This study aims to recognize customers’ real sentiment and then discover the data-driven insights for strategic decision-making in the financial sector of Saudi Arabia. The data was collected from the social media (Facebook and Twitter) from start till October 2018 in financial companies (NCB, Al Rajhi, and Bupa) selected in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia according to criteria. Then, it was analyzed using a sentiment analysis, one of data mining techniques. All three companies have similar likes and followers as they serve customers as B2B and B2C companies. In addition, for Al Rajhi no negative sentiment was detected in English posts, while it can be seen that Internet penetration of both banks are higher than BUPA, rarely mentioned in few hours. This study helps to predict the overall popularity as well as the perception or real mood of people by identifying the positive and negative feelings or emotions behind customers’ social media posts or messages. This research presents meaningful insights in data-driven approaches using a specific data mining technique as a tool for corporate decision-making and forecasting. Understanding what the key issues are from customers’ perspective, it becomes possible to develop a better data-based global strategies to create a sustainable competitive advantage.

This study aims to utilize big data contents of news and social media for developing a corporate strategy of multinational enterprises and their global decision-making through the data mining technique, especially text mining. In this paper, the data of 2 news media (BBC and CNN) and 2 social media (Facebook and Twitter) were collected for the three global leading Korean companies (Samsung, Hyundai Motor Company, and LG) from April, 2018 to April, 2019. The findings of this paper have shown that traditional news media and also modern social media have become devastating tools to extract global trends or phenomena for businesses. Moreover, this presents that a company can adopt a two-track strategy through two different types of media by deriving the key issues or trends from news media channels and also grasping consumers’ sentiments, preference or issues of interest such as battery or design from social media. In addition, analyzing the texts of those media and understanding the association rules greatly contribute to the comparison between two different types of media channels to see the difference. Lastly, this provides meaningful and valuable data empowered insights to find a future direction comprehensively and develop a global strategy for sustainability of business.

Purpose – This case study is dedicated to the study of the presence of KIA Motors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and its market and entry strategies for strategic globalization that allowed the company to establish itself within a conservative and clustered marketplace dominated by American and Japanese international brands. Research Design, data, and methodology – The main information for the case was gathered through an interview and questionnaire from the executives of the KIA Al Jabr, which got the exclusive dealership in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, secondary data were obtained from reliable and authoritative sources such as the Saudi government agency publications, newspapers, international business journals. Other related periodicals based on the results from previous and current studies on similar topics were critically reviewed as well. Results – The findings of this paper show the different business environments of the Saudi market and the importance of various points regarding the company’s global entry strategy even if the host market culture is quite different in many ways from other international markets. Conclusions – This case can provide Korean companies interested in the Middle East with insight into market penetration and global strategy, and present various perspectives and implications for global market access as well.