Representative bureaucracy in the Arab Gulf states

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to apply the lens of representative bureaucracy (RB) to women’s representation at management level in governments and government-owned companies in Arab Gulf states (AGS), and to consider the implications for government stability, legitimacy and performance.Design/methodology/approachData were analysed of the numbers of men and women in management positions (8,936), of government and government-owned companies (846), for the six countries of the AGS. Analyses were conducted on the presence/absence of women in management for ten industry types.FindingsGovernments and government-owned companies in the AGS were identified as hybrid (public/private) institutions. Women were found to be underrepresented at management levels in public sector bureaucracy; women clustered in a narrow range of industries; all countries returned a high result of zero female managers in these industries.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is limited by data collected from a single source, “Eikon”, which is a commercial database. The implication of these results is a benchmark for future studies on women’s representation at management level in governments and government-owned companies of Arab Gulf countries.Practical implicationsThe practical implication of this study is for concerted government intervention to address gender inequality in management of governments and government-owned companies across the AGS.Originality/valueThis is the first study of RB in AGS and extends the theory of RB to a new geographical and cultural context. There is value in application of RB to government and government-owned companies as a regional form of hybrid public–private organisation.

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The impact of board gender diversity on corporate social responsibility in the Arab Gulf states

Gender in Management An International Journal ◽

10.1108/gm-07-2018-0087 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (7) ◽

pp. 577-605 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ayman Issa ◽

Hong-Xing Fang

Keyword(s):

Gender Diversity ◽

Content Type ◽

Csr Reporting ◽

Gulf States ◽

Arab Gulf ◽

Arab Gulf States ◽

Csr Disclosure ◽

Board Gender Diversity ◽

Corporate Social ◽

The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of board gender diversity on the level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in the Arab Gulf states. Also, this research further aims to explore whether the impact of board gender diversity varies across the Arab Gulf states. Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least squares regression is used in this study to test the impact of board gender diversity on the level of CSR disclosure. Manual content analysis is used to evaluate the extent of CSR disclosure in annual reports, stand-alone CSR reports, sustainability reports and website sections to examine the relationship between the extent of CSR reporting and board gender diversity. This study uses the global reporting initiative (GRI) fourth version reporting guidelines to design and define the classifications of CSR reporting checklist. Findings The findings show that there is a statistically significant relationship between the number of female directors and the level of CSR disclosure. The results show that board gender diversity is positively associated with the level of CSR reporting in two countries, namely, Bahrain and Kuwait. Also, the findings reveal that there is a weak positive relationship between the presence of women on the boards and CSR reporting index in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Originality/value This study attempts to fill the gap in the literature, in that no similar study covers the Arab Gulf countries as one economic unit. The study is unique in that it focuses on oil-rich countries. This study is, to the best of this researcher’s knowledge, the first to explore the impact of women’s boards on the extent of CSR reporting, as well as investigating the possible variation of board gender diversity impact on the extent of CSR reporting in the Arabian Gulf region.

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“Wasta” and women’s careers in the Arab Gulf States

Gender in Management An International Journal ◽

10.1108/gm-02-2015-0006 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 162-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Jouharah M. Abalkhail ◽

Barbara Allan

Keyword(s):

Extensive Literature ◽

Gulf Region ◽

Content Type ◽

Women's Careers ◽

Women’S Careers ◽

Gulf States ◽

Arab Gulf ◽

Arab Gulf States ◽

Public Organisations ◽

The Impact

Purpose Women are under-represented in senior positions across the world, and this paper aims to explore the impact of wasta on women’s careers in the Arab Gulf States. This paper has two main objectives: to understand the phenomenon of wasta and how it manifests itself within public organisations in the Gulf region; and to examine how wasta is impacting on women’s career advancement. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative interviews were conducted with 18 female managers working in public organisations in the Arab Gulf region. Findings The findings indicate that wasta refers to a social network of interpersonal connections, rooted in family and kinship ties, and linked to family affairs as well as work. In addition, the findings demonstrate that, as a result of wasta, social networks in the workplace, in the Arab Gulf Region, include family connections, and this is different to workplace networks in Western societies which are frequently limited to professional contacts and separate from family or friendship networks. In addition, the findings show that wasta may be used to support women’s career progression, providing they have access to appropriate wasta. Furthermore, the findings revealed that women, in the Arab Gulf Region, rely directly on their male family member’s connections, as career facilitators, to gain access to organisational opportunities. Practical implications The paper provides some practical suggestions for helping to overcome the potential negative effects of wasta and to ensure that organisations make the best use of their talent. Hence, this research could potentially inform national policy and organisational policymakers and, in particular, influence recruitment and selection practices to ensure that they are based on competence rather than personal connections. Originality/value The paper is based on empirical work in an under-researched, non-Western context. There is extensive literature on gender and management and leadership in Western cultures, and this paper contributes to the developing body of research on women in the Arab cultures. It provides a better understanding of the phenomenon of wasta, and it highlights the long-term consequences of wasta on employees, particularly women, working in public organisations. Also, it contributes to theory on the culture of organisations by highlighting the often neglected influences of the broader social and cultural systems, including patriarchal practices, on women’s positions in the organisational hierarchy.

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The influence of contextual factors on the adoption and development of Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) programmes in the Arab Gulf States

Library Management ◽

10.1108/lm-09-2013-0088 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (4/5) ◽

pp. 355-363 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jamal Mattar Alsalmi ◽

Chern Li Liew ◽

Brenda Chawner

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

New Technologies ◽

Academic Staff ◽

Contextual Factors ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Content Type ◽

Gulf States ◽

Arab Gulf ◽

Arab Gulf States ◽

Theses And Dissertations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from research that explored the influence of contextual factors on the adoption and development of Electronic Theses and Dissertation (ETD) programmes in the Arab Gulf States. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of five groups of stakeholders with an interest in the implementation of ETD programmes. The groups were postgraduate students, academic staff, library managers, system administrators, and postgraduate officers from five Gulf States universities. In addition, an online survey was conducted with 309 participants in order to test and explore, in a larger sample, the issues identified in the interviews. Findings – Research participants identified three levels of factors; contextual, institutional, and personal. In addition, they highlighted that contextual factors have an influence on institutional factors. These contextual factors include misunderstanding of plagiarism, strong economy, recencey of research programmes, and younger societies. For example, due to the recencey of postgraduate programmes in the Arab Gulf States, some of the theses and dissertations are low in quality and quantity. The Arab Gulf States have strong economies and this helped to provide the necessary technological infrastructure needed for adopting ETD programmes. Since the Gulf societies are quite young they are more likely to adopt new technologies. In addition, people at these states appear to have a weak understanding of plagiarism issues and thus they have more concerns about these issues. Originality/value – This paper provides insights about the factors influencing the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Arab Gulf States.

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