Investigating British customers’ experience to maximize brand loyalty within the context of tourism in Egypt: Netnography & structural modelling approach

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The concept of ‘customer experience’ has evolved as an imperative area of study within the marketing discipline. Despite its importance and the positive attention this concept has received during the last few years, the explanation of customer experiences have remained vague and lack a thorough theoretical foundation. Furthermore, practitioners across many industries claim that there is a connection between customer experience and loyalty, yet there is a paucity of research to validate this theoretical assumption. This study aims to address this gap in the literature and to facilitate better understanding of the concept of 'customer experience' and its antecedents and focus on brand loyalty as consequence from the consumer perspective. Accordingly, a mixed-method research design was adopted that consisted of two phases. The first phase involved a netnography study to gain better understanding of the notion of customer experience and refine a conceptual framework that has been developed on the basis of the existing literature. In the second phase this framework was tested by means of a survey of British customers to examine their experience with resort-hotel brands in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the survey responses. The structural model showed a very good fit to the data and good convergent, nomological and discriminant validity and reliability stability. The findings of this study identified four aspects of customer experience in the resort-hotels in Egypt; i.e. educational, aesthetics, relational and novelty. Those aspects are congruent with prior work in the tourism literature. Additionally, the study found that customers rely on some service cues such as: price, core service and WOM to predict and assess their experiences. The findings also indicated that perceived service quality has a mediating role in the relationship between customer-contact employees and core service and customer experience. A key contribution of this research is offering a robust model that explains the nascent phenomenon of customer experience and demonstrating that experience has a definite positive impact on brand loyalty. The use of netnography to identify customer experience dimension is also considered as a methodological contribution in the area of marketing research. Moreover, the present study adds novel perspective to the growing body of brand literature (particularly service brand) and suggests directions for future research. Finally, the study provides managerial implications for service managers to identify the experiential needs of their customer and properly design the customer experience

Corporate Communication Management (CCM) and organisational performance: A review of the current literature, conceptual model and research propositions

Corporate communication received great attention from scholars and the business community more than 40 years ago due to changes in global business environments.Many scholars believe there are influences of corporate communication management (CCM) on organisational performance, yet there is a paucity of studies on the validation of this theoretical assumption.Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to address the gap by providing an elevated understanding of CCM and its consequences. The managerial and policy implications provided in this study help corporate communication practitioners to identify the practical needs of their work and design an appropriate CCM programme

A Visual Identity-Based Approach of Southeast Asian City Branding: A Netnography Analysis

Cities and places had been progressively being marketed as brands by using the concept of ‘City Branding\u27, which is a unique idea. The scholars of ‘City Branding’ believed that the concept of branding helps the city in marketing activities. A city metaphorically could be seen as an entity given the advantage to display its visual characteristics to tourists, visitors, and residents. Unique visual identity such as iconic architecture and graphic design could make a city stands out from the others. Thus, the research examined the role of visual identity in city branding. Specifically, the aim was to contribute to better understanding of the concept of ‘visual identity’ in Southeast Asian cities. Netnography approach was employed to gain better understanding of the notion of visual identity of city branding and refine a conceptual framework that has been developed based on the existing literature. Elements such as iconic structure and graphic design (logo and slogan) of four cities in Southeastern Asia were emphasized. The research concludes that the components of the visual identity of the cities need to be reshaped to be aligned with their visual characteristics in order to boost their competitiveness among the global city brands

Expatriates adjustment and job performance

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effects of expatriate adjustment (work, general and interaction) between individual (previous international experience, self‐efficacy, social network and cultural sensitivity) and organizational factor (direct and indirect support) and job performance.Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected from 201 expatriates working in Malaysia and analyse by using structural equation modelling (Amos‐16).Findings– The results of the study indicated that expatriate adjustment (work, general and interaction) mediate the relationship between individual and organizational factors and expatriate performance (supervisor rated).Research limitations/implications– The data were collected from the expatriates working in Malaysian universities.There can be differences between education industry and pure business organization in terms of working environment, selection process and management support.The respondents were citizens of different countries around the world which include Asia, Europe and Middle East. Even though Malaysia is a multicultural society and expatriates from any part of the world can find themselves in Malaysia, this research did not group the respondents in terms of their cultural differences and similarities with Malaysian culture.Practical implications– The findings of this study suggest that human resource managers and MNC's management should provide direct and indirect support to the expatriates and their families in terms of language and cultural training, career development, logistical assistance, family mentoring, psychological counselling, job search, self‐development and social activities.Furthermore, recruitment managers and MNC's management should consider these factors before appointing any employee for international assignment.Finally, the findings of this research suggest that better expatriate performance help MNC's to perform better in their international operations which will ultimately improve the home and host country economic situation.The better performance of MNC's in their international operations through effective expatriate performance will encourage other domestic organizations to expand their operations globally.Originality/value– Expatriate literature have highlighted many individual and organizational factors which affect expatriate job performance and adjustment but the role of some individual and organizational factors is still not clear and/or ignored by past researchers. For example, the role of direct and indirect support has not been well conceptualized in past studies.In addition, only a few studies have explained the importance of self‐efficacy, cultural sensitivity and social network in expatriate literature.Furthermore, role of previous international experience has generated conflicting results in past research

A comparative study of work values between US and Malaysia marketing students

This paper aims to identify the ranking of importance of work values as perceived by marketing students, and to explore the underlying dimensions of work values in the Malaysian context.It also aims to determine whether there are differences of work values between marketing students in Malaysia and US.Previously validated Super’s Work Values Inventory (SWVI) containing 15 dimensions was completed by business students undertaking Marketing and other majors in Malaysia and USA. Factor analysis is employed to examine the underlying structure of work values.The study confirms the two-factor structure (intrinsic and extrinsic) of work values and shows that marketing students value the work that allows them to fulfill their potential in terms of creativity (M = 4.23) and intellectual stimulation (M = 3.99) in Malaysia. Moreover, the results showed that significant differences in work values exist between Malaysia and US students with respect to economic return, way of life, altruism, prestige, management and variety.This article contributes to the worldwide knowledge on work values by highlighting the importance of understanding potential marketing professionals’ work values in the two different countries. Respondents selected from two countries will limit the generalizability of the study

“All those Elvis-meets-golf-player-looks”: A corpus-assisted analysis of creative compounds in fashion blogging.

This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of compounds as creative forms of self-expression in a leading fashion blog (Style.com), where users engage in conversations about fashion. The aim was to determine to what extent and how compounds are used by fashion bloggers, with particular attention to creativity, and how this usage may be influenced by the online communicative context. Compounds are notoriously difficult to investigate due to their marked structural variation and inconsistent orthographic representation. However, thanks to a corpus-assisted approach, it was possible to first systematically identify compounds in the blog, and then analyze them in context to detect forms, patterning, functions, and creative usage. Most compounds functioned as adjectives, in line with the descriptive and evaluative nature of fashion discourse. However, a high level of creativity was seen in compounds with uncommon structural components (e.g., verb + preposition as in go-to), novel combinations (e.g., skull-embellished), creative recycling of participial constituents (e.g., -inspired, -inducing), and especially phrasal structures that trigger striking mental images (e.g., stripper-cum-S&M freak). The study contributes to a better understanding of how bloggers use creative language to construct their identities as members of a distinctive and cohesive social community

Branding instead of product innovation: a study on the brand personalities of the UK’s electricity market

This study extends understanding of and demonstrates the importance of corporate branding in the energy sector. We analyse the relationship between branding and consumer switching behaviour among the UK’s Big Six electricity providers. Since privatisation companies have competed against each other, but to the consumer they often appear to have very similar product offerings; firms also face criticism from consumer groups regarding confusing and difficult to compare pricing schemes. This study examines the use of corporate branding to enhance differentiation and specifically examines the influence of brand consistency and brand personality on the retention of customers. Consumers, who find it difficult to compare tariffs, may be influenced by more demonstrable factors like branding. We demonstrate the importance of longitudinal brand consistency, as well as the personality dimension Excitement, which when communicated strongly has the greatest influence on customer retention levels. This work contributes to branding theory, demonstrating that brand personality does differentiate otherwise homogeneous (and low-contact) services. Managerial implications are presented for brands seeking to improve consumer retention

Branding Instead of Product Innovation: A Study on the Brand Personalities of the UK's Electricity Market

This study extends understanding of and demonstrates the importance of corporate branding in the energy sector. We analyse the relationship between branding and consumer switching behaviour among the UK’s Big Six electricity providers. Since privatisation companies have competed against each other, but to the consumer they often appear to have very similar product offerings; firms also face criticism from consumer groups regarding confusing and difficult to compare pricing schemes. This study examines the use of corporate branding to enhance differentiation and specifically examines the influence of brand consistency and brand personality on the retention of customers. Consumers, who find it difficult to compare tariffs, may be influenced by more demonstrable factors like branding. We demonstrate the importance of longitudinal brand consistency, as well as the personality dimension Excitement, which when communicated strongly has the greatest influence on customer retention levels. This work contributes to branding theory, demonstrating that brand personality does differentiate otherwise homogeneous (and low-contact) services. Managerial implications are presented for brands seeking to improve consumer retention

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Leveraging the potential of word of mouth: the role of love, excitement and image of the brand

This study seeks to test a research framework designed to explain the direct effects of fashion brand love, image and excitement upon word of mouth in two different contexts. Using data collected from two different countries (the United Kingdom and Switzerland), the survey instrument was tested for reliability and validity using confirmatory factor analysis. Hypotheses were then developed related to the consumer-brand relationship across the two countries, which were then tested using structural equation modeling. The findings showed that there is a significant relationship between excitement and brand image, brand love and word of mouth. This is particularly true in both samples. The impact of brand image on word of mouth was not found to be significant in the two countries in the study. The primary limitation of the study is that the two sampled countries were European. Additionally, the results of the study present a preliminary investigation that can only be validated through further research. The study explains the relationships among different branding constructs to maximize word of mouth in a wide range of market environments. Although aspects of consumer–brand relationships have been heavily studied in the US market, much less research exists across markets in a non-US context. This paper redresses this imbalance