Abstract
The study of information privacy in e-commerce is still in its infancy. Current studies attempting to explain online consumers’ privacy-related behavior based on their general concerns for privacy, have had mixed results. In this study, based on the Theory of Reasoned Action, we assert that to better explain privacy-related behavior it is necessary to focus on perceived privacy protection (privacy belief) specific to an online vendor, when the vendor is unfamiliar to the user. This privacy belief is formed as a result of emotional responses to the consumer’s interaction with the vendor’s Web site (often for a short period of time). In turn, this belief along with emotions can have a significant impact on the decision to give personal information necessary to make the purchase. Thus, online vendors who rely largely on unfamiliar, first-time customers have to pay attention to consumers’ emotional responses to their Web site or risk losing them.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Han Li
Han Li is currently the assistant professor in the school of business at Minnesota State University Moorhead. She obtained the Ph.D. degree in Management Information Systems at Oklahoma State University. Her research interests include privacy and confidentiality, information security, and data sharing. She has published in Operations Research.
Rathindra Sarathy
Rathindra Sarathy is the Ardmore Professor of Business Administration in the Department of Management Science of Information Systems in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. He received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. His research interests include privacy and confidentiality, data masking, data and information security, and e-commerce. He has published in many journals including ACM Transactions on Database Systems, Decision Sciences, Decision Support Systems, Information Systems Research, and Management Science.
Jie Zhang
Jie Zhang is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Information Systems at Virginia State University. She received her Ph.D. degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Mississippi. Her current research interests include behavioral information security, privacy, and SMEs information systems management.