Strategic Management Through Digital Platforms for Remote Working in the Higher Education Industry During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Strategic management is a vital part of every industry;however, the COVID-19 crisis has further escalated the importance of strategic management and adaptability in the higher education industry. The convergence of digital, information and communication technologies coupled with lockdown measures imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the adoption of digital platforms and technologies for online teaching and learning in higher education. This qualitative paper aims to examine the viewpoints of and challenges faced by students and lecturers pertaining to digital platforms and technologies in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research methodology encompasses the use of a networking approach;80 interviews were conducted with 38 students and 42 university lecturers in Europe, Australia, North America, and Asia. The selection of a sample was undertaken by means of a gatekeeper strategy combined with convenience sampling, while the saturation point was used as a benchmark to reach a representative sample size. The results revealed that digital platforms and technologies facilitate a participative teaching style and improve the learning capabilities of students. The results further highlight the fact that break-out rooms, pre-class videos and creative learning activities promote higher levels of student attendance and engagement. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that, despite the significant development of digital technologies and information and communication technologies (ICTs), both lecturers and students prefer traditional face-to-face teaching because it offers greater emotional connectivity. Major challenges unearthed include poor connectivity, a higher incidence of depression, feelings of self-isolation and a lack of emotional engagement. Recommendations and implications for the higher education industry relating to remote learning are presented in the latter part of this paper. © 2022, WSB University. All rights reserved.

A critical analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and ecosystems and opportunities for circular economy strategies.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on the 11th of March 2020, but the world is still reeling from its aftermath. Originating from China, cases quickly spread across the globe, prompting the implementation of stringent measures by world governments in efforts to isolate cases and limit the transmission rate of the virus. These measures have however shattered the core sustaining pillars of the modern world economies as global trade and cooperation succumbed to nationalist focus and competition for scarce supplies. Against this backdrop, this paper presents a critical review of the catalogue of negative and positive impacts of the pandemic and proffers perspectives on how it can be leveraged to steer towards a better, more resilient low-carbon economy. The paper diagnosed the danger of relying on pandemic-driven benefits to achieving sustainable development goals and emphasizes a need for a decisive, fundamental structural change to the dynamics of how we live. It argues for a rethink of the present global economic growth model, shaped by a linear economy system and sustained by profiteering and energy-gulping manufacturing processes, in favour of a more sustainable model recalibrated on circular economy (CE) framework. Building on evidence in support of CE as a vehicle for balancing the complex equation of accomplishing profit with minimal environmental harms, the paper outlines concrete sector-specific recommendations on CE-related solutions as a catalyst for the global economic growth and development in a resilient post-COVID-19 world.