SACM - United Kingdom
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9667
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Item Restricted THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ESG AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF UK FTSE 250 LISTED FIRMS.(University of Sussex, 2024-09) Alhuqayl, Nouf; Hawas, AmiraIn this dissertation, the relationship between the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles in relation to the financial performance of FTSE 250 companies pre-and during COVID-19 was studied. Utilizing data from Bloomberg and to conduct regression panel models with fixed and random effects, a Hausman test was performed in order to choose the most effective model. The study reveals that ESG including its sub-dimension exhibit minimal influence on financial outcomes pre-pandemic with only slight improvements noted during the pandemic. The data corroborates the assertion that despite virtually no clear monetary advantages of ESG integration is seen at once, its contribution keeps increasing over time. The study emphasizes the complexities of ESG impacts and the need for companies to tailor their ESG strategy to specific operational and economic settings in order to maximize advantages. This study contributes to the nuanced understanding of ESG integration and encourages more research into its long-term effects in various businesses and regulatory situations.5 0Item Restricted THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ESG AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF UK FTSE 250 LISTED FIRMS.(University of Sussex, 2024-09) Alhuqayl, Nouf Khalid; Hawas, AmiraIn this dissertation, the relationship between the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles in relation to the financial performance of FTSE 250 companies pre-and during COVID-19 was studied. Utilizing data from Bloomberg and to conduct regression panel models with fixed and random effects, a Hausman test was performed in order to choose the most effective model. The study reveals that ESG including its sub-dimension exhibit minimal influence on financial outcomes pre pandemic with only slight improvements noted during the pandemic. The data corroborates the assertion that despite virtually no clear monetary advantages of ESG integration is seen at once, its contribution keeps increasing over time. The study emphasizes the complexities of ESG impacts and the need for companies to tailor their ESG strategy to specific operational and economic settings in order to maximize advantages. This study contributes to the nuanced understanding of ESG integration and encourages more research into its long-term effects in various businesses and regulatory situations.8 0Item Restricted COVID-19 and global health governance: past and future(University of Sheffield, 2024) Alqurashi, Wedyan; Caterina, MiloThis dissertation explores the critical role of global health governance, focusing primarily on the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its effectiveness in managing pandemics. It analyses WHO’s involvement in past pandemics, such as SARS, H1N1, Ebola, and COVID-19, identifying challenges and lessons learned. The dissertation also examines the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasising the disparities in health outcomes and access to resources. Utilising a qualitative research design, it delves into the mechanisms, key players, and frameworks involved in global health governance, particularly the International Health Regulations (IHR). Findings highlight the importance of rapid, transparent communication and the need for stronger enforcement mechanisms within the IHR. The dissertation underscores WHO’s pivotal role in providing technical guidance, coordinating international efforts, and promoting equitable access to health resources. It also reveals significant challenges, including delays in response, political pressures, and the spread of misinformation. Recommendations include enhancing WHO’s autonomy and funding, ensuring binding compliance with health directives, and integrating mental health into global health strategies. This research aims to inform future policy and practice, promoting a more resilient and equitable global health governance framework to better prepare for future pandemics.12 0Item Restricted Evaluating the Effectiveness of Unconventional Monetary Policy Measures in the Global Financial Crisis and COVID- 19 Periods(Newcastle Unversity, 2024-06-18) Al jarah, Khaled; Stancu, AndreiThis study examines unconventional monetary policy's (UMP) efficacy on the U.S. economy during the Great Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the popularity of these policies during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to examine how they support economic recovery. Utilising both ordinary least squares (OLS) and VAR models, the present study examined if the announcement of unconventional monetary policies helped to forestall the deterioration of the U.S. economy following the respective crisis. The study found the following using data spanning 2005 and 2023 and covering two of the most devastating crises in recent history (GFC and COVID-19). First, the announcement of UMPs during the GFC and COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly impact several macroeconomic variables in a cross-sectional context. Second, the results from the VAR model, which traces the spillover effect following the announcement, indicate that it only negatively affected industrial output, not GDP, CPI, and S&P 500 index. By evaluating research hypotheses and UMP measures' effectiveness, the study adds to the body of literature. In conclusion, our study sheds light on the complex dynamics of UMP in traversing financial crises, offering useful insights for academics, businesses, and regulators.32 0Item Restricted Multimodality in Saudi Arabian COVID-19 Cartoons: A Thematic and Humour Analysis(University of Leeds, 2024-05-01) Almohissen, Ahlam; Adami, Elisabetta; Elfarahaty, Hanem; Thurston, Timothy; Watson, JanetThe present study investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic was portrayed in Saudi cartoons and how humour around it was created. The Youm7 website was employed as a data source. A total of 212 multimodal cartoons were collected between December 2019 (the date on which COVID-19 was announced to the world) and March 2021 (the date when Saudi Arabia lifted all the restrictions related to the pandemic). These cartoons underwent two different types of analysis and resampling to address the two primary aims specified above. In addressing the pandemic’s portrayal in the cartoons, content analysis and multimodal analysis were employed to deduce the thematic presentation and participants' representation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerning humour creation, adapting and adopting Yus’ (2016, 2021) incongruity-resolution classification along with humour forms (Dynel, 2009; Alsadi & Howard, 2021) was applied with a more stratified sample involving 61 cartoons. The findings reveal ten main themes with their sub-themes. These are virus transmission rate, the emotional and physical consequences of COVID-19, the impact on education and work, vaccine rollout, lockdown, international political discourse, public protection, the change in social relations, the impact on travel and tourism, as well as the economic impact of COVID-19. Moreover, these themes show some similarities and differences with existing research in relation to phases of the pandemic. On the other hand, the deduced sub-themes depend more on the Saudi phases, government actions, and people's reactions. The findings also present five main subjects: COVID-19, earth, Saudi men and women, Saudi authorities, and international countries and governments. The representation of the participants varies multimodally in relation to the four phases of the pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Regarding the humour creation, the results show that the three Yus’ (2021) incongruities (frame-based, writing-image and writing-based) and resolutions (implication-based, frame-based, and writing-based) are presented in the data. However, the findings show the addition of a fourth classification (image-based) along with the three presented classifications to be applicable to cartoons, resulting in 15 common taxonomies. Moreover, eight humour forms were identified: joke, putdown, pun, irony, exaggeration, metaphor, metonymy, and comparison. These humour forms are mostly shown to occur multimodally, but they also sometimes occur in image or in writing mode alone. The relationship between humour forms and incongruity was found to be mostly dependent on the shared mode. The representation of humour, in general, is found to be based on three factors: the cartoonists’ interest, linguistic knowledge and cultural knowledge. This study contributes to understanding the history of Saudi Arabia during the pandemic (2020-2021). Moreover, the study contributes to the growth of multimodality by showing its essence in deducing the thematic presentation and the creation of humour. It also contributes to the field of humour, specifically making a methodological contribution by introducing an adaptation of Yus' (2021) incongruity-resolution theoretical approach, as this represents the first application of the approach to cartoons. Overall, the combination of humour and multimodality contributes to the shifting tendency from focusing on pure linguistics to multimodal communication.18 0Item Restricted Ethical conflict experienced as a critical care nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review(Queen's University Belfast, 2024-04-30) Alotaibi, Omar; Alotaibi, OmarBackground The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating effect on healthcare workers and healthcare systems at large. The first case of COVID-19 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was reported on 2 March 2020 and, by 15 July 2021, the Ministry of Health had reported 8020 fatalities from the contagion. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the unpreparedness of healthcare systems across the world, and further led to a substantial shift in occupational risks and various stressors pertaining to critical care nursing. Objectives A PEO framework was used to develop the research question to investigate the ethical conflicts that intensive care nurses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their impact on nurses’ psychological wellbeing and job satisfaction. The study aimed to identify and describe common ethical conflicts faced by critical care nurses during the pandemic, their psychological impacts, and offer recommendations for healthcare and relevant policymakers. Search Strategy The study adopted a qualitative approach, and a systematic literature review was conducted on existing studies. An induction approach was used in respect to the sample size of the selected studies. A systematic search was conducted across three electronic databases including CINAHL Plus, PubMed, and MEDLINE ALL. Studies conducted prior to COVID-19, those conducted on healthcare providers other than intensive care nurses, and sources published in languages other than English were exempted from the study. Results The search produced 738 articles which were further evaluated against the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 12 studies matched the inclusion criteria and met the CASP threshold for quality appraisal. Upon synthesis, changes in practice or work situations (n=7), lack of knowledge (n=3), an organisation’s inefficiency in supporting nurses (n=6), psychological wellbeing (n=7), and job satisfaction (n=4) were the main themes identified encapsulating ethical issues. Conclusion Nurses had to work under unfamiliar conditions typified by a high workload, prolonged use of PPE, and an increased demand for care in ICUs, hence the potentiality for ethical conflicts. Amid the construction of new ICU centres and an increasing workload, nurses had to deal with novel experiences such as adapting to collaboration with new workers, the role of constantly acting as a supporter, and complexities linked to working with non-healthcare professionals. A failure to highlight these complexities may cause critical care nurses to perceive them as routine. Increased isolation also had emotional ramifications which could affect job satisfaction levels among ICU nurses. Involvement in practice during COVID-19 led to depression, psychological distress, insomnia, and anxiety. The study also established that discrimination over the distribution of PPE, fatigue, and burnout had a profound effect on nurses’ job satisfaction levels. There is a need for interventions tailored towards increasing organisational support, improving nurses’ wellbeing, and building capacity. Organisations should also include nurses in the decision-making process, and consider both extrinsic and intrinsic factors of motivation to enhance job satisfaction levels.20 0Item Restricted Rehabilitation for cardiac arrhythmia in COVID-19 and non COVID-19 patients(University of Leicester, 2024-04-08) Alhotye, Munyra; Singh, SallyIntroduction Exercise-based cardiorespiratory rehabilitation programme is an effective intervention to improve clinical outcomes, exercise capacity and quality of life in individuals living with cardiac and pulmonary conditions. Despite the effectiveness of the programme in cardiac population, no routine prescription of comprehensive rehabilitation is offered to those with AF. This thesis aimed to assess the benefits of the programme in those with HF and co-existing AF and to investigate the views toward delivering the programme for this population. Moreover, evidence suggests that an adapted rehabilitation programme is effective in improving clinical outcomes in those with post COVID-19 syndrome. Thus, we aimed to investigate the potential benefits of the programme in restoring cardiac autonomic functions and cardiac disturbance that might be present in this population. Methods Four main study designs were undertaken to address the thesis aims. 1. Retrospective analysis to investigate the benefits of the programme in HF individuals with AF. 2. Survey study to assess HCP views toward delivering the programme for individuals with AF. 3. Survey and interviews to investigate the need for rehabilitation for individuals with AF. 4. Observational study to assess the benefits of the programme for individual with post COVID-19. Results Rehabilitation programme demonstrated an improvement in clinical outcomes in individuals with HF and co-existing AF. HCPs were enthusiastic about the benefits of the programme for individuals living with AF. Moreover, those living with AF reported their need for this programme to help manage their symptoms. Lastly, an adapted rehabilitation programme demonstrated an improvement in cardiac autonomic function and other clinical measures in those with post COVID-19 syndrome. Conclusion Rehabilitation programme is an effective intervention for those with HF and co-existing AF, while an adapted rehabilitation programme demonstrated an improvement in cardiac functions in those with post COVID-19.14 0Item Restricted Kalman Filtering and Bayesian Inference in Enhancing Pandemic State Estimation(University of Exeter, 0024-03-13) Alyami, Lamia; Das, Saptarshi; Townley, StuartThe COVID-19 pandemic is a contemporary challenge that requires long-term prediction and sustainable management strategies to effectively deal with its consequences. Developing mathematical models for the COVID-19 pandemic is subject to uncertainties and limitations due to inherently inaccurate phenomena. In this context, this thesis has the following aims: Firstly, an epidemiological model is proposed as a nonlinear ordinary differential equation (ODE), named the SEIQRD model (Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Quarantined-Recovered-Deceased). This model extends the simple SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) model to predict the transmission dynamics of COVID-19. The recursive estimator Kalman filters help to accurately extract information for the states or quantities of interest from noisy measurements. Subsequently, the extended Kalman filter (EKF), designed to handle nonlinear dynamical systems, is integrated with the proposed SEIQRD model. This integration enhances estimation accuracy, minimising uncertainties for underlying dynamic systems and providing estimates for unmeasurable hidden states. Additionally, improvement is made to the proposed model by incorporating further parameters, resulting in the improved-SEIQRD model. Moving forward, the aim is to enhance the accuracy of the EKF algorithm by introducing the extended skew Kalman filter (ESKF) algorithm based on a skewness distribution within the improved-SEIQRD model. This is crucial as COVID-19 data may include outliers that could result in inaccurate estimations using traditional Gaussian Kalman filtering approximation. The necessity arises from the asymmetry in the posterior distribution, where the effectiveness of the ESKF algorithm has been proven in capturing skewness in both states and noise distributions. Secondly, the generalised Bayesian inference method, known as the nested sampling algorithm, is employed to conduct realistic parameter estimation, especially in complex and high-dimensional parameter spaces or when the posterior distribution exhibits irregular shapes. This enhancement in estimation is achieved compared to standard Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods by utilising the mean posterior distribution of the quantity of interest and estimating uncertainties as well. Then, these probabilities are used to fit the epidemiological models presented in this thesis. This thesis evaluates the proposed method using numerical simulation results for active cases and death cases in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, within the context of the EKF algorithm, an open question in the Kalman filter framework is explored by tuning its coefficients. A method is proposed for estimating the measurement noise covariance matrix in the EKF algorithm. This is achieved by fitting the error between the reported data and the mean SEIQRD model, demonstrating improvement over arbitrarily chosen values. Thirdly, an effective Bayesian model comparison approach is employed, utilising Bayesian evidence approximated by nested sampling, to compare the SEIQRD models proposed in this thesis with the traditional SIRD model. This comparison is supported by evaluating the EKF performance for each chosen model. It is demonstrated that the proposed technique can mitigate variations between the models' predictions and assess the required complexity levels. Overall, the main contribution is developing a generalised approach encompassing deterministic/stochastic model alterations, parameter estimation, noise distribution, and model comparison in a single pipeline. Finally, relevant conclusions and future development trends are provided for addressing unknown pandemics, along with the potential utilisation of non-Gaussian Kalman filters.13 0Item Restricted Investigation of severe coronavirus infection with the host(University of Liverpool, 2023-07) Alruwaili, Muhannad Falah J; Hiscox, Julian A.Over the last two decades, three zoonotic viruses, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 have emerged and posed significant threats to human health. After the release of the viral genome in the cytoplasm, 16 NSPs are cleaved and released from the ORF1a and ORF1ab essential for forming the replication-transcription complex to replicate the viral genome. Virus replication relies on the interaction with host proteins for the synthesis of the viral genome, and this process could introduce mutations into the viral genome, but the interactome profile and functionality are undetermined. Also, no developed tool for studying mutations, especially recombination, for the MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 allows for sequencing long amplicons. Here, this thesis demonstrated that an amplicon-sequencing approach, named Rapid Sequencing Long Amplicons (RSLAs), combined with Oxford Nanopore technology can generate data from long amplicons from MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV- 2 genomes in clinical samples suitable for indel and recombination studies. Also, this thesis showed that NSP9 and NSP12, the main components of RTC, interacted with host proteins essential for virus replication. The functioning of SARS-CoV-2 NSP9 was dependent on eEF1A1 and MTHFD1, and NSP12 binding to TRiC/CCT complex was critical to the viral replication and NSP12 stability. Furthermore, NSP12 variants exhibited distinct associations with components of a phosphatase complex, including PP2A and STRN3. The virus that carried NSP12L323 demonstrated reduced susceptibility to disruption in PP2A. These findings allow the scientific communities to investigate mutational profiles of coronavirus for a better understanding of any potential evolution of coronavirus in the future using RSLA. They also showed the dependency of SARS-CoV-2 replication on host proteins revealing new targets for therapeutic interventions.15 0Item Restricted What are the comparative effects of the subprime crises and COVID-19 pandemic on US stock market volatility: an empirical study(Essex University, 2023-12-04) Alajmi, Mona; Nawosah, VivekThis study examines the effects of the subprime crises and COVID-19 on stock market volatility in the United States, utilizing the GJR GARCH model. The data utilized is the daily closing prices of the S&P 500 stock index. The study's findings highlight the prevalence of volatility clustering during the subprime crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2008. However, the lack of a substantial asymmetric evidence suggests an absence of compelling empirical proof for the existence of asymmetry within that period and during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was observed that there were occurrences of volatility clustering and asymmetry. This shows that compared to positive shocks, negative shocks have a more significant effect on increasing volatility which is commonly known as leverage effects.11 0
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