Do Privacy Stress and Brand Trust still Matter? Implications on Continuous Online Purchasing Intention in China.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to unprecedented transformations in consumer behaviour. Less is known about how consumers react to privacy stress while being compelled to continuously purchase online during the pandemic. Therefore, underpinned by the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory, this paper aims to examine the impacts of perceived Internet risk, self-efficacy, privacy stress, and trust on consumers' continuous purchasing intention in China. Few studies have examined the mediating roles of privacy stress and brand trust in continuous purchasing intention. This research thus adds value by exploring the underlying mechanisms that explain how these factors affect purchasing intention where consumers have little choice but to make purchase online continuously. It employs a quantitative research design and uses a survey questionnaire to collect data. A total of 535 consumers responded and the data were analysed via PLS-SEM. We found mixed results for the direct and indirect paths. Perceived Internet risk, platform trust, and self-efficacy showed significant impacts on privacy stress and brand trust. While brand trust had a significant impact on continuous online purchase intention, contrary to previous literature, privacy stress did not. Moreover, while brand trust was found to be a significant mediator, privacy stress exerted no mediating effect. The results assist marketing practitioners, organizations, and policymakers in improving consumers' online shopping experience in uncertain times by addressing the issues of trust and privacy. Specifically, we provide the foundation for future policies and strategies that build consumers' trust and secure consumers' privacy, especially in highly uncertain contexts.

Experience of physicians during COVID-19 in a developing country: a qualitative study of Pakistan.

COVID-19 spread rapidly and jeopardised the physicians with not only treatment but also with limited resources and new working style. This study aimed to investigate the experience of physicians in Pakistan as frontline workers for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The study employed a qualitative design and used Haas's adaptation of Colaizzi method for analysis. The respondents for the interview were selected based on purposive sampling and only those physicians were contacted who were treating COVID-19 patients in Lahore, Pakistan. The results of the study revealed many challenges faced by Pakistani physicians which included physical and psychological stress due to the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Moreover, infrastructural flaws have added in the vulnerabilities of the physicians. In developing countries, the fight is much harder for physicians as evidenced by their first-hand experience. The policymakers in developing countries especially in Pakistan can direct policies facilitating physicians to reduce their physical and psychological stress as well as increasing resources for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.