The Effect of Customer-Company Relationship on Internet Adoption in Jordanian Small and Medium Enterprises

Internet is a new effective way to conduct business and marketing. It is used widely in the developed countries because of its unquestionable benefits especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) where internet provides great potential for such firms to compete world wild. SMEs are very important component of the national economies and are estimated to account for 80 percent of global economic growth. In developing countries, such as Jordan, internet adoption for marketing activities can be very helpful to SMEs. The main objective of this research is to examine the customer-company relationship effect on internet adoption in Jordanian SMEs, and highlight the actual use of internet in SMEs that adopted internet for marketing activities. One main and three sub- hypotheses were formed based on the literature review and previous studies. A restricted research methodology was used and the hypothesis was tested over a proportional systematic random sample obtained from the official records of Amman Chamber of Commerce. Data was collected through questionnaires, 270 personally submitted questionnaires were distributed to the decisions makers in Jordanian SMEs. Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) was chosen to describe and analyze the data of 253 filtered and screened questionnaires. Results and discussion, conclusion, and recommendations were provided

The effects of user generated content and traditional reference groups on purchase intentions of young consumers: A comparative study on electronic products

This paper investigates the impact of post-purchase user generated content (UGC) and traditional reference groups on the purchase intentions for electronic products (e-products) among young consumers in Jordan. To achieve this, a descriptive methodology was adapted, with a quantitative approach and survey strategy utilizing a five-point Likert scale questionnaire distributed to 450 university and college students in Jordan. 400 filtered and screened copies underwent statistical analyses. SPSS version 21 was utilized to describe and analyze the data. The results revealed a strong impact of post-purchase UGC on purchase intentions of e-products among young consumers. The results also revealed that traditional reference groups have a lower significant impact on the purchase intentions of young consumers, indicating that young consumers rely on online communities more than they rely on family, friends, colleagues, and other social organizations. The findings are discussed with a view to their implications, with recommendations for future research.</jats:p

Impact of Innovation on Realizing Competitive Advantage in Banking Sector in Jordan*

With the increasing competition in a dynamic environment, competitive advantage can be very important to achieve better performance and better results eventually. The traditional four dimensions of competitive advantage are: Cost, Time, Quality, and Flexibility. The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of innovation on realizing the competitive advantage in the banking sector in Jordan. The impact of innovation on each of the competitive advantage’s dimensions is tested through the statistical package for social science (SPSS). Reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, and regression analyses were performed. The results illustrated that innovation has a direct positive impact on competitive advantage through its dimensions (time, quality, cost, and flexibility) and that banks should support innovation in all aspects of business and operations. Conclusion, recommendation, and future research avenues were provided

The Effect of Brand Associations on Customer Loyalty: Empirical Study on Mobile Devices in Jordan

Customer loyalty is becoming more important to most firms; it is an excellent defense against the growing competition, therefore understanding the brand associations that effect loyalty will help the firms considerably in preparing the proper strategies and new products development. The main objective of this study is to understand the effect of eleven brand association dimensions (drafted from Aarker’s brand associations dimensions) on customer loyalty in the field of mobile devices in Jordan. The population of the study was selected to be the universities students in Jordan. One main hypothesis was formulated based on the literature review. A restricted research methodology was used and data was collected using questionnaire, 488 personally submitted questionnaires were distributed. Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) was chosen to describe and analyze the data of 421 filtered and screened useable questionnaires. Results showed that there is a significant effect of brand association on customer loyalty, discussion on the most important dimensions effecting customer loyalty was provided. Conclusion and recommendations were developed based on the results of the study

Differences in how leaders and employees view organizational changes: Lessons from an international multicultural context

AbstractThe research aims to provide actionable insights to a Dubai-based digital payment company following a leadership-driven organizational transformation. Semi-structured interviews with executives and staff were supplemented by observations and field notes. The study found that foreign employees experienced confusion due to a lack of clear communication or information. Hierarchical work environments and legacy problems hindered employee change. Fear and distrust prevented employees from voicing their concerns. Employees and executives shared similar opinions on the work environment and organizational culture. Leaders did not place enough importance on early worker involvement, communication, and information flow, which hindered their vision and evaluation of employees’ conduct. Earlier discussion and resolution of these issues may narrow the gap between the CEO and employees

The Association Between Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Exposure to Tobacco Smoking: A Case-Control Study in Qatar

Objective: This research investigated the association between childhood and adulthood tobacco smoking exposure with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) in Qatar. Study Design and Setting: In this case-control study, CD and UC cases were matched to controls of the same age and sex. The associations between UC and CD and childhood passive smoking and adulthood active smoking were assessed using conditional multivariable logistic regression. Results: A total of 89 CD cases, median age of 37 years (IQR 29–47), and 362 UC cases, median age of 35 years (IQR 28–44), and equal numbers of controls were included. After multivariable logistic regression, CD was associated with higher odds of being a current smoker (OR 2.51, 95% CI 0.85–7.37, p=0.095), with weak evidence against the null hypothesis. This association was more pronounced in women, where CD was associated with both adulthood current smoking (OR 42.71, 95% CI, 1.17–1559.57, p=0.041), and childhood smoking exposure (OR 8.23, 95% CI, 1.36–49.66, p=0.021). In males, no associations were observed between CD and the smoking exposures. No associations were observed between UC and both smoking variables. Conclusion: In Qatar, adulthood tobacco smoking appears to increase the odds of CD. Further, our findings suggest that both childhood and adulthood cigarette smoke exposure may possibly have a detrimental effect on the odds of CD in females but not in males, although further research is needed