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1 – 10 of over 8000Mark N. Wexler and Judy Oberlander
The purpose of this study is to examine the new normal within a continuum of three types of disruption, each of varying duration. References to the new normal draw attention to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the new normal within a continuum of three types of disruption, each of varying duration. References to the new normal draw attention to the periodic and rising importance of different levels, types, and consequences of game-changing disruption for those in governance roles.
Design/methodology/approach
In this conceptual research, given the discussion of a return to normalcy near the expected end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors organize the literature on disruption in governance into a disruption continuum – emergency, crisis and super crisis – to demonstrate the differences in each type of disruption to establish a distinct view of the new normal.
Findings
Within the three types of disruption, the first two suit the rational authority model in which disruption is turned over to those in governance roles. However, the rational authority model comes under attack in the super crisis and is increasingly associated with the post-truth era.
Social implications
In Type 3 disruptions or super crises, the failure of those in control to set the parameters of the new normal raises concerns that the center no longer holds, and as a result, the assumption of an attentive public splinter into multiple contending publics, each with its version of data, facts and images.
Originality/value
The new normal is typically treated after the result of a black swan or rare and surprising long-lived disruption. In this work, the formulation of the recurrence, ubiquity and controversy engendered by super crises suggests that it is one of the features attenuating and giving rise to fractious incivility in the post-truth era.
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The purpose is to offer a critique of the process of decision-making by top university administrators and to analyze how their decisions imposed their preferences and expanded…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose is to offer a critique of the process of decision-making by top university administrators and to analyze how their decisions imposed their preferences and expanded administrative control.
Design/methodology/approach
In the fall of 2021, the top administrators at Boston-based Northeastern University required that all members of the university community return to fully on-campus face-to-face work. That decision involved a return to what was labeled “normal operations” and followed a year-and-a-half of adjustments to the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on that case example, the analysis then ranges backward and forward in time. Other decisions – by Northeastern University leaders as well as leaders at other schools – are considered as well.
Findings
Leaders impose labels on complex contingencies as a way of constructing meaning. No label is objectively true or indisputable. In the hands of individuals who possess hierarchical power and authority, the application of a label such as “new normal” represents an exercise of power. Through an exploration and analysis of the underlying, unspoken, assumptions behind the application of the “new normal” label, the article suggests how the interests of university leaders were being advanced.
Research limitations/implications
Because of its reliance on labeling, the paper focuses mainly on the words of administrators – at Northeastern University and elsewhere – that are called upon to explain/justify decisions. The multiplicity of interests forwarded by the “new normal” label are explored. No attempt is made – nor would it be possible – to understand what was in the hearts and minds of these administrators.
Practical implications
The article makes a case that any and all pronouncements of leaders should be understood as assertions of power and statements of interests. The practical impact is to suggest a critical analysis to be applied to all such pronouncements.
Social implications
The approach taken in this article is situated within post-modernist analysis that critiques dominant narratives, disputes epistemological certainty and ontological objectivity and takes cognizance of coded messages contained in language.
Originality/value
Everyone has been through a traumatic period of time with the pandemic. The author has focused on a specific community – university administrators and tenure/tenure track faculty – as a window to help explain how decision-makers shaped their response. The author wants to emphasize the labels imposed by leaders and the assumptions behind the application of those labels.
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In 2022, the new normal era began to experience an increase in the number of tourists visiting Bali. Even though spiritual tourism was optimistic in attracting foreign visitors…
Abstract
Purpose
In 2022, the new normal era began to experience an increase in the number of tourists visiting Bali. Even though spiritual tourism was optimistic in attracting foreign visitors, most tourists come from nearby nations like Australia, indicating that the visits had a brief duration in this new era. To sustain the income of spiritual tourism advocates, it is possible to overcome the brief visit. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the collaboration of digitalized spiritual tourism activities in 2022. Data were collected through literature study, observation and in-depth interviews to determine the spiritual tourism hybrid business. The result showed that the digitalization of spiritual tourism builds an on-off hybrid method in marketing and products, thus developing a theory of the characteristics. This on-off hybrid provides a touch of experience for tourists to visit directly. Therefore, digitalization builds the resilience of spiritual tourism in the new normal era through marketing and service of hybrid products.
Design/methodology/approach
The gap between word-of-mouth marketing habits, direct product service and the tendency to digitize creates adaptation problems that take time. These problems make a practical contribution to building marketing and spiritual tourism products. The theoretical contribution is to build integrated marketing and spiritual tourism digital product concepts. A qualitative research method was adopted because the population of spiritual tourism is very limited. Therefore, it needs to be explored through experienced and knowledgeable informants. Literature study, observation and in-depth interviews were used to collect data. The literature study technique collects data from written sources, namely books, articles and internet sources. Observations were made by analyzing non-participants by recording various marketing activities and services for spiritual tourism products. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with informants about digitalization in the new normal era.
Findings
The result showed that the digitalization of spiritual tourism builds an on-off hybrid method in marketing and products, thus developing a theory of the characteristics. This on-off hybrid provides a touch of experience for tourists to visit directly. Therefore, digitalization builds the resilience of spiritual tourism in the new normal era through marketing and service of hybrid products.
Originality/value
The method has successfully built digital and direct visit products. Digital products share knowledge, while direct visit products serve to gain hands-on experience. These products provide income for spiritual tourism actors. However, direct visit products are more emphasized to spread income, such as hotels, restaurants and souvenirs. This development provides a theoretical implication that the characteristics of tourism products can be enjoyed at the service provider’s premises and the area of origin of tourists with digital technology. Therefore, digitalization has changed the theory of the characteristics of tourism products from having to be enjoyed by service providers (Yoeti, 1991).
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This study aims to explore how inter-organizational systems (IOSs) drive tourism businesses to a new normal based on the resource-based view through the supply chain of tourism…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how inter-organizational systems (IOSs) drive tourism businesses to a new normal based on the resource-based view through the supply chain of tourism and information and computer technology used in IOSs.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from the management of tourism businesses, and stratified sampling was used in the study. The authors selected 1,000 travel agencies as the study sample, mailed the research questionnaire to their managers and received 252 completed questionnaires. The authors analyzed the data using the partial least squares approach.
Findings
IOS is seen as a transformational service mechanism that provides a dynamic support weapon for members of the tourism supply chain. Tourism businesses should look for suppliers providing comprehensive services through IOS, excellent quality tourism products and customized tourism products to enhance the competitiveness of tourism businesses in the new normal.
Originality/value
This study provides an industrial marketing research perspective on tourism businesses facing the challenges of the new normal. For tourism businesses, technological innovation allows for changes in the strategies and procedures for their transformation and improves the business model of tourism businesses in the new normal.
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Mete Unal Gi̇rgen and Ayman Kole
The aim of this study is to explain the educational practices that emerged with the concept of “new normal” in an overview. In line with this goal, the experiences of academics…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to explain the educational practices that emerged with the concept of “new normal” in an overview. In line with this goal, the experiences of academics who are experts in their fields have been utilized.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on both academic and trade literature. Interviews with representatives from schools providing tourism education in North Cyprus were conducted online and in-person. The qualitative research method in the form of the interview method was employed in the research. The research participants consist of 15 academics working in the field of tourism education. Additionally, concerning the selection of these participants, sector experience and applied lecture status were taken into consideration. As the second dimension of the research, an extensive literature review was conducted and the subject was expanded by explaining it with examples from around the world.
Findings
It has been revealed in the research that educational institutions and tourist businesses have to constantly renew themselves technologically. The findings obtained from academics include the innovations they use in the “new normal” tourism education in applications such as Hybrid/BL – Blended Learning, VR – Virtual Reality, Artificial intelligence, LMS & In-class response systems, API-based software systems in the courses they teach. The common opinion of academics who want to provide a better education is that educational institutions should always be infrastructurally prepared for such emergencies.
Originality/value
The global COVID-19 pandemic created economic destruction in many countries and brought life to a halt. In the tourism sector, one of the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 problem, various restrictions were imposed on touristic activities. While this situation caused a decrease in demand in the tourism sector, it paved the way for great technological changes and resulted in the adoption of new educational practices in institutions providing tourism education. This paper traces these new development in the face of the pandemic crisis.
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The highly contagious coronavirus and the rapid spread of COVID-19 disease have generated a global public health crisis, which is being addressed at various local and global…
Abstract
The highly contagious coronavirus and the rapid spread of COVID-19 disease have generated a global public health crisis, which is being addressed at various local and global scales through social distancing measures and guidelines. This is coupled with debates about the nature of living and working patterns through intensive utilisation of information and telecommunication technologies, leading to the social and institutional acceptability of these patterns as the “new normal”. The primary objective of this article is to instigate a discourse about the potential contribution of architecture and urban design and planning in generating knowledge that responds to pressing questions about future considerations of post pandemic architecture and urbanism. Methodologically, the discussion is based on a trans-disciplinary framework, which is utilised for conceptual analysis and is operationalized by identifying and discoursing design and planning implications. The article underscores relevant factors; originates insights for areas where future research will be critically needed, through key areas: a) Issues related to urban dynamics are delineated from the perspective of urban and human geography, urban design and planning, and transportation engineering; b) Questions that pertain to socio-spatial implications and urban space/ urban life dialectics stem from the field of environmental psychology; and c) Deliberations about new environments that accommodate new living/working styles supervene from ethnographical and anthropological perspectives. The article concludes with an outlook that captures key aspects of the needed synergy between architectural and urban education, research, and practice and public health in a post pandemic virtual and global world.
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Bharat Taneja and Kumkum Bharti
During COVID-19, this study aims to evaluate the crisis communication strategies (CCS) of Fortune 500 medical device businesses. These companies’ CCS adoption is evaluated using…
Abstract
Purpose
During COVID-19, this study aims to evaluate the crisis communication strategies (CCS) of Fortune 500 medical device businesses. These companies’ CCS adoption is evaluated using data from the microblogging site Twitter.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 11,569 tweets were collected over the course of a year, from 31 December 2019 to 31 December 2020, and analysed using COVID-19’s pre-crisis, crisis and new normal stages. The data acquired from Twitter is assessed using latent Dirichlet allocation-based topic modelling, valence aware dictionary for sentiment reasoning sentiment analysis and emotion recognition analysis and then further examined using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to build a configurational model. The findings were compared to Cheng’s (2018, 2020) integrated strategy toolkit for organisational CCS, which included 28 strategies.
Findings
With positive sentiments across stages, companies chose “information providing”, “monitoring” and “good intentions” as the CCS. In the crisis and new normal stages of COVID, the emotion of “depression” was observed.
Research limitations/implications
Researchers would be able to assess the CCS used through visual aids in the future by conducting a cross-industry examination using image analytics. Furthermore, by prolonging the study’s duration, long-term changes in the CCS can be investigated.
Practical implications
Companies should send real-time information to their stakeholders via social media during a pandemic, conveying good intentions and positive sentiments while remaining neutral.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to investigate the CCS patterns used by medical device businesses to communicate via social media during a pandemic.
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Marianna Sigala, Lianping Ren, Zhuo Li and Leonardo (Don) A.N. Dioko
This study aims to examine talent management (TM) in the hospitality industry in Macao during COVID-19. It deploys a contingency theory perspective (Luthans and Stewart, 1977) to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine talent management (TM) in the hospitality industry in Macao during COVID-19. It deploys a contingency theory perspective (Luthans and Stewart, 1977) to illuminate the heightened uncertainties and challenges talent managers faced during the pandemic and the urgent adaptations to TM practices they embraced in response.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a phenomenological approach, this study analyzed data collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with a representative sample of 20 hotel managers in Macao.
Findings
Managers reported four major categories of COVID-19-induced challenges and a corresponding set of contingent TM practices. The four contingent TM practices were found to contribute to the shaping of the next new normal in TM in hospitality and included the following: Contingent TM planning; contingent TM deployment and replacement; talent training and development under contingent arrangements; and changed “talent” attitude and practices in recruitment and retention.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited to the geographical and industry context of the study. This study should be refined with larger samples.
Practical implications
This study provides a useful framework for guiding professionals on how to manage talent during turmoil periods. It also contributes toward understanding the shifting meaning of talent and TM in hospitality.
Originality/value
This study demonstrates the applicability of contingency theory in managing hospitality talent during turbulent times, which extends TM knowledge and enriches the contingency theory. The findings also facilitate our understanding on how contingent TM practices create processes that lead in setting the new normal.
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Walter Vesperi, Ineza Gagnidze and Tetiana Sobolieva
This paper aims to discuss the concepts of Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0, the New Normal and sustainable development (SD). The simultaneous existence of two Industrial Revolutions…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss the concepts of Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0, the New Normal and sustainable development (SD). The simultaneous existence of two Industrial Revolutions raises questions, thus, necessitating discussions and clarifications. The issue of SD has become a compulsory prerequisite for the future survival of humanity.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory and inductive methodology was used to examine the phenomenon under analysis. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered through a multi-step methodological process. A brief analysis using VoS viewer software enabled the authors to comprehend recent theoretical developments and analytical perspectives.
Findings
The findings underscore the relationship between the new sustainability challenges, digital transactions and organisational competitiveness. These intricate competitive challenges can be surmounted by focusing on educational offerings, particularly in universities. By forging international educational connections, the challenges posed by SD can be relatively easily overcome.
Originality/value
The authors conducted a comparative study of university students from four different countries: Georgia, Hungary, Italy and Ukraine. The authors observed differences in the average values across various countries, as well as disparities among respondents from the same country. Moreover, the results reveal a tendency among female respondents to be more inclined towards issues of green management and sustainability. SD cannot be realised without international collaboration. The authors present a schematic representation of the systemic connections among the universities of the participating countries to achieve SD.
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Jamshid Ali Turi and Shahryar Sorooshian
The purpose of the study is to assess the project leader's role in normal and new normal situations. This study aims to investigate the project leadership role in unforeseen…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to assess the project leader's role in normal and new normal situations. This study aims to investigate the project leadership role in unforeseen situations and the new normal situations.
Design/methodology/approach
The review is based on the content and contextual analysis. Most of the information was covered in the daily newspapers and practices were recorded in the media and social media. Moreover, recent articles were consulted for the comprehension of the phenomenon.
Findings
The study finds that leaders are supposed to develop strategies to balance the organizational needs and workers' priorities. An agile approach, empathetic and collaborative approach may be more helpful to handle volatility, unstable situations, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) situations.
Research limitations/implications
The study leaders are expected to develop new strategies, collaborative thinking and a healthy workplace environment for social, emotional, physical, and psychological safety to make projects more productive.
Originality/value
The review assessed the kind of leaders required in the new normal situation after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) around the globe. Such a contribution is anticipated to serve as a call for emerging leadership frameworks for the VUCA work environments of the future.
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