http://dspace.epoka.edu.al/handle/1/1810 2026-04-18T06:47:17Z http://dspace.epoka.edu.al/handle/1/2338 Projected and Perceived Destination Image: The Role of Positioning and Visit Experience in Destination Image and Behavioural Intention. Çela, Sonila The development of the tourism industry is significantly important for numerous countries. Nevertheless, in a progressively competitive market, countries aspiring to boost tourism must cultivate positive perceptions of their countries as an appealing tourist destination. Both concepts of projected image and perceived image of the destination are involved in accomplishing this task. However, there is little understanding of how the interaction between destination awareness and perceived destination image affects tourism behaviour in emerging countries in Balkan region. The objective of this study is to fill this knowledge gap by focusing on Albania, as the central country/destination of analysis. To direct this research, a framework was created using the awareness /image /behaviour hierarchy model. This research specifically examines: 1) The relationship between destination awareness and perceived destination image, encompassing three components: cognitive image, affective image, and overall image. 2) The relationship between destination awareness and the likelihood of engaging in a specific behaviour towards a particular place. 3) The relationship between the cognitive, affective, and overall image components and behavioural intention. A series of investigations was conducted to examine the relationships between destination awareness, destination image, and sources of information, which are believed to influence behavioural intention were tested using data from an online sample of Balkan travellers residing in German speaking countries. Structural equation modelling was employed to analyse the data separately for two groups: all sample and visitors of Albania. The results of this study largely support the hypothesized relationship for majority constructs. While destination awareness impacted all components of the image, and behavioural intention, cognitive and affective components of image impacted behavioural probability, the overall image had no effect. The findings of this investigation predominantly supported the hypothesized relationships for the majority of constructs. Destination awareness had a significant influence on all aspects of the image, as well as behavioural intention. The cognitive and affective components of the image influenced the likelihood of certain behaviours. Conversely, the overall image did not have any effect. The results indicated that Balkan travellers of the German speaking market hold a favourable impression of Albania as a touristic destination. More precisely, Germans possess a more favourable image and have greater tendency to engage in positive behaviours when compared to Swiss and Austrians. This study contributes to the existing body of tourism marketing literature by examining the relationship between the fundamental elements of destination image, namely cognitive and affective image, destination awareness, within the context of a developing destination in the Balkans and Mediterranean region. The findings of this study suggested further research, including the reimplementation of this study with different samples and by considering destination awareness and other variables as a mediator between destination image and behavioural intention. 2024-03-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.epoka.edu.al/handle/1/2330 Brand Value Co-Creation, and Brand Value Co-Evaluation: A Case Study from the Albanian Textile Industry Zenelaj, Besjon The hypercompetitive world and the rise of social media are the main elements that characterize today`s markets. Such a context urged the implementation of innovative thinking and solutions as the emerging problems and cases were not addressed properly with mindset and tools of an old context. In this perspective, we experienced the rise of a new mindset in many fields, and especially in the field of business and particularly in marketing. Service Dominant Logic to many scholars is a new innovative paradigm, or an emerging though in marketing. To this study Service Dominant Logic is the theory in which it is grounded a new perspective of brand management. This study brings together the pieces of one of the main parts of marketing, branding, by offering a mindset that is in accordance with the new thought in marketing, Service Dominant Logic. This study revealed the importance of many actors that interact with each other to create the brand, and to evaluate brand value. Therefore, brand value is both cocreated and co-evaluated among the actors that operate in a given context, market or ecosystem. The originality of this study stands as it offers the literature a view how brand value is cocreated and how it is co-evaluated. The case study revealed the main elements that actors use to co-create brand value, and the main elements that actors use to co-evaluate brand value. 2023-09-26T00:00:00Z http://dspace.epoka.edu.al/handle/1/2122 THE INFLUENCE OF NATIONAL CULTURE ON TASK AND RELATIONSHIP- ORIENTED LEADERSHIP IN ALBANIAN HEALTHCARE SECTOR Gjana, Irma The balance between task-oriented or relationship-oriented styles of leadership is of constant concern regarding the efficiency of organizations, whether their focus is business, education, religious, profit or non-profit, public or private, local, national or international, to name a few. Whatever the organization’s social environment or concern, behavioral scientists note the significant degree to which culture impacts the organizations. Thus, previous research emphasizes that effective managers should consider cultural influence on leadership styles. This research investigates the influence that national culture has on the task-oriented and relationship- oriented leadership style in the private healthcare sector in Albania. The six dimensional national culture model developed by Geert Hofstede is used to measure the cultural influences in the private healthcare system. The convenience sampling used in this study is from American Hospital and International Hospital Hygeia, located in Tirana, Albania. These two hospitals are the largest and most prominent in the country and own a considerable share of the private health care market. A quantitative methodology, using a structured, scaling technique questionnaire is the empirical basis of this study. Data was compiled based on employee responses across different hospital categories. Findings related with the identification of Albanian cultural dimensions, based on the six dimensional models developed by Hofstede, show that cultural values scores have moved from the original measured position, toward more negative or positive poles.iv Findings related with the perceived leadership style in the Albanian healthcare institutions, show a balance between values of Task- and Relationship- Oriented Leadership style. In terms of the influence of national culture on leadership styles, the most important cultural dimension affecting both leadership styles is Uncertainty Avoidance. About originality and contribution, given the lack of such studies in Albania, the research is of great value to the field where the study is conducted, for all those who deepen in the discourse of national culture and leadership style correlation. By using a combined theoretical and empirical analysis carried out by analyzing previous studies related to this field and the data collected from questionnaires, this thesis provides a clear picture of the national culture impact on leadership style. 2021-01-12T00:00:00Z http://dspace.epoka.edu.al/handle/1/1920 Top Management and Organizational Ambidexterity Paradox: A Qualitative Research on Dynamic Managerial Capabilities DEMAJ, Esmir Organizational ambidexterity refers to a firm’s ability to balance both exploitation and exploration activities. While explaining the equilibrium between exploitation and exploration activities in organizational ambidexterity studies, ambidexterity is usually considered as a skill or capacity and many researchers refer it to the framework of dynamic capabilities. Previous studies have extensively researched the outcomes of ambidexterity, instead in this study the antecedents or origins of organizational ambidexterity have been investigated using an inductive grounded theory method. İt is aimed to shed light on the vital role top managers have in developing an ambidextrous orientation of the firm. The participants of the study have been selected through purposive sampling, and data has been collected through one-to-one in-depth interviews the researcher conducted with individual senior manager participants of the study. The collected data was analyzed through an inductive content analysis approach of conceptualization and theory generation, through an iterative cyclic coding process. The findings of this study confirm the initial assumptions that it is senior managers who shape the ability of a firm to sense and capture opportunities for organizational ambidexterity and shape its ability to compete in dynamic markets by combining, integrating and reorganizing exploitative and exploratory resources and activities. The data analysis process managed to visualize or map emergent clusters of themes that relate to the research purpose of this study. From the inductive data-driven coding process, a framework of 5 main top-level themes as follows has been constructed; “Idiosyncratic Capabilities”, “Interpersonal Connectedness Capabilities”, “Organizational Capabilities”, “Market Dynamism”, and “Ambidexterity Activities”. This research concludes that strategic contradictions between exploitation and exploration could be resolved by senior managers who act as engines for organizational ambidexterity orientation. Furthermore, implications of the study are discussed, and limitations and directions for future research are outlined. 2020-06-01T00:00:00Z