Role In Crisis Research Articles

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Student Volunteer Activities During COVID-19 and Beliefs about Practitioner Roles in Crisis Management

Background: Due to the global novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many students in entry-level occupational therapy programs faced changes to their daily roles, habits, and routines. To understand beliefs about OT practitioner roles in a public health crisis, a cross-sectional study was designed to understand occupational therapy students (OTS) and occupational therapy assistant students (OTAS) volunteer activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A survey was developed and distributed in April 2020, and closed after five weeks. Quantitative data was analyzed in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (Version 27) and open response data was categorized in Microsoft Excel. Results: Respondents included students from entry-level OT/OTA accredited programs such as occupational therapy doctorate, entry level master’s, bachelor’s to master’s and occupational therapy assistant (n=853, 2.8% of OTS/OTAS population). Nearly all respondents endorsed that OT practitioners have at least one role during a crisis (n=851, 99.8%) and after a crisis (n=848, 99.4%) like COVID-19. A minority of students volunteered in response to COVID-19 (n=60, 7.0%). Volunteer activities addressed clinical work, food insecurity, loneliness, social justice, healthcare workers, COVID-19 transmission, and personal protective equipment. Inspirations for volunteering included altruism, justice, personal responsibility, changes to routines, calls to action, and fulfilling obligations. Discussion: It is hoped that this study serves as a springboard for future research related to the OTS/OTAS response to COVID-19. Educators can prepare students for future public health emergencies by exposing them to information regarding OT’s role in disaster management.

Using social media in disaster management: The perceptions of emergency responders versus the public

AbstractThis paper investigates the perceptions of professionals (emergency organizations: authorities and first responders) regarding the usage of social media versus the perceptions of the public regarding their expectations concerning the use of social media in communicating emergencies and disasters. It provides a novel perspective on the alignment between perceptions and expectations in disaster social media usage, delving into the structural constraints and opportunities of current practices. The research incorporates qualitative interviews with emergency professionals, a quantitative survey of the general population, and content analysis of social media interactions across seven countries (Israel, Italy, Spain, France, Sweden, Norway, and Romania), aiming to discern differing viewpoints on social media's role in crises. It underscores the variations and commonalities between authorities/first responders and the public's perspectives, revealing differences in acceptance and concerns regarding social media use among these stakeholders. The analysis identified three primary themes: cognitive needs, integrative needs, and communication flow, each with specific, interconnected subthemes. These insights emphasize the need for a better understanding of these diverse perspectives to enhance disaster communication. The paper suggests that effectively utilizing social media and crowdsourcing technologies can help bridge the gap between emergency services and the public, fostering more disaster‐resilient societies.

Refugee fiction as world-literature: Rethinking registration in the contemporary refugee novel

ABSTRACT The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees #IBelong campaign reinforces the importance of national belonging in crisis resolution. However, both the “refugee crisis” and world-literature complicate this classification of belonging. Whilst research into refugee fiction is abundant, readings of refugee fiction as world-literature are sparse. This paper re-examines the impact of the “refugee crisis” on classifications of belonging, arguing that a reading of refugee fiction through the Warwick Research Collective’s definition of world-literature enables an understanding of the systems and forces underlying the crisis. Synthesizing the work of the Warwick Research Collective, Hannah Arendt, and Judith Butler, it explores contemporary social (rather than national) belonging in Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West, enabling a critique of the United Nations-led assignment of rights in the contemporary world. Through reading registration in refugee fiction, we can re-examine literature’s role in crisis, critiquing contemporary responses to the “refugee crisis”, and contributing alternative approaches based on collective belonging.

Firms Characteristics and Board Composition Impact on Dividend Policy: A Study on Role of Crisis (Pandemic) Period in Indian Context

The global pandemic has weakened the company’s financial stability and slowed the economy. Using 241 Indian-listed companies of the BSE (A Group) for 5 years (i.e., 2017–2021), the study aims to examine the moderating role of the pandemic crisis on the dividend policy and its determinants associations. Applying the regression technique, the study reveals that profitability, liquidity, leverage, firm size and board independence have significant impact on dividend policy for the Indian listed businesses. However, the overall findings of the study suggest that the instability in the economic condition that occurred for the years 2020 and 2021 has weakened the association of free cash flows, the board size, CEO duality, and board independence with the dividend policy in India. The study also reports the positive impact of the crisis on dividend policy; accordingly, it implies that Indian firms may prefer to pay dividends during the crisis period to calm investors and restore their confidence. Relatively a low relationship between free cash flows and the state of the economy with the dividend policy is an indicator of serious agency problems.

We're all in this together: addressing post-pandemic challenges of Indian rural society

PurposeThis qualitative study explores how technologically challenged Indian rural communities adjusted to the tech-driven work system successfully in the post-pandemic era.Design/methodology/approachQualitative semi-structured interviews with multiple Indian rural households conducted in the years 2021 and 2022 were employed.FindingsThe findings highlight the critical role played by the social capital in addressing the issues that Indian rural communities were facing in their work setting as a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The embedded social network and social values in rural society came to the rescue when other tangible resources were not available for everyone.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to Bourdieu's theory of Social Capital by discovering that social capital can be utilized to gain existential advantages in extraordinary circumstances of (work) life.Practical implicationsPolicymakers should acknowledge the presence of social capital in societies, especially rural ones. Social capital plays a significant role in the execution of relevant society-level tasks and can further help in dealing with certain materialistic impediments.Social implicationsInvestments in community infrastructure, education and communication strategies can enhance social capital's role in crisis response.Originality/valueThis study is original as it is the first one that studies the significance of social capital in a post-pandemic environment, especially when the availability of required technological resources is rare.

A slow-burning crisis: Executive relations and the normalisation of distrust in Northern Ireland's ‘cash for ash’ fiasco

This paper explores relationships between ministers, special advisers and civil servants through the lens of a high-profile government crisis in Northern Ireland (NI). Although political–administrative relationships are a mainstay of public administration research, we still have limited understanding of how these relationships feature and function within the ‘Westminster family’ of governance when operating within devolved institutions or post-conflict societies, nor of their role in crisis. We use Scott’s institutional pillars as an analytical framework and conduct a documentary analysis of public inquiry witness statements to explore the Renewable Heat Incentive crisis which led to the collapse of the NI legislature. Utilising a novel application of existing theory, we demonstrate that the implementation of the devolved, consociational power-sharing model incubated new governance norms, that prioritised and legitimised the agendas and actions of political actors (ministers and special advisers), over civil servants. Specifically, in understanding how relational norms – particularly distrust – feed public policy failure and institutional crisis, our findings contribute to this research area and to the broader public administration field. Government institutional crisis negatively impacts upon public service delivery and the wider health of democracy. Understanding such crises is an important first step in their amelioration. Points for practitioners Structural, systemic and day-to-day behavioural layering of distrust adversely impacts government professionals’ ability to recognise, communicate and respond to risk; this can create policy problems, which can escalate, unchecked, until they have become full-blown crises. In order to proactively mitigate crises in other public policy contexts, managers and teams should build in awareness raising, reflection and management processes to individual and operational performance reviews to improve relational norms, and prevent the normalisation of distrust.

The Role of Crises in Human Development

Crises are often viewed negatively as disruptions that hinder individuals and social groups. However, crises can also present opportunities for growth and development. This article explores psychological concepts that perceive crises as catalysts for change, motivating individuals to seek help and find constructive solutions in difficult situations. The article examines various psychological theories on crises. It discusses the different ways individuals respond to crises, ranging from effectively managing them to experiencing mental breakdowns. Crises have complex symptoms and causes, influenced by personal and environmental factors such as family, workplace, material status, and social groups. Anxiety is a common characteristic of crises, often reaching a high level before individuals acknowledge the need for concrete actions. Quick fixes like medication provide temporary relief but do not resolve the underlying crisis. Crises often involve conflicts and decision-making, where passivity becomes a negative and destructive choice. The article also explores crises in developmental terms, drawing upon Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory and Kazimierz Dąbrowski’s theory of positive disintegration. Erikson identifies specific crises in each stage of development, while Dąbrowski emphasizes the role of tension and disruption in achieving higher levels of personal growth. Not all crises lead to development, and not all changes constitute developmental changes. Developmental changes are irreversible, sequential, autonomous, unidirectional, and goal-oriented. The article categorizes development into continuous, leap, and crisis development, highlighting the transformative nature of crisis-induced changes. The article argues that crises, despite their hardships, should be viewed as opportunities for personal and collective development. By confronting crises and actively seeking constructive solutions, individuals and communities can achieve higher levels of growth and improve their quality of life.

“It’s Pretty Sad If You Get Used to It”: A Qualitative Study of First Responder Experiences with Opioid Overdose Emergencies

Background First responders play a vital role in the United States opioid drug overdose crisis, a public health emergency that has claimed many lives. Objective We sought to investigate first responders’ experiences and attitudes toward opioid overdose emergencies and the ongoing crisis, as well as emotional effects, coping strategies, and support systems. Methods A convenience sample of first responders (n = 18) at the Columbus Fire Division, with experience responding to opioid emergencies, participated in semi-structured telephone interviews between September 2018 and February 2019. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using content analysis for themes. Results While almost all participants described overdose emergencies as routine, they recalled some as memorable and emotionally impactful. Almost all respondents were frustrated by the high rates of overdose among their patients and the lack of sustainable improvements in outcomes, yet expressed a strong moral commitment to caring for patients and saving lives. Themes of burnout, compassion fatigue, and hopelessness emerged, as did themes of increased compassion and empathy. Support for personnel experiencing emotional difficulty was either lacking or underutilized. Further, many felt public policies should prioritize more permanent resources and improve access to care, and believed that people who use drugs should face greater accountability. Conclusion First responders perceive a moral and professional duty to treat patients who overdose, despite their frustrations. They may benefit from additional occupational support to cope with the resultant emotional effects of their role in the crisis. Addressing macro-level factors contributing to the overdose crisis and improving patient outcomes could also positively affect first responder wellbeing.

Event Space and Firm Value: Chinese Listed Firms in the US–China Trade War

Although past studies in crisis management usually have taken a geography-focused approach to study how physical proximity increases firms’ exposure to a crisis, this study draws on event system theory and proposes that independent of firms’ geographic locations, an event can have multiple spatial directions and proximities to the firms in the event space. To further unpack the effects of event space, we develop an integrated framework that considers how the event space interacts with entity attributes—which are found to help firms cope with external challenges affecting their market value. Using the shock of the 2018 US–China trade war on listed firms in China's stock market, we find that the trade war has significantly reduced the market value of firms that have spatial proximity to the product market (i.e., firms that belong to target industries) and to the geographic market (i.e., firms that export to the United States) in event space. This negative effect also spills over onto peer organizations with business activities related to target industries or the United States. Moreover, there are differential moderating effects from entity attributes, such as corporate political connections and corporate social responsibility, on the different event spatial directions, pointing to the distinct natures of event spatial directions. This study introduces a novel, multidimensional view of event space and uses it to develop an event space model for geopolitical events, and in so doing, we complement extant work on the role of crises in shaping corporate strategy and performance.

“Architects of Change or Its Victim”: University Presidents’ Perspectives on the Role of Competing Values During the COVID-19 Crisis

ABSTRACT Presidents have difficult roles regardless of systemic context and in times of crisis their work is especially complex. While the body of work on presidents generally is growing, understanding of their role in crisis is underdeveloped. In this study, we enhance research on presidential crisis leadership by applying the competing values framework to a unique set of interviews with 14 presidents from eight nations. Our results highlight the value tensions that were and are experienced by presidents during crisis as these leaders manage local needs with national guidance. The most common values discussed include control, collaborate, and create, while the value of compete was rarely referenced.

Effectiveness of Sacrificial Shielding for Blast Mitigation of Steel Floating Pontoons

Floating pontoons have played a supreme and indispensable role in crises and disasters for both civil and military purposes. Floating bridges and ferries are exposed to blast loadings in the case of wars or terrorist attacks. The protection effectiveness of sacrificial cladding subjected to a blast was numerically investigated. In this study, a steel ferry has been simulated and exposed to side explosions with different explosive charges at certain stand-off distances, according to military standards from NATO and American standard TM5. In this simulation, nonlinear three-dimensional hydro-code numerical simulation ANSYS autodyn-3d has been used. The results reported that the ferry could withstand a charge of 5 kg TNT at a stand-off distance of 1 m without failure. The main objective of this research is to achieve a design that would increase the capacity against the blast loading with minimal plastic deformation in the absence of any failure in the ferry. Therefore, an innovative mitigation system has been proposed to dissipate the blast energy of the explosion based on the scientific theory of impedance using sacrificial cladding. The new mitigation system used a specific structural system in order to install the existing pontoon structure without any distraction. The response, elastic deformations, plastic deformations and plastic failure of the ferry were illustrated in this paper. Furthermore, the results revealed that the proposed mitigation system could mitigate more than 50% of the blast waves. The new design revealed promising results, which makes it suitable for mitigating blast waves. Finally, the results were provided with a reference for the preliminary design and application of sacrificial cladding for structural protection against blast waves.

Third-party logistics providers’ strategic development in Sweden: Learning from a crisis

Background: The enacted sensemaking of third-party logistics (TPL) providers during the pandemic crisis may present an opportunity to explore their strategic operations.Objectives: The aim is to understand the TPL strategic implications related to a crisis and specifically how TPL providers make sense of and respond to crises. The two research questions are as follows: How has the COVID-19 pandemic crisis affected the business operations of TPL providers? What have TPL providers learnt from enacting the crisis, and how has this experience affected their strategic development?Method: We conduct an abductive study using combined data from interviews and a targeted archive search. The data are focused on the Swedish context and on a period of the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: Three distinct groups of TPL providers have different sense and action processes impacting their business operations. This research shows how an understanding of servitisation is relevant for TPL theory. Finally, we develop the strategic perspective of TPL providers by defining TPL providers as value-cocreating relationships that can help manage the complexities of logistics services.Conclusion: This research shows that TPL providers play an important role in crises, as they contribute to solving customer problems. This role appears to be strengthened during crises, but it imposes great demands on TPL providers.Contribution: Third-party logistics providers work with their customers during crises. The sensemaking view emphasises the importance of personnel, organisational commitment, capacity and expectations during crises. This is an interplay that requires adaptation to short-term changes in operational processes and adaptability in long-term operations.

Impact of Crisis Communication Strategies on People’s Attitudes toward Behavioral Guidelines Regarding COVID-19 and on Their Trust in Local Officials

Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) guides responses of corporations in crises. We tested how COVID-19 related crisis communication strategies affect trust in mayors and the acceptance of behavioral measures. A total of 561 participants (53% female) with a mean age of 50 years took part in an online experiment in which we systematically manipulated the mayor’s crisis communication strategy (deny crisis, diminish role in crisis, rebuild relationship after taking responsibility, bolster reputation, no response) and pre-crisis reputation (good past crisis management, bad past crisis management). Age, gender, and education served as covariates. We also tested the predictive power of personal concern regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as internal and external control convictions. In our preregistered analysis, we found that crisis communication strategies had no significant effect on participants’ ratings of behavioral measures, but they affected participants’ trust in the mayor. The deny crisis strategy resulted in the most unfavorable ratings, while the effects of the other strategies were moderated by the mayor’s pre-crisis reputation. Additional exploratory analyses showed that individual concern and trust were important predictors for the acceptance of behavioral measures. Even though we did not find any effects of communication strategies on behavioral measures, our results support SCCT’s utility in guiding communication strategy during a pandemic.

The European banks’ role in the financial crisis of 2007-8: a critical assessment

ABSTRACT Since the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2007, opinion has been divided over whether its root cause was weak regulation and bank funding problems or the pressure of investor demand for US safe assets. New research on the European banks’ role in the crisis may finally help to resolve the issue. Far from being peripheral players in the crisis, European banks were deeply implicated in its causal origins as evidenced by their activities in the two US debt markets that were at the heart of the crisis: those for collateralised debt obligations (CDOs) and for asset backed commercial paper (ABCP). These activities would seem to lend weight to the conclusion that regulation and bank funding issues were the key causal variables in the financial crisis. However, it is a conclusion only made possible by ignoring the pre-crisis connection between the federal funds rate and the rate of ABCP demand from the institutional money market mutual funds (MMMFs). This paper argues that when this connection is closely examined, it turns out that the evidence surrounding the European banks’ role in the financial crisis gives greater weight to the safe asset demand explanation of the crisis.

ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ПОСЛЕДСТВИЯ КРИЗИСОВ В РОССИЙСКОЙ ЭКОНОМИКЕ ПОСТСОВЕТСКОГО ПЕРИОДА: РЕГИОНАЛЬНАЯ ПРОЕКЦИЯ

The economic crises influence in post-Soviet history on the ecological situation is multidirectional and unevenly revealed in the regions. During crises periods, the dependence of pollution indicators on changes in GDP (GRP) and industrial production is higher than over economic growth periods. During the crises’ times, industrial pollution decreases, the emissions volume into the atmosphere and polluted wastewater decreases, and less to extent water consumption. On the other hand, emissions from vehicles, the toxic waste volume, the disturbed lands’ area and forest fires do not depend on changes in GRP. Only specific parameters of pollution increase during crises periods. The anthropogenic impact integral index is less dependent on the GRP dynamics than individual indicators of the load on the environment. With a general trend towards a decrease in environmental tension, the group of regions with a critical impact level is characterized by the greatest stability. On the contrary, a regions group with an insignificant pressure level on the environment is shrinking. Differences in the sanitizing role of crises are due to the duration, depth and structural features, as well as the government support measures mitigating effect. The systemic crisis of the 1990s led to a reduction in all indicators, affecting 90% of regions. Financial 1998 and 2008 crises affect 70% of regions; recent crises refer to 30-60% of regions. Despite that for the whole country, the pollution level dependence on the level and dynamics of economic development is weakening, with each new crisis the number of regions where the environmental situation continues to worsen increases, in spite of the economic downturn.

Making Sense of Schooling during COVID-19: Crisis as Opportunity in Korean Schools

This article explores how policy actors in South Korea understand and make meaning of school-related policies responding to COVID-19. Using sensemaking and crisis theory as a framework and informed by literature on policy culture, we analyzed qualitative data collected from interviews with teachers, educational leaders, and parents. The findings show that our participants initially thought the crisis situation would “just pass,” but they experienced “fear” and “chaos” when online and hybrid classes were implemented. After adopting unexpected policy changes to cope with the spread of COVID-19, participants sought shared responsibility to overcome the crisis. In addition, our participants made meaning of the crisis as an opportunity to transform schools, suggesting that COVID-19 catalyzed democracy, innovation, and equity in Korean school education. We conclude this article with a discussion on the role of crisis in sensemaking and the importance of national policy culture and sociohistorical contexts in shaping policy actors’ meaning making, extending comparative perspectives in education.

The dynamics of state ownership: The decisive role of crises

AbstractThe big waves of change in state ownership in the 20th-century Europe moved in the same direction ‒ either nationalization or privatization. Yet this homogeneity has fallen apart in the last decade: globally and within several countries, the two directions have changed quickly or even have been appearing in parallel. So, it is worth returning to the question: what is the reason for these reversals? Are there any cycles in the extension and contraction of public ownership? Most studies in this field analyse nationalizations and privatizations separately. They examine closely the aims and motivations, but remarkably few focuses on the causes of changes in direction. Based on the lessons of these latter analyses, this paper attempts to interpret the expansion and contraction of public property within an integrated framework, identifying the emergency situations as key factors of fluctuation. The central role of crises in ownership changes is not fundamentally new in the literature. The novelty of the recent approach is the attempt to unfold the mechanism of their impact, including also the explanation why the previously uniform direction of big waves has been broken up after 2008. We argue that the main reason behind the parallel occurrence of large-scale nationalizations and privatizations in this period is the eclipse of a dominant economic-policy (and theoretical) paradigm, rendering the previously firm background of ownership waves uncertain.

Nurses' Roles in Nursing Disaster Model: A Systematic Scoping Review.

Background:Nurses have a continuous presence and crucial role in response to disasters. During disasters, nurses apply specific knowledge and skills to minimize victims’ health and life-threatening risks. Nurses’ roles in crisis are not clearly stated in resources. Thus, this study aimed to explore nurses’ role in the nursing disaster model.Methods:A scoping review was conducted using Joanna Briggs Institute framework. The review considered primary research and reviewed literature from following databases, including Web of Science, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, as well as the reference lists of articles identified for full-text review. Eligibility criteria were outlined as a priori to guide the literature selection.Results:Eight of 60 eligible articles met the inclusion criteria. The studies were conducted in different countries with no limit of time of published articles. The publications’ design were three systematic reviews, one meta-synthesis, two qualitative types of research, one quasi-experimental, and one case study. The results showed nurses’ roles in the three stages before, during, and after the crisis.Conclusion:This review provided a comprehensive understanding of the concept of the nursing role in the crisis, and nurses could be useful to save victims through preparing and implementing effective care at different stages of a crisis.

Application of Social Network Analysis to Major Petrochemical Accident: Interorganizational Collaboration Perspective.

Crisis management in major accidents requires the collaboration among different organizations. One of the most important problems of crisis management is the lack of coordination between executive organizations. The aim of this study was to examine the structural characters and problems of interorganizational network during crisis in the petrochemical industry and provide solutions to achieve the highest performance in crisis management. The organizations involved in crisis management were identified through interviews and questionnaires. Gephi (0.9.1) software was used to examine interorganizational relationships. In this study, the crisis management team consisted of 25 public and private organizations and non-governmental organizations. The highest betweenness centrality was observed in Crisis Management of Provincial Government (CMPG) (142.16) and Fire Department of Petrochemical Complex (FDC) (89.3). The highest closeness centrality was observed in FDC (0.77), CMPG (0.7), Shazand Governorate (0.7), and Crisis Management of University of Medical Sciences (0.7). Coordination between organizations plays an important role in crisis and emergency management, and social network analysis helps identify strengths and weaknesses of organizations involved in crisis management, overcome those weaknesses, and consequently achieve the best performance in crisis management.

Legitimacy of Private Accounting Standard Setters: Literature Review and Suggestions for Future Research

The purpose of this study is to critically synthesize extant research on the legitimacy of private accounting standard setters in order to inform future research opportunities. This study presupposes that legitimacy is an important issue for the survival of private accounting standard setters who face legitimacy claims from stakeholders and regulatory competition from other standard-setting bodies due to their lack of a democratic foundation. Findings show that the definition, typology, sources, and legitimacy characteristics that researchers use depend on the theoretical perspectives that they employ in their analysis. Simultaneously, they do have some common points despite the difference in their perspectives. Regarding legitimacy changes, prior studies suggest that moving from practical toward cultural legitimacy, the importance of due process, and the role of crises all affect these changes. The review also identifies future research directions as well as several challenges for legitimacy studies in accounting, namely defining an analytical framework, focus on the dynamic nature of legitimacy and output legitimacy, and the need for more empirical studies, among others.