Quality of IT Enabled Services in Higher Education Insti-Tutions in Saudi Arabia

The delivery of education has improved over time by using the IT enabled services, especially in the higher education institutes. The role of the IT enabled services to disseminate effective teaching has increased over time and still improving with a great pace with emerging needs of the students and the teachers. This research paper is focused to identify and investigate the quality of IT enabled services in the higher education institutes in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted at two model higher education institutions from public and private sector. Mixed research method has been used to attain the information and to identify the convergence of the information. It was identified that the quality of IT enabled services in better in the public sector institution ascompared to the private sector institution

The Cowl - v.78 - n.9 - Nov 7, 2013

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 78 - No. 9 - November 7, 2013. 24 pages

The socio-political implications of social media participation and activism among young adults in Saudi Arabia.

In most democratic countries, citizens have access to several avenues to participate in and engage with political and social issues. However, in Saudi Arabia, there are only a few permissible forms of expressing opinions and venting frustrations. Therefore, unlike most democratic societies, where social media is primarily utilised to foster the traditional, offline means of exerting pressure on state agencies, social media is the principal platform for political participation and activism in Saudi Arabia. This thesis therefore aims to explore the political and social implications of social media participation and activism within an authoritarian environment. Although there is extensive scholarly agreement that social media has widened the scope of information, enhanced horizontal networks of communication, and expanded the space for freedom of expression, the nature of the socio-political context within an authoritarian environment can critically influence the way in which individuals engage with and participate in social and political issues online. Thus, the political potential of these platforms in a public sphere that is characterised as being extremely authoritarian, religious, and patriarchal requires further empirical investigations. This thesis also investigates, through a case study of the anti-male guardianship hashtag activism, how Saudi women have utilised Twitter’s ‘hashtag’ feature to promote their campaigns and fight for their rights. Based on 29 semi-structured interviews with activists and non-activists (aged between 20 and 35) and extensive fieldwork, this study will explore how Saudi young adults perceive the socio-political implications of social media for political participation and activism in Saudi Arabia. The literature pertaining to the political implications of social media is highly contradictory, with some studies emphasising its potential to serve as a space of autonomy and participation, while others emphasise its depoliticising nature. Making its own original contribution to this debate, my study shows how social media has played an unprecedented role in paving the way for Saudis to participate in socio-political issues, increase the level of transparency and accountability, expose wrongdoing, express opinions, and generate awareness. More critically, the findings introduce a model that demonstrates how the ‘socially connective function’ of social media can penetrate the dynamic of ‘ubiquitous preference falsification’ (characterising most societies living under authoritarian regimes) by encouraging the public disclosure of preferences. The findings also show how the anti-male guardianship hashtag activism functions as an ‘alternative space’ for geographically dispersed and affected women in Saudi Arabia to mobilise thousands of national and global opinions, frame male guardianship-related issues, and challenge the patriarchal and victim-blaming discourse dominating the Saudi public sphere. Finally, I argue that within an authoritarian context, social media can increase socio-political participation, but it does not essentially lead to the democratisation and pluralism of the online public sphere due to two critical reasons: the increasing adoption of sophisticated surveillance technologies by states and online trolls

Increasing Saudi women's participation in professional occupations: a Saudi perspective

This research endeavours to provide a deeper understanding of the Saudi male-dominated system that is embedded in the Saudi social and cultural spheres. In particular, the thesis examines the different layers of meaning interconnected to each other which affect the Saudi system and the system’s ability to provide equal opportunities for both male and female nationals

The Engendered Spaces in the Village at the Edge of the Capital: A Case Study of Al Gharaza/Sudan

This research is the outcome of fieldwork undertaken between November 2002 and 2003 in Al Gharaza village part of Khartoum State - the Sudan capital. The study focuses on identifying how spaces and times are interrelated and engendered. The forces that impact the creation of boundaries or those that direct change are analysed. How women’s boundaries and spaces are defined and their interaction with them and bringing about new arrangements for spaces is discussed. How time is used, division of labour engendered, time conceptualized are highlighted. It is found that tradition and customs of exclusiveness as a value create a siege binding women spaces within the village and impact on their use of time: education is an important force that manages to crack the siege and open up to women some public space within the village. Outside forces for development or Islamization remained distant from the village; the villagers themselves desired a state of being apart from theses forces. The consequence is a situation of exclusiveness from both economic development efforts and political integration. The value of exclusiveness of “others”, inclusiveness from within; of the “we” and “they” have made the villagers to lead self-social development, which they desire and could afford, such as “building schools and supporting teachers”. The interface between development, culture and social structures of the village life became evident. Minimal outside efforts to introduce development did not sustain. This made villagers step forward to initiate their own development, while development they doubt its consequenses is resisted. However, the more villagers think that development will make them keep their integrity and exclusiveness; it is welcomed. On the other hand, the more it will lead to changing the social structure of exclusiveness and integrity, it is resisted. Hence, they did not encourage negotiating repairing the agricultural scheme water pump for fear that it will lead to redistribution of land ownership and bringing outsiders to the village. They kept to endogenous marriage for both genders, limiting women’s movement outside the village through values of protection and honour keeping, all are mechanisms to maintain exclusiveness from strangers. The men as the key players, owners of assets and income, defined the boundaries for both genders, respected them and gave themselves the authority of decision taking both inside and outside the household and in the public arena. Both genders respect, acknowledge and seem satisfied with the social structure of defined spaces, time use and boundaries. The spaces are multidimensional and integrated with possibilities to stretch them through different direct and indirect strategies which women know how to manipulate and use. Zusammenfassung Der vorliegende Forschungsbericht basiert auf einer Feldforschung, die von November 2002 bis Ende 2003 in Al Gharaza, einem Dorf in Khartum State, durchgeführt wurde. Das Ziel der Untersuchung bestand darin zu untersuchen, wie Raum und Zeit miteinander verknüpft und wie sie geschlechtsspezifisch geprägt sind. Die begrenzenden Wirkungskräfte und die Faktoren, die sozialen Wandel einleiten, werden analysiert. Es wird diskutiert, wie die Räume der Frauen und ihre Grenzen definiert sind und wie neue Arrangements entstehen. Es wird herausgearbeitet, wie Zeit genutzt wird, welche Zeitkonzepte existieren und wie Arbeitsteilung geschlechtsspezifisch geprägt ist. Ergebnis der Untersuchung ist, dass Tradition und Exklusivität als zentraler Wert Frauen an das Dorf binden und die Verwendung ihrer Zeit bestimmen. Bildung ist ein wichtiger Faktor, Grenzen aufzubrechen und Frauen einen öffentlichen Raum im Dorf zu öffnen. Kräfte von außerhalb – wie Entwicklung und Islamisierung – bleiben fremd. Die Dorfbewohner selbst wollen sie vom Dorf fern halten. Daraus folgt ein Ausgeschlossensein von ökonomischer Entwicklung und politischer Integration. Die Betonung des Ausgeschlossenseins „Anderer“ und des Eingeschlossenseins innerhalb des Dorfes, die Teilung in „wir“ und „sie“ führt dazu, dass die soziale Entwicklung des Dorfes, wie z.B. das Bauen von Schulen und die Unterstützung von Lehrern, Priorität haben. Die Verbindung von Entwicklung, Kultur und sozialen Strukturen des Dorfes wird dadurch wirksam. Kleine Bemühungen von außerhalb, „Entwicklung“ in das Dorf zu bringen, waren nicht nachhaltig. Die Dorfbewohner unternehmen zwar Schritte, um Entwicklung in ihr Dorf zu bringen, leisten aber den Konsequenzen von Entwicklungsbemühungen, hinter denen sie nicht stehen, Widerstand. Immer wenn die Dorfbewohner davon ausgehen, dass Entwicklung ihnen ermöglicht, ihre Integrität und Exklusivität beizubehalten, ist diese willkommen. Andererseits wird Entwicklung Widerstand entgegengesetzt, wenn sie das bestehende System in Frage stellt. Zum Beispiel waren die Dorfbewohner nicht daran interessiert, Unterstützung für die Reparatur der Wasserpumpen im Bewässerungssystem zu bekommen, weil sie fürchteten, dass dies zu einer Umverteilung von Land führen könnte und Fremde in das Dorf kommen könnten. Die endogame Ehe wird weiter für beide Geschlechter bevorzugt. Frauen bleiben aufgrund der Vorstellungen von Ehre und Schutz auf das Dorf beschränkt. Alle diese Mechanismen dienen dazu, das Dorf vor dem Einfluss Fremder zu bewahren. Männer als die Schlüsselfiguren durch ihr Eigentum an Ressourcen und Einkommen definieren die Grenzen für beide Geschlechter und schreiben sich selbst Autorität und Entscheidungsmacht innerhalb und außerhalb des Haushaltes zu. Beide Geschlechter scheinen mit den sozialen Strukturen, durch die ihre Räume abgesteckt sind, zufrieden zu sein. Diese Räume haben viele Dimensionen und bieten Möglichkeiten der Erweiterung durch verschiedene direkte und indirekte Strategien, die die Frauen zu entwickeln und zu nutzen wissen.Sudan, Women in rural areas, Space and time, Gender specific division of labour, Social change in rural areas, Frauen im ländlichen Raum, Raum und Zeit, Geschlechterspezifische Arbeitsteilung, Sozialer Wandel auf dem Lande, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, International Development, Labor and Human Capital,

The use of yield management within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia hotels

The airline industry has successfully adopted yield management (YM), particularly after the industry was deregulated in the late 1970s. In this study, YM is applicable to the hotel industry as a strategy to maximise profits. Thus, it involves the allocation of resources among various customers in hotel rooms relative to the existing market characteristics. In doing so, YM’s core concept is the provision of the right service to customers at the right prices. The aim of this study is to examine the practices and perceptions concerning YM as per the understanding and awareness of hotel managers. The study investigates several Saudi hotels of various sizes that use YM, and it identifies revenue management strategies and general practices within the hotel industry. The investigation took place in seven key areas of the hotel industry: location, occupancy, pricing strategy, price-adjustment strategies, HR management, customer satisfaction and third-party websites. The study involved two steps to achieve its purpose. First, YM practices were investigated in comparison to the seven key areas that influence revenue. Moreover, there was an emphasis on determining whether there was an attempt to manage revenue within the hotel industry. The results from the investigation are presented using a descriptive approach. The second step involved establishing the use of YM as a tool for managing revenue in hotel operations. This shows how revenue management through YM should be conducted. These results are presented using a normative approach. In the methodology, qualitative research is applied. Through this approach, 13 revenue managers and seven general managers from various Saudi hotels in Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Mecca were interviewed. Further, documents and direct observations were used to collect vital data to compare room rates through the use of direct and indirect distribution channels. Here, direct distribution channels involve making direct calls to hotels, as well as the use of official hotel websites. Conversely, indirect distribution channels involve the use of Booking.com and Agoda.com. These different options were then compared to observe the option that was more efficient in revenue management. From the comparison, the results showed that the practices and perceptions of YM were reasonable in the cities’ hotels. Of particular interest was the fact that respondents were aware of some key principles of YM. Consequently, many of these principles had been adhered to in room revenue management. For instance, stakeholders understood the significance of segmenting potential and current customers into various groups. This is critical, as these groups have different priorities, income levels and goals. As a rule, attention focuses on criteria such as ability and willingness to pay. The study recommends strategies that can be adopted by Saudi hotels to overcome the misconceptions and perceptions of YM. For instance, the system must be interlinked with location, occupancy, pricing strategy, price-adjustment strategy, HR, customer relations and the Internet. Interlinking the system with these key concepts is essential to maximise profits in the hotel industry. In essence, this paper offers knowledge to further the research on the applicability of the YM concept within the hotel industry in Saudi Arabia

The potential impact of utilising social media platforms in Saudi higher education : academic practitioners perception

The use of social media has penetrated the field of education during the past decade, but it is still not widely accepted or used to support teaching and learning despite their potential usefulness. However, since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, SM have gained momentum as face-to-face teaching and learning came to a halt due to the severity of this infectious virus and due to the ways Covid spreads between people. In Saudi higher education, the usefulness of SM in education has also a situation of mixed perceptions and experiences that needs scrutiny. This study was, therefore, conducted to investigate the perceptions of lecturers, academic leaders, and students on the use of social media technologies at Taibah University in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The methodology of Qualitative Content Analysis was applied in the study through an inductive approach to analyse qualitative data collected on their perceptions of the potential impact of utilising social media at the selected institution. Data were collected from conducting individual interviews with 21 lecturers, seven academic leaders, and four focus-group sessions with 25 students of both genders, and thematically analysed by categorisation and coding. This led to identifying five overarching areas of insight: general social media use, benefits of social media in education, motivation, and encouragement to use social media for lecturers and students, and challenges in applying social media in education. Several key findings confirmed previous findings by other researchers, although some contradictory findings were also obtained; points of tension were found related to the factors of age, gender, time and control, and numerous new findings emerged from the data which provided insight into the investigated phenomenon for the specific case. Based on the outcomes of the study, several recommendations are made to support the promotion of social media platforms and technologies in Saudi higher education

The role of cross-cultural B2B relationship marketing: an investigation of Saudi Telecom Company (STC)

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyWith the increasing expansion of companies into the global markets, Relationship Marketing (RM) has become more significant than ever, drawing to it the interest of scholars and the attention of practitioners. One aspect of the subject, which this research addresses, is the need to understand the nature and importance of relationships across cultures, since such understanding is critical to organizational expansion. The focus of this research is B2B relationship marketing, with cross-cultural marketing as a major component of analysis. Building on and extending relevant cross-cultural theories, this research investigates B2B relationship marketing in a Middle-Eastern telecom company, Saudi Telecom Company (STC), a company that is well placed for providing fertile illustrations of the mechanism of B2B relationship marketing. It is, furthermore, a key company in Saudi Arabia with hundreds of partners worldwide, and its economic importance to the country is second only to SABIC, the state-owned national oil company. Adopting a case study research strategy, the research explores how a growing organization absorbs cultural awareness into its B2B relationships. Data are garnered by interviewing 35 STC managers, 29 STC Small Medium Enterprise SME business partners, and three of STC’s Major Enterprise partners, as well as accessing and analysing secondary data from the company. The findings to date suggest that as the company grows it needs to develop B2B cross-cultural awareness at local and global level. This research extends cross-cultural models which have been developed in a business-to-consumer (B2C) context such as cross-cultural marketing theories proposed by Hall and Hofstede to understand cross-cultural theory in a B2B context. By exploring the role of culture in B2B relationships in the telecom industry in the Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia in particular, in light of a case study conducted on a specific and major company, STC and its global partners, and by investigating and assessing how it conducts its B2B relationships, this research aspires to extend the understanding of cultural awareness in B2B relationship and thereby to make a useful contribution to scholarship

Employee training to increase efficiency in the Saudi private sector

Saudis in the private sector tend to change employers, and this study sought information on whether training and education experience, and access to these, influenced their career choices. A study of a Saudi conglomerate was used as representative of larger firms who offered training to their employees; and the sample, 105 Saudi nationals, were self-selected for an online survey. Analysis of demographics, and the participants\u27 employment and training experience and intentions are presented. Analysis included medians and percentages of demographic characteristics and employee experiences and intentions, then descriptive analyses for relationships between the main questions and the demographic characteristics. The results were a sample median of 35.5 years of age, with 84.5 percent under the age of 41 years. The participants were well educated with 87.6 percent holding Bachelor\u27s degrees or higher; a further 80 percent had family responsibilities. The median work experience was four years; however, 33.3 percent had two years or less in the workforce, and 42.9 percent had changed their employer three or more times (median 2 employers). Over half (58.1%) attended pre-employment training comprising job skills training (31.4%) and workplace behavior training (12.4%). Upon recruitment, nearly two-thirds (62.1%) attended induction courses and 41 percent of these courses were a week or longer. On-the-job training was conducted by a supervisor (30.5%) or a team member (42.9%). A majority (76.2%) of the participants were in training, predominantly (45.7%) with their employer for promotion or higher pay (23.8%). The remainder were training in other parts of the conglomerate (16.2%) or externally (30.5%). Further, over half (58.1%) of the participants stated that their acquired knowledge and skills were portable and could be used with another employer; nearly a half (47.6%) also stated an intention to change employers. Significant relationships between the demographic variables and survey responses were that older and more experienced employees assisted recruits; whilst older employees, those with family responsibilities and those who had more employers also intended to move. Those with higher qualifications were seeking more pay. In conclusion, experience with, and access to training and education were not associated with intention to stay with their employer