Time-Varying Network Connectedness Between the Organizational Ecology of Transportation and Storage Firms and Macroeconomic Variables

We investigate the dynamic volatility connectedness of regional stocks, gold, Bitcoin, oil, and uncertainty index related to infectious diseases for the period from January 2014 to June 2022. We investigate the connectivity during Ebola & MERS periods, the normal period, the COVID-19 period and the full sample period. We find that the regional stock indices of the US, Europe, Africa and Latin America are net volatility transmitters whereas regional indices of Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and other assets like gold, oil and Bitcoin are net volatility recipients throughout the sample periods. By employing the TVP-VAR-based dynamic connectedness approach, we find the temporal evolution of system-wide total connectedness and pair-wise connectedness of financial assets to exhibit higher intensity of volatility spillover during the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to other sub-sample periods. We further observe, based on quantile connectedness approach, that the degree of dynamic connectedness is strong and significant across all the quantile spectrums only during the COVID-19 period. We observe that the safe haven characteristics of assets like gold, oil and Bitcoin diminish during the COVID-19 period due to strong dynamic connectedness with regional stock indices. Our findings have implications for policymakers, investors and portfolio managers in better risk management during periods of health epidemics and pandemics.

This study examines the dynamic relationship between macroeconomic variables and stock prices in Pakistan in the COVID-19 pandemic scenario. For this purpose, monthly data has been taken from Jan 2019 to June 2021 and divided into Pre-COVID, COVID and overall periods. Data have been retrieved from various sources including Statistical Reviews & Bulletins of State Bank of Pakistan, Karachi Stock Exchange and Pakistan Economic Survey. To assess the relationship between economic variables and stock prices, Cointegration, Granger-causality and Impulse Repose Function Tests have been applied on three data series. The results of the study reveal that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship between all economic variables and stock prices in the Pre-COVID period. However, most of the economic variables do not have such a relationship during the COVID period and the pattern of the relationship is almost the same in the overall period. Even the short-run dynamic relationship between economic variables and stock returns is affected by the pandemic. The results show that economic variables affect stock returns differently in the COVID situation than in the Pre-COVID scenario and it also affects the short-run relationship in the overall period. This research study provides imminent findings on the linkage between macroeconomic variables and stock prices in the Pakistani context. It helps investors and regulators in customizing their decisions and macroeconomic regulations respectively to improve the financial and economic stability of the country in the wake of the pandemic.

When international organizations expand and proliferate, why do they fail to spread more evenly in their policy sphere? To answer this question, this article builds on organizational ecology theory, which was recently introduced into the study of international organizations. However, rather than studying each population separately, as previous studies have done, this article investigates how distinct populations with overlapping niches shape each other’s evolution. It argues that when inter-population competition occurs, the first population to occupy its niche at a high density limits the long-term development of other populations. This is the case even if emerging populations may temporarily enjoy a higher growth rate. The argument is illustrated by a study of the relations between four populations of technical assistance providers in the field of intellectual property. By doing so, the article brings for the first time inter-population relations in the study of international organizations and provides an explanation for the persistent concentration of international organizations in specific areas of the governance space.

Oil revenues play a vital and central role in the economies of developing countries and African countries are among the countries whose macroeconomic variables are affected by oil revenues. The objective of this study is to analyze and investigate the role of oil revenues on the macroeconomic variables in most of the oil-producing African countries. The Econometric method Pooled Ols model was employed in the study and the fixed and random technique data used was time sires cross panel data in the period (2000-2018). Based on the literature review, the selectedn sample study was on countries such as (Nigeria, Algeria, Angola, Gabon, Egypt, Congo, Egypt, Congo, Sudan, Chad, Ghana) and we employed the Gross Domestic Product as the target variable and Oil Revenues (Oiler), inflation (CPI), Exchange rate (Ex), export (Exp), Foreign Direct Invest (FDI), money supply (M2), as independent variables. The study result and analysis of the data indicated that oil revenue has an impact on most the macroeconomic variables in the study except CPI and money supply. The study also indicated a strong positive correlation between oil revenue and GDP growth rate on the countries samples study. The study concluded that one of the most important macroeconomic variables is oil revenues. It also recommended that African countries need support and need to put more effort in building strong economies that are not dependent on oil revenues; to work on diversifying the revenues of the states and work to preserve the right of the next generation to exploit natural and oil resources.

This study is pursuing research on the influence of climate change and macroeconomic factors on bank performance is essential for risk management, long-term sustainability, regulatory compliance, reputation management, and strategic planning. It also aligns banks with global efforts to address climate change and its potential economic consequences. The study makes use of quantitative analysis using secondary data sourced from Iress, IMF database, SARB and the data was collected in quarterly format from 2000 to 2022. The study applied the multiple regression analysis, and the aim was to create a model that connects climate change to banks performance. Climate affect macroeconomic indicators which affect banks or climate change affect banks directly. The model uses climate change and macroeconomic variables as inputs, and the climate change variables were obtained from the two sources namely the climate watch online platform (greenhouse gas emission) and the World Bank climate knowledge portal (temperature and precipitation) emission) and the World Bank climate knowledge portal (temperature and precipitation). Macroeconomic inputs variables include inflation, changes in economic output and exchange rates. The data variables were gathered from Iress, IMF database and the SARB. The analysis of the data was done through statistical software called EViews. The findings revealed that both measures of climate change have a negative effect on bank performance thus profitability. The results also indicated that growth as measured by GDP and inflation are important factors determining the performance of the bank performance. The results obtained imply that policies aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change on the bank performance should be pursued.

To test for arbitrage opportunities and market efficiency in the Hong Kong money, stock, and real estate markets, we find that the money market stochastically dominates both the stock and real estate markets. Furthermore, the real estate market dominates the stock market, the money market dominates nearly all the efficient frontier portfolios, none of the efficient portfolios dominates the money market, and the money market also dominates the equal-weighting portfolio. This infers that in some cases investors could achieve higher expected ex-ante utility by investing in an individual asset rather than a portfolio. Our conclusions drawn from the pre-COVID-19 period are the same as those drawn from the entire period and the conclusions drawn from the COVID-19 period are the same as those drawn from the entire period except that the money market only stochastically dominates some of the efficient frontier portfolios. Our findings question diversification benefits in the Hong Kong capital market during our sample period, including both the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods.

This study aims to determine the effect of marketing strategy and service quality on business competition at Lakessi Market during the Covid 19 pandemic. The measurement of marketing strategy in this study was carried out because people's purchasing power was weakening so that a marketing strategy was needed to gain profits during the Covid 19 period. Research method This method uses convenience sampling or purposive sampling where the proportional quota is 50 respondents. Analysis of the data used is descriptive analysis to describe the symptoms of the research results, while to see the effect of marketing, service quality on business competition in the Lakessi Parepare Market (quantitative data) using multiple linear regression analysis tools. The results show that marketing strategy has no effect on business competition and service quality has a positive effect on business competition and then significantly on business competition by 76.2%. For business actors (traders) it is expected to pay more attention to service quality because from the results of research on service quality which is very influential on business competition during the Covid-19 period, if they can excel in business competition, traders will get a bigger profit.

This study was conducted to determine the views of academicians regarding “The Views of Physical Education and Sports Teaching Instructors on Education in the Covid-19 Period”. The study used the phenomenological design, which is among qualitative research designs. 
 
 The study group comprised 63 academicians carrying out duty in 21 different universities in Turkey during the 2019-2020 academic year. In line with the goal, the study was carried out with academicians who could contribute on voluntary basis. In order to determine the views of the academicians, a structured interview form was used. The interview form comprises four questions aiming to determine the necessity of distance education in the physical education area, which courses in the area can be given within the scope of distance education, possibility of teaching applied courses via distance education and problems they face in courses in the distance education process which has been put into effect compulsorily due to pandemic. 
 
 The interview form was presented to the opinion of two instructors in the educational sciences area who have carried out qualitative research and then expert opinion was received. The application was conducted by primarily reaching the aforementioned academicians via telephone interview between 1 June-27 July 2020 and conveying the questions via e-mail. The descriptive analysis technique was used in analysis of the data.
 
 In the study 79% of the academicians stressed that applied courses should not be taught via distance education, while 52% stated that all theoretical courses could be taught via distance education. Examining the views of the academicians on the problems they faced in courses in the distance education process; 55% stated that the problems were associated with the system, 36% efficiency of the course, 30% inadequate student participation in the course, 21% inadequate student feedback, 21% evaluation, 19% inexperience about distance education and 17% lack of internet and computer opportunities in hometowns of students. 
 
 Considering the findings of the study integratedly; it is believed that teaching applied courses via distance education is inadequate and inefficient. Also it is possible to state that it may not be appropriate to teach theoretical courses via distance education, except when necessary.

It is aimed to examine the relationship between technology addiction and psychological resilience of high school students during the Covid-19 period. For this purpose, the research group of the study consists of 598 high school students, 425 (71.1%) female and 173 (28.9%) males, studying in Giresun and Tokat. The Technology Addiction Scale, the Short Psychological Resilience Scale and the Personal Information Form prepared by the researchers were used for the volunteer students participating in the study. SPSS 20.0 package program was used in the analysis of the data. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the relationship between technology addiction and resilience. Independent Samples T-test was used to determine whether technology addiction and psychological resilience make a significant difference according to gender. As a result of the research, it has been determined that there are negative significant relationships between technology addiction and psychological resilience, which are the sub-dimensions of technology addiction, social network addiction, instant messaging addiction, online game addiction and website addiction. In addition, it was observed that there was a significant gender difference in the sub-dimensions of technology addiction, instant messaging, online game addiction and website addiction. It was observed that instant messaging and website addiction was higher in women, and online game addiction was higher in men. At the same time, it was concluded that psychological resilience creates a significant difference according to gender and that the psychological resilience of male students is higher than that of females.

Asymmetric spillovers from climate, trade, and monetary policy uncertainty to greenhouse gases: A quantile-on-quantile connectedness approach.

This study investigates the impact of macroeconomic variables on gold prices in Thailand and develops an ARIMA forecasting model across three distinct phases: pre-the COVID 19 period (January 2011 to March 2020), the COVID-19 period (April 2020 to October 2021), and the next-normal period (November 2021 to December 2024). Multiple regression analysis is applied to examine the relationships between Thai gold prices and five key macroeconomic variables: SET Index, USD/THB exchange rates, crude oil prices, Consumer Price Index, and gold price volatility. Additionally, an ARIMA model is developed for gold price forecasting. Based on experimental results, this study demonstrates that the relationships between these variables shift across different timeframes. In the pre-the COVID-19 period, SET Index and ex change rates served as strong gold price predictors. The COVID-19 period disrupted conventional associations between macroeconomic variables and gold prices, whereas the next-normal period restored the importance of these macroeconomic variables, indicating market recovery. The ARIMA model constructed effectively predicts gold prices with reliable precision. Results validate gold’s dual function as both an inflation protection mechanism and a crisis-period in vestment, with correlations changing during economic instability. The SET Index maintained consistent inverse relationships with gold prices, reinforcing the opposing dynamics between equity markets and precious metal investment. These findings offer crucial insights for investment portfolio management and government economic policy formulation. The ARIMA frame work provides traders with effective instruments for short-term price prediction, improving risk assessment capabilities during market volatility and supporting strategic decision-making during periods of economic uncertainty.

This paper analyzes the degree of dynamic connectedness between energy and metal commodity prices in the pre and post-COVID-19 era, using the time-varying parameter vector autoregressive connectedness approach of Antonakakis et al. (J Risk Financ Manag 13(4):84, 2020). The results suggest that market interconnectedness increased slightly following the outbreak of COVID-19, although this increase was lower and less persistent than that observed after the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. Furthermore, we find that crude oil was the main net transmitter of shocks before COVID-19 while heating oil, gold, and silver were the main net transmitters of shocks during the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, natural gas and palladium were the main net receivers of shocks during the entire sample period, making these two commodities attractive hedging and safe haven options for investors during the pandemic. Overall, our results suggest that hedging and diversification opportunities decrease during crises. Furthermore, they indicate that accurate forecasts of the volatility of several commodities, such as natural gas and different metals, can be obtained by exploiting the information content of crude oil. However, they also reveal that crude oil lost its leading position as a net shock transmitter during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Towards the end of the twentieth century, radical changes have taken place within the framework of strategic management and organization-environment relationship. Technology, speed, competition and globalization factors have rapidly modified the environmental dynamics in the organization environment relationship. In today’s chaotic world, the effects of the crisis and environmental uncertainties have spread rapidly and widely not only in narrow area but all over the world. This situation makes it difficult for organizations aiming to live an eternal life to continue their lives and accelerates the occurrence of organizational death. In this context, Organizational Ecology and Chaos Theories have been emerging as guides in ensuring the sustainability of organizations. This study, it is aimed to draw a road map for organizations by making a comparison based on the suggestions and arguments of Organizational Ecology and Chaos Theories in order for organizations to have a more sustainable life. As a result of the evaluation, recommendations were made for learning to live with uncertainties and a correct action plan by developing sensors on the way to becoming a sustainable organization, based on the dynamics of the future. At this point, organizations need to have a flexible and agile structure and develop early warning systems so that they can leave the foggy and unpredictable environment created by the chaotic atmosphere with minimum damage and seize the new opportunities that arise. In addition, they should determine strategies by developing various scenarios against unforeseen threats, and they should consider environmental factors while doing these.

Flow and Ebb: Factors affecting SMEs to exit from the DRP market during pandemic

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), 99% of business organizations are small enterprises, accounting for 30% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Within this organizational range, sectors like food and beverage are noteworthy. This article examines how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in the food and beverage sector —specifically, businesses like bars, snack bars, and restaurants— using the Organizational Ecology Theory (OET). During the pandemic, public health restrictions had a major impact on these businesses, and, as non-essential services, they faced numerous restrictive measures that limited their activity. In a city in Paraná's central region, which includes the studied organizational population, 57 out of 165 establishments closed between 2020 and 2022, resulting in a mortality rate of 34.5%. This quantitative research used Likert scale questionnaires to evaluate how MSEs managed demographic, ecological, and environmental processes. Among the organizations analyzed, bars were fewer in number (24 out of 84 respondents) but were more significantly impacted by external environmental factors — were more impacted by external environmental variations during the pandemic, particularly in relation to factors influenced by governmental actions and political instability. Since these businesses predominantly operate in enclosed spaces, movement restrictions amplified their challenges during the pandemic. Snack bars and restaurants, however, demonstrated greater resource extraction capabilities within their niche, mitigating the external impacts for those that survived. Despite adversities, the organizations that continued to operate displayed evolutionary resilience, retaining those with desirable capabilities amid environmental fluctuations. Context: The COVID-19 pandemic caused economic impacts across various sectors, including the food and beverage industry. Government restrictions implemented to contain the virus heightened various barriers related to organizational structures, competition, age of businesses, and more. According to the Association of Bars, Snack Bars, and Restaurants(Abrasel), over one million establishments in these sectors faced closures, with more than 300,000 establishments shutting down between 2020 and 2022 in Brazil. In the studied city, of the 165 organizations that made up the population before the initial restriction in March 2020, 57 had failed by the time of the government’s relaxation of restrictions in March 2022. Using Organizational Ecology Theory (OET), which examines how organizations retain resilience in the face of external impacts and evolve under such pressures, this study investigates how bars, snack bars, and restaurants managed the difficulties imposed by the pandemic. The objective is to examine how the external environment affected these business activities within the population of similar businesses. Materials and Methods: This article analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in the food and beverage sector, using Organizational Ecology Theory (OET). During the pandemic, sanitary restrictions significantly affected these companies. Centralized in a city in Paraná state’s central region, 57 of 165 establishments closed between 2020 and 2022. The quantitative research employed five-point Likert scale questionnairesto assess MSEs’ responses to demographic, ecological, and environmental processes. Bars were the most affected, while snack bars showed greater adaptability. Despite the challenges, the organizations that continued to operate demonstratedevolutionary resilience to external pressures. Results: The different business segments within the population experienced external processes in distinct ways. While similar, factors such as competition, age, structural size, and regulatory measures impacted each segment differently. Findings indicated that bars were the most affected during the pandemic, with low structural capacity and young organizational age as barriers to be overcome amidst high external fluctuations, as outlined by OET-focused studies. While competition was not as severe, regulatory measures significantly impacted the remaining businesses, especially given the frequent changes enacted by public authorities during the studied period. Another finding of this research is that external forces demand the maintenance of resilient governmental actions and political instability—eliminating thosewithout sufficient capability to remain active—