January 2021 Round-up

New month, new year… and new lockdown. It looks like it will be a long one, given the terrible numbers of infections and deaths. Image source So, it’s back to home schooling and online teaching. In a nutshell, a lot of screen time for all of us! This month, we tried something new: online cooking … Continue reading January 2021 Round-up

Holiday season 2020 – Consumers planning to spend less money on gifts and celebration; focusing on healthy, local, durable and quality items

My social media feeds are full of people getting started on their Christmas decorations. For some, it is something to do in the face of additional lockdowns or movement restrictions. For others, it is part of the desire to see the end of 2020, and usher in a new (hopefully, better) year. Earlier in the … Continue reading Holiday season 2020 – Consumers planning to spend less money on gifts and celebration; focusing on healthy, local, durable and quality items

Some thoughts on Covid-19 and the hospitality sector

Figures released by the ONS show that GDP grew 2.1% in August 2020. Ninety per cent of this growth (or 1.9 percental points) arose from the services sector, and the remaining from production. While this growth falls below the one registered in July (and while monthly GDP is still very much below pre-lockdown levels), it … Continue reading Some thoughts on Covid-19 and the hospitality sector

Impact of the requirement to wear face coverings for hospitality and retail businesses

Earlier this week, the government announced a new set of measures to contain the rise of Covid-19 cases in England. This included the requirement for face coverings (masks or visors) to be worn in a variety of settings. From the Gov.uk website: Customers in private hire vehicles and taxis must wear face coverings (from 23 September).Customers in … Continue reading Impact of the requirement to wear face coverings for hospitality and retail businesses

July 2020 round-up

Last month, I wrote that “all going well, we will be moving at the end of July (please keep your fingers crossed for me – I really need things to not go pear shaped, this time)”. One month later, I am happy, delighted, ecstatic to let you know that we did move! Hooray. I am … Continue reading July 2020 round-up

June 2020 round-up

I hope you continue to do OK during these strange times. I am healthy and content, though I am struggling with the passage of time. On the one hand, I can’t believe that just over 4 months ago I was doing X or believing in Y completely different from today – it feels like many … Continue reading June 2020 round-up

Analysis of COVID-19 related tweets shows emphasis on self-centric, support seeking content among users that disclose personal information

“Self-disclosure” refers to the intentional disclosure of personal information, such as location, behaviour or feelings, to third-parties. We all do it, to an extent, because sharing little bits of personal information is a way of cementing social relationships, and increasing likability. For instance, throughout lockdown, my colleagues and I have been talking about hobbies, family, … Continue reading Analysis of COVID-19 related tweets shows emphasis on self-centric, support seeking content among users that disclose personal information

Do price discounts help in crisis recovery?

When clients disappear, and demand dries up, it is tempting to cut prices. Businesses try to lure customers back with a good deal, particularly those that sell perishable items (for instance, food and flowers), seasonable items (for instance, Father’s Day cards and gifts) and services (for instance, restaurants and hairdressers). Hotel managers, for instance, see … Continue reading Do price discounts help in crisis recovery?

Impact of COVID-19 on the generation and disclosure of personal data

The Journal of Public Policy & Marketing published a special collection of papers regarding COVID-19. This included a paper by Aaron R. Brough and Kelly D. Martin, discussing how the COVID-19 pandemic led to four phenomena related to personal data. The four phenomena are: Increased surveillance by governments worldwide, in the form of generalised data … Continue reading Impact of COVID-19 on the generation and disclosure of personal data

May 2020 round-up

Earlier this month, during one of my runs, I spotted a beautiful mirror, in a skip, outside the flower shop. I took a photo for my “Today’s run” series. But, then, I remembered Denise Agosto’s beautiful post about an abandoned coin on the pavement. In the post, she reflects on how the fear of the … Continue reading May 2020 round-up