Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the operational process factors that affect successful strategy implementation in the Middle East.Design/methodology/approach: Five operational process factors were studied (resource availability, communication, operational planning, people, control and feedback). Data were collected using a self-administrated questionnaire from employees who implement and/or are responsible for strategy implementation in 17 pharmaceutical companies. In total, 330 questionnaires were distributed, and a total of 259 were responded with a response rate of 78 per cent.Findings: Findings revealed that four of the operational process factors, namely, resource availability, communication, operational planning in addition to control and feedback, strongly affect the success of strategy implementation. Further, resource availability was ascertained to be the most influential factor, followed by control and feedback, then by communication, while people factor showed no effect on the implementation process.Practical implications: It is advised that, during the implementation phase, company management should provide staff employees with the necessary training and instructions to link employee performance with the overall reward and compensation system in the organization and to strengthen effective communication and coordination.Originality/value: This is one of the few studies that cover operational process factors and successful strategy implementation and is the first study to test the model on companies in the pharmaceutical sector in the Middle East.

Manufacturing companies nowadays are under constant pressure to deliver high-quality products at the lowest possible prices within the shortest possible time even under the most unpredictable economic situations. Supply chain integration has a critical impact on operational performance. Nevertheless, this impact has not been consistent and showed mixed results throughout the literature. This study aimed to examine the impact of technology management in terms of supply chain integration on operational performance. The research model was empirically validated using 317 valid survey responses from the Jordanian food and beverage industry, which were subjected to quantitative research design and regression analysis. Results showed that supply chain integration had a direct significant impact on operational performance, and all three dimensions of the theoretical model contributed significantly to operational performance. This study suggests the critical need to create and implement proper supply chain integration strategies and technologies, both internally and externally, to enhance their performance and competitive advantage. Moreover, future research needs to extend this work to other industries, cultures, and nations, while investigating the moderating or mediating effects of other key variables along with using alternative sampling strategies.

This research paper explores and investigates the contemporary, developing, and under-researched concept of product lovability in the UAE café industry to introduce a scientific measure for café lovability using Google’s HEART framework for developing lovable product experiences. Taking a pragmatic view to drawing comparisons between the café ecosystem and layout and digital product interface and experience, the research elaborates on mediating roles of product (café) usability and innovation (by virtue of innovation cocreation and sustainability innovation) in the existence of café lovability. Using a deductive and quantitative approach, a measure of café lovability is devised using Google’s HEART framework to assess levels of happiness, engagement, adoption, retention, and task success at cafés and validates findings using the brand love scale. Once measurable, café lovability is then examined for having possible associations with café usability (a measure of experience, aesthetic, and quality) and café innovation (a measure of innovation cocreation, sustainability innovation and sustainability knowledge), and we also study the mediating impact of café innovation and usability on café lovability and brand love. The resulting model for café lovability provides the means for measuring café lovability and provides grounds for understanding the roles of usability and innovation in this phenomenon. Comparing contemporary café experience with a digital product interface in order to produce a lovable coffee experience is a non-conventional approach; like product lovability, the comparison, measurement, and application relies on pragmatic and innovative strategic decision making; it is therefore considered a practical approach due to the onset of digital and creative new-age customers. Further, the concept of product lovability is gaining popularity in practice but remains undiscussed and unexplored in academic research. This study provides grounds for further scientific research—both quantitative and qualitative—to define, test, and apply the measures of lovable products to businesses outside of technology and digital offerings, as well as providing us with the opportunity to study the overlap of product and café lovability with sustainability.