Contagion Risk in Equity Markets During Financial Crises and COVID-19: A Comparison of Developed and Emerging Markets

This study compared the impact of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the COVID-19 pandemic on financial market contagion between developed and emerging markets. A DCC-GARCH model was employed to test the contagion effects of developed and emerging markets using weekly returns for the S&P 500 (US), FTSE-100 (UK), ASX 200 (AUS), IBOVESPA (BRA), BSE SENSEX (IND) and BVM IPC (MEX). The results show that there was a persuasive case made for the integration of markets for efficient financial systems. A crisis occurring in one market holds significant repercussions for any of the connected markets. The findings show that the COVID-19 pandemic affected all the markets more severely than the GFC and contagion effects were more pronounced in emerging markets than in developed markets during the GFC and the pandemic. Consequently, policymakers in emerging markets should implement policies that reduce external vulnerabilities and improve their markets' stability to reduce the impact of contagion risk.

The Effects of the HyFlex Learning Model on Undergraduate College Student Activity Levels (preprint)

This study represents a new line of research focused on the potential effects of a hybrid learning model on established health predictors (sleep and activity level) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research explored the correlation between the mode of education delivery (online vs. in-person classes) to the students’ sleep duration and activity level. Current literature supports the paradigm that lower physical activity leads to negative health outcomes. At the time of this writing, there was a lack of scientific knowledge on the pandemic-produced ratio of online courses taken per day and face-to-face classes taken per day and how those differences may affect sleep duration and activity levels of college students. The results of this study showed an inversely correlated relationship between the utilization of a HyFlex (online and in-person delivery mode) learning model and students’ activity level. For each additional online class a student took in a given day (when compared to the same student going to in-person classes) the amount of mild activity decreased by nearly 7 minutes (b = − .115, p < .001). This research also found that taking online classes had the same effect on vigorous activity levels, decreasing the time spent in activity by 2.1 minutes for each online course taken on any given day (b = − .035, p = .020). This relationship between online learning and activity level is important in understanding the potential negative effects on physical health for college students as educators try to deliver a robust learning experience via online education both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: How Pastors Communicate Faith and Hope to Virtual Congregations

This paper examines how pastors engaged an online presence to preach the Word of God and address the needs of their congregations, during the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in South Africa. This is set against the Biblical instruction of Jesus Christ to Peter, to “feed my sheep” in John 21: 17, as it is the very same instruction that holds for pastors in churches today. However, the normal operations of the ministry have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Christian church, a close-knit group of believers to whom social and physical distancing are foreign concepts, has had to adapt. Worship sites have been abandoned, and the absence of worshipers has become the norm. Pastoral ministries have been disrupted and call for pastors to embrace new technology to ensure that they have a digital presence with their congregation through social media. This paper argues that these circumstances give the church of God a unique opportunity to rethink how to continue ministry without physical contact. It adopted a mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) approach, using an online questionnaire and telephonic surveys to engage pastors. The paper utilises the Two-way Communication Model (TCM) and the Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT). It concluded that pastoral care and spiritual counselling are essential in crises, that pastors have embraced social media in their mission, and that there is support for digital technology. The article recommendations that there should be a balanced communication strategy for Pastor’s ministries, and that government partners with faith-based organisations in different ways in a joint effort to combat the virus, while encouraging and supporting congregants © 2021 Open Access

Escape from recognition of SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant spike epitopes but overall preservation of T cell immunity

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The use of tools affordances to support communication and collaboration during COVID-19 remote work

Tools are commonly utilized by distributed agile software development teams to support communication and collaboration. However, few studies have systematically unpacked the affordances of such tools. Moreover, with the rise of COVID-19 in 2020, teams are faced with new dynamics and challenges that are not addressed by traditional remote work literature. Building on affordance theory, this study explores how teams can actualize tools affordances to support communication and collaboration during COVID-19 remote work. The chosen method is an in-depth case study of a distributed agile software development team, with data being collected using semi-structured interviews. The paper outlines 25 perceived affordances which were exploited from the various features of 10 tools. These affordances were actualized by the teams, resulting in 4 outcomes: Fostering of Engagement, Streamlined Communication, Enhanced Virtual Meetings and Increased Shared Understanding. The outcomes supported communication and collaboration during COVID-19 remote work. © AMCIS 2021.