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Baladna is a dairy company in Qatar. It has thrived despite an ongoing political and economic blockade, helping the country to become self-sufficient in terms of its dairy needs. In a short time and with substantial investment, the brand became a market leader. Baladna's growth plan banks on globalization, but the marketing director and the VP of marketing disagree on the strategy: one argues for standardization and the other for adaptation. The case study discusses brand name issues as well as brand identity approaches in the context of a multicultural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competitive intelligence can be used as a catalyst to guide green marketing strategies as well as to create and maintain competitive advantage. The purpose of this article is to identify and rank the effective factors of competitive intelligence on green marketing and understand the effects of competitive intelligence components on green marketing components. This is a descriptive and applied research that was conducted on a case-by-case basis among the employees of 4 companies that are active in the field of energy industry in Qatar. The research tool is a questionnaire that confirmed the convergent and divergent validity of the two-stage structure. Analysis by PLS software showed that competitive intelligence has a positive effect on green marketing. Also, the ranking of the components was determined completely. The results of this research state that competitive intelligence as a strategic marketing management tool can modify their approaches to differentiate themselves from others and position themselves as industry leaders in sustainability. According to the study background, this research has an important contribution to the existing knowledge in terms of subject and geographical area and provides a suitable insight to the decision makers of this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine a conceptual integrated framework for small- and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) export performance that comprises all potential export determinants and inhibitors. This study also incorporates and examines the potential mediators of proactiveness (business strategy), innovativeness (innovation strategy) and export marketing strategy. Design/methodology/approach: His research is based on the contingency theory, resource-based and market-based view, and it provides an integrated model about the research problem. The primary data are collected through direct survey amongst active SME exporters, and three main approaches of descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling are applied for data analysis. Findings: The results show significant effects of various internal and external firms' determinants on their export performance in Qatar. Two mediators, proactiveness (business strategy) and innovativeness (innovation strategy), have key roles in enhancing SMEs' export as well. The final research findings have significant implications for understanding all key drivers of SME export in Qatar, and it helps policymakers, regulators and service providers to improve the current SME ecosystem and their services to SMEs. Finally, the results of this study can be extended to other emerging markets with similar economic and legal structures. Originality/value: Many obstacles discourage SMEs to move internationally, especially in emerging markets. This study focuses on the capacity building to enhance SME export activities in an emerging market. Even though the latest literature in the area of export performance has focused on firms from emerging economies, studies in this area are still limited. Earlier research in this area has mostly focused solely on the determinants of export performance from either internal factors, external factors or both without using adequately potential mediating factors, which could affect export performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the value chain and competitive advantage of the Qatari date palm sector within the international market. The first part of the study focuses on development strategies to improve the value chain in the State of Qatar. A "strengths, weak- nesses, opportunities, and threats" (SWOT) analysis was used to explore challenges and opportunities leading to improvements in the marketing, commercialization, and competitiveness of dates and date palm products in Qatar. The SWOT analysis revealed that the diversification of date varieties and orientation toward modern plantations are the greatest strengths of the date value chain. However, increasing competition in regional and global date markets is a major threat to the date sector in the country. The second section of the study assesses the competitiveness of the Qatari date palm sector in the international market using a set of widely used indicators, including the market share, revealed comparative advantage, and trade balance index. The empirical findings reveal that Qatar is not competitive in the international date palm market given its very low comparative advantage. The study suggests that a strategy must be driven by stakeholders to clearly identify a vision for better marketing, prioritize actions, focus investments to increase competitive- ness and growth, and expand profitability in the date value chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One year ago, the Qatar World Cup was in full swing, and Qatar was omnipresent in our public and private spheres. For many, the Qatar 2022 World Cup will forever be intimately connected with the plight of migrant workers. This Article dives into the confluence of spectacle, counter-marketing, international—labor and human rights—law, and local reforms, which came together in the long decade which followed FIFA's fateful decision in December 2010 to give the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. It starts by situating the FIFA World Cup 2022 within Qatar's drive for soft power and nation branding, before turning to re-counting how the 2022 World Cup was "ambushed" in the name of Qatar's migrant workers and their rights, putting the issue on the global agenda and triggering the involvement of the ILO. Thereafter, the Article discusses the effects of this ambush counter-marketing by engaging with the labor reforms introduced by the Qatari government, while highlighting their limits in terms of scope and implementation. The Article concludes with a general discussion on the blind spots and shortcomings of the turn to counter-marketing as a strategy to vindicate international human rights or labor rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach: This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings: SMEs within emerging markets are increasingly engaging in export activities. Identification of factors with potential to aid or impede efforts can help such firms to take appropriate actions to develop strategies which can enhance their export performance. Originality/value: The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green hotels industry is blooming, and growth rate is promising. Perception of tourists is critical for green hotels usage. However, the impact of personality traits and behavioral factors has received limited attention in the context of emerging economies. This study aims to examine the effect of personality traits and variables of theory of planned behavior (TPB) on intention to visit green hotels in Qatar. Based on personality traits and TPB, the study proposes that conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism as well as attitude and subjective norms will have a direct effect on intention to visit green hotels. Attitude is proposed as a mediating variable while perceived value is proposed as a moderating variable. The data was collected from tourists in Qatar. Smart Partial Least Square was deployed. The findings showed that conscientiousness, extraversion, attitude, and subjective norms have significant effects on intention to visit green hotels. Attitude only mediated the effect of extraversion on intention to visit green hotels while perceived value did not moderate the effect of attitude on intention to visit green hotels. Decision makers are advised to increase the awareness and to establish clear practices and procedures of green hotels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hesitancy in taking COVID-19 vaccines is a complex process influenced by several factors, including individual, social, and cultural. Health literacy and community awareness around mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are critical for successfully combating the pandemic. Healthcare professionals, including family physicians and nurses, can help increase community awareness and mitigate some misconceptions and hesitancy regarding mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in people's attitudes. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore how the interaction between an individual's social identities such as gender, ethnicity, culture, knowledge, and belief impact their hesitancy and attitudes toward mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. We aimed to describe our experience in dealing with people residing in Qatar from the perspective of healthcare practitioners from the Qatar University Health Center during the period when mRNA COVID-19 vaccines was introduced in a time frame of 6 months (April to October, 2021). We identified several factors associated with the reluctance to receive mRNA COVID-19 vaccines once vaccination services were available, affordable, and accessible to everyone in Qatar (). Most individuals were hesitant and refused to take mRNA COVID-19 vaccines owing to the unjustified myths and fear about potential side effects of vaccines in general and unknown long-term effects of vaccination, especially among women who were uneducated. We believe we have been able to put forth a fair, unbiased, and balanced argument between an individual's right to take or refuse the vaccine and the overall benefits to the public and community health in terms of the overall community immunity when the vast majority of the population will be vaccinated. Our experience could assist in developing culturally sensitive and tailored community outreach programs to increase community awareness as it is the cornerstone on which public health can fight the irrational myths, fear, misconceptions, vaccine hesitancy, and improve vaccination coverages. Moreover, our shared experiences might be able to better prepare future launching of pandemic vaccination campaigns in order to minimize vaccine hesitancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the monarchies of Qatar, Jordan, and Morocco to demonstrate how specific policies and ideologies do not necessarily correspond with the label of "moderate," which instead primarily reflects a reputational strategy. Prior to 2011, Qatar had cultivated an image as a relatively "liberal" Gulf monarchy, but although few policy changes occurred, after 2011 the emirate was seen as sponsoring terrorism. The government of Morocco developed a reputation for promoting "moderate Islam," yet religious intolerance persists, while the Jordanian regime has focused less on cultivating a moderate image than previously. Government efforts to develop a specific reputation reflect strategic maneuvering for both international religious soft power as well as consolidation of domestic control. Combining nine months of ethnographic fieldwork involving interviews with government officials, religious bureaucrats, and embassy personnel, the paper offers insights into how the strategic use of reputation has shifted in the post-2011 context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile commerce, which is a relatively new channel for business, is revolutionizing the global marketplace. In Qatar, the average annual consumer expenditure is impressive. Surprisingly, only a small portion of the Qatari population has demonstrated an interest in online shopping via mobile devices due to a lack of trust. In a multicultural nation such as Qatar, it is vital to explore the factors that can promote consumer trust in mobile commerce. The objective of this study is to present and validate a conceptual framework for trust based on the technology acceptance model. A survey was conducted to gather data, and the proposed trust model was empirically validated using the partial least squares approach. Our findings reveal that perceived security has the most significant positive direct relationship with trust formation, followed by social media influencers, whereas localization, luxury brands, perceived usability, and privacy indirectly influence trust through perceived security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The service marketing literature has traditionally argued that the marketing practices of service firms that operate in diverse cultures should also differ. This paper aims to investigate this argument by examining the marketing practices of service firms in two highly diverse countries "Canada and Qatar" in the context of a contemporary conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were collected in both countries using a self-administered questionnaire that was used in previous contemporary marketing practice (CMP) studies. The data analysis was conducted in two stages. First, descriptive statistics were used to determine cross-national differences in the intensity of use of various CMP activities in Qatar compared to Canada. Second, cross-national differences in various combinations of marketing practices were identified using a cluster analysis. Findings: The results indicate that service firms in both countries have more similarities than differences and that the overall patterns of marketing practices are similar. In addition, the firms' marketing practices reflect aspects of all four marketing approaches rather than just one. Research limitations/implications: The study was conducted in only two countries, thus generalisability of its findings and conclusions may not be possible. Practical implications: The results of this study can help marketers to better understand the changing marketing environment and identify new marketing solutions when operating in different environments. Originality/value: This study enhances the literature on service marketing and expands the application of the CMP framework to a new context that has not been addressed in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision making of innovation comes to the fore as sufficient justification for achieving competitiveness in a context of ever-increasing rivalry. In this formulation, decision makers are likely to form mental frames and sense-making processes in order to access complex interactions of external and organizational ingredients and make strategic decisions of innovation alternatives (service innovation, process innovation, ancillary innovation). This paper examines environmental factors that may explain managers' strategic choice of a specific type of innovation in service sector organizations located in Qatar and Greece from the viewpoint of the managers' distinct national cultures resulting in different attitudes and values. This research work examines several main-effect propositions regarding managers' perspective chosen innovation alternatives, depending on the external forces (service need, diversity of need, increase in population, and influence of context) are dealing with. We illustrate the main effect by looking at surface manifestations of managerial decisions of innovation as outward expressions of distinct characteristics lying deeper in each national culture of origin: Qatari managers prefer service innovations more than Greek managers do. Furthermore, this article reports on the findings of an exploratory study comparing national differences in innovation selection decision between Qatari and Greek top managers that develop a number of interaction effects. To confirm our propositions we gathered experimental data from 118 Greek top managers and 61 Qatari top managers. A multilevel regression analysis was used to examine and assess the relative impacts of the environmental forces on innovation strategic decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a research study on the drivers of loyalty in electronic commerce (e-commerce) settings in Qatar such as trust, customer satisfaction, and service quality. The study applied a survey method which used the gap analysis or SERVQUAL approach, structural equation modeling, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) while data were analyzed through p-statistic, degrees of freedom (df), and Chi-square goodness-of-fit. Results showed that word-of-mouth (WOM) is a driver of intention and trust which was established by assurance.