Cross cultural management scholarship and the coronavirus crisis

Abstract

There is no bigger issue on a global scale today than the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an international issue that has to be managed at an international, national and local level, ideally in cooperation and coordination. It also has to be understood not simply as the cause but as a symptom, not least of globalisation and international hyper-mobility. There is evidence that there are severe shortcoming in the way this is being managed in terms of the cultural and political narrative around it, as well as the strategy, planning and future outcomes. As cross-cultural management scholars we may be able to help. Coronaviruses in humans are passed on from animals. But more importantly, in a globalised world they are transmitted from person to person in close proximity, over thousands of miles. In the case of the latest SARS-CoV-2, it appears to have been derived from a bat-borne virus via an intermediary animal such as a pangolin, one of the most poached and trafficked mammals in the world (Lam et al., 2020). These animals are threatened by heavy deforestation of their natural habitats. In a Guardian article John Vidal (2020) argues that environmental degradation brings more and more exotic species into direct contact with humans after the destruction of their natural habitats. The Ebola outbreak (see WHO, 2020) initially in 1976 in Zaire/DRC, having a mortality rate of up to 88%, is a case in point of animal to human transmission that is likely a result of human destruction of biodiversity, of human activity in the business world. Vidal argues that it was 'human activity, such as road building, mining, hunting and logging that triggered the Ebola epidemics. .. ' He refers to David Quammen's (2020) article in the New York Times, who writes: We invade tropical forests and other wild landscapes, which harbor so many species of animals and plantsand within those creatures, so many unknown viruses. We cut the trees; we kill the animals or cage them and send them to markets. We disrupt ecosystems, and we shake viruses loose from their natural hosts. When that happens, they need a new host. Often, we are it. Human activity is what we study My point here is that the current pandemic, and others that preceded it, and those that inevitably will follow it, are likely to be the result of human activity, not only in the origins of animal to human transference but also in its rapid human to human spread in a highly globalised world. That being the case, and the fact that we as social and behavioural scientists who are interested in all that comprise

Using a cultural and social identity lens to understand pandemic responses in the US and India

“…The importance of understanding the complexities of human behavior has never been more important than today when the world at large is still in the throes of a global pandemic that continues to ravage and upend much of normal life across a highly globalized world (Jackson, 2020a). When public health officials continue to warn of the consequences of not adhering to safety measures such as avoiding large gatherings, maintaining social distancing, and using of face coverings or masks to mitigate the risk of virus transmission (Frieden and Cash-Goldwasser, 2021), there has been much disparity in how individuals and collective groups of people across countries have responded to the crisis of the pandemic.…”

“…There is also growing recognition that while social distancing measures, frequent hand washing, mask wearing, and edicts to stay at home are universal measures being rolled out to reduce the rate of infection and control the pandemic, there is variation in adherence to these behaviors among individuals and communities (West et al, 2020). As Jackson (2020a) argues, social distancing and hygiene may be impossible to follow in some African countries due to their high population density. Thus, understanding divergence in behavioral responses to the pandemic both at the cross-cultural level and at the group level can help managers and policy makers shape adequate responses.…”

COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of cross-cultural differences on crisis management: A conceptual model of transcultural crisis management

“…The third could be mismanagement of cultural and political narrative, strategy, planning, and future outcomes. Jackson (2020) has noted that the Coronavirus pandemic has uncovered the best and worst of national and international leadership. He has called upon crosscultural management scholars to study the issues around the lead-up to this crisis, the crisis management itself, its aftermath and implications, and the development of a critical, relevant crosscultural management scholarship that can contribute to such real-life issues.…”

“…He has called upon crosscultural management scholars to study the issues around the lead-up to this crisis, the crisis management itself, its aftermath and implications, and the development of a critical, relevant crosscultural management scholarship that can contribute to such real-life issues. This paper responds to Jackson's (2020) call by addressing the below objectives:…”

“…Therefore, it was decided to consider the number of COVID-19 positive cases and COVID-19 deaths reported by any country as the indicators of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a given country. Jackson (2020), in his editorial, has highlighted that the traditional forms of scholarly communication are not well adapted to crises situations. It takes much time to get a research grant, collect data, and conduct reliable research to make an academic contribution in time.…”