This paper presents a qualitative case study to investigate how large international Swedish retail companies can adapt their green supply chain management strategies to cope with the pandemic and future crises. The findings are derived by combining relevant concepts of green supply chain management, such as the triple bottom line theory and circular economy, with primary data from interviews on green supply chain practices in four large international Swedish companies.

Hintergrund: Zu Beginn des Jahres 2020 verbreitete sich das Coronavirus Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (Sars-CoV-2) über Deutschland und mehrere Länder hinweg. Am 11. März 2020 rief die Weltgesundheitsorganisation eine Pandemie aus. Zur Versorgung der Menschen wurde im ambulanten Sektor in Rheinland-Pfalz noch im März 2020 eine parallele Struktur aufgebaut. Dazu wurden COVID-19-Ambulanzen, -Praxen und -Sprechstunden (parallele Versorgungsstruktur) etabliert, in denen positiv getestete COVID-19-Fälle und -Verdachtsfälle sowie Menschen mit Infektsymptomen wie Atemnot, trockenem Husten und Fieber, behandelt werden konnten. Das Ziel bestand darin, die Patientenströme zu trennen, um eine gleichzeitige Regel- und Coronaversorgung zu gewährleisten. Die Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Rheinland-Pfalz (KV RLP) und die rheinland-pfälzischen Krankenkassen und ihre Ersatzkassen führten für die Versorgung in der parallelen Versorgungsstruktur die Coronaziffer 97700 ein, welche den besonderen Behandlungsbedarf während der Pandemie abbildete. Die Vertragsärzteschaft wurde bereits zu diesem Zeitpunkt besonderen Herausforderungen ausgesetzt. Auf diese Situation im ambulanten Sektor traf die COVID-19-Pandemie, die für die ambulante Versorgung entsprechende Auswirkungen mit sich brachte. Einerseits gilt es Belastungen wie eine Verschärfung des Ärztemangels, einen hohen Anteil an bürokratischen Arbeiten oder das Fehlen von Medizinstudienplätzen anzunehmen. Andererseits eröffnen der Ausbau des ambulanten Potenzials oder der digitale Fortschritt neue Chancen. Fragestellung: Die Ziele dieser Dissertation bestehen darin, den Verlauf der Steuerung von Personen mit Diagnose U07.1 (COVID-19-Fälle, bei denen das Virus SARS-CoV-2 durch einen Labortest bewiesen wurde) und U07.2 (COVID-19-Fälle, bei denen SARS-CoV-2 nicht durch einen Labortest bewiesen wurde, die Erkrankung aber anhand eines klinischen und eines epidemiologischen Kriteriums vorliegt) in der parallelen Versorgungsstruktur zu analysieren. Es soll eruiert werden, ob Zusammenhänge zwischen der Inanspruchnahme der neuen Struktur und dem Geschlecht, der Altersgruppe oder der Herkunft (städtisch/ländlich) bestehen. Aufgrund der Besonderheit der Coronaziffer eignet sich die ambulante rheinland-pfälzische Versorgung zur Analyse der Inanspruchnahme dieser neu etablierten Strukturen, denn dadurch kann im Nachhinein festgestellt werden, ob Personen in der Coronastruktur behandelt wurden. In der vorliegenden Studie werden erstmals die Abrechnungsdaten der KV RLP zur Inanspruchnahme der parallelen Versorgungsstruktur in Rheinland-Pfalz untersucht. Ein weiteres Ziel liegt in der Erarbeitung von Handlungsempfehlungen im Rahmen eines Pandemiemanagements für eventuell zukünftig aufkommende Pandemien für die ambulante Versorgung in Rheinland-Pfalz. Diese sollen aus Sicht der am Aufbau der Coronstruktur beteiligten Stakeholder:innen ermittelt werden. Zusätzlich soll analysiert werden, welche Chancen und Risiken für die weitere Arbeit im ambulanten Versorgungssektor in Rheinland-Pfalz durch die COVID-19-Pandemie hervorgingen und wie damit verfahren werden kann. Material und Methodik: Die Entwicklung der Inanspruchnahme der parallelen Versorgungsstruktur in Rheinland-Pfalz wurde auf Basis der Abrechnungsdaten der KV RLP im Zeitraum von März 2020 bis März 2021 untersucht. Das Analysesample umfasste 905 435 Patientenfälle, aus denen hervorgeht, ob zur Behandlung die parallele Versorgungsstruktur oder eine regelversorgende Praxis aufgesucht wurde. Um zusätzlich einen Überblick über die Nutzergruppen zu erhalten, wurden aus den Abrechnungsdaten abbildbare relevante Patientencharakteristika wie die Herkunft, das Geschlecht, die Altersgruppe und die Diagnose (Differenzierung nach U07.1 und U07.2) ermittelt. Die retrospektive Längsschnittsstudie in Form einer Sekundärdatenanalyse sollte mithilfe von deskriptiven und inferenzstatistischen Verfahren repräsentative Ergebnisse zur Inanspruchnahme der Coronastruktur liefern. Die Chancen und Risiken für den ambulanten Sektor, resultierend aus der COVID-19-Pandemie, sowie Handlungsempfehlungen für künftige Pandemien im Rahmen eines Pandemiemanagements für den ambulanten Versorgungssektor in Rheinland-Pfalz sollten durch leitfadengestützte, teilstandardisierte Experteninterviews ermittelt werden. Diese wurden mit Vertragsärzt:innen sowie mit Vertreter:innen von KV RLP, Kranken- und Ersatzkassen, Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Gesundheit des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz (MWG) und Kommunen geführt, die am Aufbau der Coronastruktur beteiligt waren. Die Auswertung erfolgte mittels qualitativer Inhaltsanalyse nach Mayring. Ergebnisse: Rund 69 Prozent der Patient:innen nahmen die parallele Versorgungsstruktur im Untersuchungszeitraum in Anspruch. Die quantitativen Datenauswertungen zeigen, dass diese Struktur im Verlauf der Pandemie vermehrt genutzt und damit eine Trennung der Patientenströme erreicht wurde: Ab dem zweiten Quartal des Jahres 2020 wurde die Coronastruktur quartalsweise von jeweils mehr als der Hälfte der Patient:innen aufgesucht, wobei im ersten Quartal des Jahres 2021 rund 75 Prozent der Erkrankten dort behandelt wurden. Bei der Inanspruchnahme ließen sich nach dem Chi-Quadrat-Test signifikante Auffälligkeiten hinsichtlich der altersgruppen-, herkunfts-, und geschlechtsspezifischen Nutzung feststellen. Zusammenfassend zeigt sich bei Menschen bis einschließlich 49 Jahren, bei Frauen sowie bei Personen aus dem ländlichen Raum stammend eine höhere 10/353 Inanspruchnahme der Coronastruktur, als bei gegensätzlichen Merkmalsausprägungen. Logistische Regressionen untermauern diese Erkenntnisse weitgehend. Daraufhin erstellte Vorhersagemodelle geben jedoch noch keinen Aufschluss darüber, bei welchen Merkmalsausprägungen von Patient:innen (Alter, Geschlecht, Herkunft) vorhergesagt werden kann, ob diese die Coronastruktur in Anspruch nehmen. Darüber hinaus wurden 15 Experteninterviews zu den Chancen, Risiken und Handlungsempfehlungen geführt. Die Expert:innen bewerteten die Coronastruktur als sinnvolles Konstrukt, das für künftige Pandemien Anwendung finden sollte. Als Chancen aus der COVID-19-Pandemie für den ambulanten Versorgungssektor in Rheinland-Pfalz wurden Aspekte wie die hohe Bedeutung einer wohnortnahen ambulanten Versorgung, das Ambulantisierungspotenzial, die Zusammenarbeit der beteiligten Stakeholdergruppen sowie die Stärke des ambulanten Versorgungssektors und der Hausärzt:innen genannt. Risiken würden sich unter anderem aus der noch ausbaufähigen Digitalisierung, der anfangs nicht ausreichend vorhandenen persönlichen Schutzausrüstung und dem Ärztemangel ergeben. Es wurden Handlungsempfehlungen wie die Trennung von Patientenströmen, die Gewährleistung der finanziellen Sicherheit der Ärzteschaft, das Vorhalten von persönlicher Schutzausrüstung, die Zusammenarbeit der beteiligten Stakeholdergruppen und die Stärkung des ambulanten Sektors genannt. Schlussfolgerung: Die Dissertation hebt den Stellenwert der parallelen Versorgungsstruktur in Rheinland-Pfalz während der COVID-19-Pandemie hervor. Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass diese Struktur im Verlauf der Pandemie verstärkt in Anspruch genommen wurde und somit das Ziel der Trennung der Patientenströme erreicht wurde. Die Interviewergebnisse zeigen, dass dadurch aus Sicht der Befragten eine ausreichende Patientenversorgung gewährleistet und vielfältige Chancen für weitere Krisen in dem Konzept liegen könnten. Schlussfolgernd daraus könnte das Konzept der Coronastruktur um die formulierten Handlungsempfehlungen und Erfahrungen ausgeweitet werden und die Grundlage für ein ambulantes Pandemiemanagementkonzept in Rheinland-Pfalz bilden. Die erarbeiteten Handlungsempfehlungen wurden durch den Vorstand der KV RLP bewertet. Diese finden nicht nur Eingang in die Konzeption eines Pandemiemanagements bei der KV RLP, sondern setzen auch Impulse zur weiterführenden Verwendung. So könnten Teile der Erkenntnisse in den Pandemieplan des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz eingearbeitet werden oder Teilergebnisse aufgegriffen und weiter ausgearbeitet werden. Zum Beispiel die Honorierung der Vertragsärzteschaft, die durch eine bundesweite Pandemieziffer, ähnlich der Regelung in Rheinland-Pfalz, in den Einheitlichen Bewertungsmaßstab (EBM) Eingang finden könnte. Folglich kommt der Anerkennung der Medizinischen Fachangestellten (MFA) eine große Bedeutung zu, der ebenfalls durch eine Ziffer zur „Versorgung eines Patient:innen durch einen nicht ärztlichen Mitarbeitenden während einer Pandemie“ im EBM begegnet werden könnte.

In academic institutions, e-learning platforms are widely used to manage learning contents, assessments, and student communication and act as a primary system for managing teaching and learning activities. Due to public health concerns during COVID-19, online learning was the primary medium of instruction used to teach students. During this time, the world also noticed the increased activity of identity theft, individual and institutional content theft, and ransom attacks in many educational institutions since most students were using digital technologies to learn, and information, including personal and intellectual content, was being shared online. This study sought to identify college students' perceptions of information security regarding online learning platforms. This study focused on college students because they are active users of online learning tools, and there is a potential need for increased awareness regarding information security measures within these tools that could potentially create vulnerabilities that may lead to security breaches. The global COVID-19 pandemic accelerated online learning methods, making it more critical for institutions to pay more attention to cybersecurity and ransom attacks. The results from this study will facilitate an understanding of student's confidence in the learning platforms and their level of knowledge related to information security while using the Internet. Additionally, the result may help e-learning platform providers to create safer and more secure solutions that protect the integrity of the information shared.

[pt] Este trabalho tem como objeto de estudo as mediações familiares da relação das crianças com as atividades remotas propostas pelas escolas, durante a pandemia da COVID-19. Objetivou-se, através de pesquisa exploratória, identificar as percepções das famílias pesquisadas a respeito dessas atividades, os principais desafios enfrentados, as estratégias de mediação adotadas e possíveis aprendizados vivenciados nesse processo. Foram obtidas 207 respostas a um questionário online e realizadas 41 entrevistas com responsáveis por crianças matriculadas do primeiro ao terceiro ano do Ensino Fundamental, residentes na Região Metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro. Como principais interlocuções teóricas foram utilizados o conceito de mediação, pela perspectiva vygotskiana, estudos sobre o acompanhamento dos deveres de casa pela família e pesquisas recentes sobre acesso a atividades educacionais remotas, oportunizado em grande parte pelas mídias. Foram também considerados dados de pesquisas sobre desigualdades educacionais associadas à oferta de ensino remoto durante a pandemia. Como principais resultados, foi visto que as mediadoras, em sua maioria mães, percebem como as maiores dificuldades assegurar a motivação das crianças para realizar as atividades, ter disponibilidade para acompanhá-las durante sua realização e as limitações pedagógicas enfrentadas na tarefa de explicar a elas os conteúdos curriculares. Enquanto uma forte potencialidade das atividades educacionais remotas, verificouse uma maior proximidade entre as famílias e as crianças, em especial nos assuntos relacionados à escola. As diferentes estratégias adotadas pelas mediadoras, a fim de possibilitar o melhor aproveitamento do ensino remoto pelas crianças, foram consideradas enquanto experiências oportunas para a ampliar a reflexão sobre o papel da escola. / [en] The object of study of this master dissertation were parental mediations of children s relationship with the school remote activities during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine. Through exploratory research, the objective was to identify parents perceptions of such activities, their main challenges, the mediat ion strategies adopted and potential learning experiences. The data comprised 207 responses to a virtual questionnaire and 41 interviews with parents of children enrolled from 1st to 3rd grades of Elementary School, living in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro. The main theoretical references included the concept of mediation in the Vygotskian perspective, studies on the monitoring of homework by the family, and recent research on access to remote educational activities allowed by current media. Research data were also considered on educational inequalities associated with the provision of remote education during the pandemic. As its main results, the mediators, mostly mothers, biggest difficulties were: to guarantee children s motivation to carry out the activities, to be available to help them, pointing out their pedagogical limitations to explain curricular contents. The potential of remote education was the greater proximity between family and child, especially in school matters. The different strategies adopted by mediators in children s remote education were considered favorable experiences to reflect on the role of school.

[pt] A pesquisa que fundamenta esta tese teve como objetivo analisar possíveis relações entre letramentos midiáticos de professores e suas práticas pedagógicas no ensino remoto emergencial (ERE) na pandemia de Covid-19. Na ausência de consenso em torno de um modelo conceitual para os letramentos midiáticos, foi construída uma proposta de matriz conceitual para os letramentos midiáticos em diálogo com autores do campo da mídia-educação e dos estudos críticos sobre tecnologia e educação, adotada como lente analítica dos dados produzidos nesta pesquisa. O trabalho de campo contou com duas etapas: a) aplicação de questionário junto a professores de diferentes regiões do país; b) realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas com professores que responderam ao questionário e se dispuseram a participar também dessa etapa. As 259 respostas válidas nos questionários foram submetidas à análise descritiva e de associação através do teste qui-quadrado. As entrevistas realizadas com 32 professores buscaram compreender como eles concebiam os letramentos midiáticos; que habilidades consideravam possuir nessa área e se havia relações entre os letramentos midiáticos e as práticas pedagógicas empregadas no ensino remoto emergencial (ERE). Nas respostas ao questionário, a maioria dos professores que estavam realizando o ERE afirmou ser bastante habilidoso no que diz respeito ao uso de mídias no ensino. Nas entrevistas, os participantes relataram que a experiência do ERE propiciou um maior conhecimento sobre o uso pedagógico das mídias, o que possivelmente favoreceu o sentimento de mais competência nessa área. A análise das entrevistas indicou que a maioria concebe os letramentos midiáticos como uso de mídias com fins instrumentais (como habilidade técnica) e didáticos (para ensino do conteúdo curricular). Foram identificadas preocupações relacionadas à vigilância e controle do trabalho docente e apreensão com a privacidade e com a exposição. As entrevistas indicaram, ainda, que o conhecimento sobre aplicações pedagógicas das mídias foi construído principalmente na troca entre pares. Considerando a experiência com o ERE, propõe-se que políticas de formação voltadas para ampliação dos letramentos midiáticos de professores incluam entendimento crítico sobre o funcionamento dos sistemas midiáticos e seus aspectos sociais, econômicos, culturais, políticos e históricos e sejam estruturadas a partir de redes de professores, com base na troca de saberes. / [en] The research underpin this thesis aimed to analyze possible links between media literacy of teachers and their pedagogical practices in emergency remote education (ERE) during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the absence of consensus around a conceptual model for media literacies, a proposal was built in dialogue with authors in the field of media education and critical studies on technology and education, adopted as an analytical lens of the data produced in this research. The field work consisted of two stages: a) application of a questionnaire with teachers from different regions of the country; b) conducting semi-structured interviews with teachers who answered the questionnaire and agreed to participate in this stage as well. The 259 valid responses were submitted to descriptive and association analysis using the chi-square test. The interviews carried out with 32 teachers sought to understand how they conceived media literacy; what skills they considered to have in this area and whether there were links between media literacy and the pedagogical practices employed in emergency remote education (ERE). In the responses to the questionnaire, most teachers who were taking the ERE stated that they were quite skilled with regard to the use of media in teaching. In the interviews, the participants reported that the ERE experience provided them with greater knowledge about the pedagogical use of the media, which possibly favored the feeling of more competence in this area. The analysis of the interviews indicated that most of them conceive media literacy as the use of media for instrumental purposes (such as technical skills) and didactic purposes (for teaching curriculum content). Concerns related to surveillance and control of teaching work and concerns about privacy and public exposure were identified. The interviews also indicated that knowledge about pedagogical applications of the media was mainly built on exchanges between peers. Considering the experience with the ERE, it is proposed that training policies aimed at expanding the media literacy of teachers include a critical understanding of the functioning of media systems and their social, economic, cultural, political and historical aspects. This action shall be structured out of teachers networks, based on the exchange of knowledge.

[pt] A presente dissertação Da rua à quarentena: um estudo sobre trabalho sexual de pessoas transexuais no contexto da pandemia da covid-19 tem como objetivo principal analisar o aumento das violências sofridas por pessoas transexuais trabalhadoras do sexo no contexto da pandemia da covid-19. Vislumbrando compreender as condições de trabalho vivenciadas pelas pessoas transexuais e os tipos de violência as quais foram acometidas nesse período de pandemia, principalmente nos meses de recomendação de lockdown, fizemos um recorte temporal compreendido entre 2020 e 2021. Com uma leitura feminista, decolonial e crítica, buscamos na pesquisa documental e bibliográfica, dados para uma maior compreensão da realidade vivenciada por pessoas transexuais trabalhadoras do sexo. Como procedimento metodológico, analisamos os dossiês anuais elaborados pela Associação Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (ANTRA) intitulados “Assassinatos e Violências contra as Pessoas Trans” dos últimos 2 (dois) anos, ou seja, anos de 2020 e 2021. Compreendemos que a análise desse material trouxe dados comparativos para a observação do aumento das violências sofridas por pessoas transexuais no período da pandemia, principalmente entre as trabalhadoras do sexo. A escolha pelos dossiês se deu pela dificuldade de localizarmos dados sobre a população trans, o que revela o quanto essa população não é reconhecida, bem como demonstrou as subnotificações de dados sobre essa população. A pesquisa evidenciou que o aumento da violência sofrida pela população transexual no período da pandemia, principalmente entre as trabalhadoras do sexo, expõe uma relação de condição laboral de extrema precarização, informalidade e desemprego, onde o mundo do trabalho determina quais trabalhadoras exercerão trabalhos formais, informais, precários e as que não terão possibilidade de vender sua força de trabalho. / [en] This dissertation From the street to the quarantine: a study on sex work by transgender people in the context of the covid-19 pandemic has as main objective to analyze he increase in violence suffered by transsexual sex workers in the context of the covid-19 pandemic. Aiming to understand the working conditions experienced by transsexuals and the types of violence they were subjected to during the pandemic period, especially during the months when lockdown was recommended, we used a timeframe between 2020 and 2021. With a feminist, decolonial, and critical reading, we sought data from documentary and bibliographical research for a better understanding of the reality experienced by transsexual sex workers. As a methodological procedure, we analyzed the annual dossiers prepared by the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (ANTRA) entitled Murders and Violence against Trans People from the last 2 (two) years, that is, the years 2020 and 2021. We understand that the of material brought comparative data for the observation of the increase in violence suffered by transsexual people in the period of the pandemic, especially among sex workers. The choice for the Dossiers was due to the difficulty in locating data about the trans population, which reveals how much this population is denied and invisibilized, as well as demonstrated the underreporting of data about this population. The research showed that the increase in violence suffered by the transgender population in the pandemic period, especially among sex workers, exposes a relationship of labor condition of extreme precariousness, informality and unemployment where the world of work determines which workers will exercise formal, informal, precarious jobs and those who will not have the possibility of selling their labor force.

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist es, abweichendes Verhalten in der COVID-19 Pandemie zu erklären und empirisch zu erforschen. Genauer liegt der Fokus auf Determinanten von Impfnachweisfälschungen und des Lügens in Bezug auf den eigenen Impf- und Teststatus. Es werden Daten einer Online-Befragung ausgewertet (n = 549). Mit Blick auf die Erklärung des abweichenden Verhaltens, können die aus der Rational Choice Theory abgeleiteten Hypothesen zur Sanktionswahrscheinlichkeit und Sanktionshöhe empirisch nicht bestätigt werden. Die Hypothesen zum Einfluss von sozialen Normen sind dagegen robuster. So ist das abweichende Verhalten im eigenen sozialen Umfeld ein guter Prädiktor für die eigene Impfnachweisfälschung. Zudem verhält sich eine Person eher dann abweichend, wenn sie glaubt, dass sich die Mehrheit der Gesellschaft nicht an Corona-Restriktionen hält. Schließlich zeigt die Überprüfung einer Reihe von Einstellungshypothesen, dass das Misstrauen in das Robert Koch-Institut ein robuster Prädiktor für die eigene Devianz ist. / The aim of the present study is to theoretically explain and empirically investigate deviant behavior in the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, our study focuses on vaccination certificate falsification and lying about one's own vaccination and test status. Data of an online survey is analyzed (N = 549). In regards to the explanation of deviant behavior, the hypothesized effects of the probability of sanctions and the severity of sanctions derived from the rational choice theory cannot be confirmed empirically. The hypotheses about the influence of social norms, on the other hand, are more robust. Deviant behavior in one's own social network is a good predictor of the falsification of vaccination certificates. In addition, deviant behavior is more likely if a person believes that the majority of society is not adhering to Corona restrictions. Finally, testing a series of attitudinal hypotheses shows that distrust in the Robert Koch Institute is a robust predictor of deviant behavior.

This study investigates the effects of the switch to online instruction in higher education in Sri Lanka after the COVID-19 outbreak. The study examines different aspects of the move to online education using a mixed-methods methodology that combines quantitative analysis of student satisfaction surveys and qualitative analysis of educator interviews. Qualitative study highlights the difficulties educators have in adjusting to digital platforms, the methods they use to improve student learning outcomes, and the advantages and disadvantages they see in online learning. A quantitative analysis looks at how satisfied students are with their online learning experiences and identifies the main variables that affect their engagement and academic success. For online education to be as effective as possible, the results highlight the necessity of continuous professional development for teachers, fair access to technology for students, and creative pedagogical strategies. In the context of post-pandemic higher education in Sri Lanka, the study adds to the body of literature by providing insights into the intricate interactions among technology, pedagogy, and social behaviors. Future study should focus on comparative evaluations of various online learning platforms, long-term studies to evaluate the effects of online learning, and examinations of challenges related to inclusion and digital equity.

In marketing and other social sciences, researchers often use field data to empirically study how people make decisions in naturalistic environments. There are numerous theoretical and practical challenges to doing so, and in this dissertation, I propose methodological approaches to address two such challenges. First, people often make complex decisions that are described in terms of high-dimensional or unstructured variables (e.g., writing text or choosing an assortment from a large set of options) which are difficult to analyze relative to simpler decisions (e.g., binary choices). Second, when analyzing how people's decisions are affected by a major event (e.g., regulatory changes or a global pandemic), events often affect a large population of interest simultaneously, making it difficult to assess the impact of the event relative to a counterfactual where the event did not occur. In Chapter 1, I address the first challenge in the context of non-cooperative games. I develop a novel neural network architecture that enables behavioral analysis of complex games by estimating a game's payoff structure (e.g., win probabilities between pairs of actions) while simultaneously mapping agent actions to a lower-dimensional latent space that encodes strategic similarities between actions in a smooth, linear manner. I apply my method to analyze a unique dataset of over 11 million matches played in a competitive video game with a large array of actions and complex strategic interactions. I find that players select actions that counterfactually would have performed better against recent opponents, demonstrating model-based reasoning. Still, players overrely on simple heuristics relative to model-based reasoning to an extent that is similar to findings reported in lab settings. I find that noisy and biased decision-making leads to frequent selection of suboptimal actions, which corresponds to lower player engagement. This demonstrates the limits of player sophistication when making complex competitive decisions and suggests that platforms hosting competitions may benefit from interventions that enable players to improve their decision-making. In Chapter 2, I address the second challenge, proposing a general and flexible methodology for inferring the time-varying effects of a discrete event on consumer behavior when the event spans the target population being analyzed, such that there is no contemporaneous "control group" and/or it is not possible to measure treatment status. I achieve identification by exploiting the empirical regularity of customer spending patterns across cohorts (i.e., groups of customers who adopted the same product or service at different times), comparing purchasing behavior across cohorts who were affected by the event at different points in their tenure. My method applies nonparametric age-period-cohort (APC) models, commonly used in sociology but with limited adoption in marketing, in conjunction with a predictive model of the counterfactual no-event baseline (i.e., an event study model). I use this method to infer how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected 12 online and offline consumption categories. My results suggest that the pandemic initially drove significant spending lifts at e-commerce businesses at the expense of brick-and-mortar alternatives. After two years, however, these changes have largely reverted. I observe significant heterogeneity across categories, with more persistent changes in subscription-based categories and more transient changes in categories based on discretionary purchases, especially those of durable goods.

Background: The status of Safety Management is highly relevant to evaluate an organization’s ability to deal with unexpected events or errors, especially in times of crisis. However, it remains unclear to what extent Safety Management was developed and suffciently implemented within the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing insights of potential for improvement is expected to be directional for ongoing Safety Management efforts, in times of crisis and beyond. Method: A nationwide survey study was conducted among healthcare professionals and auxiliary staff on German Intensive Care Units (ICUs) evaluating their experiences during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Error Management and Patient Safety Culture (PSC) measures served to operationalize Safety Management. Data were analyzed descriptively and by using quantitative content analysis (QCA). Results: Results for n = 588 participants from 53 hospitals show that there is a gap between errors occurred, reported, documented, and addressed. QCA revealed that low quality of safety culture (27.8%) was the most mentioned reason for errors not being addressed. Overall, ratings of PSC ranged from 26.7 to 57.9% positive response with Staffng being the worst and Teamwork Within Units being the best rated dimension. While assessments showed a similar pattern, medical staff rated PSC on ICUs more positively in comparison to nursing staff. Conclusion: The status-analysis of Safety Management in times of crisis revealed relevant potential for improvement. Human Factor plays a crucial role in the occurrence and the way errors are dealt with on ICUs, but systemic factors should not be underestimated. Further intensified efforts specifically in the fields of staffng and error reporting, documentation and communication are needed to improve Safety Management on ICUs. These findingsmight also be applicable across nations and sectors beyond the medical field.