ABSTRACT
Implicit psychological contract (PC) represents the dynamic employee-employer relationship, and unlike explicit human resource (HR) practices, PC is an underexplored topic in the crisis management literature. By capturing the dual perspective of hotel employers and employees through interviews, this study investigates the content of PCs and breaches of PCs during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The study identifies salient dimensions of employer obligations such as safety assurance and of employee obligations such as personal protection. While employees emphasized the transactional contracts to protect their individual interests, the employers tried to balance the transactional and relational contracts. The study proposes a dynamic PC breach model that indicates contract breaches lead to varied responses through a complex interpretation process. In general, the study suggests that ensuring mutual consideration is the best way for hotel employees and employers to pull through a crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
On the verge of the expiry of land contracts, it is theoretically and practically important to explore the willingness and motivations of farmers to stabilize the land contract relationship, with regards to protecting their land contract rights, addressing potential contradictions during the land contract extension, and maintaining the stability of contracted land. Using China Land Economic Survey Data in 2020, this paper explores the impact of differences in areas per capita of household contracted land on farmers' willingness to stabilize land contract relationship. The findings show that most farmers support the stability of land contract relationship;the smaller areas per capita of contracted land are occupied by households than the average in the village, the weaker of the farmers' willingness to stabilize the land contract relationship. The difference between the areas per capita of contracted land ownership of a household and the average in the village has a greater impact on the willingness to stabilize land contract relationship for middle-and low-income farmers, while the development of land transfer market does not increased the willingness. Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the land plays a more important role of employment security, which reduces farmers' willingness to stabilize the land contract relationship. Furthermore, the promotion of socialized agricultural service has also mitigated the willingness of farmers o stabilize the land contract relationship.
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Although the literature on psychological contracts is rich, researchers have so far paid limited attention to psychological contracts in times of crisis. To investigate how employees assess their psychological contracts during a crisis, we conducted 32 semistructured interviews during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. The interviewees worked in the airline industry, which the pandemic severely affected. Our qualitative approach allowed us to gain novel insights into the mechanisms by which contracts are managed when the typical parameters of contract assessment are not possible, thereby allowing us to expand psychological contract theory. In addition to illustrating the key employer obligations that employees perceived during a crisis, we introduce two novel theoretical concepts -psychological contract credit and psychological contract inactivation - that explain how employees managed their contracts during the crisis. The practical findings of this study are of relevance to HR managers in managing future crises and addressing the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have implemented large-scale vaccination programs. In Taiwan, COVID-19 vaccine insurance is available. However, as the COVID-19 vaccine is a new vaccine, there is limited research assessing its safety, and many physicians are not fully informed about its potential risks. Additionally, there is limited recognition of the risks associated with the COVID-19 vaccine by the government and insurance companies, making it difficult for individuals to prove that an injury is a result of the vaccine. This study examined legal elements, insurance coverage, and potential disputes related to COVID-19 vaccine insurance in Taiwan. This study proposed three ways to resolve vaccine insurance disputes: 1. Insurance companies should clarify the scope of insurance policies and the difference between adverse events following vaccination and adverse reactions. 2. The government should proactively update and supplement the information available on the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines. 3. The courts should reduce the burden of proof for individuals with vaccine injuries by interpreting insurance contracts and evidence law. (Taiwan J Public Health. 2023;42(2):153-164)
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PurposeThis study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being and mental health of the seafarers who had to overstay on ships after their contracts expired, identifies topics that affect their mental distress and recommends measures to overcome these.Design/methodology/approachFour research questions about the impacts on the seafarers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were raised. A literature review and a questionnaire survey were conducted to find answers. Ship officers were asked to assess and fill in the questionnaires for the stranded seafarers onboard in order to collect sufficient samples rapidly for this study.FindingsDespite the guidelines provided by the shipping companies being adequate to protect the seafarers from COVID-19, their mental distress levels have been worsened under the pandemic. The crew change crisis causes anxiety and negatively impacts on their working performance;however, the repatriation expectation of the stranded seafarers is of the highest concern. Three topics were identified as having impacts on the mental health of the stranded seafarers: crew change crisis, low vaccination rate and the lack of key worker recognition. While international stakeholders are advocating for support in these issues, the shipping companies and the seafarers need to do their parts to exacerbate the mental distress, and to survive and thrive beyond the pandemic.Originality/valueThe findings of this study will help the shipping companies to navigate the challenges and the seafarers to overcome issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The expectation in global demand for liquified natural gas (LNG) remains bullish in the coming years. Despite the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the oil price wars between OPEC and Russia in 2020, causing oversupply and falling prices, the LNG markets continue to demonstrate flexibility and resilience in delivering the needs of different sectors, whilst helping achieve the emissions targets. This is attributed to the high competitiveness amongst LNG producers and suppliers, providing greater confidence for medium-to-long term demand. However, the uncertainties in the current outlook for the return of demand and price growth in the post-COVID period pose difficulty for new liquefaction project investment decisions in the pre-Investment Decision Phase (pre-FID). Accordingly, the consideration of new production and selling strategies is needed in the early design stages of projects to cope with the shift in buyers' sentiments favouring increased reliance on spot and short-term uncontracted volumes, as well as incorporating additional flexibility into long-term contracts. In this study, the economic valuation of the flexible Air Product's AP-X liquefaction technology was investigated considering the modelling of price volatilities, using the mean-reverting jump-diffusion pricing model and Monte Carlo simulation, assuming different demand level scenarios in the high-income Asia Pacific markets based on historical trends. The results clearly demonstrate that embedding flexibility within an LNG production system allows producers and suppliers to diversify selling strategies, and take advantage of the lucrative market conditions when demand and prices increase, and hedge against market risks when demand and prices are low.
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PurposeSmart contracts are self-executing computer programmes that have the potential to be used in several applications instead of traditional written contracts. With the recent rise of smart systems (e.g. Internet of things) and digital platforms (e.g. blockchain), smart contracts are gaining high interest in both business and academia. In this work, a framework for smart contracts was proposed with using reputation as the system currency, and conducts currency mining through fulfilling the physical commitments that are agreed upon.Design/methodology/approachA game theory model is developed to represent the proposed system, and then a system dynamics simulator is used to check the response of the blockchain with different sizes.FindingsThe numerical results showed that the proposed system could identify the takeover attacks and protect the blockchain from being controlled by an outsider. Another important finding is that careful setting of the maximum currency amount can improve the scalability of the blockchain and prevent the currency inflation.Research limitations/implicationsThis work is proposed as a conceptual framework for supply chain 4.0. Future work will be dedicated to implement and experiment the proposed framework for other characteristics that may be encountered in the context of supply chain 4.0, such as different suppliers' tiers, different customer typologies and smart logistics applications, which may reveal other challenges and provide additional interesting insights.Practical implicationsBy using the proposed framework, smart contracts and blockchains can be implemented to handle many issues in the context of operations and supply chain 4.0, especially in times of turbulence such as the COVID-19 global pandemic crisis.Originality/valueThis work emphasizes that smart contracts are not too smart to be applied in the context of supply chain 4.0. The proposed framework of smart contracts is expected to serve supply chain 4.0 by automating the knowledge work and enabling scenario planning through the game theory model. It will also improve online transparency and order processing in real-time through secured multitier connectivity. This can be applied in global supply chain functions backed with digitization, notably during the time of the pandemic, in which e-commerce and online shopping have changed the rules of the game.
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The authors stress that both economic and military investments will be required to counter China's integration of statecraft and industry.1 It is further suggested that a selective procurement of allies within the Asian-Pacific region is necessary to counter Chinese economic dominance, military aggression, and coercive practices.2 An Open World suggests that the United States should look to build on existing relationships within trade and security cooperatives in the Indo-Pacific region and bolster the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as the Quad, to become a formal alliance that projects a robust military presence to counter Chinese aggression and encroachment within the South China Sea. [...]the authors point out the current dearth of expertise, talent, and diplomatic finesse that exists within the United States Department of State. In November 2020, the four members participated in a joint naval exercise meant to improve sea readiness for their fleets.6 This exercise was followed by a virtual meeting the following March and the establishment of working groups to tackle challenges such as supply-chain resilience and COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution.7 If these working groups are the extent of the Quad's influence, then the United States needs to seek other alliances to combat China's aggressive economic and military tactics. Coupling public and private sector goals While this type of partnership with private firms is promising, the authors admit to the widening gap between the national security interests of the public sector and the industrial mission of private corporations, which seems to weaken their argument.
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We propose a novel framework, Vacledger, for supply chain traceability and counterfeit detection of COVID-19 vaccines using a blockchain network. It includes four smart contracts on a private-permissioned blockchain network for supply chain traceability and counterfeit detection of COVID-19 vaccine, more specifically to (i) handle the rules and regulations of vaccine importing countries and provide authorization for cross the borders (regulatory compliance and border authorization smart contract), (ii) register new and imported vaccines in the Vacledger system (vaccine registration smart contract), (iii) find the number of stocks that have arrived in the Vacledger system (stock accumulation smart contract), and (iv) identify the exact location of the stock (location tracing update smart contract). Our results show that the proposed system keeps track of all activities, events, transactions, and all other past transactions, permanently stored in an immutable Vacledger connected to decentralized peer-to-peer file systems. We observe no algorithm complexity differences between the proposed Vacledger system and existing supply chain frameworks based on different blockchain types. In addition, based on four use cases, we estimate our model's overall gasoline cost (transaction or gas price). The Vacledger system empowers distribution companies to manage their supply chain operations effectively and securely using an in-network, permissioned distributed network. This study employs the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain (the healthcare industry) to demonstrate how the proposed Vacledger system operates. Despite this, our proposed approach might be implemented in other supply chain industries, such as the food industry, energy trading, and commodity transactions.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of required remote work on work-family spillover within U.S. college sport. In particular, we examined the changes in work-family spillover (positive and negative), job commitment, and workaholism as employee's work environment changed from traditional work expectations to work from home, and if these changes were, at least partially, due to parental responsibilities. Data were collected from full-time, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic department employees (n =1,139) in November 2019 and again in May 2020 following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and after the transition to remote work. Results showed that sport employees found a number of benefits associated with working remotely, including a significant decrease in negative work-family spillover. However, employees with children at home reported higher levels of negative family-work spillover after going to remote work. Workaholism was also higher after the move to remote work. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
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Purpose: The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of adopting CPC 47 on the level of the earnings management of companies listed in the Brazilian capital market. Methodology: The sample used in this study is composed of 207companies listed in B3 in the observation period 2012-2021 totaling 2070 observations. The approach is quantitative, using multiple linear regression with balanced panel data. Dechow, Hutton, Kim and Sloan (2012) and Kothari, Leone and Wasley (2005) models were used to improve the discretionary accruals and an earnings management model with control and interest variables. Results: The results did not confirm the hypothesis that the adoption of CPC 47 affected the level of results management in the analyzed period but showed that indebtedness and operating cash flow explain discretionary accruals, regardless of the adoption of the pattern of revenue recognition. This evidence about earnings management increased with the adoption of CPC 47 was contrary to Baldissera, Gomes, Zanchet and Fiirst (2018), however, according to the findings of Grecco (2013), Jewel and Nakao (2014) and Braga (2020) in relation to the effects of accounting standards. The results indicate that companies with higher operating cash flow can generate accounting information with better quality regardless of the effects of the adoption of CPC 47. The period of the coronavirus pandemic did not significantly affect earnings management levels. Contributions of the Study: As a contribution, the study expands the theoretical knowledge about the effects of CPC 47 on earnings management. Additionally, in a practical way, it collaborates with regulatory organs, auditors, executives, stakeholders and the financial market in general.
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Currently, a number of external factors (in particular, sanctions pressure from the US and EU countries, the pandemic of a new coronavirus infection) have a strong negative impact on the socio-economic development of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the head of almost any Russian region is forced to perform the functions of an anti-crisis manager. The modern system of stimulating the work of civil regional employees can help improve the efficiency of public administration, and as a result, ensure the socio-economic development of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation. The author's approach to this issue is based on the simultaneous application of a number of modern scientific methods, namely index, neural network technologies and mathematical game theory. The use of neural network technologies makes it possible to objectively assess the achieved level of socio-economic development of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation. Taking into account the positive foreign (Singapore and South Korean) experience in the field of civil service reform, it is proposed to make the amount of collective incentive payments (bonus fund) of regional civil servants directly dependent on the achieved level of socio-economic development of the subject of the Russian Federation. In turn, this implies the development of a hierarchical system of collective-individual stimulation of the work of regional civil servants. During the construction of the game-theoretic model, the correct establishment of the relationship between the level of collective incentive payments to regional civil servants and the socio-economic development of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation is ensured. After experimental refinement of the parameters of the game-theoretic model, there is a possibility of its practical application to stimulate the work of regional civil servants in Russia. The introduction of the author's approach into the practice of regional management, firstly, will allow coordinating the activities of ministries and departments, and secondly, will strengthen control over the targeted spending of budgetary funds on bonus payments to civil civil servants.
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Contract violations are frequent due to the high uncertainty and complexity of construction projects. However, enforcement after a violation has received limited attention. This study distinguishes between three types of violations, i.e., letter violations, mutually agreed spirit violations, and unilaterally assumed spirit violations, based on the documentation and mutuality dimensions. By using the data collected from Chinese general contractors, this study concludes that compared with unilaterally assumed spirit violations, violations of high mutuality of obligations (the first two violations) will lead to more severe contractual and reputational enforcement while with high mutuality, whether the violated obligations are written in the contract or not (corresponding to the first two violations, respectively) does not significantly affect the severity of enforcement. The mediating effects of relational risk perception on the aforementioned effects are empirically supported. This study contributes to the enforcement literature by exploring the effects of the characteristics of violations, especially violations of undocumented elements of contracts, on enforcement and fills the gaps in the scarce literature on reputational enforcement and its antecedents. Project managers can benefit from this study by recognizing the application of reputational enforcement and making better alignment between different types of violations and enforcement. IEEE
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Identifying factors influencing the viability of medium, small, and micro scale construction firms (MSMSCFs) is a crucial precursor in positioning such firms to aid economic and infrastructural development, especially in developing countries. This article assesses viability factors that are influenced by building information modeling (BIM) in MSMSCFs amidst construction firms' viability factors. Out of a total of 177 workers surveyed from 59 MSMSCFs that were awarded construction project contracts in sampled institutions in Nigeria, 65 staff members from 31 MSMSCFs were accessed. The factors were ranked and reduced to significant ones through principal component analysis. Ten significant factors influence the viability of MSMSCFs and six of them are enhanced by BIM implementations. All eight component factors and 18 of the 27 variables with high factor loadings can be influenced by BIM implementation. BIM can potentially curb corruption in construction projects and enhance MSMSCFs' quality of service, clients' satisfaction, construction management and technology, professional performance, procurement practices, and prompt payment of work certificates. All stakeholders need to pay prompt attention to factors that can be influenced by BIM to improve the viability of MSMSCFs, thereby hastening BIM adoption and utilization, especially in developing countries.
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Aim. This research aimed to explore how servant leadership nurtures nurses' job embeddedness by uncovering the sequential mediation of psychological contract fulfillment and psychological ownership. Background. The healthcare of Pakistan is undergoing an acute shortage of 1.3 million nurses. The gap is widening due to unprecedented natural uncertainties (floods, earthquakes, COVID-19, dengue, polio, and monkeypox) and the large-scale brain drain of nurses. Therefore, exploring the underlying factors that could facilitate nurses' job embeddedness is imperative. Methods. A cross-sectional research design was employed, wherein data were gathered in three rounds, two months apart, from 587 nurses employed in public hospitals in Pakistan, and analysis was performed with Smart-PLS. Results. Servant leadership positively influences nurses' job embeddedness and psychological contract fulfillment. Besides, psychological contract fulfillment positively affects psychological ownership, and psychological ownership enhances nurses' job embeddedness. Finally, psychological contract fulfillment and psychological ownership sequentially mediate the relationship between servant leadership and job embeddedness. Conclusions. This research emphasized the vitality of servant leadership in nurturing nurses' job embeddedness. Implications for Nursing Management. Healthcare authorities should keenly focus on promoting servant leadership that shapes the positive perception of nurses about their psychological contract fulfillment and psychological ownership, which are essential resources to cherish nurses' job embeddedness.
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Technological developments within advanced economies are impacting organisations and working lives. With the advent of 'Industry 4.0', Universal Basic Income (UBI) is being cast as a potential 'buffer'-a social safety net-to the restructuring of organisations, jobs, and economies that are already underway. The Covid-19 pandemic is providing an additional impetus as governments instigate similar safety nets as employment falls in the wake of the virus. To date, much of the debate concerning UBI has taken place in disciplines outside the auspices of Human Resource Management with most commentary occurring within the spheres of economics and social policy. This conceptual study is one of the first within the human resource management (HRM) field to address the potential impacts of UBI on orientations to work and the management of employees. To do this, we focus on a central underpinning theory within HRM, the psychological contract and how this might be affected by its introduction. Finally, a research agenda is developed that provides options by which we might explore the implications of UBI for the practice of HRM when and if such schemes are implemented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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In recent months it has been discussed whether the pandemic generated by Covid-19 can be established as a possible ground for contract modification due to hardship. This paper reviews this concern specifically in international commercial contracts, arguing that, based on the arbitral tribunal's obligation to consider commercial stipulations and usages in the resolution of the dispute in question, even when the law applicable to the merits of the case is highly probable that this thesis will be accepted. For this purpose, we will review the various elements that are necessary to understand this assertion. © 2022, Thomson Reuters Brasil Conteudo e Tecnologia. All rights reserved.
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The global outbreak of coronavirus disease has become one of humanity's current greatest challenges and may arguably surpass climate change in the short-term. The virus's rapid dispersion through the transportation sector, its disruption to human health and global economies, has been remarkable. The energy sector has also been impacted, as it has seen episodic low prices of oil, particularly in April 2020. This scenario is due to less demand for oil amid various containment measures and related health policies of governments worldwide. The performance of existing oil and gas contracts, especially time-bound supply contracts, has been rendered impracticable in some parts of the world. This has resulted in parties invoking force majeure clauses as an excuse. However, the legitimacy of coronavirus as an acceptable force majeure has emerged topically controversial. This article, adopting an analytical approach, makes a case for coronavirus as a typical instance of force majeure for energy contracts or sales and purchase agreements ("SPAs"), such as liquefied natural gas ("LNG") contracts and energy purchase agreements ("EPAs"), and which can only avail defense depending on parties' contractual force majeure provision. This article offers an understanding of force majeure alongside required fundamentals. Likewise, it highlights current debates about force majeure and likely impacts on future energy law contracts.
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Article 79 of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods imposes very strict requirements for its application as a ground for exemption from liability. As an alternative to it and in line with modern relational contracts theories, this article proposes, in situations where there are circumstances that prevent a normal development of the contract, the use of the anticipatory breach mechanism contained in Articles 71 to 73 of the Convention, especially for contracts of a certain complexity and of medium and long term, such as supply contracts. © 2023, UNIV CARLOSIII MADRID. All rights reserved.
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PurposeThe study aimed at understanding the relationship between psychological contract breach, well-being indicators, i.e. subjective well-being and mental well-being and innovative behaviour.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via a structured questionnaire through Google docs from 238 academicians working at different capacity in Indian academic industries. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling.FindingsPsychological contract breach was positively impacting occupational stress and occupational stress was negatively impacting work engagement. Work engagement positively impacted innovative behaviour and well-being indicators. Occupational stress and work engagement mediated the relationship between psychological contract breach and well-being and innovative behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThe data for the study were collected from the employees working in education industry during the unlock COVID-19 pandemic situation.Originality/valueThe study contributes by integrating social exchange theory (SET) and job-demands resources (JD-R) theory in the pandemic situation. In the current COVID-19 pandemic circumstance, the results showed precise factual evidence that answers the question of how unfulfilled expectations have a negative impact on academicians and educational institutions.