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The concept of “internal marketing” (IM) has gained the attention of researchers over the past three decades. Though a lot of research has been carried out on this topic, it remains a concept yet to be completely understood and captured, with ambiguity in terms of its definition and scope. The purpose of this paper is to utilise the higher education (HE) context in an emerging country, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to argue that the term “IM” needs more unbundling and hence the authors propose an enriched framework with a renewed and relevant identity, which the authors term as “corporate fusion” (CF).

The authors do so with a renewed framework and philosophy that tries to capture new constructs and dimensions of IM in line with the emerging corporate milieu and has been applied to the HE sector of the UAE in this paper.

The proposed new conceptual framework identifies a CF philosophy building on the existing literature and captures the essence of IM orientation, albeit with its new constructs, dimensions and justifications. Furthermore, the authors argue that this new model is relevant to the contemporary environmental trends surrounding present day HE organisations, more so ever in emerging markets such as the UAE, given their growth needs in a competitive global marketplace.

In this paper, the authors take a close introspection at the contemporary role of IM in the HE landscape available in the UAE using a renewed framework titled “Corporate Fusion”.

The unprecedented changes in the marketplace induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant accelerated corporate migration to virtual ecosystems have added several unique research opportunities and theoretical gaps, especially in business-to-business (B2B) small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) markets in the service sector. Particularly, customer interactions in B2B services that were once sustained by the “people mix” now demand a huge overhaul in light of the “new normal” restrictions. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore how B2B service firms can engender firm value through virtual customer interactions during and in the post-COVID-19 era from an SME’s perspective.

This study adopts an exploratory qualitative inquiry to contribute to this discourse by proposing a conceptual framework based on prior literature and relevant theoretical frameworks, as well as qualitative interviews with SME managers, CEOs and/or owner-managers.

The qualitative findings reveal organizational preparedness, empathy, digital content and trust as key enablers of effective B2B virtual interaction that enhances cocreated value, thereby augmenting firm value. This study offers a much-needed examination of virtual interaction in B2B contexts and proposes a business customer virtual interaction model.

The exploratory nature of this study is one limitation, and future studies with a bigger representative sample size that uses survey or experimental data drawn from large enterprises might add value to the current findings. Also, while this study is conducted in dynamic markets due to the COVID-19 crisis, future research must examine the customer/firm’s experiences in other forms of crises-led market ecosystems.

B2B service firms must be strongly inclined to continuously take steps to develop and maintain virtual interaction with customers. Proactive efforts to familiarize internal and external stakeholders with virtual interaction platforms are a crucial step for effective customer engagement. The effectiveness of B2B virtual interactions can be strengthened through digital content that elicits trust and exhibits empathy, especially in crises led-markets. Also, the value created for the firm must be redeployed strategically to sustain positive customer engagement behaviors that continue to deliver value to the firm and the customer.

This paper contributes to the increasing B2B customer engagement literature by exploring the ongoing dialogue on how B2B firms can strive and succeed in the post-COVID-19 era or related crises-led market ecosystems through enhanced virtual B2B customer interaction efforts.

Emerging technologies are becoming vital in the very process of innovation. Companies need to be updated to the latest technologies to offer their premium services to customers as well as meet their expectations. In the medical sector, it is a challenge to sustain superiority in service due to a high level of competition and the challenges arising from different forces. Liberty Dental Clinic (LDC), a premium clinic in dental services and solutions, based in the UAE, was able to maintain a premium presence in Dentistry due to a series of developmental thoughts and efforts. It was able to invest and utilize new innovative technologies which many organizations lacked such as implementing the most contemporary Artificial Intelligence “4 Robots” in the Clinics. Creating a pathway for a satisfactory customer journey was embedded at all levels of the hierarchy in the Clinic and customer touchpoints. Using a case study methodology, the drivers behind the success and uniqueness of LDC have been discussed including Leadership, Quality Management, Risk Management, Internal & External Marketing Strategy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Technology and Innovation.

The origin of perfumery can be traced back to the true cradle of human civilization and culture in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. The world’s first referenced chemist was a perfumer named Tapputi-Belatekallim who lived in Babylon more than 3,000 years ago. She used her intimate knowledge of chemistry to develop various formulations and techniques to revolutionize the process of perfumery creation. Similarly, Ajmal is one of the first companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to have pioneered the science and art of perfumery creation. This case study describes the inspiring journey of Ajmal Perfumes which began in the farms of a small village located in Hojai, Assam, to becoming a world-class perfumer with a global reach of over 45 countries. From “Farm to Flacon,” (Flacon a.k.a glass bottle) the company’s perfect control over their seamless value chain has enabled them to sustainably grow their business while maintaining high standards of quality. Their performance across five major dimensions (finance, market, processes, people, and corporate social responsibility [CSR]) is used to gauge their success. In this case analysis, the strategic framework behind the success of Ajmal Perfumes is captured. Transformational Leadership (TL), Customer Centricity (CC), Intrapreneurial Behavior (IB), Total Quality Management (TQM), Innovation Success (IS), Absorptive Capacity (AC), and CSR are identified as their key drivers of success. A critical review of existing literature related to success drivers was also undertaken that brought forward knowledge gaps and future areas of research in the domain of TQM and AC.

This is the case of an iconic brand from the Middle East, Abdul Samad Al-Qureshi Company (ASQ), which registered an admirable growth to become a global brand. ASQ was established in 1932 in Makkah, Al-Haram al-Sharif, the Holy Mosque. The company’s mission is to provide high-quality perfume products in the Arabian Peninsula. The company has different departments which work together to ensure that it achieves its objectives and has an extensive presence in the UAE. The company has seen a substantial increase in the number of staff members while sales have increased significantly. The customers’ satisfaction rate grew immensely resulting in the continuous number of awards that the company for its performance. The major drivers of success at ASQ are strong brand image, customer satisfaction, quality product, effective employee training programs, unique market offerings, and market research.

The establishment of the Dubai Association Centre (DAC) back in 2014 was an important development in the association world in Dubai and the Middle East. The organization was established at a critical time when the area was switching to a knowledge-based economy. Throughout the years, DAC has experienced lots of success within its operations. It has increased membership, improved the ease of doing business for global associations and opened up Dubai and the Middle East to the rest of the world. Its success can be attributed to its efficient management, inter-unit integration with other organizations, intellectual capital development, service orientation, and social marketing efficiency. These success drivers have enabled it to sustain its growth as well as that of associations within it.

The excessive accumulation of pollutants in the world’s oceans is urging all stakeholders to take swift action. Ecocoast is a Dubai-based organization that makes an impact by carving a niche for itself to overcome this predicament. The organization’s range of sustainable solutions offered at each stage of the coastal and marine development lifecycle focuses on protecting the marine environment. Founded in 2009, Ecocoast has since proven its robust positioning as an industry leader, winning over 15 industry awards. The drivers that influenced Ecocoast’s success were analyzed based on interviews with the founders and employees, as well as secondary data resources. Customer centricity, transformational leadership, research orientation, adaptive culture, corporate transparency, cross-functional specialization, and sustainable corporate thinking were found to be what shaped its success. The case proposes a strategic question for future research: Was it the desire for customer centricity that led to a transformational leadership style, or was it the other way around?

The pace at which an organization is able to respond to changes that occur both within and external to the organization has always been a key driver for the success of the organization. In today’s ever-changing environment and volatile economy, it is crucial for organizations to be flexible and agile in order to survive and succeed. This case study traces the journey of Stanley Black & Decker, a global tools, storage, and appliances organization, on its success journey in the Middle East region. This organization has been able to enjoy continuous financial success and win a series of accolades over the years due to the following major strategic drivers: change management, agility, effective channel management, strong customer engagement, brand leveraging, and innovation as a corporate culture. An analysis of existing research indicates a good alignment with change management, agility, brand leveraging, and innovation while a slight deviation is noted in effective channel management and customer engagement.

This case study offers an analysis of the main success drivers that allowed Majid Al Futtaim Retail, operator of Carrefour in the UAE, a major chain of hypermarkets and supermarkets, to undertake a digital transformation and achieve its objective of successfully launching their online grocery business in 2018. Within one year of launching their e-commerce business online, Carrefour UAE was able to achieve a 100% growth in the number of orders and a 110% growth in the number of new customers. Therefore, how did this company that is headquartered in the UAE and operates in 16 international markets, do it? And what did it take to digitize a business that has been operating in the traditional retail business for more than 20 years? Our analysis of Carrefour’s business model and Majid Al Futtaim Retail’s approach to launching their online business in the UAE shows that the main reasons behind their success were having a data-driven approach, adopting a customer-obsessed mindset, building an employee-centric culture and ensuring that continuous innovation is taking place across all business functions, all the time.¹