Browsing by Author "Rageh Ismail, Ahmed"

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Attitude of Muslim Consumers Toward Sex Appeal in Advertising: A Comparative Study Between Subcultures in Malaysia
(Routledge, 2014) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Melewar, TC
This research was designed in order to explore the subculture differences in Malaysian consumers’ responses to sex appeal advertising. This study employs a 2 × 2 × 2 full factorial between subjects design. There are two levels of model gender (male/female), two levels of sex appeal (high/low), and two levels of religion of the subjects (Muslim/non-Muslim). When comparing Muslims and non-Muslims in the responses to the ads, it was generally found that Muslim subjects’ attitudes were significantly lower than non-Muslims attitudes toward the same ads. Future research should adopt a more representative sample and test different product categories.
Binational Study of the Impact of Brand Image, Brand Personality and Brand Love on Word of Mouth: The Case of Fashion Brands in UK and Switzerland
(Academy of Marketing Science, 2015) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Melewar, T.C.
This study seeks to test a research framework designed to explain the direct effects of brand love, image and personality upon word of mouth in different two contexts. Using data collected from two different countries (United Kingdom and Switzerland), the survey instrument was tested for reliability and validity using confirmatory factor analysis. Hypotheses are then developed related to the consumer-brand relationship across the two countries which are then tested using structural equation modeling. The findings showed that, there is a significant relationship between excitement and brand image, brand love and word of mouth. This is particularly true in both samples. The impact of brand image on word of mouth was not found significant in the two countries in the study. The primary limitation of the study is that the two sampled countries were European. The study explains the relationships among different branding constructs to maximize word of mouth in a wide range of market environments. Although aspects of consumer-brand relationships heavily studied in the US market, much less research exists across markets and in non-US context. This paper redresses this imbalance. Keywords- brand personality, brand image, brand love, WOM and cross-cultural markets.
Corporate Communication Management (CCM) and Organisational Performance: A Review of the Current Literature, Conceptual Model and Research Propositions
(Elsevier, 2014) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Mohamad, Bahtiar; Abu Bakara, Hassan; Halima, Haslina
Corporate communication received great attention from scholars and the business community more than 40 years ago due to changes in global business environments. Many scholars believe there are influences of corporate communication management (CCM) on organisational performance, yet there is a paucity of studies on the validation of this theoretical assumption. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to address the gap by providing an elevated understanding of CCM and its consequences. The managerial and policy implications provided in this study help corporate communication practitioners to identify the practical needs of their work and design an appropriate CCM programme.
Corporate Identity Management (CIM) in Malaysian Higher Education Sector: Developing a Conceptual Model
(DergiPark, 2016) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Mohamad, Bahtiar; Abu Bakar, Hassan; Halim, Haslina; Bidin, Rosmiza
Corporate Identity Management (CIM) in universities has been acknowledged in marketing literature as an important area of research. Research within the current spectrum of CIM indicates some ambiguities surrounding corporate identity in higher education. However, very few studies are available in the field of corporate identity within universities. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to examine the relationships between university’s CIM and organizational performance, and also to identify the relevant underlying mechanisms of CIM in Malaysian higher-education sector. Based on a review of the existing literature in a range of fields, this study proposes a conceptual model of the positive relationships between CIM activities in universities with the internal brand, transformational leadership, and organizational culture. The internal brand communication, transformational leadership characteristics of the immediate leader and organizational culture of the university are included in the model as determinants of CIM activities. The proposed conceptual model is developed based on marketing control theory (Jaworski, 1988) combined with transformational leadership theory (Burns, 1978), and social learning theory (Bandura, 1977). The researchers expect this research to make several theoretical, managerial and policy contributions. For example, the institutions which want to build organizational performance from the academic staff should ensure that the corporate identity management, internal brand, organizational culture and leadership move in the right direction.
Corporate Identity Management and Employee Brand Support: Enhancing Marketisation in Higher Education Sector
(Jurnal Komunikasi, 2017) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Mohamad, Bahtiar; Bidin, Rosmiza
Marketing literature has recognized Corporate Identity Management (CIM) in higher education sector as an important area of research. Moreover, current research trend within the continuum of CIM has indicated some ambiguities surrounding corporate identity in higher education. In fact, there is paucity of empirical studies on corporate identity from a higher education perspective. Consequently, the objective of this study is to examine the relationships between university’s CIM and employee brand support as well as its relevant causal mechanisms in the higher education sector in Malaysia. The study employed a survey (472) with Malaysian university staff as respondents to test the research hypotheses and the proposed conceptual model. Findings of the study indicated that the Malaysian university staff has some external validity in exploring CIM and employee brand support. The results also demonstrated that the CIM in universities should be merged with strategic communication. Finally, this study provides a better corporate identity management to policy makers, regulators, managers and government in the higher education sector. For example, institutions can inculcate employee brand support in their academic staff to ensure corporate identity management moves in the right direction.
Customer experiences with brands: Literature review and research directions
(Westburn Publishers Ltd, 2011) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Melewar, T.C.; Lim, Lynn; Woodside, Arch
The concept of customer experience is evolving to an ever more imperative area of study within the marketing discipline. Despite its importance and the positive attention this concept is receiving in the literature, the explanation of customer experiences remains vague and a thorough theoretical foundation is lacking. This paper addresses this gap in the literature facilitating a brand-management understanding of the concept of customer experience and its antecedents and consequences. The paper examines the impact of customer experience on brand loyalty via a comprehensive review of existing literature on the concept of customer experience and service brand literature. In addition, twelve propositions describe and explain the antecedents of customer experience and impacts upon brand loyalty within a service-centred marketing logic. This paper contributes a novel customer-brand experience perspective and conceptual tools relevant for further theory development and for effectively managing customer-brand relationships.
Effects of brand love, personality and image on word of mouth: The case of fashion brands among young consumers
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2012) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Spinelli, Gabriella
Purpose – Fashion brand love is a central concept in the consumer-brand relationship domain. Brand managers tend to create more lovable brands, e.g. McDonald’s “I’m lovin it”. However, the importance of this concept is not frequently discussed in marketing literature. Furthermore, the impact of brand personality and brand image on brand love has not been investigated in any empirical research. This paper aims to address this gap by developing a causal model incorporating brand love, brand personality, brand image and word of mouth (WOM) to investigate the relationships among them. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a survey method and usable questionnaires were completed by 250 undergraduate students. Path analysis was used to test the hypotheses using AMOS 16.0. Findings – Results revealed that only brand image is considered as a determinant of brand love that affects WOM along with brand personality. Practical implications – Results provide detailed implications and a platform on which future research can be built
Effects of personality traits (big five) on expatriates adjustment and job performance
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2014) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Awais Bhatti, Muhammad; Mohamed Battour, Mohamed; Pandiyan Sundram, Veera
Purpose – Researchers have been focusing on the predictors of expatriates adjustment and job performance at different levels (individual level, organizational level, and societal level) but still some of the predictors have been ignored or unclear in the expatriate literature. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of personality traits (big five) on expatriates adjustment and job performance. Design/methodology/approach – In this regards, data were collected from 201 expatriates working in Malaysia and analyzed by using structural equation modelling with Amos 16. Findings – The findings of this study indicated that personality traits (big five) which include extroversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism positively influence expatriate adjustment which further influence expatriate performance rated by peers. In other words, expatriates adjustment (work, interaction, and general) mediate the relationship between big five personality traits (extroversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) and expatriates job performance (task, relationship building, and overall performance). Research limitations/implications – The findings of this study will help the researchers to further understand the importance of personality traits required for successful completion of international assignment. Furthermore, the findings also suggest human resource professionals to consider these personality traits before selecting an individual for international assignment. Finally, future research directions have been proposed. Originality/value – Literature on expatriate adjustment and job performance is still at developing stage. This paper shed light on the individual characteristics which work as predictors for expatriates adjustment and job performance.
The ethical intention of marketing students: the role of ethical ideologies, Machiavellianism and gender
(Springer International Publishing, 2017) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Mohamed, Bahtiar
This study investigates the relationship between ethical ideologies, Machiavellianism, perceived ethical problem, gender and ethical intention. The results from a survey of students in marketing classes from an Australian university branch campus in Malaysia revealed that relativism and Machiavellianism have negative impact on ethical intention of students. However, idealism and perceived ethical problems have positive impacts on their ethical intention. Moreover, the study found that gender is not a determinant of the ethical intentions of students. This study is attempting to improve our understanding of the ethical issues existing in one of the emergent markets (i.e. Malaysia). Additionally, it offers some implications for marketing educators.
Expatriates adjustment and job performance: An examination of individual and organizational factors
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2013) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Awais Bhatti, Muhammad; Mohamed Battour, Mohamed
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effects of expatriate adjustment (work, general and interaction) between individual (previous international experience, self-efficacy, social network and cultural sensitivity) and organizational factor (direct and indirect support) and job performance. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected from 201 expatriates working in Malaysia and analyse by using structural equation modelling (Amos-16). Findings – The results of the study indicated that expatriate adjustment (work, general and interaction) mediate the relationship between individual and organizational factors and expatriate performance (supervisor rated). Research limitations/implications – The data were collected from the expatriates working in Malaysian universities. There can be differences between education industry and pure business organization in terms of working environment, selection process and management support. The respondents were citizens of different countries around the world which include Asia, Europe and Middle East. Even though Malaysia is a multicultural society and expatriates from any part of the world can find themselves in Malaysia, this research did not group the respondents in terms of their cultural differences and similarities with Malaysian culture. Practical implications – The findings of this study suggest that human resource managers and MNC’s management should provide direct and indirect support to the expatriates and their families in terms of language and cultural training, career development, logistical assistance, family mentoring, psychological counselling, job search, self-development and social activities. Furthermore, recruitment managers and MNC’s management should consider these factors before appointing any employee for international assignment. Finally, the findings of this research suggest that better expatriate performance help MNC’s to perform better in their international operations which will ultimately improve the home and host country economic situation. The better performance of MNC’s in their international operations through effective expatriate performance will encourage other domestic organizations to expand their operations globally. Originality/value – Expatriate literature have highlighted many individual and organizational factors which affect expatriate job performance and adjustment but the role of some individual and organizational factors is still not clear and/or ignored by past researchers. For example, the role of direct and indirect support has not been well conceptualized in past studies. In addition, only a few studies have explained the importance of self-efficacy, cultural sensitivity and social network in expatriate literature. Furthermore, role of previous international experience has generated conflicting results in past research.
Experience Marketing: An Empirical Investigation
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2011) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed
Customer experience theory, research, and practice represent an evolving area of study within the marketing discipline. Despite its importance, the customer experience concept remains vague and lacks a thorough theoretical foundation. This study addresses this gap in the literature and examines the antecedents and consequences of customer experience from customer perspectives. The study provides a conceptual framework building from a qualitative study and the existing literature. This article includes a formal test of the framework using a large-scale survey to examine the experience of British customers with resort hotel brands. The results show that price perception, core services, and word of mouth have a direct impact on how customers interpret their experiences with resort hotel brands; perceived service quality plays a mediatory role in the relationship between servicescape, core service, and customer experience. Measuring the validation strength of customer experience upon brand loyalty by best fit in combination with cross-sample predictive validity models is a valuable contribution of this study
Impact of perceived social media marketing activities on brand and value consciousness: roles of usage, materialism and conspicuous consumption
(Inderscience, 2018) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Nguyen, Bang; Melewar, T.C.
This research investigates the impact of perceived social media marketing activities on brand- and value consciousness. It further examines the effect of social media usage on materialism, brand consciousness and conspicuous consumption, as examining materialism-centric behaviour is becoming important in a consumption-based economy. A self-administered questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of 346 undergraduate students. Two different research models are tested and confirmed. The findings of this research indicated that perceived social media marketing activities have a significant effect on brand loyalty; brand consciousness and value consciousness mediate the relationship between perceived social media marketing activities and brand loyalty. Moreover, evidence supports the idea that the greater the use of social media, the greater the tendency towards materialism and conspicuous consumption. This study confirms the growing importance of perceived social media marketing activities in envisioning brand loyalty and provides insights on impact of social media on materialism and conspicuous consumption.
The influence of perceived social media marketing activities on brand loyalty: The mediation effect of brand and value consciousness
(Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 2017) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of social media marketing activities on brand loyalty, value consciousness and brand consciousness. Design/methodology/approach – A self-administered questionnaire was developed and administered to a convenience sample of 346 undergraduate students Findings – The findings of this research indicated that social media marketing has a significant effect on brand loyalty; brand consciousness and value consciousness mediate the relationship between social media marketing and brand loyalty. Originality/value – This study confirms the growing importance of social media marketing. It also provides insights for marketers on envisioning brand loyalty.
Leveraging the potential of word of mouth: The role of love, excitement and image of fashion brands
(Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 2015) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed
This study seeks to test a research framework designed to explain the direct effects of fashion brand love, image and excitement upon word of mouth in two different contexts. Using data collected from two different countries (the United Kingdom and Switzerland), the survey instrument was tested for reliability and validity using confirmatory factor analysis. Hypotheses were then developed related to the consumer-brand relationship across the two countries, which were then tested using structural equation modeling. The findings showed that there is a significant relationship between excitement and brand image, brand love and word of mouth. This is particularly true in both samples. The impact of brand image on word of mouth was not found to be significant in the two countries in the study. The primary limitation of the study is that the two sampled countries were European. Additionally, the results of the study present a preliminary investigation that can only be validated through further research. The study explains the relationships among different branding constructs to maximize word of mouth in a wide range of market environments. Although aspects of consumer–brand relationships have been heavily studied in the US market, much less research exists across markets in a non-US context. This paper redresses this imbalance.
Recruitment in higher education institution: the mediating role of parents' expectations and encouragement
(Inderscience Publishers (IEL), 2016) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Kee-Ming Sia, Joseph
Previous research has demonstrated the direct relationship between parents' education, parents' expectation and encouragement and college choice decision; however, study on the possibility of variables having a mediating role on college choice decision has yet to be investigated. This paper attempts to address this knowledge gap and seeks to serve a provocative role in explaining students' college choice decision. The study was conducted among prospective students. The results revealed the direct and indirect relationship between parents' education and college choice decision. The results support all of the hypothesised relationships, suggesting the importance of the role of parents' expectation and encouragement in the students' decision to enrol in higher education institution. This significant finding implies that the challenges of higher learning institutions should also focus on strategies to engage with parents so that students will decide to enrol in the marketed higher learning institution. Theoretical and managerial implications were also discussed.
Tourist risk perceptions and revisit intention: A critical review of literature
(Cogent, 2017) Kamrul Hasan, Md; Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Faridul Islam, MD
Tourists’ perceptions of risk with travel destination are one of the key determinants of their decision-making in revisiting a destination. Despite the importance of the subject in tourism literature, a few attempts have been made to focus on the effects of tourist risk perceptions on revisit intentions. Moreover, a theoretical foundation is still lacking in current literature highlighting the relationship of the effect of tourist risk perceptions through satisfaction and attitude towards revisiting with tourist revisit intention. Taking this into account as research gap, this paper provides a critical review of the effect of tourist risk perceptions in tourism research, presenting a descriptive background, identifying the progress, develop an integrated conceptual framework, review of their theoretical propositions and methodological issues and suggesting new areas and approaches for future research. The study concludes that the area is dominated by both the quantitative and the qualitative research, and a lack of appropriate theoretical foundation is a major problem to understand the common risk dimensions and their effect on tourist revisit intention. Therefore, the integration of satisfaction and attitude towards revisit with the relationship between tourist risk perceptions and revisit intention in a single framework seems rational to provide an insight for new research approach.
Understanding the Factors That Affect the Adoption of Innovative High-Technology Brands: The Case of Apple iPhone in Malaysia
(Taylor & Francis Group, 2012) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed
The purpose of this study is to examine how innovation attributes, social influence, and perceived risk can affect technology brand adoption. The impact of innovation attributes, social influence, and perceived risk on iPhone adoption has been tested through series of tests (i.e., reliability, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlations, multiple regression analysis, and moderation effect of gender). The sample consists of 134 Malaysian students. Results revealed the importance of relative advantage, trialability, and social influence as key constructs in adoption intention. The study also showed that gender of the consumer has no moderating effect on the adoption intention. Practical guidelines are provided to marketing managers on how to use those factors to increase the adoption of new brands among customers.
Using netnography research method to reveal the underlying dimensions of the customer/tourist experience
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2013) Rageh Ismail, Ahmed; Melewar, T.C.; Woodside, Arch
Purpose – The interest in customer experience has increased at a phenomenal rate. However, research to capture the true meaning of the concept is limited. Therefore, this study aims to address the question of what are the underlying dimensions that constitute the construct of customer experience. Design/methodology/approach – The netnography method is utilized to validate a priori concepts that have been identified in the literature within the tourist industry in Egypt. Findings – The results identified eight dimensions; comfort, educational, hedonic, novelty, recognition, relational, safety and beauty, which are consistent with major studies on experience. Research limitations/implications – The focus of the study was on customer reviews that were written in English and posted online. Therefore, care should be taken when interpreting these findings. Practical implications – This study attempted to gain a meaningful degree of understanding of customer experience construct. The results suggest a number of implications for service, marketing and brand managers. The knowledge of customer experience and the challenge of creating great customer experience are of utmost importance. Many marketers acknowledge the importance of customer experience, but they have very little knowledge of what the components are of customer experience.