ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed companies' perspective on relocation and brought uncertainty into people's lives. Uncertainty, a decisive factor in today's global environment, requires new research about human resources and companies. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unexpected need for change within organizations, especially in terms of human resources management, creating a complex and challenging environment that interferes with business continuity, forcing employees to cope with this challenging situation. OBJECTIVE: The article aims identifying the changes generated by the COVID 19 pandemic in the relocation of businesses from the European Union, assessing the relocation trends of companies around the world in European countries in this volatile macroeconomic environment. The sustainability of companies, the way they can overcome the crises generated by the pandemic depend mainly on economic, social, financial, political factors and human resource involved in the relocation process. Studying the influence of the pandemic on relocation decision contributes to better management of crises in the future and to reducing risks. METHODS: The study proposes an integrated ANP-TOPSIS (Analytic Network Process-Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) for ordering preference according to the ideal solution framework. Priority should be given to solutions that consider the interactions between factors involved in decision-making. The proposed model will increase the efficiency of the transfer decision-making process and help managers choose solutions effectively based on their importance and impact on the company and the human resources involved. RESULTS: The synthesis of the indicators and methods used, in addition to the factors that affect relocation, complements the specialized literature. The results showed a shift in business relocation options from east to west, demonstrating the current trend in the relocation issue associated with the COVID-19 virus. Eastern European countries are no longer as attractive for companies relocating compared to the pre-pandemic period. The countries with more stable economies, characterized by lower risks, seem to become more attractive to companies that relocate their facilities. CONCLUSIONS: The strategic positioning of the firm, its growth or adaptation to the present environment, and its geographic focus are fundamental components of a company's migration. The selection of an ideal site is a research problem;not only to find a place where firms will have access to qualified human resources, to lower their costs, to be close to raw materials or the market, but also to prevent associated relocation hazards. According to research, today's reality necessitates a risk-focused strategy.
ABSTRACT
Even though commercial companies play a really important role in the economic functioning and development, now, in crisis conditions, the future for some of them is unknown. As a result of the release of crisis caused by „Coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome 2, abbreviated SARS-CoV-2”, these companies are facing novel negative situations, not being able to manifest temporarily or normally the activity. From a systematic point of view, this crisis has the role of a really powerful disturbing factor. The creditors and investors are in a similar fragile situation. This paper identifies some scientific methods which can decrease the negative appeared problems, building models that take into account the limited resources that companies face and that they can lead to improving their economic situation. As an application, part of the essay presents the synthesis of the main assets and malfunctions of a company established in Romania. The elaboration of future strategies will be achieved through the systematic research of the admissible bases, aiming at maximizing the objective function. The type of equilibrium by reverse induction will be established, thus obtaining the set of the best cost variants. Linear programming will generate the optimal solution capable of exploiting the opportunities offered by the market with a minimal impact of disruptive factors. © 2021 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.