Utilisation of tele-audiology practices in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives of audiology clinic owners, managers and reception staff.

OBJECTIVE: To canvas the views of Australia-based hearing healthcare clinic owners/managers and reception staff regarding the utilisation, experiences and perspectives of providing tele-audiology services during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: A national prospective self-report survey was completed online. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty-one clinic owners/managers (Mage 54.43 years, 15 female) and 58 reception staff (Mage 42.88 years, 49 female) from Australia-based hearing clinics. RESULTS: Clinic owners/managers reported an increase in use of tele-audiology services as compared to pre-COVID-19. Reception staff reported providing more advice and support to clients over the phone. Both clinic owners/managers and reception staff indicated key barriers to providing tele-audiology services to include concerns about their clients' digital and technological literacy and the perception that in-the-clinic appointments deliver better client outcomes than tele-audiology appointments. CONCLUSIONS: The increased utilisation of tele-audiology services observed appears to be largely influenced by COVID-19 related factors (e.g. maintaining client and staff safety and increased funding). It is therefore possible that utilisation of tele-audiology service may drop once the threat of the pandemic has subsided. Perceived barriers relating to clients' digital literacy and the effectiveness of tele-audiology services require attention to safeguard the future of tele-audiology service delivery in Australia.

Owner-manager emotions and strategic responses of small family businesses to the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic, a consensus crisis that has had a profound effect on societies and economies globally, compelled family businesses to respond strategically in order to remain afloat. We examine the role of their owner-managers' emotions in the strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on 38 in-depth interviews with owner-managers of small family businesses in Cyprus. Our findings reveal that owner-managers have experienced mainly negative emotions during the pandemic, including higher levels of stress, insecurity, fear, and doubt. By reflecting on these emotions, owner-managers can activate affective mechanisms and apply a stewardship logic to respond strategically. We contribute to the family business literature by conceptualizing key processes at the intersection between owner-manager emotions and strategic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. By focusing on individual (that is, owner-manager) emotional processes and stewardship attitudes, our study provides a microfoundational explanation of strategic responses during external crises and offers both theoretical and practical implications. © 2023 International Council for Small Business.

Managing Human Resources in the New Normal: How Are Small Business Owner-Managers Responding?

The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the world of work. In South Africa, the small business context has not been spared. This study sought to explore how a sample of small business owner-managers respond to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the human resource function of the entity. A qualitative research approach utilizing semi-structured interviews with 25 small business owner-managers was used. A thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the collected data using the suggestions made by Braun and Clarke. This allowed for the emergence of themes to assist in understanding the management of human resources under the new normal. Two main findings emerged. First, small business owner-managers adopted innovative ways of managing their workforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given these ways of managing, small business owner-managers sought ways to put in place measures that improve cash flow and ensure the management of their employees. Second, the findings also focus on continued support mechanisms that assist employees in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These mechanisms center on prioritizing mental health and providing in-house counseling services. Implications are drawn for practitioners in the small business context around managing human resources under the new normal. At the core, there is a need to focus on an employee-centered management approach while cognizant of the quest for making a profit. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Family Bonds with Pets and Mental Health during COVID-19 in Australia: A Complex Picture.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to the health-promoting features of human-animal relationships, particularly for families with children. Despite this, the World Health Organization's (1986) Ottawa Charter remains human-centric. Given the reciprocal health impacts of human-animal relationships, this paper aims to (i) describe perceived pet-related benefits, worries, and family activities; and to (ii) examine differences in perceived benefits, worries, and activities for parents and children with and without clinical mental health symptoms. We recruited 1034 Australian parents with a child < 18 years and a cat or dog via a national online survey between July and October 2020. Most parents reported their pet was helpful for their own (78%) and their child's mental health (80%). Adjusted logistic regression revealed parents with clinical psychological distress were 2.5 times more likely to be worried about their pet's care, well-being, and behaviour (OR = 2.56, p < 0.001). Clinically anxious children were almost twice as likely to live in a family who engages frequently in pet-related activities (e.g., cooked treats, taught tricks, OR = 1.82, p < 0.01). Mental health and perceived benefits of having a pet were not strongly associated. Data support re-framing the Ottawa Charter to encompass human-animal relationships, which is an often-neglected aspect of a socioecological approach to health.

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.

Bricolage as an effective tool for the survival of owner-managed SMEs during crises

This study analyzes how the resources and capabilities of the owner-manager influence the firm's capacity to survive during crises. We conceptualize that only the deliberate use of available resources (bricolage) can enhance this capacity, and that "making-do" behaviors mediate the influence of the owner's social and human resources on the firm's capacity to survive crises. Based on a sample of 462 Chilean owner-managed small and medium enterprises (SME), we test our hypotheses using a complementary partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set-qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) approach. The results indicate that when founders deliberatively use their social and cognitive resources, they enhance the firm's capacity to survive in crisis environments. The fsQCA results complement these outcomes by showing that low levels of survival capacity are related to low levels of bricolage and founders' ties. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Family Business Resilience: The Importance of Owner-Manager's Relational Resilience in Crisis Response Strategies

The COVID19 pandemic has disclosed the compelling necessity for businesses to develop and maintain a high resilience to survive the constantly changing environment they operate in and the rising number of crises they face. Our study sheds light on the resilience of owner-managed family businesses, with a special focus on different levels within and beyond the organization, by analyzing digitalization efforts as one form of strategic response to a crisis. More precisely, building on an extensive explorative multiple case study, we explore how and why ownermanaged family businesses differ regarding their resilience and the implications this has for their crisis management. We contribute both to the literature on resilience and to research on family business strategies by showing differences in crisis response related to different levels of family business resilience and the special role of the owner-manager. © 2022: Matti Schulze, Jana Bövers.

Comparative study of health (metabolic biomarkers) between owner farmers and farm workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Differences of land ownership statuses between farmers who grow their land and workers with a profit-sharing system will result in income disparities. The low income received due to reduced levels of rice productivity affects the health status of farmers. Therefore, this study compares the health status between farmers who are owners and workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2022, this cross-sectional study was carried out in Banyumas Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. Hb, fasting glucose, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI) were all assessed in a total of 100 farmers. Blood samples were taken at 3 cc using an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) anticoagulant vacutainer tube and 5 cc using a plain vacutainer tube, then analyzed in PRODIA Laboratory. A validated tool was used to check blood pressure and BMI. Furthermore, 74% of the 100 farmers surveyed are farm owners, while 26% are workers. The results show that there is no difference in the health status of owners and workers on metabolic biomarkers including Hb, fasting glucose, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, systolic/systole blood pressure, and BMI. In addition, a number of biomarker indicators, including Hb, fasting glucose, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure, were found to surpass the threshold. Therefore, farmers need to maintain their health status by performing physical activity, consuming healthy food, and reducing their exposure to insecticides with personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent metabolic diseases in the future. © 2023, Intelektual Pustaka Media Utama. All rights reserved.

Changes in Dog Behaviour Associated with the COVID-19 Lockdown, Pre-Existing Separation-Related Problems and Alterations in Owner Behaviour.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns provided an opportunity to assess what factors, including changes in an owner's routine and time spent at home, were associated with changes in dog behaviour. We undertook a longitudinal survey over a period of 8 months during which we asked about people's work patterns, dog management, and their dogs' behaviour. Generalized linear models revealed that the pre-existence of signs of potential separation-related problems, and especially vocalisation, self-injury, and chewing to escape confinement, was associated with an increase in a range of separation issues. Dogs showing separation-related signs prior to COVID were also more likely to develop more problems during lockdown. Management changes tended to result in increased physical and social stress, with a range of potential compensatory actions taken by the dog, however these signs of stress did not generally appear to be connected to separation-related issues. Survival analysis was used to investigate the emergence of specific issues over time. This indicated that a change to working from home was related initially to a decreased risk of aggression towards the owner, but over time, those who continued to work from the home were at an increased risk of this problem. No other significant time-related relationships were found.

COVID-19 – Treiber für die Digitalisierung des Einzelhandels?: Eine Untersuchung in vier Mittelstädten

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed major challenges not only to society but also to business, including the retail sector in particular. Although online retailers benefited from lockdowns and the closure of local stores, brick-and-mortar retailers were cut off from their main source of income overnight. The latter has been undergoing structural change for decades and has recently had to face new challenges as a result of extensive social and economic digitalization. Our article deals with the question of the extent to which retailers felt compelled to undertake increased digitization as a consequence of the COVID-19 lockdowns. We consider different online strategies, ranging from complete inactivity to a comprehensive online strategy (online shops, supported by social media activity). In order to visualize the development over the last years as well as over three COVID-19 lockdowns, the study presents a comparison of two survey dates (2017/2018 and 2021) based on four medium-sized towns in North Rhine-Westphalia (Baesweiler, Düren, Eschweiler, Heinsberg). It can be seen that the digitalization process is progressing in general, although the extent of digital activities is strongly dependent on the respective form of organization. In addition, differences can also be seen with regard to the size of the medium-sized towns. © 2023, The Author(s).

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.

Chaos and complexity: entrepreneurial planning during pandemic

Entrepreneurs are argued to have higher foresight, ability to handle complex situations, and superior planning. This qualitative study attempted to validate these assertions in the pandemic context of COVID19. The pandemic created a complex and chaotic business environment. The information was available to businesspersons of the region before a quarter. Did they show adequate foresight to assimilate information and respond to the crisis? How complex was the situation for planning? What entrepreneurial characteristics were demonstrated? A qualitative study design sought and analyzed business owner's responses to these questions. Though the findings are not generalizable, it indicated inadequate but reactive response. Secondly, the challenge of reduced cash flow prompted cost cutting as an operational response. The plan of winning trust in transactions was also an operational response. A few perceived pandemic as an opportunity for product innovation. Business owners demonstrated empathy toward their employees. Interestingly, most business owners indicated fluidity and inadequate information as a barrier for planning. Information acquisition, seeking help from network, responding to imminent events, wait and watch, were predominant operational responses, whereas innovation and shifting of sectors were strategic responses considered by few entrepreneurs. The perception of superior entrepreneurial abilities in anticipating events, planning, strategizing, and handling complexity was less evidenced in this study.

TerraVet: A Mobile and Web Application Framework for Pet Owners and Veterinary Clinic

The lives of pet animals are equally essential as how a human life. Pet owners and the veterinarian are responsible for providing good welfare for pets despite the problems. However, the rise of COVID-19 temporarily disturbs the veterinary services where some of them limit or stop their operations, resulting in the absence and difficulties for the pet owners to locate the available veterinarian, especially when there is an immediate need for treatment, vaccination, or consultation. Aside from that, setting an appointment and buying the pet's needs are seen to be a problem with regards to the situation since most of the pet owners are afraid to go outside because they might be infected with the virus. In line with this, TerraVet: A Mobile and Web Application Framework for Veterinary Clinics and Pet Owners is proposed to resolve the underlying dilemmas in administering and facilitating veterinary care. The main objective of this suggested project is to develop and design a platform where pet owners may locate their nearby veterinarian using the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. In addition, the application enables the pet owner to arrange an appointment, product reservation, and online consultation. The veterinary clinic may post details regarding their offered services, products, and medicines. TerraVet will also design an electronic pet card to monitor their health status. © 2022 ACM.

CASE STUDY: STEAM TURBINE MODERNIZATION – SUCCESSFUL BROWNFIELD EXCHANGE OF A 55-YEAR-OLD STEAM TURBINE-GENERATOR AT GRU'S JR KELLY UNIT 8 CCPP

Many steam turbine modernizations projects evaluated today are viewed by operators with focus to mitigate risk, minimize outage time, and maintain reliability, while getting the best cost-benefit possible. This technical paper will take you through the steps on how the owner/operator, Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), began evaluating traditional modernization approaches for their JR Kelly Unit 8, reevaluating alternatives from multiple suppliers, and eventually selecting a Brownfield Steam Turbine Generator Exchange (BEX) as the most technically viable and economic solution to support their current and future power plant needs. Utilizing a brownfield exchange concept, known most typically to be associated with gas turbines, this approach involved removal of the entire original steam turbine-generator unit and replacement with new latest technology steam turbine-generator components, while re-using the turbine building, condenser cooling, and electrical connections. Siemens Energy Inc. (Siemens Energy) provided this Florida utility with a comprehensive package which included demolition of the existing turbine-generator equipment, integration engineering services, supply and delivery of a new steam turbine-generator set, gear box, field installation components, technical field assistance services, field installation services, start up and commissioning services, and performance testing services. Major components were skid mounted and installed onto existing turbine deck. The project was implemented in Spring 2021 during the height of the Covid pandemic, which presented additional challenges to the stakeholders and will be discussed. Authors include GRU Project Manager, GRU Manager of Outage Planning & Major Maintenance, and Siemens Energy Steam Turbine Modernization Project Lead, who will share their critical perspectives of the project. Copyright © 2022 by Siemens Energy.

Cat-Owner Relationship and Cat Behaviour: Effects of the COVID-19 Confinement and Implications for Feline Management.

The restrictive measures implemented to stem the spread of COVID-19 abruptly changed the lives of many cats and their owners. This study explored whether the lockdown in Italy affected the cat-owner relationship, as well as cat behaviour and welfare. A survey that included questions on owner and cat's demographics, living environment, cat behaviour and a modified version of the Cat/Dog Relationship Scale (C/DORS) was distributed online during the lockdown and was completed by 548 cat owners, mainly women (81.6%). With regard to the C/DORS subscales, both emotional closeness and cat-owner interactions increased during confinement, as opposed to a reduction in perceived costs. The effect of the type of job, family role and owner's age on the C/DORS scores suggests that the relationship improved for those owners that, due to the lockdown, increased the time spent with their cats. For 58.8% of respondents, their cat's general behaviour did not change, but when changes occurred, they were mostly positive (20.4%). Attention-seeking and demanding behaviours were the most increased during lockdown (25.7%). Cats with pre-existing problematic behaviours tended to either remain stable or improve during confinement. The overall positive effects of lockdown-related environmental changes on a cat's behaviour suggest that some aspects of commonly implemented cat management practices should be revised to improve cat welfare in normal circumstances.

Bricolage as an effective tool for the survival of owner-managed SMEs during crises

This study analyzes how the resources and capabilities of the owner-manager influence the firm's capacity to survive during crises. We conceptualize that only the deliberate use of available resources (bricolage) can enhance this capacity, and that "making-do” behaviors mediate the influence of the owner's social and human resources on the firm's capacity to survive crises. Based on a sample of 462 Chilean owner-managed small and medium enterprises (SME), we test our hypotheses using a complementary partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set-qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) approach. The results indicate that when founders deliberatively use their social and cognitive resources, they enhance the firm's capacity to survive in crisis environments. The fsQCA results complement these outcomes by showing that low levels of survival capacity are related to low levels of bricolage and founders' ties.

Factors Affecting Intention to Use a New Human Resource Information System at One of the Small and Medium Enterprises in Indonesia

This study aims to analyze factors affecting the intention to use a new human resource information system at PT. XYZ. PT. XYZ is a small-medium enterprise located in Jakarta, Indonesia. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company switched from a manual to an electronic human resource information system. The sample of this study is all employees of PT. XYZ. The questionnaires were distributed directly to 36 employees of PT. XYZ. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that owner and technology vendor support significantly influence the intention to use a new human resource information system. The novelty of this research is combining the technology acceptance model theory, the technology-organization-environment framework, and the yale communication model. © 2022 IEEE.

Contextualizing small business resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from small business owner-managers

In light of the unprecedented global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, resilient businesses are those more likely to make the transition to the post-COVID era. Our study draws on the concept of psychological resilience and focusses on individual owner-managers to the end of examining business resilience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conduct a longitudinal qualitative study, collecting data from 35 small business owner-managers between April and December 2020. Our findings—which provide insights into the micro-underpinnings of the resilience exhibited by small business in response to the COVID-19 pandemic—illustrate the responses and resilient qualities of owner-managers at both the personal and leadership levels, which facilitate resilient actions at the small business level. By drawing on a psychological perspective, our study provides a novel conceptualization of small business resilience at the person-role-organization nexus. Plain English SummaryThe psychological resilience of owner-managers provides novel insights towards a better understanding of small business resilience during exogenous shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological resilience involves an individual’s ability to adapt or thrive in the face of life’s adversities and uncertainties. We conduct a longitudinal qualitative study, collecting data from 35 small business owner-managers between April and December 2020. We reveal a sequential process centred on owner-managers and on their abilities to build-up or strengthen any personal and leadership resilient capacities, which appear to be prerequisites for the establishment of resilient actions at the level of the small business. We contribute theoretically by conceptualizing the links and path dependencies between personal, leadership (role), and organizational resilience in small businesses. In conclusion, our study provides practical implications on essential personal-level responses that can guide the leadership role of owner-managers in the midst of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Social media perceptions, readiness and usage in fostering sustainable growth of micro and small enterprises in Uganda

Purpose>The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of social media, perception, readiness and usage on sustainable growth of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Uganda.Design/methodology/approach>This study is cross-sectional and adopted a mixed method approach. Data was gathered through a questionnaire survey of 212 business owner–managers that are members of the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association (USSIA) and engaging 8 business managers in the in-depth interviews to support and strengthen the quantitative results. Data analysis was done using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS.24) and Atlas ti.8.Findings>The study reveals that social media perception, readiness and usage positively influence sustainable growth of MSEs in Uganda. However, the insufficient soft and technical skills, lack of devices such as computers and smartphones and the high cost of Internet data undermine the usage of social media by business owner–managers for sustainable growth of their businesses.Practical implications>The findings demonstrate what policymakers, social media operators and business owner–managers need to do to enhance integration of social media platforms and channels into the operations of MSEs in Uganda.Originality/value>This study adds to existing literature on social media technology in MSEs with evidence from Uganda. The study results are likely to foster usage of social media as policymakers and social media providers will come up with appropriate strategies to unlock the social media potential of the business owner–managers for sustainable business growth in Uganda.

Adapting owner-occupied dwellings in the UK: lessons for the future

With 80% of the 2050 housing stock already built, the UK has at least 19 million existing homes in need of low carbon retrofit. Practice–theory-based studies have argued that these retrofits must be understood in the context of wider home adaptations and routine practices of dwelling. Therefore, changes in practices caused by the Covid-19 pandemic create a gap in the knowledge regarding the impact on home adaptations and integration of low carbon retrofit. This research compares two stages of interviews: the first undertaken in 2015–16 (30 households), investigating home adaptations and the practices of dwelling they supported. The second stage undertaken in summer 2021 (nine re-interviewees) asking participants to reflect on how their practices of dwelling had changed and how their homes had accommodated this. Rigorous line-by-line coding of the relationships between attributes of the home and practices of dwelling allows comparison between stages, offering original practice–theory-based insights into the implications for home adaptations. The findings show that practices of homeworking in particular placed great spatial and environmental pressure on the homes of growing families. If continued, these practices would create increased demand for dedicated workspaces, and significant opportunities to integrate fabric improvements and low carbon technologies into these adaptations. PRACTICE RELEVANCE Long-term adoption of home-working practices could trigger home adaptations among households of growing families. Analysis of pre-pandemic adaptations to support homeworking suggests, first, this is likely to manifest in loft conversions;and second, these present a significant opportunity to integrate renewable energy in the form of solar panels. Furthermore, higher rates of homeworking have facilitated a stronger appreciation by owner-occupiers of the benefits of energy efficiency measures in creating normative standards of comfort that support practices of dwelling. These findings are significant for practice because they identify the opportunity that home adaptations to accommodate altered practices of dwelling present to integrate low carbon retrofit technologies into these homes. This will require action from policymakers and industry to increase practical understandings of these technologies among owner-occupiers;increase the availability of specialist installers;and implement appropriate regulations and financial procedures to support the integration of low carbon technologies into practices of home adaptation. © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/.