RESEARCH PROJECTS
An empirical comparison of the dimensions of service quality between developed and developing economies This paper attempts to empirically investigate a series of research hypotheses that provide managerial guidance as to how the various dimensions of service quality should be emphasized differentially in developed and developing economies. The paper draws upon the conceptual framework of the determinants of service quality which was proposed by Parasuraman et al. (1985). Further theoretical foundations for this paper are based on the recent work of Malhotra et al. (1994), who proposed several hypotheses related to each of the ten dimensions of service quality and how each should be emphasized and addressed differentially in developed and developing economies. This research undertaking attempts to empirically assess the majority of those hypotheses. A three-country comparison is proposed with data to be collected in Lebanon, the USA, and Canada. Finally, managerial implications of the findings and potential areas of future research are discussed. I. B. Baalbaki, N. K. Malhotra* and J. Agarwal*. (Partially funded by a grant from the Mellon Foundation through the Center for Behavioral Research at AUB.) Environmental bases for international market segmentation: A review, a critique, and an application This paper attempts to provide a comprehensive review and critique of previous international market segmentation research. The majority of empirical and conceptual research have focused on identifying global market segments through applying purely environmental bases for segmentation. The paper forwards the rationale behind the adoption of such methods. In addition, the paper highlights the drawbacks of relying solely on environmental variables in identifying global market segments. Methodological and managerial critiques of the studies are discussed followed by a multivariate statistical segmentation application. Literature review and critique phases are complete. Data collection and statistical phases are in progress. Interpretation and managerial implications sections are to follow. I.B. Baalbaki and N.K. Malhotra*. Empirical research in international marketing: An assessment of the state-of-the-art A comprehensive review and a methodological critique of studies that have attempted to investigate empirically the effect of environmental and marketing-related factors on international marketing strategy. The project is to include a review of research of international marketing strategy, international marketing mix, international marketing research, and investigation on the appropriateness of standardization/customization of international marketing strategy. This paper undergoing its initial exploratory stage. I.B. Baalbaki and N.K. Malhotra*. Regional trading blocks: A multicultural perspect The paper tackles the issues related to marketing in regional trading blocks. The political, economic, and cultural aspects of trading blocks are discussed, with implications on marketing strategy formulation for both marketing to countries within the firm’s trading block and marketing to countries outside the firm’s trading block. The homogeneity and heterogeneity of trading blocks are also discussed, particularly from a multicultural perspective. The paper focuses on the EU, NAFTA, and ASEAN blocks. I.B. Baalbaki, N.K. Malhotra* and J. Agarwal*. Relationships of selected wheat parameters to burghul-making quality Paper completed and accepted for publication in the Journal of Food Quality, where it is scheduled to appear in a forthcoming 1997 issue. I. Toufeili, A. Olabi*, S. Shadarevian*, M. Abi-Antoun*, R. Zurayk* and I.B. Baalbaki. Predicting debt rescheduling of less developed countries using neural networks The
objective of this paper is to show how artificial neural networks could
be used to predict governments’ decisions to seek a rescheduling of their
external debt. We have designed a multi-layer feed-forward neural network
and compared its performance with the traditional discriminant analysis,
using a database covering 75 less developed countries. We started by using
the same financial ratios selected for the statistical method. Equally
important is the identification of the economic variables that have the
most important influence in the countries’ rescheduling decision. A genetic
algorithm approach was designed to identify the relevant variables. A paper
was sent to the Parallel Applications in Statistics and Economics Conference
(PASE) 97 and accepted. H. Ghaziri and P. Abou-Ezze. (Supported
by URB.)
Applications of statistical physics methods in optimization An exploration of statistical physics techniques such as mean field approximation and renormalization group to develop new algorithms for general optimisation problems. The connection between statistical physics and combinatorial optimisation problems is now firmly established. Most of the algorithms derived from the Monte-Carlo methods are slow and consume huge amounts of CPU time. Our objective is to derive new fast algorithms for optimisation problems. H. Ghaziri and M. Abou-Ghantous. A statistical physics approach for the set partitioning problem A new method is developed based on statistical physics tools, namely the mean field approximation to solve the set partitioning problem. The basic idea is the following: instead of directly minimising the energy function representing the optimisation problem, we change the energy function such that the energy surface becomes smoother, decreasing the number of metastable states, and hence avoiding a fall in the local optima. A comparative study is conducted to analyse the performance of this approach. The results obtained are competitive with the other methods. We have tested different dynamical rules in order to minimise the computing time. This approach could be applied to problems with non-linear objective function and is not restricted to binary variables. An article was written for the Meta Heuristic International Conference 97. H. Ghaziri. The capacited clustering problem by self-organizing feature map In
the capacited clustering problem a set of weighted objects is given. These
objects have to be partitioned into clusters such that the total weights
of the objects included in the same cluster is less than a given value,
the cluster capacity. The objects are points generated randomly in the
Euclidean space and the dissimilarity function is the Euclidean distance
between any two objects. For each cluster we define a centre which is an
element of the objects set. The objective is to minimize the total scatter
(sum of the distances between the cluster center and the objects in the
same cluster) of all clusters. We have designed a neural network based
upon the self-organized feature map model. The performance of the neural
algorithm is compared with local search heuristics. An article was sent
to IFORS 97 and accepted. H. Ghaziri.
Baalbaki, I.B., and Koussa, S.*, Television viewership in Lebanon: A methodological development. ArabAd, 5 (9), 18-36, 1995. Baalbaki, I.B., and Malhotra, N.K.*, Standardization versus customization in international marketing: An investigation using bridging conjoint analysis. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 23 (3), 182-194, 1995. Ghaziri, H., Supervision in the self-organising feature map: Application to the vehicle routing problem. In Meta-Heuristics: Theory and Applications, I. Osman and J. Kelly (eds.), 650-660. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996. Ghaziri, H. and Hasler M.*, Connectionist algorithms for routing and partitioning problems. Revue d’Intelligence Artificielle, 11, 59-72, 1997. Shibl, Y., “Economic feasibility of Taanayel dairy plant.” Report submitted by REP of AUB to Albert Abella Company, 1-33, 1996. ———, “Feasibility of five hotels at Laundo, Angola.” Report submitted to Dar Al-Handasah Consulting (Shair & Partners), 1-35, 1996. ———,
“Feasibility of small and medium scale irrigation projects in Lebanon.”
Report submitted to the World Bank and the Council of Development and Reconstruction,
1-120, 1997.
ABSTRACTS, PRESENTATIONS AND PROCEEDINGS Baalbaki, I.B. and Khattab-El-Rifai, B.*, An empirical investigation into the effects of country-of-manufacture, country-of-brand, and retailer’s reputation on consumer product evaluation. Academy of International Business 1996 International Conference, Athens, Greece, 1996. Baalbaki, I.B. and Malhotra, N.K.*, Environmental bases for international market segmentation: A comprehensive review and critique. Academy of Marketing Science Seventh Biennial World Marketing Congress, Melbourne, Australia, 1995. Ghaziri, H., Supervision in the Kohonen map. First International Conference on Meta-Heuristics, Breckenridge, USA, 1995. ———, Neural networks for combinatorial optimisation problems. Modern Heuristics for Decision Support, London, UK, 1997. ———, Mean field approximation for optimization problems. Presentation at the University of Bogasici, Istanbul, Turkey, 1997. Malhotra, N.K.*, Agarwal, J.*, and Baalbaki, I.B., Global marketing strategies in an era of regional trading blocks. International Conference on Architecting the Global Village: Perspectives, Problems, and Prospects, India, 1997. Malhotra,
N.K.*, Peterson, M.*, Agarwal, J.*, and Baalbaki, I.B., Overcoming a significant
barrier to international marketing research by using valid and reliable
secondary data. International Conference on Globalization and the Market
Economy: The challenge of change, New Delhi, India, 1995.
Akl, N., The banking sector in Lebanon: Strategic analysis and the valuation of a commercial bank (1996). Advisor: H. Abdallah. Al-Fata, F., The mobile phone industry in the Lebanese telecommunications system (1996). Advisor: N. Fahed. Al-Rowaily, S., Bahrain versus Beirut as a regional financial center (1997). Advisor: Y. Shibl. Andrea, G., Application of green marketing in Lebanon (1996). Advisor: N. Eid. Araji, R., Privatization: Case study of Electricité du Liban (1997). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Azar, N., The movie market in Lebanon (1997). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Bakhash, H., Consumer evaluations of brand extensions (1996). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Bdeir, L., Securitization in Lebanon (1996). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Beaini, J., The consolidation of credit card activities: Visa and Mastercard study (1996). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Bou-Jaoude, N., Capitalization of Lebanese banks in a regional context (1997). Advisor: Y. Shibl. Cheaito, N., The consumer retail search process (1997). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Dennaoui, B., The design and implementation of a computer-based information system for a Lebanese aluminum industry (1996). Advisor: N. Fahed. Eid, G., Feasibility study of the expansion and rehabilitation of Beirut Sea Port (1997). Advisor: Y. Shibl. El-Chaar, D., Credit policy at Banque Audi (1997). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Estephan, K., A feasibility study for the establishment of a venture capital fin Lebanon (1997). Advisor: H. Abdallah. Gebara, N., Mergers and acquisitions: The hypothetical case of the Lebanese banks (1997). Advisor: H. Abdallah. Haffar, C., Marketing the management information systems (1996). Advisor: N. Fahed. Haimari, G., Methodology for bank ratings in Lebanon: A quantitative approach (1997). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Hallage, J., The design of an information system for broadcast and communication systems s.a.l. (1997). Advisor: H. Ghaziri. Hammour, H., The role of women in the Lebanese sales force: Perceptions and reality (1996). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Imad, S., Business process reengineering: The hospital procurement process (1996). Advisor: H. Ghaziri. Issa, E., The effect of background music on customers’ shopping behavior (1997). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Issa, N., Domestic versus imported products: Consumers’ perception and selection criteria (1997). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Jabara, F., Feasibility study for auto spare parts plant (1996). Advisor: N. Fahed. Jawhar, A., Standardized advertising in Lebanon (1997). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Kaddoura, G., A feasibility study of a deluxe hotel in Beirut: The Phoenicia hotel (1996). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Kahwaji, G., Promotion of foreign direct investment in Lebanon (1995). Advisor: G. Kanaan. Keoseoghli, H., Feasibility study of the rehabilitation of the Tripoli refinery (1996). Advisor: Y. Shibl. Kheir, D., Provocative appeals in advertising: An ethical perspective (1997). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Khoury, L., Lebanon’s indebtedness prospects for balancing the budget (1996). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Kobeissi, N., Capitalization in Lebanese banks: Instruments and economic effects (1997). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Labaky, H., Perceived acceptence of women business leaders in Lebanon (1997). Advisor: Y. Shibl. Maalouf, N., A leading advertising agency pitching for an edible oil account (1995). Advisor: N. Eid. Maluf, W., The marketing strategy of Cortas: Local and abroad (1996). Advisor: N. Eid. Moubayed, A., Developing government securities markets in Lebanon: A strategic opinion for efficient public debt and monetary management (1997). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Moukkaddem, A., Effect of brand name on taste perception (1996). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Mroueh, Z., Testing the validity of the capital asset pricing model (1997). Advisor: Y. Shibl. Noun, A., Implications of Lebanese accession to the World Trade Organization (1996). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Noureddine, R., Marketing of a political figure (1997). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Olabi, W. Commercial banks in Lebanon: A new classification approach (1996). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Oueijan, G., Scale economies in the Lebanese commercial banking sector (1997). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Rached, M., Celebrity-product congruence and endorser effectiveness (1997). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Rachid, H., Regulations and the Beirut stock exchange (1996). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Raphael, S., A case study on Sogelease Liban s.a.l. (1997). Advisor: H. Abdallah. Saab, W., Electronic data processing (EDP) auditing and its potential use in Lebanon (1996). Advisor: N. Eid. Saghir, N., Perceived acceptance of Israeli products in the Lebanese market (1997). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Sarieddine, N., Assessment of the new financial regulations in Lebanon (1996). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Semaan, R., The use of unique claims in improving advertising effectiveness (1996). Advisor: I. Baalbaki. Sfeila, R., A written credit policy for Lebanese banks (1997). Advisor: P. Abou-Ezze. Shihabuddin, L., Normalization of agricultural relations between Lebanon and Israel (1995). Advisor: Y. Shibl. Tossounian, B., Beirut public university hospital economic feasibility study (1996). Advisor: Y. Shibl. Touma, M., The Lebanese textile industry: A competitive analysis (1997). N. Fahed. Yaman, G., Comparative analysis of the Lebanese and Israeli industrial sectors (1996). Advisor: Y. Shibl. Yammine, M., Total quality management implementation: The case of Lebanon (1997). Advisor: N. Fahed. Zaghloul,
L., Restructuring of Lebanese banks and its underlying challenges (1996).
Advisor: Y. Shibl.
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