Special Issue "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).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gian Luca Casali
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Management, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia
Interests: business ethics; entrepreneurship and strategy; research methods (qualitative and quantitative); models of innovation diffusion in mature industries; healthcare ethics
Dr. Mirko Perano
E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Management, Reald University College, Albania
Interests: Strategic Management; Marketing Management; Strategic Planning; Business Development; Leadership; Entrepreneurship

Special Issue Information

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 papers will be 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 1900 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 (4 papers)

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Research

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Article
The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Growth-Oriented SMEs: Building Entrepreneurial Resilience
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9296; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169296 - 19 Aug 2021
Viewed by 375
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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Article
Lesson Learned from the Power of Open Data: Resolving the Mask Shortage Problem Caused by COVID-19 in South Korea
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010278 - 30 Dec 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 936
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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Review
New Ways of Working and Public Healthcare Professionals’ Well-Being: The Response to Face the COVID-19 Pandemic
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8087; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12198087 - 30 Sep 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1222
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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Concept Paper
Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic Exposing the Shortcomings of Current Supply Chain Operations: A Long-Term Prescriptive Offering
Sustainability 2020, 12(14), 5858; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145858 - 21 Jul 2020
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 6434
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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