Search results

1 – 10 of over 21000
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 18 January 2022

Vanessa G.B. Gowreesunkar, Shem Wambugu Maingi, Hiran Roy and Roberto Micera

As the world continues to navigate between the “new normal” and the “next normal” of an ongoing pandemic, recovery plans of several tourism destinations are still not bringing…

Abstract

As the world continues to navigate between the “new normal” and the “next normal” of an ongoing pandemic, recovery plans of several tourism destinations are still not bringing desired results. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed long standing structural weaknesses and gaps in tourism policies worldwide. The formulation of tourism policies based on the pandemic context is therefore a need of the hour. However, due to lock-down and physical distancing measures, data collection for the development of research-based tourism policies has not been possible. In this case, evidence-based policies stand as a workable option. Drawing from the book Tourism Destination Management in a Post-Pandemic Context, this policy document proposes a synthesis of tourism policies embraced by destinations struggling in the pandemic context. Lessons show that rebuilding tourism requires policies that address structural weaknesses, advance key priorities, foster global solidarity and take advantage of new opportunities. This piece of study comes to the conclusion that tourism policies post pandemic need to be based on seven pillars, namely mitigation, vaccination, collaboration, information, promotion, education and investigation.

Details

Emerald Open Research, vol. 1 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-3952

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 October 2021

Stephen Burke

This paper aims to highlight lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic for planning for the future of our ageing society. It looks at trends, changes in our society and implications for…

321

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to highlight lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic for planning for the future of our ageing society. It looks at trends, changes in our society and implications for people of all ages. It focusses on the importance of planning and whether COVID-19 will lead to long-term changes.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on the author’s experiences running an intergenerational organisation during the pandemic and other work associated with ageing well.

Findings

This paper highlights some of the risks and unknowns we face going forwards and points to lessons and opportunities for “building back better”.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is based on a review of published articles and viewpoints.

Practical implications

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged people of all ages in different ways, some of which have tested intergenerational solidarity. At the same time, the pandemic has raised issues which we must all address going forward: planning for future pandemics, planning for an ageing society and ensuring that future planning works for all generations. This paper explores all these themes in the light of lessons from COVID-19. Firstly, despite much risk assessment and scenario planning, we were not well placed in the UK or across the world to respond to the multiple challenges of COVID-19. Have we learned the lessons to be able to deal better with the inevitable pandemics that will follow in the future? It is also well documented that the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities in our society. What will the long-term impact be for longevity and will less healthy lives reverse the trend of increasing life expectancy? Secondly, what are the lessons for our ageing society? As life expectancy rises, what will the quality of life be like in those added years? Many of today’s babies can expect to have a 100-year life. What does that mean for the way we lead our lives and can we ensure that everyone can age well? Third, these are not just issues for older people, but for people of all ages and generations. The Covid-19 experience has been different for younger and older people – whether it has been health or job security, income, taxation or housing. Questions of intergenerational fairness have again raised their heads, alongside the longer term impact for future generations.

Social implications

Firstly, despite much risk assessment and scenario planning, we were not well placed in the UK or across the world to respond to the multiple challenges of COVID-19. Have we learned the lessons to be able to deal better with the inevitable pandemics that will follow in the future? It is also well documented that the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities in our society. What will the long-term impact be for longevity and will less healthy lives reverse the trend of increasing life expectancy? Secondly, what are the lessons for our ageing society? As life expectancy rises, what will the quality of life be like in those added years? Many of today’s babies can expect to have a 100-year life. What does that mean for the way we lead our lives and can we ensure that everyone can age well? Thirdly, these are not just issues for older people, but for people of all ages and generations. Measures that bring older and younger people together and encourage meaningful mixing will help increase understanding and awareness between generations. This has huge implications for our society and communities.

Originality/value

This paper reaches two main conclusions. Firstly, the well-known saying: “failing to plan is planning to fail”. This applies to all the issues discussed in this paper re future pandemics, our ageing society and future generations. Secondly, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic should be the catalyst for changing the way we live and lead to new beginnings. We cannot just carry on as before.

Details

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, vol. 22 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-7794

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 September 2024

Michael Christofi, Olga Kvasova and Elias Hadjielias

This paper has a dual purpose. The first is to provide a thorough analysis of developments in international marketing in relation to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper has a dual purpose. The first is to provide a thorough analysis of developments in international marketing in relation to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; the second is to capitalize on these developments to set an agenda for future research in the field of international marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper zooms in on and reviews the 18 papers published in International Marketing Review’s (IMR) Special Issue on “Covid 19: advancing international marketing theory and guiding practice” (2023, volume 40, issue 5). It also integrates recent research at the intersection of international marketing and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

The paper highlights five areas that embody significant contemporaneous changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and affect international marketing practice. These include (1) shifts in consumer behavior, (2) digitalization and artificial intelligence, (3) disruptions in supply chains, (4) communication and corporate social responsibility (CSR), and (5) international dynamic marketing capabilities. In order to advance international marketing theory in relation to pandemics and other external crises, the paper establishes research directions for each of these areas.

Originality/value

The paper provides a novel and comprehensive categorization of fundamental shifts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and lays out a research roadmap to advance research in the field of International Marketing (IM). Important implications for practice are also discussed.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. 41 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 July 2024

Maggie Boyraz and Rosemarie Gilbert

This study explores the topic of remote work and the changing motivations to working from home after the COVID-19 pandemic-induced exposure to working from home. It examines the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores the topic of remote work and the changing motivations to working from home after the COVID-19 pandemic-induced exposure to working from home. It examines the effects of that forced work from home (WFH) experience on subsequent motivations for continuing part or all of that changed mode of working. In this study, the authors examine the perspective of front-line knowledge workers regarding the motivation to WFH based on their lived experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

Self-determination theory (SDT) provided the theoretical basis for the study (Ryan and Deci, 2000, 2017). The authors employed semi-structured individual and group interviews (with 28 participants) and explored the following questions: How has the competence aspect of motivation to WFH changed due to the shift that occurred during the pandemic? How has the relatedness aspect of motivation to WFH changed due to the shift that occurred during the pandemic? How has the autonomy aspect of motivation to WFH changed due to the shift that transpired during the pandemic?

Findings

The findings show that there was a change from an extrinsic motivation based on external factors to one that is more intrinsic, or internal, in nature for knowledge workers who experienced the switch to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study makes an important contribution by developing a theoretical model based on SDT (Ryan and Deci, 2000, 2017) in the context of WFH. In the first phase (Phase 1), workers experienced many transitional challenges due to the suddenness and intensiveness of the shift. However, over time workers adapted and adjusted (we refer to this as Phase 2 in our model). Ultimately, all three aspects of SDT – competence, relatedness and autonomy – increased motivation to work from home. However, we also found some factors that act as demotivators to knowledge workers for embracing remote work such as those involving career advancement and the expectation of voice. Despite these moderating factors, the overall progression toward the desire to WFH, at least on a hybrid basis, has continued after adjusting to the forced experience of telecommuting during the pandemic.

Originality/value

The contribution of this study is to disaggregate the short-term effects of the sudden transition, to the longer-term effects after adaption and adjustment occurred, and to connect that to a new perspective on work by employees. It does this by extending SDT to the context of motivation regarding work from home. The COVID-19 pandemic provided experience of and opportunities for telework to more employees and changed many of their expectations and motivations. By looking at front-line knowledge workers’ expectations and motivations related to home-based work, we can better understand the increased demand by workers for hybrid work schedules.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 46 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 July 2024

Jamal Ali Al-Khasawneh, Heba Ali and Ahmed Hassanein

This study aims to investigate how stock markets responded to corporate dividend policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how stock markets responded to corporate dividend policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Likewise, it explores how efficiently market prices incorporate the news by examining the speed of stock price adjustment to various dividend announcements.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample includes 741 dividend announcements from 2017 to 2021 made by 326 firms listed in the stock markets of the GCC countries. A series of regression analyses examine how dividend announcements influence the market reaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, controlling for other well-documented firm characteristics.

Findings

This study reveals an adverse stock price reaction to all the dividend announcements in most GCC markets. The findings also show strong asymmetric effects of COVID-19 on how the markets react to different dividend changes. Likewise, the authors show that investors tend to underreact to the good news of dividend increases amid hard times of crises due to prevailing uncertainty and bearish sentiment. Besides, regression results reveal that firms with dividend reductions during the pandemic experience less adverse market reactions than dividend-decreasing firms prepandemic.

Practical implications

For firms, the findings confirm the role that corporate dividend policy can play in conveying signals to investors, especially during hard times of crises and turbulences, thereby affecting their share price. For policymakers, the results substantially affect market efficiency and firm valuation in the GCC markets.

Originality/value

This study is not only one of the first few attempts to scrutinize how the pandemic has affected the market reaction to changes in corporate dividend policies but also, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first to examine how corporate dividend policy could affect stock markets during COVID-19 in the context of GCC markets.

Details

International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8394

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 July 2024

Ezgi Akar

This research delves into consumer online shopping behaviour during the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilising the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Behavioural…

Abstract

Purpose

This research delves into consumer online shopping behaviour during the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilising the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Behavioural Inhibition System.

Design/methodology/approach

A unique and comprehensive repeated cross-sectional methodology was meticulously employed, capturing the nuances of consumer online shopping behaviour across three distinct phases of the pandemic: the initial phase following the outbreak of COVID-19, the transition phase marked by the relaxation of restrictions, and the adaptation phase as society moved towards a new normal. The study involved a sample of 1,155 participants. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the effects of behavioural attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and the moderating role of pandemic-induced consumer anxiety on online purchase intention.

Findings

The impact of behavioural attitudes on online purchase intentions increased continuously from the initial phase to the adaptation phase. In contrast, the influence of subjective norms on online shopping intentions gradually declined over the same period. During the early stages of the pandemic, consumer anxiety amplified the influence of personal attitudes towards online shopping while diminishing the impact of social pressures on the same behaviour.

Originality/value

This study’s originality lies in its nuanced analysis of how online purchase intentions evolved across different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, integrating insights from both the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Behavioural Inhibition System. The study offers a comprehensive understanding of the shifts in consumer behaviour over time. It enables more strategic and proactive marketing tactics in a changing environment.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 126 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 June 2024

Sara Ahlryd and Fredrik Hanell

The challenges to healthcare caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced hospital librarians to develop their abilities to cope with change and crises, both on a social level and an…

Abstract

Purpose

The challenges to healthcare caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced hospital librarians to develop their abilities to cope with change and crises, both on a social level and an organisational level. The aim of this study is to contribute to knowledge about how hospital librarians developed library services during the pandemic and how these changes contributed to building information resilience in the healthcare organisation. This paper also seeks to explore how resilience theory, and specifically the concept information resilience, can be used within library and information science (in LIS) to investigate resilience in the library sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Nine semi-structured interviews with librarians were conducted at four different hospital libraries in four different regions in Sweden between March and May 2022. The empirical material was analysed through an interaction between the tzheoretical perspective and the empirical material through a thematic analysis. In each theme, specific resilience resources are identified and analysed as components of the information resilience developed by hospital librarians.

Findings

The results show that hospital librarians contribute to several different information resilience resources, which support information resilience in the healthcare organisation. Three aspects characterize the qualities of resilience resources: access, flexibility, and collaboration. The findings suggest that the framework for analysing information resilience used in this study is well suited for studying the resilience of libraries from both organisational and informational aspects.

Originality/value

The analysis of information resilience on an organisational level presents a novel way to study resilience in the library sector.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 80 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 July 2024

Himanshu Gupta and Rajib Lochan Dhar

The catastrophic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have considerably impacted the labour market and increased job insecurity among workers. This study systematically reviews the…

Abstract

Purpose

The catastrophic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have considerably impacted the labour market and increased job insecurity among workers. This study systematically reviews the literature on job insecurity conducted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic with three key objectives. First, to identify the key antecedents of job insecurity during the pandemic. Second, to identify the outcomes associated with job insecurity during the pandemic. Third, to identify the underlying boundary conditions that strengthened or alleviated the association between the antecedents of job insecurity and its associated outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The study followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines for the selection and inclusion of scientific literature by systematically searching five electronic databases, namely, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science and Psych Info.

Findings

A perception of health-related risks, negative economic consequences and organizational restructuring during the pandemic were the primary factors contributing to job insecurity among workers. The consequences encompassed detrimental impacts on health and well-being, proactive measures undertaken by employees to alleviate the threat of job loss, and a variety of tactics employed to cope with stress arising from job insecurity. The boundary conditions elucidate the factors that alleviated job insecurity among workers and influenced both their work and non-work outcomes.

Originality/value

This is the first systematic review summarizing the literature on employees' experiences with job insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a systematic review, this study provides doable steps that HR managers can take to effectively manage job insecurity among workers, particularly during a crisis.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 46 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 July 2024

Richard J. Volpe, Xiaowei Cai, Presley Roldan and Alexander Stevens

The COVID-19 pandemic was a shock to the food supply chain without modern precedent. Challenges in production, manufacturing, distribution and retailing led to the highest rates…

Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic was a shock to the food supply chain without modern precedent. Challenges in production, manufacturing, distribution and retailing led to the highest rates of food price inflation in the US since the 1970s. The major goal of this paper is to describe statistically the impact of the pandemic of food price inflation and volatility in the US and to discuss implications for industry and for policymakers.

Design/methodology/approach

We use Bureau of Labor Statistics data to investigate food prices in the US, 2020–2021. We apply 16 statistical approaches to measure price changes and volatility and three regression approaches to measure counterfactuals of food prices, had the pandemic not occurred.

Findings

Food price inflation and volatility increased substantially during the early months of the pandemic, with a great deal of heterogeneity across food products and geographic regions. Food price inflation was most pronounced for meats, and contrary to expectations, highest in the western US Forecasting approaches demonstrate that grocery prices were about 7% higher than they would have been without the pandemic as of the end of 2021.

Originality/value

The research on COVID-19 and the food system remains in its nascent stage. As findings on food loss and waste, employment and wages, food insecurity and more proliferate, it is vital to understand how food prices were connected to these phenomena and affected. We also motivate several ideas for future work.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 126 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 May 2024

Katherine Perrotta and Katlynn Cross

We examined how high school students demonstrated historical empathy through conducting local history place-based research to create an exhibit and companion book about the impact…

Abstract

Purpose

We examined how high school students demonstrated historical empathy through conducting local history place-based research to create an exhibit and companion book about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their community. The majority of existing historical empathy scholarship focuses on classroom-based inquiry of historical events, people and time periods. We contend that broader examination of how historical empathy can be promoted beyond school-based instruction can contribute to the field by examining how student analyses of historical contexts and perspectives, and making affective connections to historical topics of study are needed when engaging in placed-based local history projects.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative case study methodology was implemented for this study. A Likert-scale survey with a questionnaire was distributed to 30 high school study participants. Thirteen students gave follow-up interviews. Students’ responses on the surveys, interviews and questionnaires were organized into three categories that aligned to the theoretical framework – identification of historical contexts of the sources that students collected, analysis of how contexts shaped the perspectives expressed in the collected sources and expression of reasoned connections between the students’ emotions and experiences during the pandemic. A rubric was used to examine how students’ writing samples and reflections reflected demonstration of historical empathy.

Findings

Students responded that their local history research about the pandemic contributed to their displays of historical empathy. Students displayed weaker evidence of historical empathy while examining archival resources to explain the historical contexts of the pandemic. Student demonstration of historical empathy was stronger when analyzing community-sourced documents for perspectives and making reasoned affective connections to what they learned about the historical significance of the pandemic. The place-based aspects of this project were strongly connected to the students’ engagement in historical empathy because the sources they analyzed were relevant to their experiences and identities as citizens in their community.

Originality/value

Documenting the diverse human experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial to preserving the history of this extraordinary time. Every person around the globe experienced the pandemic differently, hence riding out the same storm in different boats. At some point, the pandemic will appear in historical narratives of the social studies curriculum. Therefore, now is an opportune time to ascertain whether place-based local history research about the contexts, perspectives and experiences of community members and children themselves, during the pandemic can foster historical empathy.

Details

Social Studies Research and Practice, vol. 19 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1933-5415

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 21000