Babu George

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), new technology is reshaping business landscapes and creating unprecedented opportunities for innovation and growth. Professors Babu George and Ontario Wooden explore the transformative journey of African American entrepreneurs as they navigate the evolving AI era. Beginning with a conceptual analysis based on firsthand experiences with African American business leaders and supported by the existing literature, George and Wooden trace the historical trajectory of African American entrepreneurship, highlighting the resilience and ingenuity that have long defined this community. They examine critical aspects such as policy frameworks, financial strategies, educational initiatives, and the importance of networking within the AI ecosystem, underscoring the need for inclusive policies and accessible resources to ensure African American entrepreneurs can fully participate in and benefit from the AI revolution. At the heart of the discussion is AI’s role in bridging socioeconomic divides, equipping African American entrepreneurs with powerful tools to overcome systemic barriers and advance toward economic empowerment. Through micro-case studies, innovative insights, and actionable strategies, the book brings home the hope that digital divides and systemic inequities can be overcome successfully. AI Empowered concludes with a forward-looking perspective, envisioning a future where African American entrepreneurs lead AI-driven innovation. It calls for a collective effort to support these trailblazers and foster a diverse, dynamic entrepreneurial landscape that reflects the promise of the digital age.

This book focuses on the tourism industry in conjunction with the impact of COVID-19 from the perspective that it is both negatively impacting the industry while also offering an opportunity to rise from the ashes. The volume offers a new conceptualization and theorization of tourism, suggests new research methods, offers parallels with other crises (such as 9/11) to better understand the current one, and suggests futurist and innovative strategies. This book offers a wide range of topics on how a pandemic can impact customer satisfaction and the tourism industry.

This book argues that COVID-19 revives a much deeper climate of terror which was instilled by terrorism and the War on Terror originally declared by Bush's administration in 2001. It discusses critically not only the consequences of COVID-19 on our daily lives but also “the end of hospitality”, at least as we know it. Since COVID-19 started spreading across the globe, it affected not only the tourism industry but also ground global trade to a halt. Governments adopted restrictive measures to stop the spread of the virus, including the closure of borders, and airspace, the introduction of strict lockdowns and social distancing, much of which led to large-scale cancellations of international and domestic flights. This book explores how global tourists, who were largely considered ambassadors of democratic and prosperous societies in the pre-pandemic days, have suddenly become undesired guests.

This book focuses on the tourism industry in conjunction with the impact of COVID-19 from the perspective that it is both negatively impacting the industry while also offering an opportunity to rise from the ashes. The volume offers a new conceptualization and theorization of tourism, suggests new research methods, offers parallels with other crises (such as 9/11) to better understand the current one, and suggests futurist and innovative strategies. This book offers a wide range of topics on how a pandemic can impact customer satisfaction and the tourism industry.