Insights and Analyses from Lang Faculty

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on our economy and prosperity. From understanding consumer fear, the decline of the tourism industry, the challenges of continuing business operations, and the resolve of leaders, Lang faculty are providing insights and analyses in response to this global pandemic.

Faculty contributing to the conversation:

• Lang professor Dr. Timothy Dewhirst looks at Ontario's inconsistent and confusing COVID-19 policies: Toronto Star [1]
• Dr. Marion Joppe spoke with Global News Radio about new airport testing during COVID-19: Global News Radio [2]
• Dr. Nita Chhinzer looks at who is responsible when it comes to health and safety in the workplace during COVID-19: CBC Radio [3]
• What will it take to get fans back into the arena and stadium seats? Professor Norm O'Reilly offered his thoughts: BNN Bloomberg [4]
• Professor Timothy Dewhirst looks at how essential businesses are a blurred and contested concept: Toronto Star [5]
• SARS didn't prepare the hospitality industry for the prolonged impact of COVID-19: Conversation Canada [6]
• Associate professor Nita Chhinzer looks at the benefits of a "fake commute" for people working from home: CTV News [7]
• Professor Timothy Dewhirst looks at overly optimistic marketing about an uncertain future: Toronto Star [8]
• Professor Norm O'Reilly will contribute on a panel to distribute $8-million in community sport relief funding: Lang News [9]
• Are Ontario civil servants taking fewer sick days during COVID-19? Associate professor Nita Chhinzer offers some perspective: CBC News [10]
• Associate professor Nita Chhinzer looks at how we can handle feelings of depression and anxiety at work: CTV News [11]
• Professor Marion Joppe spoke with Guelph Today about why Canadians may not be traveling south this winter: Guelph Today [12]
• Associate professor Bruce McAdams looks at how COVID-19 may be the next big moment for no-tipping policies to catch on: St. Catherine's Standard [13]
• Lang profs Marion Joppe and Lianne Foti take a look at why Canadians are less likely to fly during COVID-19 than Americans: Conversation Canada [14]
• Professor Marion Joppe looks back at an unprecedented summer: Globe and Mail [15]
• Professor Simon Somogyi looks at how COVID-19 impacted Western Canada's grocers and what the future may look like: Western Grocer [16]
• Where can Canadians travel right now? Professor Marion Joppe offers some advice: CTV News [17]
• Associate professor Nita Chhinzer warns remote work may have serious negative impacts on your career: CBC News [18]
• Lang professor Marion Joppe offers advice to Canadians considering summer vacation during the pandemic: CJOY [19]
• Associate professor Nita Chhinzer suggests workplace burnout can happen at home: CTV News [20]
• With DIY labs in homes during the pandemic, Lang prof Felix Arndt looks at a future spur of inventions: Conversation Canada [21]
• Canadian truckers are increasingly concerned with crossing the U.S. border due to coronavirus. Professor Simon Somogyi looks at the potential impact on Canada's food supply: Global News [22]
• Associate professor Nita Chhinzer spoke with GuelphToday about what the return to the office and new norm may look like: GuelphToday [23]
• Associate professor Bruce McAdams looks at the future of restaurants as the industry enters a new era: Western Producer [24]
• Will the next Olympic Games happen? Professor Timothy Dewhirst discusses if the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics have a chance: Toronto Star [25]
• Rumina Dhalla, an associate professor in the Department of Management looks at potential reputational damage facing airlines refusing refunds: Global News [26]
• Lang professor Marion Joppe looks at what the safe return of air travel may look like: KitchenerToday [27]
• Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, appeal for a four-day workweek is increased. Associate professor Nita Chhinzer offers her perspective: CTV Kitchener [28]
• As COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease and businesses carefully reopen, many employers face the difficult task of cutting workers they no longer need. Associate professor Nita Chhinzer looks at three factors to consider before taking a voluntary buyout: Toronto Star [29]
• In March, fear of food shortages and a collapse of the food system spread across the country. Lang professor Simon Somogyi discusses the strength, adaptability, and flexibility of Canada's food system: Western Producer [30]
• Is it safe to go on summer vacation? Lang prof Marion Joppe spoke with Global News about what vacation may look like: Global News [31]
• Economics professor Ross McKitrick looks at how there is no such thing as a risk-free reopening for the economy: Financial Post [32]
• News of COVID-19 outbreaks at Canada’s meat-processing plants has led to increased public scrutiny. Professor Simon Somogyi spoke with The Star about whether or not that will turn people away from Canada’s meat industry: The Star [33]
• Nita Chhinzer, an associate professor of human resource management, spoke with CTV Kitchener about the need for a change in workplace culture and sick day stigma in order to survive the pandemic: CTV Kitchener [34]
• Professor Simon Somogyi weighs in with other food experts on how COVID-19 could undo trends of Canadians choosing healthy groceries: iPolitics [35]
• Professor Jamie Gruman's research in mindfulness was among several tips for coping with the pandemic: Forbes [36]
• Going to work sick was often seen as a sign of loyalty. Now, it is seen as reckless. Nita Chhinzer, an associate professor of human resource management, offers perspective on how companies will need to re-think their policies for sick-days: The Star [37]
• Professor Timothy Dewhirst looks at how people start to reconsider who their heroes are during pandemic times: Toronto Star [38]
• Dr. Nita Chhinzer spoke with Sandra Casarin, HR Manager and Chapter Chair of Guelph & District HRPA, and Greg Pinks, Chief Leadership Officer at Axiom Performance Inc. about the HR challenges employers may face as businesses prepare for increased workforce activity when COVID-19 restrictions are eased: Webinar recording [39]
• Professor Simon Somogyi spoke with the National Post about Canadians' cooking and grocery habits during COVID-19 and if those habits continue in the post-pandemic world: National Post [40]
• Linamar president and COO Jim Jarrell, Dr. Nikola Gradojevic, and Wood Centre's executive director Melanie Lang explore the current economic crisis and its long-term implications: Webinar recording [41]
• Professor Louise Grogan looks at how employing youth during the COVID-19 pandemic is a good investment: Conversation Canada [42]
• With professional sports reopening their practice facilities, professor Norm O'Reilly spoke with CTV News about how professional sports and smaller-scale sports can resume play: CTV News [43]
• Dr. Jamie Gruman and Dr. Sandeep Mishra explore the importance of well-being, positivity, and mental health within your digital teams during the pandemic, and how leaders can play a critical role in creating positive work environments: Webinar recording [44]
• Professor Norm O'Reilly was invited to join three subcommittees to support the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture with a sector-led response to the economic challenges facing the sport sector during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lang news [45]
• Professor Felix Arndt provides advice for owners and managers in a survival guide for startups to get through the COVID-19 crisis: Conversation Canada [46]
• As COVID-19 stirs fears about food supply chains and meat supply, plant-based meat substitutes see a surge with Canadians looking for new protein sources. Arrell Chair in the Business of Food and professor Simon Somogyi looks at that trend moving forward: BNN Bloomberg [47]
• Dr. Julia Christensen Hughes, former dean of the Lang School, and Chris Houston, chair of the Telosity Company, explore the important role that leaders can (and should) play during times of crisis: Webinar recording [48]
• Netflix has seemed to capitalize on social isolation during COVID-19, but will its success continue in the post-pandemic world? Professor Felix Arndt offers a perspective: Conversation Canada [49]
• Jim Estill, President and CEO of Danby Appliances, and Dr. Felix Arndt, an entrepreneurship expert at Lang, explore how organizational leaders can cope with extraordinary uncertainties during the COVID-19 pandemic: Webinar recording [50]
• After a complete shutdown because of COVID-19, the NBA is set to begin opening their practice facilities for individual workouts. Lang professor Norm O'Reilly was interviewed about what this could mean for the league and other sports: CTV News [51]
• Even before COVID-19, housing affordability was a headline problem, especially in larger cities like Vancouver and Toronto. Emeritus professor Marion Steele looks at the idea of a rent top-up option during the pandemic: IRPP [52]
• Two members of the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics have been invited to participate in the newly created Mayor's Task Force on Economic Recovery for the City of Guelph: Lang News [53]
• What will sports look like after COVID-19? Professor Norm O'Reilly suggests pent-up demand will mean it "comes back with a bang", but the way we watch might be different: BNN Bloomberg [54]
• Professor Felix Arndt looks at how business leaders can adapt to COVID-19 disruptions and prepare for a new normal: Conversation Canada [55]
• The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a renewed interest in domestic food security in Canada. Professor Simon Somogyi looks at how Canada could increase greenhouse production and food security: Financial Post [56]
• With no end in sight for COVID-19 travel restrictions, professor Marion Joppe looks at how the negative effects on the tourism industry can impact Indigenous communities: Globe and Mail [57]
• As postponements turn to cancellations because of COVID-19, professor Norm O'Reilly spoke about the devastating economic and business impacts on the sports industry: Global News [58]
• The COVID-19 pandemic has brought travel plans for Canadians to a halt. Prof Mark Holmes helped lead a study looking at if the slowdowns will have a lasting impact on the entire industry: U of G News [59]
• As non-essential businesses close and pivot to online strategies, professor Felix Arndt looks at how small businesses are adapting and if these online buying habits will continue beyond the pandemic: KitchenerToday [60]
• With Canadians finding a new obsession with baking during physical distancing measures, professor and agri-food value chain expert Simon Somogyi spoke with the Canadian Press about concerns of long-term flour shortages: Canadian Press [61]
• Co-author of Canada's Food Price Report, professor Simon Somogyi offers insight into the food report's COVID-19 update: Globe and Mail [62] 
• Director of the International Institute for Sport Business and Leadership, professor Norm O'Reilly looks at how the NHL can rebound in a post-pandemic world: Globe and Mail [63]
• Felix Arndt, Lang professor and Chair in Entrepreneurship at the John F. Wood Centre, looks at how businesses are shifting online during COVID-19 pandemic: CTV News [64]
• Management professor Nita Chhinzer discusses the trend of online layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic: Vice [65]
• From a human resource perspective, professor Nita Chhinzer explores the importance of paid sick days: National Post [66] | The Conversation Canada [67]
• Arrell Chair in the Business of Food, professor Simon Somogyi examines the food value chain: iPolitics [68]
• Director of the International Institute for Sport Business and Leadership (IISBL), professor Norm O'Reilly examines the impact of COVID-19 on the sport industry: CTV News (video) [69]
• Assistant Director of the IISBL and Lang professor Lianne Foti adds to the debate of sending Canadian athletes to the Tokyo Olympic games this summer: The Conversation Canada [70]
• Professor Marion Joppe discusses the impact on travel and tourism: CBC News [71]
• Finance professor Nikola Gradojevic explores the current stock market rollercoaster and high-frequency trading, in light of COVID-19: The Conversation Canada [72]

This page will be updated as more Lang faculty add their expertise in order to better understand the impact and recovery of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For general updates from the University of Guelph, please visit their COVID-19 Information page [73].