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How well can your hospital recover after COVID-19? This new study…
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareAs a healthcare professional at a hospital, you know your facility has faced its greatest operational challenges ever because of COVID-19. You're no doubt thinking ahead to how your facility will normalize after the crisis eases — but how do you know what areas you need to focus your attention on? A new study from Colorado State University researchers Emad M. Hassan and Hussam Mahmoud, "An Integrated Socio-Technical Approach for Post-Earthquake Recovery of Interdependent Healthcare System," can help give you some vital guidelines.
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As occupancies reached all-time lows, hotel construction hit an all-time…
Lark Gould Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementThe U.S. hotel industry recorded 214,704 rooms under construction in March 2020, the highest end-of-month total ever reported by lodging research firm STR. The industry's previous construction peak happened in December 2007 with 211,694 hotel rooms in construction. That level was then slightly surpassed in February 2020 at 211,859 rooms in the final phase of the development pipeline. The news comes in the midst of hotel industry's ongoing COVID-19 nightmare.
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Early indicators signal mixed recovery for remodelers
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsWhen the economy begins to regain momentum, will demand for remodeling services bounce back? Or, will homeowners proceed more cautiously for some months, waiting to see if conditions improve and the housing market stabilizes? Industry analysts in recent weeks have proposed both scenarios. At present, a third scenario seems more likely, that some homeowners will want to move ahead with projects right away, while others will choose to wait.
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Fledgling screening trials could pave the way for new standard procedures…
Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & AutomotiveThe U.K.'s Heathrow Airport is trialing new measures for screening passengers as the aviation industry looks for a way to emerge from the current crisis. With no definitive end to the risk posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the measures taken could become the new norm for travel by air. First to be implemented at Heathrow is facial recognition thermal screening technology, which monitors passengers moving through Terminal 2's immigration halls. This will then be scaled up to other areas such as departure areas and security screening, followed by other terminals.
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Report: Most contractors accept slow payments, don’t take action…
Justin Gitelman Construction & Building MaterialsIn the recently released 2020 National Construction Payment Report, contractors reveal that they spend a significant amount of time and energy trying to get paid, but they’re largely unwilling to take steps to speed up payment. As a result of slow and incomplete payments, construction businesses suffer jobsite delays and experience stunted growth. The report is based on a survey conducted by Levelset and Fieldwire in Q1 2020. In the survey, over 540 construction businesses gave insight into the relationship between their coordination on the jobsite and payment practices in the back office.
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Infographic: How to survive a layoff or furlough during the COVID-19 pandemic
Brian Wallace Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementBecoming unemployed due to a layoff or furlough can be an unsettling event that can cause a wide range of emotions. Understanding your options and making the right financial decisions during this period of time can help you successfully navigate through this challenging period in your life. This infographic outlines both the prevalence of layoffs as well as how to apply for unemployment benefits and eventually get back to work.
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US payrolls plunge by 20.5 million jobs; unemployment climbs to 14.7%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementAttempts to contain COVID-19 led the U.S. economy to shed 20.5 million nonfarm jobs in April versus March's employment loss of 701,000. April's unemployment rate spiked to 14.7% from 4.4% in March. In April, job losses hit all sectors, notably hospitality and leisure payrolls. "Today's report is more than ten-fold worse than the previous all-time high of 1.95 million job losses in September 1945,” Andrew Stettner, senior fellow at The Century Foundation, said in a statement.
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How local, urban farming could help alleviate international food supply…
Scott E. Rupp Food & BeverageGlobalization has meant a lot of things: More opportunities for economic advancement, an easier way for pandemics to spread (as we've seen with COVID-19), and the rise in internationally supported food production and consumption in recent decades. Regarding food stocks, cultivation has become more efficient, and diets have diversified. People are eating food that their parents never experienced nor knew previously existed. But this edible bounty is leading to a situation where the majority of the world's population lives in countries now dependent on — partially — imported food.
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Travel and hospitality companies prepare for consumers with enhanced cleaning…
Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementAre you ready to travel once stay-at-home orders are lifted in your region? A recent survey of over 30,000 Americans suggests that 46% of Americans will travel immediately after orders are lifted; 19% will wait two to six months; 18% have no plans to travel; 52% of those planning to travel prefer domestic trips (possibly road trips); and 53% trust the travel and hospitality industry will follow safety protocols. Even though it is still far too early to claim that the coronavirus pandemic is over, a number of states have already loosened lockdown rules, allowing certain businesses to reopen. Travel and hospitality companies are getting ready to welcome guests.
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Food supply chain comes under tremendous pressure due to COVID-19
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageTyson, one of the world’s leading meat processors, suspended operations at its largest pork processing plant in Waterloo, Iowa, on April 22. Earlier, Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the world, announced the closures of plants in Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Missouri. Both companies decided to close facilities after COVID-19 outbreaks among their workers. Speaking to the closure and the crisis, John Tyson, chairman of Tyson Foods, warned Americans on April 27 that the food supply chain is breaking.
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