermeasures
Countermeasures are mechanisms used to protect data.
4. Identify important legal provisions governing information security and privacy in your
country.
Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Each country will have their own specific policies protecting employee data.
Answering this question will require students to do some outside research about
5. What is the role of HR professionals in information security and privacy management?
Students should be able to discuss some of the following:
• Information stored is confidential or not
6. What are some of the best practices to manage information security and privacy in terms of
procedural, technical, and physical controls?
Students should be able to identify and discuss some of the following:
• Adopt a comprehensive privacy policy.
Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018