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

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 355-363 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Electronic Theses and Dissertations Programmes in the Arab Gulf States: Exploring factors affecting their adoption and development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jamal Mattar Yousuf Al Salmi
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Gulf States ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Arab Gulf ◽  
Arab Gulf States ◽  
Theses And Dissertations ◽  
Initial Framework

<p>An increasing number of academic institutions all over the world have begun to adopt and develop electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) programmes. The adoption and development of these programmes is influenced by many factors. Despite considerable discussion on these factors in different countries, little has been written on the adoption and development of such programmes in the Arab Gulf States. Moreover, there has been no in-depth research-based investigation into the enablers and barriers that may have an impact on the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Gulf States.  Using a sequential exploratory design and mixed methods, this study attempts to fill this knowledge gap. The study explores the perceived enablers and barriers influencing the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Arab Gulf States. It also develops a framework that outlines the factors influencing the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Gulf States. The study is primarily qualitative, using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews in conjunction with the analysis of relevant documents to identify, develop an understanding of, and create a picture of the situation in the Gulf States in terms of the factors affecting the adoption and development of ETD programmes. The interviews cover the key stakeholders, which include postgraduate students, library managers, system administrators, postgraduate officers and academic staff. Forty-five participants from five universities in the Gulf States were interviewed.  The results of the interviews provided the necessary information to undertake the second phase of the study (online survey). The primary aim of this was to test and explore, in a larger sample, the issues identified in the interviews. Three hundred and nine participants from four universities in the Gulf States completed the online survey. The results of the survey helped to confirm and complement the findings of the interviews.  The research findings revealed that several factors were perceived to affect the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Gulf States. These included the appreciation of the benefits of ETD programmes, the availability of the required resources to support ETD programmes, the perceived complexity of the technological processes as well as a number of social factors.  An initial framework for analysis was developed using concepts from the literature review combined with the constructs of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The initial framework highlighted several enablers and barriers to the adoption and development of ETD programmes. Based on the research findings, further enablers and barriers emerged that had not been outlined in the preliminary research framework. These included concerns surrounding the perceived quality and quantity of theses and dissertations, which were perceived due to the newness of research programmes in the Gulf States. ETD programmes were perceived as increasing the currently limited availability of Arabic research on the internet. Moreover, as these states have strong economies, academic institutions were mostly equipped with the required technological infrastructure.  In addition, the initial framework did not highlight any kind of influence between the five factors. However, the current research findings revealed that these five factors were interdependent and that some factors have an influence on the others. This is reflected in the revised framework. The preliminary framework also did not indicate which factor was the most influential, while the revised framework shows that the contextual factors were found to be influencing the institutional factors and this, in turn, influenced the personal perceptions.  The revised framework is intended to provide guidance for universities and academic institutions in the Gulf States in adopting and developing ETD programmes. It is also hoped that by understanding the influencing factors, universities and academic institutions will be better placed to plan for and make informed investment decisions regarding the adoption and development of ETD programmes and that this will lead to their successful adoption and development in the Gulf States.</p>

scholarly journals Electronic Theses and Dissertations Programmes in the Arab Gulf States: Exploring factors affecting their adoption and development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jamal Mattar Yousuf Al Salmi
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Gulf States ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Arab Gulf ◽  
Arab Gulf States ◽  
Theses And Dissertations ◽  
Initial Framework

<p>An increasing number of academic institutions all over the world have begun to adopt and develop electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) programmes. The adoption and development of these programmes is influenced by many factors. Despite considerable discussion on these factors in different countries, little has been written on the adoption and development of such programmes in the Arab Gulf States. Moreover, there has been no in-depth research-based investigation into the enablers and barriers that may have an impact on the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Gulf States.  Using a sequential exploratory design and mixed methods, this study attempts to fill this knowledge gap. The study explores the perceived enablers and barriers influencing the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Arab Gulf States. It also develops a framework that outlines the factors influencing the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Gulf States. The study is primarily qualitative, using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews in conjunction with the analysis of relevant documents to identify, develop an understanding of, and create a picture of the situation in the Gulf States in terms of the factors affecting the adoption and development of ETD programmes. The interviews cover the key stakeholders, which include postgraduate students, library managers, system administrators, postgraduate officers and academic staff. Forty-five participants from five universities in the Gulf States were interviewed.  The results of the interviews provided the necessary information to undertake the second phase of the study (online survey). The primary aim of this was to test and explore, in a larger sample, the issues identified in the interviews. Three hundred and nine participants from four universities in the Gulf States completed the online survey. The results of the survey helped to confirm and complement the findings of the interviews.  The research findings revealed that several factors were perceived to affect the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Gulf States. These included the appreciation of the benefits of ETD programmes, the availability of the required resources to support ETD programmes, the perceived complexity of the technological processes as well as a number of social factors.  An initial framework for analysis was developed using concepts from the literature review combined with the constructs of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The initial framework highlighted several enablers and barriers to the adoption and development of ETD programmes. Based on the research findings, further enablers and barriers emerged that had not been outlined in the preliminary research framework. These included concerns surrounding the perceived quality and quantity of theses and dissertations, which were perceived due to the newness of research programmes in the Gulf States. ETD programmes were perceived as increasing the currently limited availability of Arabic research on the internet. Moreover, as these states have strong economies, academic institutions were mostly equipped with the required technological infrastructure.  In addition, the initial framework did not highlight any kind of influence between the five factors. However, the current research findings revealed that these five factors were interdependent and that some factors have an influence on the others. This is reflected in the revised framework. The preliminary framework also did not indicate which factor was the most influential, while the revised framework shows that the contextual factors were found to be influencing the institutional factors and this, in turn, influenced the personal perceptions.  The revised framework is intended to provide guidance for universities and academic institutions in the Gulf States in adopting and developing ETD programmes. It is also hoped that by understanding the influencing factors, universities and academic institutions will be better placed to plan for and make informed investment decisions regarding the adoption and development of ETD programmes and that this will lead to their successful adoption and development in the Gulf States.</p>

scholarly journals Back to the future: challenges of European tourism of tomorrow

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natàlia Ferrer-Roca ◽  
Richard Weston ◽  
Jaume Guia ◽  
Tanja Mihalic ◽  
Dani Blasco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Tourism Development ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Future ◽  
Tourism Governance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe the most recent (or emerging) trends likely to have a major impact in shaping the future of tourism in Europe. Design/methodology/approach The methodology of this paper involved in-depth literature review of European Union policies, initiatives and programs. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key individuals/organisations, mainly at a European level, but also including pertinent global and national tourism organisations. Moreover, an online survey was also conducted and circulated to a wide range of organisations from all 28 EU Member States. Nvivo was used to analyse the documents as well as to conduct a content and thematic analysis of the interviews. Findings This paper identifies five trends associated with the future of tourism in Europe. Those main trends are: evolving visitor demand; marketing; stakeholders and tourism governance; new technologies; and sustainable and responsible tourism. Originality/value This trends paper provides five useful recommendations for the future of tourism in Europe, including: sustainable tourism development, investment in technology, effective tourism governance, enhance Europe's overall destination brand and marketing strategy, and the need for new skills and training.

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 577-605 ◽  
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.

Representative bureaucracy in the Arab Gulf states

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 230-246
Author(s):  
Linzi J. Kemp ◽  
Megan Mathias ◽  
Maryam Raji
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Level ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Women In Management ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
Gulf States ◽  
Arab Gulf ◽  
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.

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

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-180 ◽  
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.

ICT and sustainable tourism development: an innovative perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisha Ali ◽  
Andrew J. Frew
Keyword(s):  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Tourism Development ◽  
Stakeholder Relationships ◽  
Tourism Product ◽  
Electronic Distribution ◽  
Information And Communication

Purpose – The aim of this research is to foreground information and communication technology (ICT) as an innovative approach for sustainable tourism (ST) development of destinations. ICT is the technology required for information processing which facilitates data processing, information sharing, communication, searching and selection. This paper concentrates on the Abernathy and Clark model and its usefulness in applying ICT as innovative in managing ST. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was administered to destination managers and to eTourism experts. Destination managers were selected as they were identified as the person responsible for the overall management of a Destination Management Organisation. eTourism experts were identified as someone who possesses special expertise, knowledge and skills on ICT applications to tourism and offered expertise on which ranged from such areas as electronic distribution, recommender systems, user-generated content, online communities, mobile technology, technology acceptance, tourism networks and Web 2.0. This was followed by semi-structured interviews. Findings – These ICT tools were found to be innovative for information management and distribution for critical decision-making. Innovation was fostered through the use of ICT for ST by leading to a better understanding of the tourism product, monitoring, measuring and evaluating, forecasting trends, developing partnerships and engaging and supporting stakeholder relationships. ICT would provide novel ways of approaching marketing, energy monitoring, waste management, and communication for destinations. Originality/value – This research is important in demonstrating the value that technology can have to ST and further develops the work on tourism innovation theory.

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