Cornell Industry Experts on COVID-19

The Latest
From Industry experts

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business news, events, and media related to the COVID-19 pandemic

How is COVID-19 affecting businesses, hospitality, the economy, management, finance, policy, and employment practices? What does the future hold? College thought leaders are connecting with faculty across the university to provide guidance and insights during this worldwide crisis.

Illustration of economic charts, a map, and covid-19 virus

Upcoming
Featured Events

Join faculty, alumni, and industry experts online for a series of webinars and panel discussions

Get expert advice and learn how COVID-19 is affecting business, the economy, hospitality, management, supply chain, finance, and more. Registration is open to the public unless otherwise noted.

People walking down a curved, concrete staircase

Featured faculty: David Sherwyn and Bruce Tracey

19th Annual Labor and Employment Law Roundtable

Wednesday, December 2, 1:00 p.m. EST
Join Cornell School of Hotel Administration faculty as they look ahead to the expected labor policies of the incoming Biden administration and discuss how the change in the White House is likely to affect issues such as workplace safety, labor law reform, and workplace discrimination.

December 2: Register Now

Woman silhouette in front of wall of neon lights

Harmonic Hospitality: A symposium on the intersections among music, entrepreneurship, and hospitality

Thursday, December 3, 4:30 p.m. EST
Join Cornell School of Hotel Administration faculty as they discuss creativity, disruption, and engagement with artists and industry professionals. They will examine some of the connections among music, entrepreneurship, and hospitality through a series of panel and roundtable discussions.

December 3: Register Now

Man in a mask and gloves preparing orders in a kitchen

Featured faculty:
Lilly Jan

Reopening restaurants after COVID-19: Lessons from Asia

Tuesday, December 8, 9:00 a.m. EST
Join us to hear directly from two Singapore-based restaurateurs as they share their experiences regarding how a food and beverage operation creates a safe, responsible environment for guests and staff that is both sensitive to the ongoing pandemic and economically viable for its stakeholders.

December 8: Register Now

New York City real estate: Straight talk on the road to recovery

Wednesday, December 9, 11:00 a.m. EST
Join Dean Hallock in welcoming industry experts as they discuss how, and how successfully, New York City’s real estate ecosystem will rebound and what the 21st century’s “new normal” will be.

December 9: Register Now

Because business never stops, join us online for more events

Many of our regularly scheduled events—and new events—will be held online, which means these events will now be open to wider audiences and you’ll be able to join us from afar. Below are some upcoming events that feature our faculty and alumni.

12/8/2020 12:00 pm

Good Values, Good Company featuring Arthur M. Blank P’23

1/13/2021 12:00 pm

Connected Conversations: The Power of Positive Leadership

Missed us live? Recorded livestreams are available below.

June 10, 2020
DairyLivestream: Navigating the pandemic economy

Featuring Steven Kyle and Andrew Novakovic; The weekly episode focused on the adjusted economy and how larger buying trends may impact life moving forward.

June 5, 2020
FinTech and the future: How big data and digital disruption is changing finance

Featuring Andrew Karyoli and Will Cong; Faculty from Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business addressed questions around FinTech: what exactly is it and what’s behind its boom? The discussion included the future of financial services, eventual adoption of digital currency/cashless societies, emerging technologies, and regulation of big data collection.

May 27, 2020
Accounting and financial reporting: Navigating COVID-19 challenges

Featuring Mary MacAusland; A diverse group of participants discussed the financial reporting impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, and offer insights and tips for navigating these challenges.

May 15, 2020
The future of business schools post-COVID-19

Featuring Kevin Hallock; Deans of five business schools in the Americas jointly reflected on what business education will look like after the crisis.

May 8, 2020
Personal behavior in the COVID-19 crisis – Contagion, persuasion, and motivation

Featuring Robert Frank; A panel of Cornell University experts in the fields of behavioral and economic decision-making, social influence, and communication discussed how to balance personal priorities with public health concerns.

May 5, 2020
Learning strategies in a changing world: Overcoming challenges and investing in the future

Featuring Allan Filipowicz; A panel of corporate learning leaders explored how organizations can create meaningful learning experiences during and after the pandemic.

April 30, 2020
Can economic, political, and public health realities align?

Featuring Kaushik Basu; A panel of leading voices in the fields of public health, economics, and politics informed priorities as we pursue the safest way to protect both our public health and economic functions.

April 24, 2020
The world after COVID-19: A view from emerging markets

Featuring Kaushik Basu; Beyond the health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic may restructure the global economic order. This new emerging world was discussed by voices from China, Kenya, and experts from Cornell shaping this new normal.

April 22, 2020
Brand building: Cutting through the noise in an age of extreme choice

Featuring Chetikan Dev and Patti Mandel; Marketing and branding experts discussed the difficult challenges for marketers in today’s hyper-connected world, where consumers have more options and distractions than ever before, making branding both more difficult and more important.

April 22, 2020
Commercial real estate in the wake of a pandemic: How borrowers and lenders are responding to COVID-19

Featuring Steve Carvell; The COVID-19 global health pandemic caused abrupt and unprecedented economic shock around the world and the commercial real estate sector is no exception. A panel of owners/borrowers, lenders, and restructuring professionals will discussed the myriad challenges to commercial real estate.

April 14, 2020
Part 3—COVID-19 business readiness webinar series: Digital media strategy

Featuring Neil Tarallo; The School of Hotel Administration in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, along with the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, brought together business leaders to discuss best practices and answer questions on digital media. The discussion included crisis communications, aligning your value proposition, and using social media to reach customers and source new opportunities.

April 10, 2020
Navigating the COVID-19 crisis: Global supply chain (fr)agility

Featuring Vishal Gaur and Miguel Gómez; moderated by Linda Barrington, associate dean; From everyday basics that are no longer available on grocery store shelves to shortages of desperately-needed medical equipment, the news has been filled with reports of scarcity. The panel shared their insights on the functioning and structure of supply chains during this unprecedented crisis.

April 10, 2020
COVID-19 and sustainability

Featuring Glen Dowell; Organizational response and how it relates to sustainability. This webinar examined why businesses fail to anticipate and adequately prepare for disruptive events like pandemics, and what parallels can be drawn to issues like climate change.

April 7, 2020
Disruption in the financial sector

Featuring Maureen O’Hara, Sanjeev Bhojraj, and Andrew Karolyi; Cornell’s most prominent thinkers in the world of finance shared their insights and expertise so that we may better navigate and prepare for what lies ahead. The panel looked at the actions and reactions of the world’s financial markets and institutions in the face of the global COVID-19 crisis.

March 27, 2020
COVID-19 on corporate strategy and supply chains: Impact, challenges, and potential responses

Featuring Hernan Saenz; Hear what CEOs should be doing now, planning for a post-COVID-19 world, and the pandemic’s impact on global supply chains.

March 24, 2020
COVID-19 and the financial system

Featuring Maureen O’Hara; Professor O’Hara examined COVID’19’s impact on the financial system and shared what differentiates this crisis from past markets and what might be expected going forward.

May 7, 2020
Equity Crowdfunding: Skipping VCs and Connecting With Passionate Investors

Featuring Andrea Ippolito; A panel of startup and crowdfunding experts discussed the best ways to plan and execute a crowdfunding campaign in the current economic climate.

April 10, 2020
Part 2—COVID-19 business readiness webinar series: Marshaling financial resources and re-thinking the economic model

Featuring Neil Tarallo; The School of Hotel Administration in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, along with the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, brought together business leaders to discuss best practices and answer questions on finance and economics. The discussion included available financial resources, banking, and managing operating leverage.

April 9, 2020
Part 1—COVID-19 business readiness webinar series: Creating a plan and developing the right mindset

Featuring Neil Tarallo; The School of Hotel Administration in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, along with the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, brought together business leaders to discuss best practices and specific strategies to help navigate businesses during these challenging times. The discussion included developing a new mindset for business management, redefining customers, thinking like a start-up, and four key business components needed to implement your plan.

April 9, 2020
Remote Leadership in Startups and Small Business

Featuring Elizabeth Mannix and Ken Rother; moderated by Steven Sauer; The webinar focused on leading remote teams and how theories and science apply to startups and small businesses. Discussions included CEO insights on leading companies remotely and hiring new employees in a virtual world.

March 20, 2020
Evidence-based entrepreneurship: A mindset for startup success

Featuring Ken Rother and Tom Schryver; Most startups fail due to creating a product that nobody really wanted. Applying evidence-based entrepreneurship principles can greatly increase the chances of creating a product or solution that truly addresses a customer need.

October 20, 2020
Robots in the hospitality industry: Adopting new technologies while maintaining the human touch

Featuring David Sherwyn; A panel of experts explored the capabilities and limitations of increased automation in an industry that traditionally prides itself on meaningful personal interaction.

October 13, 2020
The future of air travel: Managing COVID-19 while bringing travelers back

Featuring Chris Anderson; Cornell School of Hotel Administration faculty and industry experts discussed how airlines can best adapt in the short-term, what the long-term industry prognosis looks like, and how airlines can lure passengers back while also ensuring their safety.

October 5, 2020
The health trust factor: Embracing healthcare principles in hospitality

Featuring Linda Canina; Learn best practices the travel and hospitality industries can adopt to provide extra levels of assurance to their customers: prevention, monitoring and surveillance, detection, and timely intervention techniques.

September 29, 2020
Reopening European hotels: The recovery and investment landscape

Featuring Linda Canina; Prominent leaders in the European lodging industry discussed reopening strategies, which customer segments will come back first and why, what the recovery may look like, and potential hotel investment opportunities within the European market and country-specific government policies.

September 23, 2020
Innovating for a post-pandemic future: Challenges and opportunities in the hospitality industry

Featuring Dean Kate Walsh; Three tech industry leaders discussed next-generation technology solutions and innovations for the hospitality industry of tomorrow.

September 23, 2020
Recovery by the numbers: What to expect in the lodging industry

Featuring Linda Canina; Cornell School of Hotel Administration faculty and lodging industry veterans shared their experiences and offered insights into the recoveries already underway in some sectors, as well as strategies for how other sectors can successfully weather this unprecedented storm.

August 25, 2020
Hospitality goes digital: Rethinking the online guest experience in a COVID-19 world

Featuring Robert Kwortnik; Cornell School of Hotel Administration faculty discussed digital marketing strategy and practice and demonstrated how they impact almost every aspect of the hospitality organization, product, and guest experience.

July 22, 2020
Hotel transactions and COVID-19: The uneven road to recovery

Cornell’s Center for Real Estate and Finance faculty and hotel industry experts explored how the record amount of capital that has been raised for real estate in general—and hotels specifically—will be deployed; where investors will find opportunities; how hotel properties will be valued; and whether “straight asset sales” will be replaced by note purchases, structured transactions, and other forms of capital infusions.

July 20, 2020
Building guest confidence: Making hospitality safe

Featuring David Sherwyn; In this webinar, a number of hospitality experts will weigh in on these issues and more, offering firsthand insight into how industry leaders are planning to reopen.

July 16, 2020
Opening the door in the hospitality industry: Legal challenges in the wake of COVID-19 – Session 3 (link pending)

Featuring David Sherwyn; The Cornell Center for Innovative Hospitality Labor and Employment Relations (CIHLER) and Jackson Lewis P.C. discussed critical issues that hospitality businesses must address in the near term and going forward. Topics included: types of grievances, NLRB charges, information requests, and bargaining demands observed over COVID-19-related issues.

June 9, 2020
Hospitality compliance in the wake of COVID-19: Where are we now and what does the future hold?

Featuring David Sherwyn; The Cornell Center for Innovative Hospitality Labor and Employment Relations (CIHLER) and Korn Ferry held a virtual roundtable to discuss changes currently affecting the industry and how best to move forward.

June 3, 2020
Opportunity in crisis: How to pivot a hospitality career during a pandemic

Featuring Bruce Tracey; While the current global pandemic is the toughest challenge the industry has ever faced, it’s important to remember that disruption can also lead to opportunity. Experts discussed what can you do to weather the storm and how to best position yourself for the hospitality jobs that are likely to emerge when the pandemic is over.

May 20, 2020
Hospitality capital markets: Front-line expert perspectives on the latest trends, challenges, and viable solutions

Featuring Steven Carvell; A panel of commercial real estate experts answered questions and shared their insights on how lenders and borrowers are adapting to the ever-changing landscape created by this unprecedented pandemic.

May 14, 2020
Hotel transactions in a post-COVID world: The road ahead

Featuring Crocker Liu; A panel of investment and real estate experts shared their perspectives on how hotel transactions have been affected by the economic downturn and what the road back to “normal” may look like.

May 4, 2020
The Hotel Industry in Recovery: Travel in an uncertain future

Featuring Kate Walsh; Hotel industry experts discussed how the hospitality industry, once restarted, can begin its recovery. Highlights included initiatives to get travelers back to hotels, how to obtain funding, and how hotels, including their restaurants, will likely operate differently in the future.

April 29, 2020
How loan restructuring can keep hotels in business: Navigating the COVID-19 crisis

Featuring Daniel Lebret; This session featured a panel of hotel industry and commercial real estate experts who examined various lending options available to hard-pressed hotel owners and operators.

April 16, 2020
The travel industry’s road to recovery navigating the COVID-19 crisis

Introduced by Dean Kate Walsh; The travel industry will begin its recovery which is unlikely to be even, as some hotel types and markets are more likely to bounce back than others. The panel of travel industry experts discussed current market dynamics and different recovery scenarios.

October 27, 2020
Employee-oriented tech: Relevance, risk, and reward

Featuring David Sherwyn; A panel of experts discussed the benefits and legal risks of employee-oriented tech within the hospitality industry.

October 23, 2020
Thriving in isolation: Health and human connection

Featuring Heather Kolakowski; An interactive panel on utilizing health, hospitality, and design to reframe human connection, share our humanity, and promote inclusion. Academic research and industry practices were presented to deepen the understanding of diverse employee needs and strategies for boosting our capacities to thrive in isolation.

April 20, 2020
Protecting and assisting workers in the midst of a pandemic: Labor-Management solutions

Featuring David Sherwyn; Cornell University’s ILR School, School of Hotel Administration, and Center for Innovative Hospitality Labor and Employment Relations (CIHLER) brought together both union and management leaders as well as a public policy expert to clarify productive answers to the challenges that have emerged.

March 31, 2020
Labor-management relations in the midst of a pandemic: Conflict or accommodation?

Featuring David Sherwyn; As labor and management work through key issues and potential solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, a major unknown is whether conflict is inevitable or if the crisis will force the parties to work together.

March 30, 2020
COVID-19 and the hospitality industry: Priorities and action steps for human resources

Featuring Bruce Tracey; As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, many firms are struggling to develop HR plans and action steps for mitigating the negative consequences of this crisis. Our panel of industry and academic experts addressed some of the most critical HR priorities and operational implications of the current health crisis.

March 27, 2020
Navigating the COVID-19 crisis: Identifying, understanding, and complying with employment laws, old and new

Featuring David Sherwyn and Dean Kate Walsh; Cornell University and the Center for Innovative Hospitality Labor and Employment Relations brought together lead practitioners and faculty experts to discuss employment law challenges that have emerged during the COVID-19 crisis.

November 9, 2020
Effective leadership through crisis: Navigating the long-term impact of COVID-19

Featuring Donna Haeger; A panel of academic and business leaders discussed what it will take to lead effectively through this unprecedented time.

March 31, 2020
Leading through COVID-19: VUCA leadership

Featuring General George W. Casey, Jr.; As Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Casey led one of the world’s largest and most complex organizations during an extraordinary period in its history. He shared his insights on what’s required of leaders in the present crisis.

March 25, 2020
Navigating the COVID-19 crisis: Leading remote teams

Featuring Elizabeth Mannix; Cornell faculty experts discussed how leaders can quickly rise to the challenge of leading remote teams and keeping them engaged and productive in these uncertain times.

March 24, 2020
Navigating the COVID-19 crisis: Leadership through communication

Featuring Lynn Wooten, Theomary Karamanis; and Andrew Karolyi; Faculty shared their crisis communication expertise to best to serve stakeholders, preserve goals, and safeguard the community’s current and future health.

May 28, 2020
The new norm for breweries: Safety, quality, and fresh opportunities

Featuring Doug Miller; Beer experts discussed the challenges of brewer’s high standard of quality and service in a climate where demand is unpredictable and purchasing habits have shifted from inside the taproom to mail order, curbside pickup, and grocery store shelves.

May 12, 2020
Managing restaurants in the time of Coronavirus: A look at emerging best practices

Featuring Christopher Gaulke; A panel of restaurant operators from around the world will share best practices for navigating operational challenges and seek to envision a post-COVID “new normal.”

May 6, 2020
Back on tap: Strategizing the reopening of your taproom or brewpub

Featuring Doug Miller; A panel of seasoned beer and hospitality will discussed the ways taproom and brewpub owners can leverage their reopening and navigate the “new normal” that awaits on the other side of the pandemic.

April 16, 2020
What’s next for NYC restaurants: Navigating the COVID-19 crisis

Featuring Alex Susskind; The School of Hotel Administration and the Cornell Institute for Food and Beverage Management (CIFBM) brought together three prominent leaders in the restaurant industry representing well-established and iconic brands in New York City (NYC) and beyond. The panel discussed the restaurant business, supply chains, labor issues, protecting (and building) brand identity, and what the future holds for the business of restaurants, bars, and tourism in NYC.

April 3, 2020
The restaurant business in crisis: Coping with restaurant slowdowns, expense management, and the road ahead

Featuring Alex Susskind; The School of Hotel Administration and the Cornell Institute for Food and Beverage Management (CIFBM) brought together restaurant executives and faculty experts to offer solutions to the challenges that operators, employees, and guests are experiencing in our new normal.

March 25, 2020
L.E.A.R.N: Covid-19 Business Readiness Webinar Series- Food & Beverage Operations under Covid-19

Featuring Doug Miller

experts
in the News

SC Johnson College faculty and programs featured in the media or other Cornell news publications

For media inquiries, contact:
Sarah Magnus-Sharpe, 607.254.7109

See all stories

Johnson BusinessFeed

Opinion: Let Bezos and Musk make billions. Just force them to share a little with the rest of us.

September 29, 2020

Professor Emeritus Bob Frank argues that increasing the capital gain tax could make money available to help many aspects of our society.

Johnson BusinessFeed

How forcing colleges to go online could change higher education for the better

September 9, 2020

Professor Emeritus Bob Frank explains just how this is a possibility.

Johnson BusinessFeed

Uptick in COVID-19 cases makes it difficult to bring back jobs. ‘Some people may be put out of the job market for a long time.’

July 30, 2020

Professor Murillo Campello says that the employment disruption created by COVID-19 has necessitated everyone to take a hard look at their skills.

Dyson BusinessFeed

The Nasdaq is skyrocketing. That may not be a great sign for the economy

November 4, 2020

Associate Professor Scott Yonker discusses investors sticking with the pandemic winners as uncertainty looms.

Dyson BusinessFeed

Rooting from home as a model for working from home?

November 3, 2020

Assistant Professor Kevin Kniffin says it’s timely to revisit how employers and employees alike can best adapt to the times.

Dyson BusinessFeed

Grocery stores are preparing for a second wave of panic buying — you should, too

October 25, 2020

Professor Edward McLaughlin says that stores are better prepared for a second wave of consumer hoarding as preparations for a harsh winter begin.

SHA BusinessFeed

Travel is no longer a privilege, but a right

November 2, 2020

Professor Chekitan Dev suggests viewing the COVID crisis as an opportunity will help travel and hospitality learn new ways to survive and thrive.

SHA BusinessFeed

How two restaurants have survived Covid-19. So far.

October 31, 2020

Professor Alex Susskind says fine-dining establishments have had to rethink their entire business during the pandemic.

SHA BusinessFeed

The ugly truth about tipping waitstaff during COVID-19

October 23, 2020

Professor Michael Lynn discusses the trends he's seeing in the data around tipping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Across the college

Dyson BusinessFeed

Daniel Hooker finds a teachable moment in COVID-19

August 14, 2020

Hooker, a veteran food industry executive, will teach a new course this fall covering global supply-chain issues surfaced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson BusinessFeed

Hiring trends emerge in study into COVID-19 impact on job market

June 24, 2020

Professor Murillo Campello has leveraged big data on job-vacancy postings to reveal several dimensions of the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. job market.

SC Johnson College BusinessFeed

The Rundown: Highlights from the week of June 1

June 5, 2020

Expert perspectives from Cornell SC Johnson College of Business faculty on COVID-19’s impact on business, hospitality, and the economy.

Dyson BusinessFeed

Measuring the economic and environmental consequences of COVID-19

June 3, 2020

Professor Shanjun Li has been awarded a Cornell Atkinson Rapid Response Fund grant to examine the economic and environmental consequences of COVID-19.

SC Johnson College BusinessFeed

The Rundown: Highlights from the week of May 25

May 29, 2020

Expert perspectives from Cornell SC Johnson College of Business faculty on COVID-19’s impact on business, hospitality, and the economy.

Dyson BusinessFeed

Just awarded grant for COVID-19 food security research

May 26, 2020

Professor David Just has been awarded a Rapid Response Fund grant from Cornell's Atkinson Center to examine food bank interest and use in the age of COVID-19.