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Discovering the Consequences of the COVID-19 Crisis on Management Practices in Organizations: Challenges and Forecasting for a Sustainable Future

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 77594

Special Issue Editors

School of Management, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia
Interests: business ethics; entrepreneurship and strategy; research methods (qualitative and quantitative); models of innovation diffusion in mature industries; healthcare ethics
Department of Management & Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: strategic management; marketing management; strategic planning; business development; leadership; entrepreneurship

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At the end of 2019, Wuhan, China, witnessed the beginning of what will probably be remembered as one of the most significant events of the 21st century, i.e., so-called Covid-19 (coronavirus), which first rapidly spread to all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China and then to the rest of the world. Following from the assessment of the WHO (World Health Organization) and declaration of Covid-19 as a pandemic on 11 March 2020, as well as due to its suggestion “to take urgent and aggressive action” (WHO, 2020) to reduce the spread of the virus, the governments of the countries affected by the virus have started to adopt containment measures (and related procedures), reaching (almost) total restrictions on movement (of people and goods) and imposing strict limitations on the private sector (commercial and production of non-essential goods and services) and providing more flexibility in terms of public activities, including smart work (working from home). Despite all these efforts, however, the effects of this pandemic in terms of diffusion and impact on human losses are almost equivalent to those of a war.

While the consequences of Covid-19’s are still ongoing, also the impact of the related protective measures taken by different countries is beginning to show on local and global economic systems.

Many countries have already reduced and, in many cases, entirely closed economic activities and industries—for example, industrial activities for non-primary goods and the service, hospitality, and tourism sectors, which will face turbulent times in the near future not just to return to normal but, even more importantly, to survive.

As a result, starting from February 2020, we have witnessed heavy market swings, the price of oil falling and airlines dropping their prices or even collapsing due to falling demand, and car sales falling sharply (80% down in China)[1]. In relation to the tourism industry, this crisis has totally changed the main topic of discussion, which used to be the problem of “over-tourism” but is now “down-tourism”. Finally, at least 70% of the sectors from which the world’s GDP is produced are undergoing record contractions.

Unlike in 2007, though, this is not a financial crisis—this is a health crisis in which the strongest factor is human behavior, or distance. As a direct result of calls for social distancing among humans and staying at home, people are neither producing (supply) nor purchasing (demand) goods and services, so most revenue—with the exception of state aid—has collapsed. It is looking extremely likely that once all this is over, many countries will face a recession, and we are also anticipating a deceleration of global annual growth to below 2.5% (UNCTAD, 2020)[2]. In order to stimulate and fight the economic effects of Covid-19, many governments are announcing nonconventional packages with investments of millions and trillions of € and $ (and other respective currencies).

The pandemic from COVID-19 (coronavirus) “has disrupted people’s life and the global economy” (Boone, 2020)[3], and “people are shutting down their businesses” (Stiglitz, 2020). The Nobel Prof. Stiglitz claims that this crisis will be harder than any we have faced before or what some economists have predicted and suggests some ways to reduce the effects. However, “this is a different kind of crisis than normal crises” (Stiglitz, 2020), and “more demand is not going to save that particular problem” (ibidem). According to Stiglitz, this is not a financial crisis but a crisis that involves the supply and demand system.

The current challenges for the organizations operating under the Covid-19 crisis involve identifying the threats and opportunities emerging from this unprecedented situation and visualizing their potential role in the future in terms of viability and competitive advantage.

This crisis raises important empirical questions for scholars at all levels of management and stimulates the need to better understand the cause–effect relation between what immediate problems Covid-19 has created and what potential future impact they could have. A main question around this relationship refers to the type of consequences of the crisis, which can be either immediate or long-term, and the level of impact, which can be both tangible and intangible. The consequences can be related both to the theoretical and empirical aspects. From a theoretical point of view, the main question can be: How can we make the most of previous theories and models (via contextualizing) to face this crisis? From an empirical point of view, by contrast: How can we make the most of previous empirical experiences (lesson learning/contextualizing) to understand possible exit strategies? When approaching the economic and managerial problems of the near future, we really should not make the same mistakes as those that generated this crisis or underestimate the problems. Differently from health crises in the distant past, today uncertainty can be addressed using managing knowledge also through the use of technology (e.g., Internet of Things, big data).

According to this evidence, the aim of this Special Issue is to stimulate awareness of the future problems that Covid-19 might bring to the management arena and to give an opportunity to business management scholars to provide new insights into dealing with this crisis. Furthermore, the scope of this Special Issue is to create the foundations of managerial knowledge around this topic to better deal with future issues emerging from the Covid-19 crisis. 

[1] INFODATA Il Sole 24 Ore, 2020, Quale sarà l’impatto del coronavirus sull’economia mondiale? Le stime e gli scenari formulati fino ad adesso, Il Sole 24 Ore, from https://www.infodata.ilsole24ore.com/2020/03/22/quale-sara-limpatto-del-coronavirus-sulleconomia-mondiale-le-stime-gli-scenari-formulati-ad-adesso/.

[2] UNCTAD, 2020, The coronavirus shock: a story of another global crisis foretold and what policymakers should be doing about it, code UNCTAD/GDS/INF/2020/1, 9 march, retrieved from https://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/gds_tdr2019_update_coronavirus.pdf.

[3] Boone, L. 2020. Coronavirus: the world economy at risk, Interim Report, OECD Economic Outlook, March, 2020. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/economic-outlook/. Accessed on 25/03/2020. 

Dr. Gian Luca Casali
Dr. Mirko Perano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Business models
  • Corporate social responsibility
  • Circular economy
  • Crisis management
  • Ethics and ethical decision making
  • Entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship
  • Global partnership
  • Health care management
  • Hospitality and tourism management
  • Human resource management
  • Innovation management
  • Knowledge management
  • Lesson learning
  • Marketing and communication
  • Organizational ambidexterity
  • Problem solving and decision-making process
  • Public administration
  • Risk management
  • Stewardship
  • Strategic management
  • Sustainability
  • Tourism

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 294 KiB  
Article
Taking Risks to Make Profit during COVID-19
by Yasheng Chen and Zhuojun Wu
Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15750; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142315750 - 26 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2267
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted substantial losses on a large number of enterprises and brought about the risk of unsustainable operations across the world. However, certain enterprises still managed to grow against the trend prevailing during the epidemic and succeeded in taking risks [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted substantial losses on a large number of enterprises and brought about the risk of unsustainable operations across the world. However, certain enterprises still managed to grow against the trend prevailing during the epidemic and succeeded in taking risks to make profits. This study discusses how global enterprises adopt a proactive risk management approach to transform crises into sustainable business performance during the period starting from the epidemic outbreak to normalization. By mainly obtaining research data from the Internet news media and official websites of the enterprises using content analysis technique, this paper chose case studies, from December 2019 to December 2021, of eight different companies, namely: BYD (China, Asia), Mafengwo (China, Asia), Xiamen Airlines (China, Asia), Zhijiang Bio (China, Asia), The Bund (United States, America), Walmart (United States, America), Qantas Airways (Australia, Oceania), and Honotel Group (France, Europe), from different industrial sectors including manufacturing, tourism, transportation, technical services, catering, retail, airlines, and accommodation, respectively. The study results show that each enterprise specifically incorporates the method of proactive risk management, to deal with a sudden crisis and take risks to make profits during the epidemic. The study findings provide a feasible way for enterprises to cope with sudden crises and enhance their ability to maintain sustainable operations. Full article
23 pages, 5235 KiB  
Article
Needs of Sustainable Food Consumption in the Pandemic Era: First Results of Case Study
by Laiza Andriolo da Rocha Ramos, Francesco Zecca and Claudio Del Regno
Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 9852; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14169852 - 10 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1938
Abstract
The current food system is directly associated with food insecurity, malnutrition, food waste, and environmental impacts. The international community has been working on sustainability, and the enhancement of sustainable food consumption is a fundamental step for identifying possible strategies to limit the negative [...] Read more.
The current food system is directly associated with food insecurity, malnutrition, food waste, and environmental impacts. The international community has been working on sustainability, and the enhancement of sustainable food consumption is a fundamental step for identifying possible strategies to limit the negative consequences derived from the health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. This work aims to understand the food consumption patterns of the Sapienza University community. The methodology adopted for the research activity has been developed while taking into account the theoretical reflections and the tested methodologies acquired in relation to the subject matter. The survey was based on the acquisition of primary data obtained through the development and distribution of a questionnaire to a specific sample, the results of which have been translated into value terms in the form of indicators. The survey conducted had the purpose of carrying out a first evaluation able to provide some basic indications regarding the awareness within Sapienza of the relationship between sustainability and food. Based on the indications obtained at this stage, it is expected to give rise to additional and in-depth investigations aimed at providing a model of sustainable food consumption that can be replicated on a large scale. Full article
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18 pages, 292 KiB  
Article
Destination Responses to COVID-19 Waves: Is “Green Zone” Initiative a Holy Grail for Tourism Recovery?
by Da Van Huynh, Long Hai Duong, Thuy Thi Kim Truong and Nhan Trong Nguyen
Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3421; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14063421 - 15 Mar 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2917
Abstract
Despite the stagnant status of the tourism industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the efforts to reopen the tourism destinations as green zones in Vietnam have paid off with some encouraging achievements. This inspires other green zones to consider a more adaptive approach [...] Read more.
Despite the stagnant status of the tourism industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the efforts to reopen the tourism destinations as green zones in Vietnam have paid off with some encouraging achievements. This inspires other green zones to consider a more adaptive approach to the ongoing pandemic crisis. However, little is known about the pandemic crisis management and tourism destination recovery. Therefore, this study selected Can Tho city as a case study to explore how a tourism destination as a green zone can recover during pandemic waves. Different methods were utilized in this study, including document analysis, field observation, and semi-structured interview. The findings generally indicate that a green zone could recover their tourism business under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings highlight the critical relationship among key stakeholders and the leading role of the central government toward pandemic prevention and control. The early response to the crisis from the local governments was found to be decisive, and the policy-related measures facilitated the removal of potential barriers and alleviated the crisis consequences. In addition, the involvement of the tourism industry in an adaptive way has contributed to the quick recovery of the green zones’ tourism business. Importantly, the adaptive transformation from the tourism enterprises in a visionary way was found to be essential to the empowerment of their organizational resilience during the pandemic crisis. The lessons learnt from this study also bring valuable experiences for other tourism destinations and elicit a new approach to co-living with the ongoing pandemic in a sustainable way. Theoretically, this study provides a better understanding of tourism management and destination recovery during the global pandemic crisis. In addition, the research also adds many important practical implications for the tourism industry and the related stakeholders to foster tourism revitalization during and after the pandemic in a more sustainable way. Full article
21 pages, 942 KiB  
Article
The Impact of New Human Resource Management Practices on Innovation Performance during the COVID 19 Crisis: A New Perception on Enhancing the Educational Sector
by Ruba Kutieshat and Panteha Farmanesh
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2872; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14052872 - 01 Mar 2022
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 19249
Abstract
The study aims to investigate the impact of New Human Resource Management Practices (NHRM) on innovation performance mediating by organizational innovation and innovative work behavior in the educational sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, experiential proof to determine this relationship is inadequate. Consequently, [...] Read more.
The study aims to investigate the impact of New Human Resource Management Practices (NHRM) on innovation performance mediating by organizational innovation and innovative work behavior in the educational sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, experiential proof to determine this relationship is inadequate. Consequently, quantitative statistical tools were implemented in the study. Using data gathered from 450 employees in the Ministry of Education in Amman-Jordan who participated in the online survey the present results indicate that there is a significant positive relationship linking NHRM practices and innovation performance. Additionally, a mediating role of organizational innovation and innovative work behavior was found. Moreover, the results identified that the relation increases more by organizational innovation mediator. Therefore, based on the results, boosting NHRM practices in the Ministry of Education will reinforce managerial implementation, fostering innovative performance. During the COVID 19 pandemic, the cruel challenges obliged the educational sector to use organizational strategies to achieve innovation within the crucial and unpredictable period, which needs practical, swifter technological practices, making it unbeatable, creative, and motivational competitive. Therefore, applying NHRM can present solutions, resolve problems, and enhance innovation among employees during the response time of a crisis. Form, execution and improved environmental sustainability within organizations that rely on permanent innovation are associated with HR practices. Full article
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20 pages, 2037 KiB  
Article
The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Growth-Oriented SMEs: Building Entrepreneurial Resilience
by Jelle Schepers, Pieter Vandekerkhof and Yannick Dillen
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9296; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13169296 - 19 Aug 2021
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4733
Abstract
This study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Flemish growth-oriented entrepreneurs to build entrepreneurial resilience. We rely on a research framework that consists of a “challenge-reaction-learning loop” to empirically investigate how entrepreneurial resilience is built in times of the COVID-19 crisis. To [...] Read more.
This study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Flemish growth-oriented entrepreneurs to build entrepreneurial resilience. We rely on a research framework that consists of a “challenge-reaction-learning loop” to empirically investigate how entrepreneurial resilience is built in times of the COVID-19 crisis. To investigate this complex entrepreneurial learning process, we use data that have been collected during the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. By using several datapoints, we could identify (1) the specific challenges growth-oriented firms are facing as a result of the COVID-19 crisis; (2) how these entrepreneurs reacted to these challenges; and (3) what they learned during the first and second wave of the pandemic and how they perceive the future. By making this entrepreneurial learning process explicit and dividing it into an iterative “challenge-reaction-learning loop”, this study is relevant for all entrepreneurs, as it contains several interesting lessons learned. We also contribute to academic literature as we provide future researchers a tangible framework to further elucidate how entrepreneurial resilience is built in times of crisis. Full article
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13 pages, 858 KiB  
Article
Lesson Learned from the Power of Open Data: Resolving the Mask Shortage Problem Caused by COVID-19 in South Korea
by Haklae Kim
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 278; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13010278 - 30 Dec 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4111
Abstract
COVID-19 is spreading globally and causing severe damage across different sectors including social culture, politics, and economy. Governments worldwide are responding in various ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of citizens. South Korea is escaping [...] Read more.
COVID-19 is spreading globally and causing severe damage across different sectors including social culture, politics, and economy. Governments worldwide are responding in various ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of citizens. South Korea is escaping the crisis through rapid and early inspection with ICT technology, isolation for confirmed cases, and transparency and communication through public–private partnerships. This paper presents how face mask shortages can be managed through the disclosure of government data and with effective online services. This study shows how South Korea enhances government transparency and that combining open data with ICT technologies can effectively solve social problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article
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Review

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32 pages, 4965 KiB  
Review
COVID-19 Research in Business and Management: A Review and Future Research Agenda
by Ali Zackery, Joseph Amankwah-Amoah, Zahra Heidari Darani and Shiva Ghasemi
Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 9820; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14169820 - 09 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2907
Abstract
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has generated voluminous research in mainstream business and management, there remains a need for a robust state-of-the-art review of the current diverse streams of research that have scattered across different fields. To address this lacuna in the current growing [...] Read more.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has generated voluminous research in mainstream business and management, there remains a need for a robust state-of-the-art review of the current diverse streams of research that have scattered across different fields. To address this lacuna in the current growing body of research, we conducted a systematic review of 152 COVID-related papers in the field of business and management published in top-tier journals to identify the impact of the pandemic on business activities. Based on the review, we classified the topical foci of the selected studies under three broad categories (i.e., corporate strategy, corporate design and culture, and contextual environment) and 13 sub-categories (e.g., CoVsumption, uncertainty asphyxiation, and normalization of meta-firms), which are the recurring themes in the papers. We correspondingly outline new avenues for future research and the theoretical and practical implications of this study. The findings revealed that, during the pandemic, adaptive strategies to survive the pandemic took precedence over shaping strategies to build post-COVID realities. Full article
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9 pages, 1063 KiB  
Review
New Ways of Working and Public Healthcare Professionals’ Well-Being: The Response to Face the COVID-19 Pandemic
by M. Ángeles López-Cabarcos, Analía López-Carballeira and Carlos Ferro-Soto
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8087; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12198087 - 30 Sep 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5578
Abstract
This research proposes analyzing the influence of new ways of working (NWW) on healthcare professional’s well-being and how these may affect work performance and public service motivation. These variables and relationships were important before COVID-19 pandemic, and everything points to the fact that [...] Read more.
This research proposes analyzing the influence of new ways of working (NWW) on healthcare professional’s well-being and how these may affect work performance and public service motivation. These variables and relationships were important before COVID-19 pandemic, and everything points to the fact that during and after the pandemic their importance will be higher. To buffer the potential negative effects of implementing the NWW, both organizations and employees must identify personal (psychological capital) and job resources (inter-role conflict, psychological empowerment, meaning of work) capable of acting as effective moderators to promote employee well-being and avoid negative experiences at work. This paper aims to shed light on new ways of coping and adapting to uncertain job requirements such as those that have arisen during COVID-19. Moreover, it highlights the great changes that public healthcare needs to face to improve the quality of the service offered to society. It is urgent that public administrators and human resources managers design effective strategies and make effective decisions in which employee well-being and service quality are main priorities. Full article
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Other

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19 pages, 1053 KiB  
Concept Paper
Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic Exposing the Shortcomings of Current Supply Chain Operations: A Long-Term Prescriptive Offering
by Guiyang Zhu, Mabel C. Chou and Christina W. Tsai
Sustainability 2020, 12(14), 5858; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12145858 - 21 Jul 2020
Cited by 143 | Viewed by 31691
Abstract
COVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory virus that has posed a great threat to the general public. In order to prevent its spread, many governments have enacted stringent measures. Supply chains around the world are facing major disruptions and difficulties adjusting to the [...] Read more.
COVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory virus that has posed a great threat to the general public. In order to prevent its spread, many governments have enacted stringent measures. Supply chains around the world are facing major disruptions and difficulties adjusting to the new demands and needs of a locked down world. In this paper, we will address the relationship between supply chain operations and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Given current global shortages in essential goods such as medication, we explore the connection between said shortage and supply chain issues, such as the lack of supply chain transparency and resilience, as well as unsustainable just-in-time manufacturing. To mitigate the effects of these issues and protect supply chain operations, we propose some recommendations, such as nationalizing the medical supply chains, adopting a plus one diversification approach, and increasing safety stock. These recommendations are given to not only mitigate current consequences in relation to the ongoing crisis, but also to suggest measures that will provide firms the resiliency needed to weather similar potential shortages in the future. Full article
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