From Downturn to Upturn, An Economic Lift of Local Business Entrepreneurs in Qatar as Affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenology

Background: Globally, local entrepreneurs have experienced an economic downturn brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Local businessmen in Qatar are not an exception. Method: This qualitative research paper utilized the phenomenological approach as it sought to understand the lived experiences of business owners in Qatar who are experiencing financial decline relative to the central question: “How do local business owners deal with financial decline brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic?”. Findings: The verbal ponderings and statements of the respondents revealed three major themes that local business partners had experienced before their businesses finally reached an upswing. These are (1) CUSTOMER RELATIONS, dealing with Acknowledging Achievements, Attaining Customer Values, and Operating Responses, (2) ADJUSTMENT REMODELING, focusing on Building Foundations, Adapting to Changes, and Coping with Mishaps, and (3) BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT which is about Dealing Impacts, Relieving Stress, and Addressing Liabilities of the businesses impacted by the pandemic. Conclusion: Local Business Partners had a continuous downturn to a series of events revolving around its business, however, most of the respondents are satiated with operating the facility under circumstances. Recommendations: This study recommends that business owners here in Qatar enable themselves to be knowledgeable of the phases behind the strategies of managing a business. These can aid the entrepreneurs in their decision-making skills for the business to prosper. The upcoming related studies should further enlarge the concept of businesses as it will help begin a broader perception of the local businesses. Keywords: Qatar Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Finance, Recession, Financial

Customer Experience in Circular Economy: Experiential Dimensions among Consumers of Reused and Recycled Clothes

The textile and clothing industry is undergoing a sustainability transition, pushing related businesses to adapt to circular economy (CE) models, such as recycling and reuse. This shift has been extensively studied from industry and business model perspectives, but we lack an understanding of the customer perspective, i.e., how circulated products, such as reused and recycled clothes are experienced among consumers. This understanding is crucial, as customer experience plays a significant role in the adoption of CE products. Therefore, we conducted a qualitative interview study to explore how consumer-customers experience recycled textiles and reused clothes. We used an established experience dimension model and mapped how the five dimensions of customer experience—sensory, affective, behavioral, cognitive, and social—present themselves in the sustainable clothing industry. The data comprised 16 qualitative semi-structured interviews analyzed with a coding framework built on the basis of customer experiences, customer values, and the CE business model literature. The results revealed that diverse sensory (e.g., scent), affective (e.g., pride and shame), behavioral (e.g., developing new decision-making rules), cognitive (e.g., learning and unlearning), and social (e.g., getting feedback from others and manifesting own values) aspects shape how consumers experience reused and recycled clothes. We also compared and analyzed the results of the reuse and redistribute model and the recycle model. Our study contributes to the literature of CE business models and customer experience by providing a structured map of diverse experiential triggers and outcomes from the five experiential dimensions, which together reveal how consumers experience circulated products of the clothing industry. These findings enhance our understanding of customers’ motivation to use recycled and reused products and adoption of CE products.

Bailey and Peak and Sorensen on Management and Planning

This chapter examines two approaches to the concept of management and the planning process: firstly the approach proposed by Bailey and Peak and secondly by Sorensen. Bailey and Peak present a review of all business functions to determine the competency of each function and then suggest a number of research and analysis techniques for reviewing the finances and the various external interactions with the organisation from competitors. Sorensen proposes using the resource-based view to analyse the competitive situation, followed by creating the business model and then developing the planning documents for business development. Sorensen asserts that ‘what the customer values' is a focal point of the approach to business development. The internal strength and weakness analysis investigates the value chain, processes, resources, and capabilities, and the external opportunities and threat analysis review customers, market, and competitors.

Creating customer value in the sharing economy: an investigation of Airbnb users and their tripographic characteristics

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the roles of different types of customer value in influencing in customer evaluations of Airbnb. In particular, this study empirically tests the roles of four value dimensions in shaping existing Airbnb users’ attitudes and future behavioral intentions along with the effects of tripographic characteristics on users’ post-purchase evaluative judgments. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a multi-study approach to test the hypotheses. In Study 1, theoretical relationships between constructs were proposed and empirically analyzed; and in Study 2, a different sample was used to validate the hypothesized model and enhance the external validity of the findings. After completing both studies, the two samples were combined to test for the moderating effects of several key tripographic factors among Airbnb users. Findings This study found that price value, emotional value, quality value and social value were critical factors exerting differential effects on customers’ evaluations of Airbnb. Further analysis of group differences revealed that Airbnb customers’ value perceptions differed significantly depending on the length of stay, group size and number of previous trips. The number of previous trips also had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between social value and attitudes. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study contribute to the literature on Airbnb by presenting a comprehensive assessment of the differential effects of value components in evaluating Airbnb experiences with the consideration of tripographic characteristics. While supporting the importance of emotional, social, quality and price value to Airbnb guests, the results also show that Airbnb seems to appeal particularly to visitors who stay longer, travel with large groups and have used the platform several times in the past. Originality/value The findings of this study provide important insight into which customer values contribute to users’ attitudes and consequent favorable behaviors. More importantly, this study emphasized the importance of understanding the moderating effects of tripographic characteristics in the relationships between customer values and existing users’ evaluative judgment of Airbnb experiences.

Propose Business Strategy for Coffee Shop in Indonesia (XYZ Company)

Indonesia is one of the most potential markets for entrepreneurs who want to enter the coffee shop industry. The phenomenon of coffee as one of the local wisdoms in Indonesia has encouraged XYZ to have a vision of promoting the uniqueness of Indonesian coffee. However, XYZ ran into various hurdles to keep his business. XYZ’s performance from early 2018 to early 2020 experienced fluctuating conditions and in early 2020 experienced a drastic decline due to the effects of COVID-19. Then in mid-2020, the company started to improve its strategy in dealing with the impact of the pandemic. Currently, XYZ has one store in Tebet, South Jakarta. This study aims to assist the XYZ team in improving sales performance, especially in marketing strategies. In identifying external problems, this study uses general environmental analysis, industrial environmental analysis and competitor analysis. In identifying internal problems, this study uses resource analysis, value chain analysis, marketing mix analysis and competitor exploration. Furthermore, this study uses a qualitative approach that collects data from interviews with 15 customers as respondents. The respondents who were interviewed had the aim of capturing customer values and XYZ's ability to fulfill customer values. Interviews were also conducted due to changes in conditions caused by the pandemic which are likely to have an impact on customer value. Based on the analysis and determination of the direction of corporate strategy, this study finds that the company's situation is at the stage of growth and diversification. At this stage, XYZ needs to prioritize the target market according to its potential. In addition, this study also suggests XYZ to implement a diversification strategy in marketing activities. Finally, this study also uses the TOWS matrix as the main tool for developing marketing activities. In conclusion, this study proposes a strategy map, schedule, activity time and cost estimation as an implementation plan.

Management and Strategies for Customers Adoption of Mobile Banking Services

Mobile services applications in digital transformation era have become increasingly important and providing business and customers with a diversity of services, quality, and values with no cost and to help banks' practitioners identify and improve their services. This chapter aims to explore and understand management and strategies of digital business transformation in banks' change through the use of digital technologies and business models to improve applications, practice, performance, and customer values. The digitization of bank services is aimed at reducing costs, improving services, and digitalization of an enterprise is necessary to increasing effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of its functioning through dramatic changes in the management quality, both technological processes and decision-making processes at all levels of management, based on modern methods of production and further use of information about the state and prediction of possible changes in managed elements and subsystems.