Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Buying Behavior of Students in a State University

A Thesis Presented to the

Faculty of the College of Business Administration of
Negros Oriental State University
Main Campus I, Dumaguete City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Major in Financial Management

By:

Dela Cerna, Carmelle C.

Mondejar, Miko P.
Ragudo, Kres Necole H.
Tanara, Norshiela J.
Tayab, Loreilyn M.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRELIMINARY PAGES Page No.

Title Page................................................................................................................ i

Table of Contents................................................................................................... ii

CHAPTER I: THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1

Statement of the Problem........................................................................................ 3

Research Hypothesis ….......................................................................................... 4

Significance of the Study........................................................................................ 4

Scope and Limitation of the Study.......................................................................... 5

Operational Definition of Terms............................................................................. 6

Theoretical Framework of the Study……...................................................................... 7

Conceptual Framework of the Study……...................................................................... 8

Related Literature and Studies ……............................................................................... 10

Research Methodology

Research Design...................................................................................................... 15

Research Respondents............................................................................................. 15

Research Environments........................................................................................... 16

Research Instruments.............................................................................................. 16

Data-Gathering Procedure....................................................................................... 17
 Statistical Treatment of Data................................................................................... 17

Bibliography...................................................................................................................... 19

Appendices

Research Instrument................................................................................................ 23
 CHAPTER I
The Problem and Its Scope
Introduction

It started in late 2019 with reports of a new virus in Wuhan, China. The Chinese authorities
informed the World Health Organization about several cases of mysterious lung disease in Wuhan.
The WHO categorized this new disease as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As the COVID-
19 cases increased 13-fold outside China within two weeks, the WHO on March 11, 2020, declared
Covid-19 a global pandemic (World Health Organization, 2020). Negros Oriental records its first
Covid-19 case on March 11, 2020, it was the province’s first confirmed case of Covid-19
(cnnphilippines.com). To counteract the expansion of the Coronavirus, schools and universities
were closed in many countries around the globe, events were cancelled and retailers that did not
sell essential products had to close, while supermarkets remained open. Changes were introduced
in most countries quite quickly and drastically, however, countries across the globe have taken
different measures such as quarantine rules, curfews, and border closures (Graham-Harrison,
2020). Consumers are currently experiencing a change in their buying behavior. People are
reacting in various ways, with varying attitudes, behaviors, and purchasing habits and capacities.
Undeniably, during a crisis, consumers’ priorities have become centered on the most basic needs,
sending demand for hygiene, cleaning, food, water, and clothing. In times like these, the need for
the necessities of life takes precedence (journals.sagepub.com). Despite the difficulty that
consumers are going through, they always strive to survive and to keep up in the changing times.
Hence, this study aims to determine the impact of the pandemic on the buying behavior of the
students in a State University.

Abe (2020) in her report on “Market Trends and D2C Opportunities in the COVID-19”
observed trends such as from people raiding grocery store walkways to the cancellation of the
world’s most significant events and mandates for ‘non-essential’ businesses to be temporarily
closed to prevent the spread of infection. The COVID-19 pandemic has change people’s lives all
over the world. It altered the way of life and work, as well as how and where they shop, what they
value, and how they see the future. A lot of aspects that COVID-19 brings massive impact to
society; one of them is the consumer buying behavior that is also one of a tremendous problem
that consumers are currently facing (accenture.com).
1
 According to a Nielsen investigation in 2020, the pandemic outbreak and its effects have
resulted in improvements in consumer behavior. The study proposed a model of six primary
consumer behavior threshold levels that depict early, evolving purchasing habits for emergency
products, health, and food supply. Every threshold level corresponds to a different level of
consumption. However, let us only discuss the first four levels that are related to consumer buying
behavior. " The first level is proactive health-minded buying, in which consumers are more
interested in purchasing goods that help them maintain their overall health and wellbeing, leading
to level two, reactive health management, where products that are important for virus containment
are prioritized. Market behavior shifts at this stage, as consumers begin stockpiling shelf-stable
foods in preparation for the quarantine. The fourth stage involves quarantined living preparation.
It involves a rise in online shopping activity as well as cases where stores are out of stock" (Nielsen,
2020).

Because of the preventive measures taken by the government, some activities were halted,
and some are limited. It pushes people to prioritize their necessities and shift to online transactions.
A lot of consumers are now shifting online, setting up online accounts, doing payments online,
and buying essential goods online. During pandemic the shopping and what consumers are going
to buy are changing (McKinsey, 2020). According to McKinsey, “Instead of door-busting crowds,
2020’s holiday shoppers will turn to apps and websites in record numbers and will take advantage
of click-and-collect as an option that provides both safety and convenience”. The traditional way
of going to the physical store to buy the essential goods are limited. According to the Associate
Director of Shopee Philippines Mr. Martin Yu in his interview on the launching of Where You
Shop Matters (August 2020), “there are a lot of people who are turning into solution to find their
necessities and needs. He also said that the demand for personal hygiene products and necessities
like groceries and diapers is ‘quite higher’”.

The world has been taken aback by the reality of this pandemic. People are still trying to
get used to the idea of staying indoors for an extended period of time. And the school year has
already begun, and there has been a lot of change in terms of the things that are extremely important
now that classes shifted online. This means that, even though classes are now taught online,
students still need school supplies and other essential needs such as food and medicine.
(cnnphilippines.com). Usually, around this time of year, parents and children would be stocking
2
up on school supplies and rushing to get back into the classroom like pencils, pens, highlighters,
paper, and folders. However, in this pandemic year, schools across the world are kicking off the
year with online learning. Different families have significantly different supply requirements.
Some children require nothing but headphones to listen to virtual classes on Zoom, while others
require basic Wi-Fi, pens, and a quiet space to work in a crowded residence. Hand sanitizer and
face masks are two other essentials for school 2020. While these items are more important for
students who attend outside the home, they are also important for virtual learners because they will
spend time outside during the day. Some parents have expressed an interest in purchasing air
purifiers to protect their children while they learn from home during the school year. These devices
work to remove most contaminants from the air in a room (digitalcommerce360.com). In addition,
a multivitamin is recommended, but adding zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin C may be beneficial.
These can help boost the immune system (feeds.aarp.com). That being the case, the students’ needs
have not changed, but there have been some new items added to avoid becoming infected with the
COVID-19 virus and new equipment needed for online schooling. There might not be some
changes in the needs of the students but there are a lot of changes in buying those needs
(digitalcommerce360.com).

Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the pandemic on the buying
behavior of students in a State University. In line with this, the researchers will exert an effort to
help identify the possible behavioral changes of the consumer during the Covid-19 pandemic,
particularly the students’ behavior in buying the essential needs.

Statement of the problem

The objective of this study is to determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the buying
behavior of students in a State University.

Through this study, the researchers seek to answer the following:

1. What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents?

2. What is the extent of the impact of Covid-19 on the buying behavior of students on the
essential needs in terms of:

3
 2.1 preferred frequency of buying;
2.2 financial situations; and
2.3 government policies?
3. What are the key factors of the students buying behavior in terms of?
3.1 purchasing platforms; and
3.2 modes of payment?
4. Is there a significant relationship between the socio-demographic profile to the impact of
the Covid-19 pandemic and key factors of consumers’ buying behavior?

5. Is there a significant relationship between key factors of the students buying behavior and
the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on consumers’ buying behavior?

6. What recommendations are to be made based on the findings of the study?

Research Hypothesis

Based on the problems mentioned above, the null hypotheses are stated below:

Ho1. There is no significant relationship between the socio-demographic profile and the impact
of the Covid-19 pandemic and key factors of consumers’ buying behavior.

Ho2. There is no significant relationship between key factors of the students buying behavior
and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on consumers’ buying behavior.

Significance of the study

The search will be conducted to identify the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the
buying behavior of the students and is beneficial to the following:

Businesses – the study is significant to the marketing team of the businesses in understanding
consumer behavior changes. Because of the changing living lifestyle in today’s pandemic,
marketing management must also study and understand the changing factors so that marketing

4
efforts can be aligned accordingly. Hence, businesses must study and develop customized and
personalized marketing strategies.
Future researchers – this will serve as a guide and reference, especially to business students.
They could improve this research or get some information from this study and use it for their
research.
Local Government Unit of Dumaguete City – this will help them to monitor and control the
changes of the people and establishments on how to formulate rules and regulations to maintain
the safety and security as well as to avoid illegal activities
Negros Oriental State University - The study will help the University and serves as one of the
resources for the students. The administration will be able to understand the situation of the
students in the University as well as formulate some policies and alternatives to minimize the
expenses of the students.
Students – the findings of this study are beneficial to the students as consumers because this will
help them to have in-depth knowledge about the impact of Covid-19 on buying behavior. The
research purposely helps them to identify the students’ buying behavior of essentials needs and its
key factors. So the findings of this research will help the consumer to evaluate and compare their
decision-making during the Covid-19 and to learn ways on how others respond to the effects or
changes of Covid-19.
The Researchers- the study will help the researchers to have an in-depth understanding of the
impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the consumers buying behavior, to share the importance of
seeing the possible causes and effect of the current situation, and be able to help in formulating
solutions with regards to the consumers’ behavioral changes in times of crisis.

Scope and Limitations of the study

The purpose of this study is to examine the Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the buying
behavior of students in a State University on their essential needs specifically on the preferred
frequency of buying; financial situations; and government policies. The study also deals with the
socio-demographic profile of the respondents and key factors of buying behavior.

5
 The study will be limited to CBA students in Negros Oriental State University, Main
Campus I, Dumaguete City specifically the Financial Management and Human Resource
Development Management students from first year to the fourth year

Definition of Terms

The researchers elaborate on the terms being used in the study through operational
definition.

Buying Behavior – this pertains to the changes in the consumers’ purchasing decisions

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – is an infectious disease caused by the newly discovered virus

Financial situation- this pertains to the state of an individual’s finances

Impact – implies the effects brought by Covid-19

Government policies- written laws, guidelines, and plans of the government relating to economics

Modes of payment- methods or ways on how people pay for the goods and services

Pandemic – it is an outbreak of a disease that spreads across countries or all over the world

Preferred frequency of buying- number of times that a customer purchase in a given period

Purchasing platforms- something through which exchanging of goods and payment happens

State University – is a higher institution education that is supported by the government especially
the Negros Oriental State University

Students – these are the students who are studying in Negros Oriental State University taking up
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Financial Management and Human
Resource Development Management

6
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The study is going to be anchored on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) by Icek
Ajzen (1985, 1991) as a general model to predict and explain behavior across a wide range of
various kinds of behaviors. TPB is applicable to many related study issues comprising behaviors,
behavioral intentions, attitudes, and beliefs (Ajzen, 1985). The model has supported the premise
that individuals make logical, reasoned decisions to have interaction in specific behaviors by
evaluating the knowledge available to them. The performance of a behavior is decided by the
individual’s intention to have interaction in it (influenced by the worth the individual places on the
behavior, the benefit with which it will be performed, and therefore the views of serious others)
and therefore the perception that the behavior is within his/her control.
TPB is one in all the foremost broadly used socio-psychological theories designed to
predict human decisions and behaviors (Guerin & Toland, 2020; Guggenheim, Taubman–Ben-Ari,
& Ben-Artzi, 2020). Its applicability and anticipation power for diverse human behaviors have
been demonstrated through meta-analyses (McEachan et al. 2011). In this theory, Fishbein &Ajzen
(1975, 1980) propose that individuals control their socially relevant behaviors, and one driver of
this behavior is their intention to have interaction. In general, TPB is applicable to many related
study issues comprising behaviors, behavioral intentions, attitudes, and beliefs (Ajzen, 1985).
TBP is that the most generally used theory to elucidate consumer behavior. Clearly, this
theory is applicable to consumer buying behavior; this theory is utilized in this study to look at the
impacts of Covid-19 on consumers’ buying behavior. TPB will be used as a theoretical base to
know the indications of consumer behavior (Bashir et.al, 2019). This theory is incredibly important
to consumers’ buying behavior. Rather than wishing on the evaluation or utility of a product or
service, this theory focuses on the particular consumer behavior of interest (Azjen, 2015). The
TPB can explain and predict a large form of human behaviors across a variety of settings.
Supported on available information and careful consideration this theory was developed to
framework deliberative higher cognitive process and consciousness, grounded within the social
psychology literature. The model assumes that individuals can control a big amount of their
behavior; thus, by identifying the intention of people to perform a behavior, actual behavior are
often predicted (Ahmad et al. 2020).

7
 TPB is that the extension of the theory of reasoned action (TRA), which might evaluate
and assess several complicated traits of human behavior. TRA clarifies how individual’s certain
behavioral traits and reactions influence them to adopt or rejects certain behavior. TRA also
defines a particular attitude of consumer behavior when it involves purchasing or choosing a
particular product. In other words, it provides a reason and explanation of why certain consumers
select a particular form of product (Alam, 2020). This theory is taken into account as another
approach to understanding consumer decision-making (Azjen, 1991, 2001,2012).
The schematic diagram in Figure 1 shows the framework of the anchored theory of this
study.

Figure 1. Theoretical Framework of the Study

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The schematic diagram in Figure 2 shows the conceptual framework that maps the entire
process of the study. The study is specifically to create a survey through questionnaires on the
impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the buying behavior of students in a State University. Figure
2 below shows the conceptual framework of the study.

8
 Factors of the Consumer Buying
Behavior
 purchasing platforms
 modes of payment

Socio-Demographic Profile
of the Respondents

Impact of COVID-19 on the Buying

Behavior
 preferred frequency of buying
 financial situations
 government policies

Figure 2. Conceptual Framework of the Study

The demographic profile of the students in a State University is the first component of the
diagram focus on the variables that determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the key
factors of buying behavior such as, purchasing platforms and modes of payment and the students
buying behavior on the essential needs in terms of preferred frequency of buying, financial
situation and government policies. Then a significant relationship between students’ demographic
profile to the key factors of buying behaviors and the buying behavior on the essential needs. And
lastly, the relationship of the key factors of buying behavior and students buying behavior on
essential needs.

9
Review of Related Literature and Study

This review focuses on analyzing and synthesizing the literature that is of relevance to the
research topic and outlined conceptual. An essential starting point for this literature review is to
determine the impact of COVID-19 on the students’ buying behavior on essential needs, and the
key factors of the consumer buying behavior.

Related Literature

To strengthen the ongoing research, relevant works of literature were examined.

State University

State University, (Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) is the only state university
in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. Its main Campus is in Dumaguete City and has a
great number of academic programs and student organizations. This institution also has branch
campuses in the following locations: Bais City, Guihulngan, Mabinay, Pamplona, Siaton, and the
City of Bayawan. Negros Oriental State University officially recognized by the Commission on
Higher Education of the Philippines, Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) is a large
(Unirank enrollment range: 15,000 – 19,999 students) Coeducational Philippine Higher Education.
The admission rate range is 40-50% making this Philippine higher education organization an
averagely selective institution (norsu.edu.ph). One of the colleges of NORSU that has a student
population is the College of Business Administration with a total of 3,231 students. The birth of
the College of Business and Accountancy on 2005 opened bigger doors of opportunities to poor
but deserving students of Negros Oriental and the neighboring provinces. Through the Board of
Regents Resolution no. 31, series of 2013; two big colleges the College of Business and
Accountancy and the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management integrated to form one
strong, giant college which is now called the “College of Business Administration. It offers 5
courses: Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management with a total population of 1039, Bachelor
of Science in Office Administration with 254 students, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy
program has 244 students, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Financial
Management and Human Resource Development Management with a total of 1278 and 370
respectively, and Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management with 290 student population.

10
Impact of COVID-19 in the Consumer Buying Behavior on Essential Needs

Different measures were taken to manage the spread of the disease; partial and total
lockdowns affected the companies which during a result impacts the economy of the state. The
pandemic includes a serious impact on the economies of the state hinting towards change in market
dynamics. With economic instability, consumers are experiencing a change in behavior (Mehta et
al., 2020). This turbulent situation contains a huge impact on everyday consumers’ life. The
pandemic of Covid-19 has significantly dramatically changed both the companies acting and
consumers’ behaviors (Donthu and Gustafsson,2020; Patano et al., 2020).

People are reacting in various ways, with varying attitudes, behaviors, and purchasing
habits and capacities. The extent of the impact of Covid-19 on the buying behavior of students on
the essential needs in terms of preferred frequency of buying, and financial situations. According
to Ang et al. (2000), who studied the financial crisis in Asia, consumers reduced their consumption
and wastefulness in crisis as they became more careful in the decision-making process by seeking
more information about the product before considering buying them. Consumers much prioritize
the essential needs over wants due to the COVID-19 pandemic which greatly affects their preferred
frequency of buying. However, the changed buying behavior can change depending on the income
and financial stability of the consumers before the financial crisis occurs (Ang et al, 2000). In
research, the price has been found to have a large influence on changed buying behavior in a
recession due to job uncertainty and an unstable economic environment (Hampson & McGoldrick,
2013).

In the Numerator Covid-19 Sentiment Survey, the Covid-19 consistently impacts buying
behavior of 9 in 10 consumers. Despite the reopening cycle the overall level of consumer
transformation in buying behavior remains high. The most common concern cited by consumers
through the pandemic is the fear of infection –for self or family. Also, the economy is on the top
list for the most impacted ones. Other finance-related concerns like the inability to purchase basic
needs or other goods and services and the pandemic’s impact on job security were also cited. The
social and emotional aspects were also affected like being stuck at home, cancelling plans, school
closures, and fear of infection. These concerns primarily affect the consumers’ buying behavior
(numerator.com).

11
Key factors of consumer buying behavior

Hoon Ang et al. (2001) in their work discussed that these changes in consumption behavior
arising from an economic condition could also be moderated by personality characteristics too.
These characteristics of personality include dimensions just like the degree to which consumers
are risk-averse, value-conscious, and materialistic. The approach explaining consumer behavior is
split into three groups (Valaskova et al., 2015): physical-based on the relation between the psyche
and behavior of the consumer; sociological approach –which is dedicated to the reactions of
consumers in numerous situations or how the behavior is influenced by various social occasions;
and economic approach –grounded on basic knowledge of micro-economy during which
consumers define their requirements. additionally, there are considered to be the foremost
important factor influencing consumer behavior: objective conditions and consumer personality.
the target condition of consumer behavior is that the economic environment and objective
economic situation of the individuals. On the opposite hand, consumer personality is that the social
environment and situational tuning factors. Seth (2020) claims that four major contexts govern or
disrupt consumer habits. they're social context (like the changes within the workplace and
interaction with neighbors and friends), the implementation of technology (including online
shopping and delivery), the impact of consumption habits because of new rules (the COVID-19
regulations), and fewer predictable context (the development of the worldwide Covid-19
pandemic).

Dumaguete City COVID -19 Situation

In the latest update with the Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion, health
committee chair of the province’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging
Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), in a virtual press briefing last March 8, 2021 with the Philippine
News Agency, the number of Covid-19 cases in Negros Oriental is already declining. The latest
data showed more recoveries and a decline in the number of new cases in Negros Oriental. As of
March 8, 2021, the province’s total caseload is 1,783 broken down into 1,631 recoveries, 97 active
positive cases, and 55 mortalities, Estacion said. Furthermore, an initial batch of 5,000 doses of
Sinovac’s Corona vaccines arrived at the Dumaguete-Sibulan airport on the first week of May
which is intended for Negros Oriental and Siquijor. Some five hospitals in this capital of Negros

12
Oriental and one in Siquijor will receive the vaccines. These are the provincial government-owned
Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) and four private hospitals, namely the Silliman
University Medical Center (SUMC), Holy Child Hospital, Ace Dumaguete Doctors Hospital, all
in Dumaguete City, and the Negros Polymedic Hospital in nearby Sibulan town; and the Siquijor
provincial hospital, Estacion said. (pna.gov.ph).

According to the City Health Officer Dr. Maria Sarah B. Talla, the Covid-19 cases in the
City increases to 50 following by another additional 5 confirmed cases. The increase in the number
of cases in Dumaguete city affected the city from January 30, 2020, to May 10, 2021. According
to the news, Dr. Talla also informed Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo the city mayor, and the City’s
IATF – MED that there were twenty Persons under Monitoring (PUMs) who completed the 14-
day quarantined without any medical incident, hence they were allowed to return to their families.
However, there are 33 individuals who are quarantined since May 10, 2021, that day after they
have exposed to COVID positive cases and those with symptoms (dumaguetecity.gov.ph).

RELATED STUDIES

To strengthen the ongoing research, relevant studies were examined.

Pantano et al. (2020) suggests that customers have reviewed their shopping habits and at
the identical time have discovered benefits from services that they had never used before. as an
example, some consumers are switching to online purchases, discovering the protection and
benefits of home deliveries, store pick-up, and cashless payment. Further, these authors noted that
unexpected regulations by the govt. imposing social distancing are further having an enormous
impact on consumers’ previously preferred channels for shopping.

Accenture (2020) and McKinsey (2020) in spring 2020. as an example, Accenture (2020)
states that customers are deeply concerned about the impact of COVID-19, both from a health and
an economic perspective. The findings of the mentioned research showed that purchases were
centered on the foremost basic needs, people shopped more consciously, bought locally, and were
embracing digital commerce. To manage isolation, consumers were using ICT to attach, learn and
play, and that they will probably still do so.

13
 The conducted research concentrates on a buying deal assessment of essential items, like
buying out of utilitarian (necessity) and hedonism (fear) stimuli (Ahmed et al., 2020; Wegmann et
al., 2017). There are many various factors influencing the way of buying, but consumer needs may
be considered because the opening move within the process of consumer behavior (Maslow, 1970;
Solomon, 2002). in step with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the primary physiological need usually
appears at a time of fear, distress, or deprivation, during this instance, the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the demand side, because the coronavirus pandemic has progressed, the way people
purchase and consume food has changed. Multiple cases of panic buying of non-perishable food
items (e.g., pasta, rice, canned foods, flour, frozen foods) are observed throughout the globe. Baker
et al. (2020) indicated that American consumers increased their spending during COVID-19 in an
endeavor to stockpile needed home goods like food. Since food is clearly the foremost vital item,
panic buying could be a common human response to the crisis, which isn't caused by food shortage,
but rather by a fear of simply running out of food.

Sheth (2020) claims that there are four major contexts that govern or disrupt consumer
habits. they're social context (e.g., changes within the workplace and in interaction with neighbors
and friends), the implementation of latest technology (including online shopping and delivery), the
impact of consumption habits thanks to new rules (the COVID-19 pandemic regulations), and
fewer predictable context (the development of the world COVID-19 pandemic).

Laato et al. (2020) underline that the govt. prepared a lockdown by closing schools,
restaurants, some shops, and public services, which can have sparked fears of upcoming
disruptions and triggered behavioral responses in people.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Data for this study will be gathered using a google form survey questionnaire, analysis of
secondary data will be collected from Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in
Financial Management and Human Resource Development Management students from first year
to fourth year.

14
Research Design
This research will use a correlational design. As described, correlational research is used
to determine prevalence and relationships among variables and to forecast events from current data
and knowledge. The whole purpose of using the correlational method was to figure out which
variables were related and to develop prediction models for the value of a variable.

Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage and ranking will be used to describe
the basic features of the data in the study. The weighted mean will also be used to identify the
impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the buying behavior of students in a State University and the
key factor of buying behavior. The weighted mean is a type of mean that is calculated by
multiplying the weight (or probability) associated with a particular event or outcome with its
associated quantitative outcome and then summing all the products together.
Chi-square will be used to determine the relationship between the socio-demographic
profile of respondents to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the buying behavior of students
on essential needs and the key factor of buying behavior. A chi-square test is a statistical test use
to compare observed results with expected results. The purpose of this test is to determine if a
difference between observed data and expected data is due to chance, or if it is due to a relationship
between the variables you are studying.
The main instrument for data collection is a survey questionnaire. Part I asks for personal
information. Part II focuses on the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the students’ buying behavior
and key factors of buying behavior.

Research Respondents

The respondents of this study will be limited to the Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration major in Financial Management and Human Resource Development Management
students from first year to fourth year. Random sampling will be used to come up with the number
of respondents.

The research will be specifically focused on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the
buying behavior of students in a state university specifically to the essential needs and the key
factors of buying behavior. The study also considers the socio-demographic profile of the students.

15
Research Environment

The research will be conducted in the College of Business Administration, Negros Oriental
State University-Main Campus I. NORSU is a public university located in Capitol Area,
Kagawasan Avenue, Dumaguete City Negros Oriental. It is the only state University in the
province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. This institution also has branch campuses in the
following locations: Bais City, Guihulngan, Mabinay, Pamplona, Siaton, and the City of Bayawan.
It has the greatest number of academic programs and student organizations of all the seven
campuses. One of the colleges of NORSU that has a large student population is the College of
Business Administration with a total of 3,231 students. The birth of the College of Business and
Accountancy in 2005 opened bigger doors of opportunities to poor but deserving students of
Negros Oriental and the neighboring provinces. Through the Board of Regents Resolution no. 31,
series of 2013; two big colleges the College of Business and Accountancy and the College of
Tourism and Hospitality Management integrated to form one strong, giant college which is now
called the “College of Business Administration. It offers 5 courses: Bachelor of Science in
Hospitality Management with a total population of 1039, Bachelor of Science in Office
Administration with 254 students, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy program has 244 students,
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Financial Management and Human
Resource Development Management with a total of 1278 and 370 respectively, and Bachelor of
Science in Tourism Management with 290 student population.

Research Instruments

The instrument of this research is the survey questionnaire through a google form. The aim
of the survey questionnaire will be to identify the impact of Covid-19 on the buying behavior of
students in a State University. Items in the instrument will ask the respondents to indicate their
level of agreement with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the buying behavior of students
to the essential needs by choosing from 5-point Likert scale. It also asks the respondents to indicate
their level of choices with key factors of students buying behavior. The scales of the responses are:

5 - Strongly Agree (SA)

4 - Agree (A)
16
3 - Neither Agree/Disagree (NA/ND)
2 - Disagree (D)
1 - Strongly Disagree (SD)
The survey instrument asks socio-demographic questions such as age, sex, marital status,
year level, source of income, monthly income, the monthly budget for buying essential goods, and
the numbers of household members. It also asks about the impact of Covid-19 on the buying
behavior of the students in buying essential needs and key factors of buying behavior.

Data-Gathering Procedure

To get the study started, an approval from the instructor is required. Three topics were sent
thru email, the one was chosen and approved. Then choosing of adviser happened. A schedule for
the oral presentation will be scheduled wherein the researchers are going to present to the panel
the Chapter 1 of the study.

The collection of primary data will be through a survey questionnaire. The questionnaire
survey takes place in order to gather the data and information about the respondents. Other modes
will be approaching them thru Facebook or Messenger and giving them the link so that they can
answer the questionnaire in the google form. The researchers will then proceed to tabulation and
analysis of the data.

Statistical Treatment of Data

The statistical tools that will be used in analyzing and interpreting the data of this study are
as follows:

Frequency. Frequency distributions can display the number of observations that fall into each
range or the percentage of date that fall into each range. The frequency or a single observation
refers to how many times it appears in the date. The pattern of frequencies of an observation is the
distribution of a variable. The construction of a frequency distribution is one of the most frequent
approaches for organizing data. A frequency distribution is a graphical or tabular representation of

17
the number of people in each category on a scale of measurement. It helps the researchers to
quickly scan over all data.

Percentage. This will be used by the researchers to demonstrate how a part relates to the total. It
will be used to display the profile distribution of respondents. The formula for calculating
percentages is to divide one quantity by another, with the latter rebased to 100. Percentages are
represented by the sign “%”. They come to be beneficial for studying a difference when compared
to bench, in addition to making comparisons.

Weighted Mean. This is used to identify the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on buying behavior
of students in a State University and the key factor of buying behavior. The weighted mean is a
type of mean that is derived by multiplying the weight (or probability) associated with a certain
event or outcome by the associated quantitative outcome, then summing the results. It is very
useful when calculating a theoretically expected outcome where each outcome has a different
probability of occurring, which is the key feature that distinguishes the weighted mean from the
arithmetic mean. A weighted average (weighted mean or scaled average) is used when we consider
some data values to be more important than other values and so we want them to contribute more
to the final "average".

Chi-square. This will be used to determine the relationship between the socio-demographic profile
of respondents to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic to buying behavior of students on essential
needs and the key factor of buying behavior. The chi-square test is a statistical test that is used to
compare observed and predicted outcomes. The goal of this test is to figure out whether a disparity
between observed and expected data is due to chance or a relationship between the variables you
are looking at. The Chi-Square test is a statistical tool that will be used by researchers to compare
categorical variables.

18
References:

Abe, S. (2020). Market trends and D2C opportunities in the COVID-19

landscape. Www.Adroll.Com. Retrieved from
https://www.adroll.com/blog/marketing/market-trends-and-d2c-opportunities-in-the-
covid-19-landscape

Alam, S.A. et al. (2020). Applying an Extended Theory of Planned Behavior to Sustainable
Food Consumption. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8394

Butu, A et al. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 Crisis upon the Consumer Buying Behavior
of Fresh Vegetables Directly from Local Producers. Case Study: The Quarantined
Area of Suceava County, Romania. International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health 17,5485

Choudhury, S. R. (2020). Coronavirus pandemic has pushed shoppers to e-commerce sites.

Cncb.Com. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/15/coronavirus-pandemic-has- pushed-
shoppers-to-e-commerce-sites.html

Covid-19 has changed online shopping forever, survey shows.

(2020)8). Unctad.Org. Retrieved from https://unctad.org/news/covid-19- haschanged-
online-shopping-forever-survey-shows

Dudovskiy, J. (2015). A Brief Literature Review on Consumer Buying Behaviour. https://-

research-methodology.net/a-brief-literature-review-on-consumer-buying- behaviour/

Edger, L. et al. (2002). The effect of COVID-19 on consumer shopping behaviour:

Generational cohort perspective. (2021). Science Direct. Journal of Retailing and
Consumer Services Vol., 61, 102542

Futalan, G. & Li. J (2020). Influence of Demographics and Buying Capacity on Consumer
Buying Behaviour During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Dumaguete City,
Philippines. International Journal of Science: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR)
Volume 53, No 2, pp 254-272

19
Guerin, R. J., & Toland, M. D. (2020). An application of a modified theory of planned
behavior model to investigate adolescents’ job safety knowledge, norms, attitude, and
intention to enact workplace safety and health skills. Journal of safety research, 72,
189-198.

Goswami S., & Chouhan, V. (2021). Impact of change in consumer behaviour and need
prioritisation on retail industry in Rajasthan during COVID-19 pandemic. Materials
Today: Proceedings. Published. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. matpr.2020.12.073

Harisson, E. (2020). What coronavirus lockdowns have meant around the

world. Theguardian.Com. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/what-a-coronavirus-lockdown- might-
mean-for-london

How Covid-19 will permanently change consumer behavior.

(2020). Accenture.Com. https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/consumer- goods-
services/coronavirus-consumer-behavior-research

Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behavior. (2021). Numerator Intelligence.

https://www.numerator.com/resources/blog/impact-covid-19-consumer-behavior

Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviour. (n.d.). Www.Gov.Mb.Ca. Retrieved

from https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/markets-and-statistics/economic- analysis/pubs/-
impact-of-covid-on-consumer-behaviour.pdf

Key Consumer behavior thresholds identified as the coronavirus outbreak evolves.

(2020). Nielseniq.Com. https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/analysis/2020/ key-
consumer-behavior-thresholds-identified-as-the-coronavirus-outbreak- evolves-2/

Kim, H. H. & Han, E. (2020). The Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Identify
Determinants of Donation Intention: Towards the Comparative Examination of

20
 Positive and Negative Reputations of Nonprofit Organizations CEO. Sustainability
2020, 12, 9134;

Laato, S. et al. (2020). Unusual purchasing behavior during the early stages of the COVID-19
pandemic: The stimulus-organism-response approach. Journal Retailing and
Consumer Service Vol. 57, 102224

McEachan, R. R. C., Conner, M., et al. (2011). Prospective prediction of health-related

behaviours with the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology
Review, 5(2), 97-144.
Mehta, S., Neetu P., & Saxena, T. (2020). The New Consumer Behaviour Paradigm amid
Covid-19: Permanent or Transient? Journal of Health Management Vol. 22(2) 291–
301, 2020

Numerator Intelligence. (2021, January 28). The Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer

Behavior. Numerator.Com. https://www.numerator.com/resources/blog/impact- covid-
19-consumer-behavior

Pärson, G. & Vancic, A. (2020). Changed Buying Behavior in the COVID-19 pandemic The
influence of Price Sensitivity and Perceived Quality. Retrieved from
https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1453326/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Partlow, M. J. (2021). 23 new Covid-19 recoveries, 93 cases recorded in NegOr. Philippine

News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1138928

Patnaik, M. et al. (2020). Consumer Buying Behaviour towards E-Commerce during

COVID-19. International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and
Management, Vol. 3(9), 78–82.

Salem, M. & Nor, K. (2020). The Effect of COVID-19 Consumer Behavior in Saudi Arabia:
Switching from Brick and Mortar Stores to E-Commerce. International Journal of
Scientific & Technology Research Vol. 9, Issue 7

21
Salunke, P. (2020). Understanding the Consumer Buying Behaviour Towards Online Buying
for Essential Goods during COVID Outbreak. An International Bilingual Peer Reviewed
Referred Research Journal, Vol.10, Issue 39, pp no. 183-191

Sheth, J. (2020). Impact of Covid-19 on consumer behavior: Will the old habits return or
die? Journal of Business Research Vol., 117, pp no. 280-283

Villanueva, J. (2020). Rise of online shopping nationwide, not just from metro. Philippine
News Agency. Retrieved from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1112078

Wikipedia contributors. (2021). Negros Oriental State University. Wikipedia. https://-

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negros_Oriental_State_University

22
Dear Respondents,

Good day!

We are the students from Negros Oriental State University taking Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration major in Financial Management. One of our subject is BA 304 – Business Research
and in compliance with the requirements of this subject we are conducting a research on “The
Impact of Covid-19 to the Buying Behavior of Students in a State University”. The primary
respondents of our research are the students who are enrolled in the College of Business
Administration of NORSU-Main Campus I taking up Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration major in Financial Management and Human Resource Development Management.

We would like to ask for your help by providing your responses to a short survey. We, the
researchers, give you our utmost assurance that all the information gathered will be kept
confidential and will be solely used for the completion of our research.

Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

Dela Cerna, Carmelle

Mondejar, Miko

Ragudo, Kres Necole

Tayab, Loreilyn

Tańara, Norshiela

Researchers

23
 Survey Questionnaire

Directions: Please write your appropriate answer under each question. In cases where a list of
options for answers is given, please make a check (√) mark in the appropriate box according to
your choice.

PART I - PERSONAL PROFILE

1. Background of Respondents
1.1.Name of respondent(optional): __________________________

1.2.Age:__________________________

1.3.Sex:
_____ Male
_____ Female

1.4.Marital Status :
_____ Single
_____ Married
_____ Other (please specify) _________________________________

1.5.Year level:
_____ First Year
_____ Second Year
_____ Third Year
_____ Fourth Year

1.6.Source of Income:
_____ Allowance
24
 _____ Salary
_____ Scholarships
_____ Other (please specify) _________________________________

1.7 Monthly Allowance:

____ below Php 1,000.00
____ Php 1,000.00 – Php 2,999.00
____ Php3,000.00 – Php 5,000.00
____ Php 5,001.00 above

1.8 Monthly Budget for Buying Essentials Goods

_____ below Php 500.00
_____ Php 501.00 – 1,000.00
_____ Php 1,001 – 2,000.00
_____ Php 2,001 – 3,000.00
_____ Php 3,001 – above

1.9 Numbers of Household Members _____

PART II - Impact of the Pandemic to the buying behavior of students in a State

University

Directions: Please write a check (√) mark in the appropriate box with the following levels of
performance indicators:
5- Strongly Agree (SA)
4- Agree (A)
3- Neither Agree/Disagree (NA/ND)
2- Disagree (D)
1- Strongly Disagree (SD)

25
Students Buying Behavior on the Essential Needs 5 4 3 2 1
SA A NA/ND D SD

Frequency of buying
1. Once a month
2.Once every two weeks
3.Twice a week
4.Weekly
5.When needed

Financial Situations
1. Shortage of cash
2. Debt problems
3. Jobless or out of work
4. Unexpected expenses
5. Lack of source of income

Government Policies
1.Provide essential needs subsidies
2.Provide cash subsidies
4.Limited items allowed to buy
5.Age restriction
6.Scheduling for buying
5 4 3 2 1
Key Factors of Buying Behavior SA A NA/ND D SD

Purchasing Platforms
1. Physical store
2. Online platform (Shopee, Lazada, Food Panda,

26
Grab, etc)
3. Meet-Ups
4. Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
Messenger)
5. Barter

Mode of Payment
1.Cash payment
2.Bank transfer
3.Digital Wallets (such as Gcash, Paymaya,
SmartMoney, etc)
4..Debit card
5.Credit card
6.Payment-in-kind

Please feel free to write your comments or views on what needs to be included which are not
covered in this questionnaire.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Thank you for your time and effort!

27