SACM - United Kingdom
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9667
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Item Restricted Customer behaviour in e-retail: Investigating cultural e-touchpoint differences within the consumer journey(Leeds beckett, 2024-09) Alazwary, Wed; Andrews, DavidThe consultancy project focused on enhancing website engagement and expanding consumer reach for an SME specializing in vegan sustainable jewellery. With the growth in e-commerce within the Eastern market, the company faces the challenge of maintaining visibility for new consumers during their consumer journey (CJ). To address this, SMART KPIs were formulated based on the client’s objectives. This project seeks to gain insights into the behavioral effects, attitudes, and intentions of eastern consumers (EC) and western consumers (WC) during the online CJ. Exploring the online shopping behaviors of both WC and EC, the project utilizes consumer decision-making theories, Hofstede's cultural framework, and a three-stage CJ model (pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase). The literature review identifies a gap in understanding the cultural affects within an online context of the CJ and the identification of touchpoints deemed critical to consumers. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 ethnically diverse female consumers representing WC and EC groups. This sample was selected to reflect the client’s target demographic. Thematic analysis revealed several shared critical e-touchpoints, such as using Google and viewing reviews during the pre-purchase stage. EC place significant importance on social touchpoints like word of mouth (WOM) because of their collectivist nature and high uncertainty avoidance (UA), whereas WC prioritize incentives and customized content due to their promotion-focused behavior. To fulfill the KPIs and client objectives, the researcher proposed e-marketing strategies informed by analyzing SEMrush data, which evaluates the client’s current organic traffic and backlinks. It became evident that search engine optimization, involving keywords tailored to Eastern regions and partnerships with Eastern bloggers, could enhance market reach and meet the WOM e-touchpoint of EC. This approach is expected to reduce UA among EC. Furthermore, including a review feature on client's website, addressing a critical journey-ending e-touchpoint of both consumer groups, is recommended. For WC, strategies like incentivized deals and customized mailing lists are suggested to increase engagement and interaction on both the website and client’s social media platforms. Additionally, a conceptual framework was constructed to guide SME managers and marketers, illustrating critical e-touchpoints through the online CJ stages. This framework helps identify where consumers most often end their CJ due to unmet touchpoints, demonstrating the importance of a customer loyalty loop. By successfully addressing these e- touchpoints, the client can create a more relevant online consumer experience, ultimately driving continuous engagement and loyalty among their target market and facilitating entrance into the eastern region for greater market reach.50 0Item Restricted Changing Saudi Arabia: Exploring the Art and Cultural Scene in a Country on the Cusp of Transformation(King's College London, 2023-12-01) Alhebaishi, Shatha Salah; England, LaurenRecently, Saudi Arabia has undergone significant reforms in various areas of the country, including art and culture. While previous studies have documented the development of the creative milieu in the country, there has been no eminent research exploring the current development of the creative milieu. This research aims to investigate the experiences of Saudi artists and curators within the context of the country's new Vision 2030 plan, with a focus on understanding how they navigate the tension between modern artistic expression and respecting cultural values and norms. Additionally, the research aims to uncover the challenges they face despite the reforms and the impact of Vision 2030 on the art and cultural landscape as seen from their perspective. The dissertation utilised a qualitative method using data collected through semi-structured interviews with artists and curators, providing insights into their experiences and perceptions. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data, allowing the main themes to emerge directly from the respondents' descriptions. The findings argue that artists are navigating the tension between modern artistic expression and respecting cultural values by employing techniques such as self-censorship, subtly and symbolism. Additionally, the main challenges they continue to face despite the new reforms include the scarcity of venues to exhibit, the absence of art education and the lack of intermediaries and sufficient institutions. The findings will also consider the influence of Vision 2030 reforms on the art and cultural landscape, highlighting changing levels of public acceptance and changing societal issues. Moreover, this study calls for further research into documenting the evolving art and cultural scene of the country in order to preserve and improve the foundation of the creative scene for the future.18 0Item Restricted Investigating the Treatment of Culture in English Language Education within a Saudi University Setting(University of Southampton, 2024-07-31) Altheebi, Jaber; Baird, RobertIn the rapidly evolving landscape of global education, the treatment of culture in English language education (ELE) plays a pivotal role, particularly in contexts undergoing significant transitions. Saudi Arabia, with its ambitious Vision 2030, finds itself at the intersection of tradition and transformation, providing a unique context for examining culture within ELE settings. This PhD thesis delves deep into the intricacies of culture and its role in ELE during this transformative period in Saudi Arabia, underlining the challenges and opportunities it presents. It critically examines such treatment through an ecological lens, capturing the interplay of cultural constructs across educational ecosystems. Such an exploration not only enriches the field of applied linguistics with insights from the Saudi context but also offers theoretical advancements regarding the intertwined relationship between culture, language, and education. To elucidate this relationship, this study delves into educational policies, textbooks, observational data, and insights gathered from interviews. This multifaceted approach seeks to unravel various treatments of culture at various ecosystem levels that constitute the researched setting. The findings of this study reveal diverse, and sometimes contradictory, treatments of culture within the selected Saudi ELE setting, illuminating a divergence between educational policies and textbooks, and actual teaching practices. While educational policies and textbooks used within this setting call for inclusion of cultural discussions, the actual classroom interactions often prioritise traditional language instruction over cultural discussions. This observed divergence can be attributed to discrepancies between policy interpretations, teachers’ and students’ sociocultural affiliations, and overarching perceptions of the role of culture in education. Such divergence prompts critical questions about the forces influencing this shift. This tension not only underscores the intricacies of integrating culture in ELE, but also offers broader insights into the complex and emergent relationship between policy, pedagogy, and real classroom practices.26 0Item Restricted Community Harem(Pratt Institute, 2024-05-15) Aluhaib, Sara; Freedman, NinaIssue: The shift in occupancy of space, from gendered segregated to free mixing settings in public spaces ignores the cultural and religious needs of the traditional Saudi woman, depriving her of a safe space where she feels the freedom of self-expression. A secondary shift for contemporary Saudi women is the limited opportunities to gather and connect as a private community. Typically, a Saudi household contained two Majlis areas, one for men and one for women accompanied by a dining lounge next to each Majlis. The current absence of gathering space for women can be seen in middle-class homes in major cities, Many middle-class families settle in houses with less area, compromising the size and quantity of the Majlis. (1) The average Middle-class home still contains a designated area for men, and public spaces are enjoyed by both genders. Another problem is the absence of a space for women to uncover, which has led to high rates of Vitamin D deficiency in Saudi women, which reached 60.2%. (2) Program: The proposal is a women-only community center targeting middle-class Saudi women from different age groups. What they have in common is Islamic values, being traditional and modest, while enjoying modernity and a contemporary lifestyle. It is located in the heart of old Riyadh, surrounded by significant historical sights and commercial streets. The site is a Najdy abandoned house near a public garden and a mosque. The possibility for grafting new spaces into a historic shell, sheltered interior, and exposed exterior space, and its colocation with a mosque. Najdy Architecture is a simple style developed in the center of the Arabian peninsula, known for adobe as a primary building material, introverted buildings, and inner courtyards. (3) Symbolism can be found in woven textiles such as ‘Sadu’ which is made with Camel fur and used for tents. Strategies: This thesis aims to change the narrative on Saudi women’s culture, nurture and celebrate Saudi women’s current success as well as their rich heritage through design strategies of symbolism, materiality, craft, color, joining new interiors into a historic fabric, and layering of the threshold. New and old symbolism will be integrated into the design in multiple ways such as the merging, openings, transitions, structure, and texture of solid and soft surfaces. Adobe and local raw materials are going to be primarily used with glass and steel. Colors are derived from the environment mixed with bright and modern touches. Source: The rise in land plot prices in the city of Riyadh during the last 20 years. Nov 24, 2020. Mutoon Tech Article Vitamin D Deficiency and Associated Risk Factors in Women from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. By Nora A. AlFaris, 1 Nora M. AlKehayez,1 Fatema I. AlMushawah,2 AbdulRhman N. AlNaeem,2 Nadia D. AlAmri,3 and Ebtisam S. AlMudawah3 Traditional Architecture in Najd, Saudi Arabia. By Geoffrey King35 0Item Restricted Hijab Meets Style | Incorporating service design to simplify the shopping experience for Saudi Hijabi GenZ’s when abroad(University of the Arts in London, 2024-02-16) Sharaf Aldeen, Wejdan; Barber, SamThe realm of fashion expands beyond surface trends and visual appeal, serving as a convergence point for culture, identity, and individual beliefs (Davis, 2013). For Muslim women, the selection of clothing holds deep meaning, going beyond mere style to embody a balanced fusion of modesty and religious dedication (Bernier, 2022). In contemporary Islam, women wear the hijab, a veil covering their hair, and fashionably modest attire covering the chest, legs, and arms. (Rahman et al., 2016, p. 218). The growing modest fashion industry is driven by fashion-conscious Muslim consumers combining a symbol of adherence to Islamic principles with a modern interpretation of modesty that allows for self-expression within contemporary fashion trends (The Cooper Hewitt, 2021). The Global Islamic Economic 2019/20 study projects that Muslim consumer spending on clothing and shoes increased in 2018, reaching 283$ dollars and is projected to grow in 2024, reaching 402$ billion (Dinar Standard, 2019). Despite the growth and demand for modest wear, Madeeha Najeeb (2019) confronts the lack of availability for Hijabi clothing options in mainstream retail and emphasises the neglect of a substantial market gap. This challenges Muslims worldwide to undergo a time-consuming process of matching pieces from different local and international brands to create full hijabi wear, including the headscarf (Hassan & Harun, 2016). This dilemma frequently results in the repetition of outfits and discontent with their wardrobe selections, impacting their self-esteem and confidence level. Today, Gen Z Saudi Muslim women emerge as dominant consumers who prioritise fashionable clothing and seek recognition, diversity, and inclusivity from fast fashion brands. According to a study by Brand Genetics, the Saudi Gen Z generation is characterised by a «more liberal, risk-taking, entrepreneurial mindset» (Alexandra, 2021). Saudi Arabia stands as a major market in the domain of modest clothing. (Herrmann, 2022). Under the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative, significant legal reforms have taken place, marking progress in the status of women in Saudi Arabia by granting them the freedom to choose their clothing over the traditional Abaya and enabling them to travel abroad without strict guardianship (Sadek, 2019). Contemporary Saudi Gen Z women are empowered and expanding their horizons through travel while simultaneously aspiring to uphold their stylish religious identity. Thus, addressing this issue is crucial to empower Saudi Muslim women and help them access diverse Hijabi fashion choices, boost their confidence in navigating diverse foreign cultures abroad, foster a sense of belonging and inclusion, and simplify their shopping experience.42 0Item Restricted The effect of HRM practices on the CSR integration into organisational culture: A study of the role of HR in developing a socially responsible culture .(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-09-28) Almatrafi, Ghadeer; Ali, BaharCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) significance in an organisation has been rapidly growing for many years, acknowledging the imperative of addressing Environmental, Social, and Governance concerns in the strategies of business. CSR integration into organisational culture is necessary for sustainable competitive advantage, societal well-being, and stakeholder trust. Human Resource Management (HRM) practices wield a profound influence on the culture, and they can share the CSR principles integration. The empirical investigation on the interaction between CSR and HRM integration is scarce. The study filled the gap by exploring how HRM practices support and contribute to the integration of CSR into organisational culture. The study investigated HR's role in nurturing a socially responsible culture, uncovering key benefits and challenges, and underscoring the importance of aligning both HRM and CSR practices. The research also underscores the HR professional vital contributions and provides insights to foster a socially responsible culture that drives social impact and sustainability, enriching strategic, practical, and academic understandings in the process.35 0Item Restricted The Culture of Saudi Arabia: What makes the culture, the people, how it's changing and my personal relationship with it(Saudi Digital Library, 2022-06-09) Alhajri, Sara; Vicente, MercedesThis is a portfolio thesis made out of three essays about the culture of Saudi Arabia and the change that Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud the new crown prince of Saudi Arabia introduced. This thesis discusses the change and transformation that Saudi Arabia is currently going through. It explores it through the past, present, and future plans of Saudi, as well as my personal experience with the place and the culture. The first two chapters explain, explore, and compare past and present and neighboring countries. It also talks about the current interest in art and culture and the local's reactions to all the change. The last chapter goes through a timeline of my experience, memories, and the big steps that I took as a creative Saudi female35 0Item Restricted THE AL-SADU TENT DIVIDER, THE VEIL AND THE MATERIALITY OF PRIVACY(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-08-31) Al Ogayyel, Rana Mane; Matthews, Bob; Suterwalla, ShehnazThis project explores the role that soft dividers, such as the al-Sadu Bedouin tent divider and the veil, play in forming notions of privacy and self-identity for Muslim women. As a critical and material investigation, the project draws on my lived experience as a Saudi female artist who wears the veil in and outside Muslim countries informed by practice-based research involving participatory work with Muslim women in Saudi and Britain. Soft Dividers, a series of printed textile artworks, addresses visibility and shielding to show how veiling and portable dividers support the formation and presentation of the self, enabling my participants to move within their own comfort zones across public–private transnational contemporary contexts. My project begins with an investigation of al-Sadu weaving, a deep-rooted Bedouin craft practised mainly by women, constructed to separate private from public and male from female zones in tented nomadic communities. My initial research into al-Sadu draws on Pennina Barnett’s theory of non-linear, non-binary ‘soft logic’. Dialogues and art practice involving non-judgmental haptic collaborations with groups of Muslim women led to a greater understanding of the situating of gender-based privacy in Arab socio-cultural contexts, as discussed by Fadwa El Guindi and Fatema Mernissi. My thesis offers an understanding of the relationship between the tent divider and the veil as a metaphor for spatial privacy by investigating aspects of psycho-spatial comfort zones for veiled Muslim women. By connecting al-Sadu with the veil, my research focuses on the veil and soft dividers as qualitative indicators of privacy and self-identity. I follow Richard Sennett’s theory of ‘thinking through making’, using scaled-up printed textiles to explore how the veil embodies a portable private space. I developed my research with another group of Muslim women, focusing on immaterial spatial aspects of privacy, observing sequence and movement through photography and video. I addressed my findings to reinforce my methodology with a third perspective, investigating the retail changing-room as a vulnerable and temporal private space in a public setting, collaborating with older Muslim women and exploring their lived experience to interpret ideas of individuality, as well as generational social conditioning. The final collaborative work, a fluid maze in which a two Muslim women, veiled and unveiled, navigated increasingly opaque soft dividers, further informed my investigations into psycho-spatial privacy and female identity. As an ongoing intercultural dialogue, Soft Dividers offers an original contribution to the understanding of privacy from the perspectives of Muslim women living in Saudi and in London. My findings challenge conventional notions of Muslim women’s subjectivity, and initiate a debate around the agency of women in their experiences of privacy. I demonstrate that the veil and my soft dividers offer a socially significant, psychological, and embodied practice that varied among Muslim women. Negotiating soft dividers, such as the veil, introduces a ‘potency of adjustment,’ allowing me to achieve a ‘period of equilibrium’ during my active participation, and show an understanding of Muslim women’s privacy on a material level, a physical explanation of movement, and, more broadly, the metaphysical interpretation of privacy.25 0Item Restricted Innovation Leadership and Employee Behaviours in Nurse Recruitment in Saudi Arabian Hospitals: A Qualitative Study(Mohammed Bindayel, 2022-11-24) Bindayel, Mohammed; Kelly, Daniel; Bennett, ClareNursing shortages are a global issue, and Saudi Arabia is no exception as attracting and retaining nurses have become increasingly difficult for Saudi hospitals. As only a few studies have explored innovation as a solution to resolving nursing shortages, this study therefore aims to explore the factors which impact innovative practices in nursing recruitment in the Saudi healthcare system. It does so from the perspective of Saudi staff, inclusive of both managers as well as those they manage. The study has four objectives: to understand the effects of culture on leadership and staff innovation; to explore how leadership practices shape innovation; to understand the concept of innovation from the perspective of Saudi staff; and to identify and overcome barriers to innovation practices in the recruitment and nursing staff. The study employed a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews, and included a sample of 20 managers and staff in total. The sample was drawn from two divisions at two hospitals in Saudi Arabia: recruitment management, and nursing management. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, and the findings indicate that there is a general lack of understanding of the concept of innovation among the staff. In addition, the results suggest that there are certain conditions which need to be met in order for innovation to be encouraged to help solve the nursing shortage problem. The findings also indicated that the characteristics of Saudi healthcare leaders, which can be described as primarily a transactional style of leadership, actually hinders innovation in nursing and recruitment departments. Moreover, this was also found to negatively impact other aspects of the work environment and staff motivation, which hinders innovation further. In relation to culture, the present study found that aspects of Saudi society such as personality, belongingness, religion, education and family can have a negative impact on innovation in terms of nurse recruitment. Finally, the present study offers a number of practical implications, and outlines several areas which future researchers may wish to address.52 0Item Restricted Rural Education in Saudi Arabia: Secondary School Leaders’ and Teachers’ Experiences and Perceptions(2023-06-30) Alotaibi, Emad Matar M; Floyd, Alan; Jones, KarenThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is undergoing fundamental reforms in all areas, including public education, to keep pace with the critical changes brought about by globalisation. There is a growing corpus of literature investigating these systemic shifts in urban settings, while a small amount of research has been conducted in rural educational settings. Compared to their urban and semi-rural counterparts, rural schools are still neglected on a global scale regarding different reform proposals. There are around 3200 schools situated in 1128 rural locations in Saudi Arabia. Rural schools have numerous challenges, particularly in terms of leadership practice, culture, and opportunities for school leaders’ and teachers’ professional development. Even so, there is a lack of ground-level research investigating these concerns in detail. Therefore, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap by exploring and understanding the experiences and perceptions of school leaders and teachers working in rural Saudi schools. Although there is a growing corpus of literature on topics like school leadership, school culture, and CPD, few published studies focus on rural schools. Adopting an in-depth multiple case study approach within a theoretical framework based on the interconnected notions of leadership practice, culture, and CPD, this study makes an original and substantial contribution to the body of knowledge in this field. This research entails multiple qualitative case studies (three girls’ secondary schools and three boys’ secondary schools), employing one-to-one semi-structured interviews with 12 school leaders (six school principals and six deputies), 12 teachers, two school leadership supervisors (one female and one male), and two training supervisors (one female and one male), six semi-structured focus group interviews (five teachers each), and documentary reviews. The findings reveal that leadership in rural schools is unique in terms of challenges and opportunities and suggest that an understanding of these issues is essential for successful school leadership. The cultural aspect also revealed the extent of its impact on these schools, both at the macro level (global, national, and local) and the micro level (within the walls of schools), and suggests that these issues need to be fully understood by school leaders for successful community integration. Finally, high-quality continuing professional development is perceived as essential for rural school staff, although more specifically tailored training programmes are needed. This study is considered essential for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers and has provided the first clear picture of the nature of rural Saudi schools within the country.42 0