The Trojan horse of affluence and halal in the Arabian Gulf

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 578-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noha M. El-Bassiouny
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Consumer Culture ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Luxury Consumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Responsible Consumption ◽  
Research Findings

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to take the case of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a starting point for the analysis of the blend between the notions of halal and luxury in the Arab region because the UAE presents an interesting multicultural yet Islamic blend, which has yet not been investigated. Scholarly calls for the assessment of the relationship between consumption and wellbeing have raised interest in conspicuous consumption research. The global phenomenon of luxury consumption has drawn researcher interest at recent times. Despite consumer affluence in the oil-rich Arabian Gulf, research into this phenomenon at this emerging region to-date is still lacking. As the Arabian Gulf is also particularly Islamic, a significant body of literature has addressed halal purchasing yet had failed to examine the intersections between luxury and halal consumption. Design/methodology/approach The research takes a qualitative methodological approach utilizing unstructured observation and content analysis of 138 visuals collected from prominent shopping malls in Dubai and Abu-Dhabi during the occasion of the minor Islamic Eid following Ramadan. Findings The results show that the UAE consumer culture combines authenticity with modernity portraying highly savvy cosmopolitan consumers sharing the global values of urbanization within the halal parameters. Research limitations/implications The limitations relate to the utilization of the qualitative methodological approach; hence, the research findings need to be generalized with caution to relevant contexts. This research should be regarded as a critical starting point in analyzing the syllogisms between the notions of halal and affluence. Practical implications The findings are relevant to consumer culture research which looks at the implications of modern consumption within the boundaries of halal. The research presents a critical approach and questioning of the overlaps between halal consumption, responsible consumption and luxury consumption in a unique multicultural and affluent setting which is the UAE. Social implications The present paper invites academics and practitioners to introspect into the dimensions of responsible consumption, luxury consumption and halal consumption. It asks the critical metaphorical question of whether halal and luxury consumption are two faces of the same coin. Originality/value The research concludes with raising critical questions around the boundaries of luxury consumption from an Islamic perspective, thereby combining elements of religion and cultural approaches to Islamic marketing.

The model of HRM-trust-commitment relationships

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (8) ◽  
pp. 1457-1480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmara Lewicka ◽  
Katarzyna Krot
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Calculative Commitment ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Organisational Trust ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – It is worth focusing on the examination of factors influencing the quality of the work environment. The purpose of this paper is to verify the influence of the HRM system and organisational trust on employee commitment. Design/methodology/approach – The survey was conducted in Poland among 370 employees in organisations from two sectors of the economy: services and industry. The verification of the theoretical model was performed based on structural equation modelling. Findings – Research findings made it possible to successfully verify the model of the relationship between the HRM system (practices, process), organisational trust and commitment. The starting point for trust in an organisation followed by commitment is the HRM system. It seems that the impact of the HRM process on creating organisational trust is higher. Research findings have also confirmed a relationship between each type of organisational trust and calculative commitment based on benefits, which is a strong determinant of affective commitment. Organisational trust is, therefore, an intermediary factor because the organisation must build trust in employees first before they become affectively committed. Originality/value – Current studies have not examined the issue of a mutual relationship between three constructs: perceived HRM practices and process, organisational trust and commitment. What is more, previous research was confined to the constructs analysed holistically without considering their complexity (different types of trust and commitment). In addition, the authors attempted to enrich Allen and Mayer’s (1991) model with a new aspect of the commitment – calculative, which is linked to the benefits received by employees. The authors also identified the mediating influence of the trust and calculative commitment onto the affective commitment.

Social marketing: an Islamic perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 863-881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahamudul Hasan
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Muslim Countries ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Conceptual Study ◽  
Marketing Principles ◽  
Marketing Intervention

Purpose The purpose of this study is to propose and develop a new perspective in Islamic Marketing by Integrating Islamic Marketing principles and the conventional Social Marketing discipline. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual study that is based on academic contributions gathered from the works of key academicians of Islamic Marketing and Social Marketing discipline. The author also presents personal viewpoints regarding the discipline. Conventional social marketing practices in various Muslim and non-Muslim countries have been studied with theoretical discussions. A critical approach has been applied in this study to assimilate Islamic marketing principles with existing social marketing theories. Findings The author proposes a distinct discipline of Islamic Marketing, which is termed as Islamic Social Marketing. The new discipline has been compared with conventional social marketing framework and practices to demonstrate its distinctive features. The critical analysis and discussion exhibit that the proposed new discipline has both similarities and dissimilarities with present social marketing theories and practices. Originality/value This study contributes to Islamic Marketing discipline by proposing a unique field that has been termed as “Islamic Social Marketing”. Although many studies have been conducted on Islamic marketing, the analysis of social marketing in light of Islamic Marketing principles remains clearly in a vacuum-like situation. The current research work is a starting point for academic discussions on this issue that can provide guidelines to develop social marketing intervention programs for Muslim-dominated societies and assist Islamic value-driven social marketing practitioners.

Researching on the edge: emancipatory praxis for social justice

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 2697-2721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Hutton ◽  
Teresa Heath
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Ways Of Knowing ◽  
Social Relevance ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Justice Research ◽  
Social Justice Research ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Emancipatory Praxis

Purpose This paper aims to provoke a conversation in marketing scholarship about the overlooked political nature of doing research, particularly for those who research issues of social (in)justice. It suggests a paradigmatic shift in how researchers might view and operationalise social justice work in marketing. Emancipatory praxis framework offers scholars an alternative way to think about the methodology, design and politics of researching issues of social relevance. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper drawing on critical theory to argue for a new methodological shift towards emancipatory praxis. Findings As social justice research involves a dialectical relationship between crises and critique, the concept of emancipation acts as a methodological catalyst for furthering debate about social (in)justice in marketing. This paper identifies a set of methodological troubles and challenges that may disrupt the boundaries of knowledge-making. A set of methodological responses to these issues illustrating how emancipatory research facilitates social action is outlined. Research limitations/implications Emancipatory praxis offers marketing scholars an alternative methodological direction in the hope that more impactful and useful ways of knowing can emerge. Practical implications The paper is intended to change the ways that researchers work in practical and concrete terms on issues of social (in)justice. Social implications Although this paper is theoretical, it argues for an alternative methodological approach to research that reorients researchers towards a politicised praxis with emancipatory relevancy. Originality/value Emancipatory praxis offers a new openly politicised methodological alternative for addressing problems of social relevance in marketing. As a continuous political and emancipatory task for researchers, social justice research involves empirical encounters with politics, advocacy and democratic participation, where equality is the methodological starting point for research design and decisions as much as it is the end goal.

The responsibility of an ethnocentric consumer – nationalistic, patriotic or environmentally conscientious? A critical discourse analysis of “buy domestic” campaigns

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiia-Lotta Pekkanen ◽  
Visa Penttilä
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Corporate Responsibility ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Responsible Consumption ◽  
Consumer Responsibility ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe study examines the responsibilisation of an ethnocentric consumer in commercial, meta-organisational discourses. In addition to nationalistic and patriotic discourses, the focus is on wider conceptualisations of consumer responsibility.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses critical discourse analysis as a methodological approach to conduct an empirical case study on the texts of two producer-driven labelling campaigns.FindingsThe campaign texts create possibilities for ethnocentric consumption with positioning, argumentative and classificatory discourses. Patriotic responsibilisation is emphasised, together with rationales to take action on environmental concerns.Practical implicationsThe study highlights the responsibility of marketers over their corporate responsibility communication, suggesting that ethnocentric promotions may have the power to alter how consumers take action on various responsibility concerns.Social implicationsThe study surfaces the tensions that responsible consumption can entail for consumers. Indeed, nationalistic and patriotic discourses may alter our understanding of responsibility issues that may seem completely separate from the concepts of nationalism and patriotism.Originality/valueThe paper shows how different organisational texts are deployed to bring about the idea of ethnocentric consumption and how this relates to responsibility discourses, nationalism and patriotism.

scholarly journals Strategies for implementing innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monther I. Haddad ◽  
Irene A. Williams ◽  
Mohamad Saleh Hammoud ◽  
Rocky J. Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Performance Goals ◽  
Innovation Implementation ◽  
Performance Goal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Innovation Strategies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore innovation strategies that managers of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) used to implement innovation in their organizations to meet performance goals. Design/methodology/approach The participants in this multiple case study research comprised randomly selected managers from SMEs operating in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with specialist expertise in successfully implementing innovation in their organizations. Individual interviews were undertaken with participants to gain both an insight and understanding regarding which innovation strategies are best suited to improve performance goal outcomes. A further analysis of workplace internal documents, policies, procedures, SMEs’ websites, review websites and press releases afforded additional insights related to the application of innovative workplace practices which supported productivity improvements in relation to performance goal outcomes. Findings The findings of this study identified that the role of the top management in cultivating an innovative culture, the identification of ideas as the starting point for innovation and the recognition of customers as resources for the company. Practical implications Implementing the findings from this study may support job creation, economy protection in downturns and contribution to economic growth, since thriving SMEs have a positive impact on community development through the generation of the employment. Furthermore, the results of this study can help in creating an increase in improving the productivity of Dubai SMEs in Dubai’s GDP, improvement in investment opportunities; better working conditions for employees and possibilities for expanding the operations of Dubai SMEs globally. Originality/value This study is of value because its findings may contribute to local and global economic growth. Exploring successful innovation implementation strategies in SMEs can result in useful guidelines that SME managers can use to reach the performance goals of their SMEs. Since governmental policies are critical to improving business performance, the Government of Dubai may benefit from this study by addressing key success factors for SMEs through policies and regulations. This study has particular value given the lack of studies that address the issue of innovation implementation in SMEs, especially for SMEs in emerging economies.

Conceptualizing social justice: interviews with principals

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 667-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Open Space ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leadership For Social Justice ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Findings

Purpose – Today, as the understanding of diversity is further expanded, the meaning of social justice becomes even more complicated, if not confusing. The purpose of this paper is to explore how school principals with social justice commitment understand and perceive social justice in their leadership practices. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research design is used for this study. In total, 22 school principals in Ontario were interviewed. The interviews glean data on principals’ work context, their perceptions of social justice, and anecdotes, stories, and examples concerning social justice in their practices. Findings – The research findings draw attention to the central importance of awareness of the social injustices in schools – in structure, policy, and practices – and open space for debate on what can be considered as leadership for social justice. They also provide a useful starting point in exploring how leadership roles and practices can be improved to reverse injustices associated with the diversity of students based on race, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, and ability. Originality/value – What principals perceive may have a significant impact on the actions and practices for social justice. Therefore, it is important to gain insight into principals’ persecutions and perspectives on social justice as they may become norms and criteria that guide their actions.

The impact of culture on the construal of organizational crisis: perceptions of crisis in Dubai

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Priscilla Goby ◽  
Catherine Nickerson
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Crisis ◽  
Communication Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Crises ◽  
Research Stream ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Despite the rising significance of the Arabian Gulf on the global corporate landscape, research is lacking in the area of organizational crisis communication. The purpose of this paper is to present a preliminary contribution to this gap in the form of an initial investigation of the conceptualization of crisis among female Emirati nationals in Dubai. Design/methodology/approach – With reference to Pearson and Clair’s (1998) list of organizational crises, the authors designed a survey to elicit perceptions of crises, their severity, and their likelihood of occurring in the United Arab Emirates; the authors administered this survey to 105 female Emirati respondents. Given the heavy delineation of gender roles that exists in the region, the authors limited this initial study to a single gender, women. The authors discuss the crises respondents identified as most severe and most likely to occur in the country in terms of culture, Islamic values, and business in Dubai. Findings – Responses indicate that perceptions of crisis differ vastly from those that typically obtain in western countries and that particular religious and cultural factors influence these perceptions. Research limitations/implications – Given the divergence between the construal of crisis in the Gulf and in western contexts, further investigation of how organizational crisis is perceived and responded to in Gulf contexts is warranted to inform corporate communication management in a region whose economic influence is increasingly important. Future research also needs to investigate a broader sample, including male respondents, in order to construct a framework of culture and crisis in the region. Practical implications – As more MNCs are attracted to Dubai, and other Gulf cities, it is imperative that they are well informed of the differing perceptions of, and reactions to, potential crises that may affect them directly or indirectly. Originality/value – The present study is the first the authors know of that assesses how organizational crises are perceived in a Gulf context. It brings to the fore certain particularities that could serve as hypotheses for an innovative research stream. While it is an exploratory study, it highlights salient issues that can be formulated into hypotheses in further research.

scholarly journals Global careers in the Arabian Gulf

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yehuda Baruch ◽  
Ingo Forstenlechner
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Fit ◽  
Muslim Countries ◽  
Career Opportunities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of expatriation, both firm-initiated and self-initiated. The authors identified factors influencing the motives of expatriates to locate to the Arabian Gulf, and possible factors that may influence their decision to remain. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative approach, the authors conducted 123 semi-structured interviews with expatriates in the United Arab Emirates, from various backgrounds. These interviews are analyzed based on the thematic analytic approach. Findings The authors identified four clusters of reasoning for global assignments to the Gulf and the outcomes of the expatriation. Remuneration was the main motivator cited for the move, but an obstacle for returning to the home country. For Westerners, the second most important factor was career opportunities, whereas for expatriates from Muslim countries it was cultural fit. Practical implications The findings may be a valuable source of reference for individuals and for policy makers, employers, HR practitioners, and career counselors to provide an understanding of expatriation in emerging economies. Originality/value The paper uses evidence from the Gulf to bridge the gap between current knowledge of expatriation and the context of emerging economies.

Passive innovation resistance – a conservative consumer perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 642-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estelle Van Tonder
Keyword(s):  
Social Dominance Orientation ◽  
Cognitive Closure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Sciences ◽  
Need For Cognitive Closure ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Status ◽  
Consumer Perspective ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Hedonic Approach

Purpose More research is required into the underlying reasons for passive innovation resistance. This paper aims to propose that consumers who passively resist innovation may merely be conservative in nature and explore a conceptual framework that could explain and predict such behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Theories from the political sciences, social psychology and marketing were studied in trying to understand why some consumers are more conservative in nature and how their attitudes may affect their thoughts, feelings and actions in the marketplace. Findings Consumers may develop conservative attitudes, such as a need for cognitive closure, nostalgia, authoritarianism, a social dominance orientation, ethnocentrism and an anti-hedonic approach towards life to combat their fear of ambiguous situations and chaos associated with deviance from in-group values. Ultimately, these attitudes may influence consumer behaviour, such as being brand loyal, unwilling to try new options and preferring nostalgic products that would lead to lower levels of ambiguity and less disruption of the status quo. Conservative consumers may also act as authoritarian parents, prefer to purchase durable materialistic products, support locally manufactured goods and refrain from purchasing products for purely hedonic pleasure in an attempt to preserve their in-group values. Originality/value The proposed framework offers more insight into the nature and consequences of passive innovation resistance and may serve as a starting point for further exploration on the fundamental characteristics of conservative consumers. The research findings may also assist marketers in managing their new product innovations strategies more successfully.

scholarly journals Implementing social projects with undergraduate students: an analysis of essential characteristics

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-214
Author(s):  
Izabela Simon Rampasso ◽  
Renê Grottoli Siqueira ◽  
Vitor W.B. Martins ◽  
Rosley Anholon ◽  
Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves Quelhas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Method Analysis ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to analyse the essential characteristics for the success of social projects developed with undergraduate students of higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach A case study was conducted to verify the main characteristics of projects in a social entrepreneurship initiative. These features were used to perform a survey with experts to understand which of these items are essential for social projects success, through Lawshe’s method. Findings Of the ten items evaluated, two were considered essential by the experts: “Proper alignment between project scope and actual local community needs” and “Good level of interaction between students participating in the project and the local community”. Practical implications These findings can be useful for professors and coordinators to prepare future projects in HEIs. They may also be advantageous for researchers who may use them as a starting point for future studies. Originality/value The novelty of this study is the methodological approach used: a case study of projects in a social entrepreneurship initiative in a relevant Brazilian university; and a Lawshe’s method analysis of responses of experts in social projects developed in HEIs. The findings can greatly contribute to the debates in this field. No similar research was found in the literature.

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