Dr. Syed Zamberi bin Ahmad, Professor of Management at Abu Dhabi University, received the 2020 Emerald Literati Award for his highly commended paper, entitled, "Social media adoption and its impact on firm performance: the case of the UAE," published in the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research.

Also honoured was Professor Barry O’Mahony, recognised with the outstanding paper award for his article, "Designing memorable guest experiences: Development of constructs and value-generating factors in luxury hotels", published in the journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights.

The professors were honoured for their research, which has contributed to the UAE’s knowledge economy. Commenting on the work, Dr. Zamberi said, "In our work, my co-authors and I were able to determine what influences social media adoption by small and medium-sized businesses in the United Arab Emirates. We then went on to explore the impact of social media on the performance of a business and were able to develop recommendations to help smaller businesses use these technologies to respond to competitors with minimal costs."

Abu Dhabi University’s College of Business has won 6 Emerald Literati Awards in the past five years. These honours reflect the universal significance of research and the place it has gained as an influential factor in the global education realm.

Previous award holders of the Emerald Literati Awards in the College of Business were Professor Syed Zamberi 2018/2019 (Highly Commended Paper), Professor Fauzia Jabeen 2018 (Outstanding Paper) and 2019 (Highly Commended), Professor Sherine Farouk 2019 (Highly Commended), and Associate Professor Mohammed El Adly (Outstanding Paper).

Regarding the research, Professor O’Mahony, Dean of the College of Business said, "Our research set out to support the hospitality industry to develop the measures and tools they need to design experiences that meet guests’ expectations. The research identifies the most important things that hotels can do to generate memorable experiences for guests, which is particularly important for luxury hotels. As we emerge from COVID-19, managing the customer experience will be critical for hospitality businesses because business viability will depend on the delivery of valued guest experiences".

"I was delighted to receive an award this year, but more than that I'm extremely proud of my colleagues in the College of Business who have won 6 emerald literati awards in the last five years. These awards recognise the international value of our research and position Abu Dhabi University as a key player in global education. This recognition is also aligned with the vision of Abu Dhabi University to support the UAE to further develop the knowledge economy." said Professor O’Mahony.

The 2020 Emerald Literati Awards acknowledges exceptional author contributions published and commemorates the distinguished support authors and reviewers make to the journal, as well as the body of knowledge, itself.

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