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E-learning environments and services (ELES) adoption and success rates challenge ELES designers, practitioners and organisations. Enterprise decision makers continue to seek effective instruments in launching such systems. The purpose of this paper is to understand users’ perceptions of ELES effectiveness and develop a theoretical framework which improves understanding of success factors for adoption.

Grounded theory method is used to reflect on the relationships between changing users’ requirements and expectations, technological advances and ELES effectiveness models. A longitudinal study collecting data from social media blogs over four years was authenticated based on the context evaluation, language structure and conversational constructs.

Identification of a new core dimension named “Concept Functionality” which can be used to understand the relationships between e-learning effectiveness factors including the relationships with other domains such as security. The findings are also used to validate major existing models for the success of ELES.

The new framework potentially improves system design process in the fields of education technology, enterprise systems, etc.

Concept functionality dimension can offer more insights to understand ELES effectiveness and further improve system design process in a variety of domains including enterprise systems, process modelling and education technology.

This paper aims to highlight some learning and teaching challenges in relation to universities and colleges in the Gulf region, including students' learning preferences, and cultural aspects. It explores the sequential‐global learning styles profile of undergraduate students as part of a continuous research in Information Systems Design with a particular focus on the design of Interactive Learning Systems (ILS).

The paper examines the learning style profile of undergraduate students for a cohort of Management Information Systems at a regional university in the UAE. It uses the Index of learning styles instrument as a tool for measuring the sequential‐global learning styles dimension. Also, the paper conducts a literature review of different aspects related to current challenges facing undergraduate students in the Gulf region as well as design principles related to the interactivity of learning systems.

The results show overall equal tendency towards both the sequential and global styles, different from a previous paper conducted in UK university. The paper highlights some students' differences that should be catered for in ILS design.

The paper is expected to provide further insights into some of the challenges facing many students doing their undergraduate degrees as well as the importance of a carefully balanced design of ILS (balance and bend model) to cater for students' different preferences and needs. A discussion and recommendations on how these findings can be reflected on the design of ILS are provided.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) require regular generation of information determining what employees want from their institution and their real feelings about their jobs. Internal marketing (IM) can be a significantly valuable source of generating such information for HEIs to assess perceptions about institutions’ initiatives pertinent to their staff members. However, there has been a significantly limited research to operationalize IM in HEIs. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a multi-dimensional instrument for measuring IM in the HEIs in China and to assess the impact of IM on university performance.

The research used methodological triangulation that involved both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The qualitative technique was used to generate scale items to measure IM and the quantitative technique was utilized to test and validate the scale. The study sample included 576 academics and administration staff from universities in China.

The study found that IM has six dimensions, namely internal communications, training and development, interrelations, motivation, rewards and work support. The study also found a significant impact of IM on university performance.

The sample size used was taken from a single province, which can ultimately limit the generalizability of the results. The scale shall be tested in a different cultural setting to extend its generalizability. In comparison with previous studies, the results of the current study provide a more absolute coverage and understanding of various dimensions used in measuring IM in HEIs. Furthermore, this research can provide a context for the management to develop policies that could foster positive employee and organizational outcomes in HEIs.

This reliable and valid six-dimensional scale offers a practical way to measure staff perceptions of IM that are key for HEIs to be judged as staff-centered organization. Based on the knowledge, HEIs can use the information to identify the areas in which they are lacking and can further improve. IM scale can significantly help the HEIs to communicate to the staff members their service mindedness and staff orientation. IM can help foster knowledge management in organizations by utilizing IM, thereby contributing to the professional and organizational interaction.

Despite the focus on IM in existing literature, there is a significant lack of research on IM in the education sector. This study developed a simple and practical instrument to measure the IM construct in HEIs. Scholars have asked for context-specific measures of IM and with significantly limited research on IM in higher education, there is also a scarcity of research in the context of higher education in China. This is the first study to assess the multi-dimensionality of IM in HEIs and the impact of IM on organizational performance in Chinese higher education.

This paper aims to provide a review of the two often-confusing learning theories: constructivism and constructionism. It then presents their similarities and differences by identifying various learning dimensions of the two philosophies. The authors then develop a teaching-learning framework that integrates those dimensions. The authors have also implemented the framework in two information technology (IT) courses and obtained students’ feedback that relate to various learning dimensions of both of the two philosophies.

The authors review existing literature to understand the difference between constructivism and constructionism and develop a list of learning dimensions that can be applied to classroom education. They then discuss the background information or tools necessary to develop a teaching-learning framework and apply that framework through a case study. They finally present the results.

A constructivist teacher sets up the learning environment for students that fosters individual learning and presents a problem to be solved, while the students go on their own way to produce a personally meaningful artifact without any further teacher’s intervention. On the other hand, the constructionist teacher sets up the environment for collaborative learning for students, then he or she defines the problem to be solved and the meaningful end product to be developed, and then guides them to reach towards the goal. Student assessment supports this difference.

Researchers and teachers should look carefully which methodology they are discussing and which one they are applying. They can further the authors’ research in a different angle than the authors did by finding the learning dimensions.

Teachers should use constructionist approach to set up their classroom and guide their students throughout the course time, such that students can work collaboratively on a project to learn the important concepts to be developed. They should also use appropriate tools and technologies that enhance classroom activities and learning. Teacher should act as a guide/facilitator or a project manager to plan for the classroom/project and monitoring and controlling project/class throughout the semester.

Understanding the critical differences between the two learning philosophies, educators in all levels should be clear how to set up their classrooms – from kindergarten to university education, such that all students can develop their knowledge not only through personal cognition but also through interaction with others. A collaborative environment produces knowledgeable people in the society with better understanding and respect toward each other.

Collaborative learning environment provides a better learning opportunity over personal cognition – a major enhancement in constructionism over constructivism. Sharing the creation process as well as the product, and the use of various tools and technologies in the development process, provide a better understanding of a subject matter. The discussions and results presented here might bring some insights to the instructors who might be contemplating to implement the educational philosophies of constructivism or constructionism, or intermixing of the two in their classrooms.

This study aims to examine hospital image, perceived medical quality, relationship marketing and word-of-mouth as the determinants of patients’ intent to revisit private hospitals in Penang, based on the theory of planned behaviour.

A quantitative study comprising a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to domestic and international patients at the airport, private hospitals and hotels located in Penang. The partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach was used to analyse and test the research hypotheses.

The results show that cognitive components (i.e. hospital image and perceived medical quality) do not have any significant influence on patients’ intent to revisit, while affective components (i.e. relationship marketing) and behavioural components (i.e. word-of-mouth) are important in increasing patients’ intent to revisit private hospitals in Penang, Malaysia. Trust has no significant mediating effect between predictor variables and patients’ intent to revisit, but it has significant association with affective and behavioural components.

The findings provide insights to medical marketing teams in promoting and increasing patients’ intent to revisit their respective hospitals and for the governments to sustain and enhance medical tourism in their countries.

This study is one of the few studies that looks at the relationship between hospital image, perceived medical quality, relationship marketing, word-of-mouth and patients’ intent to revisit private hospitals in Penang, Malaysia. This study also explored the direct and indirect effects of trust on patients’ intent to revisit that was still limited.