University of Wollongong in Dubai - Papers

Assessing student satisfaction in transnational higher education

Stephen Wilkins — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:40:11 PDT

Purpose: Given that there exists in the literature relatively little research into student experiences in transnational higher education, the purpose of this paper is to identify the determinants of student satisfaction at international branch campuses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach: This quantitative study involved 247 undergraduate and postgraduate students at branch campuses in the UAE who completed a questionnaire using either hard copies or an online version. Findings: It was found that levels of student satisfaction at UAE branch campuses were generally high. The factors that were most influential in determining whether or not a student at a UAE branch campus was satisfied overall with their institution were quality of lecturers, quality and availability of resources, and effective use of technology. Research limitations/implications: Given that cultures, customs, traditions and social contexts vary considerably in different locations, the findings of this study are not generalisable across all international branch campuses globally. Practical implications: The findings indicate that there remains scope for UAE branch campuses to further increase levels of student satisfaction. Managers might use the findings to review their own institution's performance, so that areas for improvement can be identified. Originality/value: Given that the logit model developed had an 87.4 per cent success rate in predicting whether or not a student at a UAE branch campus was satisfied overall with their institution, this research has demonstrated the potential usefulness of logistic regression as a predictive and explanatory tool in education management. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Mapping a typology for identifying the culturally-related challenges of global virtual teams: a research perspective

Norhayati Zakaria — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:40:11 PDT

This chapter presents and synthesizes the culturally oriented challenges of managing distributed projects by Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) and examines the distinctive issues intrinsic to GVT work structures from a research perspective. In the first section, the authors define the concept of the global virtual team and explore the differences between global virtual teams and traditional co-located team structures. In the second section, they draw upon the cross-cultural theories (Hall, 1976; Hofstede, 1984) as a framework to explore the unique aspects of managing GVTs and then further develop a cultural typology illustrating the challenges of GVTs. Next, the authors discuss the research approaches to examine the cultural impacts on the success of GVTs, as well as highlight the practical implication in the light of the wide-ranging training programs needed by multinational corporations. In the final section, they assert that in order to be effective, GVTs need to develop new patterns of communication, team structure, knowledge exchange, and project management capabilities, and thus, the authors conclude with the future research directions.

Adding bricks to clicks: when do offline channel attributes influence consumers' intentions to shop online?

Yuanfeng Cai — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:35:09 PDT

Given the fierce competitive environment to date, there is an increasing trend of introducing new channel(s) to complement their existing one by retailers. A recent phenomenon is that purely online retailers are extending their offline outlets. How online consumers react to such channel extension? More specifically, does the offline channel visit only influence offline channel patronage? In addressing this question, in present study, we propose and empirically test a framework for explaining the relationships between offline channel attributes and online consumers' intentions to shop in both channels. The results reveal that while cognitive offline channel attributes have a direct and positive impact on online consumers' intentions to shop offline, relational offline channel attributes contribute to consumers' patronage intentions online, given the contextual intervention. Implications are further discussed.

A Case Study on Effective User Participation for E-Government Assimilation

Kathy Ning Shen — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:35:08 PDT

In order to reveal the effective approaches to user participation and supporting organizational actions in e-government development, we employed an exploratory case study with a local government agency in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to identify the important contingencies that may influence the effects of user participation on e-government assimilation, as well as the organizational actions that enhance effective user participation. The resulting framework can be used for future empirical investigation.

Fostering team cognition with collective thought: a theoretically driven design

Kathy Ning Shen — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:30:17 PDT

Patients' perception on prenatal care management at Trinidad & Tobago

Immanuel Moonesar — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:30:17 PDT

The purpose of this study was carried out to investigate and evaluate the factors affecting perceptions of prenatal care management services using the United Nations declaration as the benchmark. This is a quantitative study where a convenient sample of 93 pregnant women either attending a selected private or a public health care hospitals were used from Trinidad & Tobago (T&T). The preliminary results from T&T revealed that 80.6% of women surveyed perceived to be satisfied by the management of both private and public health care sectors. In the public sector, 75.6% were satisfied while 85.4% in the private sector. The majority of satisfied subjects within the public and private sectors are from the secondary (14 yrs) level of education, 47% and 35% respectively. The majority dissatisfied were from the low-income group that attends the public health care facility as oppose to the private sector. In T&T, the private sector patients were more satisfied with conditions than the public sector patients. In the same context, there are some recent studies conducted in T&T on the health care systems but unfortunately no emphasis and demarcation on statistics are given to the private and public sectors as well as in the UAE. Further research on the experience of prenatal care services in the private and public facilities with the 'More Developing Economical Country' (MEDC) needs to be conducted to get a comprehensive view of this experience.

Measuring performance by means of income and cash flows and the life-cycle theory

Leonie Jooste — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:30:17 PDT

The purpose of this article is to study the life-cycle theory and investigate income and cash flow patterns during the different life-cycles of an entity as performance measures. There is a general agreement that an entity passes through four life-cycles stages. These stages in the life-cycle of an entity reflect a set of financial characteristics that leads to different information on income and cash flows. The cash flow statement supplies information about both income and cash flows. Combining the life-cycle theory with an analysis of the cash flow statement may be useful as a performance measure and how the entity is managing their flow of funds.

Luxury buying in the United Arab Emirates

K.Prakash Vel — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:25:10 PDT

An evaluation of technology integration in teaching statistics: a multivariate survey analysis

Abdellatif Tchantchane — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:25:09 PDT

Teaching and learning in higher education has been influenced by the rapid rate of innovation in technology. A technology intervention was used to teach Foundation Statistics. This paper reports students' performance relative to those taught statistics using traditional teaching methods. Failure rate was reduced from 34% with traditional teaching to only 14% with the inclusion of technology, and in order to measure students' perception towards the integration of techn0ology in the subject, a total of 144 students of 30 different nationalities were surveyed at the end of the semester before the final examination. The analysis of the survey highlighted the students' positive perception independent of their overall performance. Overall, the survey expressed a significant result showing that the use of technology helped students to perform better.

The earning power of 'likes' and 'tweets': An evaluation of the use of social media in marketing in the UAE'

Swapna Koshy — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:20:12 PDT

Determinants of bank selection in the United Arab Emirates

Hameedah Sayani — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:15:14 PDT

Purpose - This study aims to identify the determinants of bank selection for Islamic and conventional banks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach - Data were collected from 246 respondents in the Emirates of Dubai and Sharjah and focused on aspects such as bank products, service quality, profit, reputation, cultural and religious factors, in addition to demographic attributes of the sample. Multiple discriminant analysis is used to identify the most important determinants of bank selection. Findings - The study concluded that the determinants for bank selection are more distinguishable amongst Islamic bank customers. Bank reputation and expectation of profit on deposits are not determinants of bank selection; however, religious preferences are the most important considerations in selection between Islamic and conventional banks. Research limitations/implications - Use of convenience sampling due to lack of resources may result in insufficient representation of population. Additionally, analysis of differences between the Muslim and non-Muslim population with respect to their bank selection process may provide an avenue for future research. Practical implications - The study has implications for both Islamic and conventional banks that can appropriately target the customers using bank selection determinants that are valued by the customers. Originality/value - The study adds to the existing literature on consumer preferences for Islamic and conventional banks in the context of the UAE with a relatively large and recent data set.

Social media and buying behaviour of women in Pakistan towards the purchase of textile garments

Saadia Nasir — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:15:12 PDT

There is a boom in textile industry of Pakistan. Apparels produced in Pakistan are becoming popular amongst local women. This business is gaining momentum as a good designer dress is considered to be a status symbol amongst women. Added to this trend is the growth of usage of Social networking sites amongst the women of Pakistan alongside social interaction in person. This research focuses on the buying behavior of women in Pakistan. A study has been carried out on 200 female respondents from the city of Lahore in Pakistan. The results indicate that women of Pakistan consider traditional word of mouth to be more authentic than social media for making purchase decisions related to their apparels.

SME adaptation for survival in economic crisis: a customer relationship orientation

Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:10:12 PDT

Integrated marketing: success story of Crystal Gallery

Prakash Vel — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:10:12 PDT

The choice of a well planned integrated marketing strategy becomes vital for the success of an organisation. This paper is a case study based description of how Crystal Gallery, a company manufacturing crystal products with eighteen years history in the UAE and rest of the world understood the customer expectations and used integrated marketing to structure the marketing efforts revolving around the customer's needs. The company is a market leader in the industry.

Marketing an Islamic index: perceived value of KM130 Index

Hameedah Sayani — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:05:09 PDT

How well are international branch campuses serving students?

Stephen Wilkins — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:17 PDT

The academic literature and professional journals both reveal no shortage of criticisms of the international branch campus. Yet, each year, more branches are established all around the world, and existing campuses continue to expand. So, it seems that there must be a demand for these campuses. But how well are they actually serving students? It is interesting that the growth of student numbers at international branch campuses does not seem to have affected enrollments at the home campuses of Western universities. This implies that branch campuses have found a new, additional demand for higher education.

From the desk of the series editor

Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan — Mon, 06 May 2013 23:55:09 PDT

The branding framework behind Modhesh

Prakash Vel — Mon, 06 May 2013 23:50:11 PDT

Branding and brand management strategies have been dynamic spheres of discussion in modern day marketing since they act as a major differentiator in the minds of consumers. Existing literature sheds more light on developing and managing brands and not much on leveraging and sustenance. Using a case study methodology, this study aims to track and analyse the stages of development taken by an iconic and indigenously developed brand at Dubai, 'Modhesh'. A stage by stage analysis is made comparing with existing academic models on brand development, including the models of de Chernatony, Logman and Kapferer, and a revised model is proposed, referred to as the CNS (Conception, Nurturing and Sustenance) model which aims to fill the void in the existing models by proposing three additional elements, based on the analysis of the evolutionary stages of Modhesh. This model could be useful in understanding brand leveraging and the stages of brand development that could be helpful in such leveraging. The analysis has been made based only on one brand. However, this study paves the way for future researchers to analyse brand development stages across different brands and further reinforce the model.

The corporate strategy of Dubai Duty Free

Prakash Vel — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:20:11 PDT

The business arena is abundant with myriad organizations offering a wide variety of products and services. But only those organizations that are able to function successfully in the marketplace are able to survive and subsequently evolve. For an organization's performance to be determined as successful, the metrics of the organization prove to be vital indicators. Some commonly used metrics to measure organizational success are total sales and revenue, total assets held, employees training expense, attrition rate, investment in IT, market share, awards and recognition received, press/media mentions, CSR campaigns etc (Finney and Corbett, 2007; Liebowitz and Suen, 2000; Self, 2004). Many organizations bifurcate these metrics into internal and external metrics to make performance measurement easier. If an organization has excelled on the majority the above mentioned metrics, it can be deemed successful. Analyzing the reasons behind the success of an organization would require delving into the dimensions that play an important role in the flawless functioning of the firm. These include strategic planning, leadership styles of the managers, organizational culture and strategic alliances. This paper presents an analysis conducted on an organization which has been in business for the past 28 years in the duty free environment and has been the number one Duty Free in the world, based on revenues - Dubai Duty Free. The methodology implied involves primary data collection by way of in-depth interviews conducted with twelve of the senior executives of Dubai Duty Free heading IT and Logistics, Marketing, Human Resources, Operations, Purchasing, Finance etc. Upon completion of the primary data collection stage, the secondary data obtained from the organization has been put to a content analysis. The findings indicate that Dubai Duty Free, over the 28 years of its existence, has orchestrated and implemented an indigenous strategic framework for itself. This has encompassed and utilized diverse dimensions of strategic management. This paper captures and illustrates the strategic framework of this organization.

Trade liberalization in T&C: an overview of the welfare effects

Dimitrios Dadakas — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:15:10 PDT

The objective of this paper is to examine the effects that trade liberalisation in Textiles and Clothing (T&C) had on the welfare of European producers of cotton-yarn. We employ multi-market theory and a single-market approach to examine the price-induced welfare effects in four major European T&C producing countries namely, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. Results show that the liberalisation of trade had a substantial negative impact on producers' welfare in all four countries. Welfare and sensitivity analysis suggests that, while cotton-yarn price-decreases and labour-cost increases are expected to further dampen producers' welfare, the adoption of new technologies can substantially assist the competitiveness of European products in the world markets.

The effects of trade liberalization in textiles and clothing on the Greek market for cotton yarn: a multi-market analysis

Dimitrios Dadakas — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:10:13 PDT

The Uruguay Round (1987-95) signaled the end of the Multifiber Agreement for textiles and clothing. The quota regime, in place since 1974, was decided, according to the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, to be gradually eliminated by the year 2005. As a result, prices of cotton-yarn in the world markets decreased, affecting producers in all cotton-yarn exporting countries, including Greece. At the same time, the labor cost in western industrialized countries remained high, or even increased, exerting further pressure on yarn producers. The present paper examines these changes for the cotton-yarn industry in Greece. We use a multi-market partial-equilibrium model which allows us to take into account simultaneous input and output price changes, relevant for the industry under study. Findings show that, after the implementation of the program for the gradual elimination of quotas, producers' welfare decreased whereas consumers noted substantial increases in welfare transfers.

Global: are branch campuses serving students well?

Stephen Wilkins — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:20:10 PDT

The academic literature and professional journals both reveal no shortage of criticisms of the international branch campus. Yet each year more branches are established around the world, and existing campuses continue to expand. So it seems that there must be a demand for these campuses. But how well are they actually serving students? It is interesting that the growth of student numbers at international branch campuses does not seem to have affected enrolments at the home campuses of Western universities. This implies that branch campuses have found a new, additional demand for higher education.

The cultural influence in the practice of corporate governance in emerging markets

Vahideh Rafiee — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:15:11 PDT

Corporate governance seeks to ensure a fair return on the investment and it also establishes incentives and procedures that meet the interests of shareholders while respecting other stakeholders' interests in the organization. Corporate governance has become one of the hottest topics of discussion in the circle of regulators, practitioners and academic in the aftermath of recent financial crisis. The financial crisis pint points the lack of corporate governance practice and that many institutions have taken heed to ensure compliance of corporate governance to win back the confidence of investors and regulators. Well-developed theories like agency theory, stewardship theory, hegemony theory and transaction cost theory could be used to understand the concept of corporate governance. The aims of this research are to anlayse the concept of corporate governance and see the level of adherence to corporate governance in emerging economies. The research also endeavors to link the cultural influence in the adoption of corporate governance. As there are only limited researches so far on the corporate governance and related issues in emerging markets, this research would contribute to the existing knowledge by filling the gap on corporate governance in emerging markets.

The decomposition of Greek real GDP (1858-1938)

Dimitrios Dadakas — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:15:11 PDT

In the present article the time series of the decomposition of Greek real GDP are investigated for the presence of a unit root, allowing for a maximum of two breaks which take place at an unknown point in time. This methodology is preferred to the conventional Dickey and Fuller tests because the covered time horizon, namely from 1858 to 1938, is characterized by a number of very important events, the nature of which is either economic or historical.

Evaluation of the cotton-yarn exports: an analysis for endogenous structural breaks

Dimitrios Dadakas — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:10:09 PDT

Learning styles and training: train the trainees the way they learn

Jawahitha Sarabdeen — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:05:13 PDT

Every learner has his preference in learning. Thus trainers need to structure their training programmes and training methods to suit the learning styles of the trainees to maximize the outcome of the training. The purpose of the research is to analyse the major theories on learning styles and to apply the theories to the students in Dubai to understand the learning preference of the students so that the trainers will be able to plan their training effectively. The research analyses the theories of Kolb, Honey and Mumford, Gregorc and Fleming and applied Fleming's VARK theory through survey conducted among 106 students. The result shows that there are variations in learning preference. The research has both theoretical and practical implications for the trainers and educators. The research in theory confirmed the earlier research findings that learning styles must be taken into consideration for better learning outcome. The practical implication is that "one type fits all" strategy will not help to achieve the learning objective.

The cultural influences in effective corporate governance practices: analyzing the trend in emerging market

Vahideh Rafiee — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:00:17 PDT

There is limited research on corporate governance practice in emerging markets. Interest in corporate governance is rapidly increasing inside and outside academia. The recent economic crisis, financial scandals and collapse of many companies in the developed and developing markets have attracted the attentions of researchers and business people to improve the corporate governance practices. International bodies such as OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), has examined various member and non-member countries to evaluate their corporate governance systems and to provide suggestions for corporations, shareholders, and other stakeholders who play important roles in improving corporate governance systems. The principles developed by OECD are considered essential for the development of corporate governance systems. However, there are various barriers to effective implementation of corporate governance principles. Considering the importance of emerging markets to the future of the world economy, the focus of this paper is on the cultural influences in adopting effective corporate governance practices in emerging market. This study will initially explore the theoretical background of the corporate governance and the culture influence in influencing corporate governance adoption. The paper also explores the problems with corporate governance systems in emerging market in general and it discusses how national culture influences corporate governance practices.

Single versus multi-market approach: an application to the Greek cotton market

Dimitrios Dadakas — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:55:09 PDT

Estimation of the price-induced welfare effects in vertical and horizontal market settings may prove a tricky task when multiple price changes are taken into account. Whether a multi-market sequential approach or a single-market approach is used the well-established, theoretical result suggests that these two partial equilibrium methods are equivalent in terms of implied welfare changes. This paper develops the methodology to empirically compare these two methods. We estimate the welfare changes to Greek cotton-yarn producers induced by the simultaneous change in the prices of cotton-yarn and the cost of labor. Results substantiate the multi-market approach offers more accurate welfare estimates than the single-market approach, in empirical work.

Evaluation of the output gap: the case of Greece 1858-1938

Dimitrios Dadakas — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:50:10 PDT

The objective of this paper is to estimate the agricultural output gap for Greece during the period 1858-1938 using the univariate approach. To investigate the unit root hypothesis we use the Lumsdaine & Papell methodology. We show that models containing the agricultural output gap, as measured by the Hondrick- Preskott (HP) filter, have more explanatory power and statistically superior properties compared to models containing output gaps calculated using other methodologies.

Bullying in New Zealand: comparing NAQ findings to European and USA studies

Alison Thirlwall — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:30:16 PDT

While attention towards workplace bullying is growing internationally, it is an under researched area in New Zealand. This paper provides an initial insight into workplace bullying in a New Zealand context, using an internationally recognized instrument, the Negative Acts Questionnaire. The study used data gathered from workers in higher education institutions and then compared it to findings from similar studies from Norway, Denmark, Turkey and the USA. The results showed that New Zealand workers reported a high occurrence of negative acts and bullying. The frequencies were far higher than found in the comparable European studies, especially relating to the frequency of bullying, but similar to those from the USA. After proffering some suggestions for the higher levels of bullying, related to national culture and national attention to bullying, we conclude by recommending that more research is needed to identify whether these results can be considered as representative of the general New Zealand workforce.

A case study of Singapore's automotive supply chain: preliminary analysis and findings

Balan Sundarakani — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:20:12 PDT

This chapter aims at examining Singapore's capabilities in automotive supply chain. A thorough economic analysis of the automotive industry worldwide has been conducted in this study to identify the potential facilitating and inhibiting factors for automotive supply chain in future. Also, the study discusses the automotive supply chain in Asia Pacific region in detail and its impact on Singapore's automotive supply chain. Based on the analysis, the study presents several recommendations for Singapore's participation in automotive supply chain. Specifically, the results of this study suggest that Singapore can build its competence in manufacturing electronic components for automobiles as it is one of the leading semiconductor hubs in the world, a leading logistics port, and is well connected with countries all over the world.

Bullying in New Zealand's higher education sector: the impact on job satisfaction and performance

Alison Thirlwall — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:20:12 PDT

Empowering knowledge sharing behaviors at workplace: the role and impact of organisational culture

Norhayati Zakaria — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:15:12 PDT

Share it or keep it to yourself? Inculcating knowledge sharing behaviors at workplace using a culturally oriented framework

Hanan Muhairi — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:10:10 PDT

A critical review of diversification theoretical perspectives and its impact on performance

Balan Sundarakani — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:10:10 PDT

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to critically review the relationship of diversification strategy and firm performance. Evaluation of prior empirical research is analyzed and an exhaustive conceptual framework is developed. Literature indicates that diversification degree, type and mode have a direct impact on performance levels. However, other factors such as industry structure and organizational elements govern this relationship and moderating its effects. Financial and risk are employed as financial performance indicators. The empirical verification has identified three streams of research; diversification degree and performance, diversification type and performance, and finally, diversification mode and performance. A qualitative approach is adopted to discuss and critique relevant literature. Findings show that the true diversification-performance connection is inconclusive as studies exhibit contradictory views. Research limitations indicate that many studies focus on one diversification variable and none involved the exploration of multiple independent variables.

Understanding transnational NGO (TANGO) decision-making and participation in global governance processes using computational analysis of large scale textual data

Derrick L. Cogburn — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:05:08 PDT

Accerlating social science analysis for a new age (ASSANA): an overview and three case studies using the ASSANA methodology

Norhayati Zakaria — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:00:16 PDT

Inference and culture: the distinction between low context culture and high context culture as a possible explanation for cultural differences in cognition

Hiroshi Yama — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:00:16 PDT

Nisbett et al. (2001) claim that Easterners are more likely to use holistic thinking to solve problems, whereas Westerners are more likely to use analytic thinking. This distinction in cognitive behaviors has often been explained by using a framework based on the fact that Western culture favors independent self-construal (individualist culture) and Eastern culture favors interdependent self-construal (collectivist culture). However, we propose another possible cultural explanation in the distinction between Western low context culture and Eastern high context culture (Hall, 1976). We particularly focus on the difference between the rule-based inference more common in low-context Western cultures and the dialectical inference more common in high-context Eastern cultures, and we argue that rule-based inference using global rules is more adaptive in low context cultures.

Emergence and enactment of distributed leadership: contextual enablers and blocks during periods of strategic change

Payyazhi Jayashree — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:55:08 PDT

Are you treated fairly? Developing a cultural framework to understand the performance management systems in UAE workplace

Norhayati Zakaria — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:50:10 PDT

Work-life boundary in the context of social network sites

Kathy Ning Shen — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:45:12 PDT

Closing the gap: developing research ecosystems of global excellence in emerging markets

Kathy Ning Shen — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:40:11 PDT

Explaining Virtual Community Participation from Identity Perspectives

Kathy Ning Shen — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:05:10 PDT

Large-scale multi-country experiential learning projects in IB/IM education: challenges and best practices for enhancing teaching and research

Vas Taras — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:50:19 PDT

Using the X-Culture project as an example, the panel session will review challenges and best practices of using large-scale multi-country collaborative exercises and simulations to enhance learning in IB/IM courses and provide a platform for high-quality research. A total of over a thousand students from over two dozen countries participate in the project every semester. The project is administered by the instructors on a voluntary basis and participation in the project is complete free for the students and their institutions.

Work with diversity, work from a distance: advocating Global virtual teams

Norhayati Zakaria — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:40:09 PDT

Study on quality attributes of halal food supply chain

Lina Al Halaseh — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:40:09 PDT

The research investigates the halal food supply chain (HFSC) requirements by the Islam religion, the effect of these requirements on the quality attributes of the meat through the supply chain and their alignment with non-halal meat quality attributes. The trigger for this study is due to growing concern on HFSC standards in Arabic region and the policies are often infancy. The research opens the door of the UAE halal food industry to position as hub in the Arabic region and thereby to compete across the world by its enhanced performance and established quality control. In this research, an in-depth industry review and SWOT analysis are conducted to assess the UAE-HFSCs competitive strategy and hence to develop managerial implications that could be used by practitioners.

General Electric: How GE worked to transform oncology Healthcare in the Kingdom

Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:35:08 PDT

Dubai a sustainable logistics hub in the Middle East

Balan Sundarakani — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:30:17 PDT

Employer branding in selected company in United Arab Emirates

Jawahitha Sarabdeen — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:30:17 PDT

The article is an attempt to analyze the concept of employer branding and apply the concept to selected companies in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The concept of employer branding is drawn upon pre-existing theories, models, and practices across fields of marketing, human resource management and organizational behaviour. Various literature from marketing, organisational behaviour and human resource management were analysed to built the conceptual framework then three companies were selected to illustrate adoption of employer branding in United Arab Emirates. The research method used in the research paper is content analysis. The analysis shows that employers in the region do engage in employer branding initiatives.

An empirical investigation of third party logistics providers in Thailand: barriers, motivation and usage of information technologies

Duangpun Kritchanchai — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:25:08 PDT

Third Party Logistics (3PL) in Asia emerged as an important trend in logistical management and Thailand continues to develop in this service rapidly. While a great deal has been written about the dissemination of information technology (IT), few empirical investigations address the use of IT in relation to 3PLs in Thailand. In this article, the authors use an empirical study to investigate the profiles of 3PLs in Thailand and their company strategies for providing logistics service and use of IT. Survey results show that Thailand's 3PL companies must expend more effort to strengthen basic IT and infrastructure to enhance competitiveness. IT capabilities in Thailand are increasing rapidly and its effective adoption has the potential to significantly enhance the competitiveness of small 3PLs. Still many barriers exist to the successful adoption of IT by these providers. Given the importance of such companies in supply chain management, these issues must be fully understood.

Forensics challenges for mobile phone security

Halim Khelalfa — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:25:08 PDT

This chapter provides a complete reference on mobile phone forensics to students, researchers, lawyers, forensics examiners, information security officers, as well as organizational security personnel. First, the author reviews the currently used guidelines and procedures in digital forensic investigations, and then presents their current adaptations to mobile phone forensics, including criteria for the selection of forensics tool for mobile phone. Due to the world popularity of GSM phones, a detailed description of the SIM file system is presented. The forensic strength and weaknesses of the classes of physical and logical forensic tools are discussed .Current approaches to overcome the impediments of both classes are reviewed in terms of usability and forensic soundness. Then, the newest challenge to the digital forensic community, anti-forensics (AF) is raised, including the risks faced by mobile phone forensics investigation. Finally, the author addresses the issue of current research as well as trends on mobile phone forensics.

Gender differences in e-government adoption in Dubai

Jawahitha Sarabdeen — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:20:10 PDT

Over the last decade e-government services are trails forming nations. The success of such initiatives depends on the willingness of citizens to adopt e-government services. Researchers have identified a number of factors that have an impact on the willingness to adopt e-government services. However, gender differences have been neglected by researchers. This paper uses an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and constructs which include 'perceived security and trust, 'perceived quality', 'perceived usefulness' and 'perceived ease of use' to build a model to show gender differences. The proposed model reveals that there are similarities and differences between male and female willingness to use e-governments services. The study uses statistical tools like factor analysis, regression analysis in order to identify and validate the relevant factors. The findings of the study have practical implications for designing e-government services.

The adequacy of Malaysian law on e-contracting

Jawahitha Sarabdeen — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:15:10 PDT

The World Wide Web (WWW) has brought new opportunities and challenges to various people. Businesses utilise it for their benefit by expending their activities not only in physical space but also in virtual space in search of potential customers. Thus, contracting becomes a fundamental element in the e-commerce world. Electronic contracting raises various new legal issues. This paper seeks to analyse the current law on contracts and its applicability to e-commerce. As such, general principles of contracts, forms of electronic contracts, moments of formation of contract, together with the applicability of principles of the click wrap agreement with reference to the Malaysian Contracts Act 1950, will be analysed.

E-privacy: an overhaul of the existing laws in Malaysia

Jawahitha Sarabdeen — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:15:10 PDT

With the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies ("ICTs"), and the emergence of borderless e-commerce, privacy protection has became significant as the technologies can be misused to breach the privacy of econsumers with ease and without cost. Thus this article presents an analytical research study on e-privacy and its breach, the legislative measures taken, the nature and scope of the protection and the adequacy of these measures in protecting e-privacy with special reference to the laws of Malaysia.

Cyberjurisdiction and consumer protection in e-commerce

Jawahitha Sarabdeen — Sun, 05 May 2013 20:15:11 PDT

This paper presents and analyses the possibility of Malaysian e-consumers filing a lawsuit in a Malaysian court for various breaches that might occur in entering and executing e-Commerce transactions. It further considers the jurisdiction of the Malaysian courts in granting judgement and its enforcement. The analytical discussion in this paper requires definitions of civil jurisdiction, relevant laws in Malaysia and other jurisdictional issues.

Changing values: a view of Turkey and Egypt

Michael Thorpe — Sun, 05 May 2013 20:10:10 PDT

Economic development is considered to bring with it pervasive social and cultural changes. In today's global economy, greater economic security is being accompanied by changes in the nature of work and in the levels and styles of social interaction. Evidence from developed economies suggest that there has been a resulting shift within societies towards so-called post-materialist values, with greater priority afforded by individuals to self expression and quality of life issues. While such shifts have been observed over time, across generations, differences in values have also been evident between older and younger cohorts within populations. It is the ageing of these younger cohorts which is considered to drive inter-generational shifts in values. Currently in many developing economies, including parts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, it appears that significant cultural changes may be occurring, manifest in a various ways. Using data from recent waves of the World Values Survey, this paper analyses the nature of cultural differences within Egypt and a neighbouring Eurasian state, in line with established hypotheses from the literature.