Abdel Monim Shaltoni

Exploring students’ satisfaction with universities’ portals in developing countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors affecting students’ satisfaction with university portals in developing countries. The factors examined are educational services availability, user ability, system quality and information quality. Design/methodology/approach – A self completion questionnaire was developed and distributed to a sample of 550 students in several universities. Correlation and regression analysis were used to identify relationships and explore which of the factors had the strongest explanatory power. Findings – The results showed that educational services availability, system quality and information quality influence students’ satisfaction, with service availability being the major determinant. The cultural perspective was employed to explain these results. Originality/value – Understanding what students expect from a university portal should increase their satisfaction and consequently have a positive impact on universities’ performance. The results of this stud...

The use of sampling methods in advertising research: a gap between theory and practice

ABSTRACT In this research note, we reflect critically on the use of sampling techniques in advertising research. Our review of 1028 studies published between 2008 and 2016 in the four leading advertising journals shows that while current academic literature advocates probability sampling procedures, their actual usage is quite scarce. Most studies either lack information on the sampling method used, or engage in non-probability sampling without making adjustments to compensate for unequal selection probabilities, non-coverage, and sampling fluctuations. Based on our results, we call on researchers to revisit the fundamental aspects of sampling to increase their research results’ rigour and relevance.

Marketing of specialised products and services to consumers with disabilities: exploring the role of advertising, country-of-origin, and e-commerce

Abstract This article contains an exploration of the needs, preferences and concerns of consumers with disabilities (CwD) considering their acquisition of specialised products and services. An exploratory survey among 215 Italian citizens was carried out, all of whom are dealing with some type of disability. Quantitative and qualitative data were used to generate insight into CwD buying preferences and the difficulties associated with finding what they want/need. The results are presented under four main research issues: the consumers’ difficulty in finding the right product/service provider, the perceived degree of advertisement for products/services, the importance of the origin of the product/service provider, and finally, CwD willingness to buy products online. A number of practical implications and suggestions to improve marketing of specialised products and services to this target group are provided, which may help businesses to improve their economic success. The findings of this research may also help the CwD to improve their quality of life.

Making market research work in Saudi Arabia

Market research in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is becoming increasingly important for mainly two reasons. First, because its population is growing with a significant shift to the younger generation of Millenials (Generation Y) and Post-Millenials (Generation Z) and, second, because the economy is moving away from its dependence on oil. Researchers from both national and foreign research agencies, companies, and higher education institutions are therefore required to consider these changes when studying Saudi consumers. Especially for those who are not familiar with the cultural and societal peculiarities of the KSA, we highlight some key considerations for survey design to get quality data. We argue that several issues remain sensitive, cultural factors such as power distance have great relevance, and, inter alia, give recommendations regarding sampling and interviewing respondents.

Electronic marketing orientation in the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises context

There is an increasing interest in the role of business orientations in relation to why organizations vary in e-marketing adoption. Nevertheless, there is still scant evidence on electronic marketing orientation (EMO) within the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SMEs) context. This paper aims to shed light on the key factors that affect the degree of e-marketing adoption among SMEs from an organizational orientation perspective.,The study uses a cross-sectional survey of just over 135 European SMEs. The constructs are measured using multi-item indicators to capture the underlying theoretical domains.,The results show that EMO in SMEs is a high order construct that consists of three main components, principally: management beliefs, initiation and implementation activities. The degree of EMO is primarily affected by perceived relative advantage and customer pressure.,The study focuses on for-profit SMEs in developed economies. Future researchers may replicate this study using qualitative methods in different contexts (i.e. developing countries) across several technologies and platforms (i.e. websites, internet of things, mobile applications and social media networks).,This study further extends the literature on EMO and provides answers to the questions related to the variation in SMEs’ e-marketing adoption. Practitioners can apply the EMO construct to evaluate their orientation towards e-marketing, and most importantly, to take the required remedial action to improve their performance in digital commerce.

Effects of Gender, Occupational Stereotyping, and Culture on Perceived Service Quality in Anglo-Saxon and Middle Eastern Cultures

ABSTRACT This article investigates whether customers perceive receiving better service from same-gender service providers or from opposite-gender service providers. It also examines how occupational stereotyping and cultural values influence the perceived quality of service in eight industries. Based on 1,180 respondents from four counties, insights are provided on the effects of gender, occupational stereotyping, and culture on service quality. The study found significant gender and cultural effects on service quality and significant interaction effects of gender and culture. It was also determined that occupational stereotyping and culture significantly affect perceived service quality within each culture, which could have important managerial implications.

From websites to social media: exploring the adoption of internet marketing in emerging industrial markets

Purpose This study aims to explore internet marketing adoption in emerging industrial markets across several internet-based technologies (i.e. social media platforms, static and transactional websites). Design/methodology/approach This study is mainly based on an exploratory research design and investigated the online presence of 570 industrial organizations in terms of their involvement in social media. This study also examines if websites are used for basic marketing communications (brochureware) or for conducting advanced marketing activities. An online survey is used to explore the relationships between several factors and internet marketing adoption. Findings The study found that half of the investigated organizations are using the internet as a one-way communication vehicle through static websites. The study also revealed that decision-makers in emerging industrial markets are enthusiastic about social media, particularly Facebook. In addition, internet marketing adoption was positively related to perceived relative advantage, compatibility, organizational innovativeness, competitor and customer pressure. Practical implications From practitioners’ perspectives, the findings can help decision-makers identify the current levels of involvement in internet marketing. At the macro level, the high percentage of organizations with minimum involvement in internet marketing calls for conducting awareness initiatives to educate industrial organizations, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises, about the opportunities offered by the internet. Originality/value The findings from this study enrich internet marketing research because it focuses on industrial organizations in emerging markets, which is a rarely examined context despite its importance and potential.

Antecedents of e-marketing orientation in SMEs: An exploratory study

An organizations e-marketing orientation (EMO) reflects beliefs and behaviors towards adopting e-marketing and consequently shapes involvement in cyberspace. This effort sheds more light on SMEs adoption of e-marketing through examining EMO and its antecedents in a structural model that specified EMO as a second order formative that consists of three reflective indicators. Based on a survey of SMEs in different sectors and countries, EMO philosophical and behavioral components were validated. It was also found that the degree of EMO is primarily affected by technological contexts factors such as perceived relative advantage and compatibility.