Cape Coast, Central Region, Ghana, July 5, 2020//-Professor Dr Jurgen Bode, a Professor of International Business and Deputy Vice Chancellor for International Affairs & Diversity at the University of Applied Sciences, Bonn, Germany says the devastating COVID-19 pandemic has led to deglobalization in which many countries are focusing on their strategies within.
He made this known at the final series of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) Business School e-seminar on the topic Coronavirus Pandemic: Global Marketing, Logistics and Supply Chain.
According to him, some businesses are diversifying and innovating with 100% raw materials and inputs from within their respective countries.
Prof Bode noted that though the pandemic had disrupted global marketing, logistics and supply chain, it had led to massive reduction in air pollution from the aviation and automobile industries.
He also explained that in Germany, COVID-19 stimulus packages were targeted to promote electric vehicles to sustain reduction in air pollution and meet climate change expectations.
Prof Bode said COVID-19 had taught the whole world that, countries multinational companies and other businesses could cut down on travel cost and still be productive and relevant.
He emphasized that Covid-19 had saved a lot of expenditure budgeted for business, conference and other related travels by organizations.
Prof. Bode challenged countries and organizations not to forget the core lessons when the pandemic is finally defeated.
Contributing to the discussions, Prof Susan Powell Mantel, who is a Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean of Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati, USA said that the global marketing was disrupted severely for some companies but created opportunities for other businesses through adaptation, innovation and diversification.
She therefore called on corporate bodies to be bold to review their business portfolio and strategies and ensure a good balance between risk and return during the pendency of the pandemic.
Prof Mantel further advised businesses especially small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) to engage in constant communication with their customers and clients.
Sharing the American experience, she said America has huge domestic marketing, logistics and supply chain intensity and generates diversity of internally sourced raw materials and suppliers. This she said minimized the level of disruptions.
For Kwabena Agyekum who is the Executive Director of Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana explained that COVID-19 teaches marketers to engage in constant communication and give continuous assurances their customers about their risks, products and services as well as their innovations.
He said as marketers’ lessons learnt could still be relevant for future marketing strategies and therefore called on the department of marketing to write business cases involving various experiences of COVID-19 for students and future leaders.
Prof Daniel Agyapong, the Head of Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management advised companies to identify and explore their local markets for their raw materials.
He asked young businesses to revise their business models and form strategic alliances. Prof Agyapong asked businesses especially startups to use mass advertisement like social media as it is cheap and effective.
On her part, Mrs. Nuzurat Aba Sam, assistant procurement and supply chain manager at the Ghana’s Ministry of Defence, asked companies to create a diversified portfolio of suppliers and ensure that their suppliers are found within their countries, the subregion and globally.
She explained that companies with only foreign suppliers were hard hit or suffered more than companies with alternative suppliers within their countries.
She said many projects had stalled due to supplier challenges because of COVID-19 and not because of funds.
Mrs Sam explained that “as a country we need to rethink an environment that can incentivize different types of suppliers of raw materials as a good lesson learned”.
She said when it comes to logistics, procurement and supply chain not everything can be done through online because there must be a time for actual delivery and production hence the severity of the pandemic on the sector.
The 6th and the last e-seminar was held on 1st July, 2020 and was chaired by Prof Francis Amanquandoh, the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies.
The Provost was happy to be part of the seminar series and praised the School of Business for the organization and inviting experienced discussants. He was particularly satisfied with the topics chosen for each session.
The Dean of the UCC School of Business, Prof. John Gatsi, in his brief remark thanked all the discussants especially those from other universities in Ghana, Germany, United States of America and South Africa as well as professional bodies.
He said the blend of international and national academics on one hand and industry and professional bodies’ representations on the other , demonstrates the strength of the School of Business in ensuring diversity and closer affinity with professional bodies in accounting, taxation, marketing, human resource, banking, corporate governance, procurement and supply chain.
Prof Gatsi called on businesses and employers to support the school in delivering it programmes through online learning platforms to be as effective as face to face delivering.
He said online teaching and learning requires maximum discipline and congenial learning environment for students even though they are not congregating at a physical learning centre.
Prof Gatsi therefore appealed to institutions and employers not to deny their workers leave during this sandwich session merely because the programmes are delivered online.
He said granting leave to employees to participate in the online delivery mode or creating virtual learning spaces in offices to be used during scheduled lecture times is a great contribution to the efforts of the Business School as this will allow the students to fully participate.
Prof Gatsi also appealed to businesses to create innovative engagement with students by creating virtual internship opportunities for those interested to have their internship experience with them.
African Eye Report
