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An assessment of post-COVID-19 recovery plans for small tourism enterprises in the North-West province, South Africa. Journal of Contemporary Management, 21(2):227-258
Abstract
Purpose of the study: The COVID-19 pandemic has had one of the worst economic impacts in recent history, and the tourism industry has been severely affected. Small enterprises tend to be vulnerable during an economic crisis, in part because they have fewer resources with which to adapt to a changing context. In particular, the pandemic has wreaked financial devastation on small enterprises operating in the tourism industry, leaving many establishments struggling to survive. The aim of this paper was to explore the underlying business management practices needed by small tourism businesses (STBs) to recover and continue to operate post-COVID-19 in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach: Using a phenomenological research approach, in-depth interviews were conducted to comprehend the experiences of business owners and understand their recovery plans post-COVID-19. Purposive and snowball sampling was used as the business owners/managers who were interviewed were managing their businesses in the hospitality and tourism industry in the North West province, and a thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data. Findings: The findings of the study indicated that the pandemic had a severe impact on the business operations of STBs, and as a result, various business recovery strategies were employed to mitigate the risk posed by the pandemic. Recommendations/value: Equally important, the findings can be utilised to inform policy-making processes, and the recommendations can contribute not only to the resuscitating of STBs but also to the revival of the South African economy post-COVID-19. Managerial implications: The COVID-19 crisis has had an adverse impact on the tourism industry, and although there is limited research related to recovery strategies by small businesses, this research paper has been undertaken to understand the small business owners' recovery plans in response to new challenges within the context of the pandemic, as this necessitates for long-term plans to allow for the survival and continual operations of STBs.
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The ability of a small and micro enterprise (SME) to recovery after a pandemic outbreak can directly affect national economic growth and sustainable development (Sustainable Development Goal 11). Thus, the current study quantitatively identifies, based on the spatial probit model, effective measures that enhance the performance and survival of SMEs after multiple waves of shocks induced by COVID-19. Additionally, this work explores the spatial correlation for post-pandemic recovery performance of businesses adopting a novel approach. Two field investigations were conducted in Dongguan City, in China, where questionnaires were released to 592 SMEs over a two-year period. The results obtained showed that the overall recovery performance of SMEs after the pandemic showed a positive spatial correlation, while this correlation varied at different local regions. More in detail, self-media marketing, borrowing money from family or friends, requesting bank loans and tax relief have been identified to be the key measures to effectively support the recovery and the increase chances for small businesses to remain operative after the pandemic. However, the success of these measures varies across businesses with different characteristics (owner's age and industry experience, primary market and business size, pre-pandemic financial condition). It is then suggested based on the results obtained that policy managers should formulate differentiated policies in terms of assistance measures for businesses targeting dissimilar characteristics as well as the needs of different regions, because those may have been impacted differently by the pandemic.
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the economic impacts of the current coronavirus disease, which is globally known as (COVID-19) pandemic, on small businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry, including food and beverages (F&B) industries in Malaysia during and after the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO) and conditional (CMCO) with the emergence of new business models.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the implemented methodology involved a secondary qualitative research design based mainly on the existing literature, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports, the government’s documents, in addition to online sources and observations regarding local business experiences.
Findings
The findings revealed that implementing effective strategies of recovery, shaping resilience solutions and supporting policies such as the National Recovery Plan, which is backed by the government played a pivotal role in avoiding the turndown of small businesses.
Originality/value
This critical review is submitted as an original research paper, which aims to provide important perspectives regarding the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on the tourism and hospitality industry in Malaysia. This paper serves as a scholarly platform for further in-depth studies on various resilience solutions of small businesses.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly spread throughout the globe, and recovering from the pandemic will be a massive test on economic systems. The pandemic has severely affected the accommodation sector as global travel has come to an almost complete standstill as of April 2020. This paper provides a preliminary assessment of the economic impacts of the pandemic on guesthouses in South Africa and the response measures adopted by this sector. Through online surveys, the empirical results show that guesthouse operations were severely disrupted by the pandemic, leading to a critical decline in revenue and a pronounced threat to job security. Despite implementing various response measures and strategies, guesthouses were somewhat concerned about the future of their businesses due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. This research can assist in developing intervention measures to support guesthouses in addressing the economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has affected a large number of industries. Tourism and the hospitality sector are among the most affected. Scientists from all over the world are considering the impact of the coronavirus and the prospects for the transformation of tourism during and after the pandemic. At the same time, the tourism industry itself not only suffers from COVID-19 but also helps to fight it. This article provides a brief overview of the directions in the development of tourism that allow limiting the spread of COVID-19 and ensuring the safety of tourists. Some problems and advantages of using tourism to combat the pandemic are discussed. The findings will contribute to understanding the role of the tourism industry in the fight against coronavirus and promote new research in this area.
As the hospitality industry has begun adopting service robots to replace frontline human services, service robots’ attractiveness becomes a salient factor in their design and implementation. However, it is unclear what consist of service robots’ attractiveness and how they affect customer responses. This study examines the effects of multiple dimensions of service robots’ attractiveness on customers’ emotions using a text mining approach. For the data analysis, we collected 50,629 online reviews on 59 hotels and restaurants using service robots from the largest social commerce platform in China. Using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) method, we analyzed 7570 online reviews that are directly related to service robots. With the LIWC outcomes, the relationships between the attractiveness dimensions and customer emotions were investigated. Based on our findings, finally, we provide propositions for understanding the attractiveness of service robots. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Tourism is regarded as a powerful force in the rise of pandemic diseases as the movement of people is seen as a pathway for the spread of such diseases. The sector is thus susceptible to measures to prevent the spread of
pandemics. In the wake of COVID-19, unprecedented lockdown regulations relating to travel restrictions and social distancing have had a direct and indirect impact on the tourism industry and visiting friends and relatives
(VFR) travel in particular. More than half of the domestic tourism market comprises tourists who visit friends and relatives in all corners of South Africa. With the restrictions on public gatherings and travel in the country,
inter/intra provincial travel largely ceased on 26 March 2020. This paper draws on existing literature, as well as current media sources to review the literature on the legacy of VFR travel; assess the impact of COVID-19 on VFR travel; and finally, to examine the opportunity that might be created by COVID-19 for such travel. It argues that, in the wake of COVID-19, VRF has the potential to fuel the resurgence of the tourism industry in South Africa, especially domestic tourism. Thus, destination marketing organisations might consider a
coordinated effort to market this form of travel.
In the COVID-19 outbreak context, some industries were seriously affected, and the T&T (travel and tourism) industry is unarguably one of those industries. As the world is slowly moving towards a recovery stage, T&T is lagging in the recovery process, mainly because of people’s perception of safety and a new, more cautious behavior when buying products that are not essential for survival, such as T&T products. In order to discover sustainable recovery paths for the industry and the real impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on consumer perceptions and purchasing behavior, the current quantitative research was developed on the basis of two different representative samples in two different moments: May 2020 and December 2020, with a focus on Romania’s population. The main results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced travel patterns and habits regarding philological and economic factors. Psychological factors, primarily the fear of contamination, impact travelers’ willingness to travel and the conditions and preferences for vacation destinations. At least in the medium term, people will avoid traveling in large groups and being in crowded places. Hygiene and health conditions in the host destination can represent essential factors in travel decisions. Confronted with a cautious clientele, tourism businesses (such as transport, accommodation, and catering) should further enhance their hygiene conditions to restore confidence. Moreover, communication is essential in these challenging times to tackle travelers’ fear and concerns.
Global epidemic crises, such as the coronavirus (COVID-19), usually expose small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to various kinds of challenges and may put their lives at risk. This study aims to develop a theoretical model to provide insights about the association between innovation practices and the SMEs’ performance and survival while underlining the auxiliary role of external support in such a relationship. Online questionnaire has been used to collect the data from 259 randomly selected SME managers in Saudi Arabia, and the data was analyzed using the SmartPLS3 software. The structural equation modeling results showed that the innovation practices adopted by SMEs to face the repercussions of COVID-19 had a positive impact on the performance and likelihood of business survival. PLS-SEM bootstrap results indicated that external support aids strengthen the positive impact of SMEs’ innovation practices on business survival rather than its performance. The study has several significant practical implications for SME managers, governments, and policy makers that have been stated.
Covid-19 pandemic struck the world during December 2019, and it has now been over a year that the countries are still struggling to cope up with it. United Arab Emirates (UAE), largely being an oil-driven economy witnessed a contraction in its GDP in 2020. While the UAE is still to assess the total economic and social costs of the pandemic, many businesses seem to have got highly affected and some of them might be on the verge of getting wiped off from the market. Consequently, unemployment might upsurge resulting in increasing number of people falling into the poverty trap. Thus, it is essential for the government and businesses in the UAE to explore possible alternatives to revive the economy. Even though vaccination has started, it is only in the initial stage and another wave of Covid-19 could be anytime possibility. As such, this study attempts to understand the impact of Covid-19 on the UAE’s economic environment along with major sectors that have gained or got distressed in the pandemic. Also, it reviews the existing literature on post-disaster business recovery strategies and identifies the comprehensive framework that could aid the UAE in reviving its economy and businesses. The framework highlighted in this study focuses on the collective action of both government and businesses to fight against the pandemic. It guides the economic recovery via building trust among the people, creating an entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem, learning from small business recovery plans and infusing financial stimulus to create a much needed sustainable and resilient business environment.
The COVID-19 crisis has compelled many organizations to implement full-time telework for their employees in a bid to prevent a transmission of the virus. At the same time, the volatile COVID-19 situation presents unique, unforeseen daily disruptive task setbacks that divert employees’ attention from routinized work tasks and require them to respond adaptively and effortfully. Yet, little is known about how telework employees react to such complex demands and regulate their work behaviors while working from home. Drawing on Hobfoll’s (1989) conservation of resources (COR) theory, we develop a multilevel, two-stage moderated-mediation model arguing that daily COVID-19 task setbacks are stressors that would trigger a resource loss process and will thus be positively related to the employee’s end-of-day emotional exhaustion. The emotionally exhausted employee then enters a resource preservation mode that precipitates a positive relationship between end-of-day exhaustion and next-day work withdrawal behaviors. Based on COR, we also predict that the relation between daily COVID-19 task setbacks and exhaustion would be more positive in telework employees who have higher (vs. lower) task interdependence with coworkers, but organizations could alleviate the positive relation between end-of-day exhaustion and next-day work withdrawal behavior by providing employees with higher (vs. lower) telework task support. We collected daily experience-sampling data over 10 workdays from 120 employees (Level 1, n = 1,022) who were teleworking full-time due to the pandemic lockdown. The results generally supported our hypotheses, and their implications for scholars and managers during and beyond the pandemic are discussed.
The COVID-19 outbreak is a global crisis that has placed small and medium enterprises (SMEs) under huge pressure to survive, requiring them to respond effectively to the crisis. SMEs have adopted various digital technologies to cope with this crisis. Using a data set from a survey with 518 Chinese SMEs, the study examines the relationship between SMEs’ digitalization and their public crisis responses. The empirical results show that digitalization has enabled SMEs to respond effectively to the public crisis by making use of their dynamic capabilities. In addition, digitalization can help improve SMEs’ performance. We propose a theoretical framework of digitalization and crisis responses for SMEs and present three avenues for future research.
Through this article, the authors aim to provide a detailed analysis of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on a part of the tourism sector, namely, the attitude that tourists have towards travel agencies and online platforms. While the situation on the tourism market is bleak, the conclusions lead us to the idea that, given the recent growing desires of tourists there is a chance of a systematic return. Through the research carried out on a sample of 435 people, the authors highlight the significant differences regarding the pre-purchase behavior of the tourist product, respectively the mode, travel booking, preferences, motivations of the tourist, in the context of the predominance of a specific factor during COVID-19 and post COVID-19 and respectively the trust in the tourist services/in the travel agencies in general. The results of this research can be a starting point for the analysis of other market segments in order to develop marketing strategies specific to the COVID-19/post COVID-19 period.
Purpose: This study examined the impact of strategic foresight (SF) on the competitive advantage (CA) of SMEs in Anambra State.
Research methodology: Survey research design was chosen for the work. The population was 1500, while the sample size was 306 business owners arrived at using Krejcie and Morgan formula. Split-Half technique was used in testing the reliability of the self-structured questionnaire, and the result obtained was .891. Data were analysed using Simple Regression Technique, and the hypothesis was tested at 5% level of significance.
Results: The findings revealed that SF has a relationship with CA (r = .968) while coefficient of determination (R2) indicates that a 92% change in CA is accounted for by changes in SF (R2 = .938; F = 4070.780, p-value < 0.05).
Limitation: This study is limited by scope as only SMEs in Anambra State were studied which may not be enough to make an inference.
Contribution: This study will help small and medium-sized enterprises to realize the importance of keeping them aware not only of what is happening in their business environment, but also outside of their immediate environment.
Keyword: Strategic agility, Sustainability, Strategic foresight, Competitive advantage, Coronavirus
We know that small businesses are vulnerable to crisis, however little is still known about how they cope during long crisis as the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper provides a qualitative analysis of small businesses in Macau, China, in the months following the outbreak. We collected interview data from six local small firms. We found that the sudden decline in demand has the strongest impact on small firms. As compared with large firms, new startups and small firms show high flexibility in their reactions to the crisis, partly due to the low level of bureaucracy and limited social responsibility compliance. Among the various types of response strategies, all participant firms adopted flexible HR strategies. Other common survival strategies include the increase of product diversification, exploration of new markets, and increase of learning. We also found that some small businesses had a formal crisis plan and strategy before the outbreak, and these firms tend to have longer history, experience in dealing with crisis, and operate in more regulated sectors. Based on these results, we define five types of renewal and survival strategies for small businesses and propose a SME crisis resilience model.
Purpose
This paper examines the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and the policy response in African countries.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses discourse analysis to analyse the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 in Africa.
Findings
The findings reveal that African countries have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and the effect was more severe for African regions compared to other regions. The rising pandemic affected social interaction and economic activities through the imposed social distancing policies that have different levels of strictness in several African countries
Practical implications
The implication of the findings is that social policies can affect the social and economic well-being of citizens. Secondly, the coronavirus outbreak has revealed how a biological crisis can be transformed to a sociological subject. The most important sociological consequence of the coronavirus outbreak for African citizens is the creation of social anxiety among families and households in the region. The outbreak has also shown how vulnerable African societies are in facing health hazards. Policymakers should enforce social policies that unite communities in bad times, to reduce social anxiety.
Originality/value
This is the first paper that explore the socio-economic impact of coronavirus and the policy response in African countries.
Covid-19 pandemic outbreaks have led many countries to impose travel restrictions and movement controls. In Malaysia, the small business sector is one of the most directly affected by the movement's control order. In fact, the impact is more significant among micro-enterprises than its larger counterparts. Entrepreneurs experience business cancellation or closure and reduced income due to the closure of several supporting sectors such as retails and transportation. There is still a lack of study on the impact of a pandemic outbreak on micro-enterprises in developing countries, especially in relating to business continuity and recovery strategy. It is crucial to explore how micro-entrepreneurs experience crisis and what decision they make for business survival. This study represents the perspectives of two micro-entrepreneurs in the rural area of Sabah, about their business continuity strategy during movement control order. The results of unstructured phone interviews provide insights on business survival approach and recovery plan of micro-enterprises during and after a crisis. This study will hopefully contribute towards the creation of effective support mechanisms through associated entrepreneurial development organizations for micro-entrepreneurs to thrive during and after a crisis.
Purpose-This article discusses the effects of COVID-19 on hotel marketing and management practices and outlines a three-pronged research agenda to stimulate knowledge development in the hotel sector.
Design/methodology/approach-This paper is based on an overview of the relevant literature on hotel marketing and management as well as the hotel guest behavior. The authors also investigated hospitality service trends to propose a research agenda.
Findings-This paper presents a research agenda from three dimensions-artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, hygiene and cleanliness, and health and healthcare. First, different types of AI (mechanical, thinking, and feeling) might open up distinct research streams at the intersection of health crises and hotel management, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this paper recommends that researchers move beyond typical perspectives on the antecedents and outcomes of hotel hygiene and cleanliness to delve into guests' perceptions of the cleanliness of specific hotel surfaces. Furthermore, a more in-depth analysis is warranted about the evolving relationship between hotels and the healthcare sector.
Practical implications-The recommended research areas are intended to advance the knowledge base to help hotels recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The suggested research streams are expected to provide actionable insights to promote the development and sustainability of the hotel sector.
Originality/value-This article appears to be a frontier study, critically examining possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on hotel marketing and management practices and how hoteliers may respond to such challenges to recover after this pandemic.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is challenging the world. With no vaccine and limited medical capacity to treat the disease, nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPI) are the main strategy to contain the pandemic. Unprecedented global travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders are causing the most severe disruption of the global economy since World War II. With international travel bans affecting over 90% of the world population and wide-spread restrictions on public gatherings and community mobility, tourism largely ceased in March 2020. Early evidence on impacts on air travel, cruises, and accommodations have been devastating. While highly uncertain, early projections from UNWTO for 2020 suggest international arrivals could decline by 20 to 30% relative to 2019. Tourism is especially susceptible to measures to counteract pandemics because of restricted mobility and social distancing. The paper compares the impacts of COVID-19 to previous epidemic/pandemics and other types of global crises and explores how the pandemic may change society, the economy, and tourism. It discusses why COVID-19 is an analogue to the ongoing climate crisis, and why there is a need to question the volume growth tourism model advocated by UNWTO, ICAO, CLIA, WTTC and other tourism organizations.
In South Africa, small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) have been recognized as the critical driving force to alleviate some economic challenges that the country faces. The challenges, such as the alleviation of poverty and the unemployment rate, can be addressed by policies that encourage SMME developments and sustainability. The historical background of SMMEs in South Africa has left them operating in various locations, such as cities and townships. There is a growing concern of the lack of information and communications technology (ICT) adoption by SMMEs, in particular those operating in townships. The aim of this study was to develop an ICT adoption framework using the sustainability livelihood framework (SLF) to encourage ICT adoption and improve the livelihood of township SMMEs. This study used the sustainable livelihood framework (SLF) to explore the broader socio-economic contents of the township SMMEs on human, social, financial, and physical and natural resource-based assets that enable the poor to enhance their capabilities and reduce their vulnerabilities. This study deployed a qualitative exploratory research. A sample of 21 SMME owners/managers operating in Soweto was used, and data were collected using in-depth interviews and observations. The study revealed township SMMEs are complex and dynamic and need various interventions in order for them to be sustainable. The SLF for township SMMEs can be used as a guideline for SMME owners/managers and policy makers when formulating ICT adoption policy.
The study aims to measure the impact of the occurrence of corona virus on the tourism industry in China. The secondary research methodology has been implemented for the research. Several pieces of literature, journal articles, research or thesis paper, government documents, etc., are considered to collect the necessary information for the study. For data collection, the secondary data has been collected through extensive literature reviews. The government data about the incidences regarding corona virus has been collected. The statistical data from the renowned and authentic data sources have been collected to understand the impact of the Corona Virus on the China Tourism industry. The research findings show that the occurrence of Corona virus in China has significant impacts all across the globe. Due to this virus threat, outside people fear to mix up with the Chinese population. The global tourists have cancelled their programs to visit China and the Chinese tourists are banned to visit oversees nations. The rapid spread of the Corona virus in China has stopped the normal life of the people in China. This fear has impacted the tourism industry of the country domestically and internationally. The airlines have canceled all flights in recent times from and to China so that the virus is not carried to other countries. This has affected the economy of the country to a large extent. The intensification of the Corona virus is being thought to cause a long term impact on the tourism industry of the country China.
The coronavirus pandemic will deeply affect the tourism and travel sector. It is already clear now that its economic impact would be more severe that in the case of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002-2003. Although not as deadly as SARS, coronavirus infection has a longer incubation period and leaves about 85% of the infected without any (or with just mild) symptoms which makes it more difficult to track and to contain. Moreover, it appears to be much more contagious than its predecessor. The goods news is that most people recover from the disease and develop antibodies that can protect them from getting infected again (natural vaccination). Those cured might become the key element for the post-virus recovery strategies of tourism organisations. People with the acquired immunity to the virus would be capable of travelling freely without spreading the disease. Airlines, hotels and gastronomy should aim at this group offering them discounts and special offers. However, the problem is how to effectively ensure that everyone who claims to be cured from COVID-19 is telling the truth. Health tracking bracelets, apps, and other advanced technological solutions should be put in place. Recent best practices from Hong Kong, mainland China, or India might be applied.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of terrorism on tourism demand in Greece using monthly data from 1977 to 2012. We investigate whether this relationship is bidirectional and whether it exhibits long run persistence. Thus, we employ a large dataset of terrorist incidents and perform cointegration and long-run causality tests, correcting our data for cyclical seasonality and applying PCA to construct a terrorism proxy according to the severity of the incident. Our findings concur that terrorism has a significant negative impact on tourist arrivals to Greece and that causality is noted from terrorism to tourism only. The results suggest that authorities should establish firm measures against terrorism and that further actions should be taken to promote tourism, safety and security, as a response to terrorist incidents. Our study is, to the best our knowledge, the first to approach terrorism using a three-factor proxy with qualitative features.
The aim of this paper is to explain the nature of management innovation, as well as to propose its measurement instrument. The paper offers a review of key publications on management innovation published in research journals within the last two decades. The critical analysis – primarily focused on definitions, the proposed dimensions of management innovation and the scales used for their measurement – has allowed for the development of an original tool for measuring management innovation (MI). Five dimensions of management innovation are proposed, namely, strategic dimension, structural dimension, employee motivation and development dimension, interorganisational relations and partnership dimension, and ICT dimension. Using survey data of 301 employees from different companies in Poland, the validation of the management innovation measurement instrument was conducted. Internal consistency analysis (Cronbach's alpha) and factor analysis, used to test the statistical reliability of the tool, yielded satisfactory results. The findings of this study contribute to advancing innovation research, particularly the state of knowledge on management innovation. Implications for both research and managerial practice are also presented. The proposed five-dimension management innovation model can be used to measure the scope of management innovation in further research and develop the knowledge about links between MI and an organisation's performance or its impact on technological innovativeness. In addition this study uncovers a wide range of information on management innovation issues for interested parties and for future research.
The tourism industry is vulnerable to disasters due to its heavy dependence on natural resources. Despite growing studies on tourism disaster management, little research has been conducted from a stakeholder collaboration perspective, yet effective collaboration can improve recovery outcomes. This paper integrates stakeholder collaboration literature with a tourism disaster context – tourism threats from Cyclone Marcia in Queensland, Australia. This paper contributes to this gap by investigating (1) stakeholder's motivations for collaborative disaster management, (2) factors that facilitate or impede stakeholder collaboration-building, (3) successful elements and challenges for effective collaboration. Findings are drawn from in-depth interviews with key stakeholders that were directly involved in tourism disaster management. Motivations for collaboration-building are found to be resource and relationship related. Past experience and relationships can influence the development of collaboration after a disaster. Consistent communication and trust are two key elements of effective collaboration, while competing demands and poor relationships are key barriers. Findings from this research can help better understand stakeholder collaboration in tourism disaster management. Governments and tourism destinations can use these findings to develop interventions to improve effective tourism disaster management. Future research avenues based on the findings and a model are also outlined.
Over the years 2020-2022, as more and more countries recover gradually from the COVID-19 pandemic, the question arises as to which image repair strategy marketers will choose to re-attract tourists anew. Choosing the right image repair strategy is a topic that has been neglected so far. The COVID-19 tourism crisis is an opportunity to bridge this theoretical gap, as several surveys in assorted countries asked potential consumers about their future travel plans. Analyzing these surveys provided a valuable look into the selection process of recovery marketing strategies. Combining twenty recovery marketing strategies used in past crises with recent surveys examining planned consumer behavior in the post-COVID-19 era will allow us to recommend the most valuable strategies to be adopted by DMOs. Out of the twenty recovery marketing strategies, we discovered six image repair strategies for the post-COVID-19 era. These strategies were found suitable according to three criteria: the practicality of implementing the strategy considering the COVID-19 crisis’ characteristics, proof of the strategy’s effectiveness in previous crises, and the results of surveys regarding future tourism consumption in the post-COVID-19 era. In addition to the study’s theoretical contributions, its findings can also be helpful for practitioners.
Few would deny the crucial role that entrepreneurs play in our increasingly global economy--but exactly what is this vital, yet loosely defined business force we call the entrepreneurial spirit? This landmark study is the first to examine analytically the nature of the opportunities that entrepreneurs pursue, the problems they face, the traits they require, and the social and economic contributions they make. Until recently, entrepreneurs have been largely ignored in modern economic theory. But at the dawn of a networked age, marked by the advent of e-business and the home office, there’s no question that entrepreneurs have recaptured the popular imagination. Studies now show that most men and women dream of starting their own businesses rather than rising through the corporate ranks. Yet in spite of increased attention by many of today’s leading business schools, entrepreneurship has remained largely a mystery, an apparantly intuitive sense of values possessed by certain individuals. This book targets the issues central to successful start-up ventures, such as endowments and opportunities, planning versus adaptation, securing resources, corporate initiatives, venture capital, revolutionary ventures and the evolution of fledgling businesses. Focusing on hard data and evaluations of numerous start-up businesses, including many of today’s major industry leaders, this book presents a new economic model--a key to understanding the guts, determination, luck and skills that constitute the underpinnings of corporate success. Written in clear, concise prose, The Origin and Evolution of New Businesses goes behind the charts and graphs of business theory to the true heart of success. It is essential reading for business students, would-be entrepreneurs, or executives wanting to incorporate the vitality of the entrepreneurial spirit into their organization.
The hospitality, travel, tourism, and events industry remains one of the hardest-hit casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. This conceptual paper examines responses to COVID-19 by the government of Ghana and its implication for tourism businesses. It discusses weaknesses exposed, and lessons learned by practitioners because of COVID-19. The paper discusses the lack of a centralized database, lack of insurance, and insufficient financial reserves which have left the industry vulnerable in the wake of the pandemic. Based on these, the paper proposes that the Ghanaian tourism industry be sustained by the use of digitalization, social media, and a revived domestic tourism industry. The paper recommends a three-step recovery model based on the reinvention of domestic tourism and concludes by highlighting the possible transformation of the industry as well as the need for a concerted, all-encompassing effort by traditional and non-traditional stakeholders to ensure the recovery of the industry.
Episodic events such as epidemics, natural disasters, civil strife and economic crises may have adverse impacts on tourism development in the short or long term (Zeng et al., 2005). The COVID-19 crisis, which has been on the agenda for the last one and a half year, has seriously affected not only the tourism sector, but all the sectors in the world; and the economic, social, and psychological dimensions of the pandemic have appeared. The starting point of this study is to make predictions regarding what kind of a transformation will be caused, in the future, by the COVID-19 pandemic that we are going through. In the study, changes that may be encountered in the tourism and hospitality industry after COVID-19 are discussed with examples both in a holistic sense and as specific to sub-sectors. In this context, the following issues appear to be important in shaping the future of the industry: post-pandemic sustainability, digitalization and technology in the tourism, hospitality and travel industry, adaptation to the new global economic change, rise in rural/eco-tourism activities, increase in travels to local regions, development of resilience strategies by tourism establishments, the importance and necessity of revenue and yield management for each tourism business, and requirement of digital health and/or vaccine passports for travels.
To prevent COVID-19, tourists are required to maintain distance from other people. However, interpersonal contact is a crucial element in tourists' well-being. It is necessary to ask how eliciting both eudaimonic and hedonic well-being will change as a result. The answer is unclear. To address this issue, we used partial least squares equation modeling to examine a city that has efficiently responded to COVID-19. This study expands the influencing model of tourists' well-being by revealing how physical distance moderates the influence of such factors as contact intention, leisure involvement, and flow experience. The study throws light on tourists' psychological recovery and destination management in the post-COVID-19 era.
Purpose
In this paper, the authors set out to explore how small- and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs) in a developing country (Turkey) are coping with economic and financial consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It is also crucial to understand what kind of policymaking solutions will help them to successfully overcome it.
Design/methodology/approach
To gather data, the authors interviewed SMTEs in the Bodrum area – one of the most elite and exciting destinations for foreign travelers in Turkey. Semi-structured interview method was used, and questions for data collection focused on three key areas: (1) impact of COVID-19 on SMTEs, especially in terms of cash flow and other problems, (2) government incentives and (3) business strategies to cope with the crisis.
Findings
(1) Even a year and a half into the pandemic, despite government relief efforts, vaccination programs, the easing of lockdown and travel restrictions, survival is still the main concern for SMTEs. (2) Although they do not have enough resources, these entrepreneurs have energy and motivation, are optimistic about the future and are investigating new opportunities by capitalizing on their “strategic flexibility”, an intrinsic strength of SMEs. (3) Recovery is going to take a long time, and government support, however crucial in the interim, cannot replace the pre-crisis conditions that are anxiously awaited by these businesses.
Research limitations/implications
One of the main limitations of this study is that the gathered research data are localized to one destination in Turkey, the Bodrum area. In that respect, it is difficult to hypothesize the degree to which the resulting data can be generalized to other areas of Turkey and the rest of the world. Future work is required to provide greater insight into how to be prepared effectively for this type of crisis. Therefore, further research should be undertaken to investigate tourism and hospitality industry in the whole country and to compare findings to those of other cities and regions. An especially important issue for future research that would yield insight and practical implications worldwide is comparison of findings across countries.
Practical implications
The impact of COVID-19 is challenging all SMTEs’ conventional business models. Each business needs to evaluate its own internal and external conditions, secure required financial resources necessary for survival and sustainable business strategies for post-COVID-19 era. Besides short-term survival thinking, they also look for long-term business strategies both saving, investing, innovation and diversification. They are also on the look-out to seize any new opportunities presenting themselves as well as for any additional governmental support.
Originality/value
This paper offers a systematic approach toward understanding the realities of SMTEs in the midst of crisis by focusing on their short-term survival and long-term sustainability responses against COVID-19. It also brings practical experiences of industry participants and opinions of industry experts to academicians, practitioners and policymakers, shedding light on challenges faced by SMTEs.
The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted the global business environment and has resulted in significantly challenging multiple industries across the business spectrum. One of the industries facing severe adverse consequences is the travel and tourism industry. This study aims to assess and assimilate the overall impact posed by this pandemic to the Indian tourism industry and propose a sustainable recovery framework that would provide a guideline to all the Indian tourism industry stakeholders to forge the way forward in the post-pandemic era. The study adopts a narrative literature review-based approach to arrive at a sustainable recovery framework based on the analysis and evaluation of the literature on the proposed topic. The study finds that the Indian tourism industry has been significantly impacted by the ongoing pandemic and has altered the functioning of all the stakeholders in the industry.
This manuscript studies the impact of the exogenous COVID-19 pandemic shock on small businesses in the United States. We provide early evidence on how small business owners were affected by COVID-19 and the implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. We collected online survey data from a national sample of 463 small business owners across the United States. The survey was conducted in June 2020, eight weeks after the passage of the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. The survey data include information about business characteristics, financial well-being, current response to the crisis, beliefs about the future of their business survival, and the business-owning family demographic information. There are three main themes that emerge from the results. First, drivers of income loss were not necessarily associated with time to recovery. Second, businesses that were undercapitalized were more likely to suffer higher income loss, longer time to recovery, and less likely to be resilient. Resilient was operationalized as a scale merging perceived success, potential for growth, and perceived profitability. Third, business model changes were necessary due to the pandemic but not all adaptive strategies led to better business outcomes. The results from this research study will lead to a better understanding of key vulnerabilities and adjustments that small businesses make to fully recover from economic shocks.
The quarantine and disruption of non-essential activities as measure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected all economies around the World. This has had a deeper impact on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies because they have very limited resources and vulnerable supply chain and business-to-business / business-to-clients relationships. In this context, it is expected that after the pandemic many of these enterprises will disappear as the “new normality” will require changes in business and infrastructure management. To reduce this risk, innovation is identified as a key aspect of business recovery in the ongoing and post-COVID-19 pandemic period. This work presents a multidisciplinary methodological approach to guide these enterprises to innovate their products for new markets and making a better use of their limited available resources. As an example of this approach, the research-supported development of a new product for a family-owned SME was performed in a zone with high COVID-19 risk. The results provide insight regarding innovation as a survival tool for SMEs during and after the COVID-19 contingency, and the use of digital resources is identified as the main facilitator for networking and research-based design of innovative products within the “social distance” context.
Tourism is one of the hardest-hit industries by the global pandemic of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Small tourism enterprises have been heavily affected and have had difficulty in business recovery. This research is an early attempt to explore the direct impact of small hospitality enterprises' resilience on sustainable tourism development as well as indirect impact through performance. A pre-tested questionnaire survey was self-administered to owner-managers of small hospitality enterprises in Greater Cairo, Egypt. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) using AMOS showed a positive, direct, and significant impact of resilience (planned and adaptive) on sustainable tourism development and indirect influence through performance. The results of the multi-group analysis showed that enterprise type has a significant effect on the results, where restaurant owner-managers expressed more resilience than their hotel counterparts. Several theoretical (for scholars) and practical implications for tourism policy-makers and owner-managers have been discussed and elaborated.
Purpose – Hospitality and tourism researchers are yet to provide evidence of actual crisis management amongst small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially from a resource-scarce destination perspective. By adapting a crisis management framework, the authors elected to fill this gap by exploring small and medium-sized hospitality and tourism operators’ (SMHTOs) personal experiences of managing the
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Ghana. The study uncovers their crisis-coping strategies as well as immediate- and long-term post-recovery strategies.
Design/methodology/approach – Using a qualitative lens, informed by phenomenology as well as theoretical saturation, data were collected from 20 owner-managers (OMs) and non-owner managers (NOMs) of accommodation, restaurants, travel and tour (T&T) agencies and souvenir shop operators via a combination of telephone and socially distanced face-to-face interviews as well as participant observation. Data were thematically analysed involving both deductive and inductive coding techniques. Data validity and reliability were confirmed using “member check” and inter-rater/coder reliability statistic in SPSS, respectively.
Findings – Impacts of the pandemic on businesses included shutdowns, booking cancellations, revenue drops, lay-offs and defaults in the payment of pension contributions and taxes. The pandemic greatly impacted the accommodation, T&T and souvenir shop operators compared to food and beverage (F&B) operators due to the temporary closure of Ghana’s borders and major attractions. The study identified six phases in SMHTOs’ crisis management process: awareness, combating the spread of COVID-19, coping mechanisms, short-term/ immediate and long-term recovery measures and lessons learned. Besides, state institutions and personal beliefs influenced the coping and recovery actions used by SMHTOs.
Practical implications – It is critical for governments and industry management institutions to consider the capabilities and specific actions taken by SMHTOs during a crisis such as COVID-19 in the efforts to support their crisis preparedness and response strategies. Furthermore, SME operators in the industry must see insurance uptake as one important measure that could help them cope with the losses instigated by the impact of a crisis and possibly speed up their recovery.
Originality/value – The study extends the general crisis management framework by including additional phases of crisis management and the specific activities carried out by SMHTOs in managing the COVID-19 crisis. This makes this study one of the first studies in Africa that examined crisis-coping and post-recovery strategies amongst small and medium-sized hospitality and tourism firms.
Travel is requisite for tourism activity, therefore, any factor that hinders traveling may have a profound impact on the tourism industry. This includes pandemics such as COVID-19. Therefore, it is important to have well thought out tourism crisis and disaster management (TCDM) to mitigate the impact and help with post-crisis recovery. This study uses a qualitative research method to examine the TCDM during the current crisis. Interviews were conducted and transcribed. The text-based data was analyzed using SPSS modeler 14.1 and results were discussed. The result indicates that open communication is a key to successfully combat pandemic and government-sponsored loans are crucial to the survival of tourism industry. Future research directions are also proposed.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of every economy. So, when an external crisis jeopardizes markets, such as the recent COVID-19 outbreak, SMEs are hit with great force. Their so-called liability of smallness, a lack of resources that would shield them from outside shocks, worsens the situation. This manuscript conducts a literature study on 69 manuscripts that studied SMEs in previous crises and proposes ways to overcome economic downturns in the areas of finance, strategy and the institutional environment. The paper finds a “strategy/funding chicken-and-egg-problem” and proposes an effectual world view when dealing with situations of great uncertainty.
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in January 2020 in Wuhan has had a significant impact on the Chinese economy, and especially on the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In February 2020 an online questionnaire and follow-up interviews were conducted on 4807 SMEs in Sichuan to assess the challenges associated with work resumption and the associated policy requirements. It was found that most SMEs were unable to resume work because of a shortage of epidemic mitigation materials, the inability of employees to return to work, disrupted supply chains, and reduced market demand. Many SMEs were also facing cash flow risks as they had to continue to pay for various fixed expenditures even though they had little or no revenue. As these delays in work resumption have put unprecedented pressures on the survival of many SMEs, recommendations relevant to China and other affected countries regarding cash flow relief, work resumption and consumption stimulation are given to assist SME survival and economic recovery from the disaster situation.
Thematic analysis is a widely used, yet often misunderstood, method of qualitative data analysis. It is a useful and accessible tool for qualitative researchers, but confusion regarding the method’s philosophical underpinnings and imprecision in how it has been described have complicated its use and acceptance among researchers. In this Guide, we outline what thematic analysis is, positioning it in relation to other methods of qualitative analysis, and describe when it is appropriate to use the method under a variety of epistemological frameworks. We also provide a detailed definition of a theme, as this term is often misapplied. Next, we describe the most commonly used six-step framework for conducting thematic analysis, illustrating each step using examples from our own research. Finally, we discuss advantages and disadvantages of this method and alert researchers to pitfalls to avoid when using thematic analysis. We aim to highlight thematic analysis as a powerful and flexible method of qualitative analysis and to empower researchers at all levels of experience to conduct thematic analysis in rigorous and thoughtful way.
The recent spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its associated coronavirus disease has gripped the entire international community and has caused widespread public health concerns. Despite global efforts to contain the disease spread, the outbreak is still on a rise because of the community spread pattern of this infection. This is a zoonotic infection, similar to other coronavirus infections, that is believed to have originated in bats and pangolins and later transmitted to humans. Once in the human body, this coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is abundantly present in nasopharyngeal and salivary secretions of affected patients, and its spread is predominantly thought to be respiratory droplet/contact in nature. Dental professionals, including endodontists, may encounter patients with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and will have to act diligently not only to provide care but at the same time prevent nosocomial spread of infection. Thus, the aim of this article is to provide a brief overview of the epidemiology, symptoms, and routes of transmission of this novel infection. In addition, specific recommendations for dental practice are suggested for patient screening, infection control strategies, and patient management protocol.
Reproducibility should be a cornerstone of scientific research and is a growing concern among the scientific community and the public. Understanding how to design services and tools that support documentation, preservation and sharing is required to maximize the positive impact of scientific research. We conducted a study of user attitudes towards systems that support data preservation in High Energy Physics, one of science's most data-intensive branches. We report on our interview study with 12 experimental physicists, studying requirements and opportunities in designing for research preservation and reproducibility. Our findings suggest that we need to design for motivation and benefits in order to stimulate contributions and to address the observed scalability challenge. Therefore, researchers' attitudes towards communication, uncertainty, collaboration and automation need to be reflected in design. Based on our findings, we present a systematic view of user needs and constraints that define the design space of systems supporting reproducible practices.
Congratulations to H. Russell Bernard, who was recently elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences"This book does what few others even attempt—to survey a wide range of systematic analytic approaches. I commend the authors for both their inclusiveness and their depth of treatment of various tasks and approaches." —Judith Preissle, University of Georgia "I appreciate the unpretentious tone of the book. The authors provide very clear instructions and examples of many different ways to collect and analyze qualitative data and make it clear that there is no one correct way to do it." —Cheryl Winsten-Bartlett, North Central University "The analytical methodologies are laid out very well, and I will definitely utilize the book with students regarding detailed information and steps to conduct systematic and rigorous data analysis." —Dorothy Aguilera, Lewis & Clark College This book introduces readers to systematic methods for analyzing qualitative data. Unlike other texts, it covers the extensive range of available methods so that readers become aware of the array of techniques beyond their individual disciplines. Part I is an overview of the basics. Part II comprises 11 chapters, each treating a different method for analyzing text. Real examples from the literature across the health and social sciences provide invaluable applied understanding.