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This study aims to examines the cross-cultural perceptions and satisfaction of international tourists visiting Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, focusing on how cultural backgrounds influence destination image and tourist experiences.

A qualitative, interpretivist approach was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 international tourists between November 2021 and March 2022. A non-probability purposive sampling was used to select participants who had previously visited key attractions in Abu Dhabi. Thematic analysis was applied to extract key insights.

The findings underscore the pivotal role of Schwartz’s universal values and cultural beliefs in shaping tourist perceptions and satisfaction. Distinct differences emerged among cultural groups: Asian tourists demonstrated a greater awareness of Abu Dhabi’s attributes, while Western tourists often held preconceived notions influenced by comparisons with Dubai. Tourists reported overall satisfaction with Abu Dhabi’s cultural and environmental offerings, but also highlighted gaps in marketing and infrastructure that could enhance destination appeal.

This study contributes novel insights to the relatively underexplored domain of cross-cultural tourism in the Middle East. By exploring the dynamic interplay between cultural values and tourist perceptions, it offers actionable recommendations to enhance Abu Dhabi’s position as a global tourism hub, bridging gaps between academic literature and industry practices.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) research is often dominated in a western context. Perhaps, with the rapid expansion of organisations in the context of emerging economies, there is a pressing need for the development of a new dimension. Organisations operating in emerging markets must address the social challenges of serving low-income consumers and rural communities as part of their CSR strategy. The next era of CSR should look out for a period of experimentation and innovation as organisations advance their core business objectives by addressing existing social and environmental issues, which are dependent on market and industry settings. The purpose of this paper is the requirement of careful considerations when formulating the CSR framework for different industries and markets in the global business environment and this is the focus in this paper.

The paper provides a review and certain limitations of the literature on the highly cited works such as stakeholder theory and Carroll’s pyramid model. Following on, the proposed matrix model, related discussion of the four phases and associated propositions are explained in the paper. Finally, some concluding remarks on the need for a new look on CSR in the context of non-western markets are presented.

In this paper, the authors introduce “The matrix model of CSR” as a starting attempt and a guideline in formulating the CSR approach across industry and countries, particularly illustrating in the context of diverse organisations in different sectors. However, this model is at a conceptual level and future research could allow empirical testing and refinement of the “matrix model” in different market and industry conditions.

A CSR model for multiple organisational contexts would provide more insight for the relevant stakeholders regarding their CSR activities. Thus, this article attempts to suggest a CSR matrix model and it takes a phased approach by classifying the CSR activities based on the degrees of CSR and altruistic nature of activities that could be adapted for other industries as well as emerging economies.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the corporate social responsibility performance among small and medium enterprise (SME) owners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before and during COVID-19. This study shows insights into the barriers that could affect the CSR performance practices of UAE SMEs, and related implications are discussed in the study.

This study used a longitudinal qualitative research design. The research comprised 30 interviews from 15 SME owners that were studied prior to and during the pandemic. The 15 interview participants are the sole owners of these SMEs and are Emirati citizens. They were identified through personal contacts and referrals.

Study findings show that there was a clear shift during the pandemic to place more focus on employees. CSR performance practices are dominated by strategies for caring for the environment and employees. During the pandemic, the priority was paying employees at least a portion of their salary despite financial hardships and ensuring their health and well-being. Prior to the crisis, the key barrier to the implementation of CSR performance practices was a lack of knowledge. During the pandemic, barriers identified included uncertainty and financial constraints. Furthermore, all the owners believe that big corporations should be more socially responsible and SMEs should be the recipients of CSR practices. Lastly, the owners expressed their belief in the values of transparency, integrity, commitment, efficiency and responsibility.

This study is a novel attempt to gain an in-depth understanding of CSR among SMEs in the UAE in the context of a pandemic. It looks specifically at the performance practices pursued by SME owners in the UAE before and during the COVID-19 crisis.

Drawing on cultural intelligence and social exchange theories, this study examines cultural intelligence and its effects on proactive service performance and the mediating role of leader's collaborative nature and the moderating role of cultural training and emotional labor, particularly deep acting and surface acting, in the relationship between cultural intelligence and proactive service performance.

The study sample comprised 510 healthcare practitioners. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses.

The results show that cultural intelligence positively influences proactive service performance. Additionally, leadership's collaborative nature influences proactive service performance. The moderating effect of cultural training and deep acting positively influences the relationship between cultural intelligence and proactive service performance. In contrast, surface acting reveals a reverse effect, thus exhibiting a positive effect on this relationship.

These findings suggest that public healthcare organizations should pay more attention in improving deep acting, cultural training and leadership's collaborative nature for optimal service performance.

The novelty of this study lies in its presentation of an integrated framework based on cultural intelligence and social exchange theories that can solve the contemporary challenges facing healthcare firms operating in emerging markets in integrating cultural intelligence and service performance.

The purpose of this paper is to look at corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related actions to see whether they relate to clients’ perception of CSR.

Ninety-nine bank customers in Brisbane, Australia were surveyed by mail in a cross-sectional field study.

Not all CSR-related behaviors of the organizations were influential to perceptions of social responsibility. Big picture actions for the betterment of humanity were found to be influential to the perception of the firm’s CSR. However, respondents did not relate the firms’ profit and revenue initiatives to social responsibility, other than negativity toward false and misleading practices.

Results are limited to one industry in Australia.

Actions for human betterment were found to be influential to the perception of the firm’s CSR. Also the uses of dishonest marketing schemes were seen as detrimental to CSR perceptions of the firm. However, respondents did not connect the firm’s business actions affecting profitability with customers, to their perceptions of its CSR. Thus, the authors conclude that altruism from a “big picture” standpoint has value in shaping CSR perception, but the organization may not always find it necessary to deprioritize profit, or to attempt to weave CSR actions into every aspect of their business.

The inquiry takes a novel approach to CSR, capturing an unexplored aspect of how CSR is perceived and valued by stakeholders.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that affect Generation Z behavior in the adoption of the COVID-19 Vaccine.

Qualitative data was collected using 30 in-depth interviews from University students, using purposive sampling and the data was subjected to thematic analysis. The interview was done through the Zoom application.

The results reveal that the key variables that expedite the adoption process among Generation Z is Observability, Country of Origin, Brand and Word of mouth. Observability is the most influential variable, followed by word of mouth in the adoption of the vaccine. This study holds much importance to the marketers, to come up with carefully orchestrated campaigns to demonstrate the success of the vaccine, which could influence a faster rate of adoption.

The research is limited to University students who belong to Generation Z, the studies on other demographic groups could reveal other interesting insights. A quantitative study examining the relationship of the adoption and other variables will conform to the results of the study.

The study will allow marketers to come up with effective promotion strategies to encourage the adoption of the COVID 19 vaccine. The emphasis should be given to triggering word of mouth and improving the observability of the effectiveness of the vaccine.

The strategies to encourage the adoption of the vaccine could result in reducing the effects of pandemics and further spread of the virus.

This study holds much importance to the marketers to come up with carefully orchestrated campaigns to demonstrate the success of the vaccine, which could influence a faster rate of adoption. The study also contributes to the consumer behavior literature by addressing the existing research gap.

Electric vehicle adoption (EVA) drives sustainability by significantly reducing carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. Despite EVA’s notable advantages from existing literature and its evolving nature, a gap persists in evaluating EVA research. This research presents a systematic literature review, offering insights into the current state of EVA advancements.

This study amalgamates various factors influencing EVA and elucidates their associations, fostering sustainable transportation. To evaluate progress in this domain, we adopt the Theory-Context-Characteristics-Methodology (TCCM) framework, systematically assessing the theories, contextual factors, characteristics and methodologies employed in EVA research to support efficient decision-making.

The study reveals 18 theories, prominently including the theory of planned behavior, innovation diffusion theory, technology acceptance model and UTAUT. The study identifies diverse factors such as perceived risk, effort expectancy, social norms, performance expectancy, government policy, personal norms, attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, demographics and ecological knowledge as pivotal in shaping attitudes and intentions toward electric vehicle adoption. Furthermore, structured equation modeling emerges as the predominant methodology, while including alternative approaches enriches the methodological landscape, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the factors driving EV adoption.

The insights gained from this research can inform policymakers, manufacturers and researchers, ultimately contributing to the global transition towards more sustainable transportation solutions.

This research’s cardinal contribution lies in developing an integrated theoretical framework, a novel approach that offers a structured and holistic perspective on the multifaceted determinants of EVA. This framework not only illuminates the intricate relationships among these variables but also opens up exciting avenues for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the strategic use of social media and chat applications of women entrepreneurs to promote their businesses.

Because of the nature of the study and dearth of sufficient data in the Middle Eastern society on the women entrepreneurship, this study employed a qualitative research methodology. The research comprised of 20 in-depth interviews with immigrant women entrepreneurs in the United Arab Emirates. They were identified through personal contacts and referrals.

All the expatriate women interviewed are using social media and chat applications to promote their business. Facebook is used for brand creation and WhatsApp is used as a direct marketing tool to evoke purchase response. Though traditional promotional tools are far from redundant, their role is more supplementary. The increasing trend is a combination of traditional tools and digital tools. Digital tools seem to have an upper hand in their business promotions.

This study is limited to SME sector in one industry and in one country. The qualitative nature of this study could affect the generalizability of the results. A more extensive study is needed and future research should be more diverse including widening the selection of respondents, industries and countries.

This study is a novel attempt to gauge an in-depth understanding of modern communication tools. It looks specifically at the integrative strategies pursued by the immigrant women entrepreneurs using Facebook and WhatsApp.

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether microfinance activities aimed at the bottom of the pyramid consumers are sustainable.

The study follows a mixed methodology, manager’s views on sustainability of the programs were gauged by analyzing their responses in the areas of diversion of funds, operating cost, interest rates, and return rate of loans through semi-structured interviews. A survey was administered to 316 poor microfinance borrowers at the bottom of the pyramid in India in a cross-sectional field study format. The study used one sample t-test to test the sustainability of the microfinance activities.

All else being the same, microfinance activities aimed at the borrower’s communities are not sustainable. The major contributor to the lack of sustainability is the diversion of funds, results of both managers’ interviews and consumer survey provides strong evidence to support this. Though there are issues related to high interest rate, operating cost and low return on investment, it seems that the core issue behind all this is lack of full investment in the microfinance venture.

The study was limited to only two states in India. The mixed nature of the study meant that semi-structured interviews with a relatively small sample were the most appropriate method to address the research question. Future studies with larger, more representative sample sizes are encouraged to investigate how the findings can be generalized to larger populations. Also the information which determines the experiences and satisfaction of the consumers is collected only once. This study does not account for any changes over time in the populations or their interest.

The impact of micro finance in alleviating poverty is questioned by researchers and there is demand for further empirical evidence. Therefore, the findings of this study complement with existing work to present a comprehensive understanding of this topic by investigating the sustainability aspect of these programs from the dimension of both customers and lenders.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relevant economic aspects that could affect the sustainability of the HE sector in the UAE.

Data are collected mainly through secondary sources and based on the relevant information. Two constructs, namely, market factors and educational governance are identified from the literature. An empirical model depicting the different factors that contribute to these two variables is outlined.

Educational governance and market factors are identified as the key pillars which contribute to the economic efficiency in the HE sector in the UAE. These constructs are affected by relevant factors. Some of the issues relating to educational governance could be controlled. Though factors contributing to market conditions could be deemed uncontrollable, HE institutions could come up with better strategies to deal with those issues.

The UAE HE sector could be a major contributor to the economy in the future, it is important to identify the main constructs and the associated forces which could impact the economic efficiency of the HE sector. The model proposed could be empirically tested in future studies.

This study is a novel attempt to examine sustainability in the HE sector in terms of economic efficiency, while previous studies have focused on the social and environmental aspect of the sustainability in the HE sector. Thus this study tries to address this lacuna in this domain by focusing on the economic efficiency aspect which is an important contributor to the sustainable development. The results may provide valuable insights for universities and regulators in developing appropriate strategies to improve the HE sector.