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At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures and diffuse communication by media led to consumers’ uncontrolled product purchases worldwide. This phenomenon was described as a psychological effect experienced by fictitious scarcity, anxiety and herd mentality exacerbated by the media. This exploratory study aims to analyze the impact of risk communication on the perceived risk from the psychological dimension of consumer behavior amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

An exploratory study was conducted through an electronic survey one week after implementing social distancing measures in Puerto Rico. With a sample of 353 participants, the data analysis was carried out by PLS-SEM, partial least squares structural equations (PLS-MGA), multi group test (MGA) and hierarchical component models to answer the research hypotheses.

The results revealed that risk communication activates the perceived psychological risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the way in which the consumer faces the psychological risk is explained by the perceptions of scarcity and the bandwagon effect.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is a pioneer in presenting relationships between risk communication and perceived risk in consumer behavior, a topic that needs to be addressed in the academic literature. The research makes significant contributions to the study of consumer behavior by empirically validating the three phases of the Conchar model – risk framing, risk assessment and risk evaluation – where risk communication offers an excellent delineation to understand the consumer’s behavior during a pandemic.

In order to reduce avoidably lengthy duration required to test highly reliable products under usage stress, accelerated life test sampling plans (ALTSPs) are employed. This paper aims to build a decision model for obtaining optimal sampling plan under accelerated life test setting using Type-I hybrid censoring scheme for products covered under warranty.

The primary decision model proposed in this paper determines ALTSP by minimizing the relevant costs involved. To arrive at the decision model, the Fisher information matrix for Type-I hybrid censoring scheme under accelerated life test setting is derived. The optimal solution is attained by utilizing appropriate techniques following a nonlinear constrained optimization approach. As a special case, ALTSP for Type-I censoring is obtained using the same approach. ALTSP under Type-I hybrid censoring using the variance minimization approach is also derived.

On comparing the optimal results obtained using the above mentioned approaches, it is found that the cost minimization approach does better in reducing the total cost incurred. Results also show that the proposed ALTSP model under cost function setting has considerably lower expected testing time. Interesting findings from the sensitivity analysis conducted using a newly introduced failure dataset pertaining to locomotive controls are highlighted.

The research introduces a model to design optimum ALTSP for Type-I hybrid censoring scheme. The practical viability of the model makes it valuable for real-life situations. The practical application of the proposed model is exemplified using a real-life case.

The purpose of the paper is set to minimize the total cost of a manufacturing system when an acceptance sampling plan (ASP) is carried out in a fuzzy environment.

A fuzzy acceptance sampling plan (FASP) is employed for the inspection of the batch of products and a fuzzy cost optimization problem is formulated.

The extent of uncertainty determines an interval for the total cost function with upper and lower bounds. The effect of variation in the ambiguity of the proportion of defectives in the probability of acceptance is determined.

The proposed model is specifically designed for production and supply units with ASP for attributes. Still, the proportion of defectives in the inspection process is fuzzy.

Fuzzy probability distribution is used to model an optimal inspection plan for a general supply chain. Economic design of supply chain under fuzzy proportion of defectives is discussed for the first time.

This study aims to understand consumer behaviour in the context of online food delivery (OFD), especially given the mandatory lockdown imposed in some countries that have modified the behaviour of consumers. Using model goal-directed behaviour (MGB), this study was conducted to investigate consumer perceived risk on the use of OFD services.

Responses of food delivery services users were collected online throughout April 2020 to understand their risk profile and behaviour. A total of 339 responses were collected and subsequently analysed using partial least square (PLS). Both measurement and structural model were evaluated to ensure that the structural equation modelling (SEM) is valid.

The results revealed that attitude (ATT), subjective norm (SN), positive anticipated emotion (PAE) and negative anticipated emotion (NAE) and perceived behavioural control (PBC) significantly influenced users' desire. It was also found that PBC significantly influenced users' intention. The empirical result suggests that performance, privacy, financial, physical and the risk of contracting COVID-19 negatively influenced users' desire. In contrast, only physical and the risk of contracting COVID-19 negatively influenced users' intention to use OFD services.

These findings provide OFD service providers and scholars with significant insights into what compels urbanites to adopt OFD services amid a health pandemic. It also allows OFD companies to realign their operation in addressing these concerns and changes in consumer behaviour.

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, this study provides insights for OFD providers in developing new strategies and approaches for business development and consumer retention in a post-pandemic world.

本研究擬瞭解與網上訂餐相關的消費行為；尤其當有些國家推行了改變消費者行為的強制性封鎖政策的情況下，這類研究更具意義。透過應用目標導向行為模型，本研究擬探討消費者在使用網上訂餐服務時所意識到的風險。

研究人員於 2020年4月網上收集使用訂餐服務人士的意見，以瞭解其風險狀況和行為。研究共收集了339位人士的意見，並以偏最小二乘法進行分析。測量和結構模型均加以評估，以確保結構方程模型是站得住腳的。

研究結果顯示，態度、主觀規範、預期的正面和負面情緒、以及感知的行為控制，顯著地影響了用戶的慾望。研究結果亦發現，感知的行為控制顯著地影響了用戶的意圖。研究的經驗性結果暗示了表現、私隱、金錢上的爭議、可能會導致的身體損傷和感染2019冠狀病毒病的風險，負面地影響用戶的慾望。相比之下，影響著用戶使用網上訂餐服務的意圖的因素就只有可能會導致的身體損傷和感染2019冠狀病毒病的風險。

研究的結果，為提供網上訂餐服務的營運者和研究學者提供了重要的啟示，使他們更瞭解是什麼因素會迫使都市人在與健康息息相關的大流行病期間使用網上訂餐服務。而且，提供網上訂餐服務的公司亦可藉此重新調整其營運，以能處理客戶的憂慮和應付消費行為的變化。

在大流行病肆虐的背景下，本研究為網上訂餐服務提供者給予了啟示，以便他們能在後疫情時代制定新的策略和營運方法，以拓展其業務和留住消費者。

Financial risk-taking attitude (FRT) plays an important role in consumers' financial decisions, thereby determining consumer well-being. Motivated by the recent research on consumer well-being, this paper explores the relationships between financial literacy, a propensity to plan (PTP), FRT, financial satisfaction and life satisfaction.

The authors use the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to achieve the purpose of this paper. Furthermore, the authors use the variance-based partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), also known as the PLS path modeling approach to test our proposed hypotheses empirically.

The study finds a strong partial mediation of FRT between financial literacy and financial satisfaction. Moreover, the analyses reveal that a high PTP combined with a high FRT results in achieving high financial satisfaction, which leads to improved life satisfaction.

The findings show the importance of creating financial plans in accordance with risk tolerance. While increasing financial literacy is relevant, the research suggests that tools that help consumers plan and invest in appropriate risky investments will lead to better outcomes.

Though scholarly acumen of consumer well-being is rapidly developing, little remains known regarding the collective roles of financial literacy, PTP and FRT. The study addresses this gap by showing that financial literacy, risk-taking attitudes and planning propensities are all interconnected and necessary ingredients to improve financial and life satisfaction.

This study aims to explore the relationships between consumer data vulnerability, peer privacy concerns and consumers' continued usage intention of sharing accommodation platforms, as well as the moderating effects of the various benefits perceived by consumers.

Data were collected from 327 consumers of sharing accommodation platforms in China. Partial least squares (PLS)-structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to test the research hypotheses.

The results suggest that both consumer data vulnerability and peer privacy concerns have negative effects on consumer's continued usage intention of sharing accommodation platforms, which can be further mitigated by consumer perceived economic, social and emotional benefits. This study also finds that consumer data vulnerability has a positive effect on consumer's peer privacy concerns.

This study gives that managers of sharing accommodation platforms a better understanding of how consumers respond to their data vulnerability on sharing accommodation platforms. In addition, this study also highlights the measures that platforms may employ to mitigate the negative influence of consumer data vulnerability and consumers' peer privacy concerns, as well as the measures to reduce consumers' peer privacy concerns.

While previous studies mainly examined the driving forces of consumers' engagement in sharing accommodation, this study focuses on the impediment. With communication privacy management theory to explore the relationships between consumer data vulnerability, peer privacy concerns and continued usage intention of sharing accommodation platforms, as well as the moderating effects of consumers' perceived benefits, this study facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of consumers' engagement in sharing accommodation.

This study aims to assess both internal and external factors that impact consumer attitudes and intentions with regard to the purchase of non-deceptive counterfeits. More specifically, this study examines the impact of integrity, brand consciousness, performance risk and social risk on the attitude and in turn on the purchase intention of consumers towards non-deceptive counterfeits.

A total of 679 valid responses from the university students in two different Gulf countries, namely, Oman (264) and Qatar (415) were gathered through a self-administered structured questionnaire and analysed through partial least square‐structural equation modeling.

All the predictors of consumer attitude appeared significant in both country samples except integrity. However, brand consciousness appeared insignificant in the sample of Oman. In addition, Purchase intention towards the non-deceptive counterfeits was significantly predicted by attitude and subjective norm in both samples.

In the domain of non-deceptive counterfeit literature, the findings of the study will substantially add value. Particularly, in the Gulf country context, the impact of internal psychological and external risk factors on the attitude and purchase intention of non-deceptive counterfeits will enhance the insights of existing literature and extend and proof the robustness of the theory of reasoned action.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influencing factors of generation Z (Gen Z) consumers’ revisit intentions to robotic restaurants in the post-pandemic times.

Using a sample of Gen Z consumers with dining experiences in an Indian restaurant using service robots, the study empirically tests a research framework based on stimulus–organism–response theory.

The study explains how Gen Z consumer’s perceptions of functional attributes (i.e. perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use), socio-emotional attribute (i.e. perceived safety) and relational attribute (i.e. trust) shape their attitude, which in turn leads to their evaluations of performance outcomes and intention to revisit the robotic restaurants. The findings also indicate that perceived risk reduction of viral infection moderates the impact of performance outcomes on revisit intention.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the changing preferences of consumers have resulted in an increase in demand for restaurants offering robotic services. To support the long-term viability of service robots in restaurant services, the current study investigates what elements of service robots can determine consumers’ intentions to revisit the robotic restaurants during post-pandemic times.

The purpose of this paper is to design a modified version of the double sampling plan to handle the inspection processes requiring a minimum sample size to assure the median life for the products under the new Weibull–Pareto distribution. The economic design of the proposed plan is also considered to assure the product's lifetime with minimum cost.

The authors have developed an optimization model for obtaining the required plan parameters by solving simultaneously two non-linear inequalities and such inequalities have been formed based on the two points on the operating characteristic curve approach.

The results show that the average sample number, average total inspection and total inspection cost under the proposed plan are smaller than the same of a single sampling plan. This means that the proposed plan will be more efficient than a single sampling plan in reducing inspection effort and cost while providing the desired protection.

The proposed modified double sampling plan designed to assure the median life of the products under the new Weibull–Pareto distribution is not available in the literature. The proposed plan will be very useful in assuring the product median lifetime with minimum sample size as well as minimum cost in all the manufacturing industries.

This study aims to examine the relationship between the risk-aversion level of return policies and customer trust in online shopping in three countries in the Middle East.

In the first step, the different types of return policies of online shoppers and the risk-aversion level were determined by surveying 18 online shops and interviewing 21 customers. The risk-aversion level of these policies was found in the experts’ panel. In the second step, the experiences of 573 consumers when facing seller’s return messages, perceived risk and consumer trust in three countries (UAE, Iraq and Iran) were collected through a questionnaire. Finally, the gathered data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

The results indicated that risk-averse return policies taken by online vendors led to lower consumer trust. Moreover, customer perceived risk mediated the relationship between return policies’ risk-aversion level and trust in Iraq and Iran. At the same time, there was no significant association between return policies and perceived risk in UAE. In addition, perceived risk wholly mediated the relationship between return policies’ risk aversion and trust in vendors in Iran, but this role was minor in Iraq.

Among the intercultural studies, especially in the Middle East, this is one of the first studies based on the marketing and sales management in an online shopper’s supply chain. Moreover, the investigation of return policies in online commerce is another innovative aspect of the present paper.