Finally, the World Health Organization confirmed what most people had been saying for many weeks: The spread of the coronavirus disease in more than one hundred countries qualifies as a pandemic. As medical professionals and government officials fight to contain the disease, we are walking into unknown territory. In the world of art, several major events have been shortened, postponed, or canceled including the Hong Kong Art Basel that was set to happen last year together with TEFAF Maastricht.
For guidance on best practices in the art world during the global health crisis, we communicated with a few organizations on how they’d like artists to proceed. Organizations such as the American Alliance of Museums have issued resourceful guides, the Art Dealers Association of America has referred galleries to the official guidelines on CDC and the Association of Art Museum Directors has encouraged members to respond quickly to the pandemic based on specific cases.
Given the artists’ reliance on large public gatherings and travel, the social distancing requirement has been a cause of concern. It means saying no to meetings with artists, collectors, and other remote colleagues. The director of the Association of Women Art Dealers canceled her Armory trip from the UK to the US due to the pandemic. Instead, she attended the event in New York and gave a short lecture on Zoom.
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Some of the advice issued by art organizations applies to the art world broadly. If you feel sick and the symptoms are serious, seek medical help. If you or your friend has traveled to affected nations like Italy, China, Hong Kong, or South Korea, get tested immediately. According to the reports of the college-paper.org reviews, the helpful source, art professionals should adhere to practices that apply to everyone to prevent the rapid spread of this dangerous disease. They need to wash their hands frequently, respect their respiratory etiquette and not touch their face.
Most importantly, you need to self-quarantine if you contact someone with the virus. As the number of cases continues rising in the US and other parts of the world, art organizations and artists should be prepared for potential outbreaks. Here are several key takeaways about what you can do to mitigate the spread of this deadly disease.
Maintain hygiene
Clean your environment regularly and sanitize those surfaces that are frequently touched such as handrails, door handles, and books and tabletops. Adding hand sanitizers in places such as museums will ensure that the staff disinfects surfaces throughout the day. Consider changing HVAC filters if they are there. Ensure that a trained conservator uses cleaning products that don’t harm artwork.
Create a plan
As the virus continues to spread, more businesses are coming up with policies to protect their employees and stakeholders. A key precaution that artists and most business owners have taken is creating or implementing an emergency preparedness plan. If you don’t have a plan in place, it’s time to sit down and come up with something.
An emergency plan outlines the steps your organization plans on taking in case an outbreak affects your business. It lays out strict measures that you and your employees should take before something awful happens. In your plan, you should include the following information:
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Steps that you’ll take to protect the stakeholders
What you’ll do in case of an outbreak
How stakeholders can initiate contact in case of emergencies
What will happen to your operations if your enterprise gets affected
Work from home whenever possible
If you don’t have work from a home plan, now is the best time to create one. Since the coronavirus is in every nation, all kinds of businesses are coming up with alternative arrangements to keep workers and customers from coming to the office to avoid contact. You might have allowed your employees to work from home before. Or maybe it’s your first time.
Depending on your business and industry, you may not be in a position to allow your employees to work from home. According to the reviews of Buy An Essay, the best and cheapest essay writing service, when it comes to art, you might need to interact with customers face to face to make sales and boost revenues. However, you should think of establishing a work from home policy by including things like remote procedures, guidelines, and employee eligibility.
Keep your stakeholders informed
Just like supervisors and managers, you need to keep your employees informed if you have them. You can share coronavirus-related updates to employees via emails or video chat. You need to keep your employees and other stakeholders up-to-date as much as you can. You need to send an email update or message at least once per day to communicate to employees about the coronavirus and the precautions that you are taking to keep them safe. Keeping all the stakeholders posted will reduce panic and stress.
Expect to take a hit financially
Due to the temporary forced closures, art businesses should focus on widening their insurance coverage. In case of insurance cancellation, you can purchase endorsements that cover communicable diseases. Nevertheless, closing for most galleries and art businesses will mean a substantial hit in terms of finances. According to the Association of Art Directors, galleries should think of the revenue streams that may dry up and the resources that a dealer can access to get them in the shortest time possible. Facing this fact and making clear decisions will save you a lot of time and energy in the long run.
Create a customer strategy
Customers will always be the backbone of your enterprise today and in the future. There’ll never be a good time like now to tap into their needs and find solutions that put their needs at the forefront.
You need to consider the needs of your customers right now because their experience has changed since the outbreak of COVID-19. Customers have changed too. And they need the support of the businesses they buy from. Your main goal should be meeting the needs of your customers in the simplest way possible. Reach out to your customers and think of the help they can get from you. You can also:
Reduce pricing on products and services temporarily
Offer contactless pickup or delivery
Provide promotions and discounts
Offer digital demos of your products
Host online events
Connect with customers via email and social media
As you market your products, you should keep in mind that the last thing your customers want to hear about your enterprise is what it deals with. All they want to know is how it can help them solve their problems. Knowing the problems that your customer is facing is essential in building an emotional connection between them and your enterprise. The marketing world has changed drastically thanks to COVID-19. Now more than ever, it’s important to build virtual relationships. Focus on marketing tactics that make sense on social media platforms.
Have a strong online presence
According to the reviews of EssayMama help and some reports of UK SuperiorPapers, an online presence is an asset right now. If your enterprise operated physically till now, it’s time to shift into the online world. Consumers are relying on online shops and digital services to buy goods and services due to the pandemic and lockdown. A website acts as the foundation of your business today. Make one or focus on making one that’s user-friendly. Build your online presence and spend time posting on your platform. Don’t forget to post questions and interact with your customers as much as possible.
Conclusion
Most businesses are struggling to survive during the pandemic. Now that art galleries and museums have temporarily shut down, it’s up to you to come up with an effective strategy that will help you achieve your goals easily.
Tiffany Harper is a professional freelance writer, who sometimes works as a subject matter expert with the blogs and social media posts for an assignment help online at Essay Help. She is currently authoring a book on the role of AI and VR in writing and plans to release it in Feb next year. Please do not hesitate to contact her on twitter.
Sundar Pichai, born on June 10, 1972, in Madurai, India, is a prominent figure in the tech industry, renowned as the CEO of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google LLC. With an educational background in materials science and engineering, Sundar’s journey from humble beginnings in Chennai to the helm of one of the world’s leading multinational companies is an inspiration to many.
Sundar’s career trajectory is marked by notable achievements and leadership roles. Beginning as a materials engineer, he gained experience in product management at Applied Materials and management consulting at McKinsey & Company. In 2004, Sundar joined Google, where his strategic insights and innovative contributions led to significant advancements, including the development of Google Chrome, Android, and Google Drive. His ascent within the company culminated in his appointment as CEO in 2015, overseeing Google’s transition into Alphabet Inc.
Sundar Pichai’s Net Worth
As of 2024, Sundar Pichai’s net worth is estimated to exceed $1.66 Billion, primarily attributed to his role as CEO of Alphabet Inc. and his ownership of approximately 520,668 shares of Alphabet Inc. stock. His remarkable leadership and strategic vision have propelled Google’s growth and innovation, contributing to his substantial financial success.
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Sundar Pichai Age
As of 2023, Sundar Pichai is 50 years old, having been born on June 10, 1972.
Sundar Pichai Family: Wife and Children
Sundar Pichai is married to Anjali Pichai, whom he met during his college years at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur. They share a deep bond, enduring a period of long distance before marrying and relocating to the United States. Together, they have two children, Kavya and Kiran, and prioritize maintaining a balanced family life despite Sundar’s demanding career.
Sundar Pichai Height and Weight
Sundar Pichai stands at a height of 5 feet 8 inches and weighs approximately 68 kilograms.
The legal wrangling between Ripple and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is becoming increasingly acrimonious. Despite the crypto sector eagerly awaiting an outcome, the case grows more complicated with each passing day.
In a recent move, the SEC filed its opposition to Ripple’s motion to strike new expert materials, including a testimony known as the ‘Fox Declaration,’ which Ripple claimed represents unsolicited expert opinion.
However, the SEC countered this argument, stating that it was a common process akin to standard summary evidence in support of calculations for disgorgement.
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The SEC insisted, ‘It’s not an expert report, does not rely on specialized experience, and does not render any opinions at all, let alone an “expert” one. Nor does it present the testimony of a percipient witness. Rather, it applies basic arithmetic to Ripple’s financial records to streamline the presentation of evidence to Judge Torres… The court should deny Ripple’s motion.’
The SEC also said that the ‘Fox Declaration’ consists of information derived from Ripple’s own documents, including tax returns and financial statements, which can be useful for determining the case’s outcome. The SEC also reminded that this very argument was already struck down by Federal Judge Torres earlier.
Just before the SEC’s deadline in the Ripple lawsuit, there was significant whale activity, with transactions affecting over 74 million XRP, leading to increased speculation about the motive behind this move. However, XRP prices have taken a hit, more due to a global crypto market sell-off and significant whale movements. Later in the day, the SEC is expected to file its reply in the Ripple case.
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It was an eventful day, with major crypto assets facing the heat and values tanking. XRP prices have dropped by 4%, but major whale activity involving significant transfers of XRP, totaling $15.92 million to Bitstamp by unidentified whales, has experts talking and wondering about the real motive behind this action. Coupled with the uncertainties around the ongoing legal battle between Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the future of the crypto sector hangs in balance with the final result of this legal wrangling.
Dutch conglomerate Philips has concluded a $1.1 billion deal to resolve claims in the United States related to the recall of more than 1 million breathing machines. These devices, also known as sleep apnea devices, were recalled in 2021 due to concerns that they posed a potential cancer risk.
Philips had recalled millions of its CPAP machines from the market after concerns arose that components used in the device, especially the foam, could enter the airways and potentially cause cancer. The recall occurred in 2021, and further sales of the devices were halted. The money from the deal will cover injury claims for 58,000 people, earmarking $1.075 billion for a personal injury settlement and $25 million for medical monitoring.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs stated,
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“Ultimately, these combined agreements accomplish what we sought to achieve when this litigation began — holding Philips accountable by obtaining care for those with physical injuries and compensation for those needing new respiratory devices.”
CPAP machines, an acronym for continuous positive airway pressure machines, are used to treat sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder where a person’s breathing is obstructed during sleep. This can be caused by the throat muscles obstructing the airways, brain disorders, or unknown causes. CPAP machines help restore the air supply via a mask and keep the airways open.
An estimated 33 million Americans use CPAP machines to treat the symptoms of sleep apnea, according to figures released by the National Council on Aging. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to several complications, including higher risks of developing diabetes, hypertension, and heart diseases.
Some customers alleged that Philips’ DreamStation machines, which were then the brand leader, had been expelling gas and bits of foam into their lungs. Philips made no admission of fault in its products and stated that most of the claims were related to “alleged technical malfunctions” that did not involve any serious injury or death. However, Chief Executive Roy Jakobs said in a statement on Monday that the company is genuinely concerned with any discomfort the patients may have experienced.
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Philips is facing a number of litigations in the US and is effectively out of the sleep machines and ventilators market, with its presence limited to selling replacement parts and servicing the machines that already exist in hospitals and patients’ homes. Earlier this year, Philips agreed to a decree requiring it to halt the sale of its devices in the US until certain conditions are met. It also agreed to repair and replace the more than 1 million breathing machines currently used by patients in the US.
What can consumers do?
The settlement, which must be approved by a judge, entitles users to a $100 award if they return their recalled device by August 9, 2024 — the claim deadline. Users who believe their device is defective should act soon to verify this if they haven’t already, and Philips’ recall page offers ways to check serial numbers and register a product. A dedicated website is available which accepts claims for the financial-loss settlement. Payments tied to the settlement are expected to be completed by 2025.
The news has been welcomed in the share markets, and Royal Philips NV shares soared nearly 30 percent in Amsterdam since the settlement amount is much less than what was expected.
