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Article
Publication date: 17 June 2007

Yang Xia, Yiyun Qiu and Ahmed U. Zafar

Many FDI studies focus on the advantages that businesses can gain through internationalization and internalization. More recent research has indicated that such traditional…

Abstract

Many FDI studies focus on the advantages that businesses can gain through internationalization and internalization. More recent research has indicated that such traditional theories or perspectives may not sufficiently explain the subsequent success or failure of a firm’s operation in a foreign country, because the advantages gained through FDIs could be greatly affected by their strategic management in the host country environment. This study focused on the issue of a firm’s resources on its subsidiary’s competitiveness in a foreign country. A survey was undertaken in China. All companies participating in the study were small and medium‐sized Singapore‐China joint ventures and Singaporean wholly owned enterprises in China. The findings indicated that the variance in a firm’s performance in a foreign country can be largely explained by the six dimensions of firm resources: (1) technological resources, (2) owner/top manager’s managerial skills and capabilities, (3) employee’s Guanxi skills, (4) employee’s professional/technical knowledge, (5) the firm’s internal relationships and, (6) the firm’s external relationships. Among these six dimensions, employees’ professional knowledge and Guanxi skills, as well as a firm’s internal and external relationships, are significant predictors of Singaporean SMEs’ success in China.

Details

Multinational Business Review, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1525-383X

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Asian Financial Crisis Financial, Structural and International Dimensions
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-76230-686-2

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2023

Binh Thi Thanh Truong, Phuong Van Nguyen, Demetris Vrontis and Zafar U. Ahmed

This paper aims to explore how the three components of intellectual capital (IC) (human, structural and relational) are related to corporate innovation and how effective knowledge…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how the three components of intellectual capital (IC) (human, structural and relational) are related to corporate innovation and how effective knowledge management can improve business performance, innovation and environmental compliance. Additionally, the study investigates the influence of environmental compliance on overall business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The organizational resource-based view was used to develop a theoretical model and accompanying hypotheses. A survey design approach was used to collect data and evaluate the model. The predicted relationships were tested by structural equation modeling using data acquired from members of management teams in the Vietnamese manufacturing sector.

Findings

The three components of IC have significant positive effects on business performance. In addition, corporate innovation, knowledge management success (KMS) and environmental compliance all significantly increase business performance. Moreover, KMS indirectly enhances business performance through innovation and environmental compliance.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides useful insights into knowledge management, innovation and environmental compliance for administrators, practitioners and scholars. The results support practical advice for how firms can integrate KMS strategies into their operations, improve environmental compliance and increase business success.

Originality/value

The links between IC, knowledge management, innovation and environmental compliance are of ongoing interest to organizational scholars. However, empirical research on the relationships of these factors with business performance has been limited. This study investigates these links and offers factual evidence for them.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 April 2017

Cristelle Msaed, Sam O. Al-Kwifi and Zafar U. Ahmed

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that underpin consumer switching intention in the smartphone industry. Most of the literature on brand switching uses…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that underpin consumer switching intention in the smartphone industry. Most of the literature on brand switching uses conventional models that lack the ability to explain this behavior for high-technology products. Such products have unique characteristics that make the switching process more challenging from the consumer perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed model is built based on the related theories that consider the distinctive aspects of high-technology products. Furthermore, two variables “relative advantage of product features” and “company innovativeness” are introduced for the first time to evaluate consumer attitude to switch a high-technology product. The smartphone industry was selected to test the proposed model, where an online survey was sent to Apple and Samsung users.

Findings

The results confirm the expectation that perceived product usefulness, perceived ease of use and relative advantage of product features are the major factors driving the intention of users to switch, whereas subjective norms have limited impact. The financial cost of switching is the main barrier to consumers’ decision to switch to a new technology. The pleasure consumers feel toward their brand and the other brand is positively associated with their attitude toward switching.

Research limitations/implications

This research contributes to the literature on brand switching by introducing a comprehensive model that explains consumer switching behavior of high-technology products. Research findings would allow managers to draft better marketing strategies to improve consumer brand awareness.

Originality/value

The majority of literature on brand switching uses simple models to explain consumer behavior. This study is the first attempt to build a comprehensive model that considers the characteristics of high-technology products and how they shape consumer behavior during the decision-making process.

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2022

Allam K. Abu Farha, Osama Sam Al-Kwifi, Georgia Sakka, Phuong V. Nguyen and Zafar U. Ahmed

Research demonstrates that servitization can achieve competitive advantages for firms; however, many firms are unable to achieve their target values due to various challenges…

Abstract

Purpose

Research demonstrates that servitization can achieve competitive advantages for firms; however, many firms are unable to achieve their target values due to various challenges. This study proposes a new model in which open innovation and co-creation are utilized to access consumer knowledge during the servitization process when developing customized services for international markets.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was used to collect the data from 150 manufacturing firms. The data were analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) approach.

Findings

The results indicate that open innovation positively affects servitization strategy. Moreover, consumer co-creation moderates the impacts of servitization on firm performance.

Practical implications

This study confirms the significant role of open innovation and consumer integration in the servitization process, establishing that managers should effectively integrate different stakeholders from the service design stage (through open innovation) to the service delivery stage (through co-creation).

Originality/value

The paper's results prominently advance the present body of servitization literature by showing how the implementation of open innovation improves the servitization process, an issue that has been ignored in previous studies. Moreover, it seeks to resolve the inconsistent results on servitization's effect on performance by indicating the role of consumer co-creation in the servitization–performance link.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. 40 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 January 2020

Dana-Nicoleta Lascu, Zafar U. Ahmed, Irfan Ahmed and Tan Hui Min

Previous research has posited country image to operate at two levels: the country’s macro image, based on general politico-economic descriptors of the country, and the country’s…

Abstract

Purpose

Previous research has posited country image to operate at two levels: the country’s macro image, based on general politico-economic descriptors of the country, and the country’s micro image, based on perceptions of products from the country. The purpose of this paper is to further explore this premise in a practical study, using a psychometric assessment of macro and micro country images by ascertaining the nature of differences in macro and micro images of leading exporters, the USA and China, for consumers in Malaysia, a top import destination of US and Chinese goods; the images of Malaysian goods were similarly assessed.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a systematic sample, with questionnaires distributed to adult respondents using a street intercept. Interviewers asked every other passer-by to fill out a questionnaire, and stood in close proximity to address any questions from respondents. The study hypothesized that there is a significant difference between country macro and micro image, respectively for the USA, China and Malaysia, and that there is significant relationship between country macro image and country micro image in each country, respectively, USA, China and Malaysia.

Findings

The study found support for the reliability of existing country micro and macro image measures, and further refined them for increased validity. The study compared between the countries and found significant differences on both macro and micro dimensions of country image. The US scored highest on technological research, high quality products, standards of living, labor costs, welfare system, industrialization, civilian government, development, literacy, free-market system and democracy, followed by China on technological research, industrialization, development and free-market system, with Malaysia scoring higher on product quality, labor costs, welfare system, civilian government is civilian/non-military, literacy, free-market system and democracy.

Research limitations/implications

A broader study of countries that share geopolitical and cultural similarities might offer additional insights into country macro and micro image.

Practical implications

The study cautions marketers to assess the acceptance of their products in the context of their country’s macro and micro image perceptions in target markets, and steer those perceptions in a manner that would be beneficial to their marketing efforts.

Originality/value

The conceptualization of the macro and micro aspects of country image has been one of the less studied dimensions of country image. This study is the first to address these dimensions from an emerging-market perspective, suggesting that, at the macro level, country perceptions regarding technology, economy, and politics contribute to an overall impression of the country, which would then influence the desirability of its products originating there. For the micro country image, products from countries perceived as innovative, excelling in product design, and producing prestigious products, are likely to be perceived as desirable.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 32 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 July 2023

Trang Thi Uyen Nguyen, Phuong Van Nguyen, Hien Thi Ngoc Huynh, Demetris Vrontis and Zafar U. Ahmed

This study aims to investigate the determinants of public trust in e-government services (Te-GS) and participation in social media.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the determinants of public trust in e-government services (Te-GS) and participation in social media.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative cross-sectional field survey was used to collect primary data at the local government level in 11 cities, towns and districts in Tien Giang Province, Vietnam. The final data set of 529 respondents was analysed using SmartPLS4 to evaluate the measurement and structural models.

Findings

Perceived responsiveness, transparency and security have strong positive associations with Te-GS, whereas perceived accountability does not. Furthermore, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are positively associated with social media participation.

Originality/value

Although previous studies have examined citizen behaviour in the use of e-government services, the social media context has rarely been considered due to its novelty. This study adds to the knowledge of the antecedents of participation in e-government services in developing countries such as Vietnam. Furthermore, it provides a comprehensive framework for understanding participation intention that considers four elements of good governance theory and two elements of the technology acceptance model (TAM), thereby extending previous research on the effects of these variables on the adoption of e-government services.

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1996

Zafar U. Ahmed

This study was designed to examine the dimensions of tourist image as it may affect the promotion strategy for a given tourist destination. Identification of the different…

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the dimensions of tourist image as it may affect the promotion strategy for a given tourist destination. Identification of the different constituents of a destination's tourist image may provide important information that can be used in developing focused promotional strategies in well segmented markets to promote a tourist destination. Constituents of a destination's tourist image for the state of Utah were identified using factor analysis based upon a priori assumptions about the nature of constituents of a state's tourist image. Four major constituents of a destination's/state's tourist image emerged. Each dimension represents a potential source of focus for regionally promoting a given destination to various target segments.

Details

The Tourist Review, vol. 51 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0251-3102

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 20 June 2019

Osama Sam Al-Kwifi, Allam Abu Farha and Zafar U. Ahmed

Since Islamic markets are growing substantially, there is an urgent need to gain a better understanding of how Muslim consumers perceive products from a religious perspective. The…

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Abstract

Purpose

Since Islamic markets are growing substantially, there is an urgent need to gain a better understanding of how Muslim consumers perceive products from a religious perspective. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the brain responses of Muslim consumers to Halal and non-Halal products using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model is a simplified version of the theory of planned behavior. The initial experiment began by asking participants to divide a set of images into two groups: Halal and non-Halal products. The fMRI experiment uses a blocked design approach to capture brain activities resulting from presenting the two groups of images to participants, and to record the strength of their attitudes toward purchasing the products.

Findings

Across all participants, the level of brain activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex increased significantly when Halal images were presented to them. The same results emerged when the Halal images showed raw and cooked meat. The variations in the results may be due to the high emotional sensitivity of Muslim consumers to using religious products.

Research limitations/implications

This study uses a unique approach to monitor brain activity to confirm that consumers from specific market segments respond differently to market products based on their internal beliefs. Findings from this study provide evidence that marketing managers targeting Muslim markets should consider the sensitivity of presenting products in ways that reflect religious principles, in order to gain higher acceptance in this market segment.

Originality/value

Although the literature reports considerable research on Muslim consumers’ behavior, most of the previous studies utilize conventional data collection approaches to target broad segments of consumers by using traditional products. This paper is the first to track the reactions of the Muslim consumer segment to specific types of market products.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 November 2019

Abdel Hafiez Ali Hasaballah, Omer Faruk Genc, Osman Bin Mohamad and Zafar U. Ahmed

The purpose of this study is to develop a comprehensive model that explains the influence of different relational variables on export performance and the interaction between those…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a comprehensive model that explains the influence of different relational variables on export performance and the interaction between those relational variables.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a theoretical paper building upon the relational variables and export performance literatures.

Findings

A theoretical model was developed based on the existing studies and findings. In the proposed model, relational outcome variables mediate the effect of relational contextual variables on export performance.

Research limitations/implications

The model developed in this study opens new avenues for future research because it provides a different perspective on how relational variables interact with each other in terms of their impact on export performance.

Practical implications

Relational variables have great importance for firms’ export performance. This study provides a framework about how these variables affect export performance, which should be taken into consideration in firms’ strategies and decisions with regard to the relations with partners.

Originality/value

Despite the consensus about the importance of relational variables, the evidence is mixed with regard to the way they affect export performance. With the proposed model, this study aims to fill this gap by providing a framework that explains how relational variables interact with each other and how they affect export performance.

Details

Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-5201

Keywords

1 – 10 of 447