SACM - United States of America
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9668
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Item Restricted EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION ON DESTINATION BRANDING: A STUDY OF SAUDI ARABIA(University of South Alabama, 2025) Alshehri, Abdullah; Hair, Joseph FTourists now find social media important in forming their perceptions and decision criteria when traveling. This Research investigates the impact of destination marketing organizations -generated content and tourist-generated content on tourists' inspiration to visit Saudi Arabia, emphasizing the mediating role of destination image dimensions (cognitive, affective, and sensory) and the moderating role of cultural distance. Based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model, Hofstede Cultural Dimension Theory; the research analyzed a dataset of 237 responses using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that destination marketing organizations -generated content and tourist-generated content significantly enhance perceived advertising value, which in turn influences cognitive image and affective image. Furthermore, both cognitive image and affective images significantly shape sensory image, which strongly predicts travel inspiration. Additionally, cultural distance moderates the relationship between sensory image and travel inspiration, indicating that tourists from culturally distant regions may require stronger sensory stimuli to feel inspired to visit. These findings provide theoretical contributions by integrating sensory image as a critical mediating construct and highlighting cultural adaptation in tourism marketing. From a practical standpoint, the research can guide destination marketers and policymakers in Saudi Arabia on how to design social media strategies to maximize engagement and travel inspiration. Future research should explore the role of emerging digital technologies such as augmented reality (AR) technology and artificial intelligence in shaping destination image perceptions. Keywords: Social media marketing, destination image, cultural distance, tourist-generated content, travel inspiration, PLS-SEM.11 0Item Restricted Sustainability Reporting, Global Uncertainty, Cost of Capital and Firm Performance: The Case of Global Energy Industry(University of New Orleans, 2025) Alshehri, Abdullah; Hassan, M. KabirThis study examines the impact of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance on financial metrics within the energy sector, focusing on cost of capital and firm performance, with moderating factors such as the World Uncertainty Index (WUI) and Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI). The first study investigates how ESG performance affects the cost of capital measured as weighted average cost of capital (WACC), cost of equity, and cost of debt in energy firms. Using ordinary least squares regressions and longitudinal data from the LSEG database, findings reveal that higher ESG scores, including individual pillar performance (Environmental, Social, Governance), consistently reduce all three cost-of-capital measures. The WUI significantly moderates this relationship, amplifying ESG’s cost-lowering effect amid global uncertainty, offering energy managers a pathway to optimize capital structure while enhancing sustainability. The second study explores ESG’s impact on firm performance proxied by return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and earnings per share (EPS), across 700 energy firms from 2007–2023, analyzed through panel regression. Results indicate that robust ESG practices, particularly the Social Pillar (e.g., employee relations), strongly enhance ROA and ROE, while the Environmental Pillar drives EPS, underscoring the financial benefits of sustainable practices. Midstream and Downstream energy sectors show the strongest ESG performance links, with the CVI revealing that climate-vulnerable firms with high ESG scores maintain profitability during environmental stress. Collectively, these findings highlight ESG’s transformative potential in reducing financing costs and boosting performance, moderated by uncertainty and climate risks. For practitioners, integrating ESG offers a dual benefit of financial efficiency and resilience, while policymakers can leverage these insights to strengthen ESG reporting and address climate vulnerabilities like biodiversity loss and extreme weather. This research bridges gaps in ESG literature, emphasizing its critical role in shaping energy sector stability and sustainability.26 0Item Restricted PERCEPTIONS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ON THE USE OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-12-11) Alshehri, Abdullah; Todd, SundeenThe purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an in-depth understanding of special education teachers’ perceptions and experiences using assistive technology (AT) to support students with learning disabilities (i.e., dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia) in public general education schools within the Abha educational district in Saudi Arabia. Interviews, among other data collection methods, were utilized in this extensive investigation to answer two research questions regarding the perceptions of Saudi special education teachers of students with learning disabilities of the usefulness of AT, and the challenges and barriers these teachers perceive as influencing their use of AT. The participants were seven special education teachers of students with learning disabilities teaching in Abha public general education schools. Two themes related to the participants’ perceptions of the usefulness of AT were identified: Theme 1, which was “Beliefs about AT” and Theme 2, which was “AT in Teaching.” Three themes linked to the participants’ perceptions regarding challenges and barriers that influence their use of AT were identified: Theme 3: “The Educational System”; Theme 4, which was “Accessibility”; and Theme 5, which was “Suggestions for Improvement.” In examining these findings, detailed information is presented on the participants’ usage of AT and their beliefs regarding its usefulness. Also, the results provide details about the obstacles the teachers face in integrating AT into their teaching practices and their recommendations on how iii these challenges could be overcome. The implications for practices in this study are discussed with consideration of three levels of education stakeholders in Saudi Arabia: the Saudi Ministry of Education, the school district, and the individual school. Recommendations for future research include suggestions for researchers interested in investigating AT use for students with learning disabilities.43 0