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In the wake of COVID-19, most of the countries at present, are in a dilemma whether to extend lockdown at the cost of economy or to improve the hard-hit economy by lifting the lockdown. It is indicated by the reputed organizations and medical fraternity that corona will stay here for a longer period contrary to the earlier assumptions. Hence the purpose of this study is to suggest a strategy which balances both preventive measures and economic losses to control the pandemic.

There is a need for the identification of the critical success factors (CSFs) for developing COVID-19 preventive strategies to control the pandemic with an economy-centric approach.

The six CSFs identified are “Effective communication”, “Social distancing”, “Adopting new technology”, “Modify the rules and regulation at workplace”, “Sealing the borders of the territory” and “Strong leadership and government control”.

The study has a vital contribution to literature as no previous study has identified CSFs for developing COVID-19 preventive strategies while focusing on the economy.

Further, these identified CSFs are helpful in medium and longer-term planning which is required to rebalance and re-energize the economy following this epidemic crisis.

The study has given a model that depicts the cause and influence relationship between the key factors in the system under question. The importance of study increases many fold, as resources are limited and the outcome of the study could be used to channelize the resources effectively.

A raíz del surgimiento de COVID-19, en la actulidad la mayoría de los países se encuentran en un dilema entre extender el confinamiento a costa de la economía o mejorar la afectada economía levantando las cuarentenas. Diversas organizaciones incluyendo la comunidad médica indican que el coronavirus permanecerá por un período más largo, contrario a las suposiciones anteriores. En este contexto, es muy necesaria una estrategia que equilibre tanto las medidas preventivas como las pérdidas económicas.

Existe la necesidad de identificar los factores críticos de éxito (CSF) para desarrollar estrategias preventivas de COVID-19 para controlar la pandemia con un enfoque centrado en la economía.

Los seis CSF identificados son “Comunicación efectiva”, “Distanciamiento social”, “Adopción de nuevas tecnologías”, “Modificar las reglas y regulaciones en el lugar de trabajo”, “Sellar las fronteras del territorio” y “Liderazgo fuerte y control gubernamental”.

Este estudio tiene una contribución relevante para la literatura, ya que ningún estudio anterior ha identificado CSF para desarrollar estrategias preventivas de COVID-19 mientras se enfoca en la economía.

Además, los CSF identificados son útiles en la planificación a mediano y largo plazo que se requiere para reequilibrar y reactivar la economía después de esta crisis epidémica.

El estudio ha proporcionado un modelo que describe la relación de causa-efecto entre los factores clave del sistema analizado. La importancia del estudio se hace más evidente ya que ante recursos limitados, los resultados podría utilizarse para canalizar los recursos de manera eficaz.

Como resultado do surgimento do COVID-19, a maioria dos países está atualmente em um dilema entre estender o confinamento às custas da economia ou melhorar a economia afetada suspendendo as quarentenas. Várias organizações, incluindo a comunidade médica, indicam que o coronavírus permanecerá por um período mais longo, ao contrário das suposições anteriores. Nesse contexto, uma estratégia que equilibre medidas preventivas e perdas econômicas é muito necessária.

É necessário identificar os Fatores Críticos de Sucesso (CSF) para desenvolver estratégias preventivas ao COVID-19 para controlar a pandemia com uma abordagem centrada na economia.

Os seis CSF identificados são “Comunicação eficaz”, “Distanciamento social”, “Adoção de novas tecnologias”, “Modificar regras e regulamentos no local de trabalho”, “Selar as fronteiras do território” e “Liderança forte e controle governamental”.

Este estudo tem uma contribuição relevante para a literatura, uma vez que nenhum estudo anterior identificou a CSF para desenvolver estratégias preventivas ao COVID-19 com foco na economia.

Além disso, os CSF identificados são úteis no planejamento de médio e longo prazo necessário para reequilibrar e reativar a economia após esta crise epidêmica.

O estudo forneceu um modelo que descreve a relação causa-efeito entre os fatores-chave do sistema analisado. A importância do estudo fica mais evidente uma vez que, diante de uma situação de recursos limitados, os resultados poderiam ser usados para canalizar recursos de forma eficaz.

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has brought us a serious economic, health and social problem worldwide crisis. In this context, there has been an increase in inequality between men and women throughout the world. In this situation of home confinement, uncertainty, stress and fear, women have been the most affected, regardless of their education level. The purpose of this study is to know the impact on the perception of academic women who suffered from a lack of gender equality (sustainable development) during the pandemic (SDG 5) and, therefore, the increase in the gender inequality gap (SDG 10) in Latin America (LA).

This qualitative, exploratory-descriptive study has a nonexperimental field and cross-sectional design that uses the field technique of focus groups.

This study revealed the deepest feelings of women researchers on this issue, leading to a deep reflection on the need to build the basis to transform unequal gender relations and introduce the gender perspective in a cross-sectional manner in a university context.

This study, analyzed from a gender perspective, aimed to unravel the complexity in which the majority of LA women academics live and to explain the gaps and differences in their lives caused by the inequalities that have increased due to the pandemic in Latin American societies.

La pandemia provocada por el COVID-19 nos ha traído una grave crisis económica, sanitaria y social a nivel mundial. En este contexto, se ha producido un aumento de la desigualdad entre hombres y mujeres en todo el mundo. En esta situación de confinamiento domiciliario, incertidumbre, estrés y miedo, las mujeres han sido las más afectadas, independientemente de su nivel educativo. Los mayores impactos en la percepción fueron la falta de equidad de género (ODS 5) y, por tanto, el aumento de la brecha de desigualdad de género (ODS 10) durante la pandemia en América Latina (AL).

Este estudio cualitativo, exploratorio-descriptivo, tiene un diseño no experimental de campo y transversal que utilizó la técnica de grupos focales.

Este estudio reveló los sentimientos más profundos de las mujeres investigadoras sobre este tema, lo que llevó a una profunda reflexión sobre la necesidad de construir las bases para transformar las relaciones desiguales de género e introducir la perspectiva de género de manera transversal en un contexto universitario.

Este estudio, analizado desde una perspectiva de género, tuvo como objetivo desentrañar la complejidad en la que vive la mayoría de las académicas latinoamericanas, y explicar las brechas y diferencias en sus vidas provocadas por las desigualdades que se han incrementado a causa de la pandemia en las sociedades latinoamericanas.

A pandemia causada pelo COVID-19 nos trouxe uma grave crise econômica, sanitária e social em todo o mundo. Nesse contexto, houve um aumento da desigualdade entre homens e mulheres em todo o mundo. Nesta situação de confinamento domiciliário, incerteza, stress e medo, as mulheres têm sido as mais afetadas, independentemente do seu nível de escolaridade. Os maiores impactos na percepção foram a falta de igualdade de gênero (ODS 5) e, portanto, o aumento da lacuna de desigualdade de gênero (ODS 10) durante a pandemia na América Latina (AL).

Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo, exploratório-descritivo, de campo não experimental e delineamento transversal que utilizou a técnica de grupo focal.

Este estudo revelou os sentimentos mais profundos de mulheres pesquisadoras sobre o tema, o que levou a uma profunda reflexão sobre a necessidade de construir as bases para transformar as relações desiguais de gênero e introduzir a perspectiva de gênero de forma transversal no contexto universitário.

Este estudo, analisado a partir de uma perspectiva de gênero, teve como objetivo desvendar a complexidade em que vive a maioria das acadêmicas latino-americanas e explicar as lacunas e diferenças em suas vidas causadas pelas desigualdades que aumentaram devido à pandemia nas sociedades latino-americanas.

Investigación

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, although the current situation is more under control. Because the development of the pandemic took place in the context of a digital society, where digital information and communication technologies (ICT) were already widely used, households certainly had to make greater use of this powerful communication tool, partly for work, and partly for distance learning purposes. It is likely that the increased use of ICT in the home, due to the lockdown, created an environment in which families were more united but also isolated and in conflict and this trend may still be present today.

This chapter is based on a study of ICT in the daily lives of Portuguese and Italian women, who lived in nuclear families, during and after the COVID pandemic. Through the testimonies of these women, therefore, we will discuss the results of the study to describe and understand how families used ICT during and after the pandemic. In particular, we are interested in answering the following questions: Did domestic spaces become more and more like work spaces due to the increased use of ICT due to the pandemic lockdown? Did distance learning, due to the lockdown, lead to an increase in ICT use by children/adolescents that is still perpetuated today?

This chapter presents a theoretical reflection on the possible impact of politicians' positive Word of Mouth (pWOM) on the tourists' risk perception and destination image of Portugal in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reflection is based on the collection of remarks or comments made by international politicians collected using Google as the search engine and subsequent manual textual content analysis. The results show five recurring themes in the politicians' pWOM: general praise, pandemic numbers, politician positioning, health care and population attitude. The discussion includes a reflection on the outputs of the channels used for the dissemination of the messages and the importance of the politicians' countries of origin to a market strategy that highlights Portugal as a tourism destination.

The purpose of this study is to examine the antecedents of consumer engagement with supermarkets' social media accounts. Drawing on regulatory fit theory and social sharing of emotions theory, the authors test if the content posted on the social media brand pages of supermarkets dealing with a topic of high social relevance, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, stimulates social media consumer engagement and if and how the engagement is mediated by the arousal of positive and negative emotions.

The authors retrieved data from the Facebook accounts of the top 20 European supermarkets identified in the Deloitte 2020 Global Powers of Retailing report during the first wave of the pandemic from 1 March to 30 June 2020, collecting a sample of 2,524 posts from 8 different countries. After a content analysis to classify COVID-19 content, the authors applied the Baron and Kenny (1986) methodology to verify the hypothesised relationships.

The findings highlight a positive direct relationship between the social relevance of a topic (COVID-19) and social media consumer engagement mediated by the arousal of positive and negative emotions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the earliest empirical research using Facebook data to investigate the role of the social relevance of content as an antecedent of social media consumer engagement with a specific focus on supermarkets. The paper contributes to the stream of social media literature investigating the antecedents of social media engagement behaviour, exploring the role of topics' choice and aroused emotions, which to date are both under-investigated.

In this paper a model for the prediction of the failure strain of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets is proposed, based on a significant database consisting of results reported in the literature for concrete columns with circular cross-section confined with carbon, glass and aramid fiber reinforced polymers. This study aims to analyze the aforementioned model.

Significant experimental research on the confinement of columns externally wrapped with FRP has been carried out in the last decades. Several models of confined concrete have been proposed using different approaches for the prediction of the failure strain of FRP sheets. The majority of those proposals were developed to be simple, thus significant differences with experimental results can be found.

The results of a total of 572 specimens were considered. Statistical analysis was used to derive a regression model, which relates the outcome to a set of predictors of interest using linear assumptions.

The proposed model is shown to be more accurate than other proposals found in the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to develop a standard providing requirements for managing the quality and competence of the biological resource centres (BRC).

The methodology for the standard setting was based on the principles of credibility, transparency, alignment and consistency. A justification study was performed to establish its objectives and scope, avoid overlap and prevent the risks in implementation. International documents providing rules for standard development were taken into consideration. Requirements were assembled from several standards and participation of interested parties was promoted.

No relevant international document exists covering fundamental issues for BRC operation. It is possible to develop a consistent and aligned standard, under a credible and transparent process that fits BRC purposes.

This standard will strengthen the BRC technical competence increasing its capability to provide authenticated high-quality biological materials – a crucial factor for biotechnological developments in the fields of health, agriculture and environment. It will serve as a basis for the BRC compliance assessment and the launch pad for establishing the global BRC network.

Original paper.