Workplace change within the COVID-19 context: The new (next) normal

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the current status of the workplace, its evolution during COVID-19, and the impact of the pandemic on the new (next) normal. This follows previous research about changes in the workplace influenced by the pandemic. Documents, publications, and surveys from numerous sources have been analysed to discover more about the experience of employees and organizations with remote working and the advantages and disadvantages of accessing the workplace during the pandemic and in the new (next) normal. The paper has two objectives, the first of which is to explore some indicators based on available data sources that can help to understand and, in some way, measure the workplace changes in the context of COVID-19. The second is to extend the previous analysis, using the same timeline framework, by studying the workplace during and after COVID-19. Structure: First, the introduction explains the main basis of the research and the principal data sources, outlining what is known, what is new, and the aim of the paper. Then the research methodology is explained, along with the criteria by which the datasets were selected, and the results for the indicators outcomes. Finally, the concluding section highlights the findings obtained, their implications, the limitations of the study, and suggested future lines of research. Findings: The analysis provides insight into to employees' and organizations' experience with remote working and the advantages and disadvantages of accessing the workplace during the pandemic. The indicators identified can allow a better understanding of the environment and, especially, a deeper knowledge of the new normal situation under COVID-19. Discussion: In previous studies, certain strategic categories were identified in the process of reimagining the workplace after COVID-19. Those strategic categories supported the conclusion that there were several common company policies which, translated into practical action, could help in people's engagement with their work. These policies can be summarized as redesigning the physical space of the workplace, work flexibility, family reconciliation, and health security. The study of these policies, based on data analysis, may open up different research paths and allow us to establish models directly related to employee satisfaction. Originality: The paper continues a previous line of research on the situation in the workplace by incorporating certain indicators that allow its measurement and, above all, its evolution over time, especially during the time of the new (next) normal, and by investigating the current status and future evolution of the workplace in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of the data made possible the identification of patterns within the available literature regarding recent events and, especially, their influence on the workplace. This has led to the development of indicators in a range of categories. Practical implications: The revolution initiated by COVID-19 has changed the way companies and employees work, which has involved a constant reinvention of the way they operate and provoked previously unseen actions and profound changes in the workplace. Therefore, the idea of the workplace will never again be what it was expected to be was before COVID-19, and it will be very different from that in the new (next) normal. The strategic categories and their indicators developed here are considered important for people's engagement with their workplaces and organizations. The processes adopted by firms must facilitate the redesign of the workplace in accordance with the new forms of work and not act as a mere copy or transfer of the usual approaches to remote work. Providing answers to the questions involved, and deepening the classifications of the categories we develop, can help us understand how people can be connected with the newest forms of workplaces. Some categories and their associated indicators are relevant in remote work and home offic

Uncovering the Complexities of Intellectual Property Management in the era of AI: Insights from a Bibliometric Analysis

Intellectual property (IP) management has posed continuous problems in the digital world, so understanding its associated concepts and the particularities they present is crucial. Within artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) have enabled the intelligent processing and analysis of large volumes of data, making them widely used tools. In order to help fill the research gap that exists due to the novelty of the concepts, a bibliometric analysis is proposed of 404 scientific documents linked to AI, ML, NLP and IP, extracted from the Web of Science (WoS) core collection repository. The results demonstrate a current trend in research on the management of IP, related to digital tools and highlight the issues that arise from the management of IP stemming from their use. This research also identifies how these tools have been used to facilitate the management and identification of IP. In this sense, this study brings originality to the field of intellectual property management by examining previous studies and proposing new avenues for future research, thus broadening the current understanding of the subject. Entrepreneurs and business leaders can benefit from this study as it uncovers the complexities of IP management and thus enhances understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the AI er

Technological transformation in HRM through knowledge and training: Innovative business decision making

Human resource management (HRM) is a crucial aspect of the global economy, and there is a wealth of literature available on various aspects of managing human resources. There is a need to take these concepts and turn them into practical applications, and organizations and academic institutions have a vital role to play. By providing training and digital tools to enhance innovation and decision making, these entities can prepare the next generation of human resources and business leaders for the challenges they may face. This is especially relevant in light of the economic impact of pandemics and other unpredictable global events, which can have long-lasting effects on the economy. To address these challenges, a study was conducted to explore the potential use of business game simulators (BGS) as a solution. The results of the study are promising, showing that BGS can enhance pandemic preparedness, increase competitiveness, and provide a more comprehensive organizational viewpoint. To explore this hypothesis, the study used specific constructs, which were subjected to empirical processing and analysis. The results indicate that simulating past pandemics through BGS can help HRM and businesses be better prepared for future crises, and the BGS learning approach can offer a more realistic, global perspective for organization

INVOLVEMENT WITHIN THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT – STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE FOR BANKS FROM ROMANIA

Nowadays, an important aspect for the global economic development with implications also in the economy of Romania is represented by the providing of balance between the economical growth and the natural environment in sense of its protection and who are the main players to assume this responsibility. In this article, we have developed the importance of assuming responsibility within the implementation of this concept “sustainable development” by the banks from Romania, with all that this involves: costs, but also advantages.decision, environmental protection, information, investments, resources, sustainable development.

Workplace change within the COVID-19 context: a grounded theory approach

The purpose is to investigate the current status and future evolution of the workplace within the COVID-19 pandemic context. Documents, publications and surveys from numerous sources have been analyzed to find out more about the employees’ and organizations’ experience with remote working and the advantages and disadvantages of accessing the workplace during the pandemic. The analysis of the data made possible the identification of patterns within the available literature regarding what has happened and, especially, its influence on the workplace. The revolution initiated by COVID-19 has changed the way companies and employees work and will continue doing so, requiring a constant reinvention of how they operate and causing actions never seen before, generating deep changes in the workplace. Therefore, the idea of the workplace will never be what was expected before COVID-19, where reinvention of work, technology and safety are key points in its transformation process

SOFTWARE PRODUCTIZATION

The purpose of this article is to define software personalization and software product. As on the market there are several types of software they all have in common the fact that they need personalization, whether that is possible or not in some cases. The idea is to have a solid backbone/core that can support building on top of it tailored functionalities. That backbone can also be a prototype and then the question that emerges is related to the characteristics that a prototype should have in order to turn into a software product that can be personalized. Authors have researched this aspect and present the results of their study in this article, this being actually the novelty that this article brings up

The impact of automation and optimization on customer experience: a consumer perspective

Abstract The adoption of digital technologies has significantly transformed businesses and society as a whole. The automation of tasks is leading to changes in organizational structures and strategies. Due to technological growth, users are able to identify the benefits and risks that technology can entail in the purchasing process. Specifically, robotic process automation (RPA) can improve efficiency and agility in a company, which in turn can positively impact consumer satisfaction and engagement. However, automation can also negatively affect the consumer experience and service quality if not applied correctly. Therefore, this research focuses on analyzing the impact of automation technologies on purchasing processes and consumer satisfaction. For this purpose, a survey was developed by means of the Likert 5-point scale, which allowed for obtaining 215 valid responses from consumers in the Community of Madrid. The data were processed through the SPSS tool, which enabled the analysis of the data and the proposed model. Consequently, the results show that potential RPA-based automation and optimization of processes can be of great utility for businesses to better address investment for improving consumer satisfaction. In addition, it should be highlighted that this research contributes in an original way to the area of information and communication technologies by allowing for the development of proactive technological implementation plans that consider end-user satisfaction