The influence of Wasta on employees and organisations in Kuwait: exploring the impact on human resource management, knowledge sharing, innovation and organisational commitment

This thesis examines the influence of wasta on employees and organisations in Kuwait. Wasta is a set of personal networks based on family or connections in which power and influence is used to accomplish things. As wasta evolved, it became deeply rooted in Kuwait. For instance, it became a tool which people use to get recruited in any position, regardless of their qualification. It is considered as a family obligation, a technique for doing business, and a practice which people use to maintain one s status. To date, there has been little research on the influence of wasta within organisations in terms of human resource management (HRM) practices, knowledge sharing, innovation, and organisational commitment in Kuwait. Consequently, the aim of this thesis is to address the research question: does wasta influence human resource management practices, knowledge sharing, innovation, and organisational commitment in Kuwait? A mixed method sequential exploratory research design is utilised to examine the specified research question. The justification behind this approach is that both qualitative and quantitative strategies supplement each other by giving a more in-depth and complete picture of the topic. Based on a total of 343 individual responses, the outcomes identified with wasta in businesses are considerable, as it does not only impact employees performance, but also the entire organisation s performance. The findings revealed that wasta influences HRM practices, knowledge sharing, innovation, and organisational commitment in Kuwait. In addition, the results of this study developed new models that fit within the context of this research and suggests several recommendations that could be developed to reduce the unwanted effects of wasta and improve employees as well as organisations performance. Consequently, this thesis provides a conceptual framework of what wasta is, how it is being executed, and ways in which it impacts employees and organisations in terms of the measured variables. It aims to deliver insight for citizens, employees, local and multi-national organisations, and the government in Kuwait about how the practice of wasta impacts performance, either positively or negatively. This thesis contributes to new knowledge within the field of business in the Middle East and provides a basis on which further research could be carried out. Therefore, this research will support and provide additional value to the minimum research that is available on wasta in Kuwait and worldwide

The influence of Wasta on knowledge sharing in Kuwait

This paper examines the role of wasta within Arab Societies. Wasta is a set of personal networks based on family or connections in which power and influence is used to achieve objectives. As wasta evolved, it became deeply rooted in Arab societies. For instance, wasta became a tool which people used to get recruited in any position, regardless of their qualification. It is considered as a family obligation, a technique for doing businesses and a practice in which knowledge is shared, transferred and created. In any case, the outcomes identified with wasta in businesses are considerable as it not only impacts organizational performance but also employees’ performance as well. To date, there has been little research on the influence of wasta within organizations in terms of knowledge sharing and innovation. Consequently, the question that is addressed is: Does Wasta influence knowledge sharing in Kuwait, which in turn impacts organizational performance? Accordingly, mixed methods research design was utilized to examine the specified subject. The justification behind this approach is that both qualitative and quantitative strategies supplement each other by giving a more in-depth and complete picture of the topic. The paper will provide a conceptual framework of what wasta is, how it is being executed and ways in which it is impacting knowledge sharing in organizations. The paper is intended to deliver insights for organizations about how the practice of wasta is impacting their performance, either positively or negatively. The initial findings revealed that wasta negatively impacts knowledge sharing in the sense that those who are within the wasta circle can access, circulate and provide new information that was once unavailable to them. However, such practices also have a negative impact in that employees who are not within such circle will be reluctant to share knowledge due to knowing that wasta users have an advantage over them and hence, they do not want to lose their competitive advantage

Reflections of Nursing Students’ Perceptions Toward Factors Influencing Their Academic Performance

The students' academic performance is one of the most imperative component in all universities to make sure in delivering the best quality graduates who will set out to be extraordinary pioneer and employees who have a positive reflection on the nation's financial growth and social advancement of the national and international area. Thus, the current study aimed to describe nursing students' perceptions toward factors influencing academic performance. A quantitative descriptive-design was conducted with a convenience sample of 150 female nursing students in the third and fourth academic year, college of nursing, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh-Kingdom Saudi Arabia. A self-reporting questionnaire was used to collect the data from the respondents. The results of the study showed that the "learner – related" subscale on the success factor scale was rated as 1st rank. “Regular attendance at lecture” item was attained the highest M+SD score (3.95 + 0.22), with high influence (UI) on the academic performance of the respondents. Meanwhile, “Reading beyond prescribed material” item was obtained the lowest M+SD score (2.84 + 1.44) with low influence (LI). Similarly, on the failure factor scale, the "learner– related" subscale was taken 1st ranked. Moreover, "lack of attendance at lecture" item was occupied the highest M+SD score (3.73 + 0.443) as well as" lack of interest in the course" item was stated the lowest M+SD score (1.88 + 2.40). As a result of this study, " learner-related factor" was employed the first rank in both success and failure scales and most of the learner-related items have a greater impact on the students' academic performance. So, this study recommended to administrators, lecturers, academic advisors to carry out more studies on students' academic performance factors, with specific focus on the ways which provide the students with the important skills which help them to overcome and manage these factors which contributed to their academic performance negatively. Keywords: Reflections, Nursing Students' Perceptions, Academic Performance, Success, Failure, Influencing Factors

ROLE OF THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF CARDIAC MEASURES AND DECLINING OF COMORBIDITIES.

Background: Regular physical activity (PA) can prevent many non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). The present study aimed to assess the health benefits of physical activities including blood pressure and comorbid conditions. Methodology: This is a prospective cohort case-control study that recruited 300 Saudi volunteers living in the city ofHail, Northern Saudi Arabia. Results: Out of 300 participants 155(51.7%) were males and 145 (48.3%) were females. There were 111(37%) participants committed to regular physical activity and the remaining 189(63%) without a defined commitment to physical activity (Uncommitted). Among 111 persons who claimed a commitment to regular physical activity (committed), 61(55%) were males and 50(45%) were females. The majority of committed individuals were at the age group 21-25 years followed by age group 26-30 and 31-35 years representing 32, 30, and 20 persons, respectively. The physical activity was highly practiced at the age range 21-30 years and this was found to be statistically significant P < 0.001. Conclusion: There is a low prevalence of physical activity in Hail region, particularly among females, which necessitates the suggestion of appropriate awareness programs. Younger and elder populations are in much need to be targeted with PA awareness programs

The state of HRM in the Middle East:Challenges and future research agenda

Based on a robust structured literature analysis, this paper highlights the key developments in the field of human resource management (HRM) in the Middle East. Utilizing the institutional perspective, the analysis contributes to the literature on HRM in the Middle East by focusing on four key themes. First, it highlights the topical need to analyze the context-specific nature of HRM in the region. Second, via the adoption of a systematic review, it highlights state of development in HRM in the research analysis set-up. Third, the analysis also helps to reveal the challenges facing the HRM function in the Middle East. Fourth, it presents an agenda for future research in the form of research directions. While doing the above, it revisits the notions of “universalistic” and “best practice” HRM (convergence) versus “best-fit” or context distinctive (divergence) and also alternate models/diffusion of HRM (crossvergence) in the Middle Eastern context. The analysis, based on the framework of cross-national HRM comparisons, helps to make both theoretical and practical implications