Identifying the Impacts of COVID-19 on Chilean Construction Projects

The construction industry has been highly disrupted by the pandemic as the development of construction projects must be adapted due to policies to minimize the spread of COVID-19, such as social distancing. As the construction industry contributes approximately 7% of Chilean GDP, it is important to identify and understand the impacts the construction industry has suffered due to the pandemic context. This study aims to identify the impacts of COVID-19 on Chilean construction projects. This study is enabled by data from 40 semi-structured interviews collected between May and November 2020 with multiple stakeholders working on projects during the pandemic, namely construction managers, construction engineers, and laborers of construction work. This study's results are obtained by categorizing the impacts of COVID-19 on Chilean construction projects, performing content analysis to the data collected. We found that the impacts of COVID-19 on construction projects can be classified in nine categories, being the categories with the most coded responses the following: economic impacts, productivity, and the stop and delay of construction projects. Additionally, the impacts from COVID-19 were identified to reach multiple levels, namely at the company, project, workers, and suppliers and subcontractors' levels. The most coded excerpts regarding the impacts of COVID-19 were found at the project and workers' levels. This study is a first step that identifies the impacts suffered by the construction industry due to pandemic conditions;understanding these impacts may guide the most appropriate plans and policies of decision-makers in the fight against COVID-19 in the construction industry. © 2023, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.

Market Competition, Balanced Scorecard, and Their Effects on Hotel Organizational Performance and Manager's Satisfaction

This study examines the effect of market competition as a determinant of the balanced scorecard (BSC) system and the two consequences of organizational performance and managers' satisfaction. Four hypotheses are tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The data were collected from 145 valid responses from four- and five-star hotels in Turkey and focused on the pandemic period. The results revealed that market competition does not affect the use of BSC. Nevertheless, the BSC leads to better organizational performance and system satisfaction for managers. Managers' satisfaction with the BSC was also positively related to the performance of hotel organizations.

The Effects of COVID-19 on U.S. Small Businesses: Evidence from Owners, Managers, and Employees

We analyze a large-scale survey of small business owners, managers, and employees in the United States to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on those businesses. We explore two waves of the survey that were fielded on Facebook in April 2020 and December 2020. We document five facts about the impact of the pandemic on small businesses. (1) Larger firms, older firms, and male-owned firms were more likely to remain open during the early stages of the pandemic with many of these heterogeneities persisting through the end of 2020. (2) At businesses that remained open, concerns about demand shocks outweighed concerns about supply shocks though the relative importance of supply shocks grew over time. (3) In response to the pandemic, almost a quarter of the firms reduced their prices with price reductions concentrated among businesses facing financial constraints and demand shocks;almost no firms raised prices. (4) Only a quarter of small businesses had access to formal sources of financing at the start of the pandemic, and access to formal financing affected how firms responded to the pandemic. (5) Increased household responsibilities affected the ability of managers and employees to focus on their work, whereas increased business responsibilities impacted their ability to take care of their household members. This effect persisted through December 2020 and was particularly strong for women and parents of school-aged children. We discuss how these facts inform our understanding of the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they can help design policy responses to similar shocks. © 2022 INFORMS.

Exploring Managerial Job Demands and Resources in Transition to Distance Management: A Qualitative Danish Case Study.

Organizations worldwide have shifted to working from home, requiring managers to engage in distance management using information and communication technologies (ICT). Studies show that managers experience high job demands and inadequate guidance during COVID-19; therefore, the transition to distance management raises questions about the increase in managerial job demands and the impact on managers' well-being. This study aims to explore first-line managers' perceptions of job demands and available resources during the first year of the pandemic and understand the implications for first-line managers' well-being. First-line managers face complex and conflicting demands, making them more challenged in their management task than other management levels. We used the job demands-resources model in this qualitative, longitudinal empirical study. The study draws on 49 semi-structured interviews with seven first-line managers from a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, whom we followed throughout the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, from May 2020 to May 2021. Our findings suggest that the first-line managers perceived increased emotional and practical demands. While the managers appreciated the initial guidance provided by the organization, they perceived the organizational support as outdated and superficial. As a result, to cope with the uncertainty caused by the pandemic and the shift to distance management, the managers relied on work engagement enablers such as social support. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic portrays unique circumstances in transitioning to distance management that require further exploration outside the COVID-19 context, the insights from this study can assist organizations in developing awareness about transitions to better support first-line management to embrace changes in the future.

[Organization of healthcare systems to confront COVID-19: a scoping reviewOrganización de los sistemas de salud para hacer frente a la COVID-19: revisión del alcance]. / Organização dos sistemas de saúde no enfrentamento à covid-19: uma revisão de escopo.

Objective: To identify evidence in the literature on the response of managers regarding the organization of global healthcare systems to face the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: For this scoping review, searches were performed in 11 databases accessible through the Virtual Health Library. Eleven studies, published in 2019 and 2020, were selected based on the following guiding question: "How did managers act to organize healthcare systems to face the coronavirus pandemic?". The results were organized in terms of the categories outlined in the Pan-American Health Organization's Framework for the response of Integrated Health Service Delivery Networks to COVID-19: governance; model of care; organizational and management; financial allocations. Results: Managers in countries that invested and articulated actions in the categories of the Reference Framework, with coordination of care at the primary healthcare level, achieved better outcomes in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Situating the coordination of healthcare systems at the primary care level, preparing managers and ensuring the continued allocation of financial resources to healthcare are important factors to secure a satisfactory response to crises such as the covid-19 pandemic.

Objetivo: Hacer una búsqueda bibliográfica de la evidencia de la respuesta de los gestores en lo referente a la organización de los sistemas mundiales de salud para hacer frente a la pandemia por el nuevo coronavirus. Método: Se trata de una revisión del alcance, con búsquedas realizadas en 11 bases de datos disponibles en la Biblioteca Virtual de Salud. A partir de la pregunta orientadora sobre "¿cómo actuaron los gestores en la organización de los sistemas de salud para enfrentar la pandemia relacionada con el coronavirus?", se seleccionaron 11 estudios publicados en el período 2019­2020. Los resultados se organizaron a partir de las categorías del Marco de referencia de la red integrada de servicios de salud para la respuesta a la pandemia de COVID-19 de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud, a saber, gobernanza de la red, modelo de atención, organización y gestión, y financiamiento o recursos. Resultados: Se observó que los gestores de los países que invirtieron recursos y organizaron acciones en las categorías del marco de referencia, con la coordinación de los cuidados por medio del sistema de atención primaria de salud, obtuvieron mejores resultados en el abordaje de la pandemia. Conclusiones: La coordinación de los sistemas de salud en el nivel de atención primaria, la preparación de los gestores y el mantenimiento de la asignación continua de recursos financieros al sector de la salud son factores importantes para garantizar una respuesta satisfactoria a crisis como la causada por la pandemia de COVID-19.

Enhancing the Capacity of Health Systems to Overcome Challenges and Strengthening Nurses and other Healthcare Professionals in COVID-19 Process

Nowadays, leaders and executives are faced with a complex set of problems that do not have a complete solution, threaten their career and the future of their institutions, and that the parties are harmed. When evaluating ambiguous information that contradicts each other, the priority of the manager and leader should be to implement the solution that gives the least harm to the majority. When a process such as COVID-19, which caused a pandemic and left our lives under uncertainty, more than one crisis situation emerged, which we had to manage both personally and as healthcare professionals. The important point here is related to how we manage and lead these extraordinary situations we encountered in the Quantum era. How we keep pace with change and how we can lead this planning process is an important issue. Because people faced a risk in the context of the most important human right and constitutional right "right to live”. Therefore, how to protect ourselves and stay healthy during this process have been our top priorities. The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to protecting and strengthening health is undoubtedly the health professionals who have adopted this issue as a professional principle. Health professionals have important responsibilities in planning this crisis in terms of planning, speed, compliance and trust. This article, prepared in a compilation style, discusses what can be done within the scope of the COVID-19 process, by improving the capacity of managers and leaders to overcome difficulties in the health system they are in and strengthening nurses and health professionals.

IMPACT OF SARS-COV-2 INFECTION TO RISK AND SEVERITY OF HYPERTENSION IN PREGNANCY AND ITS OUTCOME TO THE NEW BORN

Objective: To determine relationship of SARS-CoV-2 infection to the risk and severity of preeclampsia, as well as its impact on newborns. Design and method: We performed a systematic search in databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and Cochrane Library) for studies examining impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on pregnancy. Included studies were evaluated for risk of bias based on the Newcastle Ottawa Score. A meta-analysis was conducted using the data extracted from each study. Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4 was utilized to compute the summary of odds ratios (OR), mean differences (MD), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the outcomes. Our outcomes of interest are preeclampsia, preeclampsia with severe features, eclampsia, fetal distress and still birth. The other outcomes are preterm birth (< 37 week), instrumental labor, sectio caesaria and birth defect. Results: We identified twenty two observational studies involving 1,025,048 pregnancy patients. Based on the analysis, SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy significantly increased the risk of preeclampsia [OR 2.01(95% CI 1.59-2.53;p < 0.00001;I2 = 82%)], and the severity was based on the high prevalence of preeclampsia with severe features [OR 3.04(95% CI 1.19-7.78;p = 0.02;I2 = 91%)] and eclampsia [OR 17.73(95% CI 13.83-22.72;p < 0.00001;I2 = 0%)]. Poor outcome in newborns in terms of incidence of preterm birth [OR 1.65(95% CI 1.54- 1.76;p < 0.00001;I2 = 86%)], fetal distress [OR 19.18(95% CI 17.14-21.45;p < 0.00001;I2 = 99%)] and still birth [OR 2.12(95% CI 1.74-2.59;p < 0.00001;I2 = 0%)], were also significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy increases the risk and severity of preeclampsia and gives a poor outcome in newborn.

Creating resource passageways in cross-cultural virtual work teams: a longitudinal field study

Purpose: Lens of conservation of resources (COR) theory has been used to study how organizations can create resource passageways for their employees via managers. This has been examined in cross-cultural virtual work teams distributed across time and space within the high-resource loss context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Longitudinal field design was used in a transnational organization involving data collection at three times over eight months. At Time 1, qualitative methodology was used to propose a conceptual model. At Time 2 and Time 3, an online survey was used to collect data for 205 virtual work teams across 10 countries in the Asia–Pacific region pre and post "manager as coach” training respectively. Findings: Using COR theory, the study highlights that "manager as coach” training is an effective resource for managers in the high resource depletion context of the pandemic. Access to timely support increases saliency for the resource-gain spiral and has a cross-over impact on virtual work team outcomes suggesting transferability of resources from managers to subordinates. Also, managers across all nationalities view coaching training as an equally valuable resource. Practical implications: The study provides evidence for investment in timely and relevant support for managers to positively and swiftly impact virtual work teams during high-resource loss contexts. Originality/value: The study expands COR crossover theory across space and time dimensions using a longitudinal field research design. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Managing the nursing shortage during the Covid-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

Background: Nursing care contributes to the safety and the quality of care of patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses became frontline care providers. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using an online focus group discussion of eight nurse committee members from six hospitals. After the data were collected, the study continued with inductive thematic analysis. The data were organized and extracted to identify meaningful statements and formulate meanings. Inductive thematic analysis was used, resulting in three themes and six subthemes. Results: The themes related to managing the nursing workforce, schedules, rosters, shifts, goals of re-design staffing, and the nurse-patient ratio. Conclusions: The management of the nursing staffing was modified to protect nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nurse manager redesigned workforce planning to ensure a safe environment for nurses.

Bringing risk back in: managers' prioritization of the work environment during the pandemic

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to investigate managers' experiences of managing work environment and risks during the Covid-19 pandemic and to explore how managers might use these experiences to develop future risk management. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 Swedish managers at different hierarchical levels working in 11 different organizations. A directed content analysis was carried out, informed by theory on risk management. Finding(s): The results point to the pandemic as a societal crisis which workplaces needed to manage through large means of improvisation. Regular work environment routines were put to the test, and several deficiencies in the work environment and risk management were identified. Organizations that handle occupational safety and risks on a daily basis through established routines were less affected and could easier adjust work environment and risk management, compared to organizations prioritizing the social and organizational work environment, which had to re-prioritize and start paying more attention to the physical work environment and to bring risk management into their daily routines. Originality/value: The study offers an account of how managers in different labor market sectors in Sweden have acted in the midst of the pandemic by handling real-time crises, how these experiences can be used for engaging in retrospective learning and how this may imply changes to their prospective risk management. Copyright © 2022, Cathrine Reineholm, Christian Stahl and Daniel Lundqvist.

Security Analysis of Sports Competition under the Influence of Covid-19

Introduction: The continuous growth of COVID-19 has harmed sports competitions. Although the existing method of non-opening to spectators is very effective for preventing and controlling COVID-19, it will also seriously blow the sports economy's development. Objective(s): Explore the safety of sports competition under the influence of COVID-19 to realize sports practice in a safe and regulated condition. Method(s): Firstly, the current public's willingness to participate in the competition was analyzed by questionnaire survey. Then, using the literature search method, this paper discusses the safety needs of sports competitions under the normalization of the prevention and control of COVID-19 in the research area at the present stage. Result(s): By completely controlling the crowd shift rule and skillfully controlling the crowd pace, the transmission risk in the competition process can be effectively reduced. Conclusion(s): The relevant departments and stadium managers should fully analyze the current epidemic prevention and control needs and strengthen spectator safety management in the study area in combination with regional characteristics and the actual spectator situation. Level of evidence II;Therapeutic studies-investigation of treatment outcomes. Copyright © 2023, Redprint Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.