The Moderating Effect of Personality Traits on the Relationship Between Management Practices, Leadership Styles and Safety Performance in Iraq

Existing literature reveals a gap in the empirical knowledge on safety performance in the oil and gas (O&G) industry in Iraq. This study specifically aims to identify the level of safety performance in the Iraqi O&G industry by examining the direct relationship among management practices (safety training, rewards, management commitment, communication and feedback, hiring practices, and employee participation), leadership styles (transformational and transactional), and safety performance (compliance with safety behavior and safety participation) among 713 employees. This study also explores the role of personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness, intellect, agreeableness, and emotional stability) as a moderator of the relationship among management practices, leadership styles, and safety performance. Quantitative data were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Science version 18.0, which includes descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and Pearson correlation. Additionally, multiple regression and hierarchical multiple regressions were used to test the study hypotheses. In identifying interaction effects, significant beta coefficients and post hoc probing by split sample analysis were employed. Results provide general support for the hypothesis of the study, despite a number of differences in the direction of the relationships. Specifically, training, rewards, management commitment, communication and feedback, hiring practices, employee participation, and the transactional leadership style positively related to safety performance, whereas the transformational leadership style did not significantly relate to safety performance. The results also suggest that personality traits have a positive and significant moderating influence on the model. The relationship among management practices, leadership styles, and safety performance indicates that the improvement of safety performance through the management of employees will be beneficial to the Iraqi O&G industry. Finally, this study discusses theoretical and practical implications, as well as recommendations for future research

Studying the Effect of Employees’ Environment Awareness as an Intermediate Variable for the Relationship between Institutional Pressures and Intentions of Human Resources for Adoption of Green Information Techniques: An Exploratory Study of Micro-Companie

Purpose: The aim of the present research paper is to study the impact of institutional pressures derived from institutional theory on the intentions of human resources in micro companies to adopt green information technology. Besides, it aims at explaining the reasons why human resources in companies and research sample, are heterogeneous in their adoption of green information technology, even though they are under institutional pressures.   Theoretical Framework: The carbon footprint for micro-companies enlarges continuously for due to its an increasing use of information techniques in its all activities. Institutional pressures have increased on micro-companies pushing it toward letting human resources adopt green information techniques for mitigating negative impacts hit environment.   Design/Methodology/Approach: The quantitative design was adopted to collect data from employees working in micro-companies’ in southern Iraq for a sample of 181 employees through the questionnaire. The study sample was requested to give an answer to its items in accordance with 7 point Likert scale. As per data statistical analysis, through the use of Partial Least Squares.   Findings: that institutional pressures (forced, imitated & standard) collectively impact positively on intents of the study’s sample for adoption of a green information technique. Also, it was found that institutional pressures (forced, imitated & standard) impact positively employees’ environmental awareness. Then diagnosing the role of employees’ environmental awareness as a variable intermediating the relation between institutional pressures and intents for letting human resources adopt a green information technique.   Research, Practical & Social implications: Future studies can understandable that green information technology is an open arena for all researchers interested in the environment. Researchers can enter this field by raising study questions and employing and applying its variables to micro companies, or public sector organizations. They can expand the organizational theory by adding other intermediate or interactive variables and their effects on human resources’ intentions to adopt green information technology.   Originality/value:  Human resources in micro companies play a significant role in shaping the company’s legitimacy in its institutional field. Because micro companies appreciate the commencement time to adopt green information technology, and the place of practice. This requires enriching their knowledge of the challenges facing the environment by developing mandatory and voluntary programs to increase human environmental awareness and to get them engaged and directing their behavior towards this objective

Blood Pressure Home Monitoring in Hypertensive Patients Attending a Tertiary Health Facility in Amman, Jordan: Effect on Disease Control and Adherence Rate

Purpose: To investigate the effect of home monitoring of blood pressure (HMBP) on adherence to antihypertensive medications and control of the disease among patients attending a tertiary health facility in Amman, Jordan.Methods: This cross-sectional correlation study was conducted in 2012 at the cardiovascular clinics of Jordan University Hospital. A questionnaire investigating participants' disease level of control, disease duration, frequency of HMBP use, type of measuring devices used, and effect of HMBP on adherence to antihypertensive medications and life style changes was used for the study. To minimize any bias that may have resulted from the involvement of pharmacists in data collection, we designed a clear stringent protocol that was strictly followed by the researcher with all patients. In addition to that, the researcher clearly introduced herself as an independent figure that cannot make any decisions or changes.Results: Two hundred and five hypertensive patients who practice HMBP were recruited into this study. Sixty percent of the patients were aged 50 - 69 years. About 45 % of the patients were diagnosed with hypertension for > 10 years. Almost half of the patients have been using digital devices for blood pressure monitoring. The mean rate of HMBP was 15 times per month but almost 80 % of the patients did not document their blood pressure readings. Around 55 % of the patients referred high readings to a healthcare professional. Patients with higher levels of education as well as patients with lower BP readings showed significantly higher rates of adherence to their antihypertensive medications. Patients with high BP readings reported that they exercise more and reduced their daily salt intake.Conclusion: Overall, the patients showed high adherence rates to antihypertensive medications and adoption of better life style. However, increasing patient’s awareness in respect to documenting and communicating BP readings to their physicians is needed.Keywords: Adherence, Hypertension, Compliance, Blood pressure monitoring, Salt intake,Antihypertensive, Jorda

A proposed relationship between management practices and safety performance in the oil and gas industry in Iraq

Occupational accidents occur are either due to lack of knowledge, training, lack of supervision, and lack of rules implementation. In addition, a human error leads to negligence, carelessness of workers, recklessness of workers and lack of monitoring and controlling.The rapid growth in the industry globally has raised concern on safety and health issues at the workplace. As a result more occupational accidents and injuries at workplace make headline news all over the globe. The aim of this paper is to review related empirical literatures and highlight the need to investigate safety performance with respect to the oil and gas industry in Iraq.This paper discusses the role of management practices that may have an impact on safety performance in the oil and gas industry.Toward the end of the paper, a conceptual model depicting the relationships between management practices and safety performance will be offered

Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants used in Palestine (Northern West Bank): A comparative study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A comparative food ethnobotanical study was carried out in fifteen local communities distributed in five districts in the Palestinian Authority, PA (northern West Bank), six of which were located in Nablus, two in Jenin, two in Salfit, three in Qalqilia, and two in Tulkarm. These are among the areas in the PA whose rural inhabitants primarily subsisted on agriculture and therefore still preserve the traditional knowledge on wild edible plants.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data on the use of wild edible plants were collected for one-year period, through informed consent semi-structured interviews with 190 local informants. A semi-quantitative approach was used to document use diversity, and relative importance of each species.</p> <p>Results and discussion</p> <p>The study recorded 100 wild edible plant species, seventy six of which were mentioned by three informants and above and were distributed across 70 genera and 26 families. The most significant species include <it>Majorana syriaca, Foeniculum vulgare, Malvasylvestris</it>, <it>Salvia fruticosa, Cyclamen persicum, Micromeria fruticosa, Arum palaestinum, Trigonella foenum-graecum</it>, <it>Gundelia tournefortii</it>, and <it>Matricaria aurea</it>. All the ten species with the highest mean cultural importance values (mCI), were cited in all five areas. Moreover, most were important in every region. A common cultural background may explain these similarities. One taxon (<it>Majoranasyriaca</it>) in particular was found to be among the most quoted species in almost all areas surveyed. CI values, as a measure of traditional botanical knowledge, for edible species in relatively remote and isolated areas (Qalqilia, and Salfit) were generally higher than for the same species in other areas. This can be attributed to the fact that local knowledge of wild edible plants and plant gathering are more spread in remote or isolated areas.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Gathering, processing and consuming wild edible plants are still practiced in all the studied Palestinian areas. About 26 % (26/100) of the recorded wild botanicals including the most quoted and with highest mCI values, are currently gathered and utilized in all the areas, demonstrating that there are ethnobotanical contact points among the various Palestinian regions. The habit of using wild edible plants is still alive in the PA, but is disappearing. Therefore, the recording, preserving, and infusing of this knowledge to future generations is pressing and fundamental.</p

Thermal conductivity of OCC Data

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<i>MICA</i> Polymorphism and Genetic Predisposition to T1D in Jordanian Patients: A Case-Control Study

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder whose etiology includes genetic and environmental factors. The non-classical Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I chain-related gene A (MICA) gene has been associated with increased susceptibility to T1D as the interaction of MICA to the Natural Killer Group 2D (NK2GD) receptors found on the cell surface of natural killer (NK) cells and T cells is responsible for inducing immune responses. MICA polymorphisms were reported in association with T1D among different ethnic groups. However, data from different populations revealed conflicting results, so the association of MICA polymorphisms with predisposition to T1D remains uncertain. The aim of this sequencing-based study was to identify, for the first time, the possible MICA alleles and/or genotypes that could be associated with T1D susceptibility in the Jordanian population. Polymorphisms in exons 2–4 and the short tandem repeats (STR) in exon 5 of the highly polymorphic MICA gene were analyzed. No evidence for association between T1D and MICA alleles/genotypes was found in this study, except for the MICA*011 allele which was found to be negatively associated with T1D (p = 0.023, OR = 0.125). In conclusion, MICA polymorphisms seem not to be associated with increasing T1D susceptibility in Jordanian patients

Vitamin D Levels in Children with Recurrent Acute Tonsillitis in Jordan: A Case-Control Study

Background: Vitamin D is essential for many functions of the body. In addition to its primary function of regulating the absorption of calcium in the small intestine, its role in the immune system has recently been studied. The current study aimed to test the impact of vitamin D deficiency on the rate of recurrent acute tonsillitis in children. Methods: According to Paradise criteria, two hundred forty-two children with recurrent acute tonsillitis were recruited. A group of healthy children (n = 262) was also recruited as controls. Poisson regression was run to predict the number of tonsillitis episodes per year based on vitamin D levels. The mean vitamin D level in the study group was lower than in the control group (p &lt; 0.0001). Poisson regression of the rate of recurrent tonsillitis and vitamin D level (OR = 0.969 (95% CI, 0.962&ndash;0.975)) showed that for every single unit increase in vitamin D level, there was a 3.1% decrease in the number of tonsillitis episodes per year (p &lt; 0.0001). Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with higher rates of recurrent acute tonsillitis. Future controlled trials should investigate the role of vitamin D supplementation in reducing the rate of recurrent tonsillitis