Khaled Qassem Hailat

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of social media usage on creativity in Jordanian universities, with knowledge management (KM) serving as a mediating factor. A quantitative structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 1,163 faculty members and administrative staff across various departments. The approach for this research employed a descriptive-analytical method, supported by statistical tools such as descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Results indicate that social media use has a significant direct positive effect on creativity. Moreover, when mediated by KM, the influence of social media on creativity becomes stronger and more stable. KM enhances the ability of institutions to leverage social media for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and idea generation, thus contributing to creative performance. The findings also show that KM alone positively affects creativity, emphasizing its strategic role in academic environments. The study concludes that the combined use of social media and effective KM practices can substantially improve innovation within universities. It recommends that institutions evaluate social media performance more systematically, considering technological, organizational, and environmental factors. Additionally, greater emphasis should be placed on strengthening KM capabilities, enabling decision-makers to foster dynamic, knowledge-driven environments that support continuous improvement and creativity.

This study applies the Stimuli-Organism-Response (S-O-R) Theory to examine the impact of brand heritage of social commerce sites on consumers' perceived privacy risk, and the impact of this perceived risk on brand equity and brand advocacy. This study extends brand heritage research by exploring brand heritage in a new context (social commerce sites). To test the hypotheses, an online survey was conducted, and a total of 321 responses were collected from Amazon users in the US. The data were analyzed by using the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings revealed that the brand heritage of social commerce sites has a significant negative influence on consumers' perceived privacy risk, which in turn has a significant negative impact on brand equity and brand advocacy.

This study aims to investigate the role of User-Generated Content (UGC) in customer engagement by identifying the factors that influence customer engagement on social commerce sites. Data (n=307) were collected through an online survey. The data analysis was done through factor analysis and multiple regression. The research model was developed using Ducoffe’s [1] model. The result of data analysis reveals that Informativeness, Credibility, Relevancy, and Irritation of the UGC influence people’s perception of the value of the UGC, which will eventually lead to customer engagement intention. Entertainment was not able to contribute to the perceived value of UGC. The finding of this study will help marketers develop a strong brand by identifying the factors that encourage customers to participate in creating UGC. This study was the first study that used Ducoffe's [1] model to examine the role of UGC on customer engagement.

The internationalization of students in tertiary education has increased worldwide for the past 20 years. International students (IS) are considered consumers of Higher Education (HE) in host countries and are often a significant contributor to many countries' economies. This paper explores the push and pull factors that influence international Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) students to select Higher Education in the UK as a preferred destination of choice and the potential implications this may have for the wider international student body. The authors utilized face‐to‐face interviews and purposive sampling of 40 undergraduate students from a university in the UK North West. The sample was nationals from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. NVivo11 software was utilized by the researchers to facilitate data management and analysis. Analysis revealed six main push factors that led those sampled to depart their home country and pursue their university education in the UK. Alternatively, there were 10 pull factors that encouraged GCC students to pursue their university education in the UK. It is imperative that UK Higher Education institutions/universities are cognizant of the push/pull factors that boost GCC international students' intake at their institutions since there is an observable decline in international student numbers in recent years that can negatively impact the said universities and the wider UK economy.

Higher education institutions should take into account the needs of stakeholders in the planning and development of quality educational services. In general, the stakeholders are divided into two categories: internal and external stakeholders. This study aims to explore the diverse basic needs of the university internal stakeholders (students, academic staff, and employees) and the impact of the services on the brand image of the educational institutions. Consensus has been built that an organization's image can only be or assessed by its stakeholders or constituents. Utilizing the qualitative approach through empirical semi‐structured interviews, data were collected from both Benghazi University in the country of Libya and Yarmouk University in the country of Jordan. To gain an in‐depth understating of the basic services, interviews were conducted with 41 university internal stakeholders (students, academic staff, and employees). The findings have a remarkable impact on the education services quality and the perception of brand image of both institutions, which subsequently affects the Libyan and Jordanian economy. The paper explores the differences between the needs of the three groups. This study is of value to educational leaders as it serves as contribution to the well designing of comprehensive plans of the university, by providing the decision makers with information on the needs of the university internal stakeholders. Managements can develop policies, which will improve the safety of customers and staff and increase collaborations with both universities stakeholders, etc. Accordingly, the results provide a foundation on which future research can be built.