As we huddle in small groups of three or less, we have
indoctrinated some processes that may be sustained for the near future even
post pandemic concerns. Whether it is
wiping our frequently used items with anti-bacteria wipes or keeping our distance
from people we do not know, we will have some residual behaviors that may sustain
the test of time. In short, what we have
learned from this experience?
Tech Dependence
Validated
Now pushing aside our dependence on technology thus far which
could be argued a hindrance as much as a blessing. We are more informed; however, we have used
the smart phone as a surrogate for communication. As one would notice that casual conversations
have migrated to more brief scenarios, i.e., phone conversations fell to texting,
which fell to emoji’s, etc.
However, that is not the change born from terra a-la pandemic. The item that has arisen or has been granted incidental
validation is “Remoting”. More and more
organizations have dabbled with the concept that being physically at the office
is incidental. With the forced
isolation, we have found millions of us using Internet conferencing, we have
validated for many organizations that business can be sustained from our respective
homes.
Going forward, with lines between home and work blurred like
never before, we'll need to think carefully about which platforms we use and
what we say on them.
Still, conferencing, once the poor relation to face-to-face
meetings in the corporate world, is - for the moment - the norm. Remember that
meme: "This meeting could have been an email” has finally been validated.
How We Shop
Some small firms may simply run out of cash and throw in the
towel. Some larger retailers are also in administration. Many others will be
looking at the profitability of stores and whether they could hand the keys
back to landlords.
After lockdown, there will be an immediate sales bounce and
stores are likely to lower prices to shift stock. But it may be short-lived if
people have been made redundant and are unable to spend.
Fashion relies heavily on shoppers with spare cash and many
of us will have endured the past weeks buying hardly any clothes at all - and
survived!
Although, it will be interesting to see if shoppers rethink
their habits and priorities. However, from
the feedback from the gradual opening of some retailers, the resurgence of in
person shopping, will impact the trend of online shopping, because nothing
allures one to anything more than taking it away.
Changes
in Business Acumen
Companies may start hoarding cash to survive another crisis.
Just as the banks became permanently less profitable after the 2007-08
financial crash - because they were forced to hold more base capital before
lending - firms post-Covid-19 could be less inclined to invest. That will
stifle growth.
The digital transformation of business will get faster, with
more automation and artificial intelligence to approve loans, profile
customers, control stock and improve delivery.
Supply chains will be shorter, more resilient, and possibly
more local - but there are pluses and minuses to that. Economic nationalism,
when governments try to protect their economies by cutting imports and
investments from other nations, is popular right now for good reason, for it
has become the new weapon of choice. In
fact, we learned that lesson outright by our greed for the mighty dollar, we
migrated to least cost provider, which in many cases were outside our borders. However, once these countries tried to
leverage political influence by constraining these “cheap” pipelines as their
importance rose to new heights, we rapidly realized our vulnerability.
Finally, international institutions like the International
Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, and
the European Union may be challenged to up their games – or rapidly go defunct.
Planes,
Trains, and Automobiles…
Focusing here on Airlines, excluding the obvious of limited
travel with bans, health concerns, and the subsequent reductions of
flights. United has 29000 flight attendants
and only 3000 are in use now. However, some
airlines might not survive this crisis. Others could perish in the aftermath.
And those that come through it will be smaller.
There will be, at least in the medium term, fewer flights.
That trend will be driven by people and businesses having less money to spend
and video conferencing becoming the new norm.
Initially, there may also be nervousness about flying in the
wake of a global pandemic. Thermal imaging cameras, which check your
temperature as you walk through, could become commonplace at airports and even
railway stations to try to reassure passengers and staff.
A smaller aviation market means ticket prices could rise.
After weeks of staying at home many of us will be itching to travel, but global
travel by plane, train or boat might have to change. For example, Delta says it
plans to initially leave middle seats empty so passengers are not too close to
each other - and tickets for a plane with lots of empty seats will be more
expensive.
I See Skies
of Blue, Sea of Green…
Cleaner air and open roads - in the grimmest of
circumstances, the coronavirus lockdown has afforded a glimpse of how a greener
world might feel.
Levels of the gas nitrogen dioxide, linked to a wide range
of health conditions, fell across parts of America, Asia and Europe as traffic
flows diminished. And the rise of online meetings has shown what can be
achieved without travel and has saved lots of carbon in the process. How we will proceed when this is over really
has two paths…
One scenario is that the world repeats the fossil fuel dependency
and unleashing pent-up demand for oil and coal. Governments know this response
well as a method to revive flagging economies.
Another option is for a more sustainable recovery, with
policies to encourage a low-carbon future. This would see determined pushes for
renewable energy, public transport, and home energy efficiency.
It was meant to be a big year to try to halt the damage we
are doing to the natural world and to cut the gases driving up temperatures to
dangerous levels. That agenda, and the tough choices needed, might not be
getting much attention - but they have not gone away.
In fact, if anything, the pandemic has shown us how
governments can act when they need to - and how willingly people can respond.
The issue is whether a similar drive can be directed to what the UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls the "deeper emergency" of the
environment. However, is anyone really
listening?
Love Thy
Neighbor?
It is hoped the weekly night clapping for frontline
healthcare workers is the sound of a nation discovering itself again and,
denied the luxury of self-indulgence, our eyes are opened to what really
matters. Lockdown, it is said, has unblocked a spring of neighborliness that
will flow long after restrictions are lifted.
Perhaps.
But our suspended life in lockdown could be incubating a
grievance that, when released, triggers angry questions, a search for blame,
and demands for reprisals. Economic hardship will strain social ties. That is
the real test for this generation - not "can we keep our temper in
lockdown?" but "can we quietly repair our social fabric in the tough
times?".
The fear is that our behavioral norms will have become
infected by distress and hardship, that we will emerge more individual and less
together.
The hope must be that our society, like a virus, is mutating
into something stronger.
_________________________________________
- https://irdirect.net/prviewer/release/id/4294930
- https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-experimental-ultraviolet-light-treatment-for-covid-19-takes-political-heat-11588005938
So “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;”
____________________________________________________________
About Rick Ricker
An IT professional with over 23 years' experience in Information Security, wireless broadband, network and . Infrastructure design, development, and support.
Currently a Computer Science Instructor at CSULB
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for your input, your ideas, critiques, suggestions are always welcome...
- Wasabi Roll Staff