Transformational leadership and innovation at the Lebanese banking industry

Purpose: Transformational leadership (TL) has been recognized as one of the most important factor influencing innovation. It is argued that this style plays an essential role in developing the process, structure and climate for organizations to become innovative. This research aims to examine the impact of TL on two aspects of innovation namely product and process innovation. Design/Methodology/Approach: The quantitative and explanatory analysis was taken by using the Structural equations modeling (SEM) with AMOS 20 to examine the relationship between TL and innovation. Research data were collected through a survey method. The sample result was determined by the probability stratified sampling technique of about 310 employees at 27 banks in Lebanon. Findings: The findings confirmed the importance of TL in enhancing innovation in banking sector. The main implication of the research highlights that individualized consideration is the most important predictor of product and process innovation followed by, inspirational motivation and idealized influence, respectively, whereas, intellectual stimulation has insignificant influence on product and process innovation. Practical Implications: Findings point to how transformational style of leadership produce better outcomes for the banks by mobilizing employees to engage in innovative products and processes. Originality/Value: These findings extends the understanding of the processes through which transformational styles of leadership stimulate innovation, and also highlight the benefits gained by cultivating more transformational styles of leadership to generate more innovative outcomes.peer-reviewe

The effect of transformational leadership on innovation : evidence from Lebanese banks

Purpose: Transformational leadership (TL) has been recognized as one of the most important factor influencing innovation. It is argued that this style plays an essential role in developing the process, structure and climate for organizations to become innovative. This research aims to examine the impact of TL on two aspects of innovation namely product and process innovation. Design/Methodology/Approach: The quantitative and explanatory analysis was taken by using the Structural equations modeling (SEM) with AMOS 20 to examine the relationship between TL and innovation. Research data were collected through a survey method. The sample result was determined by the probability stratified sampling technique of about 310 employees at 27 banks in Lebanon. Findings: The findings confirmed the importance of TL in enhancing innovation in banking sector. The main implication of the research highlights that individualized consideration is the most important predictor of product and process innovation followed by, inspirational motivation and idealized influence, respectively, whereas, intellectual stimulation has insignificant influence on product and process innovation. Practical Implications Findings point to how transformational style of leadership produce better outcomes for the banks by mobilizing employees to engage in innovative products and processes. Originality/Value: These findings extends the understanding of the processes through which transformational styles of leadership stimulate innovation, and also highlight the benefits gained by cultivating more transformational styles of leadership to generate more innovative outcomes.peer-reviewe

Efficient Processes for Power Generation and Energy Storage

Finite fossil fuels reserves and unprecedented carbon dioxide levels warrant the need for efficient energy utilization and/or carbon free energy sources. This dissertation addresses the aforementioned issue and provides two solutions. 1) An efficient Natural Gas (NG) based Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) power plant equipped with near 100% carbon dioxide capture. The power plant uses a unique refrigeration based process to capture and liquefy carbon dioxide from the SOFC exhaust. Here, carbon dioxide is captured and condensed at different pressure levels by contacting the gas stream with liquid carbon dioxide reflux generated at higher pressure. The uncondensed gas mixture, comprising of relatively high purity unconverted fuel, is recycled to the SOFC and found to boost up the power generation of the SOFC by 22%, when compared to a stand alone SOFC. If Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is available at the plant gate, then the refrigeration available from its evaporation is used for carbon dioxide Capture and Liquefaction (CO2CL). If NG is utilized, then a Mixed Refrigerant (MR) vapor compression cycle is utilized for CO2CL. Alternatively, the necessary refrigeration can be supplied by evaporating the captured liquid carbon dioxide at a lower pressure, which is then compressed to supercritical pressures for pipeline transportation. From rigorous simulations, the power generation efficiency of the proposed processes is found to be 70-76% on a lower heating value (LHV) basis. The benefit of the proposed designs is evident from the similar efficiency (73%) achieved by a conventional SOFC-Gas Turbine power plant without carbon dioxide capture. The refrigeration based process that capture and liquefy carbon dioxide is also found to be applicable for capturing and liquefying carbon dioxide from flue gases other than SOFC. An oxygen based Natural Gas Combined Cycle (oxy-fuel NGCC) process is developed and tested to implement the above mentioned capture process. The power generation efficiency here is estimated to be near 49% with almost 98% liquid carbon dioxide recovery. 2) Efficient means of using intermittent renewable energy such as solar for baseload applications with dense large-scale energy storage. Unique carbon recirculation cycles are developed for this purpose. Here, during the period of renewable energy availability, a suitable carbon molecule is synthesized from the stored liquid carbon dioxide and then stored in a liquid state. Subsequently, when renewable energy is unavailable, the carbon molecule is oxidized to deliver electricity and carbon dioxide is recovered and liquefied for storage. Eexergy based metrics are introduced to systematically identify candidate carbon molecules for the cycle. Such a search provides us the trade-off between the exergy stored per carbon atom, exergy used to synthesize the molecule and the exergy stored per unit volume. While no carbon molecule simultaneously has the most favorable values for all three metrics, favorable candidates identified include methane, methanol, propane, ethane and dimethyl ether. For cases where the molecule to be stored is gaseous under ambient conditions, we suggest synergistic integration between liquefaction and boilup of this gas and that of recirculating carbon dioxide. This unique feature allows for minimizing the energy penalty associated with the recovery, purification and liquefaction of carbon dioxide and storage of carbon molecules. Using process simulations we show that these cycles have a potential to provide GWh of electricity corresponding to an overall energy storage efficiency of 53-58% at much reduced storage volumes compared to other options

The productivity of #Ness and +ity

The theme of this paper is associated with word -formation rules that deal with productivity; however, the main discussion will be limited to morphological productivity. If a WFR is productive, then the native speaker can produce and understand new words. The productivity of two nominal suffixes, #ness and +ity, when attached to adjectives ending in Xal, Xar and Xic is the main issue of this research. The question deals with the derivation of nouns from adjectives and how productive these nominal suffixes are; even though there are pragmatic restrictions on word lengths and whether the process in question is actually that of suffixation or prefixation

Morphological descriptive analysis of Qatari Arabic nouns.

Qatari Arabic is a form of the Arabic language It is used by the native speakers of Qatar as a dialect of Arabic. The social structure of the Qatari society is very similar to those of the Arabian Peninsula in origin. traditions. and customs. A dialect can be seen as a group of linguistic criteria which belong to a certain culture or society: and therefore. is used by the members of this society. It exists in the spoken form only since Qataris still use Modem Standard Arabic for writing. As a variant of Arabic. Qatari Arabic is similar to Standard Arabic in many respects: nevertheless. differences in the usage of constituents of grammatical categories do exist. Although the majority of words in Qatari Arabic are found in Modem Standard Arabic, noticeable differences between Qatari Arabic and Modem Standard Arabic are found in the areas of phonology and semantics. The morphological and syntactic differences exist in areas such as verb conjugations. noun pluralization definite / indefinite markers, sentence formation, etc

Sexist Language in Arabic: The Case of Qatar University Academic and Administrative Staff

This study discusses the impact of possible sex-based differences in Arabic. It deals with the awareness and recognition of sexist attitudes in Arabic. A special questionnaire was prepared for this purpose. The first part of the questionnaire posits fives questions with answer choices which reflect respondents' attitudes towards Arabic as a sexist language. The second part includes eight statements which are rated on the part of respondents as sexist in certain degrees and whether these statements are appropriate or not. To reach conclusions about the presence of sexism in Arabic, this study refers to the definition of sexism, studies and experiments related to sexist language, sexism in Arabic, and finally a case study about Arabic as a sexist language

Development of a Process for Producing Biodiesel from Microalgae Lipids with Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction and Enzyme-Catalyzed Transesterification

Lipids were extracted from microalgae using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2), and used for enzymatic biodiesel production in SC-CO2. The growth of several fresh water and marine strains was tested under aeration with different CO2 enrichments. The highest growth found was for Chlorella sp. grown at 27 oC, 1 % CO2 enrichment and 460 mM NaCl concentration, at which carbon fixation rate was 1.7 g L-1 d-1. The highest enhancement of lipids content by nitrogen starvation was found with Scenedesmus sp., but with a lower growth rate. Two step cultivation of Scenedesmus sp. was carried out in a 5 L internally-illuminated photobioreactor, to combine high growth rate with high lipids content. SC-CO2 extraction of lipids from lyophilized microalgae at 50 °C, 350 bar and a flow rate of 2.69 g min−1 was found to be more effective than conventional extraction techniques. The effects of extraction conditions, namely 200–500 bar; 35–65 °C and CO2 flow rate of 1.38–4.02 g min−1, on extraction yield were investigated. The optimum yield was found to be 7.4 at 53 °C and 500 bar after 1 h. The possibility of extracting lipids directly from wet cells, avoiding the drying step, was studied. Lytic enzymes were efficient in disrupting the cell walls and enhancing the extraction. Lipids extraction yield from wet cells was found to be 12.5% using SC-CO2 compared to 16.6 % using n-hexane. Enzymatic production of biodiesel from extracted lipids in a SC-CO2 medium was studied in a batch reactor. The effect of enzyme loading (15-50 % wt), temperature (35-55 oC) and methanol to lipid (M:L) molar ratio (3-15:1) ii Were investigated. A reaction yield of 82 % was obtained at 50 oC, 200 bar, 35% enzyme loading, and 9:1 M:L molar ratio after 4 h. The extraction and reaction processes were combined in a continuous integrated process, and the best M: L ratio was found to be 10:1, and the enzyme was reused for 6 cycles retaining 78 % of its original activity. The enzyme washed with tert-butanol at the end of the sixth cycle and was success fully reused for 24 cycles retaining 70% of its activit

Employee Personality Traits and Reactions to Psychological Contract Breach in the Lebanese Context

The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of employee personality traits on the response to a psychological contract breach within the Lebanese context. It specifically examines the influence of various typologies on job satisfaction, trust, loyalty, organizational commitment, and delves deeper into the result of having the psychological contract breached. A total of 30 comprehensive interviews were conducted in order to examine employee reactions to breach of the psychological contract, along with a qualitative analysis of their personality according to the Big Five personality trait model. The findings demonstrate that the concept of a “psychological contract” is not familiar within the Lebanese context. The relationship between one’s personality trait and the response to the psychological contract breach are also new concepts within the Lebanese context. The findings suggest that there is a strong relationship between employee personality traits and the response to the perceived psychological contract breach. For example, findings show that those who consider themselves to be extraverts and the neuroticisms have the most aggressive reaction to the breach of the psychological contract

Knowledge Sharing and Innovation at the Lebanese Banking Industry

Knowledge is considered the main critical resource for competitive advantage. By encouraging a knowledge‐sharing culture within service settings such as banks, the quality of service is enhanced and the opportunities for innovation is created. This research seeks to test the relationship between knowledge sharing (KS) and innovation. A quantitative and explanatory analysis was done by using Structural equations modeling (SEM) to investigate the effect of KS on process and product innovation. Research data were collected through a survey method. The sample result was determined through a probability stratified sampling technique of about 310 employees at 27 banks in Lebanon. The findings confirmed the vital role played by KS in enhancing innovation. The main implications of the research emphasize that knowledge sharing is the most important predictor of process innovation followed by product innovation. The findings highlight how KS produces better outcomes for banks by mobilizing employees to engage in the innovation of products and processes. It is recommended that banks promote KS by establishing a suitable climate that helps employees to meet and communicate ideas effectively. This motivates them to get involve in process and product innovation, by stimulating them to look for novel ideas and adopt advanced technologies. These findings extend the understanding of the processes through which sharing knowledge stimulate innovation, and also stress on the benefits gained by cultivating knowledge sharing processes to generate more innovative outcomes

Engineering of magnetically separable ZnFe2O4@ TiO2 nanofibers for dye-sensitized solar cells and removal of pollutant from water

Abstract In this study, magnetic Zinc Ferrite (ZnFe2O4)@TiO2 nanofibers were prepared by low cost and nontoxic route; hydrothermal technique followed by electrospinning process. The prepared magnetic ZnFe2O4@TiO2 nanofibers were morphologically and structurally analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The prepared magnetic ZnFe2O4@TiO2 nanofibers were utilized as photoanode for the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and presented applicable performance with 4.2% overall conversion efficiency with high short circuit current density (JSC) of 10.16 mA/cm2. The maximum ∼42% incident photo-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) value was also recorded at 520 nm. In addition, ZnFe2O4@TiO2 nanofibers were not only possessed the good conversion efficiency, but also shown excellent photocatalytic efficiency with magnetic properties towards the dye remediation. Prepared ZnFe2O4@TiO2 nanofibers can be considered as a promising material for energy conversion and environmental applications