The paper broadly examines the role of social media in Islamic marketing strategy development within the context of the reported shift towards more relationship-oriented approaches to marketing. Social media platforms have emerged as key communication tools in relationship marketing in part because of their ability to facilitate on-going two-way communication between an organization and a mass audience, whilst maintaining the push-messaging capabilities of traditional marketing. There is therefore growing academic interest in exploring the factors that influence the adoption and use of social media for business development purposes. There is a similarly growing interest in the field of Islamic marketing, due in part to its sheer size, as well as the relatively significant influence that Islam exerts on the consumption behaviors of Muslims and on the operations of business managers. The goal of the paper, then, is to describe the role that social media platforms play as brand communication tools in an Islamic marketing context. We begin the paper with a brief exposition of the concept of Islamic marketing, highlighting some of the factors influencing academic developments in the field. Next, we discuss the main ways in which the use of social media by marketers and consumers alike influence Muslim consumer behavior. Finally, we conclude the paper by examining the effectiveness of the evolving role of social media platforms as tools with which marketing managers can influence the purchase behavior of Muslim customers.

Purpose -This paper has two-fold objectives: first, it presents female managers' experience with family-work dilemma. Second, it examines the priorities married female managers assign to the commitments of their dual roles and the support they received from their organizations. Design/methodology/approach -This study was based on a case study, using a qualitative approach and triangulation of methods. These include: interviews, observations, analysis of texts and documents and autobiography. In-depth interviews were carried out with 26 male managers in senior posts and 22 female managers in senior and middle management levels in two Federal Ministries (Health and Education) located in Khartoum (the capital city of Sudan). The narrative style (story-telling) was used to analyze the interview data. Findings -Results indicates that female managers interviewed give first priority to their families and secondary importance to their job. Married women managers who have children sought the assistance of others, (their extended families, servants, nannies and cooks). The priority married women managers give to their families play a negative role in their career progression and contributes to their under-representation at top management level. Originality/value -The study highlights the effect of the family-work dilemma on the formation of the glass ceiling women managers are confronting in public organizations in Sudan.

No abstract

No abstract