Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges Relating to the Variances in Students’ Response to Dissatisfaction in Business Management Educational Services

Consumers respond to their lack of satisfaction with service provision in a variety of ways. For instance, research findings indicates that consumers’ response options to service dissatisfaction is related to customer loyalty, which may impact their future repurchase intentions (Janjua, 2017). The current study investigates the impact of loyalty, and its cultural understanding, on dissatisfaction response styles of university students. In particular, it compares the variations in response options between Anglo-Saxon Australian students and international Middle Eastern students, attending Australian universities and other tertiary higher education Australian institutions, in an attempt to explore the impact of culture on dissatisfaction, and the resultant response options chosen by students, as guided by culturally defined perceptions and values (Newsome & Cooper, 2016). Findings indicate that there are significant variations in terms of the degree of ethnic loyalty and the response options that students engage in as a reaction to educational service dissatisfaction, mostly attributable to differences in cultural values. The contributions of this study are three-fold. First, the current research study further develops our understanding of cultural loyalty and its impact on students’ future repurchase intentions. Secondly, it provides an understanding of the dissatisfaction response styles of university students coming from different ethnic backgrounds. Finally, this study further contributes to our understanding of the relationship between students’ ethnic backgrounds and their respective repurchase decisions.

A Cross-Culture Study of the Opportunities and Challenges of International Students Attending Schools of Business at Western Universities and Higher Education Colleges: “Now, I Have Sufficient Self-Confidence to Seek Advice, and Act on It”

International students attending schools of business at Western universities encounter various interrelated academic, language, cultural and socio-emotional challenges that impact their educational performance and success in their respective study programs, thus, shape their future professional prospects. The purpose of this paper is three-fold. First, develop a better understanding of the cultural and socio-emotional experiences of international Middle Eastern students attending American, British, and Australian universities in 2018, 2019, and early 2020. Secondly, find ways in which American, British, and Australian higher education providers can enhance their efforts in meeting the cultural and social-emotional needs of their international Middle Eastern students. Thirdly, discuss the academic and language experiences of international Middle Eastern students attending schools of business at Western universities in the above mentioned three countries. To this end, case studies have been designed for this purpose, where data is collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Accordingly, this study is guided by a series of research questions, as opposed to hypothesis testing. The participants involved in this study are all full-time international Middle Eastern students (n=90), undertaking their programs of study at both the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels at higher education institutions/providers in the three major world leaders in international education.

Fighting Pressures: Successful Psychosocial Adjustment of Middle Eastern Students at US Universities

Middle Eastern students seeking academic degrees in the US universities often experienced array of challenges in multiple levels as they adjust to the new environments. The current study investigated some of the psychosocial factors affecting their adjustments, namely: age, gender, and marital status. Quantitative method was used to collect data in which a survey was distributed and later analyzed for 92 Middle Eastern participants. The results of the study reveal the followings: (1) age was a significant factor impacting the level of adjustment at α = 0.0001, (2) gender on the other hand was not statistically significant as there was no difference between males versus females on the level of adjustment, (3) results also revealed that marital status had a statistically significant impact in which married participants displayed a higher level of adjustment than singles, and (4) with the current changes in the social lives and gender roles in the Middle East, further investigations are opened for exploration.

Foreign Medical Students in Eastern Europe: Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs about Medical Cannabis for Pain Management

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of foreign students toward the use of medical cannabis (MC) for pain management. Methods: This study uses data collected from 549 foreign students from India (n = 289) and Middle Eastern countries mostly from Egypt, Iran, Syria, and Jordan (n = 260) studying medicine in Russia and Belarus. Data collected from Russian and Belarusian origin medical students (n = 796) were used for comparison purposes. Pearson’s chi-squared and t-test were used to analyze the data. Results: Foreign students’ country of origin and gender statuses do not tend to be correlated with medical student responses toward medical cannabis use. Students from Russia and Belarus who identified as secular, compared to those who were religious, reported more positive attitudes toward medical cannabis and policy change. Conclusions: This study is the first to examine the attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs toward medical cannabis among foreign students from India and Middle Eastern countries studying in Russia and Belarus, two countries who oppose its recreational and medicine use. Indian and Middle Eastern students, as a group, tend to be more supportive of MC than their Russian and Belarusian counterparts. These results may be linked to cultural and historical reasons. This study provides useful information for possible medical and allied health curriculum and education purposes.

The Epidemiology of Recent Alcohol Use Among a National Sample of Middle Eastern College Students

Alcohol use among college students is a national health concern. The epidemiology of alcohol use among Middle Eastern college students remains to be investigated. This study sought to understand the epidemiology of recent alcohol use among Middle Eastern college students. We use data from the 2017 to 2018 Healthy Minds Study to identify predictors of recent alcohol use among 1,763 Middle Eastern students nationwide. Weighted univariate analyses were conducted to determine significant predictors of recent alcohol use. Nearly half (45.5%) of Middle Eastern college students reported using alcohol in the past 2 weeks (recent alcohol use). Those at highest risk for recent alcohol use were in their 4th year of schooling ( p < .001), living in a fraternity or sorority house ( p < .001), and reported that religion was not a big part of their life ( p < .001). Students who lived with their parents were less likely to drink alcohol ( p < . 001). Recent alcohol use among Middle Eastern college students is a national public health concern. Interventions are warranted to decrease this growing public health anomaly and to more effectively deal with this current public health crisis.

Challenges Related to Rituals and Law Facing Saudi Students in the UK

Saudi students studying abroad encounter some challenges as regards the climate and culture of the UK. These challenges may not only be observed in the language and academic curriculum. Hence, this study aims to test the rooted religious values and jurisdiction practices among Saudi Muslims concerning their experiences, needs and other challenges while studying in the UK. This study included a sample of 100 Saudi students enrolled in a different academic year in the UK institutes. Findings reveal that the majority of the Middle Eastern students experienced difficulties in offering prayers, displaying Islamic rituals such as funerals, and paying Zakat to people. These students also experienced problems in learning about juristic and judicial regulations and identifying the significance of civil and human rights, intellectual/religious tolerance, and women&rsquo;s rights. Most of the students experienced issues with their wives due to the social environment. Understanding this experience is significant to help ease the students&#39; challenges and make their experience in the UK successful.

Stress and Marital Satisfaction of Married Middle Eastern Students in Malaysia

This study examined the relationship between stress and marital satisfaction from the perspective of the vulnerability–stress–adaptation model. We hypothesised that some stress factors were associated with lower marital satisfaction. Making use of the structure equation modeling, the results of data analysis on 462 Middle Eastern students in Malaysia, supported the hypotheses of our study and showed that a higher level of stress is strongly related to a negative marital satisfaction. Moreover, the results indicated that marital stress is the strongest stressors that negatively affect the marital satisfaction of the respondents. This research provides a general view of stressors that have an impact on the marital satisfaction of married Middle East students who live as sojourners in Malaysia.