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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a new conceptual framework for big data analytics (BDA) in the healthcare sector for the European Mediterranean region. The objective of this new conceptual framework is to improve the health conditions in a dynamic region characterized by the appearance of new diseases.Design/methodology/approachThis study presents a new conceptual framework that could be employed in the European Mediterranean healthcare sector. Practically, this study can enhance medical services, taking smart decisions based on accurate data for healthcare and, finally, reducing the medical treatment costs, thanks to data quality control.FindingsThis research proposes a new conceptual framework for BDA in the healthcare sector that could be integrated in the European Mediterranean region. This framework introduces the big data quality (BDQ) module to filter and clean data that are provided from different European data sources. The BDQ module acts in a loop mode where bad data are redirected to their data source (e.g. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, university hospitals) to be corrected to improve the overall data quality in the proposed framework. Finally, clean data are directed to the BDA to take quick efficient decisions involving all the concerned stakeholders.Practical implicationsThis study proposes a new conceptual framework for executives in the healthcare sector to improve the decision-making process, decrease operational costs, enhance management performance and save human lives.Originality/valueThis study focused on big data management and BDQ in the European Mediterranean healthcare sector as a broadly considered fundamental condition for the quality of medical services and conditions.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend the current literature on international entrepreneurial careers by employing the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. It mainly aims at identifying determinants of international entrepreneurial intentions among young people and after their first employment experience in Lebanon.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses SEM on a sample of 150 young Lebanese employees to analyze the relationships among the model constructs.FindingsThe SEM broadly holds and adequately fits the data. The entrepreneurship context and the motivation of young employees are the variables that positively affect entrepreneurial intentions. Entrepreneurship education and social norms have no statistically significant impact. Finally, risk awareness and professional experience are the variables that negatively affect entrepreneurial intentions. The level of international entrepreneurial intentions among young Lebanese employees is relatively low, which may be justified by the bad economic and political situation.Research limitations/implicationsData were drawn from organizations located in a specific geographical area, namely, Lebanon. Thus, this may constrain the generalizability as well as causality of the results.Originality/valueThis study provides an empirical explanation of having an international entrepreneurial career after the first employment experience, with a sample of 150 young employees in Lebanon. By applying the SEM, this study developed a multi-perspective framework covering various factors that may affect the choice of an international career in entrepreneurship, especially after the first job experience. Even though this study's results reflect a particular case, its recommendations could facilitate the achievement of better learning outcomes.

Blockchain technology offers great properties such as scalability, decentralization, immutability, and security. These properties attracted many new fields such as healthcare, education, finance, and much more. This chapter proposes combining blockchain with big data technologies in order to provide a smart and efficient healthcare model. First, the authors propose to use the blockchain to save medical records (transactions) for patients on a large-scale system while preserving the privacy for patient. Blockchain can be used to keep track about each medical record for a patient. Since blockchains can save small amounts of data and since medical records can become very lengthy and complex to analyze, the authors propose to use big data technology in combination with blockchain. The big data technology can store large files and can handle heterogeneous files. Big data technology can apply sophisticated analysis on the data collected from blockchain.

The aim of this chapter is to examine the relationship between consumer perception of green advertising and consumer buying behavior. This study was conducted on consumers in Lebanon using a structured questionnaire. A total of 135 responses are included in this study using a convenience sample approach. Results showed that within green marketing, first, environmental knowledge is a determinant of purchasing green products. Secondly, the company image influences consumer intention to purchase green products. The improved features of the product influence significantly the green purchasing intention. Finally, the company credibility and skepticism towards green claims has a negative influence. Moreover, the result accredited facets of green marketing that companies need to focus on while designing advertising strategies.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reveal the impact of dynamic managerial innovative capabilities on the competitive advantage (CA), financial performance (FP) and non-financial performance (NFP) of the health-care sector during the very turbulent Covid-19 pandemic period. The focus is on human behavior and personnel interaction in the hospitals that receive Covid-19 cases.Design/methodology/approachData for this research was collected from the medical sector in Lebanon. The authors approached 14 public hospitals and 60 private hospitals for the study and only 48 hospitals (total of 284 respondents) accepted to complete the survey and provide data using a structured questionnaire.FindingsThis study reveals the moderating impact of CA on the relationship between dynamic managerial innovative capabilities and the performance of the health-care sector. Based on 48 Lebanese health-care centers during the Covid-19 pandemic, the results of the structural equation modeling model indicate that dynamic managerial innovative practices positively impact on CA and NFP. The results also reveal that CA has a moderating effect on the relationship between dynamic managerial innovative practices and NFP.Practical implicationsThis study does not reveal any direct or indirect relationship between managerial capabilities and FP during the pandemic.Originality/valueAs the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic, the health-care sector needs new approaches and methods for confronting the constantly evolving and turbulent environment. This study examines how health-care leaders are dealing with these dynamic challenges and tests a three-dimensional SEM model of dynamic managerial capabilities (sensing, seizing and reconfiguration) that impact CA.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reveal the impact of strategic competitive innovation types on the financial performance of SMEs during a very critical period: the COVID-19 pandemic. Four strategic competitive innovation types are considered in this study: marketing innovation, organizational innovation, product innovation and processes innovation.Design/methodology/approachTo examine empirically the relationship between strategic competitiveness and financial performance, data were collected from a sample of 426 Lebanese SMEs belonging to seven different sectors.FindingsThe empirical findings of principle component analysis model (PCA) and multiple regression model (MR) reveal that the ability to innovate is essential to an SME’s survival during a crisis. The results of this study confirm the existence of a positive impact of marketing innovation and processes innovation on the financial performance of SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic.Practical implicationsMoreover, results suggest that, in Lebanese SMEs, product innovation and organizational innovation do not have any impact on the financial performance during the pandemic period.Originality/valueThis research focused on strategic competitive innovation as a broadly considered essential condition for the survival of SMEs during the COVID-19 crises.

Despite the international commitment to guarantee the rights of disabled people, including the rights at the workplace, evidence shows that legislations are faced with different barriers to achieving their expected inclusion goals. Even more, the literature reported some counter-effects to the implementation of international and national legislations. Diversity studies have argued that the successful implementation of organizational support strategies is more guaranteed when barriers are well understood. This chapter examines the perceptions of employers and individuals with disabilities, including those with mental disabilities, of the barriers that inhibit diversity management at the workplace. The authors suggest extending the diversity literature by examining other organizational factors that facilitate the employment and sustainability of disabled individuals.

This paper addresses the problem of forecasting daily stock trends. The key consideration is to predict whether a given stock will close on uptrend tomorrow with reference to today’s closing price. We propose a forecasting model that comprises a features selection model, based on the Genetic Algorithm (GA), and Random Forest (RF) classifier. In our study, we consider four international stock indices that follow the concept of distributed lag analysis. We adopted a genetic algorithm approach to select a set of helpful features among these lags’ indices. Subsequently, we employed the Random Forest classifier, to unveil hidden relationships between stock indices and a particular stock’s trend. We tested our model by using it to predict the trends of 15 stocks. Experiments showed that our forecasting model had 80% accuracy, significantly outperforming the dummy forecast. The S&P 500 was the most useful stock index, whereas the CAC40 was the least useful in the prediction of daily stock trends. This study provides evidence of the usefulness of employing international stock indices to predict stock trends.

This research explores, identifies, defines and refines the conventional tertiary-education student decision-making process, and its contextual and personal innovative multi-layered factors of stakeholder influence. Structurally and methodologically, extant works' gaps are identified and a theoretical conceptual innovative framework is constructed through an extensive narrative-literature review that uniquely and directly conjoins stakeholder characteristics, innovative information gathering, factors of influence and the decision-making process. A quantitative survey of 617 first-semester tertiary-level students in Lebanon, with qualitative interviews and expert validation sessions, collected and coded data, and applied chi-square and simple correlation, factor analysis, and regression modelling to test and refine the conceptual framework, and to develop a final innovative tertiary education student-choice model. The value of the research stems naturally from its systematic identification, interrelation and testing of all the factors/forces involved; its incorporation of these into a single comprehensive process; and its explicit potentialities that transcend theoretical implications towards practicable entrepreneurial-managerial implementation.

Developing customer loyalty is a significant goal of marketing, and loyalty programs are the means through which practitioners can reach it. Keeping loyal customers is a vital aspect for their success and keeping current customers is cheaper than attracting new ones. Today, loyalty programs are playing an increasingly significant role in organizations' relationships with their customer base across a variety of industries. Towards this direction, the aim of this study was to examine how Lebanese consumers view rewards from loyalty programs and to what extent this reward is meaningful for them. This study is based on a survey among 225 customers that own a loyalty card, of some major retail stores in Lebanon. Based on the findings, key relevant points were obtained and used for further development of loyalty programs, which can be adapted to the consumption behaviour of the Lebanese consumer. Finally, the outcome of this research will help marketers to plan efficiently their marketing plan based on customer's perception toward the reward therefore increasing profits in retail markets.

This chapter analysed factors affecting the consumer purchase behaviour towards counterfeit products, and attitudes effect on the purchase intention of consumers. The considered variables are brand image, social influence, price-quality inferences, novelty seeking, and intention towards counterfeit products. A survey was conducted on university and college students in Lebanon. This research employed a structured questionnaire to measure the attitude of consumers using a Likert scale. Variables were measured using chi-square testing to identify their relationship. Results found that customer behaviour towards counterfeit products has a positive relationship with brand image, social influence, novelty seeking, intention, and price-quality inferences.

Emotional intelligence has become an important factor in the healthcare sector to gain a competitive advantage over competitors in a very dynamic environment focusing on stakeholders' satisfaction....

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand and accentuate the value of social media in international student recruitment in Lebanese higher education institutions (HEIs). This study analyses the significance of social media and the changes occurring in the means of communicating with the potential international students, with an aim to understand how the HEIs could adapt with the changes to implement a model of engagement to include social media as a fundamental constituent of the Lebanese HEIs’ international student recruitment strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers carried out a study through quantitative descriptive approach by using a probabilistic simple random sample and a self-administered questionnaire on 230 international students from several universities and colleges in Lebanon as a data collection method.FindingsThe findings demonstrated a certain level of engagement in social media networks from the part of the students during their search for college or university and course information. Research showed that international students still prefer the traditional sources, apart from social media, during their search. Among traditional media sources, friend, family and university website were the highest in ranking. Among social media sources, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube showed the highest ranks. Most students have, indeed, contacted a friend or a university staff for university course information by using social media sites.Practical implicationsFor managerial practice, this is an incentive for institutions of higher education to re-evaluate and assess the effective impact of social media on the recruitment of international students and to regulate their social media marketing strategies. For research in international education, the insights of this study are useful to explore further research avenues in the area of capacity building for business innovation, marketing and quality assurance in higher education in the cross-cultural context.Originality/valueThis study offers insights on the implications of social media for international student recruitment strategies in a particular Lebanese context of HEIs.

Innovation and change management are considered core concepts in strategic and leadership management. Openness to innovation and continuous change in organisational dynamics are important factors in determining organisational effectiveness. Innovation is crucial for organisational success, as is coping with organisational changes. This chapter studies the impact of change and innovation management on the performance of employees working in the health sector in northern Lebanon. The authors adopted a quantitative research method, via questionnaires distributed to a target population of 100 employees working in the health sector in North Lebanon. The results showed that change communication (representing organisational dynamics), employee satisfaction with change and employee perception of innovation management positively impact employee performance.

Employee performance has become an important factor in a company's success and development. Facing occupational stress in various working fields, especially nursing, seems to be an increasing challenge lately. This research investigates the environmental, situational, and individual factors that affect nurses' level of stress. It also measures the impact of stress on nurses' work performance. The data collected from 100 nurses in different hospitals shows a positive relationship between environmental and situational factors and a nurse's stress and a non-significant correlation between personal factors and nurse stress is found. The results also reveal a positive correlation between stress and overall nurse performance.

The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework for student choices for Lebanon. From the existing identified student choice frameworks none directly combine factors of influence, decision making process and information gathering as a total model. This enhanced framework will provide direction for Lebanese universities to recruit new students through institutional marketing. The objectives of this article are: to examine the factors identified in the literature that would influence/affect student choices in selecting higher education, and secondly to identify existing student choice models (SCM) and then develop a conceptual framework to help assist Lebanese universities in marketing their institutions. This article employed a deductive approach, focusing on secondary data. The parent literature revealed the combination model which magnifies the dimensions of student university influence, Hossler et al. (1999). The limitation of this study is the testing and validation of the conceptual model, further research should focus on testing and validating the proposed conceptual model on Lebanese students.