Yes / This article examines local non-governmental organizations (LNGOs) approaches to women's empowerment amid crisis and the implications for decolonizing women's empowerment praxis. The article draws on lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and decolonial critique of development praxis to analyse LNGOs approach to women's empowerment. The study relied on snowballing to select twenty-six LNGOs operating in northern Ghana for in-depth interviews. Our study found that LNGOs deploy local and international frameworks on women's rights and combine these with indigenous knowledge principles and economic empowerment. Yet there are tensions between negotiating culturally appropriate approaches and meeting the interests of philanthro-capitalist donor agencies. The LNGOs are dependent on Western donors for financial resources and have become more vulnerable due to Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath as funding for women's empowerment work continues to dwindle. LNGOs have modified their interventions to address specific needs of beneficiaries arising from the consequences of the crises. This study enriches understandings of the specific vulnerabilities of LNGOs in northern Ghana, resource-scarce and semi-arid settings across the global South. For women's empowerment to achieve meaningful results, especially during and after crisis, activism needs to be centred on indigenous knowledge. This is central to building the resilience of LNGOs and women beneficiaries to effectively position themselves to absorb the shocks that attend crisis and to cope more effectively with it.

Yes / This study contributes to the existing literature on the relationship between oil market shocks and the green bond market by investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their dynamic correlation. We first decompose the oil market shocks into components using a time-frequency framework. Then, we combine wavelet decomposition and quantile coherence and causality methods to discuss changes during the COVID-19 era. We observe positive effects of both supply-driven and demand-driven oil shocks on the green bond market at most quantile levels. However, supply-driven oil price changes play a major role. The results also indicate that long-term changes have a greater impact than short-term changes on the connection between oil and green bond markets. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the nature of the causal relationship, as we observed no relationship under extreme market conditions during the pandemic era. We argue that the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have left investors focusing on the short-term substitution between oil and green bond markets. / This research was supported by the Major Projects of the National Natural Science Fund of China [NO. 71991483], the Natural Science Fund of Hunan Province [NO. 2022JJ40647] and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Central South University [NO. 2022ZZTS0353]. / The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 06 Oct 2024.

Social emotional learning (SEL), prevalent since the 1960's, is intended to meet the needs of the whole child (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning [CASEL], n.d.). Over the last three years, the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic infiltrated society, and stressors during the pandemic created challenges for families and educators. At the beginning of the pandemic, students were disconnected physically from schools, and depending on the resources of schools and families, students had various modalities to connect with school. Extracurricular activities ceased at the beginning of the pandemic, and students lost access to mental health support, all impacting the SEL needs of students. As students returned to school in person, the SEL needs of students increased, and principals were faced with finding resources and strategies to meet those needs. Several research studies exist on the impacts of various models of SEL and trauma-informed practices, but there is little research on administrator perceptions of SEL. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to identify elementary school principal perceptions on the SEL needs of students, aligned to the CASEL framework, during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the resources and strategies needed and used to meet the SEL needs of students. Eight elementary school principals from one suburban school division in Virginia were interviewed. Elementary school principals reported environmental factors that may have increased self-management and relationship skill deficits for students. Using a variety of resources and strategies, elementary school principals have seen improvement in SEL needs of students when staff explicitly teach SEL. Elementary school principals desire more resources to meet the SEL needs of students but are faced with funding challenges and a lack of qualified candidates. To meet the SEL needs of students, it is recommended that school divisions work with local, state, and federal funding sources, as well as universities and colleges to provide additional support and resources. It is a moral imperative of elementary school principals to demand more support to meet the SEL needs of elementary students. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this qualitative research study was to identify elementary school principal perceptions on the social emotional learning (SEL) needs of students, aligned to the CASEL framework, during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the resources and strategies needed and used to meet the SEL needs of students. The COVID-19 pandemic brought on sickness, death, anxiety, and depression while educational and family structures changed. Schools closed physically in the beginning of the pandemic, impacting the connectivity of students with one another and with teachers. Additionally, extracurricular activities ceased for some time, and students did not have the same consistent access to medical or mental health providers, all impacting the mental well-being of children. Families were also impacted economically and socially by the pandemic. As students returned to school in person, educators were challenged to meet the SEL needs of students during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research study investigated elementary principal perceptions on the SEL needs of students and examined the resources and strategies needed and used to support the SEL needs of students. Eight elementary school principals were interviewed from one suburban school division in Virginia. The elementary school principals reported an increase in the SEL needs of students and described a variety of resources and strategies used to support the SEL needs. While SEL needs are improving when elementary school principals and school staff focus resources and strategies to improve SEL deficits, the elementary school principals reported needing more resources to meet the SEL needs of students. Elementary school principals described challenges in funding and a lack of qualified candidates. To lessen those challenges, elementary school principals should demand more resources through local, state, and federal agencies to support the SEL needs of students.

This thesis seeks to explore if and how college students' dating practices have changed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Through eight focus group interviews (n=51), participants discussed their dating practices, use of online dating platforms, and navigation of health and safety protocols. A thematic analysis was used to identify and define major themes from the focus groups. Findings revealed four themes in how college students define dating, which were relational investment, exclusivity labels, dating progression, and the role of hookup culture. When addressing how the pandemic has changed the way college students date, six themes were identified: importance of communication, technology as a tool, impact of family, violating safety norms, negative affect expression, and gaining perspective. This thesis extends academic research on how dating is defined and how uncertainty in the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted dating practices of college students at a large U.S. university in the mid-Atlantic region. / MACOM / This thesis explores the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students dating practices. It uses focus group interviews of undergraduate college students at a large university in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Participants discussed their definition of 'dating,' use of technology and dating apps, and navigation of health and safety practices during a dating climate characterized by high uncertainty. Findings revealed four themes in how college students define dating, which were relational investment, exclusivity labels, dating progression, and the role of hookup culture. When addressing how the pandemic has changed the way college students date, six themes were identified: importance of communication, technology as a tool, impact of family, violating safety norms, negative affect expression, and gaining perspective. These findings have implications in how we understand dating, especially during a global health crisis.

Inom elitidrott beskrivs motivation som något essentiellt för att idrottare ska orka träna och göra det som krävs för att försöka bli bäst i världen. Motivation kan undersökas med hjälp av Self-determination theory där tre grundbehov: autonomi, tillhörighet och kompetens, måste vara uppfyllda för att en inre självbestämmande motivation ska kunna uppnås. Syftet med denna studie var att ta reda på hur elitidrottares motivation förändrades under våren och sommaren 2020 när Covid-19 pandemin satte idrottsvärlden på paus med inställda tävlingar och ett uppskjutet OS. Sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med individuella elitidrottare genomfördes och analyserades med en teoristyrd tematisk analys. Studien kom fram till att elitidrottarna upplevde att deras grundbehov inom motivation påverkades, både positivt och negativt, av Covid-19 pandemin. Studien bidrar till ökad förståelse för elitidrottares behov under pandemin och inom vilka områden de behöver extra stöd. / In elite sports, motivation is described as an essential factor an athlete must have to undergo training and to do what is required to become the world’s best. Motivation can be examined using the Self-determination theory, where three basic needs: autonomy, relatedness and competence must be fulfilled to achieve intrinsic self-determined motivation. The purpose of this study was to investigate how motivation of elite athletes changed during the spring and summer 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic put the sports world on paus with cancelled competitions and the postponement of the Olympics. Seven semi-structured interviews with elite athletes, competing in individual sports, were conducted, and analysed with a theoretical thematic analysis. This study concluded that the basic needs in motivation of elite athletes were experienced to be both positively and negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to an increased understanding of the needs of elite athletes during the pandemic and in which areas they need extra support.

Bakgrund: Sedan december 2019 har ett nytt virus, som orsakar sjukdomen Covid-19, spridits världen över och för att minska smittspridning har restriktioner införts i samhället och vården. Detta innebär att partners inte får delta vid exempelvis besök på barnmorskemottagningar, ultraljud eller närvara på BB efter förlossningen. Partners delaktighet är viktig under graviditet och barnafödande för att främja föräldratransitionen och anknytningen till barnet, vilket försvårats under pandemin. Det är därför av vikt att undersöka partners upplevelse under Covid-19-pandemin. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa partners upplevelse av graviditet och barnafödande under Covid-19-pandemin. Metod: Studien genomfördes med kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats, där åtta partners intervjuades. Resultat: I resultatet framkom fyra kategorier som sedan mynnade ut i ett tema. Samtliga partners uppgav bristande delaktighet. Förstagångsföräldrarna upplevde en stark negativ påverkan av den bristande delaktigheten vilket resulterade i känslor av utanförskap och en svårighet att förverkliga graviditeten. Andragångsföräldrar upplevde en större trygghet i föräldraskapet vilket ökade förmågan att hantera den bristande delaktigheten. Konklusion: Beslutsfattare bör väga smittorisken mot de negativa effekterna som uppstår av restriktionerna. Det krävs förändringar för att främja partnerns delaktighet och motverka långsiktiga negativa konsekvenser på hälsan för partners och deras familjer. / Background: Since December 2019, a new virus, which causes Covid-19 disease, has spread around the world and to reduce the spread of infection, restrictions have been introduced in society and healthcare. This entails that partners are not allowed to participate in, for example; visits to midwife clinics, ultrasounds or attend BB postpartum. Partner participation during pregnancy and childbirth is important to promote the transition to parenthood and connection to the child, which is made more difficult during the pandemic. It is therefore important to examine partners' experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic. Aim: The aim was to illustrate the partners' experience of pregnancy and childbirth during the Covid-19 pandemic. Method: The study was conducted with a qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Eight partners were interviewed. Results: The results revealed four categories which then culminated in a theme. All partners stated a lack of participation. The first-time parents experienced a strong negative impact of the lack of participation, which resulted in feelings of exclusion and a difficulty in actualizing the pregnancy. Second-time parents experienced greater security in parenthood, which increased the ability to handle the lack of participation. Conclusion: Decision-makers should consider weigh the risk of infection against the negative effects of restrictions. Changes are needed to promote partner participation and counteract long-term negative health consequences for partners and their families.

More than ten years after the largest economic crisis, which stroke the European Union in 2008 and thoroughly tested its readiness and ability to act, Europe was hit by a global pandemic of COVID-19. Because of this crisis, the European Union and its institutions faced a number of challenges, stemming from unprecedented measures imposed to tackle it. In contrast with the economic crisis, it was not only the European industrial and financial sectors but also more segments, essential to the functioning of the European Union itself, which were affected by the recent crisis. The aim of this thesis is to point out the differences of impacts of the two crisis and to find out the role played by the European Commission during the process of dealing with them.

The past year has been a challenging year for all industries, including the constructionindustry. The construction industry is considered to have performed slightly better whencompared to other industries. With this in mind, despite the slow pace of change, theconstruction industry is still evolving innovatively to adapt its operations to the constraintsthat have emerged since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.The purpose of the work is to investigate whether the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed toinnovative growth in the construction sector. The survey will look at how different companieshave adapted to, and whether the changes that have been made are temporary or willdisappear when society returns to normal.The study was chosen to do with a qualitative method. The literature used has been necessaryto be able to first explain the concept of innovation, and later delve deeper into theimplementation of innovation through the innovation tree (Hardie & Newell 2011).What has emerged during this thesis is that the construction industry has been affected by thepandemic, but not to the same extent as other industries. This is done by introducing newwork processes such as working digitally.

Tourism industry is one of the hardest hits by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, Event industry as an important stakeholder of tourism has been fiercely damaged globally. In this study the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the event industry businesses in Sweden, their methods of coping with this situation and the recovery plans will be evaluated. Further some predictions about the future trends and possible transformations of the industry have been made. This research has been conducted qualitatively and by gathering data from both primary and secondary sources provided a very broad reference for the researcher. Restrictions in Sweden started with a 500-person limit then the figures went down to 50 people, followed by 8 people, afterwards 300 and finally 8 people limit again. Commercially, it has been difficult to conduct business due to the massive uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 for all the companies in the event industry in Sweden. Cancelling or postponing events caused huge revenue losses, redundancies, closing businesses etc. limitations and uncertainties brought by COVID-19 pandemic forced some innovative companies to start rethinking their event packages. By upskilling staff and digital investing in building the needed infrastructures, many event companies could step into the virtual and hybrid events landscape. Meanwhile , Small to medium-sized companies suffered the most in terms of tackling the situation due to limited resources and severity of the situation. The forceful hiatus to hold-on till going back to normal has been the best solution for those who were not able to come up with coping strategies. Clearly by the mass vaccine distribution, the event industry will gradually go back to its normal status quo, while virtual on demand and hybrid events will stay as important components of the industry.The result of this study reveals the value of resiliency and being prepared that will help companies to survive during crisis situations. But after all, although this pandemic is a disruption that caused many challenges for the event industry. But, at the same time it brought many dynamic opportunities for the sector to slowly evolve and develop.

Information Security (InfoSec) is a broad term used to describe the study of how to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, modification, or deletion. InfoSec is commonly used within companies and organisations to facilitate the secure use of digital systems, taking its shape in the form of technical solutions as well as rules and guidelines defined in a so-called Information Security Policy (ISP). Subsequently, ISPs, which aim to mitigate the risks posed by the generally agreed upon weakest link, the human factor, is considered a crucial asset to maintaining security. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic further solidifying its worth as an increase in attacks targeting humans, especially within the healthcare sector, can be seen. Research directed at ISPs is a much debated area which scientists from many different fields of study continuously lend their efforts. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge no recent studies can been seen that examines ISP Compliance (ISPC), with a focus on InfoSec awareness, from a Swedish regional healthcare employees’ perspective. Hence, this study seeks to provide an insight into this area, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in mind. The research is based on a web-questionnaire survey created using information gained throughout several interviews with people working in the field of InfoSec. It seeks to examine healthcare employees' InfoSec awareness following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak with regard  teleworking. It can be seen from the results that healthcare sector employees' were well aware of the InfoSec risks related to the changing work conditions following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.