Browsing by Author "Eldegwy, Ahmed"

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Blue blood students of occupational dynasties and their university choice: the moderating role of parent–child occupational following
(Routledge, 2023-01) Eldegwy, Ahmed; Elsharnouby, Tamer H; Kortam, Wael
This study sheds light on a new category of students in higher education marketing literature – namely, occupational followers. We draw on expectancy-value theory, occupational following theory, and consumer buying behaviour premises to develop and empirically test a model for university choice decision. Data was collected from 367 prospective university students divided into two groups: occupational followers and non-occupational followers. Data was analysed using structural equation modelling. Results indicate that staff–new student online interactions are a key driver of new student satisfaction with online subject taster programs. The study provides empirical support for the direct effect of student satisfaction in shaping students’ extra-role behaviour and university brand preference. Specifically, occupational following moderates the relationship between brand preference and university decision as well as the relationship between extra-role behaviour and university decision.
How sociable is your university brand? An empirical investigation of university social augmenters brand equity
(Emerald Group Publishing Ltd., 2018) Eldegwy, Ahmed ; Elsharnouby T.H.; Kortam W.; Department of Management Sciences; October University for Modern Sciences and Arts; Giza; Egypt; Department of Management and Marketing; Qatar University; Doha; Qatar; Department of Business Administration; Cairo University; Giza; Egypt
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to integrate branding and higher education literature to conceptualize, develop, and empirically examine a model of university social augmenters brand equity. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on an empirical survey of 401 undergraduate students enrolled in private universities in Egypt, this study model was tested using structural equation modeling. Findings: The findings reveal that university social augmenters reputation, coach-to-student interactions, and student-to-student interactions influence students satisfaction with social augmenters. The results also suggest that students satisfied with university social augmenters are more likely to exhibit outcomes of brand equity namely, brand identification, willingness to recommend, and willingness to incur an additional premium cost. Practical implications: The results offer managerial implications for university administrators in their quest to enrich students university experiences and build strong sub-brands within the university setting. University social augmenters are found to have strong brand equity manifestations and may hold the potential to differentiate university brands in an industry dominated by experience and credence. Originality/value: This research contributes to the extant literature by filling two gaps in university branding literature. First, previous research has never unified separate streams of literature related to augmented services and brand equity. Second, limited conceptual and empirical research on university branding in general and university social augmentation in particular has been conducted in emerging markets, which has resulted in conceptual ambiguity for the key factors constructing students university social experiences. 2018, Ahmed Eldegwy, Tamer H. Elsharnouby and Wael Kortam.
Like father like son: the role of similar-education parents in their children’s university choice
(Routledge, 06/02/2022) Eldegwy, Ahmed; Elsharnouby, Tamer H; Kortam, Wael
This study draws attention to the role of similarly educated parents in their children’s university choice. We conceptualise, develop, and empirically test a model that links university choice with parents’ intention to recommend the university and university brand preference that stems from their own experiences during the university evaluation stage. Data from 339 parents of prospective university students were collected and analysed using structural equation modelling. The findings reveal that parents’ experience with university staff, perception of other parents, and quality of university facilities affect parents’ satisfaction. The results suggest that parents satisfied with a university are more likely to recommend that university to their children and prefer the university brand. These two constructs were found to influence university choice for those parents with non-similar education to a university programme. For parents with similar education to a university programme, only parents’ university brand preference influences university choice.
The Rising Veto Power of the Checkbook: An Empirical Investigation of Parents’ Impacts on Their Children’s University Enrollment
(IGI Global Publishing, 2022-04) Eldegwy, Ahmed; Elsharnouby, Tamer H; Kortam, Wael
This study drew on different streams in the literature to theorize a power shift in favor of parents in the post-COVID-19 era. The authors investigated the impact of parents’ campus site visits on university enrollment decisions by empirically testing a model that draws on concepts from service marketing and sociology and links university enrollment to parents’ evaluative and intentional constructs. Data were obtained from 339 parents of final-year high school students immediately after their campus site visits and analyzed using structural equation modelling. The results indicate that antecedents of parent university satisfaction include human encounters, university reputation, and physical setting. Satisfaction was found to drive intention to advocate to children and brand preference. These two outcomes affected enrollment. The results offer important theoretical contributions to the field of higher education marketing and present managerial implications for university administrators in their quest to augment student recruitment processes.
The Impact of Social Interactions During Onboarding Programs on Students' Fee-paying Behavior
(British Academy of Management, 2024-09-01) Eldegwy, Ahmed; Omneya A. Marzouk
Drawing on the need-to-belong theory together with prominent concepts from service marketing, this article investigates the impact of human interactions during onboarding programs on student satisfaction as well as the latter’s influence on students’ prosocial behavior and brand preference. It then examined the impact of prosocial behavior and brand preference on student fee-paying behavior. Such research is warranted as there is a critical need to offer academics and practitioners insights into effective student recruitment practices in the highly competitive higher education environment. 367 responses were captured from participants in an onboarding program. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Financial records were used to confirm students’ admission. The results confirmed the effectiveness of social interactions, especially with fellow students, on student satisfaction and found that student satisfaction drives students’ prosocial behavior and brand preference. The latter constructs were found to be predictors of fee payment