Routines and Emotions of Teachers as a Structural Element of the Educational System During Distance Learning

The sudden transition to distance learning in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic required teachers to adjust by creating new teaching routines. This process was accompanied by complex emotional experiences as they tried to live their professional and personal lives. To point to the importance of maintaining routines for the sake of ontological security and social integration, and the relevance of emotions during distance learning, we utilise Giddens' theory of structuration, focusing on routinisation and regionalisation of interactions, and Turner's analysis of integration processes and the role of emotions in them. We examine (i) how teaching routines were shaped and regionalised and (ii) what positive and negative emotions teachers experienced during distance learning in interactions with various actors. In the paper, the interviews conducted in 2020 with 32 subject teachers were analysed using deductive-inductive thematic analysis. Three themes were constructed;the permeation of the public sphere in teachers' personal space, the establishment of routines and emotional experiences, including sub-themes. This paper indicates that the preservation and creation of new routines and (positive) emotions and expectations in interactions are a potential that can enable overcoming crises or challenging situations such as distance learning, sometimes in such a way that the demarcation between the public and private spheres is violated. On the other hand, the appearance of negative emotions and long-term negative emotional states at the micro level indicate, from teachers' perspective, inadequate valorisation of their work by higher institutional levels and represent a potential for disintegration processes. © 2023, Croatian Sociological Association. All rights reserved.

Post-Crisis Regionalisation of Global Value Chains in Strategies of Transnational Companies

The current global crisis led to the transformation of global value chains (GVC) in strategies of transnational companies (TNCs). The present study aims to establish a causal relationship between the volatility of the world economy and regionalisation of global value chains. Based on historical analysis and a systemic-functional approach, scattered information about the impact of global value chains on the development of TNC strategies was integrated. Thus, various aspects of TNC activities (their participation in international trade, international capital flows, etc.) were analysed together in order to identify the consequences of regionalisation for the strategic development of such companies. The study revealed that the established international production system carries many risks, which are exacerbated by continuing protectionism in international trade. Under the influence of digitalisation, regionalisation of value chains and partial reshoring of production facilities are the key directions for further development of GVCs. Given the rapid cross-border transmission of exogenous shocks, the stability and sustainability of global value chains will determine their development;however, there is no evidence whether GVCs will lengthen or shorten. The high cost of the complex reconfiguration of GVCs towards regionalisation will lead to only minor changes in their architecture. The redesign will affect only some aspects of activities, in particular, the organisation of work with global suppliers. While the weak integration of developing countries into GVCs will remain, the barriers to internationalisation will be reduced under the influence of digitalisation, creating new opportunities for the incorporation of small business into the international production system. In general, global value chains will still be considered a reliable source to reduce the risks of global operating activities of TNCs. The research results can be used for further theoretical and methodological development of internationalisation strategies. © 2022 Institute of Economics, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

From globalising to regionalising to reshoring value chains? The case of Japan's semiconductor industry

This study evaluates the current situation and challenges of reshoring in the Japanese manufacturing industry, focusing on the semiconductor industry, which once dominated the world. After a recent document analysis and qualitative interviews with firms' representatives and policymakers, it is apparent that the globalised semiconductor industry is unlikely to reshore to Japan even amid supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A review of Japan's semiconductor-related industries, such as semiconductor manufacturing materials, validated that they are embedded in Asian production networks and need to be optimised within a regionalised production system.