Search

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]