Identifying the preference of buyers of single-family homes in Dammam, Saudi Arabia

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-184
Author(s):  
Ameen Bin Mohanna ◽  
Ali Alqahtany
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Government ◽  
The City ◽  
Privacy Level

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the preferred characteristics of buyers of single-family homes in Saudi Arabia with an emphasis on the city of Dammam. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using face-to-face structured interviews conducted from November 2016 to May 2017 with 177 owners of single-family homes that were purchased between 2010 and the first quarter of 2017. Findings The findings indicate that homes can be divided into three types: villas, detached duplexes and semi-detached duplexes. Also, more than three-quarters of the respondents purchased their homes through mortgages from either lenders or the government. It seems we find that the advantages of the detached duplex, particularly its privacy level, over other types of single-family homes induce homebuyers to choose this home type. Originality/value In this study, the authors analyze housing preferences among various segments of the Saudi society, in the city of Dammam, to understand the housing supply in Saudi Arabia. Only a few studies have investigated the preferences of homebuyers in Saudi Arabia. Below the authors provide a literature review, discuss data and methods and results, as well as provide concluding remarks.

Is this mine? Psychological ownership and the social media follower

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline S.L. Tan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Psychological Ownership ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Currency ◽  
Different Levels

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine psychological ownership (PO) experienced by followers of social media influencers toward both influencer and the product. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 30 respondents and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings The study demonstrated that the PO experienced by the follower changes under different conditions resulting from perceived value, social currency and follower activity. Social currency plays a vital role in determining the target of PO, often affecting the narrative by the follower. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the transference of PO between product and influencer as experienced by the follower. It provides an understanding on PO that is experienced in different levels of intensity and changes depending on the motive of the follower; hence, transference of PO occurs and it is not a static.

scholarly journals Digital or human touchpoints? Insights from consumer-facing in-store services

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 296-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Vannucci ◽  
Eleonora Pantano
Keyword(s):  
Human Services ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Service Channels ◽  
Digital Or

Purpose Prior research highlights the extent to which consumers largely appreciate the possibility to choose among different digital touchpoints during the in-store experience, which results in a pervasive introduction of digital touchpoints as the first point of contact between retailers and consumers. However, consumers also give value to the human interactions in the service channels. The previous studies do not conclusively indicate the best balance of digital and human services. The purpose of this paper is to understand consumer-facing in-store services in new technology-enriched retail settings. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach involving face-to-face semi structured interviews was applied. To this end, the authors recruited 26 participants in Northern Italy between October and November 2017. Findings Results reveal motivations, preferences and discouraging factors leading consumers’ interactions with digital or human touchpoints. Findings ultimately provide useful guidelines to managers on understanding consumers’ attitudes toward digital vs human touchpoints phenomenon. Originality/value By identifying the key drivers of either digital and human touchpoints selection in offline retail settings, the present study figured out the attributes playing the crucial role in determining consumers’ preference regarding the in-store alternatives. Findings allow a further greater clarification of the practical issues, with emphasis on the new of human–machine integration.

Evaluating the prevalence and nature of blat in post-Soviet societies

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 747-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin C. Williams ◽  
Olga Onoshchenko
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Personal Connections ◽  
Stratified Sample ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
The City

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent to which the practice of using personal networks to obtain goods and services or to circumvent formal procedures, known as blat in the Soviet era, persists in post-Soviet societies and whether its character has altered. Design/methodology/approach – To do this, the prevalence and nature of blat in the education sector in the city of Mykolayiv in Ukraine is analysed using 200 face-to-face structured interviews with a spatially stratified sample of Mykolayiv residents and 30 follow-up semi-structured in-depth interviews. Findings – The finding is that blat is widely used to gain places in kindergarten, schools and universities. However, unlike Soviet era blat which took the form of non-monetised friendly help in the market-oriented society of post-Soviet Ukraine, both possessing control over access to assets such as education, as well as possessing personal connections to those with control over access to these assets, is increasingly viewed as a commodity to be bought and sold, and illicit informal monetary payments are now commonplace. The result is that nepotism, cronyism, bribery and corruption hinder meritocratic processes. Research limitations/implications – This paper examines the prevalence and nature of blat in just one sector in one post-Soviet country. An analysis across a wider range of sectors in various post-Soviet societies is now required to develop a more context-bound and nuanced understanding of blat in post-Soviet societies. Originality/value – This is the first in-depth empirical evaluation of the prevalence and nature of blat in contemporary post-Soviet societies.

Evaluating the role of blat in finding graduate employment in post-Soviet Ukraine

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Onoshchenko ◽  
Colin C. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Graduate Employment ◽  
Personal Connections ◽  
The City ◽  
Formal Procedures

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the use of personal connections to circumvent formal procedures, known as blat in the Soviet era, in post-Soviet societies by studying its role in graduate employment recruitment. Design/methodology/approach – To do this, the extent to which and how blat is used by graduates to find a job in the city of Mykolayiv in Ukraine is analysed through 85 face-to-face structured interviews with those who in the past seven years have sought employment after graduating from university. Findings – The finding is that blat is widely used by graduates to find a job. However, contrary to the existing literature which suggests that blat has become commodified in post-Soviet market societies with monetary payment being requested by and given to personal connections “pulling strings”, no evidence is found that this is the case. Instead, this remains a non-monetised form of friendly help by and for close social relations, akin to the Soviet era, and is viewed in a positive or neutral manner by participants even though its consequences can be to circumvent meritocratic formal recruitment procedures and foster nepotism and cronyism. Research limitations/implications – This study of blat is limited to analysing graduate recruitment in one city in Ukraine. Broader empirical research on the contemporary role of blat in this and other spheres in post-Soviet societies and beyond is now required so as to develop a more nuanced context-bound understanding of both the positive and negative facets of this social practice in contemporary societies. Originality/value – This study reveals that blat is commonly used to find graduate jobs and is widely viewed as a socially acceptable practice, despite hindering meritocratic recruitment procedures.

Soft innovation in hotel services: case of Izmir City

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 1025-1043
Author(s):  
Ige Pirnar ◽  
Yasemin Celik Kamali ◽  
Engin Deniz Eris
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Boutique Hotels ◽  
The City

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to figure out the impacts of soft innovation in the city hotels in general, whereas the focus is on figuring out if there exists a difference in vitality on the components of soft innovation among the hotel categories, as 4 stars, 5 stars and boutique hotels in Izmir, Turkey. Design/methodology/approach The first part is related to a detailed literature review on the soft innovation components as color, sound, light, scent and decoration. Literature review is followed by a qualitative research where expert information on the research topic is collected. Judgmental sampling is used to identify experts’ views where in-depth semi-structured interviews are conducted with 12 hotel managers in Izmir city. The soft innovation hotel application areas taken into consideration are: lobby and reception, rooms, restaurant, bar and ballroom areas, meeting and congress halls, SPA and pools, gardens and landscape and other exterior hotel architecture. Findings The findings of the research reveal the sample hotel managers’ views as all the soft innovation applications are important for all city hotels regardless of their category, meaning that soft innovation may lead to better marketing results. Thus, according to hotel managers, soft innovation offerings have a potential for better customer satisfaction as positive feedback. However, the vitality degree among components changes according to the hotel’s category. For boutique hotels the most important component is found to be the decoration of the hotel, whereas for 4 stars hotels it is light and for 5 stars hotels it is scent. Research limitations/implications The results of this study give relatively limited information because only managers’ point of view are shown. In the research, customers’ perceptions on soft innovation based interviews with the top management of the hotels studied takes place, indicating which may not be the case to reflect the real perception of customers. Therefore, for further researches, it is recommended for the other researches to take into consideration of customers’ point of views as well. Also, time limitation, sample size and application of only qualitative research may be stated as the limitations for this study. Quantitative research applies to customers on the same topic and problem statement is recommended for further studies related to city hotels’ soft innovation applications. Practical implications Motivation of this study is to understand how soft innovation can change hotels’ atmosphere and make it more attractive from the managers’ perceptions. According to hotel managers’ views, soft innovation applications may lead to higher customer satisfaction, but the level of investment among the components may change according to the city hotel’s category. Research implications indicate that hotel managers may optimize the effectiveness of their soft innovation efforts by taking into consideration their hotel type, application areas and innovation category as decoration, color, scent, sound and light. According to hotel managers, decoration-related soft innovation is more important to boutique hotels, lighting-related soft innovation is an effective investment for 4 stars hotels and scent-related soft innovation is a suitable investment for 5 stars hotels. Originality/value The originality of the study lies in the analysis of the components of soft innovation as a means for effective city hotel marketing and innovative management applications. Though it is a very suitable industry for implementation, improvement and development, there are limited studies on soft innovation applications in the hotel industry.

Major event and city branding

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-De Liu
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Major Event ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Visitor Perceptions ◽  
European Capital Of Culture ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
The City

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of a key branding campaign, based on a case study of Liverpool as the 2008 European Capital of Culture. Branding is a popular practice adopted by many cities in the context of intensified tourism competition. Design/methodology/approach – This study looks at quantitative data collected from an on-street face-to-face survey in 2008. In total, 611 questionnaires were distributed to and collected from local residents, visitors from the immediate hinterland, domestic tourists and overseas visitors. Findings – The analysis is done, first by investigating respondents’ impression on the Liverpool 08 brand and the branding campaign, and then by exploring the effects of the campaign. The positioning of Liverpool compared with other similar cities is addressed in the end. Originality/value – Event marketers need to be aware that visitor perceptions of the event’s branding are unlikely to be homogeneous. This could have significant implications on the design of brand and branding campaign and, then, affect whether the city could be effectively marketed.

Restaurant failure in post-conflict Beirut: the macroenvironmental context and mismanagement

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Yacoub ◽  
Samer Nakhle ◽  
Dorra Yahiaoui
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Market Research ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Management Policies

PurposeGiven the complexity of a post-conflict environment, the restaurant sector needs to be analyzed not just from the economic perspective. This paper aims to identify the diverse macroenvironmental and managerial factors underlying restaurant failures in Lebanon. The authors hope that this effort may help increasing restaurant success rates in other post-conflict settings.Design/methodology/approachThe aim of this paper is to explain how macroenvironmental pressures influence the restaurant business and which managerial factors are most critical in a post-conflict context. The authors adopted a qualitative method by conducting face-to-face, semi-structured interviews.FindingsThe findings show that restaurant failures in a competitive and uncertain post-conflict environment were caused mainly by a snowball of internal organizational factors related to bad management, poor human resource management policies, inefficiency and fraud. Internal organizational factors can all be associated with human mistakes and bad decisions, including excessive initial investment, expensive decoration, inability to manage monthly expenses, bad communication and market research.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature regarding restaurant failures in post-conflict regions and presents results that are expected to help managers in family- and non-family-owned businesses to enhance their decision-making process.

scholarly journals Telephonic qualitative research interviews: when to consider them and how to do them

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Bilal Farooq ◽  
Charl de Villiers
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Data Collection Instrument ◽  
Research Interview ◽  
Research Interviews ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Effective Use

Purpose The aims of this study are to review the literature examining the arguments for and against the telephonic qualitative research interviews, to develop criteria for assessing when the use of the telephone is suitable in qualitative research and if suitable to offer detailed strategies for the effective use of this data collection instrument. Design/methodology/approach The study is a thematic analysis of the literature, informed by the researchers’ experiences using the telephone, computer-based audio and face-to-face interviews for an accounting research project involving 50 semi-structured interviews with managers. Findings The study identifies five criteria to determine the suitability of using the telephone in qualitative research interviews. In addition, the study offers a set of detailed strategies on what to do before, during and after a telephonic qualitative research interview. Research limitations/implications The study can assist qualitative researchers in deciding when to use the telephone and how to use it effectively. Originality/value The study builds on the limited prior research and provides a more complete list of strategies on the effective use of the telephone in qualitative social sciences research. These strategies are a synthesis of existing studies and observations drawn from the author's study, which examines the work of organisational managers. In comparison, prior studies have been based on research projects that explored sensitive personal issues and emotive experiences not always related to managerial work.

scholarly journals Credentialism and demand for private supplementary tutoring

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pubali Ghosh ◽  
Mark Bray
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
On Demand ◽  
The World ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
The Impact ◽  
To Receive

Purpose Private supplementary tutoring is expanding fast around the world. Recognising that examination boards are major shapers of curricular load, the purpose of this paper is to identify the roles of examination boards at Grades 8, 9 and 10 in Bengaluru, India. Two boards were chosen, with one having a heavier perceived curricular load than the other. Design/methodology/approach The study used mixed methods with a questionnaire survey of 687 students in Grades 8, 9 and 10, and 51 face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Findings Perhaps surprisingly, the findings did not reveal significant differences in tutoring demand by students. Both groups viewed the board examinations as having high stakes, and accordingly invested in extensive private tutoring. Competition emanating from credentialism was the main driver of the decision to receive tutoring among both cohorts. Originality/value Although previous studies have explored various components of demand for tutoring, to the authors’ knowledge, this is the first to explore the impact of examination boards on demand for tutoring. Since the system of schools being affiliated to examination boards is common not only in India but also in many other countries, the study has broad international relevance.

Perceptions of EMS leaders and supervisors on the challenges faced by female paramedics in Riyadh Saudi Arabia: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Mohammed ALobaid ◽  
Cameron Gosling ◽  
Lisa McKenna ◽  
Brett Williams
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Medical Service ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Workforce Issues

PurposeSaudi female paramedics face many challenges in the current Saudi emergency medical service (EMS). This study aimed to investigate perceptions of EMS experts, leaders, managers and academics about the challenges faced by Saudi female paramedics in the Saudi Arabian EMS workforce.Design/methodology/approachA descriptive qualitative research approach was used employing semi-structured face-to-face interviews with seven EMS leaders, managers and academics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were analysed using thematic analysis informed by the work of Braun and Clark.FindingsThree themes emerged from the interviews that described EMS experts' perceptions, namely, cultural and family challenges, the value of Saudi female paramedics in the workforce and workforce issues.Originality/valueOverall, the interviews revealed that Saudi females faced several challenges that could affect their job duties and capacity to work in the EMS. Currently, Saudi females face difficulties with family, social and religious responsibilities, such as taking care of children and homes. Workforce issues were also considered problems that affect Saudi female paramedics in the workplace, such as physical fitness and psychological burnout. The EMS leaders, managers and academics emphasised that due to the new Saudi 2030 vision, it is expected and recognised that more females need to be employed in the EMS workforce.

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