A study on the assessment of risk management performance in maritime start-ups: evidence from China

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the international shipping market has been highly volatile, posing a serious threat to the survival and development of many maritime start-ups. With the development of the digital economy, digital transformation is affecting the evolution and upgrading of many traditional enterprises, including maritime enterprises. In the post-COVID-19 era, start-up small and medium-sized enterprises will need to consider the importance of enterprise risk management to achieve transformation and upgrading. The purpose of this study is to provide guidance for the establishment and upgrading of risk management systems for start-ups based on the identification of risk management strategies of maritime enterprises and the evaluation of their performance. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and importance-performance analysis methods were used to rank the operational risk, financial risk, market risk, innovation risk, and disaster risk according to sub-items and screen out the risk management schemes for priority improvements. Through empirical research, it was found that the financial risk and market risk response schemes have the lowest performance and need to be prioritised for improvement. This study argues that start-ups can appropriately challenge their risk management strategies to meet potential risk management needs based on their own circumstances.

Modelling of factors influencing organizational readiness for change in start-ups during the COVID-19 emergency

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to "identify”, "analyze” and "construct” a framework to quantify the relationships between several determinants of organizational preparedness for change in the start-ups during the COVID-19 emergencies.Design/methodology/approachTotal interpretive structural modelling (TISM) is used to find characteristics that assist in analyzing the readiness or preparedness level before initiating a change deployment process in start-ups. A cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis is performed to determine the driving and dependent elements of change in start-ups.FindingsFrom literature research and an expert interview, this study selected ten variables of change preparedness to explore inner interconnections and comprehend the inner connections factors. The findings depict that clarity of mission and goals, reward system, technological advancement and motivational readiness have been considered the most important readiness factor for deploying organizational change in start-ups during the COVID-19 emergencies.Practical implicationsThis research will aid the management and researchers gain a better understanding of the factors that influence change preparedness. Constant observation of current changes in the start-ups and the external environment will aid in improving the quality of products or services provided by the start-ups during the COVID-19. The start-ups can use these criteria linked to change readiness. The priority of each element is determined using MICMAC analysis and ranking using the TISM technique, which assists start-ups in ordering the enablers from highest to lowest priority.Originality/valueThere is no research regarding factors influencing organizational readiness for change in start-ups during the COVID-19 emergencies. This research gap is filled by analyzing aspects linked to organizational readiness for change in start-ups. This gap inspired the present study, which uses the "Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM)” technique to uncover change determinants and investigate hierarchical interconnections among factors influencing organizational readiness to change in start-ups during the COVID-19 emergencies.

Harvesting Renewable Energy from Foot Pedal Using Rotational Electromagnetic Induction Flywheel

Philippines is one of the highest electricity prices in the ASEAN where harnessing renewable energy using wasted human effort is necessary. The global pandemic COVID-19 is spreading and because of this, establishments have required sanitation. The study's main objective is to Develop a Rotational Electromagnetic Induction Flywheel using Foot Pedal as Actuation to Harvest Renewable Energy. T-test was used to validate the results using the battery percentage of a power bank as the parameter, where there is a significant difference between single and multiple actuations with an attached mechanical dispenser and without. The system was able to harness an average of 0.30992 Watt-hour and 6.11476 Watt-hour in 5 daily trials for single and multiple controlled set-ups without mechanical dispenser respectively. An average of 0.2441 Watt-hour and 5.0027 Watt-hour for single and multiple controlled set-ups with mechanical dispenser correspondingly. Lastly, an average of 3.2924 Watt-hour in 5 daily trials for uncontrolled set-up. © 2023 IEEE.

Female Agri-Food Start-Ups: Mapping the Italian Context During the Coronavirus Era

In recent years COVID-19 has led the world into a deep crisis, claiming numerous victims and causing uncertainty in the economic scene. During the coronavirus' lockdown, the only economic activities allowed to operate were the ones from primary sector, such as the agri-food. Recent literature asserts that during emergency period the main factors that allow the organizations to be resilient are the structural and relational capital, two of intellectual capital components. To support innovation, since 2012, Italian law has provided the possibility for companies to obtain the status of an innovative start-up, promoting technological transition through several fiscal and tax benefits. However, delving into gender issue, the role of female entrepreneurs within agri-food sector is not very clear. In this stream, focusing on the field of innovation to overcome the crisis, the present chapter aims to map the innovative female farms during the coronavirus period. To reach the declared goal a EDQ analysis on the innovative Italian start-ups was developed. Findings show that the role of female entrepreneurship in agri-food sector is still very poor from the point of view of innovation and technology, and only 10 innovative farms are led by women (11% of the sector;0.08% of Italian start-ups). The present chapter contributes to the literature on gender studies in the business innovation field, during periods of crisis. The main limitation concerns the availability of data related to this particular kind of Italian SMEs (start-ups). The main future research perspectives will address case studies on the female agri-food start-ups identified in this first exploratory study and will aim to investigate the proactive role of structural capital and the reactive role of relational capital. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

How to Ensure the Development of SMEs in Post-Pandemic Economy? A Start-ups Case Study

After the humanitarian crisis, caused by COVID-19, enterprises have to face a post-pandemic economic crisis. As small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute 99% of EU enterprises and create every third workplace (European Parliament, 2021), it is important to monitor their situation not only to survive but also to develop and build strong economies in the future. The aim of this research is to investigate development trends and opportunities in (SMEs') development, with a special focus on start-ups (STPS) as representative of these. Also, special attention is paid to the concept of sustainable development (SD), which fulfils the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The proposed methodology consists of three stages: desk research, in-depth interviews, and primary data analysis, and uses a qualitative method. The article describes the findings of recent Polish studies undertaken to verify and augment earlier pilot research. The novelty of the article is the examination of the dependence between the STPS survival rate and the SD as a measure of SDGs' fulfilment. The limitation may be the specificity of the pandemic, as well as the study of post-pandemic trends that shows a strictly binding need to have a stable strategy for establishing, managing and developing enterprises and increasing their survival rates.

Emotional robustness in times of crisis: the effects of venture funding on the digital communication styles of entrepreneurs

PurposeEntrepreneurial communication describes the communication activities of entrepreneurs and is an essential tool for entrepreneurs to build relationships. However, there is a lack of research regarding how entrepreneurs adapt their communication styles in times of crisis. Nevertheless, entrepreneurial communication during a crisis is essential because entrepreneurs must continue communicating with their stakeholders and be visible. In this regard, communication has the central aim of preventing the startup from suffering any damage that may result from the crisis. Thus, the present paper explores potential shifts in the communication styles of entrepreneurs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe authors examined the digital footprints of 780 entrepreneurs based in the USA on the social network Twitter. This study used a longitudinal dataset with the software Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) to analyze 110,283 tweets sent pre-crisis and during the first wave of COVID-19.FindingsThe results of the exploratory analysis revealed a connection between crisis and both analytical thinking and emotional responses. In the case of emotions, the results also suggest that entrepreneurs who had already received funding from venture capital investors remained emotionally robust during the crisis, as evidenced by the expression of more positive emotions compared to entrepreneurs without funding.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the understanding of entrepreneurial communication and adds the context of an exogenous shock to this research stream. Furthermore, this study highlights the effects of venture funding on the digital communication style of entrepreneurs, especially in the context of expressed emotions, and suggests emotional robustness for these entrepreneurs.

Digital entrepreneurial intentions and actions in China during the COVID-19 pandemic with policy implications

Despite the rapid development of digital start-ups and market expansion in China, there have been challenges for developing digital business in recent years. Unique economic, institutional, and social factors, as well as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, influence the digital entrepreneurs and their businesses. Yet, the literature on the changing digital entrepreneurial behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic remains limited. The intentions and behaviours of these entrepreneurs in relation to their digital start-ups and the impact caused by exogenous changes require deeper investigation. By adopting an intention-based social cognitive perspective, this study examines the factors influencing digital entrepreneurs' intentions and actions in managing their start-ups. We also present a holistic framework with regard to the changing entrepreneurial behaviour and policy implications for the development of digital start-ups.

Digital branding adoption by specialty eatery start-ups in the post-pandemic environment in India

The aim of this research paper is to investigate the adoption of digital branding among specialty eatery start-ups in a post-pandemic environment. The study analyses the relevance of digital branding's advantages and drawbacks, and examines the intention of specialty eateries to adopt digital branding. Additionally, the research investigates the mediating influence of digital support and awareness on the adoption of digital branding. A detailed Google-form-based survey was conducted on 231 small cafés and restaurants in Maharashtra's major cities that opened after COVID-19 (Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, and Thane) to collect primary data. The data was analysed using the AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structures) program. The study concludes that digital branding plays a crucial role as an independent branding strategy and enhances the performance of specialty eatery start-ups in the post-pandemic era. Furthermore, the study highlights the significant mediating effect of digital support and awareness on the adoption intention of digital branding. This research is the first of its kind to examine the intention of startups in the specialty eatery industry to use digital branding to reach their intended audience. The study utilizes a quantitative approach, contributing to the respective research area that has been predominantly qualitative in previous studies regarding digital branding adoption. The findings of this research provide valuable insights for specialty eatery start-ups and other related businesses to enhance their digital branding strategies. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Paediatric Check-Ups and Vaccinations in Germany.

Paediatric check-ups and vaccinations are provided and free of charge in Germany. Despite being hitherto generally well-received and adhered to, it is possible that the lockdown implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in delays or even cancellations of critical paediatric visits with healthcare providers. This study attempts to quantify the rate and time to follow-up for check-ups in Germany using the retrospective IQVIATM Disease Analyzer database. Additionally, timely administration of 4 vaccines (Hexavalent, pneumococcal, MMR-V, Rotavirus) was analysed to examine the impact of pandemic restrictions on vaccine uptake. The timeframes which were compared to determine the effects of COVID-19 were June 2018-December 2019 and March 2020-September 2021. The follow-up rates for paediatric check-ups were consistently lower in the COVID-19 phase, but generally ~90%. Follow-up rates for the vaccinations were distinctly higher during COVID-19. The time between events was almost unchanged for check-ups during the pandemic. For check-ups, age at initial event differed by less than a week between the phases. For vaccinations, the age differences were slightly higher, but exceeded one week in only two cases. The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic had little effect on paediatric check-ups and vaccinations in Germany.

Elon Musk in India - a Success Story in the Making

One of Elon Musk's Twitter posts created much buzz in India and most certainly in the southern State of Karnataka in India. His EV company Tesla is planning on expanding to another East Asian Market after the Shanghai branch dealt with R&D and sold almost 50, 000 units. Moreover, India is one of the most likely targets which Tesla would be aiming for, not only because of the humongous workforce capability that the country could offer but also for the development of rules and regulations for the improvement and the enhancement of EV's inthe country. Since the development of the EV policy, 2017 in the state of Karnataka, which pioneered the same and proved itself to be worthy of the badge of "EV Hub" of India, with many tech start-ups pushing the boundaries in the field of EV. Some of the latest news articles in the papers discussed the probability of Tesla being interested i n forming another enterprise in the country, which is exciting news. This would not only mean the change in the economic spectrum of the country because of the remarkable improvement of the Tesla Stocks in the USA but also a significant chance for employment, leading to the push in the Indian economy, which is most required at this time of distress and dilemma because of the COVID-19 pandemic which struck.Copyright © 2020 European Journal of Molecular and Clinical Medicine. All rights reserved.

Gig Economy Practices, Ecosystem, and Women's Entrepreneurship: A Theoretical Model

The current economic situation in many countries, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has forced local organizations to downsize the number of employees, reduce working hours or rely on temporary workers to perform the job by means of gig workers. While these conditions could be considered as a threat, some workforce vulnerable groups, like women, grasped this opportunity to develop entrepreneurial behavior and start-up their businesses. This paper aims to investigate the factors that under the explained circumstances encourage women to be entrepreneurs, proposing a theoretical model of relationships between gig economy practices and opportunistic and necessity women's entrepreneurship start-ups. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Changing the Rules of the Game: The Role of Antifragility in the Survival of Innovative Start-Ups

During Covid-19, some innovative start-ups not only absorbed the shock but also improved afterwards through the development of capabilities related to antifragility. Drawing on the antifragility literature we have selected a set of internal capabilities that influence the survival of start-ups. Then, we applied qualitative benchmarking of the fuzzy-set to examine which interactions between the aforementioned internal capabilities affect the survival of innovative start-ups. We used a unique dataset of 37 innovative start-ups that survived in Italy after the Covid-19 lockdown. Our results suggest the interaction between some specific capabilities (creativity, flexibility and collaboration) are antecedents of antifragility. The interaction between these capabilities enables start-ups to survive during a crisis. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Promotion of entrepreneurship through business incubators: Regional analysis in Spain

This study focuses on business incubators in Spain, which helps compare regions within Spain. This study has four goals: to shape taxonomy of the Spanish business incubator system, to compare between regions, to identify the factors affecting incubators' success, and to analyse during the COVID pandemic. Of the 478 business incubators registered in Spain, 89 were selected as the sample for study. Business incubators provide office space, equipment and mentoring services, as well as financial, legal and administrative support for entrepreneurs and start-up companies. Non-parametric statistical techniques are used to compare between regions, considering each regional business incubator as an ecosystem. The study focuses on six Spanish regions: Madrid, Catalonia, Castile-Leon, Aragon, Basque Country and Galicia. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.

WHEN PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING BECOMES ENTREPRENEURIAL - A FACILITATOR'S VIEW ON STUDENT CHALLENGES

Integration of entrepreneurship in current engineering education emphasises the need for engineers to initiate and drive innovation processes that transform ideas into societal value. Learnings from the history of engineering and the at times unsustainable impact of technology on society have drawn attention to user requirements and the societal context of technological innovations. In addition to this view, entrepreneurial education underlines the need to move beyond reactively addressing user requirements and societal developments to proactively creating opportunities and realising their potential to change societal patterns and trajectories. Grand challenges, such as climate change and the recent COVID-19 pandemic, have indeed confirmed the need for such abilities. This paper argues that when integrating entrepreneurship in engineering education, the pedagogical approach to how we teach entrepreneurial engineering will inevitably have to be revisited. The study aims to explore the facilitation of entrepreneurial projects in a problem-based learning (PBL) environment. Design-based research (DBR) was conducted to co-develop and test guidelines and models for entrepreneurial PBL based on existing PBL approaches. In this process, ten facilitators of entrepreneurial PBL projects were continuously challenged to change their perspective from being facilitators to students and from being practitioners to reflective practitioners. In this paper, we especially report on the part of the study investigating the following question: What challenges do students experience when PBL becomes entrepreneurial? The paper concludes with insights into the nuances of entrepreneurial PBL and closes with a short discussion on the need for more research to ensure integration and not the addition of entrepreneurship in engineering education. © 2022 SEFI 2022 - 50th Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education, Proceedings. All rights reserved.

Readiness for lean-sustainability in start-ups during the COVID-19 era

Purpose: This study aims to "identify”, "analyse” and "categorise” the lean-sustainability enablers for start-ups during the COVID-19 epidemic using total interpretive structural modelling (TISM). Design/methodology/approach: A closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect data in addition to the scheduled interview. The TISM methodology is used to determine how the variables interact, and the matrice d'Impacts croises-multiplication applique´ a classement (MICMAC) method is used to rank and categorise the lean-sustainability enablers. Findings: This study identified ten lean-sustainability enablers for start-ups during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study says that the key factors are leadership and managerial commitment, implementation of employee skills and abilities, strategic need, personnel engagement and financial ability. Research limitations/implications: The study focused primarily on lean-sustainability characteristics for start-ups. Practical implications: This research will aid key stakeholders and academics in better understanding the factors that contribute to lean-sustainability in start-ups. Originality/value: This study proposes the TISM technique for start-ups, which is a novel attempt in the subject of lean-sustainability in this industry. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Pushup Counting and Evaluating Based on Human Keypoint Detection

In recent years, the fitness industry has undergone significant expansion, with a significant percentage of the population adamantly refusing to give up their weekly training sessions. The growth of this industry has been accompanied by a rise in the services given by gyms and sports organisations, with user-centric planning and management systems for more technological sports activities. The mix of fitness and technology was already a burgeoning phenomenon, which has expanded further as a result of COVID-19. During the quarantine, though, we may only exercise at home. This project serves as your personal trainer for at-home workouts. Using Deep Learning and Signal Processing, it will assist you in doing correct push-ups. © 2022 IEEE.

Longitudinal study of mental health changes in residents affected by an initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, and the world continues to work to defeat it. We designed this study to understand the longitudinal change in the mental health of residents who experienced the initial disease outbreak in China and to explore the long-term influencing factors. Methods: The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Generalized Anxiety Scale (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were administered to the same sample four times: during the initial outbreak (T1), 1 month later (T2), 18 months later (T3), and 26 months later (T4). Results: A total of 397 participants completed all of the follow ups. The mean PSS scores among the four time points showed significant differences (F = 183.98, P < 0.001), with the highest score at T1 (15.35 ± 7.14), a sharp decline at T2 (11.27 ± 6.27), an obvious rebound at T3 (15.17 ± 7.46), and finally a slight decrease at T4 (14.41 ± 7.99). Among the four mean GAD-7 scores, significant differences were also found (F = 242.0, P < 0.001), with the trend that from T1 (7.42 ± 6.03) to T2 (7.35 ± 5.88), the scores remained steady, while they showed an apparent decline at T3 (5.00 ± 5.30) and no obvious change at T4 (4.91 ± 4.81). There were no significant differences among the mean PHQ-9 scores (F = 1.256, P < 0.284). The long-term influencing factors differed for stress, anxiety and depression, but all three were influenced by a history of psychosis at T4, quarantine status and whether the participants' family members were infected during the initial outbreak. Discussion: The survey revealed that repeated outbreaks in other areas also had an impact on those who experienced the initial outbreak, with a return of stress, a decline in anxiety, and no change in depression, which provides direction for interventions in the future.

Recontextualization practices: A scale of directness

I analyze Israel president Rivlin's 2020 speech delivered against the background of ongoing COVID-19 health threats and a severe political crisis, and its follow-ups in online news articles and in ordinary readers' comments on news sites and on Facebook. I examine the recontextualization practices used in this three-part discourse event, shedding light on their diversity and focusing on the degree of directness they manifest. Recontextualization is conceptualized as the strategic molding of situations and prior texts and their integration into another discourse through discursive practices. The analysis shows that the president recontextualizes the complex political and social crisis through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic. He frames the pandemic in terms of its morbid, mythic, and moral dimensions, as well as its influence on various aspects of civil and political disorder. This connection is drawn through the juxtaposition of propositions and the shifts between the deliberative and the epidictic keyings, alluding to Jewish tradition, prayers, and blessings. Through the use of the inclusive "we,” he self-positions as a leader on a par with ordinary people, whereas through direct demands formulated in the plural without personal naming he addresses his ratified addressees, the MPs and the ministers, and thus self-positions as an authority demanding accountability from the current leadership. The news articles in leading online media are short and partial, recontextualizing the speech and the situation through their titles, the selection of the extracts they chose to present and the very few evaluations they make. They mostly take up the president's moral framing and some of his explicit demands for political accountability. The commenters mostly follow up on the moral framing and the mythic dimensions proposed by the president but offer a different perspective on these issues. They shift the responsibility for "losing the compass” from the collective "we” advocated by the president to the politicians including the president, and they ironically echo the epidictic keying in order to challenge and even ridicule it. They further add another dimension to the speech event, by framing the president's speech as politically biased. The discursive patterns used all along this thread of discourses by all its participants range in degree of directness and recontextualize the object of talk, perspectives, keying and positionings. Copyright © 2023 Weizman.

A Case of Multiple Sclerosis Uncovered Following Moderna SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination.

Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system characterized by lesions disseminated in time and space. The diagnostic criteria for laboratory-supported definite multiple sclerosis involve two episodes of symptoms, evidence of at least one white matter lesion on MRI, and abnormal oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid. Patients usually present in their early 20s and on average have up to one flare-up per year. While vaccines play an important role in the prevention of many diseases, they have often been purported as a potential trigger of multiple sclerosis and multiple sclerosis relapses. The medical literature provides reliable information concerning the risk of developing multiple sclerosis and multiple sclerosis relapses following the administration of most vaccines, but not much is known about the novel Moderna severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS­CoV­2) vaccine. We report the case of a 24-year-old male who presented with right-sided facial weakness, dizziness, and dysarthria two days after receiving his first dose of the Moderna coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Imaging studies noted both acute and chronic central nervous system lesions. He met the diagnostic criteria for laboratory-supported definite multiple sclerosis. His acute flare was treated with intravenous corticosteroids and the patient was subsequently started on ocrelizumab. This case serves as an important example of the novel Moderna SARS-CoV-2 vaccine as a potential trigger of multiple sclerosis relapse. In addition, we review the literature for similar occurrences with the other COVID-19 vaccines and provide reliable guidance for COVID-19 vaccination for patients with multiple sclerosis.

Sustainability of Start-Ups during Pandemic: An Analytical Study in Reference of Indian Perspective

Every growing country needs a pattern of industry development with cumulative growth year on year, every government tries to establish the industries for the development of the country but it requires lots of initiative and efforts, for this they need the energetic mind of entrepreneurship thinking. As India is having a huge consumer market with great potential of industry development, Indian conditions are most appropriate for the start-ups with various factors. Indian start-ups entrepreneurship sector has shown a great impact on country economic growth since last few years, this contribution to the Indian economy is still sustained. Though Indian economy is a promising economy & Indian government is looking for 3 trillion economies in near future but what about the start-ups economic health after pandemic of COVID 19, Is it still promising or there is any effect. This research paper is focused on the analysis of economic health of start-ups before & after of COVID 19. The research objective is to identify the condition of existing start-ups & the initiation of new ventures. The Exploratory research method is used for in-depth research of said objectives. Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.