The present study investigates how increasing bank accounts and bank concentration affect mobile money innovations in 148 countries. It builds on scholarly and policy concerns in the literature that increasing bank accounts may not be having the desired effects on financial inclusion on the one hand and on the other, that bank concentration which is a proxy for market power is a relevant mobile money innovation demand factor. The empirical evidence is based on Tobit regressions. From the findings, it is apparent that boosting bank accounts is positively related to the three mobile money innovations (i.e. mobile bank accounts and the mobile phone used to send money). Moreover, some critical levels of bank account penetration require complementary policies in order to maintain the positive relationship between boosting bank accounts and positive outcomes in terms of money mobile innovations. Conversely, financial inclusion in terms of the three mobile money innovations is not significantly apparent upon enhancing bank concentration. Policy implications are discussed in the light of the provided thresholds for complementary policies.

Happiness index is an all-inclusive methodology to assess well-being and happiness aspects of human resilience and sustainability. Pandemic like COVID-19 has brought deep level changes to human lifestyle and social behaviours. The world has been reshaped and life has more than likely changed permanently. This has led to calls for mental health, yet there is a dire need to introspect the mental state of health and behavioural changes. Happiness index is calculated based on factors such as GDP, freedom to make choice, health life expectancy and social support. These factors are analysed using datasets from social media with machine learning algorithms to map human response to the pandemic. This research focuses on use of artificial intelligence on the impact of lockdowns due to COVID-19 on the global happiness index.

The purpose of this study is to identify and analyse the impact of digital innovations to manage business operations during COVID-19 lockdown. Due to COVID-19, a nation-wide lockdown affected the Indian economy severely as both service and manufacturing organizations were closed for a long duration. Thus, to manage with these challenges and address the expectations of their employees, organizations identified various artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based digital innovations to continue their business operations during lockdown. The study used a systematic review of literature and document analysis to unravel such innovations that have been initiated and implemented in Indian organizations during COVID-19 lockdown. The study finds that digital innovations and strategies are useful for coping with unseen challenges and also can transform the organizations into smarter ones. The study proposes a conceptual framework on the basis of findings, which will be used for futuristic studies.

The world’s supply chains are changing as both expected and unexpected environmental pandemics occur. Even though some may be expected, the full extent and ramifications a pandemic will have is an estimate at best. Thus, both flexibility and resiliency are becoming crucial to efficient supply chain systems. This study analyses the recent COVID-19 phenomenon and uses it to gauge reactions, best practices, resilience-based issues and operational performance metrics in order to assist with potential future pandemics. Education, as seen, plays a pivotal role in effectively offering options to combat uncertainty and fluid situations. Such dynamic environments have historically posed a serious problem to operations; however, with proper preparation and care taken options are available today that help marginalize harm of future pandemics.

The aim of this Special Issue is to review and discuss, through practical examples from different countries, the rapid and effective responses of industries, societies and governments to the high level of uncertainty and risks created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented health crisis has pushed managers, scientists, policy makers and many other social, economic and health actors to think ‘out of the box’ and provide quick solutions by reducing the process of innovation, introducing new business models and new ways of ‘doing things’ in many areas such as medicine, finance, retailing, communication, teaching, supply chains and sustainable development. This Special Issue also highlights the importance of holistic approach and collaboration between different disciplines and stakeholders.

COVID-19 pandemic brought up issues with healthcare costs, national economic development and welfare of the society in forefront. Nations across the globe followed different approaches to deal with COVID-19, such as zero tolerance, herd immunity, containment to build treatment capability. National healthcare became a contentious sociopolitical issue involving healthcare costs, technologies and societal health. In the United States even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government approach was pursuing a sustainable improvement in patient care through adoption of medical and information technologies. The national healthcare policies are framed around technological interventions with the assumption that deployment of technologies could keep healthcare costs under control and at the same time improve health outcomes. However, evidences show that the healthcare costs are in the rise even with impressive progress in technological deployment. This article highlights some of the recent trends in healthcare costs, technological preparedness, medical technology developments in managing COVID-19 pandemic. The US government mandated electronic health record (EHR) systems implementation and assess its impact on healthcare costs and health outcomes. This article emphasizes the need for understanding the interconnectedness of costs, technology and societal health.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest global health crisis in years. China is the first market primarily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with unprecedented lockdown measures bringing real estate and other economic activities to a standstill. This study has two objectives: (1) to identify the risks critical to the risk management of commercial real estate (CRE) development projects based on the project life cycle stages and (2) to identify the stages most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the risk factors at different stages. Three rounds of the Delphi study were conducted with nine experts involved in the construction project. The findings indicate that the construction, lease and sale phases are prone to significant risks. Additionally, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) identified ‘health and safety risk’ as the most critical risk factor during the construction phase and ‘marketing and payback risk’ as the most critical risk factor during the lease and sale phase. This study enhanced the effectiveness of risk management practices for implementing CRE development projects in China.

COVID-19 struck the world by storm and has taken its victims along the way. It had also put the whole world on a temporary pause as people tried to manage the virus as best as possible. It has affected people all around the globe and had a huge impact on the global economy. This research will look into how microbusinesses have used social media in order to better face the challenges and changes that came due to the COVID-19 crisis while it will discuss how businesses’ perceptions were altered along the way. In particular we are reviewing relevant academic literature surrounding microbusinesses and how they have been affected by COVID-19. The research methods used within this study, and the research results will be stated with reference to primary respondents. We have used a combination of secondary and primary research to develop further understanding of microbusinesses and the impact that COVID-19 has had on organizations in relation to the use of the internet and social media platforms. Limitations of the study will also be identified, and future research areas will be identified.

The aim of the study is to explore students’ entrepreneurial behaviour in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), represented by behavioural intention, and the factors that influence their entrepreneurial decisions. The study used 248 survey questionnaires distributed to university students from various universities and regions in the UAE. The collected data were analysed using elementary descriptive analysis, and partial least squares technique. The findings showed that personal attitude, subjective norm, facilitating conditions and perceived behavioural control have a significant influence on the Emirati students’ entrepreneurial intention. In addition, government support was found to have a significant role in moderating the relationships between the above factors and entrepreneurial intention, by either strengthening or dampening these relationships. The study significantly contributes to the behavioural theories, especially the theory of planned behaviour, by incorporating additional dimensions and applying it in a different field and setting that have not been explored earlier. Likewise, the findings provide important practical insights and recommendations to promote and improve entrepreneurial activities among higher education institutions’ students in the UAE.