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Every business company deals with the dilemma of how much to invest in long-term (LT) versus short-term (ST) problem (LTvST problem). LT operations increase the reputation of the company, and revenue is rewarded in the future. In contrast, ST operations result in immediate rewards. Thus, every organization faces the dilemma of how much to invest in LT versus ST activities. The former deals with the “what” or effectiveness, and the latter deals with the “how” or efficiency. The role of managers is to solve this dilemma; however, they often fail to do so, mainly because of a lack of knowledge. This study aims to propose a dynamic optimal control model that formulates and solves the LTvST problem.

This study proposes a dynamic optimal control model that formulates and solves the dilemma whether to invest in short- or LT operations.

This model is illustrated as an example of an academic institute that wants to maximize its reputation. Investing in effectiveness in the academy translates into investing in research, whereas investing in efficiency translates into investing in teaching. Universities and colleges with a good reputation attract stronger candidates and benefit from higher tuition fees. Steady-state conditions and insightful observations were obtained by studying the optimal solution and performing a sensitivity analysis.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first one to explore the optimal strategy when trying to maximize the short and LT activities of a company and solve the LTvST problem. Furthermore, it is applied on universities where teaching is the ST activity and research the LT activity. The insights gleaned from the application are relevant to many different fields. The authors believe that the paper makes a significant contribution to academic literature and to business managers.

This study aims to investigate whether the shift to teleworking during COVID-19 pandemic is going to diminish the need to procure/rent extensive office space and how this emerging trend impacts the real-estate market in Israel.

The methodologies used in this study include triangulation of Google search engine, survey and post hoc case study analysis.

The analysis indicates a decline both in procuring office space and its price per square meter. Employee productivity while teleworking remains relatively high despite home distractions. Interestingly, the survey results forecast a continuous shift to hybrid work mode after the pandemic.

The study introduces the development of numerous innovative Israeli technologies to allow a gradual return to work in public places.

As the coronavirus outburst, business sectors were forced by government regulations to change the way of employment extensively, specifically, teleworking has become an integral part of the routine to accommodate social distance. The study provides insights into the impact of teleworking on gender and ethnic diversity in the Israeli workplace.

Israel provides a unique bedrock for investigation because of its status as a start-up nation with both high skilled workforce and advanced information technology infrastructure. The study enlightens an Israeli perspective on how a small size country with a high-density population succeeds to deal with coronavirus by teleworking coupled with strict government enforcement of social distance.