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The global atmosphere in the mid-year 2019 was more of anxiety and frustrations about the impact of a US–China trade war, Brexit outcomes, oil price fluctuations and even the upcoming US election 2020 on the global economy. The unexpected emergence of a novel coronavirus in the Hubie province of China and now pandemic immediately shifted focus and its impacts are visible globally. The major objective of this study has been to discover the impacts of the COVID-19 containment strategies as the policy of many countries and the mitigation measures on the global economy. Three months of data within February and May which comprises Africa, Asia, North America and Europe, the FTSE 500 index (UK), SP 500 (US), the Nikkei 225 (Japan) and the South Africa top 40 index as well as LD, MR, TR, MP, CC variables were drawn from the Statista review, Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, where the multivariate model was applied including the use of SPSS version 26 with the correlation result. The result indicates the containment policies such as travel restrictions and lockdowns introduced by various countries have negative impacts on the global economy but helped in reducing the spread of the virus. However, the mitigation measures such as insurance policy for health workers and the stimulus funds for the MSMEs including packages to reduce hardship associated with current unemployment positively impacted the economy. Resurfacing of a virus strong as COVID-19 or much infectious than this in future is possible and as countries were caught unprepared which has heavily disrupted major health care system and the global economy in general, it is recommendable that cross-country policies such as directing more investment into the health sector and review of the unemployment packages to include all will be in the right direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on customer loyalty and explores the role of customer engagement. The moderating role of gender is also examined. A total of 348 valid responses collected via the intercept approach from life insurance customers in Ghana were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results suggest that CSR dimensions (economic, environmental, and social responsibility) positively impact customer loyalty. Also, the results indicate a partial mediating influence of customer engagement between CSR dimensions and customer loyalty. Further, the results establish the moderating effect of gender between economic and environmental dimensions of CSR and customer engagement. However, the study finds no moderating effect of gender between the social dimension of CSR and customer engagement. The study provides an empirical basis for CSR strategies that can drive customer engagement and customer loyalty in the insurance sector in many economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the numerous benefits that customers can reap from internet banking, the existing literature indicates that its adoption remains limited. Therefore, this paper proposes and examines a conceptual framework that clarifies the salient factors that drive customers' intention to adopt internet banking. The proposed model was built on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. This was extended by incorporating trust, word of mouth, perceived enjoyment, and users' internet experience. A total of 490 valid responses collected via the intercept approach from bank customers in Ghana were analyzed employing structural equation modeling. The analysis demonstrates that performance expectancy, trust, perceived enjoyment, word of mouth, and users' internet experience significantly influence behavioral intention to adopt internet banking. However, the study finds no support for effort expectancy and social influence. The study concludes with several useful implications for theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how psychological empowerment mediation of training and support relationship influences volunteer public advocacy behaviours. Survey participants were 300 volunteers at community health volunteer organisations (CHVOs) in Shanghai, China (female = 36.94%; mean age = 28.89 years, SD = 3.06 years, range = 20–40 years). Structural equation modelling of the data showed that perceived training and supportive relationships directly enhanced volunteer public advocacy behaviours. Volunteers' psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between training and supportive relationships, further increasing the public advocacy behaviours. The findings suggest supportive training effects on volunteers' sense of psychological empowerment in public advocacy activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts in mining fields that revolve around the type and perceived impact of CSR projects seem to be daunting to solve. Such conflicts emerge from misconceptions among community stakeholders’ that lead to a failed company-community relationship. This inimical situation threatens peace, security, lives, and properties at the community level. To resolve the company-community conflicts, it is important to minimize the misconception among community stakeholders’ by identifying their preferences of CSR projects. However, the challenge of identifying these projects in mining fields is yet to be fully explored and understood. The aim of this paper is to identify community stakeholders’ topmost preferences of CSR projects for an effective company-community relationship and propose a path for community engagement. A sample of 604 respondents comprising community leaders’ and local residents’ from three regions which host Gold Mining Firms with level ‘A’ membership from the Ghana Chamber of Mines were drawn for this study. Using a questionnaire made up of close and open ended questions, a survey was conducted. With SPSS 16.0, the data on the close ended questions were analyzed with ranking and factor analyses while the open ended were drawn into teams to support the former. The results of the ranking analysis show that different group of stakeholders’ had a different preference for CSR projects. The factor analysis revealed that for effective company-community relationship both stakeholders’ preferred a Streamline Social Intervention and Improve Stakeholder Economic related CSR projects. Base on these findings, the study recommends that Mining firms’ should give maximum consideration to projects that seek the welfare of both stakeholders’ and have equal engagement with all stakeholders’. Also, managing expectations before, during and after mining should be a shared responsibility of all the stakeholders’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking into consideration the eugenic nature and perspective of high-performance human resource management functions on organizational effectiveness, the authors examined managerial and employee level of recruitment and selection on operational performance with emphasis on human capital and three indicators of organizational commitment (affective, normative, and continuous) as mediators. Questionnaires totaling 282, 122 for managerial level and 160 for employee level, were administered. A multilevel analysis of data were conducted on a selected number of Ghanaian NGOs using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study revealed that recruitment and selection ideally leads to improved operational performance, however, this affiliation can be enhanced through the inescapable role of human capital and the three commitment indicators (affective, normative, and continuous). It was also exposed that effective recruitment and selection leads to a desirable employee’s level of affective, normative and continuous commitment, which also have greater influence on the operational performance. The study is thus considered very significant contextual support to existing literature and practitioners since not much of such work has been done in the Ghanaian context. Therefore, the current study implicates recruitment and selection, human capital, and the three commitment levels as a core value-creating ability that drives non-governmental organizations performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]