Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to develop a conceptualized model, which identifies the significant variables of perceived risk for current Airbnb users towards becoming a host of their own residence on Airbnb’s platform. There is a lack of information concerning the host’s risk perception to cross the trust barrier in order to become a host on Airbnb (Ter Huurne, et al., 2017). For Airbnb it is of significant importance to provide new residences since it contributes to the growth of its platform. Likewise, it applies to managing potential risks in order to generate a positive vicious circle with the absence of trusted authorities or third parties (Wu, et al., 2017). Methods A new applicable model was constructed that served as the conceptual framework for this thesis. The model consists of twelve variables, where each variable has a possible influence on the overall perceived risk for Airbnb users to become a host of their own residence on Airbnb’s platform. The survey embodied the perceived risk variables and applied a predetermined set of answers. A prerequisite was that the respondents were familiar with the platform Airbnb by having a registered account. Findings There was found to be a discrepancy between millennials’ and non-millennials’ perception of risk. Millennials found financial risk, privacy risk (payment), social risk (neighbours), physical risk, and lack of control risk to be significant. Non-millennials found performance risk, privacy risk (in-house), and lack of control risk to be significant. Both models showed that the variable ‘lack of control’ was the biggest influencer on overall perceived risk. The results also indicate that millennials are more susceptible to let financial benefits outweigh their perceived risk in comparison to non-millennials, whereas social benefits are perceived similarly. On a last note, non-millennials’ overall risk perception was found to be considerably higher than for millennials. Implications The results present a conceptual model that is based on perceived risk for e-commerce (Featherman & Pavlou, 2003). Moreover, this conceptual model added the components physical risk (Jacoby & Kaplan, 1972) and lack of control risk (Das & Teng, 2004) in order to identify overall perceived risk for Airbnb users to become a host of their own residence on Airbnb’s platform.

Atualmente, observa-se que o ambiente virtual está cada vez mais povoado por pessoas com 60 anos ou mais e com os mais diversos interesses, todavia, verifica-se que há pouco conhecimento sobre como os consumidores idosos formam julgamentos e tomam decisões a respeito de produtos e serviços oferecidos na Internet, chegando a existir, inclusive, um pré-conceito de que estes indivíduos não são usuários da Internet e, portanto, não merecem que se façam investimentos para adequar produtos e serviços a eles. Sabe-se que diferentes fatores podem influenciar o comportamento do consumidor em sua tomada de decisão, principalmente quando se abordam produtos e serviços tecnológicos. Frente a esse contexto, é fundamental que se compreendam melhor os elementos que estão presentes nesse comportamento de consumo e as suas implicações futuras. Por essa razão, a presente pesquisa foi elaborada, pretendendo-se identificar os principais construtos que influenciam o comportamento do consumidor da terceira idade na Internet e analisar o seu impacto sobre a intenção de compra online. Objetivando responder a tal questionamento, projetou-se este estudo, para o qual foi elaborado um modelo teórico (testado empiricamente) contendo diversas variáveis e moderadores. Após 5 pré-testes e 8 entrevistas em profundidade, um questionário foi aplicado em 430 respondentes com 60 anos ou mais que tivessem utilizado a Internet pelo menos uma vez nos últimos 3 meses. O processamento de dados incluiu uma análise fatorial exploratória e uma confirmatória e a Modelagem de Equações Estruturais. Ao final deste estudo, obteve-se aceitação plena de cinco hipóteses, parcial de três e rejeição de duas, além de um bom ajuste do modelo proposto (a partir dos índices pré-definidos). Confirmou-se a hipótese de que o risco percebido pelos consumidores da terceira idade ao utilizar a Internet é um moderador no modelo estrutural proposto, uma vez que se comprovou diferença estatística significante entre as respostas dadas por um grupo mais avesso ao risco (Grupo 1) e outro menos avesso ao risco (Grupo 2) no que concerne às características demográficas e comportamentais (relacionadas ao uso da Internet). Já a escala de Tipo de Uso não se mostrou adequada para analisar a utilização da Internet pelo público da terceira idade. Constatou-se, da mesma forma, que a idade cognitiva influencia, de maneira inversa, no tempo de uso da Internet e que a satisfação com o uso da mesma tem impacto positivo no boca-a-boca positivo realizado, na intenção de (re)compra online e, também, no tempo de uso da rede. Acredita-se que os resultados obtidos a partir do teste do modelo apresentado possam fornecer importantes implicações acadêmicas e gerenciais, as quais possibilitarão uma maior compreensão sobre o uso da Internet por indivíduos da terceira idade, seus impactos futuros e a existência de moderadores importantes nesta relação. / Virtual environment has been increasingly used by people aged 60 and over who have a variety of interests. However, there is little knowledge concerning how elderly consumers form judgment and make decisions regarding products and services offered on the internet. Additionally, there is a preconception that these individuals do not use the internet; therefore, there would be no need for investment in redesigning products and services to suit them. It is known that there is a range of factors that may influence consumer behavior, especially in online environments involving technological products and services. In this context, understanding the elements involved in consumer behavior as well as its future implications is of paramount importance. Thus, this study reviewed the main constructs that influence the consumer behavior of the elderly on the internet and analyzed its impact on the online purchase intention. A theoretical model containing several variables and moderators was created and empirically tested. After 5 pretests and 8 in-depth interviews, a questionnaire was applied to 430 respondents aged 60 and over who had used the internet within the last 3 months. Data processing included an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis, as well as the Structural Equation Modeling. As a result, five hypotheses were fully supported, three were partially confirmed and two were rejected. Moreover, the proposed model proved to be well adjusted according to the pre-defined indexes. The hypothesis which states that the perceived risk by the elderly regarding the use of internet is a moderator on the proposed structural model was confirmed, since there was a statistically significant difference between the answers given by a more risk-averse group (Group 1) and the answers provided by a less risk-averse group (Group 2) concerning demographic and behavioral characteristics related to internet use. On the other hand, the Type of Internet Use scale was shown to be inadequate to analyze the internet usage by the aforementioned age group. Likewise, it was observed that cognitive age has an inversely proportional influence on time of Internet usage, and that satisfaction with its usage has a positive impact on positive word of mouth, online (re)purchase intention and time of web usage. It is believed that the results obtained from the testing of the presented model may provide important academic and managerial implications which will bring a greater understanding of internet usage by the elderly as well as its future impacts and the existence of important moderators within this relationship.

The sharing economy is a topic that is discussed continuously in the media as it continues to grow and large corporations continue to flourish. This disruptive technology in coalition with regulatory question marks has allowed sharing economy companies to change the business landscape in a number of industries in a short amount of time. However, there has been little investigation into how consumers perceive risk when using sharing economy companies in comparison to their traditional counterpart. This thesis looks at both the dimensions of perceived risk in addition to the antecedents of perceived risk in order to establish what makes a consumer perceive something as ‘risky’. A qualitative study was carried out through semi-structured interviews with drivers at UberPOP and Taxi Stockholm, as well as with passengers that have travelled with both companies. From our analysis we conclude that consumers perceived risks as higher in traditional companies in comparison to sharing economy companies.

Decisões complexas, onde os fatores levados em consideração não são inteiramente conhecidos, colocam o decisor em um contexto de incerteza, abrindo margem para a manifestação de critérios subjetivos de decisão. Assim, a confiança em quem endossa uma determinada decisão pode mostrar-se um elemento importante na percepção do risco envolvido na decisão e no comportamento do decisor. Alguns teóricos enfatizam que situações de risco criam a necessidade de confiança, outros autores argumentam que o risco é um resultado da confiança. É objetivo desta tese verificar a influência da confiança no grau de risco percebido, na disposição em assumir o risco percebido e na manifestação individual de uma decisão em um contexto complexo para seleção de alternativas. Assim, parte-se da relação entre controle, intenção e comportamento estabelecida na Theory of planned Behavior (TPB) e incorporam-se os construtos risco e confiança. Para verificação empírica, criou-se um jogo de investimentos no mercado de ações para observar o comportamento decisório dos participantes. No jogo, os 145 participantes qualificados foram submetidos a relatórios de três diferentes autores (com currículos que inspiravam diferentes níveis de confiança), que endossavam a compra de ações de três diferentes empresas. Ao longo das atividades, os participantes eram submetidos a questionários (validados em um estudo piloto) para mensuração (1) da sua propensão ao risco e à confiança, (2) do seu grau de confiança no autor de cada relatório, (3) do risco percebido na compra da ação endossada no relatório e (4) da intenção em comprar determinada ação. De modo a dar suporte à teoria da base, o comportamento era medido a partir da efetiva decisão em comprar a ação de uma das três empresas determinadas. Como resultado, verificou-se que a confiança tem papel importante na formação do risco percebido somente para os indivíduos com baixa propensão ao risco. Por meio da relação estreita entre confiança e o controle percebido pelo decisor sobre seu comportamento, verificou-se empiricamente que a confiança pode atuar como substituta do controle nas relações, e que o risco afeta diretamente o comportamento. Ao final, discute-se sobre a aderência do modelo proposto ao comportamento verificado no jogo de investimentos e sugerem-se alguns encaminhamentos a partir dos resultados encontrados. / Subjective criteria play an important role on decision making process when the decision maker needs to make a complex decision. In this context, trust on who endorse a specific decision could affect the perceived risk and the intention to make the decision. Some theorists emphasize that risk situations create the need for trust. Other authors argue that risk is a result of trust. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the influence of trust in the degree of perceived risk, willingness to take risk and the individual manifestation of a decision made under a complex hall of alternatives. To achieve this aim, perceived risk construct and trust construct were incorporated into the relationship among perceived behavior control, intention and behavior proposed by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). For empirical verification, it was created a game complaining a set of investments in the stock market to observe the decisionmaking behavior of participants. In this scenario, the 145 qualified participants were submitted to three different authors (with bios inspiring different levels of trust). Each author endorsed the purchase of stock from one specific company. During the tasks, the individuals were submitted to questionnaires (validated in a pilot study) to measure (1) their risk propensity and trust propensity, (2) their degree of trust in the author of each report, (3) their degree of perceived risk in buying the stock endorsed by each report and (4) their intention to purchase a certain stock. In order to support the basis theory, the behavior was measured from the actual decision to purchase the stock of one of three specific firms. As a result, it was seen that trust has an important role in shaping the perceived risk, but only for individuals that had a low risk propensity. Through a close relationship between trust and the decision maker’s perceived behavior control, it was empirically verified that trust can act as a substitute for control in relationships and that the risk directly affects behavior. Finally, it was discussed the adherence of the proposed model to the behavior observed in the investment game and it was suggested some directions considering the findings.

Trust is a concept used throughout our daily lives. We give trust to friends, colleagues and strangers. We also give trust to the technical artifacts we use in our everyday lives. We must also rely on the services we use to work the way we expect them to. There is plenty of research on trust in e-commerce and online banking on website based platforms. What is missing is research on how we give trust to mobile map applications (and mobile applications in general), and how this trust, or lack of trust, affect our use of map applications in everyday life. We will also use a model of trust to see if we can get a deeper understanding of this trust.

[pt] A percepção de risco em compras online é apontada por diversos autores como o obstáculo para o crescimento do comércio eletrônico. O varejo pela Internet torna impossível a avaliação de atributos tangíveis pela impossibilidade de examinar fisicamente o produto. No caso de alimentos, a Internet ainda é um canal muito pouco explorado, já que as conseqüências de um produto estragado podem ser potencialmente severas, causando danos à saúde. Este estudo pretendeu, através de um levantamento em uma amostra dos clientes de uma rede de supermercados do Rio de Janeiro, comparar o risco percebido na compra online de alimentos perecíveis por clientes dos diversos canais do supermercado. Os resultados apresentaram evidencias de que a compra de alimentos perecíveis é percebida como mais arriscada por clientes da loja física do que clientes da Internet e que o risco de desempenho/físico desempenha o papel mais importante na percepção do risco total. / [en] The perceived risk in online shopping is seen by many authors as an obstacle for the growth of electronic commerce. The online retailing makes impossible for customers to evaluate the tangible attributes due the impossibility of physical examination of the product. In the case of groceries, the Internet still is an unexplored channel, once the consequences of a spoiled product can be potentially severe, causing damage to one`s health. This study intended, through a sample of customers of a supermarket chain located in Rio de Janeiro, to compare the perceived risk in online shopping of groceries through customers of different channels of the supermarket. The results presented evidences that the shopping of groceries is perceived as more risky by costumers of physical store than by costumers of Internet and that the performance/physical risk represents the most important role in risk perception.

Due to the growing involvement of external stakeholders including pressure groups such as Greenpeace, sustainability issues have increasingly become a focus point in the business sector. Thereby, many businesses began to integrate sustainability into their corporate mission and vision. Similar to fast food consumption, fast fashion consumption has decreased well-being of both nature and humans. With the goal of reducing harmful impact on people and planet, apparel and fashion firms such as C&A, H&M, and Nike have been gradually shifting the use of conventional cotton to bio-cotton in their production of clothing. The aim of the present thesis is therefore to investigate the influence of different factors on purchasing intention of bio-cotton clothing among young business students. In connection to this, the research question of the present study is formulated as follows: “What kind of impacts do attitude, social norm, perceived efficacy of consumer, perceived availability as well as functional, monetary, and psychological risk have on the purchase intention of bio-cotton clothing among young business students?”  The present study was conducted quantitatively by using online survey method. The survey was distributed to a random sample of 220 young business students at Umeå School of Business and Economics (USBE). The research model of this study comprises seven hypotheses. Each hypothesis is assigned with a unique independent variable and a dependent variable (i.e. purchase intention). All the constructs are derived from the Theory of Planned Behaviour as well as from the Theory of Perceived Risk. Following a multiple linear regression analysis, it was revealed that independent variables including attitude, social norm, perceived efficacy of consumer, and perceived availability significantly affect the purchase intention. All influencers except perceived availability was found to have a negative influence on purchase intention. Although none of the constructs from the Theory of Perceived Risk was found to significantly affect purchase intention, a significant quantity of variance in the purchase intention was explained by all independent variables combined. This contributes to the current research gap since numerous studies have focused on the behavioural intention of organic food rather than bio-cotton clothing. This study’s findings provide insights to businesses that intend to market their bio-cotton clothing among young business students. Since the availability of bio-cotton clothing was found to be low, managers are advised to increase the visibility and benefits of such products by using online and offline communication instruments. Policy makers, especially those from developed countries, are advised to support informational campaigns to transform consumer behaviour.

Atualmente, observa-se que o ambiente virtual está cada vez mais povoado por pessoas com 60 anos ou mais e com os mais diversos interesses, todavia, verifica-se que há pouco conhecimento sobre como os consumidores idosos formam julgamentos e tomam decisões a respeito de produtos e serviços oferecidos na Internet, chegando a existir, inclusive, um pré-conceito de que estes indivíduos não são usuários da Internet e, portanto, não merecem que se façam investimentos para adequar produtos e serviços a eles. Sabe-se que diferentes fatores podem influenciar o comportamento do consumidor em sua tomada de decisão, principalmente quando se abordam produtos e serviços tecnológicos. Frente a esse contexto, é fundamental que se compreendam melhor os elementos que estão presentes nesse comportamento de consumo e as suas implicações futuras. Por essa razão, a presente pesquisa foi elaborada, pretendendo-se identificar os principais construtos que influenciam o comportamento do consumidor da terceira idade na Internet e analisar o seu impacto sobre a intenção de compra online. Objetivando responder a tal questionamento, projetou-se este estudo, para o qual foi elaborado um modelo teórico (testado empiricamente) contendo diversas variáveis e moderadores. Após 5 pré-testes e 8 entrevistas em profundidade, um questionário foi aplicado em 430 respondentes com 60 anos ou mais que tivessem utilizado a Internet pelo menos uma vez nos últimos 3 meses. O processamento de dados incluiu uma análise fatorial exploratória e uma confirmatória e a Modelagem de Equações Estruturais. Ao final deste estudo, obteve-se aceitação plena de cinco hipóteses, parcial de três e rejeição de duas, além de um bom ajuste do modelo proposto (a partir dos índices pré-definidos). Confirmou-se a hipótese de que o risco percebido pelos consumidores da terceira idade ao utilizar a Internet é um moderador no modelo estrutural proposto, uma vez que se comprovou diferença estatística significante entre as respostas dadas por um grupo mais avesso ao risco (Grupo 1) e outro menos avesso ao risco (Grupo 2) no que concerne às características demográficas e comportamentais (relacionadas ao uso da Internet). Já a escala de Tipo de Uso não se mostrou adequada para analisar a utilização da Internet pelo público da terceira idade. Constatou-se, da mesma forma, que a idade cognitiva influencia, de maneira inversa, no tempo de uso da Internet e que a satisfação com o uso da mesma tem impacto positivo no boca-a-boca positivo realizado, na intenção de (re)compra online e, também, no tempo de uso da rede. Acredita-se que os resultados obtidos a partir do teste do modelo apresentado possam fornecer importantes implicações acadêmicas e gerenciais, as quais possibilitarão uma maior compreensão sobre o uso da Internet por indivíduos da terceira idade, seus impactos futuros e a existência de moderadores importantes nesta relação. / Virtual environment has been increasingly used by people aged 60 and over who have a variety of interests. However, there is little knowledge concerning how elderly consumers form judgment and make decisions regarding products and services offered on the internet. Additionally, there is a preconception that these individuals do not use the internet; therefore, there would be no need for investment in redesigning products and services to suit them. It is known that there is a range of factors that may influence consumer behavior, especially in online environments involving technological products and services. In this context, understanding the elements involved in consumer behavior as well as its future implications is of paramount importance. Thus, this study reviewed the main constructs that influence the consumer behavior of the elderly on the internet and analyzed its impact on the online purchase intention. A theoretical model containing several variables and moderators was created and empirically tested. After 5 pretests and 8 in-depth interviews, a questionnaire was applied to 430 respondents aged 60 and over who had used the internet within the last 3 months. Data processing included an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis, as well as the Structural Equation Modeling. As a result, five hypotheses were fully supported, three were partially confirmed and two were rejected. Moreover, the proposed model proved to be well adjusted according to the pre-defined indexes. The hypothesis which states that the perceived risk by the elderly regarding the use of internet is a moderator on the proposed structural model was confirmed, since there was a statistically significant difference between the answers given by a more risk-averse group (Group 1) and the answers provided by a less risk-averse group (Group 2) concerning demographic and behavioral characteristics related to internet use. On the other hand, the Type of Internet Use scale was shown to be inadequate to analyze the internet usage by the aforementioned age group. Likewise, it was observed that cognitive age has an inversely proportional influence on time of Internet usage, and that satisfaction with its usage has a positive impact on positive word of mouth, online (re)purchase intention and time of web usage. It is believed that the results obtained from the testing of the presented model may provide important academic and managerial implications which will bring a greater understanding of internet usage by the elderly as well as its future impacts and the existence of important moderators within this relationship.

No description available.

Past research has confirmed that structural attributes of nations, as well as individual characteristics of people contribute to levels of fear of crime, across both nations and individuals. Specifically, in regard to the effects structural characteristics have on fear, gender equality has been shown to affect rates of rape, which in turn, affect women's fear of crime. Regarding individual-level determinants, age, income, education, whether one dwells in an urban or rural area, and prior victimization have been shown to have effects on fear. This dissertation set out to answer several research questions related to prior findings: 1) How does gender equality affect women's fear of crime across nations?; 2) Does gender equality have a direct effect on women's fear, or is this effect mediated by national rape rates?; 3) How do structural characteristics other than gender equality affect women's fear of crime?; and last, 4) How do individual characteristics affect women's fear of crime? Using data from various sources, including the International Criminal Victimization Survey, the World Values Survey, the United Nations, and the World Bank (total N=20 nations and 17,384 individuals), I assessed the aforementioned research questions using multilevel modeling. Overall, findings indicate that individual-level characteristics did a better job than structural context in predicting women's fear of crime across various nations. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed in the final chapter.