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A key question regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty around the implications of social distancing measures and remote working is how it will economically impact people and places differently. We generate two indices which capture: (i) social distancing potential; and (ii) remote working potential. This is accomplished using occupational level data from O*NET. The paper identifies that social distancing and remote working potential differs considerably across occupations, sectors and places. At a town level-more affluent, dense and highly populated, better educated, and better broadband provisioned towns have greater potential for social distancing and remote working.

The focus of this paper is on the relatively under-researched area of the influence of management on innovation activities for firms in emerging economies. Many emerging economies adopt a strategy of outward-oriented development with the aim to enhance innovation performance through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and international trade. However, attention should be paid to firm mechanisms, including intangibles, that may enable a firm to benefit from the more tangible performance-enhancing effects. It is through such a lens that we examine firm innovation in emerging economies, focusing on how variations in management experience, management practices and management incentives impact innovation performance. We employ a production function approach to identify the effect of the management environment on innovation diversity for firms in emerging economies. Our diversity of innovation measure takes account of five types of innovation activity, and is indicative of the degree of ‘innovativeness’ that the firm possesses. A Tobit estimation technique is employed. Innovation decisions typically involve managers as filtering mechanisms to consider a range of external and internal factors that enhance the likelihood of innovation outcomes. Our results indicate that management experience, management practices and management incentives are all important in determining innovation activities in firms from emerging economies. Our analysis reveals the importance of the management environment in explaining innovation differences at the level of the firm in emerging economies. Therefore, strategies to empower and support managers in emerging economies should be considered alongside outward-orientated development strategies.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore product/service innovation and discontinuation using the firm as a unit of analysis. A key objective of the paper is to compare the results between manufacturing and service firms. Design/methodology/approach A two-step production function approach is employed to examine first, a firm’s decision to innovate and second, a firm’s decision to discontinue products/services. Findings The results indicate that the factors affecting product innovation and discontinuation are similar for manufacturing and service firms, where innovation was significant for product/service discontinuation and process innovation was found to be important for innovations. Similarly, monopoly power was important for innovation in both industry types. However, there were also some underlying differences, particularly in relation to firm age and economic geography effects. Practical implications The conclusion of the paper is that it is not appropriate to assume that the process of product innovation and discontinuation will be identical across industry types. Originality/value This study is the first study in the literature that examines product/service discontinuation at the firm level and the relationship between innovation and product/service discontinuation using the firm as a unit of analysis. This study further adds to the under-researched (relative to manufacturing studies) area of service innovation.