A model of brand engagement in online brand communities: Co-creating value for the brand and the community

Utilising qualitative and quantitative methods, this thesis examines customer engagement in value co-creation from a customer perspective. This thesis provides a model of brand engagement behaviours in online brand communities by taking into account co-creating value for the brand and the community. The findings identify three types of engagement behaviours - helping oneself, helping others and helping the firm - and provide an empirical model explaining antecedents and outcomes of each engagement behaviour

Financial Development and Economic Growth in Developing Countries: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

This study investigates the long-term and short-term relationships between capital market development and economic growth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for the period from January 1993 to December 2009. It employs a wide range of vector autoregression (VAR) models to evaluate the importance and impact of capital market development on economic growth. We used real GDP growth rates and None Oil GDP as proxies for economic growth and the stock market index (SMI), the bank credits to the private sector (BCP) and the broad money supply (M2) as proxies for the capital market development. The VAR models indicate a positive and significant long-term causal relationship between capital market development and economic growth. Granger causality tests show that economic growth Granger-cause capital market development and vice versa when using the real GDP growth rate variables. The study implications are as follows. Firstly, investment in real economic activities leads to economic growth. Secondly, the stock market might hinder economic growth due to its volatile and international risk sharing nature, low free-floating share ratio, number of listed companies and the domination of Saudi Individual Stock Trades (SIST) characteristics. Thirdly, policymakers should seek to minimise stock market volatility and fluctuations, increase both the free-floating share ratio and number of listed companies and shift investment domination toward corporate investors by considering its effect on economic growth when formulating economic policies. Fourthly, the banking sector might hinder economic growth due to its lack of small and medium enterprises lending and shareholder concentration issues. Finally, policymakers should seek to encourage banks toward more involvement in small and medium enterprises SMEs’ lending, which will strengthen the private sector role

An Alternative Conceptual Corporate Governance Framework for High-Context Cultures: A Case for the Islamic & Arabian Middle East

The distinctiveness of Islam and the reaction toward the domination of the Western ideologies on the rest of the world especially on Islamic nations generated a movement among many scholars toward applying Islamic principals in the field of corporate governance. Islam is the dominant religion in the Middle Eastern region. This region consist of two major blocs the Arab League and most importantly the GCC. Thus, the cultural, political and legal environments have a significant impact on both profit and non-profit organisations. The proposed concept is generated by considering; the narrowness of the Agency theory illustrated by its limited explanations of such complexity associated with corporate governance issues yet its greatness of simplicity in regards to accountability; the Stakeholders theory serves wider views and shares many aspect with Islam yet this theory by nature suffers from practical complexity; Institutional theory are considered to ensure some degree of stability in the concept by considering the importance of the Islamic corporate supervisory institution in developing a sustainable Islamic corporate governance standards

Sustaining Investment in Innovation in Oil Rich Gulf Countries Amidst Falling Oil Prices

Oil rich Gulf Countries have identified all forms of sustainability as key drivers of innovation. Therefore innovating for sustainability is critical for an economy’s political legitimacy, socio-economic reputation, and ecological performance. Sustaining investment in innovation requires an understanding of returns or payoffs accruing to an investment in innovation. Sustainable development is fraught with challenges particularly when an economy’s growth is linked to a single resource. Research and development together with productivity growth rates have become innovation indicators and continue to raise questions about their interpretation and implication. In resource-laden rich countries the challenge is further exacerbated by inflows accruing from benevolent government subsidies. This empirical study reviews the variables for policy formulation associated with innovation in the six resource-rich oil countries of the Gulf and considers its determinants. Negative relationships between resource abundance and poor economic performance have often been empirically established, providing support for the “resource curse” hypothesis. The culture of governance, norms, and values that pervade oil-rich countries become key determinants of their economic success. The primary purpose of this study is to determine the factors associated with sustainable innovation in the Gulf and to address the concerns related to the governance of resources that necessitate further innovation

Resource curse reduction through innovation : the case of Kuwait

The strategic issues surrounding the governance of oil resources and its simplication for the growth and development of Kuwait through innovation are considered in this study – Resource Curse Reduction through Innovation. Within the large and growing body of work in this area a negative relationship between resource abundance and poor economic performance has often been empirically established. Many of the third world countries are richly endowed with significant natural resources. A plethora of research findings shows that these countries are scoring lower on human development, they exhibit pervasive corruption, display conflicts and a large percentage of their population live in dire poverty. Moreover, an enormous amount of their gross domestic income is spent on defence spending and manifests an autocratic form of governance. For the most part this evidence appears to support the "resource curse" hypothesis. The question that arises is whether there is any prospect of the "resource curse" being converted into a "blessing". This study examines the role of innovation in this context as Kuwait considers moving away from its dependence on its natural resources which sustain the economy. Since, innovation is considered a result of numerous interactions between key organizations and groups in the economy including institutions of learning, government, firms and other organizations which together form an innovation system, it may be opportune to consider the reductive role of innovation related to the resource curse. There are many unique cultural issues that confront Kuwait, and make it a fundamentally different case from other countries endowed with natural resources. The culture of governance in Gulf countries, and the norms and values within each individual Gulf country, become key determinants of innovation that impact on the various economic, political and social phenomena. By reviewing the extensive literature in both the field of the resource curse and innovation and collecting primary data, this study offers an overview of the challenges of promoting and supporting innovation in Kuwait, and the effectiveness of dissemination of innovative practices throughout the various economic sectors. Numerous studies have considered whether a country's natural resources are a curse or a blessing. Emerging findings appear to suggest that at times, resource-based economic growth models have indeed inhibited growth rates. Development economics also presents numeric data to substantiate the view that the gifts of nature are non-renewable and cannot be replenished. The hypothesis that natural resources of a country might be more of an economic curse than a blessing needs to be tested at different stages of economic growth of a country. The rate at which natural resources are exploited has often been cause for concern. From an economic perspective, Kuwait should inevitably switch from dependence upon natural resources to the development of sectors based on knowledge, skills, capital and technology. A defining characteristic of many resource-rich countries is the discrepancy between the interest of the stewards of the resources and the owners of the resources. At times those in political office (the stewards) appear to work extremely hard to ensure that the rest of the population (the owners) receive little benefit from the resources with which their countries have been abundantly endowed, and so the governance of natural resources merits further research. The study shows that income accruing as a result of the discovery of oil in Kuwait rapidly changed Kuwait's economic priorities, bringing new opportunities and at the same time new challenges. The findings of the research highlight many important issues relating to innovation and the depletion of non-renewable resources indicating to what extent certain sectors of the economy are innovative. One of the unique challenges facing Kuwait is what collective action is necessary to safeguard time honoured traditions that combine economic prosperity with solidarity. Today Kuwait is in need of new commitments on the part of its citizens and decisive actions in political leadership. Instead of maintaining structures and organizations that have shown themselves unable to deal with the challenges that face Kuwait, Kuwait must be ready to support structural changes. This in particular requires a prioritisation of resources towards education, research and development. Kuwait can only become comprehensively innovative if all sectors support the development of innovative products and services. Strategic issues entailing innovation require the involvement of all parties. These include businesses, the public sector, producers and consumers. A wide-ranging partnership for innovation is necessary, particularly when a country‘s resources are in question. To establish an optimal framework and develop potential for innovation, the prospect of an innovation-friendly market must be widely accepted and a national innovation system where the flows of technology and information among people, enterprises, and institutions that are the key to the innovation process at the national level are required. In light of these issues this study recommends the reduction of a resource curse through targeted innovation initiatives. The exploitation of natural assets is a matter of grave concern. Exploration and exploitation are costly and risky exercises in terms of growth and profitability. Kuwait needs to cultivate a culture that fosters creative ideas associated with, among others, safety and security of its natural and human resources, morality, employment and health within the context of an increasingly global environment. A lack of a shared vision, purpose and strategy reduces the vital role that innovation can play. Investment in innovation is therefore critical and Kuwait needs to reinvent itself economically.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Targeted screening for primary immunodeficiency disorders in the neonatal period and early infancy

Background: Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID) comprise a group of more than 300 diseases that affect development and /or function of the immune system.Objectives: The aim of this study was diagnosis of PID among a suspected group of neonates and infants within the first six months of life as well as identifying the warning signs of PID characteristic to this period.Method: Fifty neonates presenting with warning signs of PID were enrolled in the study.Results: The study revealed that twenty six patients (52%) were diagnosed with Primary Immunodeficiency, T cell/combined immunodeficiency were noted as the most common PID class (88.5%) with fourteen T-B-SCID patients (70%) and six T-B+ SCID patients (30%), phagocytic disorders were estimated to be 7.7% while 3.8% were unclassified immunodeficiency. The mean age of presentation for PID group was 1.42±1.38 months with a diagnostic lag of 3.08±1.78 months. Consanguinity was positive in 76.9% of the PID group. Lower respiratory tract infections ,persistent fungal infections and lymphopenia were the most significant warning signs for diagnosing PID with a p value of (0.01). Combined, lower respiratory tract infections, fungal infections and lymphopenia were 12.3 times more likely to be associated with PID.Conclusion: Focused screening in high risk neonates proved to be a valuable tool for diagnosis of PID disorders.Keywords: Primary immunodeficiency disorders, neonatal period, early infancy

Barriers of asthma care among asthmatic children in Saudi Arabia: Maternal perspectives

Background Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions among children. Despite the improvement in asthma treatment regimens, its prevalence and related morbidity are increasing, especially among underserved, minority children. There are barriers in the management of asthma, which may impact the quality of outcomes. The goal of this study is to explore these barriers. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on interview data collected through 2019 from mothers of children (aged 6 - 12 years) with asthma visiting, for convenience, a public shopping mall. The interviewees were randomly selected, because they met the inclusion criteria. Participants were considered if the mother answered “yes” to the following questions: Has your child had physician-diagnosed asthma? Is your child currently taking asthma medications of asthma? Two community nurses conducted the interviews. Data was obtained using administrative questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 (IBM Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Descriptive statistics of percentage, mean, frequency and standard deviation were applied for categorical and continuous variables. Results Three hundred mothers participated in this study. Their average age was 36.8 years, 55% were housekeepers by profession, and 34% had obtained less than high school education. The majority of children (61%) were males, 45% had moderate asthma, and 42% had mild asthma. The most frequent types of barriers identified by parents were environmental factors (67.7%), followed by health care providers (63%), the health care system (48%), and patient or family characteristics (43%). Mothers were specifically concerned about the use, safety, and long-term complications of medications, the impact of exercise limitation on their child’s quality of life, and their own quality of life. Conclusion This study showed several barriers against asthma care in Saudi Arabia, which mainly related to environmental or personal characteristics. This highlights the need to enhance current policies within the health care system in Saudi Arabia to overcome these barriers

Amygdala and subregion volume are associated with photoperiod and seasonal depressive symptoms : A cross sectional study in the UK Biobank cohort

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research has been conducted using the UK Biobank Resource. This work was supported by the Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre with financial support from the Roland Sutton Academic Trust (RSAT-0039/R/16) and Jazan University and Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia.Peer reviewedPublisher PD