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The world has recently faced the outbreak of an existential threat. Since December 2019, many aspects of life have changed owing to a devastating pandemic, COVID-19. The second wave started spreading in different parts of the globe. This article focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on Cairo city, regarding three upper-middle-class districts as a case study. Based on a literature review, a theoretical framework is proposed to analyse how residents changed their living, work, and leisure time habits during the outbreak of the pandemic.

A retrospective survey was conducted among the residents of three districts to investigate the new living model of adaptive, spontaneous urban and architecture design tactics that transfer people’s actual life, work, and leisure arrangements into future planning considerations.

The results reveal relevant observations about the adaptation of the existing environments of home, work, and leisure activities. From these results, different considerations and new norms emerge for housing typologies in post-pandemic Cairo.

The conclusions of this study introduced the new term “the fifth place” as a space-time place that could serve as a motivation for urban designers and architects to design space typologies considering the emerging circumstances.

This study aims to empirically explore telecommunications service quality (SQ) and its impact on the customer loyalty (CL) through a mediating impact of customer satisfaction (CS) during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

A survey was conducted involving 384 customers of telecommunications service providers in Egypt. The hypothesized direct relationships were tested through regression analysis, and the mediating effect was tested using structural equation modeling technique.

The results reveal a strong positive relationship of SQ dimensions, CS and CL. Reliability, privacy and security and convenience, respectively, proved to increase CS and CL more than the other SQ dimensions, particularly during COVID-19. Moreover, CS was found to significantly and fully mediate the effect of SQ on CL.

This is an empirical research applied in the Egyptian telecommunications setting. Its relationships need further investigation in other settings and countries. Also, traditional limitations of a cross-sectional study apply with respect to the attribution of causality and the time lag effects.

In strategic planning of telecommunications services and the associated consumer behavior, the results of this study can be helpful for policymakers. In case of similar epidemics and natural calamities, consumers may depict similar behavior as shown during the lockdown and social distancing during COVID-19; hence, this study can help regulatory bodies in preparing their safety roadmap.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge in enhancing the understanding on the impact of telecommunications SQ on CS and loyalty, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the mediating effect of service quality (SQ) in the relationship between relational capital (RC) and organizational performance (OP) within the Egyptian mobile telecommunication setting.

A valid research instrument was utilized to conduct a survey of 384 top- middle- and supervisory- level managers from three Egyptian mobile telecommunications companies. The hypothesized direct relationships were tested through multiple linear regression, and the mediating effect was tested using a structural equation modeling technique.

The results revealed that the firm's “customer and supplier relations” and “marketing capability” positively affect both OP and SQ, “customer knowledge” positively affects SQ only, while “strategic alliances, licensing and agreements” do not have an association with SQ or OP. Moreover, SQ was found fully mediating the effect of RC on OP.

This is an empirical research applied in the Egyptian telecommunication setting. Its results need further investigation in other settings and countries. Also, traditional limitations of a cross-sectional study apply with respect to the attribution of causality and the time lag effects.

The optimal procedure for the Egyptian telecommunications companies is to focus their efforts on leveraging all four components of RC in order to improve SQ and consequently enhance their OP. The telecommunications companies must do all they can to connect the unconnected. As the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis has shown, connectivity is a public good.

This is the first research that merges the concepts of RC, SQ and OP in an integrated model, and tests this model empirically in the Egyptian mobile telecommunications setting.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test empirically a new holistic performance measurement model that integrates the best of current performance measurement frameworks and methodologies and builds upon the resource-based view to strategic management.

A survey collected responses from 379 top-, middle- and supervisory-level managers from 3 telecommunications service providers in Egypt. The hypothesized direct relationships were tested through multiple linear regression (using SPSS software), and the mediating effect was tested using the structural equation modeling technique (using AMOS software).

The results reveal that the proposed model is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring and managing holistic organizational performance. The results also reveal that Egyptian telecommunications companies have primarily emphasized the use of structural and relational capital to enhance their service quality (SQ) and performance outcomes (POs). Moreover, SQ was found to significantly and partially mediate the effect of organizational capitals (OCs) on POs.

The proposed model is a novel model that needs further investigation using various research designs and multiple research methods to assure its reliability and validity as a holistic performance measurement system.

The Egyptian telecommunications companies should efficiently manage and leverage all four components of OCs, especially the components of intellectual capital to improve their SQ and consequently enhance their POs.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research to study the relationships among OCs, SQ and POs, merge them in an integrated performance measurement model and test this model empirically in the Egyptian telecommunications setting.

The authors examined intellectual capital (IC) components, namely human, structural and relational capital, on firm performance (FP) and innovation performance (IP), while also examining the role of knowledge management (KM) in this context.

The authors employed a meta-analysis using 81 studies from 2006 to 2020 using bivariate analysis, meta-analytic structure equation modeling (MASEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to study IC components on FP and IP.

The MASEM results show that IC affects positively on FP, but not in a significant level and affects positively and significantly on IP. The findings also reveal that the moderation effect of KM affects positively on FP but not on IP. Additionally, the fsQCA analysis shows that KM and its multidimensional role has a positive impact on FP and IP and has a potential to be consistent as a dynamic component for IC.

The results may be limited by different statistical biases and inverse causality issues or associated with contextualities related to the studies of the sample selected by our criteria.

Managers can identify the appropriate IC elements and act accordingly. The study suggests that mobilizing human, structural, relational and knowledge capital must begin from the firms' birth and continue further during firms' stages of the business.

IC is the bridge of evolution for future societies. Knowing how its components impact all levels of corporate environment indirectly influences how societies build up their social bases and policies to fulfill new professional generations.

By using the MASEM and fsQCA, the authors have more detailed insights into the multidimensional context of KM in IC components on firm and innovation performance identifying configurations of intangible resources.

Al-Tahrir Square (Liberation Square, in Arabic) is one of the main public spaces in Cairo, Egypt, and was the focal point for the Egyptian Revolution of January 2011. Although Tahrir Square is traditionally a noisy disliked crowded traffic zone, people gathering and demonstrating during 2011 transformed the a space into a livable interactive civic place (Bricoleurbanism, 2019). The study integrates three main subjects affecting each other: first; Tahrir history and its architectural description, second; activities and events of 2011 revolution at Tahrir and thirdly; theories and concepts of place/space transformations. Many space and place transformation cycles of the Al-Tahrir square have been studied for over a century. It shows that transformation happens when a “meaning” is added and “memories” turn into “behavior” and belonging (Pallasmaa, 2014). This chapter discusses how both the functions and the mental image of Al-Tahrir Square changed with the events along with the behavior of its occupants during 2011.

The square was analyzed to discover the mechanisms, motives, and reasons that caused such change. Furthermore, a comparison between Tahrir Square's status before and after 2011 was offered, according to “New Urbanism's successful places criteria” (PPS, 2009). Recently, physical and moral evacuation of the square deliberately enforced to replace its iconographic status as a place of revolution, with ancient Egyptian elements. This study elaborates on these results demonstrating how Cairo's Tahrir Square is a remarkable example of the dynamic nature of public spaces turning into places, and then into spaces again, due to actions of authority or the will of people.

This paper aims to investigate the effect of product offering and other service quality (SQ) dimensions on the satisfaction of the customers of both Islamic and conventional banks, using evidence from an oil-based economy that is based on a prolonged SERVQUAL model with 11 dimensions and other statistical analysis methods.

The data were collected from 461 Islamic and conventional bank customers in Qatar via a survey and several tests were used to test certain hypotheses. Component analysis, factor analysis and gap and ascendency analysis were used in this study. Afterward, a correlation analysis and regression model were used to examine the hypotheses and validate the instruments used.

The results show that regardless of the type of bank, customers always have greater expectations of the services than they had perceived. A customer’s expectation of the product on offer is the only dimension that is significantly different in relation to the two types of banks. However, reliability, competence, responsiveness, credibility and empathy dimensions are significantly different of the two types of banks in customers’ perception of quality. In addition, the results suggest that both types of banks need to concentrate their efforts on the product offering, competence and courtesy dimensions.

The size of our sample of Islamic and conventional banks is unequally balanced. Future studies might therefore choose an equally balanced sample.

Bank managers in both types of banks need to continue improving the quality of their service including product offering and to adopt advanced methods to enhance customer satisfaction (CS) and reduce the gaps in quality in the dimensions used. Furthermore, managers in both types of banks need to put more emphasis on product offering, competence, courtesy and communication if they wish to improve SQ. Moreover, Islamic banks must guarantee that they possess competent, highly trained personnel who are familiar with Islamic finance products, so as to enhance the quality of service and attract customers.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the effect of product offering and other dimensions of SQ on CS in both Islamic and conventional banks by using 11 dimensions of SQ. In addition, it provides evidence of gaps in SQ, at the dimensions level, for both types of banks in an oil-based economy. The results of this study are valuable in helping decision-makers and bank managers who wish to raise the level of SQ and improve CS and in validating the results from other countries with a dual financial system.

This paper aims to clarify the relationship between the slurry erosion and one of the case hardening treatments, i.e. boronizing in this study, for AISI-5117 steel alloy. AISI-5117 steel alloy was used because of its variety applications in the field of submarine equipment. Most of the slurry erosion factors such as velocity, impact angle and mechanism of erosion were studied at different impact angles.

At first, the samples were prepared and subjected to the boronizing treatment in controlled atmosphere. By using a slurry erosion test-rig, all experiments for studying the slurry erosion factors were carried out. Moreover, the studied specimens were investigated via scanning electron microscope, optical microscope and X-ray diffraction to study the erosion mechanism in the different conditions.

It was expected that the boronization of the AISI-5117 steel would increase its slurry erosion resistance due to its positive impact on the surface hardness. However, the results observed show the opposite, where the boronization of AISI-5117 steel decreased its slurry erosion resistance as implied by the increase of the mass loss percentage at all impact angles.

This research, for the first time, exhibits the effect of boronizing treatment on the slurry erosion in different impact factors accompanied by the erosion mechanism at each impact angle.

This study develops a robust model to measure intellectual capital efficiency (ICE). It also analyzes ICE across Gulf companies, sectors and countries.

This study uses data envelopment analysis (DEA), the Malmquist productivity index (MPI), difference tests and additional analyses on a dataset consisting of 276 firm-year observations.

The findings indicate that the study model is robust to additional analysis. The results show significant differences in ICE between firms during the study period and noteworthy differences between countries, where the Qatari and Bahraini firms achieved the best ICE compared to other countries.

The results of this study have significant ramifications for increasing knowledge of ICE analysis models among relevant parties. In addition, the findings may affect trading strategies because investors and financiers are motivated by the potential for lucrative financial returns on their investments in companies that prioritize ICE strategies.

This research contributes to the literature by proposing a robust model for estimating the ICE. It also compares ICE across Gulf companies, industries and countries to shed light on their ICE challenges.

Paper aims to preparation of new acid disperse dyes based on thiadiazol derivatives and evaluation of their use as antimicrobial colorants in digital transfer-printing ink formulations for printing onto polyester fabric substrates.

New disperse dyes based on 1,3,4 - thiadiazol derivative (dyes 1–3) were prepared and evaluated by different analysis then formulated as colored materials in the ink formulations. The viscosity, dynamic surface tension and particle size distribution of the prepared inks were measured. The printed polyester fabric substrates were tested using a variety of tests, including light fastness, washing, alkali perspiration and Crock fastness, as well as depth of penetration. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out at the Becke3-Lee-Yang-parr (B3LYP) level using the 6–311** basis set, and the biological activity of the prepared disperse dyes was investigated.

The obtained results of the physical of the prepared ink revealed that thiadiazol disperse ink is a promising ink formulation for polyester printing and agrees with the quality of the printed polyester fabric. The optimization geometry for molecular structures agreed with the analysis of these compounds. The HOMO/LUMO and energy gap of the studied system were discussed. The molecular docking analysis showed strong interaction with DNA Gyrase and demonstrated to us the high ability of these inks to act as antimicrobial agents.

The prepared inks containing the prepared thiadiazol disperse dye were high-performance and suitable for this type of printing technique, according to the results. The prepared inks resist the growth of microorganisms and thus increase the ink's storage stability.

The prepared disperse dyes based on 1,3,4 - thiadiazol derivative (dyes 1–3) can be a promising colorant in different applications, like some types of paint formulations and as a colorant in printing of different fabric substrates.