As the Coronavirs continues to spread, it is not only getting people sick, but is affecting how companies normally run their business. In response to the virus, companies have taken precautions such as cancelling meetings, restricting work travel, and even closing the office all together.
According to a New York Times article, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Microsoft have told their employees to work from home, if possible- which all together is more 75,000 employees in the United States.
Meanwhile, companies that offer services to allow people to hold meetings online, such as Zoom and BlueJeans have seen an uptick in business as more and more employees are having to hold meetings online.
Other companies are being more accommodating than usual because of the circumstances. For example, Airbnb and TaskRabbit have told hosts and guests affected by the outbreak that they could cancel reservations without being charged a fee.
When it comes to social media, companies are working hard to fight off misinformation about the virus on their platforms. Facebook is working closely with the W.H.O, directing any searches for “coronavirus” on the network to the W.H.O or local health authorities, as well as pledging to give the W.H.O unlimited free ads to share important information.
While this virus may be creating a lot of concern around the country and the world, I think it’s great that companies are making choices that will serve to be helpful to their employees and the public during this time.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/technology/coronavirus-tech-businesses.html
Coronavirus has a huge effect on business because Chinese is the world’s factory, not only this country produce cheap daily necessities like toys and socks, it also makes machine parts for some of the world’s largest tech companies. For instance, Apple, this company is heavily relying on Chinese factories as well as its consumers, if their factories in China don’t get reopened soon, their supply chain of smartphones would be hampered almost completely. Furthermore, the demand for iPhones and Macs had been drop dramatically by the outbreak, the apple has no choice but to shut done all 42 stores in this country temporarily. Although the world‘s economy has been hit heavily because of the policies to control the virus, China already gets control of this virus successfully by now. I hope the economy can recover soon as well.
source：https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/17/technology/apple-coronavirus-economy.html
It is crazy to think about the implications that COVID-19 has on personal travel and societal factors, but I appreciate that you brought up the affects of this disease on businesses and the economy as a whole. Many people do not consider how businesses are affected, because these affects may not personally bother individuals, at least not immediately.
For example, the Apple “iPhone 12”, Apple’s first 5G smartphone, is rumored to be delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak by up to a month in the fall due to design and manufacturing delays in China. Apple’s stock has tanked by almost 13% since the outbreak, and Apple recently announced that it will not meet its March revenue goals due to coronavirus complications. This is due to weaker demand as well as supply chain issues.
Apple is only one example, as this virus has been impeding the manufacturing and distribution processes of thousands of companies across the world in the past month, and hit the stock market quite hard as a result.
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/03/08/5g-iphone-potential-coronavirus-delay/
The coronavirus has a huge reaching effect on almost all aspects of global interaction whether thats political, economical, or otherwise there is no denying its ability to effect change. We have seen its effect on big business but its effecting small business on a potentially larger scale. With widespread delays, closing of factories, sick leave, and different reactions to the coronavirus small business must be prepared day-to-day with the chance that their operations may be slowed to a halt. With the coronavirus keeping people in doors, business that operate on foot traffic will take massive hits in sales and could also be having problems importing the necessary goods to stay in business. Overall the coronavirus has spread its effect onto all aspects of our day to day life in both big and small businesses and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dinahwisenberg/2020/03/08/small-businesses-face-coronavirus-hurdles/#70500f113592
The overall global response has been very surprising as in how serious governments and corporations are taking the disease. Even though there are some that are trying to promote false information, the majority of the globe seems to be taking the necessary precautions to both find a cure and minimize the spread of coronavirus. But at the same time, the media seems to be moving slightly toward a more fear-mongering attitude pertaining to the illness. Though there have been many lethal cases (especially in China), these cases come from people of either very young and very old age. In more simple terms, those with weaker than normal immuno-response capabilities. With the proper care, not unlike what you should do when you have the flu, it seems that the lethality of the disease is unlikely. But that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t be taking the necessary precautions of washing hands and avoiding hand-to-face contact. There are world leaders such as those in the U.K. that feel that this is being overblown. I don’t necessarily believe that there is no risk, but I do feel that it won’t be as destructive to humans and society and many feel that it will be.
Source: https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-covid19-mild-illness-death-rate-advice-1490926