Perceptions of airline website credibility: an Egyptian perspective

A website’s perceived credibility is a critical issue for consumers when making an online purchase. In general, customers prefer not to purchase items on websites until they feel confident in their credibility. This is critical for Egyptian users as they perceive a high level of risk when internet shopping in Egypt. Perceptions of the credibility of websites vary based on an individual’s unique attributes and experiences (Lazar, Meiselwitz & Feng, 2007), and thus it seems logical that factors derived from one context might not be equally important for users in other contexts. Credibility is a crucial especially for airlines because booking airline ticket entails the disclosure of more personal and financial information than any other online transaction. Airline companies need to consider how they should improve the websites to make them credible for consumers.This study sought to develop an integrated model for the credibility of airline websites. The study had several aims. First, it aimed to explore the antecedents of airline website credibility as perceived by Egyptian online users. Second, it aimed to explore the extent to which users’ perceptions of website credibility is affected by their residence in an online-based country such as the UK compared with a face-to-face-based country such as Egypt. Third, it aimed to explore the relative importance of the antecedents of airline website credibility for Egyptian users and determine the relationship between Egyptian users’ demographics and perceptions of these antecedents. Fourth, by combining study finding, the study aimed to conceptualize a framework linking the antecedents of airline website credibility in the Egyptian context with the relationship between users’ perceptions of these antecedents and their demographics.To achieve the above objectives, this qualitative study adopts an interpretive approach mixed methods under the interpretive approach. An exploratory sequential strategy, in which 20 semi-structured interviews preceded a survey phase involving 200 respondents, was conducted to achieve the research objectives.The antecedents affecting perceptions of the credibility of airline websites were identified as a combination of factors related to the online presence of the airline company, factors related to the physical presence of the airline company and infrastructure factors in Egypt. The findings also highlighted the fact that credibility antecedents are not all of equal importance for Egyptians. The findings also revealed that Egyptians who reside in Egypt perceive the credibility of airline websites differently from Egyptians who reside in the UK. The age, gender, income, education and internet experience of users was found to impact on perceptions of the credibility of airline websites.The main contribution of this study is to enhance the understanding of the credibility of airline websites. This is important because there is inconclusive evidence about website credibility, especially with regard to airline websites

Intention to Purchase Counterfeit Products: The Impact of Unethical Beliefs, Social Status and Perceived Risk

Counterfeiting has become an economic problem as an increasing number of goods are being illegally produced. However, there is a dearth of studies investigating counterfeiting in the Arab World. This study uses a five-point Likert scale to examine the impact of moral beliefs, social status and perceived risk on the intention to purchase counterfeits of luxury brands in the Arab Gulf (n = 448). Structural equation modelling was employed for data analysis. Results show that consumers’ unethical beliefs and perceived risk have a negative, while status consumption has a positive, impact on the intention to purchase counterfeit products. Additionally, users’ demographic measures, such as religiosity, cultural background and socioeconomic status, do not have a significant impact on the intent to purchase counterfeit products. This study provides a new theoretical foundation for studying the purchase of counterfeit products in a non-Western culture, and also provides companies with a number of factors that might help in discouraging counterfeit product consumption

Intention to Purchase Counterfeit Products: The Impact of Unethical Beliefs, Social Status and Perceived Risk

Counterfeiting has become an economic problem as an increasing number of goods are being illegally produced. However, there is a dearth of studies investigating counterfeiting in the Arab World. This study uses a five-point Likert scale to examine the impact of moral beliefs, social status and perceived risk on the intention to purchase counterfeits of luxury brands in the Arab Gulf (n = 448). Structural equation modelling was employed for data analysis. Results show that consumers’ unethical beliefs and perceived risk have a negative, while status consumption has a positive, impact on the intention to purchase counterfeit products. Additionally, users’ demographic measures, such as religiosity, cultural background and socioeconomic status, do not have a significant impact on the intent to purchase counterfeit products. This study provides a new theoretical foundation for studying the purchase of counterfeit products in a non-Western culture, and also provides companies with a number of factors that might help in discouraging counterfeit product consumption

THE IMPACT OF SELF-CONSCIOUS EMOTIONS ON WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS

  Purpose: This paper seeks to explore the effect of emotions on sustainable purchasing in Arab countries, mainly Qatar and Egypt. Design/methodology/approach: The current investigation will empirically examine the effects of self-conscious emotions (private and public) on consumers’ ‘green’ purchasing behavior and test whether these actions are mediated by the following emotions: empathy, pride, and guilt. An online self-report survey was employed to collect data from 234 students and faculty members who are affiliated with Qatar University (Qatar) and Tanta University (Egypt). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to determine what factors directly and indirectly influence one’s Willingness To Pay (WTP) for sustainable products. Findings: The results showed that private self-consciousness was significantly related to feelings of pride, while public self-consciousness was more closely associated with empathy. Feelings of guilt and pride were more likely to encourage participants to pay greater for sustainable products and services. Originality/value: The link between emotions and sustainable purchasing remains novel in Arab countries. Previous research has found that having ethical awareness toward sustainable purchasing does not amount to purchasing ‘green’ products. This will be the first study to explore the impact emotions can have on sustainable purchasing.&nbsp

THE PREVALENCE OF PTSD AND DEPRESSION AMONG GAZA CHILDREN

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic distress disorder (PTSD) and depression among children in Gaza, Palestine. Methodology:  This study assessed the psychological effects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on children in the Gaza Strip. 286 children aged 9-14 years old, who were exposed to a wide range of war events, were selected from the Gaza Strip to participate in this study. All participants conducted the following scales: the child PTSD Reaction Index(CPTSD-RI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Arabic version for PTSD and depression assessment. Finding: The results show that the mean number of participants witnessing home destroyed and people killed was (88%) and home invasion (76%). Approximately 70% of the participants reported that they witnessed war violence against at least one of their family members. Further, 44 % of the children have a least one death in their family due to the Israeli invasion. Using t-tests, we found that significantly more females have both PTSD and depression than males. Approximately 32.8% of the participants met the criteria for severe depression, and 42.6 % met the criteria for PTSD. Implications: Our results suggest that it is imperative to provide intervention programs to treat PTSD and depression symptoms among children in Gaza. These programs should take into account the cultural and religious background of the participants. Originality: This investigation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has led to an increase in PTSD and depression symptoms among children in the Gaza Strip

Perceptions of airline website credibility: an Egyptian perspective

A website’s perceived credibility is a critical issue for consumers when making an online purchase. In general, customers prefer not to purchase items on websites until they feel confident in their credibility. This is critical for Egyptian users as they perceive a high level of risk when internet shopping in Egypt. Perceptions of the credibility of websites vary based on an individual’s unique attributes and experiences (Lazar, Meiselwitz & Feng, 2007), and thus it seems logical that factors derived from one context might not be equally important for users in other contexts. Credibility is a crucial especially for airlines because booking airline ticket entails the disclosure of more personal and financial information than any other online transaction. Airline companies need to consider how they should improve the websites to make them credible for consumers. This study sought to develop an integrated model for the credibility of airline websites. The study had several aims. First, it aimed to explore the antecedents of airline website credibility as perceived by Egyptian online users. Second, it aimed to explore the extent to which users’ perceptions of website credibility is affected by their residence in an online-based country such as the UK compared with a face-to-face-based country such as Egypt. Third, it aimed to explore the relative importance of the antecedents of airline website credibility for Egyptian users and determine the relationship between Egyptian users’ demographics and perceptions of these antecedents. Fourth, by combining study finding, the study aimed to conceptualize a framework linking the antecedents of airline website credibility in the Egyptian context with the relationship between users’ perceptions of these antecedents and their demographics. To achieve the above objectives, this qualitative study adopts an interpretive approach mixed methods under the interpretive approach. An exploratory sequential strategy, in which 20 semi-structured interviews preceded a survey phase involving 200 respondents, was conducted to achieve the research objectives. The antecedents affecting perceptions of the credibility of airline websites were identified as a combination of factors related to the online presence of the airline company, factors related to the physical presence of the airline company and infrastructure factors in Egypt. The findings also highlighted the fact that credibility antecedents are not all of equal importance for Egyptians. The findings also revealed that Egyptians who reside in Egypt perceive the credibility of airline websites differently from Egyptians who reside in the UK. The age, gender, income, education and internet experience of users was found to impact on perceptions of the credibility of airline websites. The main contribution of this study is to enhance the understanding of the credibility of airline websites. This is important because there is inconclusive evidence about website credibility, especially with regard to airline websites

Examining the linkages among financial inclusion, economic growth, poverty, and inequality reduction in Africa

The study examined the nexus between financial inclusion and economic growth, poverty, and inequality in Fragile and Post-Conflict African economies based on data sourced from 2004 to 2021. The study employed the system GMM and dynamic threshold model within the context of the Tunnel and Joneses effects to analyze the data generating set. The study noted that financial inclusivity enhances growth, and reduces poverty and inequality in the studied economies. The results of robustness tests reveal that our model is appropriate, this suggests the validity of the Tunnel effect in the studied economies. The threshold dynamic result suggests that the optimal influence of financial inclusion on economic growth, poverty, and inequality is at 42% for the studied economies. The study offered some policy implications

Additional file 1 of Moral approval of xenotransplantation in Egypt: associations with religion, attitudes towards animals and demographic factors

Supplementary material 1