Now that many shops have been forced to close for more than five weeks, we have been hearing loud calls for economic activity to be quickly resumed. However, the most important thing every entrepreneur needs to ask themselves is whether they can reopen profitably. To do profitable business, income obviously needs to be higher than costs. That is why, while the government is implementing a clear exit strategy, shopkeepers should come up with their own ‘entrance strategy’, says researcher Yannick Dillen. Not starting back up at full strength and with fewer staff might be part of this strategy.

As universities across the world transition to online learning programmes in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, QS Quacquarelli Symonds have released their annual list of the world’s best online MBA providers. Ranked for the first time, Vlerick’s Online MBA programme immediately holds the 12th position. We’re also the only BeNeLux business school to be featured in this list. The 2020 edition of the list names 47 programmes worldwide, with Spain’s IE Business School ranked number one for the fourth consecutive year.

Unlike during the 2008 banking crisis, both supply and demand are currently compressed, and therefore many organisations see a plunge in revenues. This makes that even economically healthy enterprises may currently be at risk of financial stress or, worst case, bankruptcy. But what can businesses do themselves to avoid or minimise financial hardship? There is no magic in corporate finance, but our Professors Wouter De Maeseneire, Mathieu Luypaert and Sophie Manigart offer various options that firms may need to consider.

We say of entrepreneurs that they see an opportunity and create a company to turn that opportunity into reality. The multitude of entrepreneurial ideas arising from the current crisis offer solutions to concrete problems that require real solutions in the short term. Because everything is constantly and rapidly changing, we see a process that is more focused on action than on brainstorming. According to Professor Hans Crijns, the unbridled creativity of young, enterprising people gives us hope to beat this crisis.

In times of unexpected crisis, attention to the core and protecting the essence of one’s business is clearly paramount. Yet, you also want to rebalance your future priorities: which elements of the strategy do you need to boost, slow down, add or scrap? One simple and powerful way to go about that is to map different possible scenarios. Professor Carine Peeters shows you how you can do so by following five key steps.

Financial market investors are not normally concerned about viruses, as their effects are usually temporary. However, there is no other modern pandemic against which the economic effects of Covid-19 can be compared. In a volatile market, it is tempting to cash in your equity investments and leave. However, with central bank interest rates falling, there are few options available that will offer an inflation busting return. Professor Simon Ashby shares some strategies to consider.

Masters in Innovation & Entrepreneurship students put together a business plan for medical wearables by Byteflies start-up

Only one-third of epilepsy patients are on the right medication. Thanks to Byteflies’ medical wearable, doctors have access to data that they can use to adjust medication. But how do you market this kind of device? That was the question that Vlerick students Bob and Arno tackled for their in-company project (ICP). The impact was greater than anyone expected…

Effective risk oversight in the context of a major disruption requires boards to rise above their traditional monitoring role and develop a strategic stance to dealing with risk, says Professor Regine Slagmulder. Companies whose board members consider risk as an integral part of their business strategy rather than as an after-thought, are bound to have a competitive edge in building resilience for the future.

It is evolutionary adaptive behaviour to follow the crowd in times of uncertainty. However, when it comes to stockpiling toilet paper we are not solely following the social norm. A rapid sale of the same product also creates a striking emptiness in the store shelves. That leads to the creation of a vicious circle of scarcity and social norm. Professor Barbara Briers explains how such a persuasive mechanism works.

The COVID-19 outbreak is threatening the jobs of many across the globe. Regardless of the exact numbers, it is clear that many employees will at least subjectively worry about the continuity of their jobs. Research shows that such job insecurity is very contagious and may affect the overall work climate in your organisation. To maintain a positive work climate, leaders should focus on three elements, says Professor Katleen De Stobbeleir.