Higher Education Leadership and the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study reports Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) leaders' response to COVID-19, issues that concern them during online education, and future actions based on their experience in Spring 2020. One hundred forty leaders from different HEIs in the Sultanate of Oman participated in an online survey. Leaders reported that protecting staff and students' health, maintaining academic integrity in online assessment, and achieving high-quality online teaching and learning were at the top of their concerns. Leaders believed in the importance of online education;therefore, they are ready to invest more in it by providing better resources, enhancing the instructional technology infrastructure, providing more training for the faculty, and investing in new online learning resources. Furthermore, the results revealed that leaders from the private HEIs would plan to reduce the financial effects of the pandemic more than their counterparts by cutting the workforce, reducing salary, applying for institutional loans, and requesting additional support from the government. © Common Ground Research Networks, Azzah Al-Maskari, Thuraya Al-Riyami, Habiba Al-Mughairi, Siraj Kunjumuhammed, All Rights Reserved.

A study on the linage between business continuity plans and corporate finance during COVID-19

This chapter discusses the linkage between business continuity plans (BCP) and corporate finance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike the previous financial crises, such as the global financial crisis of 2008-09, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the corporate sector from both the demand and supply perspectives. The precautionary lockdown and social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the virus resulted in declining household earnings and wealth, consumer spending (demand-side), production and supply chain disruptions, and closure of business activities (supply-side). Corporate organizations set business continuity plans to mitigate the crisis's impact and sustain their business operations, focusing on the mission-critical functions and validating a plan for maintaining business operations during and after the crisis. © 2023, IGI Global.