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This paper aims to examine adaptation in buyer–seller relationships in a time of crisis and to explore what consequences adaptation has for the actors involved. The authors are particularly interested in examining how suppliers and public buyers adapt in turbulent situations where public policy opens for interaction in a mode represented by studies in the industrial marketing and purchasing research approach. The COVID-19 pandemic represents such a unique research setting, as it opens up insights into how buyers and suppliers had to adapt in a matter of days in response to rapid and turbulent changes in their business environment. In this paper, the authors seek insights into the following research questions: What role do the actors’ interpretation of the situation play in the adaptation process? How do adaptation processes unfold in a time of national crisis? What are the actor and relationship-specific outcomes from adaptation in such a situation?

To answer these questions, the authors present data from an exploratory case study of intra- and interfirm adaptation processes between public buyers and private suppliers in the health-care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic opened for access to a unique data from personal interviews and secondary data, from public reports and newspaper/media coverage at intervals during the outbreak and at the aftermath of the pandemic.

The authors find that the actors’ interpretation of the situation and their motivation to engage in adaptations play an important role in the adaptation processes. In particular, a normative commitment based on a moral duty to contribute to dealing with the turbulent situation of society is found to be a main driver. In these situations, shared sensemaking and alignment of mental models help to mobilise actors, resources and activities into new interaction patterns. At the same time, mutual affective commitment between the buyer and suppliers is not significant over time, thus constraining and eventually terminating the adaptation processes.

This study contributes to the understanding of interaction between public buyers and suppliers during turbulent situations. Changes in the adaptation context opens for extensive interaction, thus enabling actors to combine and exploit resources of value, but temporary adaptations do not create long-term effects on the ability to develop buyer–supplier interaction in public markets.

Social networks can not only mobilize individuals for collective action but also pose risks, potentially leading to political challenges and societal unrest. Information consumption varies across platforms, with platform characteristics influencing user interactions and information sharing; yet this has received limited attention in scholarly literature. Acknowledging platform-specific differences, this paper seeks to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms driving information diffusion on social networks in the context of geopolitical tensions.

The structural communication features on Twitter and Reddit are explored using schema theory and the concept of social media platform schema. Comparisons are drawn with social network analysis and content analysis of communication dynamics surrounding geopolitical tensions in India–Qatar relations, followed by the context of geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan.

The results illustrate how content-based connections on Reddit foster closer ties within subreddits but less connectivity between them, contrasting with Twitter’s profile-based connections. These distinct characteristics lead to varied information diffusion patterns and shape the diversity of opinions, influencing community structures and affecting the emotional tenor of discourse.

Social networks can potentially influence geopolitical events, but focusing on one platform overlooks differences in how information spreads and the influence each platform holds. Recognizing this, our comparative analysis of social networks’ structural attributes highlights their crucial roles in shaping user engagement and information diffusion. It lends theoretical support to the notion of social media platform schema with empirical insights into how users’ perceptions of these schemas impact thematic and emotional differences in platform discourse related to geopolitical tensions.

This case study is built from secondary data such as news articles, regulations and videos. Several drafts of the case study with a teaching note were tested in the classroom setting and shared in a case writing conference. The case was revised based on feedback from students and roundtable discussions from the conference.

Mrs Hsu, the Deputy Director of the National Taxation Bureau’s Nantou County Branch in Taiwan, faced a dilemma in June 2021. One of her employees, Mrs Chiang, had requested to return to work after taking several years of parental leave since August 2017. This long absence had put a strain on colleagues, who either had to cover for her or work with temporary replacements. While Mrs Chiang’s actions were legal and protected by her government employee role, her decision to take another leave immediately after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine raised eyebrows. Her peers accused her of using her frontline worker status to gain early vaccine access and other work benefits. Mrs Hsu, upon reviewing Mrs Chiang’s employment history, pondered her next steps concerning Mrs Chiang’s new leave request.

This case would be appropriate for a course in Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior or Gender, Family and Work, especially with the topic of Employment Rights/Legal Protections (in HR), and/or Justice and Ethics (in OB).