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The purpose of this article is to make an exhaustive analysis of the influencing factors for the phenomenon of workaholism in IT. In contemporary economies, workaholism is an increasingly common phenomenon. Companies should evaluate the impact on workers of this trend, and note that knowledge of the factors influencing the decision to overwork can be a competitive advantage when implementing human resources policies. Our approach involved the use of multivariate analysis of variance combined with multiple linear regression analysis. The article analyzes the data from 178 respondents who are employed in the IT sector in Romania, taking into account seven potential factors of influence. The data and econometric analyses were processed in IBM SPSS Software. The results of the multivariate analysis of variance combined with multiple linear regression analysis show a significant relationship between workaholism and influencing factors such as the remunerative component of work, the intrinsic pleasure of working, the sense of responsibility towards family, and the desire to develop during a professional career. In this study, socio-demographic influences were found to have a weak influence on the decision to work excessively.

Food safety is a core concern of the European Union in terms of the related legal provisions and of the importance that is given to it. While the food labeling system is already standardized to a large extent, there are areas that still need improvement. In this article, we will present the existing labeling standards, highlight the issues that these standards are facing, identify the possibilities of improvement for the food labeling system and propose a concrete way of using Information Technology to benefit the ethics of food safety. Starting off from the current technological capabilities and from the need to improve the labeling system, we will integrate the Quick Response code technology into a new software architecture able to resolve some of the issues identified. The software architecture relies on a relational data model and on web services that are integrated into an Android application, so that consumers may benefit from additional useful information when they must make a buying decision concerning food products. Our architectural proposal also involves smart information integration with health insurance systems in order to increase the usefulness of the data displayed on food labels.

PurposeThe authors investigate the relationship between instant messenger (IM) use and work performance, mediated by interruptions and two key indicators of the stress associated with technology use: overload and complexity.Design/methodology/approachThe authors validate this research model using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with data collected through a survey of 416 working professionals.FindingsThe data reveal that while IM use contributes minimally to work interruptions and to a greater extent to technological complexity, these two constructs fully mediate the direct influence of IM use at work on technology overload, and meanwhile significantly and directly contribute to work performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis research provides theoretical insights into the deployment of IM and its actual impacts in the workplace. To improve the generalisation of the findings, the authors call for more IM-related research in other countries, with more native theories and various methodologies in this domain.Practical implicationsThe level of stress generated through IM use is moderate, considering IM is not a significant contributor to work interruptions. Thus, despite the potential negative effects of IM communication, the positive effects of using IM at work prevail. As a result, the technology can be promoted as long as employees, their managers and the organisation as a whole are well prepared. Employees can transfer skills and behaviour from the personal setting to their work environment and thus may find an intrinsic motivation to make better use of the IM technology at work.Originality/valueThe authors argue that this research model is novel for its perspective on evaluating the actual impacts of IM use at work instead of the reasons of using it. The authors conceptualise the process to explain how IM contributes to interruptions and other technostress indicators in the working context, and the impact on performance. Contrary to some prior research, the authors find that overall IM applications do not have a negative impact on work performance, and instead may enhance it.