Building Resilient Supply Chains with Information Systems: Key Lessons from Médecins Sans Frontières Logistique During the COVID-19 Crisis

This research aims to analyze the resilience of humanitarian supply chains, with a focus on the role of information systems, through a case study of Médecins Sans Frontières Logistique during the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical research methodology is based on a qualitative study, which includes semi-structured interviews with key actors and operators from the Médecins Sans Frontières Logistique during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 and 2021. The paper highlights the crucial and inherent role of information systems on each of the four dimensions of humanitarian supply chain resilience: reorganization capacity, collaboration, flexibility, and humanitarian culture. Drawing on recent theoretical works on supply chain resilience as well as empirical results, the paper underscores the importance of information systems and proposes a conceptual model of the relationship between humanitarian supply chain resilience and the role of information systems. The value of this research is linked to its empirical and qualitative study of a Non-Governmental Organization logistics operation during an international crisis, which contributes not only to the literature on resilience, but also provides guidance for managers to target their actions responsively and proactively to enhance resilience over time.. Copyright © 2023 by SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Traditional capoeira street circles in Florianópolis (Southern Brazil): impacts of the covid-19 pandemic

Capoeira is a cultural manifestation of Afro-Brazilian origin, born during the slavery period in Brazil. Its practice developed historically on the street, on the margins of Brazilian society, giving new meaning to spaces almost always understood only as places of passage or transition. Capoeira has manifested itself in traditional capoeira street circles in Florianópolis (Southern Brazil) for over 30 years, representing possibilities of playful and leisure moments for practitioners, resistant to established historical inequalities. With the covid-19 pandemic and indications for social distancing, the configurations of social life needed to be reinvented. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on traditional capoeira street circles in Florianópolis. This is a descriptive, exploratory field research with a qualitative approach to the data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants, whose contents were organised in NVivo-12 software and analysed using content analysis, considering the framework of leisure studies and Southern Epistemologies. This study confirmed the impossibility of carrying out the circles in person, resulting in difficulties faced by participants, with different reverberations in their lives. The research highlights the importance of turning to the manifestations and social actors made invisible throughout history, doubly disadvantaged during the current scenario. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Leisure Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Building Positively Affective Location-Based Advertising: A Study of Pokémon GO Players

With the expanding popularity of Location-Based Games and the rise of advertising therein, there exists a need to comprehend the impact of Location-Based Game Advertising (LGA). This paper seeks to identify what makes positively affective LGA, leveraging Pokémon GO as a probe. Researchers conducted twenty-seven (n=27) semi-structured interviews with Pokémon GO players to reveal lived experiences regarding LGA. Our findings highlight the following direct implications for LGA: (1) LGA act as a digital billboard, conveying qualitative alongside locative information, and (2) well-received LGA enhances the player's agency. We additionally identify findings that have auxiliary implications to LGA: (3) positive memorability occurs when points of interest match physical reality, and (4) ludic engagement is a mediating factor in the memorability of locations. This research demonstrates that LGA in Location-Based Games is surprisingly well-received. However, developers must provide extra consideration to the player's agency for such techniques to be effective. © 2023 ACM.

Impacts of the Strength and Conformity of Social Norms on Well-Being: A Mixed-Method Study Among Hybrid Workers in Japan

Previous studies have suggested that organizational social norms can positively affect employee well-being. However, such social norms have not been well developed during the post-COVID-19 transition to hybrid work, which combines office and remote work, and it is unclear how employees' perceptions of social norms for hybrid work affect their well-being. In this study, we investigated the impact of social norms for hybrid work on the well-being of hybrid workers living in Japan through a mixed-method approach consisting of an online survey (n = 212) and semi-structured interviews (n = 20). The results indicate that hybrid workers who feel subject to strong social norms have lower well-being. Conversely, those who are more willing to conform to social norms have higher well-being. Given our findings, we discuss implications for the design of systems to help hybrid workers conform to organizational social norms and to improve their well-being. © 2023 ACM.

Collection and Analysis of Narratives for a Values Charter of the Italian Society for Hospital Pharmacy

In recent years, the field of Narrative Pharmacy was introduced, which particularly addresses the pharmacist not only to guide a relationship of listening to and caring for the patient but also to strengthen and motivate toward the profession, improve relationships with colleagues, enhance the ability to teamwork, and understand emotions. In this paper, we report the analysis behind the construction of the Value Chart from the personal narratives of members of the Italian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. Each member's subjective professional experiences and their own view of themselves within society were collected through a semi-structured interview. Personal thinking, including experiences, feelings, opinions, desires, and regrets was classified by objective methods, from which main concepts were extracted for the Value Chart. The feedback to the survey, including activities during the Covid-19 pandemic management, is classified according to the analytical methods of Kleinman, Frank, Bury and Launer-Robinson. Regarding sentiment analysis, the emotional and subjective context of the text provides an ideal baseline to validate the result. The analysis was implemented using neural networks trained on dictionaries and natural language (i.e., Tweets). The originality of the work lies in the fact that generally value charters are built on a Society's values. In contrast, in this case, individual contributions were gathered to complement the ethical values on which the society is founded. © 2022 IEEE.

Wisdom of Two Crowds: Misinformation Moderation on Reddit and How to Improve this Process - -A Case Study of COVID-19

Past work has explored various ways for online platforms to leverage crowd wisdom for misinformation detection and moderation. Yet, platforms often relegate governance to their communities, and limited research has been done from the perspective of these communities and their moderators. How is misinformation currently moderated in online communities that are heavily self-governed? What role does the crowd play in this process, and how can this process be improved? In this study, we answer these questions through semi-structured interviews with Reddit moderators. We focus on a case study of COVID-19 misinformation. First, our analysis identifies a general moderation workflow model encompassing various processes participants use for handling COVID-19 misinformation. Further, we show that the moderation workflow revolves around three elements: content facticity, user intent, and perceived harm. Next, our interviews reveal that Reddit moderators rely on two types of crowd wisdom for misinformation detection. Almost all participants are heavily reliant on reports from crowds of ordinary users to identify potential misinformation. A second crowd - participants' own moderation teams and expert moderators of other communities - provide support when participants encounter difficult, ambiguous cases. Finally, we use design probes to better understand how different types of crowd signals - -from ordinary users and moderators - -readily available on Reddit can assist moderators with identifying misinformation. We observe that nearly half of all participants preferred these cues over labels from expert fact-checkers because these cues can help them discern user intent. Additionally, a quarter of the participants distrust professional fact-checkers, raising important concerns about misinformation moderation. © 2023 ACM.

The Slow Food Movement and the Terra-Madre project: food sovereignty and translocal assemblages

Since 2004 the SF Movement has developed a global community of food producers and activists called Terra-Madre. Every two years representatives of the community meet in Turin for five days of workshops and conferences. Due to Covid-19 crisis SF has radically changed the nature of the meeting, presenting a six-month calendar of digital and physical events around the world. The paper examines the exchange occurring between communities as a form of translocal activism and considers to what extent SF can be defined as a movement for food sovereignty. It draws on digital data collection on the online activities and research with participants involving semi-structured interviews and observation notes. The paper reflects on the experience of digital fieldwork and how the new format of Terra-Madre provides insights into SF as a translocal movement characterized by conflicts, common perspectives and emergent capabilities. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Globalizations is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

COVID in Australia: HR managers' challenges and opportunities

Transitions to working from home due to the COVID pandemic led to a proliferation of literature and industry reports on changed work practices. However, this study set out to advance understanding of how human resource professionals managed the crises – adding to the limited literature on this perspective. Data was collected during late 2020/early 2021 through interviews with human resource professionals. Data was analysed using coding techniques enabling findings to be organised into relevant concepts and categories. Contributions to practice include the range of challenges and opportunities associated with working from home, which are outlined here as technical and behavioural recommendations. These include the need for improved IT support and IT literacy across the workforce;issues linked to employee isolation, managing privacy, workload, and the management of remote employees. This paper draws on institutional theory, stressing the importance of context in shaping HRM strategies in times of crises. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Teleworking and sustainable behaviour in the context of COVID-19: the case of Lithuania

COVID-19 played a significant role in the spread of telework worldwide, changing people's lives and behaviour. The paper aims to identify how teleworking affected the sustainable behaviour of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research design applies a multi-method approach, combining systematic and comparative scientific literature analysis and a semi-structured interview. The authors of the paper present the theoretical conceptual model, which illustrates links between teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic and the sustainable behaviour of employees. The results of empirical research revealed that teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic changed employee behaviour in economic, environmental and social dimensions. Positive changes were identified due to reduced commuting and shopping;decreased costs for transport, food, clothing, and beauty services;better access to healthy and nutritious food;better opportunities for professional development. On the contrary, costs for home energy and household waste increased. Adverse effects on employees' physical and mental health have been identified due to teleworking and COVID-19. Despite the identified negative effects, employees would like to continue teleworking even after the pandemic. © 2023 Ramunė Čiarnienė et al., published by Sciendo.

Mashhad urban management practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study to identify challenges, current and future measures

This study aims to make a qualitative assessment of the urban management practices in Mashhad, the second largest metropolis of Iran, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and identify challenges, current measures, and future actions. A grounded theory approach has been used. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews, and MAXQDA-12 software was used for the analysis. The results showed that Mashhad urban management practices have faced 11 main obstacles during this pandemic. Current measures and future actions are presented by taking into account the identified obstacles and challenges. The findings can help urban managers to make decisions based on strong evidence. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Urban Research & Practice is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

How COVID-19 Pandemic Drives Digital Transformation of the Workplace: A Case Study of an Industrial SME

The digital transformation of SMEs is unstoppable and one of its consequences will be the change of the workplace, which implies advantages but also disadvantages for companies and employees. The COVID-19 pandemic and the related lockdown made remote work, facilitated by digital technologies, a necessity. Based on a case study in an industrial SME, through semi-structured interviews, we obtained relevant information on the response given to this new situation. As a result, we propose three issues to be addressed to advance in the digital transformation of the workplace: firstly, SMEs must address needs at the operational level;secondly, professional relationships and, finally, new requirements derived from the very nature of digital work. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Teacher Digital Literacy and Its Influence on Learning Sessions at the Initial Level in Schools in the Context of Covid-19

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of teachers' digital literacy on the development of learning sessions at the early education level in a public school in northern Lima (Peru) in the context of Covid-19. Using a qualitative case study approach, a semi-structured interview was applied to teachers with experience in teaching early childhood education. The results show that digital literacy influences the development and methodology of visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning sessions, since it is known that infants are in the digital era where many of them know how to use a variety of tools and applications. Finally, digital resources are crucial in the performance of teachers and in the cognitive process of children. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Students' experiences and acceptance of emergency online learning due to COVID-19

At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions around the world were compelled to bring forth suitable alternatives to secure continuity in the process of education. To gather data that would indicate the quality and efficiency of online teaching in higher education in south and south-eastern Serbia initiated at the outbreak of the pandemic and the state of emergency declared in March 2020, we conducted a research study to provide the necessary information from students attending undergraduate academic studies. The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase consisted of quantitative research conducted on a sample of 211 students. The data collected were processed by resorting to factor analysis to determine specific factors as a starting point for designing questions for the second research phase. The second phase was implemented by conducting semi-structured interviews on a sample of 61 students. The main intention was to determine key characteristics of the teaching process realised in the context of an emergency transition to the form of teaching which had not been prepared or resorted to beforehand. We identified certain specifics in this regard, as a starting point for improving existing practice.Implications for practice or policy:* It is necessary to secure a suitable level of institutional support, to maintain the quality of higher education in unforeseen social circumstances.* It is necessary to adequately prepare for and support teachers and students in online teaching at both institutional and national level.* To avoid adverse effects on individual students in the circumstances of online teaching, it is necessary to meet students´ educational, social and emotional needs.

Digital Divide Faced by the Elderly Under the Covid-19 Pandemic

Under the Covid-19 situation, the older people's lack of understanding of the epidemic information, resulting in poor self-protection, limited travel, affects the purchase of life and medical items. These made a significant threat to their health. Due to the rules of home isolation, the Internet has become the primary source of information. But this leads to the digital divide faced by the elderly becoming more prominent, which has already existed before. This research studies the specific difficulties faced by the elderly in the digital divide in the epidemic. This paper used a semi-structured interview and recruited 25 older people to participate. By analyzing the interview content, this study used the content analysis method to analyze the difficulties of information acquisition and utilization of the elderly. In addition, this study analyzed the main reasons for the digital divide faced by the elderly from internal and external factors. Then, this study proposed suggestions for IT enterprises and government to solve the digital divide in the Covid-19 from the perspective of the elderly. Through this study, the findings can help solve the digital divide faced by the elderly in the epidemic, help them better obtain accurate information, and help them better protect their health. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The investigation of the effects of COVID-19 restrictions on seafarers

The global crisis, which has spread to the world due to the 'Covid-19' pandemic, has affected every area of life, from health to production, from trade to lifestyle, and from education to socialisation. International measures are taken within the scope of combating the global pandemic negatively influenced trade. Considering that 80% of global trade is maintained through maritime transportation, the importance of continuing the safe operation of merchant ships becomes apparent. This study aimed to identify the problems experienced by seamen during the pandemic process and offer solutions to these problems. In this context, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seafarers actively working on the ship. The data obtained from the interview were coded in the Nvivo 10 program, made meaningful and evaluated. The results of this study show that the Covid-19 pandemic has a significant impact on seafarers. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Leadership Styles Adopted by Scottish Micro-businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The current exploratory study investigated leadership styles adopted by Scottish micro-businesses during COVID-19. A qualitative research approach was employed on 20 owners/managers in Scotland, using semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed thematic variations across a range of leadership styles as the autocratic style was identified by businesses as the most common approach during the pandemic due to the influence of the external environment on rapid decision-making. In essence, the findings highlight the importance of recognizing the role of leadership approaches under uncertain and volatile market conditions. Based on the qualitative findings of the study, a novel framework presented as the "COVID-19 Leadership Framework” was proposed that addresses the contextualization of the findings to a specific and contemporary context. The results of the study presented theoretical and practical implications for micro-business, policymakers, and Small to Medium Enterprise support services. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The lessons learnt from emergency remote teaching to strengthen a pre-service teacher education course on lesson design

This paper reports on the lessons learnt from the COVID-19-induced emergency remote (online) teaching and learning of a one-year teacher education course. The final-year course, within a four-year Bachelor of Education programme, aimed at developing pre-service teachers' knowledge of the nature and process of learning and how to guide and support learning in diverse school contexts. The course was planned before the COVID-19 pandemic, and teaching and learning would have taken place on campus, with limited online activities. The ensuing lockdown in South Africa resulted in university teaching and learning moving abruptly online. We investigated lessons learnt from the transition to emergency remote (online) teaching. Data were generated by conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 student teachers about their experiences of the course. The data were analysed using the constant comparative method. Analysing the data highlighted the benefits of remote (online) teaching that should be considered when using a blended approach to harness online teaching affordances. As we advance, we will implement a fully blended approach, harnessing the affordances of both online and contact-based teaching and learning. Practitioner Notes 1. Students in higher education benefit from explicit communication and continuous support from lecturers. 2. Small-group practice and reflection sessions are beneficial to students' learning (online or during contact sessions). 3. Students in higher education benefit when course content is structured in a consistent, routinized and accessible way. 4. Teacher education students should be prepared to adapt to teaching in different contexts (contact, blended or remote). 5. Higher education courses should combine the best affordance of online and contact teaching. © 2023, University of Wollongong. All rights reserved.

Digitizing Material Delivery and Documentation in Highway Construction Using e-Ticketing Technology: Study Based on Qualitative Semistructured Interviews

Electronic Construction (e-Construction) is being increasingly used to minimize the amount of paperwork and simplify the daily operations inherent in the construction of highway infrastructures. Electronic ticketing (e-Ticketing) is a part of e-Construction that aids in the transfer of material tickets in a digital manner, accounting for more than half of construction costs;however, the technology has been pilot tested by several states since the beginning of 2013 and has been disbanded for various reasons. The purpose of this research is to pinpoint the challenges in the deployment of an e-Ticketing platform, as well as to determine the adoption rate of state departments of transportations (DOT) and to assess the benefits. The research method includes a combination of literature review and semistructured interviews to achieve the study's objectives. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the interview transcripts. The study's findings are related to the reasons for delays and misconceptions about the implementation of the e-Ticketing platform. Internet connectivity at construction sites and high investment costs were found to be the major challenges that have delayed the implementation of the e-Ticketing platform. The study's results will aid decision makers in DOTs and engineers build a standard e-Ticketing platform, implement rules and guidelines, reduce investment costs, execute pilot testing, improve inspector safety, and complete projects in a timely and efficient manner. © 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Reported Beliefs About COVID-19 Vaccines Among Unvaccinated Hispanic Adults Utilizing a Free Clinic in Orlando, Florida.

BACKGROUND: Subgroups of the general population including Hispanic/Latinx individuals report higher rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy than non-Hispanic White individuals. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that influence attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines among unvaccinated Hispanic adults utilizing a free community clinic in Orlando, Florida, USA. METHODS: From May 2021 to July 2021, we used convenience sampling to recruit 20 self-identified Hispanic adults who were unvaccinated to complete an individual, semi-structured interview. Interview questions were derived from constructs from the Health Belief Model. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated (when necessary), and qualitatively analyzed using inductive content analysis to identify recurring themes. RESULTS: Of the 20 participants in this study, 65% were female (n=13) and they ranged from 21 to 73 years of age (median age =42.5). We identified three primary themes in participant responses regarding their beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. Primary theme 1: trust and clarity of COVID-19 vaccine information, with subthemes (1a) source trustworthiness, and (1b) clarity of COVID-19 vaccine information. Primary theme 2: personal contextual factors, with subthemes (2a) underlying health conditions, (2b) personal experiences with COVID-19, and (2c) immigration. Primary theme 3: lack of confidence, yet willingness to be vaccinated, with subthemes (3a) fear and distrust and (3b) willingness to be vaccinated. In summary, participants felt hesitant, although not completely opposed, to receiving COVID-19 vaccinations due to the information they gathered on vaccines from various sources received in the context of important personal factors (e.g., immigration, underlying health concerns, etc.). CONCLUSIONS: Overcoming vaccine hesitancy in vulnerable populations such as the Hispanic communities may require addressing issues of message clarity through trusted sources while considering personal contextual factors. Healthcare professionals can begin by initiating discussions with patients to understand individual circumstances and concerns and provide information on COVID-19 vaccines that clarify areas of confusion.

Understanding the experiences of lung cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study.

PURPOSE: The study explores experiences of lung cancer patients during COVID-19 and considers how changes to care delivery and personal lives affected patient needs. METHODS: Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted to explore experiences of lung cancer patients during COVID-19. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Interview participants were purposively selected based on age, gender, treatment status, timing of diagnosis (pre/post first COVID-19 lockdown) from a sample of lung cancer patients (any histological subtype/any cancer stage/any point in treatment) who had completed a questionnaire exploring how participants' lives were impacted by the pandemic and their thoughts on clinical care and remote communication. RESULTS: Thirty lung cancer patients who participated in the questionnaire study were approached and participated in an interview. Three themes were identified: (1) Adapting to new modes of communication (focusing on experiences of remote communication); (2) Experience of care delivery during the pandemic (describing how all aspects of care delivery had been affected); (3) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life (QOL) (focus on the psychological impact and feeling of reduced support). Themes 1 and 2 are heavily interlinked and both had bearing on patients' QOL experience. CONCLUSION: Lung cancer patients were impacted psychologically by changes to care delivery and changes in their personal life. The findings highlight some benefits to remote consultations but the stage of the treatment pathway and illness trajectory should be considered when determining if this is appropriate. Participants felt support from peers, family and friends was limited during the pandemic.