[AISWorld] Forum posting?

[Richard Watson]

Dear Colleagues

I reviewed editorials and opinions published in April 2020 in leading English language newspapers and magazines (Economist, Financial Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post). I extracted and lightly edited 24 statements  about the nature of the post-Covid-19 business environment. Many of these conjectured outcomes have implications for IS education, practice, and research. 
Companies will aim to go beyond resilience and robustness so that they can adapt to, and even thrive on, disorder.
Companies will transform their supply chains from “just in time” to “just in case” models.
Businesses will maintain a safety net of loyal and adaptable full-time workers who are well-prepared to handle future disruptions.
A broader knowledge of productive business practices will accelerate their adoption.
Workers will have great flexibility to mix in-office and distance interaction.
Organizations will experiment to find an effective balance between face-to-face creativity and remote working.
Companies will accelerate automation.
Consumers will prefer automated to face-to-face services.
Governments will require companies to localize the production of drugs and medical goods.
An organization's digital presence will be the central element of its customer engagement strategy.
The nature of globalization and the structure of international capitalism will be significantly different.
Fragmentation of the global economy will accelerate.
The simultaneous health and economic crises will change how companies balance risk and resilience.
There will be a downturn in sectors that rely on an increased personal wealth perception, such as from a housing boom and a vibrant gig economy.
People will demand improvements in the quality and coverage of social services and medical care.
The balance between residency and efficiency will shift to resiliency by localizing supply chains and pro-national industrial policies.
There will be investment in and rationalization of government agencies and systems that were overwhelmed by Covid-19.
More investment in renewable energy sources will reduce vulnerability to oil price manipulations and address climate change.
Expanded high-speed internet connectivity will be available everywhere for everyone.
There will be broader distribution of affordable tools of invention, design, and manufacturing.
There will be an increase in taxes to pay off the massive national debts incurred in addressing the economic impact of Covid-19.
Face masks and temperature checks will be common for spaces where people interact, such as offices, factories, restaurants, and bars.
Repercussions from civil liberty intrusions to reduce contagion might limit the effectiveness of future efforts to contain a pandemic.
Redistribution policies, such as a basic income, will become more common because of the economic shock's impact on those least able to survive a crisis.
To gain a deeper understanding of these post-Covid-19 views and to identify different frames of reference, I plan a Q method analysis. 

If you are willing to spare 10 minutes, please complete the survey at http://code-lab.django.group/AIScovid/us/

I will share the findings on this forum.

This research is supported by the Liechtenstein Consortium for Digital Capital Creation.

Thanks

Rick Watson