Ian Michael

The travel behaviour of international students: the relationship between studying abroad and their choice of tourist destinations.

This paper examines why international students opt for their chosen study destination. It also investigates their behaviour as tourists while studying, whether they hosted visits from friends or relatives and their overall economic contribution. The sample consisted of 600 international students studying in higher education institutions in Melbourne, Australia of which 219 responded. A stratified random sampling method was used with the key variables identified as country of origin, gender and university attended. Key questions included: What were the factors that prompted students to study in Australia? How did they become familiar with destinations and tourist attractions during the course of their studies? What tourist attractions and activities were most popular? It was discovered that word-of-mouth was the most significant medium of communication in the selection of educational destination. Most travel undertaken during the period of enrolment was for private purposes. The most popular Melbourne attraction was the Queen Victoria Market and The Great Ocean Road was the most popular attraction statewide. The study also found that tourism related activities undertaken by overseas students contributed approximately A

Dubai outbound tourism: An exploratory study of Emiratis and expatriates:

8.2m to the economy of the state of Victoria. The figure more than doubles to approximately A

Etihad: contributing to the UAE vision through Emiratisation

17.2m if the expenditures of visiting friends and relatives (VFRs) are included.

Abraaj Capital Limited: Celebration of Entrepreneurship (CoE)

This research investigates the perceptions of residents of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) towards the state of Victoria, Australia as a destination and assesses their knowledge of Victoria’s tourism attributes. Focus groups were undertaken with UAE nationals (referred to as Emiratis), expatriate residents and travel agents. In the case of the former group it was found that the previous travel experiences of most respondents involved travelling in family groups with the wife and mother making the key travel-related decisions. The responses appeared to be broadly representative of attitudes prevalent more widely within their relevant families. Of the expatriate respondents, all were experienced travellers who had previously visited Australia. Their tourism interests, in such things as outdoor activities and music, differed from those of the Emiratis. All but one of the respondents in the focus group of travel agents had previously visited Australia. The study fills a gap in researching immature markets. The use of the focus group method illustrates how investigating the perceptions of emerging target markets can provide a useful input to shape future industry development.

GEA Group – doing business in the Middle East

Subject area – Strategy, Emiratisation (national policy); human resources (recruitment, training and development, organizational culture and values) and marketing (branding, communication), tourism (destination image).Study level/applicability – Undergraduate and Postgraduate Business and Management.Case overview – This case highlights the strategy and initiatives taken by Etihad to attract Emirati employees (local nationals) to join the organization. Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), based in Abu Dhabi, the national capital. Since its inception in 2003, the airline has grown faster than any other in commercial aviation history; it currently flies to more than 60 destinations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. In the UAE, nationals or Emiratis comprise only 20 per cent of the overall population. According to the UAE 2021 Vision, the governments focus is on building the human capabilities on knowledge and innovation for Emiratis. ...

HAIER: “Beat the Heat”

Subject area Strategic stakeholder engagement, entrepreneurialism, ecosystem, corporate social responsibility, event management, branding, marketing strategy. Study level/applicability Post-graduate level, practitioners interested in MENSA Region, entrepreneurship policy makers and NGOs. Case overview Abraaj Capital Ltd (Abraaj), a highly reputed private equity investment and management company, strongly believed in corporate social responsibility, strategic stakeholder engagement and entrepreneurship ecosystem development. In November, 2010, Abraaj held the “Celebration of Entrepreneurship” (CoE) a two-day free entrepreneur event, in Dubai. CoE was attended by more than 2,400 participants. The purpose of CoE was to contribute to building an entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Middle East North Africa South Asia region (MENASA). Based on participant feedback, CoE Outcomes and stakeholder feedback, the event was very successful. This case is a good example of community engagement and showcases entrepreneurship ecosystem development. This case also highlights the challenges of putting together a signature event in a very short time frame. The future management dilemmas are also raised on various issues like whether to make this successful event a regular part of their organizational activities, and issues concerning the funding of such events. This case can be used to teach event management, branding, marketing strategy, CSR and entrepreneurship (from the ecosystem point of view). It will appeal to both educationalists and practitioners interested in the MENASA region, policy makers who facilitate entrepreneurship, CSR managers, event management companies and marketing specialist. It can be used to teach both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Expected learning outcomes Strategy students can focus on marketing and branding strategies; like stakeholder engagement, internal marketing, social media, positioning and brand architecture. Student of event management can learn about prioritizing, adaptability, funding and the complexity of layering a program. Supplementary materials Teaching notes, videos.

Place branding: Aligning multiple stakeholder perception of visual and auditory communication elements

Subject area Management, Strategy, International business. Study level/applicability Undergraduate or Graduates. Case overview This case is suitable for students of international business and strategy at the advanced undergraduate-level or introductory masters-level courses. It can be used for organizational design, brand management and business-to-business management classes. It may be of interest to practitioners in the Middle East and North African (MENA) markets looking at managing cross-functional teams. Expected learning outcomes On completion of utilizing the case study as an exercise, students should be able to develop the following. Case-specific skills: Critically examine the importance of the international business and strategy in the Middle East and demonstrate this by analyzing real-regional/-examples using complex theoretical frameworks; identify examples of best practice and explain the dynamics toward international business and strategy with reference to a range of theoretical models and apply these in a meaningful way to the MENA region. Discipline-specific skills: Synthesize and critically evaluate a corpus of academic literature and government reports on international business and strategy; link international business and strategy concepts and theories to real-regional/world examples. Personal and key skills: Reflect on the process of learning and undertake independent/self-directed learning (including time management) to achieve consistent, proficient and sustained attainment; work as a participant or leader of a group and contribute effectively to the achievement of objectives in the field of international business and strategy. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Zakat and its Socio-Economic Merits: A Holistic View towards Eradication of Poverty

Subject area Marketing, brand management, promotion management and corporate social responsibility. Study level/applicability Undergraduate and postgraduate. Case overview How does the “country-of-origin” issue affect brands, and what do brands need to do? The case of unique and small corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and their impact on creating brand awareness. Aamer Khan, Managing Director Hafet Electrical LLC, the sole distributor for of Haier in United Arab Emirates (UAE) was reviewing their half yearly results. Among the more unconventional strategies they had adopted was one where they used community engagement to get an insight into the local market and develop brand awareness as a caring top quality brand. The CEO of Haier, Zhang Ruimin stressed that “quality is and will remain the essence of business sustainable, whether in the past, present or future”. Aamer was evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy and considering its impact. Should he use a similar strategy next year? This case deals with the “country-of-origin” issue, an important aspect in branding a key strategy of marketing. The Haier brand and its country-of-origin were investigated among the Emirati (UAE nationals) consumers. This was done as part of a capstone research project by Meerah, Sara and Azza at Zayed University, Dubai. Further, the group created a unique CSR program for the Haier, whereby they invited people to join them in a Walkathon to raise money for a charitable cause. Haier donated various products like refrigerators, air coolers and air conditioners towards this charity. By creating this event, the group raised awareness of the Haier brand among the local population. Expected learning outcomes What is: “Country of origin” (coo) in marketing and its effect on brands? The role of CSR in corporate marketing communication? The role of small events in building brands? Supplementary materials Teaching notes.