Dr Sara Abhari

Dr Sara Abhari

  • Lecturer
Department of Culinary and Food Studies
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Biography

Sara Abhari possesses more than 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry, working as an event planner and an executive catering chef. Her career in food and beverage kickstarted in 2002 as a food entrepreneur and co-founder of a catering kitchen (S.Kitchen). The wealth of knowledge and skills in this area of hospitality has also opened up other opportunities where she also became a culinary consultant and instructor. Sara is also an enthusiastic writer and was formerly a food writer and critic for the International Nutrition and Diet Magazine.  

Academic & Professional Qualifications

  • PhD in Tourism and Hospitality Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia (2023)
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA), INTI International University (2019)
  • BSc in Microbiology, Azad University, Tehran (2000)
  • Diploma in Culinary Arts, INTI International College Penang (2016)
  • International Diploma in Culinary Arts, Kendall College Chicago, USA (2017)
  • Certificate in Technical and Vocational Skill in Cook (advanced)
  • Certificate in Technical and Vocational Skill in General Pedagogy
  • Certificate in Technical and Vocational Skill in Confectionary

Research Interests

  • Tourism marketing
  • Gastronomy Tourism
  • Food Entrepreneurship
  • Community-based Tourism
  • Tourist Behavior
  • Sustainable Tourism
  • Foodservice Technology
  • Event Planning and Operation
  • Halal Food Tourism
  • Ecotourism

Courses Taught

  • Culinary Kitchen Operations
  • Food and Beverage Management
  • Purchasing and Cost Control
  • Event Planning and Management

Notable Publications

2024 -

Ghaderi, Z., Holden, G. A., Abhari, S., Béal, L., & Behboodi, Z. (2024). Crisis management, resilience, and organizational learning in the event management sector: An insight from Malaysia. Event Management. 

2023 -

Abhari, S., Jalali, A., Jaafar, M., & Maharaja, T. A. P. K. (2023). The indirect effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on multinational companies' competitiveness and resilience through work from home. International Journal of Environment, Workplace and Employment, 7(2), 104-120. 

2023 -

Abhari, S., Jalali, A., Jaafar, M., Maharaja, T., (2023). The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact and the Role of Work from Home to Enhance the MNCs’ Competitiveness Resilience. European Journal of Management and Business Economics. 

2022 -

Abhari, S., Jalali, A., Jaafar, M., (2022).  Indirect effect of extra-industry network and innovativeness on performance through proactiveness. Journal of Facilities Management, https://doi.org/10.1108/JFM-02- 2022-0019. 

2022 -

Abhari, S., Jalali, A., Jaafar, M., (2022). Study of Determinants that Influence Customers’ Acceptance of Smart Restaurant Services in Penang, Malaysia, Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, Vol. 40 No. 3, pp. 264- 279. https://doi.org/10.1108/AGJSR-06-2022-0081.

2022 -

Abhari, S., Jaafar, M., Mohamad. D & Jalali, A. (2022). The Halal Food Image in a Relationship with Tourist Satisfaction in Asia Region: A Systematic Review and Future Research Direction. International Food Research Journal, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p740-751.

2021 -

Abhari, S., Jaafar, M., & Jalali, A. Tejaddini, R. (2021). The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Small Businesses in Tourism and Hospitality Industry in Malaysia. Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 75-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRME-07-2020-0091. 

2021 -

Jalali, A., Jaafar, M., Abhari, S., Sabri, KH. (2021).  The indirect effect of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) on employees’  performance through trust in management. Journal of Facilities Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFM-07-2021-0073. 

2021 -

Jaafar, M., Jalali, A., Dahalan, N., & Abhari, S. (2021). Sculpting a Community for Tourism Enterprise: A Case Study in Lenggong Valley, Malaysia. International Journal of Business and Society.

2021 -

Bakar, A., Abhari, S., Esa, M. (2021), Digital Built Environment: Are Our Students Ready for the Next Challenge, the 1st AIMS International Conference.

Achievements & Accolades

  1. THE-ICE External Research Grant Scheme 2024 (ongoing), External Grant, Project Leader (Principal Investigator)
  2. Asia Pacific Centre for Hospitality Research (APCHR) Fund, Internal Grant 2023,  Project Leader (Principal Investigator)
  3. The Mediating Role of Tourist Satisfaction on the Image of Food and Tourist Loyalty (2019-2022)
  4. Contributed to Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA) (2021)
  5. Understanding the Meaning-making of World Heritage Sites (2019-2020)

Professional Associations

Attained the APCHR Seed Funding (2023) for research project: Studying the Impact of the New Innovative AI Technology (ChatGPT) as a Learning Tool in Hospitality and Tourism Education, A Study of Active Students in the School of Hospitality, Tourism, and Service Management at private Universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia