Covid-19 viruset upptäcktes i slutet av 2019 i Kina och har sedan dess drabbat miljontals människor runt om i världen. Smittspridningen har i omgångar ökat och skyddsåtgärder samt restriktioner för att förhindra den har införts. Det kan vara påfrestande för en individ att ställa om sitt liv och det kan även komma att tära på ens motivation att upprätthålla det nya livet som består av nya rutiner, förändringar i beteende och en distans från det liv vi, för över ett år sedan, var vana vid. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur individers riskuppfattning kring covid-19 viruset, hur deras motivation att skydda sig mot smittspridningen ser ut samt hur de implementerade skyddsåtgärderna uppfattas ha fungerat för att minska smittspridningen. Metoden som användes för att genomföra studien är en kvantitativ enkätundersökning som publicerades på sociala medier där totalt 135 antalet respondenter deltog i undersökningen. Enkäten genomfördes av personer från nio av Sveriges 21 län, och majoriteten av urvalet befann sig i Värmlands län. Den insamlade data presenteras med hjälp av deskriptiv statistik. Studien visar att respondenterna anser att andra människor i samhället eller i deras närhet, löper större risk att bli smittade av viruset än vad de själva gör. Det visar även att respondenterna är motiverade att skydda sig mot smitta, dock verkar respondenterna ha varit mer motiverade i början av pandemin jämfört med vad de är nu. Slutligen så visar studien även att respondenterna uppfattar skyddsåtgärderna som effektiva och många av dem vidtar de aktivt. / The Covid-19 virus was discovered in late 2019 in China and has affected millions of people around the world. The spread of infection has increased in stages and protective measures as well as restrictions to prevent it have been introduced. It can be stressful for an individual to change their life and it can also erode one’s motivation to maintain the new life which consists of new routines, changes in behavior and a distance from the life we, over a year ago, was accustomed to. The aim of this study was to investigate individual’s risk perception of the covid-19 virus, what their motivation to protect themselves against the spread of infection looks like and how the implemented protection measures are perceived to work to reduce the spread of infection.  The method used to conduct the study is a quantitative survey that was published on social media where a total of 135 respondents participated in the survey. The survey was conducted by people from nine of Sweden’s 21 counties and most of the sample was in Värmland County. The collected data are presented using descriptive statistics. The study shows that the respondents believe that other people in society are at greater risk of being infected by the Covid-19 virus than themselves. The respondents are motivated to protect themselves against infection, however, the respondents have been more motivated to follow the recommendations at the beginning of the pandemic compared to today. Finally, the study also shows that the respondents perceive the protection measures to be effective and actively abide by these.

På grund av ökade klimatförändringar och dess påverkan på miljö och människors hälsa kommer klimatanpassningar i den urbana miljön bli allt mer nödvändigt för att mildra dess effekter. Vår studie fokuserar på hur synliga klimatanpassningar upplevs samt hur de kan påverka människors välbefinnande. Studien avgränsas till biofiltren på Neptunigatan i Malmö. Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med människor som befann sig på platsen, vilka sedan analyserades i förhållande till tidigare forskning om miljöetiska värdegrunder, estetik, riskperception och psykisk hälsa. Resultatet visade att samtliga informanter var positivt inställda till klimatanpassningar och dess funktion, även om viss skepticism identifierades hos några av dem. Alla informanter kände någon typ av oro, ångest, stress eller annan negativ känsla kopplat till klimatförändringarna, vilket gör detta till ett viktigt område att studera. Enökad informationsspridning kring klimatanpassningar och klimatförändringar är därför viktig för att öka kunskapsnivån vilket i sin tur medför en mer positiv inställning till klimatanpassningar. / The magnitude of climate change is increasing, and is affecting the environment and people’s health. To mitigate these effects, climate adaptations in urban environments are necessary. The aim of this study is to examine how visible climate adaptations are perceived, and how they can promote well-being. The study is limited to the biofilters located on Neptunigatan in Malmö. We did qualitative interviews with people with a connection to the biofilters, andanalyzed the results in relation to our theoretical framework, which includes environmental ethical values, aesthetics, risk perception and mental health. The results showed that all informants had positive attitudes towards climate adaptations, although we identified some skeptical tendencies. All informants reported some kind of worry, anxiety, stress or other negative emotions in relation to climate change, which makes this an important study area. It is important to inform citizens about climate change and climate adaptations. Increased knowledge leads to a more positive attitude towards climate adaptations.

Introduktion: Dammbrott är en olycka som har en låg sannolikhet att ske men om den skulle inträffa ha katastrofala konsekvenser. Ett område som skulle drabbas vid ett dammbrott i Luleälven är Luleå kommun som ligger i mynningen av Luleälven. För att områden som anses vara av risk skulle kunna utrymma i tid innan vattennivåerna stiger är det av vikt att individen dels förstår varningsmeddelandena samt förstår vilket ansvar den har vid en utrymning. Kunskapen om varningar och vilket ansvar individen har vid dessa visar tidigare forskning på som låg. Syftet med studien var att få kunskap om vilken förståelse det finns hos individer gällande varningssystem vid ett dammbrott och vilken syn som finns på ansvarsfördelningen i utrymningsprocessen. Studien syftade även till att identifiera vilka hinder och möjliggörande faktorer som kan påverka individen vid en utrymning.  Metod och material: Studien följde en fallstudiedesign med mixade metoder som antog en deduktiv ansats. Den kvalitativa datainsamlingen innefattade semistrukturerade intervjuer med tjänstepersoner vilket baserade på ett avsiktligt urval, som arbetar inom krishantering. Den kvantitativa datainsamlingen skedde i form av webbenkäter, vars urval baserades på ett bekvämlighetsurval där individer som bodde i ett riskområde och var över 18 år, kunde svara på enkäten som skickades ut i Facebook-grupper för de boendeområdena som ansågs vara av risk. Analysen av datamaterialet skedde dels genom en deduktiv kvalitativ innehållsanalys där respondenternas svar analyserades utifrån tidigare förutbestämda kategorier. Det kvantitativa materialet analyserades utifrån både univariata och bivariata analyser samt tolkning av fritextsvar.  Resultat: Studien påvisade en gemensam bild kring att individer har en god förståelse kring vad varningssystemen innebär samt lämpliga handlingar därefter. Dock fanns en skillnad mellan åldersgrupperna där de yngre grupperna i större utsträckning inte vet vad de ska göra om varningssystemen larmar. Gällande ansvar fanns det även här en liknande bild där kommunen har ett stort ansvar i en utrymningssituation samt framfördes det att individen har ett ansvar, främst från respondenternas sida. En möjlighet som framkom var bland annat broschyren som skickades ut och många individer ansåg att den hade hjälp dem förstå vad de skulle göra vid ett dammbrott. Ett hinder som identifierades i samband med detta är att broschyren numera ligger på kommunens hemsida vilket innebär att personer som flyttar in till kommunen vare sig får kunskap om risken eller vad en ska göra om ett dammbrott sker.  Slutsatser: Sammanfattningsvis visar resultatet en liknande syn på kunskapen om varningssignalen samt lämpliga handlingar därefter både utifrån ett individ- och tjänstemannaperspektiv. Angående ansvaret att utrymma behövs vidare forskning då det behövs mer tillförlitlig data från ett individperspektiv. Framtida studier bör fokusera på åldersperspektivet med avseende på kunskapen och handling vid varning men också på de hinder som studien har identifierat. / Introduction: A dam failure is an accident with a low probability to occur but the consequences would be catastrophic. One area that would be affected if a dam failure would occur in Luleälven is the municipality of Luleå which is located at the estuary of Luleälven. To get individuals that live in areas that are regarded of risk, if a dam failure would occur, to evacuate in time before the water levels rise it is of importance that individuals understand the warning and the responsibility of the individual. The aim of the study was to develop a further understanding of the knowledge individuals have regarding the warning systems that would be used in the event of a dam failure, but also the view about the responsibilities in an evacuation process. The study also aims to identify obstacles and enabling factors that may impact the individual if an evacuation would be necessary.  Methods and material: The study had a case study design with mixed methods. The qualitative data collection included semi structed interviews with government officials who works with crisis mangement, which was based on a purposive sampling. The quantitative data collection was in the form om web surveys which used a convenience sampling that included individuals that lived in an area of risk and were older than 18 years. If the individual met the criteria for the data collection they were eligible to answer the web survey that was distributed in different Facebook groups for the different areas that were considered being of risk. The analysis method for the qualitative material was done through a deductive qualitative content analysis and the respondents answers were analyzed from predetermined categories. The quantitative material was analyzed with both univariate and bivariate analysis, and also interpretation of free text answers.  Results: The results showed a common view in regards that individuals have a good understanding of the warning systems and also appropriate actions thereafter. On the other hand, there was an age difference were the younger age groups in a greater extent do not know the appropriate action if the warnings systems go off. With regards to responsibility there is a mutual understanding of the municipality as to having a big responsibility during an evacuation. The individuals responsibility to evacuate was also put forward, mostly from the government officials. An enabling factor to evacuate was the brochure that was sent out a couple of years ago. Many individuals explained how the brochure had helped them understand what the appropriate actions in the case of dam failure. An obstacle that was identified in connection to this was that the brochure is only available on the municipality’s web site, which implies that people moving into the municipality neither get the knowledge about the risk or the appropriate actions if a dam failure would occur.  Conclusion: To conclude, there are similar views regarding the knowledge of the warning system and proper action in response to the warning, both from an individual and officials’ perspective. How the individual perceive their responsibility to evacuate is in need of further research since there is a lack of data from an individual’s perspective. Further research should focus on an age perspective with regards to the knowledge of warning system and action, and also concerning the barriers that have been identified in the study.

On-the-job injuries that occur even after implementing safety interventions highlight the need for identifying the limitations in them and for making future safety interventions and technological advances more effective. One possible reason for this lower-than-expected-safety returns is the latent side-effect of safety interventions, known as risk compensation. This dissertation aimed to provide empirical evidence and theoretical considerations of risk compensation effect in the construction industry. Accordingly, a multi-sensor immersive mixed-reality environment consists of a virtual projection of the environment and passive haptics of a roof was developed to study risk compensation among residential roofers. Simulating height, environmental factors (wind and sound), passive haptic, and virtual falls stimulated sufficient Sense of Presence to trigger subjects' behavioral changes while installing shingles on a 27-degree sloped roof under three levels of safety interventions (i.e., with no fall-safety intervention, with an injury-reducing fall-safety intervention—i.e., fall-arrest system—and with an injury-preventing fall-safety intervention— i.e., a fall-arrest system and a guardrail). The baseline demographic, psychographic, and cognitive measures combined with real-time tracking and wearable sensors provided an opportunity to track the worker's motions, localize his/her position, obtain real-time musculoskeletal data, and monitor the his/her behavioral and physiological responses. The collected data is then translated into information about the risk perception and risk-taking behavior of the worker. The results yielded unequivocal evidence of risk compensation—the lower perceived risk associated with the situation (lower levels of stress) and the false sense of security among roofers when they were provided with safety interventions apparently encouraged them to be less cautious by leaning over the edge, stepping closer to the roof edge, spending more time exposing themselves to fall risk, over-relying on the safety equipment through different facing directions and choices of posture stability. As a result, they also experienced more near-misses (close calls). This behavioral adaptation was more pronounced when they were provided with an injury-preventing safety intervention (e.g., guardrail). The findings also suggested that the productivity and safety benefits of safety interventions can be negated due to risk compensation, which identifies vital information for the construction-safety community to consider during the design and implementation of more effective safety interventions and technological advances. Roofers with high risk tolerance and sensation seekers were identified as high-risk groups who are more likely to be involved in risk-compensatory behaviors; various behavioral interventions are suggested in this dissertation to counteract excessive risk-taking and to reduce risk compensation. The findings of this study shed light on the question of why injury rates have remained at worrisome levels despite advances in protective measures and interventions. In the long-term, a better understanding of risk compensation will translate into fundamental knowledge about how the construction industry should approach and maintain controls after safety interventions. / Doctor of Philosophy / While researchers have dispensed considerable efforts to reduce the risk of occupational injuries by implementing safety interventions, the large number of safety incidents occurring each year in the construction industry. It is hypothesized that the latent effect of safety interventions, known as risk compensation, might be a possible reason why many of the safety interventions and technological advances have not fully achieved their safety objectives. This dissertation aimed to empirically examine the changes in workers' productivity, risk perception, risk-taking behaviors as a function of different safety interventions in place. To study this within a risk-free setting, an immersive mixed-reality environment simulating roofing task was developed. Then, the reactionary behavioral responses of participants were monitored using real-time tracking sensors and qualitative sources of data while they were completing a roofing task under three counterbalanced levels of safety interventions (i.e., with no fall-safety intervention, with an injury-reducing fall-safety intervention—i.e., fall-arrest system—and with an injury-preventing fall-safety intervention— i.e., a fall-arrest system and a guardrail). The findings indicated that the reduced perceived risk and the desire for increased productivity may skew risk analysis and strongly bias workers toward presuming invulnerability when safety interventions are in place. According to risk compensation theory, workers' risk tolerance and perceptions of risk influence their risk-taking behavior—as the perceived risk associated with the situation decreases, individuals take more risks to achieve a level of risk they can comfortably tolerate. Therefore, the workers might become less cautious by leaning over the edge, stepping closer to the roof edge, spending more time exposing themselves to fall risk, over-relying on the safety equipment through different facing directions and choices of posture stability. This result does not necessarily imply the safety innovations are completely ineffective, but rather demonstrates dangers users face when they misperceive the effectiveness of a safety intervention. Furthermore, roofers with high risk tolerance and a high sensation-seeking disposition were identified as high-risk groups who are more likely to be involved in risk-compensatory behaviors. This research represented a substantive departure from the status quo by proposing novel pathways for proactive incident prevention due to risk compensation in the construction industry. The contribution of this study is especially significant because a better understanding of risk compensation will translate into fundamental knowledge about how the construction industry should approach and maintain controls after safety interventions.

<p dir="ltr">The Farm Service Agency's Guaranteed Loan Program supports eligible lender's ability to provide credit to farms who would otherwise not qualify for loans by guaranteeing up to 95% of principal and interest if the farmer defaults. The first chapter examines the degree to which bank characteristics influence FSA guaranteed loan rates paid by farmers. We leverage the unique characteristics of a panel of FSA guaranteed loans that include both borrower and lender information. Relative to pooled OLS, our preferred fixed-effects regression specification suggests that both time-varying and invariant lender effects are a significant determinant of FSA guaranteed loan rates. Further, when controlling for lender-effects, the significance of borrower characteristics largely diminish. These findings are consistent with prior studies of broader lending market interaction. This is the first study to examine FSA guaranteed loans which accounts for bank-level variation in lending terms. The findings may be of interest to policymakers, program administrators, lenders, and farmers.</p><p dir="ltr">Bankers’ expectations have been shown to provide reasonable forecasts of land value. In the second chapter, we test the informativeness of bankers’ expectations in predicting FSA guaranteed loan application volumes. Once again, we leverage proprietary administrative data from the FSA and, this time, pair it with survey data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to evaluate bankers’ forecasts. Results show that bankers’ forecasts are outperformed by naïve models, and including bankers’ expectations does not improve predictive models. Once again, these results will be of interest to FSA program administrators, lenders, and potential borrowers.</p><p dir="ltr">The study of risk is an important thread of farm management research as agriculture is an industry with many sources of risk. In the third chapter, we link broad measures of policy risk in the form of Equity Market Volatility trackers to farmer’s perceptions of risk and uncertainty. We consider disagreement in ex ante sentiment questions to measure farmer risk. Through a series of pairwise VARs, we show which sources of risk matriculate as concerns for farmers measured by uncertainty in the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. Increases in tax policy, trade policy and infectious disease uncertainty are found to Granger-cause movement in farmer sentiment uncertainty.</p>

我們身處於一個充滿風險的社會。金融海嘯、核能危機、全球暖化、食品問題等，在說明社會步向現代化的後遺症，正如何為人類帶來更難預測的風險，並無孔不入般影響我們的日常生活(Beck, 1992)。在這理論基礎上，本文將探究新聞製作於建構風險的角色，並提出一個名為「客觀化」(objectification) 的過程---新聞媒體如何在科學專家的意見眾說紛紜、對風險難有最終定案之下，把有關社會風險的新聞論述詮釋為客觀的社會事實。我尤其探討風險範例的建構---一些有關風險的新聞事件其後演變為重要範例，並影響日後類似事件的新聞論述。 / 為求以實證方法探究風險「合理化」的過程，我將以香港(中華人民共和國的特別行政區) 的新聞論述如何回應2009年全球豬流感危機作為案例。豬流感是香港經歷2003年非典型肺炎危機(又稱「沙士」) 的重創後，首次面對的全球疫症危機。香港新聞如何呈現豬流感疫情，亦深受「沙士」時的歷史回憶、經驗及後遺所影響。故此，這案例有助我研究風險範例於風險「合理化」時的作用。我從香港報章隨機抽樣出有關豬流感的新聞論述的樣本，並透過內容分析和文本分析，研究香港新聞如何敍述豬流感危機，以及相關敍述所包含的意識形態。我亦走訪了當年採訪豬流感新聞的新聞工作者、有份向傳媒提供專家意見的醫學專家、以及負責制定香港政府防控豬流感政策的官員，以了解建構豬流感風險背後的社會互動。 / 本文的研究顯示，香港有關豬流感危機的新聞論述，是如何奠基於「沙士」這風險範例而建構。豬流感起來襲初時，新聞論述廣泛地藉「沙士」的經驗去詮釋豬流感可能帶給香港的後果。新聞工作者於「沙士」時的採訪經歷，亦成為他們報道豬流感新聞時尋找醫學專家意見的參照經驗，尤其是當醫學專家意見紛紜、新聞工作者要判斷誰人的意見較有權威去界定健康風險之時。本文主要闡述新聞的建構於社會回應風險時所起的關鍵作用，從而帶出這於風險社會理論、以及當我們探究新聞媒體及傳播於現代風險社會的角色時，仍未受足夠重視的重要層面。 / We are witnessing the formation of a risk society, with financial instability, nuclear catastrophes, global warming, and food crises, and just to give a few examples, becoming parts of our everyday life in an age of risk characterized by uncertainties stemming from system failure of modernization (Beck, 1992). In the light of this theoretical concern, in this study I shall scrutinize how news making plays its role in the construction of risk. This, I suggest, is a process of risk objectification ---how news media justifies its discourse of social risk by making social facts upon uncertainties and inconclusive scientific opinions. Specifically, I shall focus on the creation of risk exemplar. That is, some news events become critical exemplar that would shape the news construction of subsequent crises of similar sources. / To look into the process of risk objectification empirically, I shall examine what were the main features of the news discourse in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China, in reaction to the global health crisis of Swine Flu in 2009. Swine Flu was the first pandemic crisis encountered by Hong Kong after its devastating suffering from the epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003. The news representation of Swine Flu was influenced by the historical memory, experience and legacies of SARS and this helps illustrate how risk exemplar contributes to risk legitimization. I carried out content and textual analysis respectively on a random sample of Hong Kong’s newspapers for the purpose of analyzing the key narrations of Swine Flu and the underlying ideological packages of such narrations. I also conducted in-depth interviews with journalists, medical experts and public officials who were deeply involved in the news making of Swine Flu so as to uncover the social dynamics in the process of risk construction. / Key findings of this thesis highlight how the health crisis of Swine Flu was staged by the risk exemplar of SARS. Experience of SARS was widely drawn upon for making sense of the potential impacts of Swine Flu when it first broke out. It was also the key reference for journalists when seeking expert advices, particularly when identifying those who are more authoritative among different opinions in defining the nature of the risk. It is my argument that news making plays a critical role in the shaping of the social reactions to a risk. My analysis thus adds an important, but somehow unduly neglected, dimension to theory of risk society and our understanding of the role of news media and communication in contemporary risk society. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Chan, Chi Kit. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 240-250). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Chan, Chi Kit.

Etude historique des conditions d’émergence du champ de recherches de la perception des risques ;analyse critique du paradigme psychométrique et de la théorie culturaliste, ainsi que des conceptions du risque qui les sous-tend. /<p>Historical study of the emergence conditions of risk perception as a research field; critical analysis of the psychometric paradigm and cultural theory, as well as of the underlying risk conceptions. / Doctorat en Philosophie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The diploma thesis "Gender differences in risk attitude among Czech high school students" discusses how people deal with risk in everyday life. The first part of the paper investigates the forming of risk perception, and the factors that influence the process. Social and cultural structures are of high importance, but also individual factors (such as gender or personal experiences) as well as media representation matter. Risk perception plays a key role in decision-making in situations dealing with uncertainty and the paper asserts that it is possible to model risk behaviour and make predictions accordingly. The second part of the paper presents research on risk attitudes among Czech high school students. It deals with gender differences and students' willingness to risk in three key domains: social, health and leisure time. The model used in the paper focuses on students' willingness to participate in a given activity, their perception of the probability of negative outcomes, and the degree of pleasure derived from the activity. Research indicates that a) men are more willing to risk in health and leisure time related activities, whereas women are more daring in social activities; b) students coming from academically oriented schools are more willing to risk in social activities than students...

In 2012, the county of Uppland in Sweden launched a service granting patients online access to their electronic medical record (EMR), including the list of staff who have logged into the record (the “log list”). Patients seem predominantly positive to this service whereas many professionals, physicians specifically, have expressed concerns about, for example, increased risks of threats and violence towards healthcare staff. One year after launch the present study was conducted to examine whether staff whose patients had gained access to online EMRs experienced greater risks of threats and violence, and were exposed to more threats and violence, than those whose patients had not yet gained access. The extent to which professional role, gender, work experience and staff attitudes to the service were important factors was also examined. A total of 174 professionals at Uppsala University Hospital responded to a web survey (35% response rate). 83 represented the emergency department, whose patients had online EMR access, and 91 represented the psychiatric department, whose patients had not. 40% of all participating professionals, emergency physicians and psychiatric staff specifically, believed that risks of threats and violence increase after launch. The results did not, however, support a correlation between patient access to online EMRs and more incidents of threats and violence, and only one respondent reported that patient access had played any significant negative role in relation to an incident. These and other results may prove useful as the online EMR service is now being launched in other Swedish counties as well. / År 2012 infördes inom Uppsala läns landsting en tjänst som ger patienter tillgång till sin journal via nätet, inklusive listan över personal som loggat in i journalen. Patienter har visat sig vara övervägande positiva till tjänsten, medan många vårdgivare, speciellt läkare, har uttryckt farhågor gällandes, till exempel, ökad risk för hot och våld mot vårdpersonal. Ett år efter införandet genomfördes denna enkätstudie med syfte att undersöka om sjukvårdspersonal vars patienter fått tillgång till journal via nätet upplever högre grad av risk för hot och våld samt om de i realiteten är mer utsatta för hot och våld än dem vars patienter inte fått denna tillgång. Även betydelsen av yrke, kön, arbetserfarenhet samt generell attityd till journal via nätet undersöktes i relation till hot och våldsrisker respektive utsatthet för våld. En webundersökning besvarades av 174 anställda vid Akademiska sjukhuset i Uppsala (svarsfrekvens 35 %). 83 representerade den öppna akutvårdsmottagningen, vars patienter hade tillgång till journal via nätet, och 91 representerade de slutenvårdspsykiatriska avdelningarna, vars patienter inte hade denna tillgång. 40 % av respondenterna, speciellt akutvårdsläkare och psykiatrivårdspersonal, trodde att riskerna för hot och våld ökar vid införande av journal via nätet. Resultaten påvisade dock inte någon korrelation mellan patienttillgång till journal via nätet och förekomst av hot- och våldsincidenter och endast en respondent svarade att patienttillgång spelat en betydande negativ roll i relation till en incident. Dessa och andra resultat i studien kan vara av betydelse nu när införanden av journal via nätet sprids även till andra landsting i Sverige.

Thesis (MComm (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The market share of online purchasing is under two percent of total retail spending, which provides an indication that consumers have been slow to adopt online purchasing. Previous research has shown that consumers perceive risks associated with purchasing online and these perceptions are likely to affect purchase intention. Little research, however, has been done on perceived risk relating specifically to online purchasing, and in particular, risk related to branded and non-branded retailer websites. Research has shown that brand knowledge has a direct effect on a consumer’s intention to purchase from an online retailer and that this relationship between brand knowledge and intent to purchase online is mediated by perceived risk. The purpose of this exploratory study was therefore to investigate the consumer-perceived risks associated with the intention to purchase online. The research problem considered the question whether the perceived risks (financial, performance, physical, time, social and psychological risks) associated with a branded website (Kalahari.net) are different from the perceived risks associated with a non-branded website (Books.com). It was found that four types of perceived risk exist namely, performance, time, social, and personal risk. Of these risks, only performance risk had an influence on a consumer’s purchase intention from a non-branded website whereas performance and personal risk influenced a consumer’s intention to purchase from a branded website. It was also revealed that consumers perceive performance, time, and social risk as not statistically different when purchasing from a non-branded or a branded website. However, personal risk was perceived to be statistically differently for the two websites. In addition, the brand image dimension of brand knowledge had an influence on a consumer’s purchase intention from both the branded and non-branded websites. The brand awareness dimension of brand knowledge did not influence purchase intention at all. For all four risk types on both the branded and nonbranded websites (except social risk on Books.com), at least one and in some cases, both dimensions of brand knowledge influenced the degree of perceived risk associated with purchasing on the particular website. Finally, it was concluded that the more information search a consumer does before purchase of a book on a branded or non-branded website, the higher their perceived risk associated with purchasing from the particular website. A number of recommendations were made. Methods for decreasing the amount of performance risk which consumers perceive when purchasing a book online were firstly suggested. It was further recommended that Kalahari.net investigate the dimensions of their brand such as brand image, brand awareness, and brand trust, to identify the reasons why consumers perceive performance, social and time risk as being not statistically different when purchasing on a branded and a non-branded website. Since consumers did not see a difference between the brand image of the branded and the non-branded websites, it was recommended that the branded website make every effort to investigate their current branding strategy to identify the reasons consumers view the branded website in the same manner as the non-branded website. Furthermore, since both dimensions of brand knowledge influenced the degree of perceived risk associated with purchasing on the particular website to a certain extent, it was recommended that online retailers focus on building familiarity, positive thoughts, feelings, associations, and beliefs concerning the online retailer brand. Finally, it was recommended that the influence of information search online on perceived risk associated with purchasing be further investigated; because this study found that an action that was traditionally initiated as a means for decreasing perceived risk can now be attributed to increased consumer-perceived risk associated with online shopping.