COVID-19 in Zimbabwe: Trends, Dynamics and Implications in the Agricultural, Environmental and Water Sectors

This contributed volume, based on papers presented at a conference held in Zimbabwe in mid-2021, interrogates solutions to COVID-19-related problems and issues across agricultural, environmental and water sectors in Zimbabwe and assesses their scientific, economic and practical validity. Across 19 chapters, this volume unpacks the science, economics and politics of the pandemic with a focus on understanding its secondary and tertiary impact on Zimbabwe's population. The volume is also dedicated to understanding the practical and policy-oriented approaches in tackling the pandemic and confronting the "new normal” of COVID-19. It brings together researchers, development practitioners and policy makers from various disciplines in an endeavour to understand COVID-19 trends and analyse the scientific options for mitigation, containment, innovation and ultimately pre-empt the possible emergence and impacts of other pandemics in the future. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

The impact of corporate governance on financial performance: a cross-sector study

Corporate governance remains the focus of current research and a concept that continues to evolve to meet the needs of business managers. Faced with the need for companies to cope with a world characterized by perpetual change and successive economic crises (Prowse in Revue d'economie financiere 31:119-158, 1994), the identification of the results of the implementation of good governance mechanisms in the structure of the management of companies on financial performance remains a necessity that helps managers and researchers specialized in management sciences and financial accounting to have a better visibility on the importance of corporate governance. It should be mentioned that the economic environment and the characteristics of the sectors of activity of the companies remain a relevant criterion in the study of the relation between the governance of the companies and their financial performance. In this sense, we have tried through this research work to study the impact of the implementation of effective corporate governance on the financial performance of 160 companies in the UK between 2005 and 2018 while taking into account the specificity of the business sectors. Through our study, we used multivariate regressions based on FGLS models while dividing our sample to several clusters. As a result, we found that the implementation of good corporate governance leads to the improvement of the financial performance of companies measured by the return on equity. As a motivation, it must be said that this study can be of major importance for future studies that want to make comparisons on the sectoral and temporal level. Indeed, this study gives the possibility for future research work to make comparative studies based on comparisons for different sectors of activity in the UK before and after the Brexit and also after the COVID 19 period.

Navigating Disruptive Times: How Cross-Sector Partnerships in a Development Context Built Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak

This article explores how cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) operating in a development context built resilience during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a qualitative analysis of eight partnerships operating in East-Africa, Central America, and Indonesia, I show how CSPs engaged in three practices of resilience building (i.e., forming unconventional alliances, mobilizing digital technologies, and building subnetworks), which allowed them to remain functional despite facing adversity. In addition to fostering their resilience, my findings show how engaging in these practices enabled the CSPs to develop new capabilities (i.e., improved abilities to engage with beneficiaries) that benefit them in the long run. Based on these insights, I advance our understanding of resilience building by unpacking this concept on a CSP level. Furthermore, by unfolding the relevance of incidental learning in a cross-sectoral setting, I widen our knowledge of learning processes in CSPs.

Place and the Structuring of Cross-Sector Partnerships: The Moral and Material Conflicts Over Healthcare and Homelessness.

Local places, such as communities, cities, and towns, host many cross-cross sector partnerships, many geared primarily toward alleviating local social and environmental issues. Yet, existing literatures focus predominantly on largescale systemic impact and global challenges such as climate change, paying scant attention to the role of local, geographically bounded dynamics in shaping these partnerships. In this article, I conceptualize places as geographic locations imbued with specific meaning systems and material resources to unpack how local embeddedness shape the structure of cross-sector partnerships. Specifically, I investigate how place-based conflict, arising from tensions between the moral and material aspects of a partnership, can shape formalized aspects of organizational structure. These include the scope of operations, partners' roles, and shared resources. I unpack these relationships using a case study of Occupy Medical, a local partnership between the civic society and the local government in Eugene, Oregon, tackling the problem of providing healthcare to the homeless and other marginalized and disenfranchised communities. The analysis covers the nine-year period of 2011-2020 and spans three major restructurings of the organization, the latest prompted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. I theorize two forms of structural arrangements for cross-sector partnerships, confined and leveraged, and further elaborate on the role of cross-sector partnerships in crises response on the local level.

What makes nonprofit organizations (NPOs) talk transparently about their connections with businesses on Twitter? Insights from nonprofit-business network portfolios and resource dependencies

Drawing on network portfolio literature and resource dependence theory, this study investigates how a nonprofit's N2B partnership portfolio configurations (i.e., size and industry diversification), reliance on individual donations, and reliance on government grants influence the nonprofit's transparency in disclosing N2B partnerships on Twitter. We manually coded the level of transparency reflected in 911 tweets sent by 81 leading COVID-19 NPOs mentioning 501 companies from March 1 to July 19, 2020. Social network analysis and regression models were performed to answer the research inquiries. Findings indicate that maintaining a large number of business connections is associated with lowered transparency in N2B communication on Twitter, whereas keeping diverse connections with different business industries relates to increased transparency in N2B communication. NPOs with a stronger reliance on government grants signaled more transparency in N2B parentships on Twitter, but the reliance on individual donations did not influence N2B transparency signaling. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.

Social entrepreneurship and COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed the world. The pandemic is a public health crisis with profound implications for society. It follows that research efforts focused on addressing societal issues such as social entrepreneurship (SE) - 'the practice of addressing social problems by means of markets' - will also be deeply altered. In this commentary, we reflect on how the current COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics have affected, and will affect, research on the topic of SE. We unearth five fundamental assumptions underlying the field of SE that have been challenged by this crisis, consider their implications for research in the space, and propose future research questions to guide SE scholarship. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Current research and future directions for realizing the ideal One-Health approach: A summary of key-informant interviews in Japan and a literature review.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of the One Health (OH) approach, which considers the health of humans, animals, and the environment in preventing future pandemics. A wide range of sustainable interdisciplinary collaborations are required to truly fulfill the purpose of the OH approach. It is well-recognized, however, that such collaborations are challenging. In this study, we undertook key-informant interviews with a panel of stakeholders from Japan to identify their perceived needs and challenges related to OH research. This panel included scientists, government officials, journalists, and industry stakeholders. By combining a thematic analysis of these interviews and a literature review, we summarized two key themes pertinent to the effective implementation of OH research: types of required research and systems to support that research. As a technological issue, interviewees suggested the importance of research and development of methodologies that can promote the integration and collaboration of research fields that are currently fragmented. An example of such a methodology would allow researchers to obtain high-resolution metadata (e.g. ecological and wildlife data) with high throughput and then maximize the use of the obtained metadata in research, such as in environmental DNA analysis, database construction, or the use of computational algorithms to find novel viral genomes. In terms of systems surrounding OH research, some interviewees stressed the importance of creating a sustainable research system, such as one that has continuous budget support and allows researchers to pursue their academic careers and interests. These perceptions and challenges held by Japanese stakeholders may be common to others around the world. We hope this review will encourage more researchers and others to work together to create a resilient society against future pandemics.

Strength of cross-sector collaborations in co-designing an extended rural and remote nursing placement innovation: Focusing on student learning in preference to student churning.

AIM: To describe the strength of a cross-sector and multi-university collaboration in co-designing an extended nursing placement innovation in rural and remote Australia. CONTEXT: Registered nurses are Australia's largest health workforce. Short-duration placements can limit nursing student exposure to rural and remote practice, impacting student capacity to tailor and contextualise their practice, navigate complex inequities, establish a sense of belonging and consider rural practice post-registration. Extended nursing placements have been recommended to address these challenges, but there are no guidelines governing their development and limited resources to support implementation. APPROACH: Methods adopted in program development included the following: (1) collaboration establishment; (2) co-defining challenges confronting nurse education in these contexts; (3) co-developing guiding principles; (4) co-designing a new approach to nurse education, the Extended Nursing Placement Program (ENPP); and (5) the co-contribution of stakeholders to program design, implementation and evaluation. Regional stakeholders include a NSW and Victorian Local Health District/Service, three Aboriginal health services and the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. University participants include two metropolitan universities, a University Department of Rural Health and final-year Bachelor of Nursing students. Program implementation in Semester 1 of 2022 with seven final-year nursing students. CONCLUSION: The authors propose that the adoption of collaborative approaches can contribute to re-framing student nurse education and the development of a rural-ready nursing workforce. These approaches can provide regions and universities with the opportunity to avoid student churn whilst promoting the attainment of skills required to work, live and thrive in these locations.

Moving toward a common goal via cross-sector collaboration: lessons learned from SARS to COVID-19 in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: The spread of COVID-19 has taken a toll on many countries and its healthcare system over the last two years. Governments have sought to mitigate the repercussions of the pandemic by implementing aggressive top-down control measures and introducing immense fiscal spending. Singapore is no exception to this trend. Owing to a whole-of-society approach, Singapore is still being lauded globally for its relatively successful record at controlling both community and trans-border spread. One notable effort by the Singapore government has taken place through its cross-sectoral collaborative partnerships with the private stakeholders behind the success. METHODS/RESULTS: In an attempt to better explain Singapore's robust yet strategic response to COVID-19, this study focuses on how the experience of the SARS outbreak has informed the government's collaborative efforts with other stakeholders in society, beyond mere transnational cooperation. Taking a comparative case study approach in the specific context of Singapore, we perform a content analysis of related government documents, mainstream newspaper articles, and academic journal articles in an inductive manner. By closely comparing two global healthcare outbreaks, we note four differences in approach. First, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore has focused on securing sufficient essential healthcare resources with contingency plans to strengthen preparedness. Second, the government has actively harnessed the capacity of private entities to promote the resilience of the healthcare system and the community. Third, Singapore's management policies have been made not only in a top-down, centralized style during the initial response stage, but also with a greater proportion of bottom-up approaches, particularly as the pandemic trudges on. More interestingly, the multi-faceted repercussions of COVID-19 have gradually opened the door to a greater variety of collaborative partnerships in sectors beyond healthcare services. The participating stakeholders include, but are not limited to, local and international business actors, non-profit organizations, academia and other countries. Lastly, as the pandemic has continued, the Singapore government has managed outward to tap the expertise and knowledge of the private sector, in particular leveraging science and technology to improve control measures and putting supportive programs into practice. CONCLUSION: The evidence from our focused analyses demonstrates that the nature and scale of the COVID-19 pandemic produced more collaborative partnerships between the public and private sectors in Singapore as compared with the SARS outbreak. What is more, our findings offer evidence that through adaptive learning from the prior global healthcare outbreak, plus some trial and error during the initial phase of the ongoing pandemic, public- and private-sector partners, both in and outside of the healthcare service sector, have tended to "act alike," working together to achieve a common goal. Both have been socially responsible, providing public services to people in need to promote the rapid resilience of the community, and sharing the associated risks. Overall, this study has deep and wide implications for other governments and policy makers who are still struggling to maximize essential resources and minimize the negative impacts of the healthcare crisis.

Responsible Leadership and the Reflective CEO: Resolving Stakeholder Conflict by Imagining What Could be done.

In light of grand societal challenges, most recently the global Covid-19 pandemic, there is a call for research on responsible leadership. While significant advances have been made in recent years towards a better understanding of the concept, a gap exists in the understanding of responsible leadership in emerging countries, specifically how leaders resolve prevalent moral dilemmas. Following Werhane (1999), we use moral imagination as an analytical approach to analyze a dilemmatic stakeholder conflict (between indigenous communities in rural India and an emerging market multinational enterprise headquartered in the same country) through the lense of different responsible leadership mindsets and in light of different ethical principles and moral background theories. Based on this analysis, we arrive at a tentative moral judgement, concluding that the instrumental approach is morally inferior and recommending the integrative approach as the morally superior choice. In the subsequent discussion-focussed on what "could" (instead of "should") be done, we apply the integrative script and use moral imagination as a pathway for generating morally justifiable solutions. Through this analysis, we provide novel insights on how to apply an integrative responsible leadership approach to a stakeholder conflict situation, using the single case study to expand the responsible leadership discussion to emerging markets.

Cross-sector decision landscape in response to COVID-19: A qualitative network mapping analysis of North Carolina decision-makers.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic response has demonstrated the interconnectedness of individuals, organizations, and other entities jointly contributing to the production of community health. This response has involved stakeholders from numerous sectors who have been faced with new decisions, objectives, and constraints. We examined the cross-sector organizational decision landscape that formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in North Carolina. Methods: We conducted virtual semi-structured interviews with 44 organizational decision-makers representing nine sectors in North Carolina between October 2020 and January 2021 to understand the decision-making landscape within the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with a complexity/systems thinking lens, we defined the decision landscape as including decision-maker roles, key decisions, and interrelationships involved in producing community health. We used network mapping and conventional content analysis to analyze transcribed interviews, identifying relationships between stakeholders and synthesizing key themes. Results: Decision-maker roles were characterized by underlying tensions between balancing organizational mission with employee/community health and navigating organizational vs. individual responsibility for reducing transmission. Decision-makers' roles informed their perspectives and goals, which influenced decision outcomes. Key decisions fell into several broad categories, including how to translate public health guidance into practice; when to institute, and subsequently loosen, public health restrictions; and how to address downstream social and economic impacts of public health restrictions. Lastly, given limited and changing information, as well as limited resources and expertise, the COVID-19 response required cross-sector collaboration, which was commonly coordinated by local health departments who had the most connections of all organization types in the resulting network map. Conclusions: By documenting the local, cross-sector decision landscape that formed in response to COVID-19, we illuminate the impacts different organizations may have on information/misinformation, prevention behaviors, and, ultimately, health. Public health researchers and practitioners must understand, and work within, this complex decision landscape when responding to COVID-19 and future community health challenges.

Regional Innovation in Arts Provision Spawned by COVID-19: "It Became a Lifeline for a Lot of People Who Are Stuck at Home".

Although the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural sector due to the closure of galleries, museums, arts venues, and other cultural assets represents a significant health risk, new opportunities for arts and cultural engagement have arisen. Interviews with 24 representatives including service providers and creative practitioners from 15 arts and cultural organizations within the Liverpool City Region were conducted. The aim was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on arts and cultural provision and on organizations and people providing these services, as well as to understand the perceptions of service providers and practitioners of the effects on those whom arts and cultural organizations serve, including those who would usually access arts through formal healthcare routes (e.g., through collaboration with health partners). Interview data were analyzed using framework analysis. Four overarching themes were identified: Response: Closures, adaptations, and new directions; Challenges of online provision; Value of online provision; and the future of the arts. The arts and cultural sector has innovated rapidly, notably with accelerated digitalisation. Alternative provision has been "a lifeline" for vulnerable groups, such as those with mental health difficulties. Arts organizations have been most effective in reaching vulnerable, isolated and disadvantaged populations when they have worked in close collaboration with health and social care providers. The implementation of hybrid provision is an important move forward for the sector in light of our findings that alternative modes of provision are advantageous additions to service as usual. Given the increasing concerns about the mental health sequelae of the pandemic in the UK, arts and cultural engagement could play a pivotal role in the future recovery period.

The impact of COVID-19 on gender inequality: A study on cross-sector inequality in the US

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in substantial employment losses in the US. To understand how this impact fell on male and female workers unevenly, I empirically investigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the gender inequality in labor markets and analyze the variation in effects across sectors. I find that the COVID-19 pandemic influences all sectors to different degrees, with the tertiary (service) sector hit the hardest. The pandemic has also exacerbated gender inequality in certain sectors, but not all: women working in the tertiary sector are most economically harmed, while sectors that rely mostly on knowledge and technology tend to work remotely and generally have the least impact in working hours from the pandemic. The intersectionality of race, gender, and educational attainment also contributes to the disparities in labor markets across all sectors. Results also show that marriage benefits employment, and that having children under the age of five could slightly disadvantage workers in the labor markets. © 2021 ACM.

Supporting families struggling with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic: An innovative cross-sector collaboration.

Food insecurity is an ongoing and persistent problem for many individuals and families in the United States and in New York City. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the scope of the problem and data show that food insecurity rates have increased almost three times over pre-COVID rates. In addition, with unemployment increasing daily and the closure of safety net programs and services, there became a need for creatively attending to the basic needs of individuals and families. SCO Family of Services (SCO), a large human service provider in New York City and Long Island, launched an innovative project with DoorDash during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully got food into the homes of more than 1,900 families. This article discusses the practice innovation, project impact, lessons learned, and social work implications.

Herding behaviour in energy stock markets during the Global Financial Crisis, SARS, and ongoing COVID-19.

Environmental change created worldwide interest in investing in renewable energy. Less reliance on fossil fuels would have a substantial influence on investors for alternative energy, especially renewable energy. The literature has concentrated on empirical studies of herding behaviour in finance, but not in renewable energy. This paper fills the gap by investigating herding in renewable energy, using daily closing prices in renewable and fossil fuel energy stock returns in the USA, Europe, and Asia, for March 24, 2000-May 29, 2020, which covers the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) (2007-2009), the coronavirus crises of SARS (2003). And the ongoing COVID-19 (2019-2020) pandemic. The paper shows that: (1) for low extreme oil returns, investors are more likely to display herding in the stock market; (2) for SARS and COVID-19, herding is more likely during extremely high oil returns after the GFC; and (3) herding is more likely during periods of extremely low oil returns during the coronavirus crises. These results suggest that after the GFC, investors are more sensitive to asset losses, so they will be more likely to display herding in the stock market. However, during SARS and COVID-19, investors panic so they may unwisely sell their assets. There are strong cross-sector herding spillover effects from US fossil fuel energy to renewable energy, especially before the GFC, while the US fossil fuel energy market has a significant influence on the Europe and Asia renewable energy returns during COVID-19. During SARS, which was not a pandemic, US fossil fuels only had an impact on US renewable energy returns.