From Downturn to Upturn, An Economic Lift of Local Business Entrepreneurs in Qatar as Affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenology

Background: Globally, local entrepreneurs have experienced an economic downturn brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Local businessmen in Qatar are not an exception. Method: This qualitative research paper utilized the phenomenological approach as it sought to understand the lived experiences of business owners in Qatar who are experiencing financial decline relative to the central question: “How do local business owners deal with financial decline brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic?”. Findings: The verbal ponderings and statements of the respondents revealed three major themes that local business partners had experienced before their businesses finally reached an upswing. These are (1) CUSTOMER RELATIONS, dealing with Acknowledging Achievements, Attaining Customer Values, and Operating Responses, (2) ADJUSTMENT REMODELING, focusing on Building Foundations, Adapting to Changes, and Coping with Mishaps, and (3) BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT which is about Dealing Impacts, Relieving Stress, and Addressing Liabilities of the businesses impacted by the pandemic. Conclusion: Local Business Partners had a continuous downturn to a series of events revolving around its business, however, most of the respondents are satiated with operating the facility under circumstances. Recommendations: This study recommends that business owners here in Qatar enable themselves to be knowledgeable of the phases behind the strategies of managing a business. These can aid the entrepreneurs in their decision-making skills for the business to prosper. The upcoming related studies should further enlarge the concept of businesses as it will help begin a broader perception of the local businesses. Keywords: Qatar Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Finance, Recession, Financial

PENGELOLAAN KEUANGAN RUMAH TANGGA DI ERA COVID-19 BERBASIS EKONOMI ISLAM PADA JAMAAH PEREMPUAN MASJID AL-MUTTAQIN DUSUN KALIREJO DESA NGUNGGAHAN KECAMATAN BANDUNG KABUPATEN TULUNGAGUNG

This study aims to actualize the management of household finances based on Islamic economics in female congregations of the Al-Muttaqin Mosque. This is because in the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the family is one of the components affected by economic stability. Thus, through the model of empowering family financial management based on Islamic economics for the female congregation of the Al-Muttaqin mosque, it is very important. Through very in-depth mentoring and study, this work resulted in the finding that in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, the management of household finances based on Islamic economics for the female congregation of the Al-Muttaqin mosque is very important because the situation and economic downturn have an impact on household finances. So that the management of household finances based on Islamic economics becomes a solution.

Sensitive Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Using a Novel Plasmonic Fiber Optic Biosensor Design

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has put the entire world at risk and caused an economic downturn in most countries. This work provided theoretical insight into a novel fiber optic based plasmonic biosensor that can be used for sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2. The aim was always to achieve reliable, sensitive and reproducible detection. The proposed configuration is based on Ag–Au alloy nanoparticles films covered with a layer of graphene which promotes the molecular adsorption and a thiol-tethered DNA layer as a ligand. Here the combination of two recent approaches in a single configuration is very promising and can only lead to considerable improvement. We have theoretically analyzed the sensor performance in terms of sensitivity and resolution. To highlight the importance of the new configuration, a comparison was made with two other sensors. One is based on gold nanoparticles incorporated into a host medium, the other is composed of a bimetallic Ag-Au layer in the massive state. The numerical results obtained has been validated and show that the proposed configuration offers better sensitivity (7100 nm\RIU) and good resolution (figure of merit; FOM=38.88Tand signal-to-noise ratio; SNR=0.388). In addition, a parametric study was performed such as the graphene layers number and the size of the nanoparticles.

Agile Project Management in International Logistics Operations

The chapter discussed a business model (BM) perspective as an innovating practice to analyze the transition of the EuroPacific LL Company (EuroPacific) from regional logistic operator to domestic logistic operator or third-party logistic provider (3PL) for Asian companies. The company operates regionally in markets of Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia and globally in South Korea, India, and Singapore. The chosen long-term business vision of the company is based on the goal of becoming the key logistics provider of goods from the Far East directed to the European markets. The company was confronted with the first period of crisis from 2008 to 2010 and again with the second crisis started in 2020 when they realized that, although known as the crisis breaker, the company is not being exempted from market challenges, extraordinary situations like pandemic, and consecutive economic downturn effects.

Analysis of LQ45 share portfolio on Quadrimester I during the Covid-19 pandemic

Investment is a way of getting profit by investing a certain amount of capital in certain assets. Investing in shares in LQ45 amid the Covid-19 pandemic is one way to benefit when many sectors are experiencing an economic downturn. The purpose of this study was to analyze the differences in the optimal portfolio of LQ45 stocks in the 2019 and 2020 quadrimester I. The samples of this study were companies listed in LQ45. This research method uses the treynor index and t-test. The results of this study are that there is a significant difference in the optimal portfolio using the treynor index model between quadrimester I 2019 and 2020 on LQ45 stocks, this is influenced by conditions amid the Covid-19 pandemic which affects all sectors. The highest optimal number of purchases in the month April 2020 is occupied by companies with the KLBF code, this is an advantage that the company gets during the Covid-19 pandemic. Future research is expected to be able to allocate investment funds optimally for each share to achieve optimal profits. The investor is expected to be able to estimate in advance the stocks that will be selected for their investment.

Fuzzy-based non-bankruptcy trend forecast

Many companies face an economic downturn due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, which makes their future uncertain. The practical aim of the paper is to establish a procedure for an effective prediction of a business tendency to bankrupt in the short-term period. The tool is a three-stage fuzzy model formulated in the theoreticalmethodological part and applied on the real data of an examined company. The model input parameters are objective and subjective measured data between 2008-2020 of a nature affecting the output. The output is an interval of subjectively expected values determining the non-Bankruptcy trend (non-B) of a company. The paper shows advantages of the interval fuzzy approach for bankruptcy prediction and identifies the measure of business safety.

Networking While Long-Term Unemployed: Why Long-Term Unemployment Will Likely Persist Long after the COVID-19 Pandemic Recedes

By early 2021, due to the economic downturn accompanying the COVID-19 pandemic, over four million Americans were long-term unemployed (LTU). Getting rehired requires overcoming employer stigmas about LTU workers, which most LTU workers believe is most plausible with the help of referrals from social ties. While research on the structures and effects of networks abound, this paper examines the far less studied process of networking among LTU jobseekers. Exploring the networking process is imperative for understanding the emotional toll and structural obstacles facing LTU workers in the post–COVID-19 pandemic period. Going beyond individualizing explanations, I use in-depth interviews to uncover the structural conditions that make networking challenging for all LTU jobseekers. Contrary to static conceptualizations of ties as social capital, a metaphor implying that ties are static resources, this paper argues that more attention needs to be paid to the processes and structural conditions that facilitate or hinder the activation or formation of socialties. Specifically, it shows that, under conditions of precarity and stigma, networking can undermine workers’ identities as valued and moral, leaving them feeling discouraged and ethically challenged in a way similar to used car salespeople.

Restorative measures to diminish the covid-19 pandemic effects through circular economy enablers for sustainable and resilient supply chain

Purpose The catastrophic state of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has seized off all the operations along with the globe. It has not only distressed the socio-economic structure of the world but also mounted enormous pressure on the governmental bodies to save the lives of the people. Despite this, severe impacts of the same have been observed on the small and medium manufacturing enterprises (SMME) practices, resulting in the economic downturn. The purpose of this study is to facilitate the SMME’s with circular economy (CE) practices to overcome the negative impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on their supply chain (SC) operations. Design/methodology/approach The presented work identified seven critical impacts as criteria of the novel COVID-19 pandemic on the Indian SMME and seeks to identify the relief measures in the CE paradigm by identifying 13 prominent enablers to CE as alternatives. Experts’ opinions have been engaged to detect CE enablers’ proficiency to overpower the pandemic impact through a questionnaire-based survey. The obtained data have been clustered and analyzed through a hybrid approach of entropy weight method and grey relational analysis to find an organized ranking of the enablers. Findings Current work spotlights the SMME’s losses due to SC disruptions and declined consumption patterns. The waste augmentation during the pandemic era has also been grouped in this study, primarily associating with the SC’s waste generation. The result of the performed analysis shows that the CE enabler “waste reduction and its transformation into a resource (E1)” have achieved the highest rank among all the considered enablers, governing a higher demand toward reusing waste for better handling the post COVID era state of affairs. Originality/value The presented study aimed to suppress the pandemic impact and generate anticipation of the CE concept, which might help the managers and policymakers identify its urgent need to achieve a stable and resilient SC system in a post COVID period. Presented work is peculiar, aiming to accelerate the CE adaption with green material usage in the industrial sector to suppress the present miserable condition and to achieve industrial and social sustainability for a better-foreseen future.

Italy’s China policy is becoming more hard-line

Significance However, since then, Rome has become increasingly hawkish over China, a shift which has intensified under Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s period in office. Draghi has already blocked three Chinese acquisitions of Italian firms this year, and stated he will assess Italy’s future participation in the BRI. Impacts Beijing’s decision to impose economic sanctions on Lithuania will put pressure on the EU to adopt a tougher China policy. EU fiscal and monetary support should reduce the appeal of hard-line Eurosceptism in Italy. Italy will be slow to advance projects envisaged under the 2019 MoU, although a future economic downturn could alter the dynamics.