Return from COVID-19: Thinking Differently About Export Competitiveness and Sustainability

Times are really tough for millions across the world, and more so for poor populations in emerging countries, due to the strategic discontinuity called COVID-19. This perspective editorial urges to think differently in addressing issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting from an analogy of ‘signals from nature’, it gives a brief background about the relationship between competitiveness and sustainability. The classical method of situation-actor-process—learning-action-performance (SAP-LAP) is adapted for the context of an experimental bottom-up micro-pilot to ‘Return from COVID-19’. Glimpses of emerging findings from the pilot project in the context of academic institutions are shared. Topics for urgent and mid-term studies in the given context are listed, focusing on implications for the rebound of export activity. We will discuss ways for leaders to enhance export competitiveness despite COVID-19. This article contributes to the literature by extending SAP-LAP in an alternative micro-situation for an optimistic scenario.