ABSTRACT
Violent incidents, terrorist attacks, senseless shootings, health issues such as the Coronavirus, and natural disasters call attention to managerial leadership in crisis situations. Yukl and Van Fleet (1982) did the seminal work on this topic extended by Peterson and Van Fleet (2008) and Peterson et al. (2012). More recently, Geier (2016) reported findings based on firefighters while Htway and Casteel (2015) and Kapucu and Ustun (2018) studied public sector organizations. Since these studies all involved nonprofit organizations, an extension to for-profit organizations is warranted. There are differences between profit organizations and not-for-profit organizations (Collins, 2001;Collins, 2005). Because of the goals involved, there may be differences in the managerial leadership behaviors required by these types of organizations. Hannah and Parry (2013) specifically recommend expanding leadership research to many different extreme situations in an effort to understand different managerial leadership behaviors that adapt to varying crisis situations. Two samples reported here identify the critical managerial leadership behaviors desired by for-profit organizational participants in both stable and crisis situations. Finally, implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.
ABSTRACT
This study investigates COVID-19 related budget revenue losses in US local governments, and their effects on funding and provision of essential public services such as EMS, healthcare, firefighters, police, welfare and public housing services. A survey was sent to county and city governments to learn about their revenue losses for fiscal year 2020 and their effects on funding and service provision. Results show budget revenue loss significantly impacts funding cuts for essential services and is most impactful on welfare and public housing services. Additionally, although funding cuts significantly influence levels of services provided, aid from federal government restrains the extent of funding cuts and the influence of cuts on EMS and healthcare. The findings imply intergovernmental transfers play a pivotal role in averting deep cuts that could be detrimental to saving lives during a crisis. Furthermore, funding availability is key to maintaining appropriate levels of services to help care for the sick and protect the vulnerable in society.
ABSTRACT
In our first article, entitled “Mental health patterns during COVID-19 in emergency medical services (EMS)”, Silvia Monteiro Fonseca et al. have explored the patterns of EMS personnel’s mental health regarding their levels of anxiety, depression and stress during COVID-19 pandemic. The study recommendations from this research include, but are not limited to, ensuring a more equitable distribution of protective equipment to paramedics across unevenly funded services and recognizing paramedics face unique and additional stressors in public health emergencies. The study used validated instruments such as the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) instrument, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the PSS and the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist on a sample of UK police officers. In a fascinating paper, John Hylander et al. explore the collaborative challenge of emergency response to major incidents in road tunnels for the emergency services, emergency dispatch centers and local authorities next.