Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan

Strategic branding of destinations: a framework

Purpose – Travel and tourism is the second largest global industry with daily international revenues of approximately US

Student Choice in Higher Education: Motivations for Choosing to Study at an International Branch Campus

2 billion, and investments of 12 percent of world GDP. Though this is a highly competitive industry, there is a paucity of academic research on destination branding. This paper aims to present a branding framework for designing successful destination strategies. This exploratory study seeks to determine key factors that affect the strategic branding of destinations.Design/methodology/approach – Similar fields like place marketing, destination marketing, services, product and corporate branding were reviewed along with destination case studies. Based on this review and its extrapolation to the “destination context”, a framework for strategic branding of destinations was formulated.Findings – Successful strategic branding of destinations is dependent on several inter‐related components, which are discussed. The paper highlights key issues in destination branding and provides a platform fo...

Dubai - a star in the east A case study in strategic destination branding

The international branch campus has emerged as a prominent feature on the international higher education landscape. Although there exists a fairly substantial body of literature that has sought to identify the motivations or choice criteria used by international students to select countries and institutions, there has to date been little research on student motivations for studying at an international branch campus. This quantitative study, using the push-pull model of international student destination choice as its theoretical framework, involved 320 undergraduate and postgraduate students studying at branch campuses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was found that the main motivations of students who choose to study at an international branch campus are different to those students who choose to study at home campuses. Thus, we propose a revised model of international student destination choice, which incorporates two distinct sets of push and pull factors—one that applies to the home campuses of Western universities and one that applies to international branch campuses. In addition to developing the theory on international student choice, our findings may be used by higher education institutions to better understand both their existing and potential students, with the view to applying segmentation techniques in their marketing activities.

Assessing student satisfaction in transnational higher education

Purpose – Worldwide approximately 200 national economies are competing in the destination market. In 2006, global government and capital expenditure exceeded US

Student satisfaction and student perceptions of quality at international branch campuses in the United Arab Emirates

1,480 billion making destination branding an important concept that still remains fragmented and unplanned. Dubai, an emirate of the UAE in the Middle East has been chosen as a case study to explain some elements of successful destination branding. This paper aims to apply a framework developed by Balakrishnan to explain areas of caution when competing in an international market where success is also partially dependent on the macro‐environment.Design/methodology/approach – The framework was developed by reviewing literature on destination, place, corporate, product portfolio and service branding. The framework was tested using case study methodology. Secondary research was primarily used to develop the case.Findings – There is a strong fit with the model suggesting that destinations can use this as a basis for continuity in strategy even as gover...

The effects of social identification and organizational identification on student commitment, achievement and satisfaction in higher education

Purpose – Given that there exists in the literature relatively little research into student experiences in transnational higher education, the purpose of this paper is to identify the determinants of student satisfaction at international branch campuses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Design/methodology/approach – This quantitative study involved 247 undergraduate and postgraduate students at branch campuses in the UAE who completed a questionnaire using either hard copies or an online version.Findings – It was found that levels of student satisfaction at UAE branch campuses were generally high. The factors that were most influential in determining whether or not a student at a UAE branch campus was satisfied overall with their institution were quality of lecturers, quality and availability of resources, and effective use of technology.Research limitations/implications – Given that cultures, customs, traditions and social contexts vary considerably in different locations, the findings of this study are ...

Gain the most from your marketing spend on loyalty

The international branch campus has emerged as a popular form of transnational higher education but to date little research has been undertaken on student perceptions and experiences, other than the student feedback evaluations conducted by institutions. This research employed a survey questionnaire to investigate student perceptions of study at international branch campuses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the country which hosts the largest number of branch campuses globally. Across the seven dimensions examined – programme effectiveness, quality of lecturers and teaching, student learning, assessment and feedback, learning resources, use of technology, and facilities/social life – it was found that students are largely satisfied. The findings refute many of the criticisms of international branch campuses in the literature, regarding quality, political or ideological issues.

Methods to increase research output: some tips looking at the MENA region

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of social and organizational identifications on student commitment, achievement and satisfaction in higher education. The sample comprised 437 students enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate programme in business or management. A model was developed and tested using structural equation modelling. It was found that organizational identification is a stronger predictor of student commitment, achievement and satisfaction than social identification. Although organizational identification was a strong predictor of student satisfaction, student commitment was better at explaining student achievement. The implications for higher education institutions are discussed. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first study to examine the effects of organizational identification on student commitment, achievement and satisfaction. The key contribution of the research is in providing support for the hypothesis that organizational identification can influence the attitudes and behaviour of higher education students, as it has been shown to do with employees and consumers.

Protecting from brand burn during times of crisis: Mumbai 26/11: a case of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel

Purpose – The paper aims to highlight common mistakes organizations make when designing loyalty programs and provides the reader some questions to ponder before spending money in the pursuit of loyalty. It is based on a review of 300 journal articles.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a detailed review of literature, and the authors observation in researching loyalty over the last three years.Findings – Loyalty is of many types and the biggest mistake organizations make is thinking they all need attitudinal loyalty. This is not so and organizations should look at the industry, customers and more importantly their own goals before deciding how much money to spend.Originality/value – The study prioritizes perceived value, satisfaction, behavioral loyalty and attitudinal loyalty in the context of the organizational goals and industry. It provides a simple process to relook ROI in loyalty programs.

The 4D Model of Place Brand Management

Purpose – Business, management and accounting (BMA) papers published from The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, account for less than 1 per cent of the total papers published. As nations in MENA try and compete on the national competitive index, there is a tendency to adopt performance appraisal criteria from more established research nations. MENA accounts for 6 per cent of world population, and has one of the worlds highest growth rates at 3 per cent. Since over one‐third of the population is under 15, if factors that hider and encourage research are identified, the research output can be increased. As it is clear that research on this region and from researchers in MENA is low, the purpose of this paper is to focus on how to increase research on this region.Design/methodology/approach – Since there is very little information from this region, the research was exploratory in nature. Interviews with academics, officers in charge or research grants, publishers and senior managers from industry ...