Search results

The purpose of this study is to investigate customers’ attitudes and intentions toward internet banking in an underdeveloped banking sector.

The study was carried out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A sample of 215 respondents comprised of 112 non-users and 103 users of internet banking was selected in the city of Bukavu following a convenience sampling method and structural equation modeling was applied to test the research hypotheses.

The results show that for users of internet banking their attitudes are determined by their perceived usefulness while for non-users they are determined by their perceived usefulness and internet trust. For users of internet banking, their intentions to continue using internet banking are determined by attitudes and perceived usefulness; while for internet banking non-users, their intention to use internet banking is determined by their attitudes, their perceived web security and perceived usefulness.

Few research on internet banking have been done in central and sub-Saharan Africa. The present study gives new insights to assist financial institutions and researchers in understanding intentions and attitudes toward internet banking in an underdeveloped financial sector.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces significant data protection obligations on all organizations within the European Union (EU) and those transacting with EU citizens. This paper presents the GDPR privacy label and uses two empirical studies to examine the effectiveness of this approach in influencing consumers' privacy perceptions and related behavioral intentions.

The paper tests the efficacy of two GDPR privacy label designs, a consent-based label and a static label. Study 1 examines the effects of each label on perceptions of risk, control and privacy. Study 2 investigates the influence of consumers' privacy perceptions on perceived trustworthiness and willingness to interact with the organization.

The findings support the potential of GDPR privacy labels for positively influencing perceptions of risk, control, privacy and trustworthiness and enhancing consumers' willingness to transact and disclose data to online organizations.

The findings are useful for organizations required to comply with the GDPR and present a solution to requirements for transparent communications and explicit consent.

This study examines and demonstrates the efficacy of visualized privacy policies in impacting consumer privacy perceptions and behavioral intentions.

Online food delivery applications (OFDAs) provide an expedient platform, and consumers’ access to food has been drastically altered, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to completely explore the attributes that influence consumers' purchase intention and how an app's aesthetics can evoke feelings that predict continuous usage intentions for OFDAs. The food industry, especially restaurants, heavily relies on mobile technology to facilitate critical online food delivery during the pandemic crisis.

The data for this study are gathered from 477 food consumers located in the federal capital territory (FCT) of Islamabad, Pakistan, through convenient sampling by developing a self-administrated online survey. SmartPLS is used for structural equation modeling to test the proposed research model and perform bootstrapping and algorithmic analysis.

Our findings revealed that perceived value positively predicted consumers’ purchase intentions. Moreover, perceived value mediates the association of information quality, familiarity, time-saving, usability and reputation with purchase intentions and fear of COVID-19 moderates the relationship between perceived value and purchase intention.

This research work has significant implications for researchers, web developers, app designers, delivery services, restaurants and other enterprises as it demonstrates the importance of aesthetically pleasing OFDAs in eliciting positive emotions and bolstering consumers’ intentions to continue using the app for efficient food delivery services.

This study expanded the application of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and attention, interest, desire and action (AIDA) by examining consumers’ purchase intentions in the context of OFDAs. Further, the successful utilization of TAM enhanced the understanding of consumer perceptions and behavioral intentions about the usage of OFDAs.

As home users are increasingly responsible for securing their computing devices and home networks, there is a growing need to develop interventions to assist them in protecting their home networking devices, which are vulnerable to attack. To this end, this paper aims to examine the motivating factors that drive South African fibre users to protect their home networking devices.

Using the protection motivation theory as the primary framework, a measurement instrument comprising 53 questionnaire items was developed to measure 13 constructs. The study collected empirical data from a sample of 392 South African home fibre users and evaluated the research model using structural equation modelling.

The evaluation showed a good fit, with 12 out of 15 predicted hypotheses being accepted for the final research model, contributing to the understanding of the factors that motivate home users to protect their home networking devices.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to model the factors that drive South African home fibre users to protect their home networking devices. Knowing these factors could help home internet service providers and security software vendors of home products to develop security interventions that could assist home fibre users to secure their home networking devices.

This study aims to analyze the media coverage of the impact of extreme weather events (EWE) and related risk management activities in Brazil.

Using a documentary analysis, the authors examined the media coverage of droughts and floods from 2003 to 2013 with concomitant official reports.

The results indicate that although media coverage conveys the direct impact of floods and droughts on society, it underemphasizes the importance of risk management activities. Moreover, the private sector rarely engages in risk management and mitigation activities, despite the documented supply chain disruptions.

This study focuses solely on media coverage as provided by wide-circulation newspaper in Brazil and would benefit by being extended to all media platforms.

The results highlight the need for private sector involvement in risk management activities to facilitate the adaptation to climate change.

The study reveals the deficiency of existing reports and lack of awareness regarding EWE.

The study contributes by focusing on climate awareness and how society can adapt to climate change, as well as how businesses can improve supply chain operations to facilitate smoother risk management.

Previous studies have shown a link between mental health functioning and involvement in HIV risk practices. The present research examines how well one specific group of men who have sex with other men (MSM) fare in terms of their mental health functioning, and then focuses on how mental health functioning relates to HIV risk practices in this population. The study was based on a national random sample of 332 MSM who use the Internet to seek men with whom they can engage in unprotected sex. Data collection was conducted via telephone interviews between January 2008 and May 2009. Depression is more common among men in this population than in the adult male population-at-large. All other measures of mental health functioning that were examined (self-esteem, impulsivity, current life satisfaction, optimism about the future) indicated low rates of mental health problem. Contrary to expectations, in nearly all instances, mental health functioning was not related to HIV risk practices.

More work needs to be done to understand the causes of depression among these men, and to assess how, if at all, depression relates to risk practices in this population. These findings suggest that factors other than mental health problems must be considered if one wishes to understand HIV risk taking in this population.

In a dynamic environment, understanding the consumer’s behavior in an online market is critical for the development of online retailers’ strategies. In Egypt, although the number of internet users is growing rapidly, online shopping is at an early stage of development. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge about the behavior of Egyptians toward online shopping and the factors that influence their behavior.

To demonstrate the applicability of the technology acceptance model (TAM), this research applies an extended TAM to analyze the factors that impact the Egyptian consumers’ online shopping behavior. Structural equation modeling is used for fitting the data and testing the hypothesis.

Findings revealed that perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use, social norm and perceived risk have significant influences on the respondents to shop online; while the site language effect was insignificant.

This study has mainly four limitations. The first concerning the sample, it should cover diversified areas other than Cairo and should include respondents from different education levels. Future studies may consider using a national sample of current and potential online shoppers to be able to generalize the results. Second, the questionnaire should include questions about the levels of education and the level of income to analyze if they influence actual online shopping. Third, although the benefits of using online surveys such as reducing the costs and time and collecting data more accurately compared to paper-pencil surveys, the low response rate may lead to non-response bias. Finally, constructs such as website content, design, and response could be added to the TAM to examine different aspects of website functionalities on the actual shopping.

Considering that online shopping is still at the early stage of development in Egypt, there is a need to examine the factors that influence the behavior of Egyptian consumers while adopting online shopping. To fill in this gap, this study is analyzing the factors impacting the consumers’ decisions to shop online by examining a sample of students from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University. This study will contribute to providing an empirical application of the TAM on the Egyptian consumers in addition to, enhancing the knowledge of electronic retailers about the factors that drive consumers toward shopping online.

This study aims to determine how Internet of Things (IoT) risks and benefits affect both the intention to use and actual use of a smartwatch.

The stimulus–organism–behavior–consequence (SOBC) hypothesis is used to explain the mechanisms underpinning the discontinuity between intention and technology usage. A total of 394 questionnaires distributed to smartwatch users were analyzed, using convergent analysis, discriminant analysis and structural modeling.

The IoT’s technical features, such as continuous connectivity and real-time value, serve as effective stimuli for smartwatches, positively influencing individuals’ responses and behavioral consequences associated with smartwatch usage. While IoT risks such as data, performance and financial have no negative relationship with the usefulness of smartwatches, data and financial risks have a negative influence on their ease of use. Additionally, as ease of use and usefulness have a positive impact on intention to use, users’ behavior is positively influenced by their intentions to use a smartwatch.

The study applies technology acceptance theory and the SOBC paradigm to smartwatches to determine if users’ intentions to use them impact their behavior. Furthermore, the research analyzed the technical elements of smartwatches in terms of IoT advantages and risks.

El objetivo del presente estudio es determinar cómo los riesgos y beneficios del Internet de las Cosas afectan tanto a la intención de uso como al uso real de un smartwatch.

Se utiliza el modelo Estímulo-Organismo-Comportamiento-Consecuencia (SOBC) para explicar los mecanismos que sustentan la discontinuidad entre la intención y el uso de la tecnología. Se analizaron 394 cuestionarios distribuidos a usuarios de smartwatches, empleando análisis convergente, análisis discriminante y modelización estructural.

Las características técnicas del IoT, como la conectividad continua y el valor en tiempo real, sirven como estímulos efectivos para los smartwatches, influyendo positivamente en las respuestas de los individuos y en las consecuencias conductuales asociadas al uso del smartwatch. Mientras que los riesgos de la IO, como los datos, el rendimiento y los financieros, no tienen una relación negativa con la utilidad de los smartwatches, los riesgos de los datos y los financieros influyen negativamente en su facilidad de uso. Además, dado que la facilidad de uso y la utilidad tienen un impacto positivo en la intención de uso, el comportamiento de los usuarios está positivamente influenciado por sus intenciones de usar un smartwatch.

El estudio aplica la teoría de la aceptación de la tecnología y el paradigma SOBC a los smartwatches para determinar si las intenciones de uso de los usuarios influyen en su comportamiento. Además, la investigación analiza los elementos técnicos de los smartwatches en cuanto a las ventajas y los riesgos del IoT.

本研究的目的是确定物联网的风险和利益如何影响智能手表的使用意向和实际使用。

刺激-组织-行为-后果（SOBC）假说被用来解释意图和技术使用之间不连续的基础机制。对发放给智能手表用户的394份调查问卷进行了分析, 采用了收敛分析、判别分析和结构模型法。

物联网的技术特点, 如持续连接和实时价值, 作为智能手表的有效刺激, 对个人的反应和与智能手表使用相关的行为后果产生积极影响。虽然数据、性能和财务等物联网风险与智能手表的有用性没有消极关系, 但数据和财务风险对其易用性有消极影响。此外, 由于易用性和有用性对使用意图有积极影响, 用户的行为受到他们使用智能手表的意图的积极影响。

该研究将技术接受理论和SOBC范式应用于智能手表, 以确定用户的使用意图是否影响其行为。此外, 该研究还从物联网的优势和风险方面分析了智能手表的技术要素。

This study aims to propose an innovative model that integrates variables and examines the influence of internet usage expertise, perceived risk and attitude toward information control on privacy concerns (PC) and, consequently, in consumers’ willingness to disclose personal information online. The authors also propose to test the mediation role of trust between PCs and willingness to disclose information. Trust is not a predictor of PC but a causal mechanism – considering that the focus is to understand consumers’ attitudes and behavior regarding the virtual environment (not context-specific) (Martin, 2018).

The authors developed a survey questionnaire based on the constructs that compose the proposed model to collect data from 864 respondents. The survey questionnaire included the following scales: internet usage expertise from Ohanian (1990); perceived risk, attitude toward information control, trust and willingness to disclose personal information online from Malhotra et al. (2004); and PC from Castañeda and Montoro (2007). All items were measured on a Likert seven-point scale (1 = totally disagree; 7 = totally agree). To obtain Westin’s attitudinal categories toward privacy, respondents answered Westin’s three-item privacy index. For data analysis, the authors applied covariance-based structural equation modeling.

First, the proposed model explains the drivers of consumers’ disposition to provide personal information at a level that surpasses specific contexts (Martin, 2018), bringing the analysis to consumers’ level and considering their general perceptions toward data privacy. Second, the findings provide inputs to propose a better definition of Westin’s attitudinal categories toward privacy, which used to be defined only by individuals’ information privacy perception. Consumers’ perceptions about their abilities in using the internet, the risks, their beliefs toward information control and trust also help to delimitate and distinguish the fundamentalists, the pragmatics and the unconcerned.

Some limitations weigh the theoretical and practical implications of this study. The sample size of pragmatic and unconcerned respondents was substantially smaller than that of fundamentalists. It might be explained by applying Westin’s self-report index to classify the groups according to their score regarding PCs. Most individuals affirm having a great concern for their data privacy but still provide online information for the benefit of personalization – known as the privacy paradox (Zeng et al., 2021). It leads to another limitation of this research, given the lack of measures that classify respondents by considering their actual behavior toward privacy.

PC emerges as an important predictor of consumer trust and willingness to disclose their data online, and trust also influences this disposition. Managers need to implement actions that effectively reduce consumers’ concerns about privacy and increase their trust in the company – e.g. adopting a clear and transparent policy on how the data collected is stored, treated, protected and used to benefit the consumer. Regarding the perception of risk, if managers convince consumers that the data collected on the internet is protected, they tend to be less concerned about privacy.

The results suggest different aspects influencing the willingness to disclose personal information online, including different responses considering consumers’ PCs. Through their policies and legislation, the authors understand that governments must be attentive to this aspect, establishing regulations that protect consumers’ data in the virtual environment. In addition to regulatory policies, education campaigns can be carried out for both consumers and managers to raise the discussion about privacy and the availability of information in the online environment, demonstrating the importance of protecting personal data to benefit the government, consumers and organizations.

Although there is increasing research on consumers’ privacy, studies have not considered their attitudinal classifications – high, moderate and low concern – as moderators of willingness to disclose information online. Researchers have also increased attention to the antecedents of PCs and disclosure of information but overlooked possible mechanisms that explain the relationship between them.

Technology-facilitated abuse, so-called “tech abuse,” through phones, trackers, and other emerging innovations, has a substantial impact on the nature of intimate partner violence (IPV). The current chapter examines the risks and harms posed to IPV victims/survivors from the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) environment. IoT systems are understood as “smart” devices such as conventional household appliances that are connected to the internet. Interdependencies between different products together with the devices' enhanced functionalities offer opportunities for coercion and control. Across the chapter, we use the example of IoT to showcase how and why tech abuse is a socio-technological issue and requires not only human-centered (i.e., societal) but also cybersecurity (i.e., technical) responses. We apply the method of “threat modeling,” which is a process used to investigate potential cybersecurity attacks, to shift the conventional technical focus from the risks to systems toward risks to people. Through the analysis of a smart lock, we highlight insufficiently designed IoT privacy and security features and uncover how seemingly neutral design decisions can constrain, shape, and facilitate coercive and controlling behaviors.