Surviving the hectic early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study to the supply chain strategies of food service firms in times of a crisis

Purpose>The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have hit the food service industry very hard. The COVID-19 outbreak has created a sharp downturn for firms in the food service industry, compelling actors across the whole food service supply chain to rethink their strategies. The purpose of this paper is to document the impact of COVID-19 on the food service supply chain, as well as to identify crisis management strategies food service firms use during the hectic early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic to survive the current and prepare for future pandemics.Design/methodology/approach>We performed a qualitative descriptive study using 21 semi-structured interviews with actors across the food service supply chain (i.e. farmers, wholesalers and food service providers). Data were collected to shed light on food service firms' decision making during the hectic early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic to uncover various crisis management strategies used.Findings>By integrating the disaster and crisis pyramid and resilience theory, four core crisis management strategies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic are conceptualized, i.e. (1) managing resources, (2) diversifying strategically, (3) prioritizing long-term outcomes and (4) bonding socially.Originality/value>The theoretical contributions include documenting the performance impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food service supply chain and exploring crisis management strategies food service firms employed during the hectic early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, functioning and survival during a pandemic, an emerging field in literature, are central to this study. Additionally, while recent research suggests that integrating crisis management and resilience literature may provide a more complete understanding of the organization–crisis relationship, these literature streams mainly developed in isolation. By integrating the literature streams of crisis management and resilience and applying these theories to the COVID-19 crisis, our study provides specific managerial guidelines.

Crisis management within LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations during COVID-19 and beyond. A qualitative descriptive study

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to descend upon the public on a global basis, concerns have been raised as to how LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations could manage crises and generate revenue and maintain networking capabilities. The instruments for data collection that were used are (1) focus groups, (2) questionnaires, and (3) interviews. Being able to operate and remain solvent during this arduous time has proven to be challenging for LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations. In the current qualitative descriptive study, 21 participants completed questionnaires with regards to how COVID-19 has affected the LGBTQ+ nonprofit sector regarding organizational function. Therefore, a qualitative descriptive research design was used to assess challenges that were brought upon by the pandemic, considering the utilization of crisis management among LGBTQ+ employees within LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations. Additionally, two sets of theories were incorporated to address the two research questions, and the conclusions were obtained from the data that was collected. The duo theories enhanced the prescriptive theme of organizational stability within Los Angeles, California, regarding crisis management, to limit adverse descriptive themes that could hamper nonprofit LGBTQ+ organizational operations overall. The data analysis tool utilized was Dedoose and its applications. Key findings indicated that there is a lack of training regarding current and future technology. Crisis management strategies for COVID-19 and beyond were adversely affected. Strategic planning and technology advancements could positively influence implications for practice regarding LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, California. Additional recommendations for future research would be to narrow down nonprofits to LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations, for a specific locality. In turn, this would also highlight organizational structure regarding nonprofit practices within a subculture for future autonomy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Intellectual Capital and Its Role in Crisis Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Empirical Study in Kuwait

The study aimed to assess the availability of intellectual capital in Kuwaiti private universities in terms of its three dimensions (human capital, structural capital, and relational capital), as well as its role in crisis management (crisis preparedness, crisis mitigation, confrontation, and response to the crisis, and learning from the crisis) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the boards of trustees, university presidents, their deputies, and deans of the colleges were chosen as respondents to this study from a sample of (8) private universities in Kuwait, with the sampling unit consisting of leaders in these universities. The study revealed that all dimensions of intellectual capital play a statistically significant impact in executing crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic at Kuwaiti private universities after conducting the data analysis process. The study concluded that universities should pay attention to intellectual capital in all its dimensions (human capital, structural capital, and relational capital) because of its role in improving their ability to implement crisis management strategies and strive to improve their capabilities to face crises by implementing crisis management strategies.