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This paper examines several sources of support for contact employees in service encounters. These sources of support, including organization support, supervisory support, and customer's participation, are proposed to affect the attitudes and behaviors of employees, and consequently affect customer's perceptions of employees' service quality. This study, which combines perceptions from customers and their contact employees, shows that three sources of support for employees contribute significantly to job satisfaction and employee service quality, while perceived organizational support and customer participation affect service effort. Also, the empirical results indicate that both employee service effort and job satisfaction play strong, central roles in determining customers' perceptions of employee service quality. They were found to be effective mediators linking employees' cognitive appraisal of various sources of support to service quality.

Social network services (SNS) gifting is a new business model, but many SNS providers continue to face challenges as they explore ways to increase their revenues from gifting. The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors involved in gift giving via SNS platforms.

This study adopts a mixed methods approach through qualitative and quantitative research. In the first stage (qualitative study), the authors extract factors from interviews with users of SNS gifting services. In the second stage (quantitative study), the authors interpret decisional factors explored in the first stage on the basis of customer value theory, develop a research model and empirically test it.

The results show that five factors – convenience of SNS gifting, symbolic representation of SNS gifting, relationship support of SNS gifting, pleasure of SNS gifting, and an SNS gifting norm – directly or indirectly affect SNS gifting decisions.

This study contributes to electronic commerce research by extending the customer value theory and adding to the literature on SNS gifting and gift giving in general.

The study informs SNS providers regarding the promotion of SNS gifting services for revenue generation.

This study is among the first to comprehensively examine decision-making in SNS gifting through the lens of customer value theory.

The workspace has experienced several significant changes (shift in work culture) due to the Covid-19 pandemic thereby necessitating the need for a comparative assessment of differences that exist in work values and job quality of employees pre-covid 19 and “peri”-covid 19.

The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was employed to conduct a correlation and T-test analysis from the quantitative data gathered from Ghanaian public and private sector employees.

The study found differences in what employees valued pre- and peri-covid era for job security, promotional opportunities, interesting work, using skills and experience, the usefulness of work to society and flexible work. During the pre-covid era, employees perceived autonomy, personal contact and stressful jobs, whereas promotional opportunities, good collegial relations and help to others were experienced peri-covid.

Although the study tracked the work values and quality of employees, the respondents (pre-covid and peri-covid) were different. Responses here captured the views of formal sector workers only. These notwithstanding, the findings are important for explaining changes (work values and job quality) that occurred due to the pandemic. Future research might use a qualitative approach to understand reasons behind these changes.

Due to changes in the working space and the introduction of technology, stress has been impacted positively as employees need not commute frequently to work and work seems to have been simplified. It is therefore safe for organisations to retain changes to people management due to the pandemic.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first study in the Ghanaian context comparing employees' values and job quality pre- and peri-covid.

Small businesses and start-ups have started to reopen post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns but are facing numerous challenges mainly due to changed customer preferences and the need to fine-tune the business models. This research aims to identify the important aspects that start-ups need to focus on, as they weather the COVID-19 pandemic storm.

Research uses constructivist grounded theory methodology to analyse data collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and senior employees at start-ups. A conceptual model based on nine categories impacting a start-up’s performance is investigated. Interview memos are thematically analysed to identify repeated ideas, concepts or elements that become apparent.

Study reveals that employees’ and customers’ safety, prudent cost management and online presence/doorstep services are key for start-ups to succeed today's changed business landscape due to COVID-19.

Findings act as a practical guide for start-ups in setting mechanisms, optimizing operations and fine-tuning strategy to address COVID-19 challenges. Start-ups are advised to evaluate the implications of the three findings on their respective businesses to successfully tackle the challenges posed by COVID-19.

This research, being cognizant of a start-up’s unique characteristics and nuances, takes a fresh approach to identify key aspects that start-ups need to focus on and fine-tune in the wake of COVID-19. The paper enriches scientific research of understanding impact of COVID-19 on organizations by specifically surfacing how start-ups can learn and adapt by knowing how other start-ups are surviving today.