Consumer intentions to purchase on foreign multi-sided digital platforms: a context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: To explore the determinants of consumer purchase intentions on foreign multi-sided e-commerce platforms (MSPs) within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods applied: The study relies on a survey of a representative sample of 810 Poles. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to analyze the data. Findings: The study confirms the influence of the perceived usefulness and legal protection of online purchases, changes in retailers' activity during the pandemic, and perceived value of purchases on a MSP on purchase intentions. Originality/value: The article provides insight into consumer online behavior, i.e., determinants of the intention to purchase via MSPs, including those not extensively studied yet. It also takes into account the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study's results may be valuable both from the prism of its contribution to the literature on consumer behavior and to business practitioners.

Depression and anxiety among College Students in Slovakia - Comparison of the Year 2018 and during COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depression and anxiety among university students during the peak of COVID­19 pandemic in the Slovak Republic in December 2020. The secondary goal was to compare results with a study from 2018 at the same university. METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional study was administered at the Comenius University in Bratislava. The final sample consisted of 1,786 participants (approx. 80 % females) with the mean age and standard deviation of M=21.15 and SD=3.53. An online battery of self-report measures of depression, anxiety, perceived stress, loneliness, and resilience was administered. RESULTS: The prevalence rates of moderately severe to­severe depression and anxiety were 34.3 % and 20.1 %, respectively. Depression and anxiety were associated with younger age, higher perception of stress, higher loneliness, and lower resilience. In comparison with 2018, we found a two-fold increase in depression and anxiety. The increase was present across most of the depression and anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSION: The result of the study revealed elevated rates of depression and anxiety during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia. Various demographic and psychological factors were associated with more severe depression and anxiety among university students. Some subgroups of students are at the higher risk of mental health problems (Tab. 4, Ref. 26).

Invertebrate Film Festival: Science, creativity, and flexibility in a virtual teaching environment

We implemented a new video project in a marine invertebrate zoology undergraduate class. The project required students to produce 3–5 min videos about a particular invertebrate or any aspect of invertebrate biology they were interested in. The development of this assignment was prompted by the limitations for lab activities due to COVID-19 and three short-term campus closures in response to threats of inclement weather. This assignment can be completed individually on a flexible schedule, without physical access to campus, and culminates in an Invertebrate Film Festival during the last lab period. The project was assigned at the start of the term with only minimal instructions to promote creativity. Students completed the project over the course of the 14-week semester, with several checkpoints, most notably a peer review of the movie script 2 weeks prior to the due date. To support the video production, students were encouraged to attend workshops and schedule individual tutoring sessions offered by the Studio in the campus's Center for Academic Learning Support. Surveys at the beginning and the end of the semester revealed that the perception of the video project was overall positive, although some students were apprehensive in the beginning. Video topics, techniques, and software used by students varied widely, but overall the video quality exceeded our expectations. Many students took pride in their videos and agreed to make them available as supplementary material for this article. If we repeat this assignment in future semesters, we will streamline the peer review process and possibly offer short video tutorials for video-editing software. © 2021 American Microscopical Society