key: cord-0880273-ontq8f9l
authors: Rivera, Manuel
title: Hitting the reset button for hospitality research in times of crisis: Covid19 and beyond
date: 2020-04-28
journal: Int J Hosp Manag
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102528
sha: 4ee48cd8173e2857f9d7ffe80e482619868777d2
doc_id: 880273
cord_uid: ontq8f9l

nan

Manuel Rivera, Ph.D. Manuel.Rivera@ucf.edu Editor in Chief International Journal of Hospitality Management As I write this editor's viewpoint, I just want to be more personal because the Covid-19 pandemic has touched all aspects of our personal life and the hospitality industry. Quantifying the devastation the Covid-19 pandemic has reaped upon civilization cannot surpass the torturous heartache we have all experienced over the lives lost. Amid the grief, this is a time for unity, mindfulness, and reflection. Despite this difficult time, I am encouraged by the dedication of and connections with my peers in academia and the IJHM. So, as I key words on my laptop, I know I am not alone in the struggle to move forward. Some of you might have great sorrow as you face extraordinary loss and life altering situations. To those, my thoughts and prayers are with you. In addition, my sincere gratitude go to all the scholars that continue to engage and support the IJHM.

In an attempt to inform our readership and authors, we appreciate the genuine interest from our research community to contribute to the IJHM, particularly with regard to COVID-19-related research. We will continue working diligently to assess your work and support your publishing aspirations. Post disaster research is beleaguered by social, economic, and environmental losses. Let's all be reminded that, even during the best of times, the hospitality business can be precarious, though never more catastrophic than today. The pandemic is affecting the DNA of hospitality at its core. Hospitality is about "host and guest", "coming together", "tangible and intangible", and "providing security, psychological, and physiological comfort" (King, 1995) . These characteristics embody entirely what we are now circumventing. Therefore, we all will agree that delayed research can be perilous during this current crisis. We have no assurance that the world will not be plagued again by similar ruinous issues. Sound research can help us prepare for the time beyond today.

There are many questions waiting to be answered. How much worse can this get? How long will it last? What is our strategy for moving forward? How do we recoup devastating industry losses that have debilitated labor and management alike? Thus, a need exists to create a positive cycle of research to help us recover within the industry -for the greater good of communities, clientele, and the labor and management divisions, who depend upon the industry. Remembering that hospitality is an applied industry, a first step will be to confront fearful situations with theoretical perspectives that are pragmatically sound. Everything we do should be driven with regard to industry implications in order to ensure the safe return of providing hospitality as earlier noted. As a result, we will create confidence that fosters strategic reasoning to stabilize business and promote consumer trust and confidence. Alas, this will not be easy, as noted by "the re-emergence over the coming weeks and months will be fitful, fragile and partial-and a bit dystopian." (Schwartzel et al., 2020) . With this in mind, I ponder that research holds its purpose now more than ever. In times of crisis, hospitality research, as other types of research, will become central to fittingly pronounce the COVID-19 phenomena after-effects.

Journal submissions to the IJHM must tactfully balance academic interests and industry implications. I see an opportunity to move forward an agenda that helps apply the lessons learned towards recovery and normalcy. Forthcoming hospitality research should prelude unlighted, precipitated, and impulsive tactics for a modest or quick upturn. How can we tackle this? Start by considering on recovery and post recovery research support. Consumer confidence must resurge and learning from crisis planning and execution to steer away from future failures should be the focal point. It might sound like an oxymoron that a hospitality research opportunity exists by considering consumer confidence in the midst of a catastrophic pandemic. The argument is that, consumer confidence is the engine for restarting the halted hospitality industry. Understanding consumer confidence enable the industry to have a better picture of decision-making and future consumption behaviors. The consumers' confidence during the current pandemic boils down to how much in control they feel of their surrounding environment. As we do not fully yet understand the full spectrum, working assumptions that capture probable storylines for recovery can be impactful during these extraordinary times.

Following the recovery phase, post recovery research on crisis management and planning are imperative. Covid-19 did not discriminate, hence demanding a crisis management research for continuous survival and preventing closures. Upcoming research must incorporate a long-term perspective that embraces all stakeholders: customers, employees, investors, communities, and supply chain to mention a few. What would be an effective stakeholder-engagement framework in shaping future response? What are the measures to gauge the effectiveness of detection and prevention? What collaborations will be successful for orchestrating successful stakeholder communications? What are the key organizational factors to recover from such crisis? These and many more questions need answers to better prepare for the future.

Together we will get over this "breaching experiment" (Garfinkel, 167:75) , it might temporarily immobilize our collective activities, but will not limit us as we validate our research ideas. Let's continue to be socially responsible and avoid situations that could jeopardize our safety or that of others. On behalf of the IJHM, I encourage you to contact me if you feel I can assist in any way. For me, it has always been a privilege to be able to support you. As I always say when communicating with you directly, "Take care and best regards!" please stay safe.

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