Business Commons^™

Crisis To Opportunity: The Role Of Consumer Awareness In Mergers And Acquisitions (M&As) During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hojoon Jang, Junhee Seok, Jongdae Kim

Asia Marketing Journal

In the uncertainty fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have emerged as key strategic responses by firms. This study explores the impact of M&As on acquirers' firm value, utilizing a firm-level panel dataset from SDC Platinum. Empirical evidence recognizes the potential negative impact of transaction value in M&As and the pandemic's effect on market volatility that may occasionally exacerbate the adverse influence on acquirers' firm value. The findings indicate that effective marketing strategies, such as enhancing consumer awareness through increasing advertising expenditures, can counterbalance these influences, particularly during uncertain times. This study accentuates the importance of adaptability …

Working Remotely And Corporate Culture Wars In The Post-Pandemic Era, David M. Savino, Danielle C. Foster

Journal of the North American Management Society

Organizational culture is a sacred element of any organization. It is the lifeblood and the guiding force that makes each organization unique in its ability to navigate day-to-day and longer-term perspectives of corporate operations. Strong cultures help identify direction and philosophy and provide confidence in how to proceed to pursue innovative ideas and solve problems. Since 2020, the core value and the strength of many organizational cultures have been tested as a result of the increased reliance on working remotely and the adoption of a hybrid model of business operations not previously utilized to a great degree. While many survived …

What Hospitality And Tourism Higher Educators Learned From Covid-19: A Case Of Turkiye, Ayse Collins, Ayse S. Dulger, Muharrem Tuna, Muzaffer Uysal

Journal of Global Education and Research

Among all the sectors, the hospitality and tourism sector has been detrimentally affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aimed to determine how changes have been experienced specifically in the Turkish tourism higher education and tourism sector. Twenty-seven academics from the hospitality and tourism education departments were interviewed. Most agreed that restrictions have limited student access to hands-on practical courses and internships, which are crucial to developing necessary competencies. Moreover, the results showed the curriculum does not always meet the needs of the hospitality industry for a trained and skilled workforce. The challenge is to decide what …

Initial Financial Assessment Of The Fraport Greece Cluster A Concession, Dimitrios V. Siskos, Alexander Maravas, Ronald Mau

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

There is a worldwide trend in the privatization of transport infrastructure and airports. Likewise, the Greek government launched an extensive privatization program that granted Fraport AG the right to operate 14 airports for the next forty years. The two separate concessions for clusters of seven airports each are named "Cluster A" and "Cluster B." The financial assessment of privatization contracts is crucial so decision-makers can accurately assess the value of aviation enterprises. This paper applies the Economic Value Added (EVA) methodology and enterprise valuation on Cluster A by assessing the concession company's balance sheets and income statements. We concluded that …

Learn From The Past, Covid-19 And Beyond: The Case Of Türkiye, Gül Erkol Bayram, Ali Turan Bayram, Melike Sak

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

The tourism sector has a delicate balance that is affected by its era. Political, economic, sociological problems and events affect the course of tourism, and when necessary, they can stop tourism movements. Epidemics affect tourism negatively. Covid-19 has a very different feature in terms of its effects on world tourism. In this context, the study examines the effects of Covid-19 on world and Turkish tourism. Within the scope of the study, related literature was reviewed, the effects of Covid-19 on world and Turkey tourism were examined with a qualitative approach. As a result, it can be expressed that travel restrictions …

Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Marketing Of Education, Shreekant Joag

Journal of Global Awareness

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many schools to partially or totally switch to remote communication methods for delivering education in the years 2020-2021. It is believed that forced compliance with unfamiliar and even unpreferred modes of behavior can have a profound and lasting impact on people’s attitudes and opinions toward the behavior itself because of first-hand exposure and experience. It is, therefore, possible that this experience with remote teaching and learning could have materially changed both instructors’ as well as students’ attitudes toward remote delivery of education. Such changed attitudes may predict their future choices and behavior.

This paper will present …

Effect Of Covid-19 On Food Pricing And Coping Strategies Among Households In Kakamega County Kenya, Angela Mungai

Journal of Global Awareness

Food price shocks exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic have the potential to threaten food security, especially among low-income households. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of COVID-19 on food prices and the coping strategies of households in Malava and Lurambi Sub-Counties of Kakamega County, Kenya. The researchers adopted a descriptive survey design for this study. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed using KoBo Collect and synchronized to the Open Data Kit (ODK) server and used to collect data from a sample size of 200 households. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 26 to …

Digital Vs. Traditional: Comparing Sales Students' Initial Post- College Career Search Preferences Before And After Covid-19, Linda Mullen, Randy Stuart, Michael L. Thomas

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the

career search strategies of college students studying professional

sales. The research consists of a post-pandemic study that is

compared to a previous study conducted pre-pandemic in 2019. The

paper investigates the preference of sales students for digital

media versus face-to-face interactions in their career searches.

The pre-pandemic study revealed that while sales students

engaged with digital media, they still heavily relied on traditional

methods. The post-pandemic results differed primarily in students’

interviewing preferences. Despite the challenges posed by the

pandemic, students continue to utilize both online and traditional

resources. …

The Supervisory Role Of Applying Governance Mechanisms To Reduce The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In The Public Shareholding Insurance Companies Listed On The Palestine Stock Exchange, Abd El Rahman Mohammed Soleiman Rashwan Dr., Abdulnaser Nour

AAU Journal of Business and Law مجلة جامعة العين للأعمال والقانون

The study aimed to identify the supervisory role of applying governance mechanisms to reduce the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in the public shareholding insurance companies listed on the Palestine Stock Exchange. Governance Committees (72) working in insurance companies listed on the Palestine Stock Exchange, numbering (5) companies, and a comprehensive inventory method was used due to the small size of the study population.

The results of the study concluded that the boards of directors of the insurance companies listed on the Palestine Exchange are aware of the limits of their role and responsibility in providing control over management, and …

Finding Data Pathways Through The ‘Pandemic Pilgrimage Boom’: Embedded-Like Research, Covid-19, And The British Pilgrimage Trust, Eleanor O’Keeffe

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This article reviews claims that the United Kingdom experienced a ‘pandemic pilgrimage boom’. It contributes findings from an ‘embedded-like’ research project, which drew on data created by the British Pilgrimage Trust (BPT) – a heritage and wellbeing charity that hosts a website hub to support pilgrimage action in the UK – to debate about the impact of COVID-19 on pilgrimage practice. These findings show how a set of uses and meanings about pilgrimage, particularly its affordances for mental health and emotional wellbeing, have resonated during the pandemic, especially at moments of heightened social stress. This has generated greater social traction …

Covid-19 And The “Most Magical Place On Earth”: Applying The Idea Model To Theme Park Crisis Messaging, Lakelyn E. Taylor, Gaurav Panse, Carissa Baker, Deanna Sellnow, Timothy Sellnow, Michael Strawser

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The global tourism reaches of Orlando, Florida, and the world’s most visited theme park complex, Walt Disney World, provide a unique context for studying global communication in a tourism setting through the crisis messaging efforts. This study explores the reopening of Walt Disney World and subsequent messaging, specifically from a risk and crisis perspective, using the IDEA model to categorize Disney COVID-19 messages. Using a qualitative, etic approach via a codebook based on the IDEA model, the study results determined whether pandemic messages and mentions (the study’s unit of analysis) addressed internalization, explanation, or action.

Restrictions Are Lifted: The Effect Of Risk Perception Of Covid-19 On Future Travel Intentions Of Dutch Travellers, Rami K. Isaac

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

This study aims to understand better the psychological impact of COVID-19, the risk perception, travel and destination risks of Dutch travellers and their intention to travel when travel restrictions due to COVID-19 are lifted. This study takes a step toward closing the gap in the literature as it provides new insights into the risk perceptions regarding COVID-19 and the travel intentions of Dutch travellers now that travel restrictions are lifted. This study employed a quantitative approach to market research. Questionnaire research was applied. The questionnaire is created with the web-based survey tool Qualtrics. 343 respondents filled in the questionnaire. The …

Evaluation Of Covid-19 Crisis Management Practices In The Context Of City Hotels: The Case Of Aksaray, Mehmet Umur, Busra Sener

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study examines the extent to which city hotels operating in Aksaray are affected by the COVID-19 crisis, what strategy the managers follow in the face of this situation, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of operating as a city hotel and being located in Aksaray. Since no similar study was found in the region as a result of the literature review, it is thought that the study will contribute to the literature. The research data were obtained by semi-structured interview technique from 14 managers who worked as general manager, department manager and department chief in city hotels operating …

Financial Literacy During A Crisis: Financial Lessons Learned From Covid-19, Kirti Goyal

Management Dynamics

Background – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spawned a global health and financial crisis. It is high time we acknowledged the importance of financial literacy in preparing financially vulnerable households to get through tough times. Objective – This paper aims to highlight financial lessons learned from the pandemic, focussing on the role of financial literacy in the judicious financial behaviour. Material and methods – The paper amalgamates the concept, levels and outcomes of financial literacy, followed by the discussion on financial education. A framework is presented presenting the crisis’s impact on well-being and the noteworthy lessons. Results and conclusions – …

Sustainable And Inclusive Spiritual Tourism Development In Bali As A Long-Term Post-Pandemic Strategy, Jaeyeon Choe, Luh Putu Mahyuni

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The COVID-19 pandemic caused devastating socio-economic impacts in tourism destinations around the world. Many governments and tourism authorities could use the pandemic to seek more sustainable tourism development futures; for example, pre-pandemic Bali’s ‘tourism boom’ barely benefited local people and local businesses because of economic leakage and ‘tourist bubbles’. With an increasing demand on spiritual travel in the post pandemic period, Bali is seeking new opportunities as a spiritual tourism destination. This opportunity is based on their rich cultural and natural resources, and living heritage that can be related to spiritual tourism activities. This spiritual tourism development can contribute to …

The Prevalence Of Herding In Indian Auto Sector: Implications For Market Efficiency, Arundhathi P S, Aslam P S, Libison K B

Arab Economic and Business Journal

The worldwide catastrophes due to the spread of Wuhan virus, India had witnessed an explosive change in the economic activity, mainly in the investment pattern. This made the investors to do panic trading by following what others were doing in the market. We offer an empirical analysis to examine the presence of herding in Indian Automobile Sector during pre-pandemic and pandemic period (COVID-19). To detect the presence of herding, we applied Cross Sectional Absolute Deviation (CSAD) and One-way ANOVA was employed to examine whether there is any significant difference in the auto index during Pre pandemic and pandemic period. The …

Rural Entrepreneurs Under Fire: Pandemic Reveals Need For Collaboration And Support, Jacob A. Dolence, James C. Haug

Journal of Business & Entrepreneurship

This article summarizes a research study done from April 2020 until April 2021 to examine the challenges, response, and tactics, of entrepreneurs in rural southern Virginia. In particular, the research goes into depth of how the COVID-19 pandemic effected operations, how entrepreneurs responded, and what measures they took to stay viable. Finally, the article proposes a framework for rapid response in the case of future pandemics, natural disasters, or economic events that cause similar disruptions.

Higher Education Students’ Perceptions Of Online Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Abby O’Bryant

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This article focuses on the impacts of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic on students at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. Using survey data (n = 64) and semistructured interviews with currently enrolled students (n = 17), key impacts of online learning on the student body were analyzed. The respondents reported disengagement in lectures, negative impacts on their mental and physical health, negative thoughts about dropping out and transferring, apprehension about the quality of course content, and dissatisfaction with tuition. The paper utilizes qualitative data analysis to report the findings.

The Effect Of Covid-19 On Substance Use And Mental Health On A College Campus, Georgia L. Coffman

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

In this research, the author surveyed a university population to determine the impact that COVID-19 has had on substance use and mental health. Current research provides significant data indicating worsening mental health and substance use. This paper looks at how applicable those trends are to a small private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. The data included 261 respondents composed of students, faculty, and staff of the university. The results reveal that college students, faculty, and staff experienced statistically significant increases in feelings of unhappiness, depression, loneliness, hopelessness, agitation, and irritability during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic. Data analysis of …

Happy Campers Or Unhappy Prisoners: How Materialism Punishes Us In Lockdown Times, Banwari Mittal

Atlantic Marketing Journal

COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns created an unprecedented upheaval in consumers’ daily lives and lifestyles. The purpose of this research was to understand the psychological experience of life under lockdowns and the role of individual difference variables in that experience. Using survey data from U.S. consumers, the research identified two opposite feelings, coexisting: happy camper feeling or unhappy prisoner feeling. Younger, lower income, and less educated consumers felt more like prisoners than campers. Ability to maintain life as usual, and positive pre-pandemic life conditions (health, social network, and job satisfaction) led to happy camper feelings. In contrast, pre-pandemic materialism led …

Spectator Awareness And Support Of Safety And Security Practices And Technologies During Covid-19, Stacey A. Hall, Joslyn Zale, Ryan Kavanaugh

Journal of Applied Sport Management

Since 2020, a global pandemic has challenged the sports industry in unprecedented ways; the industry came to a standstill at one point, eventually returning with limited capacities and public health safety and security precautions. This exploratory study examined spectators' awareness and level of support for general safety and security measures and their willingness to embrace COVID-19-specific policies as they returned to live events in the U.S. in 2021. A total of 609 participants who attended a professional or collegiate sporting event within the previous three years completed the survey. Results indicated that spectators considered security measures when deciding to attend …

Communication During Covid-19 Crisis: A Case Of Hotels In Turkey, Ayse Selin Dulger, Ayse Bas Collins, Aysegul Gunduz Songur, Cihan Cobanoglu

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

During the COVID-19 pandemic, which has spread all over the world, the importance of communication in terms of knowledge sharing has increased even more in the tourism sector, as in all sectors. Each hotel business has benefited from various communication tools in the pandemic crisis. The aim of this study is to provide an understanding of the crisis communication strategy tackled by the hotels in Turkey during this unprecedented period, via both conventional and internet based public relations and communication platforms within the framework of crisis communication management. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 hotel managers in …

Overcoming The Challenges Of Covid-19 By Hospitality Educational Administrators: A Grounded Theory Approach, Senthilkumaran Piramanayagam, Partho Pratim Seal

The Qualitative Report

The coronavirus pandemic has affected all walks of life across the globe. Higher education institutions confronted multiple challenges and disruptions in teaching and learning. However, the challenges hospitality education administrators need to resolve are distinct compared to other traditional higher education programs. This study aimed to understand the experiences and responses of hospitality educational administrators under crisis. The findings of the study are expected to assist hospitality education institutions to be prepared and respond better to any crisis in the future. To understand the challenges faced and strategies adopted by hospitality educational administrators, we interviewed 23 hospitality administrators across India. …

Cybersecurity Continuity Risks: Lessons Learned From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tyler Fezzey, John H. Batchelor, Gerald F. Burch, Randall Reid

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The scope and breadth of the COVID-19 pandemic were unprecedented. This is especially true for business continuity and the related area of cybersecurity. Historically, business continuity and cybersecurity are viewed and researched as separate fields. This paper synthesizes the two disciplines as one, thus pointing out the need to address both topics simultaneously. This study identifies blind spots experienced by businesses as they navigated through the difficult time of the pandemic by using data collected during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. One major shortcoming was that most continuity and cybersecurity plans focused on single-axis threats. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted …

Short-Term Prediction Of Icu Admission For Covid-19 Inpatients, Yoon Sang Lee, Riyaz T. Sikora

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many hospitals suffered from a surge of some high-risk inpatients needing to be admitted to the ICU. In this study, we propose a method

predicting the likelihood of COVID-19 inpatients’ admission to the ICU within a time frame of 12 hours. Four steps, the Bayesian Ridge Regression-based missing value imputation, the synthesis of training samples by the combination of two rows (the first and another row) of each patient, customized oversampling, and XGBoost classifier, are used for the proposed method. In the experiment, the AUC-ROC and F-score of our method is compared with those of other …

When Privacy Proclivity Meet Covid-19: No Longer Concerns Of Today’S M-Commerce Users?, James L. Thomas, Jianping Coco Huang, Brent J. Cunningham, Jihye Lee, Le Wu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This is continuous research of our previous publication (Thomas et al., 2021). A new two by two study (Before and After COVID 19) X (China and the US culture) was designed to test the moderated mediation effect of the COVID pandemic on M-commerce user’s privacy proclivity, trust, and M-commerce intention! A new sample was collected from two countries in different time periods (Before and after COVID pandemic) to investigate whether M-commerce users’ concern about privacy proclivity has changed after COVID-19. Built on top of our 2021 publication, this study discovered that privacy proclivity no longer has a significant direct impact …

Small Value-Add Local Food Retailer’S Covid-19 And Post-Covid-19 Strategies, Timothy L. Schauer, Denise Ogden, Doc Ogden

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The pandemic came as a blow to retailers that were already under pressure from online competitors that offered low prices and provided the convenience of shopping from home. The media tended to cover the plight and challenges for larger chain stores and big box retailers. However, the small local food providers and retailers also faced challenges and had to manage without the luxury of having dedicated staff and deep pockets with which to navigate through the pandemic. This paper explores the experiences and strategies used by 20 small local value-added food providers and retailers as they navigated the pandemic. Additionally, …

Exploring The Benefit Of Introducing Accounting And Finance Knowledge For Micro And Small Entrepreneurs During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nurul Hidayah, Lucky Nugroho, Harry Suharman, Anees Janee Ali

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This study aims to explore the benefit of introducing the accounting and finance knowledge for micro and small business enterprises, in particular during the time of the coronavirus disease 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the micro and small enterprises. A large number of industries faced the risk of lower sales, which in turn badly hit their businesses. To assist micro and small business entrepreneurs in maintaining sustainability by improving their bookkeeping skills by using digital applications, a team of lecturers from Universitas Mercu Buana, Indonesia, and Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, collaborated on socialization activities and interactions. The lecturers …

Pilgrim Experience And Revisit Intention Post Covid-19: An Exploratory Study Of Amarnath Holy Shrine In Jammu And Kashmir, India, Ramjit Singh, Adil Nazki, Mudasir Mir

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The present preliminary study seeks to explore the pilgrim tourist experience and their revisit intentions post-COVID pandemic. Data were collected at the Amarnath Holy Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, India, using a combination of primary and secondary sources, including seven in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews with pilgrims using the snowball sampling technique. Five main themes were found regarding revisiting intentions, including ease of registration, safety and security, health facilities, accommodation facilities, food and beverage services, and connectivity of the destinations. The study highlights that despite COVID-19, most respondents agree to return to visit the holy Amarnath Cave as they felt that …

Acceptance Of New Travel Norms Among Potential Umrah And Hajj Pilgrims: An Empirical Investigation, Siti Sara Ibrahim, Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Muhammad Azlan Shah Badar

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper investigates how Umrah and Hajj travellers’ needs and wants are influenced by their acceptance (behaviour) of new norms practices (social distancing, hygiene standards, wearing face masks) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cross-sectional survey utilises the purposive sampling method with 216 respondents. Partial-least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLSSEM) was used to confirm the study model and test the hypotheses. Additionally, this study validates the role of age in influencing the new norms of travel behaviour through the PLS-SEM multi-group analysis (MGA). Path Analysis results revealed that psychological needs, safety needs and selfactualisation influence the new norms of …