Fear and trembling of cruise ship employees: Psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

The current COVID-19 pandemic has evolved to unprecedented proportions. This research aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cruise ship employees stuck at sea. Using an inductive qualitative approach, a synchronous online focus group was conducted with nine cruise ship employees who were stuck at sea during COVID-19 pandemic. The findings revealed that COVID-19 pandemic has managed to erase the feeling of joy from cruise ship employees who were stuck at sea while exposing weakness of cruise line companies such as poor human resource management leadership. Moreover, COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that it is of paramount importance that cruise line companies create a comprehensive strategy in assisting their employees who are experiencing an anxiety disorder and depression. The managerial implications are outlined

Connected at Sea: The Influence of the Internet and Online Communication on the Well-Being and Life Satisfaction of Cruise Ship Employees.

This study aims to elucidate the idiosyncratic effects of the Internet and online communication on the well-being and life satisfaction of cruise ship employees. Cross-sectional surveys and covariance-based structural equation modelling tools were used. In addition, univariate variance analysis was used to address the effects of socio-demographic variables (years of service on a cruise ship, working department on a cruise ship, gender, age, educational level and place of residency) on latent variables of the conceptual model. The conceptual model draws on existing theory and previous research and was empirically tested on a sample of cruise ship employee internet users. Result show that while being onboard a cruise ship, employees experience strong social pressure to be constantly available and they fear of missing out on important information and life events. Thus, relatedness to friends and family needs satisfaction is of paramount importance for cruise ship employees because they are fully aware that they are dispensable and replaceable to cruise ship companies, however to their friends and family, they are indispensable and unique. Moreover, employees who engage in other tasks/activities while taking part in online communication with friends and family exhibit reduced performance, which leads to poor interaction and social dissatisfaction. Lastly, employees experiencing under-reciprocating exchanges show significant negative effects on their well-being. Overall, the results provided several important theoretical and practical implications relevant to cruise tourism and human resource management

Hearing in Children with Otitis Media with Effusion – Clinical Retrospective Study

Hearing loss accompanied with middle ear effusion was analyzed according to audiometric frequencies for different age group. Results for left and right ears were compared in/ and between study and control group. Pure tone audiometry for bone and air conduction and tympanometry was performed in study group of ninety-eight children with conductive hearing loss and otitis media with effusion Control group included fifty-seven children with hearing loss, enlarged adenoids, dysfunction of Eustachian tube and no present middle ear effusion served. Means of hearing loss thresholds for 250 Hz – 4 kHz were established and compared between groups of right vs. left ears of tested vs. control ears according to age subgroups: 1–3 yr, 4–6 yr, 7–9 yr, 10–12 yr, 13–15 yr. At age 1–3 yr otitis media with effusion children showed no ear side difference in hearing loss. Age groups of 4–6 and 7–9 yr otitis media with effusion children showed left ears with higher threshold of hearing loss across all of the tested frequencies than right ears in study and control ears. Right ears showed smaller hearing loss in study and control group and no age group predicted for hearing impairment. Higher hearing loss threshold for 4 kHz in adolescence in otitis media with effusion ears is early sign of sequels after repetitive episodes of middle ear effusion. Control groups showed no ear side or age group dependent difference of hearing loss threshold. Age group of 4–6 and 7–9 y have faster craniofacial structural change in soft tissue than bone base so ear side differences suggest being developmentally determined

Intention to take COVID-19 vaccine as a precondition for international travel: application of extended norm-activation model

The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious threat to human health, the global economy, and the social fabrics of contemporary societies as many aspects of modern everyday life, including travel and leisure, have been shattered to pieces. Hence, a COVID-19 mandatory vaccination as a precondition for international travel is being debated in many countries. Thus, the present research aimed to study the intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine as a precondition for international travel using an extended Norm-Activation Model. The study model integrates a new construct, namely mass media coverage on COVID-19 vaccination as additional predictor of intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine. The survey data were collected from 1221 international travelers. Structural equation modelling shows a very good fit of the final model to the data; the conceptual model based on extended Norm-Activation Model was strongly supported. Awareness of consequences related to the COVID- 19 pandemic on individuals’ health has shown a positive effect on individuals’ ascribed responsibility to adopt emotionally driven (anticipated pride and anticipated guilt) pro-social behaviors that activate a personal norm towards altruistic and pro-mandatory vaccination-friendly behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Job quality and work engagement in the cruise industry

This study reviews the working conditions in the emerging cruise industry by using a holistic and systematic approach, as well as the effects on work engagement of two groups of clearly differentiated employees, namely, officers and nonofficer employees. Our sample comprised 353 cruise workers. Regression analysis confirmed the research purposes of this study, that is, seafarers work under poor conditions (especially among nonofficer employees) and that this precarity determines the engagement of both groups. This study contributes to identifying the job quality dimensions that needs an improvement by human resource managers of cruise line

COVID-19 and Pro-environmental Behaviour at Destinations Amongst International Travellers

This paper investigates the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on pro-environmental behaviour of individuals travelling internationally for leisure and recreational purposes. The aim of this manuscript is to investigate a conceptual framework created through the examination of current existing literature in the field of tourism science. The conceptual framework, consisting of certain constructs of the health belief model (HBM), and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), is applied and tested using a partial least-squaresstructural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from participants who have travelled internationally before and during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and those who plan to travel post-COVID-19 pandemic. Results revealed that the conceptual framework tested positively against existing theory, highlighting the key influencing factors in which COVID-19 is likely to have on future pro-environmental behaviour of individuals travelling internationally for leisure and recreational purposes. Moreover, perceived safety threat and outcome expectations have a positive impact on attitude; attitude has a positive impact on behavioural intentions; subjective norm has a positive impact on behavioural intentions, and perceived behavioural control has a positive impact on behavioural intentions. The study results identify practical and theoretical implications for global and travel companies and organisations, presenting opportunities to adjust environmental policies and procedures accordingly, whilst identifying the most effective marketing and management strategies to rebuild a collapsed global travel industry

The Effects of Media Encouragements on Coronavirus Vaccination Decision and Public Interest in Traveling Abroad

A lack of knowledge exists about individuals’ vaccination decisions and their relation to their tourism behaviors. In this regard, this study examines the willingness of international travelers to take a COVID-19 vaccine prior to traveling. A quantitative research design with a survey method and the ordinary least square (OLS) multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The media encouragement positively affected the travelers’ attitude toward the behavior and their injunctive social norm, whereas the travelers’ attitude toward the behavior and injunctive social norm positively affected their COVID-19 vaccination intention. The regression results also proved the mediating effect of both attitudes toward the behavior and injunctive social norm in the relationship between media encouragement and COVID-19 vaccination intention. This research successfully provided evidence regarding the role of media encouragement in travelers’ willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccination

Hearing in Children with Otitis Media with Effusion – Clinical Retrospective Study

Hearing loss accompanied with middle ear effusion was analyzed according to audiometric frequencies for different age group. Results for left and right ears were compared in/ and between study and control group. Pure tone audiometry for bone and air conduction and tympanometry was performed in study group of ninety-eight children with conductive hearing loss and otitis media with effusion Control group included fifty-seven children with hearing loss, enlarged adenoids, dysfunction of Eustachian tube and no present middle ear effusion served. Means of hearing loss thresholds for 250 Hz – 4 kHz were established and compared between groups of right vs. left ears of tested vs. control ears according to age subgroups: 1–3 yr, 4–6 yr, 7–9 yr, 10–12 yr, 13–15 yr. At age 1–3 yr otitis media with effusion children showed no ear side difference in hearing loss. Age groups of 4–6 and 7–9 yr otitis media with effusion children showed left ears with higher threshold of hearing loss across all of the tested frequencies than right ears in study and control ears. Right ears showed smaller hearing loss in study and control group and no age group predicted for hearing impairment. Higher hearing loss threshold for 4 kHz in adolescence in otitis media with effusion ears is early sign of sequels after repetitive episodes of middle ear effusion. Control groups showed no ear side or age group dependent difference of hearing loss threshold. Age group of 4–6 and 7–9 y have faster craniofacial structural change in soft tissue than bone base so ear side differences suggest being developmentally determined

Cruise ship dining experiencescape: the perspective of female cruise travelers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

The cruise dining experience is one of the core elements of the overall cruise travel experience as guests fulfill their cognitive and affective needs in this pleasant environment. Nonetheless, the cruise dining experience has been sparsely researched. There is also no holistic model conceptualizing the cruise ship dining experiencescape. This study explores how under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, cruise ship dining environment stimuli dimensions are evaluated by female cruise travelers. Female travelers are the major spenders and travel decision-makers. They are also the dominant customer group in the cruise sector. Their perception of cruise ship dining environment is leading to their positive emotional responses and approach behavior. More precisely, this study demonstrates the potency of the moderating role of a perceived health risk from COVID-19, which strengthens female travelers’ perceptions of the dining atmosphere and interaction with other guests by evoking positive emotions and influencing their approach behavior

Cytotoxicity of Platinum(Iv) and Palladium(Ii) Complexes with Meso-1,2-Diphenyl-Ethylenediamine-N,N -Di-3-Propanoic Acid. Crystal Structure of [Pd(1,2-Dpheddp)] Complex

The syntheses of tetradentate ligand, meso-1,2-diphenyl-ethylenediamine-N,N-di-3-propanoic acid (H-2-1,2-dpheddp) and corresponding platinum(IV) and palladium(II) complexes are reported here. The spectroscopically predicted structure of the obtained palladium(II) complex was confirmed by X-ray analysis. Singe crystals suitable for X-ray measurements were obtained by slow crystallization from a DMSO-water mixture. Cytotoxic effects of platinum(IV), palladium(II) complexes and cisplatin on the 4T1 and Bl6F1 cell lines were determined using the MTT colorimetric technique. The complexes showed a dose dependence on cytotoxic effect toward both cell lines. Both complexes were less active than cisplatin, the exception was concentrations above 62.5 mu M of platinum(IV) complex in the B16F1 cell line