An investigation into the strategic competence of Arab learners of English at Jordanian universities

PhD ThesisThis thesis is a qualitative study of the strategic competence of Arab English majors at Yarmouk University in Jordan. Its aim is to fill the gap found in communication strategy (CS) research, which has at present little relevance to the Jordanian situation. Its main aim is to determine which communication strategies (CSs) are used by English majors while communicating in Ll Arabic and L2 English. Furthermore, since meaning is very important in language teaching, it aims to examine whether the messages transmitted by the learners are successful and comprehensible or not. This will increase our knowledge of how and by means of which strategies Arab English majors overcome their communication problems, and which strategies they use in communicating in their native language. The subjects of the study are 30 English majors at Yarmouk University, a typical Jordanian university, put into three proficiency levels according to an adapted TOEFL test. The sample represents a full range of English majors' ability at the English Department of the same university. Their ages range from 19-23. ... The main finding of the research is that English majors make wide use of CSs. These strategies are mostly L2- English based strategies. Another finding is that in spite of their limited linguistic knowledge, English majors manage to communicate their intended meaning by making use of CSs. It is also found that the learners' use of CSs is related to their proficiency level, in that Ll-Arabic based strategies decrease as proficiency improves. One of the most interesting additional findings is the effect of the mother tongue/Arabic which increases the variety of strategy use. For example, literal translation and word coinage are widely influenced by mother tongue interference. It is found that Arabic speakers use many communication strategies when compared with speakers of other languages in CS research. The subjects' use of CSs is also related to the type of task they are performing. Finally, Arab learners use CSs in their native language, but when compared to the CSs used in their target language, these are fewer in terms of frequency and vary in terms of type. Pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research are presented in light of the findings

Framework for Adoption of Customer Relationship Management System in Hospital

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems enable hospitals to provide better quality of services, to improve customers' satisfaction, and to increase their profitability and competitiveness. However, there is little attention and lack of adoption of the CRM systems in private hospitals in Malaysia. Moreover, few studies have investigated the factors influencing the adoption of the CRM systems in private hospitals in Malaysia. The main objective of this study is therefore to develop an adoption framework of the CRM system for hospitals.Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data from the top management employees in private hospitals in Malaysia. A total of 148 questionnaires distributed in which 79 questionnaires (53%) were returned. The data of 72 valid questionnaires were analysed using Correlation and Multiple Regression techniques to validate the framework. The framework, adapted from the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory and the Model of Information System (IS) Innovation, was built to relate innovation, organizational, and environmental factors to the perception of the CRM system's benefits and implementation plans. Findings indicate that innovation, organizational, and environmental factors have positive significant relationships (p > 0.05). The results of the study such as the constructed framework, provide a set of adoption guidelines that contributes to a successful adoption and implementation of the CRM systems. The framework also contributes to the body of knowledge in the DOI theory, the Model of IS Innovation, and the CRM domain. In practical, the results have many implications such as emphasizing on the roles of the CRM systems on solving major problems in hospitals and encouraging the vendors of the CRM systems to improve their marketing strategies and to provide the CRM systems at reasonable prices

Interdisciplinary investigation of naming practices of cafes signages in Jordan

Various studies have extensively examined the linguistic aspects of signage, especially in the context of store signs. However, scholarly research on Jordanian café culture is limited. Therefore, conducting a comprehensive study of Jordan's café scene is relevant and promising in providing valuable sociocultural insights. This research explores the sociocultural values, norms, and practices associated with café signs in Jordan. Three hundred forty café signs from various neighbourhoods in Amman provided the linguistic data for this research. The findings revealed that English predominates in café signage due to its liveliness, strong connection to globalisation, and favourable client perceptions. The data also showed that trendy café names and English cultural references enhance visibility. These establishments use alliteration, blending, compounding, and connotation techniques to attract customers. This study highlights the significance of English-language signage in Jordan and its implications for linguistic landscape research. Thus, the research proves beneficial for linguistic landscape researchers seeking insights into sociocultural values, norms, and practices in Jordanian society

Social responsibility in Islamic Bank in Aqaba

The purpose of this study to show the level of Islamic Bank obedience in Aqaba to the social responsibility toward human resources customers, and to the local society. This study arrived to the conclusion that these banks obeyed by their social responsibility to all those parts except for some partial aspects such as; those banks don't participate in social programs for employees out side of work hours as in sport activities, and cultural, and entertainment centers. They don't participate enough in teaching employee's siblings. Those banks don't care enough about customer complaints, and suggestions, and don't work on solving them fast enough. They don't participate in the establishment of schools, and health centers, and they don't provide educational scholarship, financial helps, and donations to the individuals in the society. The study advised Islamic Banks in Aqaba to solve those current problems, or get rid of them in order to complete the positive view of it. Keyword: Social, responsibility, Islamic, Bank, human resources