Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Impact of technology on human resources management in Saudi Arabia context(SOFIA UNIVERSITY ST. KLIMENTOHRIDSKI, 2025) Almutairi, Reem; Angelov, IvanThis paper is on the analysis of the impact of implementing information technology on human resources management and its benefits on developing human resources practices and illustrating the main issues facing IT implementation in human resources management in Saudi Arabia.9 0Item Restricted The relationship between the length of hospital stay and innate cell function at admission or discharge(University of Glasgow, 2025) Alharbi, Samirah; Bourke, ClaireThis prospective observational study evaluated the association between length of hospital stay and the production of key macrophage-associated cytokines at admission and discharge in children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). A total of 142 children aged 6–59 months from hospitals in Zimbabwe and Zambia were consecutively enrolled upon admission, with SAM diagnosed according to World Health Organization criteria. Peripheral blood samples were collected within 24 hours of admission and at discharge. Whole blood cultures were stimulated with three conditions: unstimulated control medium, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and heat-killed Salmonella typhimurium. Concentrations of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-10 (IL-10), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured by ELISA. Non-parametric tests, Spearman’s correlations, and logistic regression adjusted for confounders were applied. Lower pro-inflammatory responses (IL-1β, IFN-γ) and reduced VEGF production at admission were significantly associated with longer hospital stays (>17 days), while higher IL-10 responses correlated with prolonged recovery. IL- 4 showed a weaker, non-significant association. These findings suggest that immune profiles at admission may serve as early prognostic biomarkers for recovery time in pediatric SAM, supporting the integration of bedside immunological assessments into clinical triage and targeted care strategies11 0Item Restricted Trip To Go(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Bin Mabrouk, Alaa Ali; Manlove, DavidThis dissertation presents the design, development, and evaluation of TripToGo, a smart-tourism web application tailored to the Saudi Arabian context. Tourism is a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, yet existing digital platforms offer limited support for fully customised, end-to-end itinerary planning. TripToGo addresses this gap by enabling users to generate personalised daily itineraries based on their preferences, including selected cities, budget, travel duration, and interests. The system was developed using Django for the backend, PostgreSQL for data management, and Bootstrap for the user interface. A service-oriented architecture was adopted to separate concerns between itinerary generation, database persistence, and frontend presentation. Key technical challenges included implementing realistic scheduling of meals and activities and ensuring accommodation logic was both budget-aware and clearly represented in the interface. These were resolved through model extensions, time-slot management functions, and dedicated budget allocation algorithms. Testing was conducted at three levels: unit testing of itinerary generation logic and error handling, manual testing of interface components, and user testing with ten participants. The user evaluation employed the System Usability Scale (SUS), achieving a mean score of 78, which exceeds the industry benchmark of 68 and indicates above-average usability. Qualitative feedback highlighted the system's intuitive design while suggesting future enhancements such as transportation integration and booking functionality. The results demonstrate that TripToGo successfully delivers a minimum viable product (MVP) that supports intelligent, user-centred itinerary planning for Saudi Arabia. The project establishes a robust foundation for future expansion into a comprehensive travel ecosystem, incorporating real-time data, adaptive budgeting, and booking integration capabilities.7 0Item Restricted تقييم رضا المرضى في ضوء الجودة المدركة للخدمات الصحية : دراسة تطبيقية(جامعة حلوان, 2025) الشريف, علاء; محمد, مصطفى شلابيهدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى تقييم مدى رضا المرضى في ضوء الجودة المدركة للخدمات الصحية المقدمة في مستشفى حراء العام بمكة المكرمة بالمملكة العربية السعودية. ولتحقيق هدف الدراسة تم استخدام المنهج الوصفي التحليلي في إعداد الدراسة، كما تم استخدام الاستبانة كأداة رئيسية لجمع البيانات من عينة الدراسة، وطبقت الدراسة على عينة عشوائية مكونة من (384) مفردة من المرضى الداخلين والمراجعين في العيادات الخارجية في مستشفى حراء العام، وبعد جمع البيانات تم استخدام الحزمة الإحصائية للدراسات الاجتماعية (SPSS) الإصدار 27 في عملية تحليل البيانات. ومن خلال تحليل البيانات كشفت نتائج الدراسة عن أن مستوى الجودة المدركة للخدمات الصحية المقدمة في مستشفى حراء العام بأبعادها (الاعتمادية، الاستجابة، الضمان، الملموسية، والتعاطف) جاءت بدرجة مرتفعة بمتوسط (3.65).2 0Item Restricted The Saudi Stock Market Reaction to, and Valuation of, IFRS Reconciliation Adjustments.(University of Dundee, 2025) Almutlaq, Abdullah; Fifield, Suzanne; Kourtzidis, StavrosA significant change in Saudi Arabia over the last decade was the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The conversion to reporting under IFRS required listed companies to publish reconciliation statements between the previous Saudi Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (S-GAAP) and IFRS, as mandated by IFRS 1. IFRS was established to meet the global economy's demand for high-quality and transparent financial reporting, and to harmonise financial reporting practices and address challenges from variations in accounting practices across different financial and legal systems, and cultures. The extant literature on IFRS adoption, market response, and value relevance has primarily concentrated on the European context. However, there is a need for research regarding IFRS adoption in Saudi Arabia. The country unique characteristics, such as its high reliance on oil revenue and its Vision 2030 initiative to diversify its economy underscore the need for adopting IFRS. Challenges like necessary changes to financial reporting systems and cultural barriers complicate this transition, which may impact market responses and the relevance of financial information. Consequently, this thesis seeks to fill this gap by examining (i) how the Saudi stock market responded to the release of IFRS reconciliation statements; and (ii) how the level of value relevance has developed over time. The aim of the current study is threefold. First, the study determines how market participants reacted to the mandatory adoption of IFRS, using a sample of 150 companies listed on the Saudi stock market during the period 2017 to 2019. Studies suggest that investors' perceptions of IFRS adoption are affected by their expectations of the future benefits and costs associated with IFRS adoption (Comprix et al., 2003; Daske et al., 2008; Armstrong et al., 2010; Joos and Leung, 2013). The findings show that the market reacted positively to IFRS adoption, suggesting that investors perceived it as being beneficial. However, for some sectors, the reaction to the publication of IFRS Reconciliation Statements was negative, and suggested that some information leakage may have occurred. Second, and building on the foundation established in the first empirical chapter, this thesis analyses the value relevance of IFRS using a sample of 105 listed companies for the three years before and after the adoption of IFRS in Saudi Arabia. The findings indicate that adopting IFRS enhanced the value relevance of accounting information, as demonstrated by an increase in explanatory power following the implementation. Third, the thesis examines the impact of IFRS adoption on accounting quality in Saudi Arabia by utilising three accounting quality models, using a comprehensive dataset of 101 listed firms over the period 2014 to 2020. The findings reveal that IFRS adoption improves certain aspects of accounting quality, including earnings persistence, and earnings smoothing. These results contribute to the ongoing discussion about the effects of IFRS adoption on financial markets and accounting practices in emerging economies. As such, the thesis offers valuable insights for policymakers, standard-setters, and financial statement users in Saudi Arabia and other developing countries that are considering similar regulatory changes. The findings of this study have important implications. They support Saudi Arabia's transition to IFRS, showing a positive stock market reaction that suggests investors see benefits in this adoption. This may encourage regulators to tailor standards to user needs. In addition, the stock market reaction may indicate how investors in other developing countries view IFRS modifications, offering insights for policymakers in similar economies. Finally, the thesis reveals that adopting IFRS in Saudi Arabia has enhanced certain aspects of accounting quality, indicating that the standards meet some objectives.5 0Item Unknown The assessment of muscle stiffness by SWE in patient with arterio-venous fistula for haemodialysis access(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Moafa, Naseem Hassan; Aslam, MohammedObjectives: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) failure is a significant cause of morbidity in hemodialysis patients. Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) is a non-invasive imaging technique that quantitatively assesses tissue stiffness. This study aimed to investigate the association between the stiffness of the biceps brachii muscle (measured by SWE) with the functional status of established brachiocephalic AVFs. Method: This study was conducted on 30 participants: 10 healthy controls and 20 patients with a brachiocephalic AVF. The patient was subdivided into a Study group with a patent, functioning fistula (n=13) and a Failed group with a non-functioning fistula (n=7). All participants underwent a standardized ultrasound examination to measure biceps muscle stiffness (SWE, in kPa), brachial artery diameter, peak systolic velocity (PSV), and volume flow rate. Result: No statistically significant difference in mean biceps muscle stiffness was observed among the control (25.87 ± 5.19 kPa), functioning AVF (24.90 ± 5.88 kPa), and failed AVF (23.26 ± 4.27 kPa) groups. An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) confirmed this lack of difference remained after controlling for the confounding effects of age, BMI, hypertension, and diabetes (p = .494). Furthermore, muscle stiffness showed no significant correlation with key hemodynamic parameters of AVF function, including volume flow rate (r = -.067, p = .780). However, hemodynamic measures were significantly elevated in the functioning AVF group compared to the other groups (p < .001). Conclusion: SWE-measured biceps muscle stiffness does not seem to be a good indicator of the functional state of known brachiocephalic AVFs. Muscle characteristics are probably more influenced by the systemic effects of chronic kidney disease and patient comorbidities than by the fistula's local hemodynamic effects. SWE of the biceps muscle is not advised for the regular clinical monitoring of AVF function in light of these findings.4 0Item Restricted Perceived business model impacts of blockchain and other advanced technologies adoption(University College Cork, 2025) Alshabeeb, Zainab; Daly, Mary; Feller, JosephThe adoption of advanced technologies by organisations can affect all aspects of an organisation’s business model. This is particularly true for disruptive technologies such as blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and others. The objective of this study is “To explore the perceived impacts of blockchain and other advanced technologies adoption on an organisation's business model.” A web-based survey was derived by adopting the Business Model Canvas (BMC) (Osterwalder & Pigneur, 2010) as a lens, and 19 business model impacts were identified in prior research. The study employs a mixed-method approach in two phases: an exploratory study with 31 questionnaire responses plus short interviews, and an extended study with 72 survey responses. The exploratory study focuses on blockchain, small and medium enterprises, and Saudi Arabia. The extended study contains several technologies, organisation sizes, and regions. The findings reveal that the majority of respondents (N=72) perceive all 19 business model impacts stemming from adopting advanced technologies in general, although this correlates with organisational size for some impacts. However, the perceived impacts of blockchain adoption as reported by blockchain adopters (N=41) are mixed. The majority of blockchain adopters surveyed do not perceive the anticipated impacts of blockchain adoption, although again this correlates with organisational size and sector. The study makes several key contributions that agree with prior research on the perceived impacts of technology adoption in general, challenging prior research on the perceived impacts of blockchain adoption specifically, and extending current knowledge in terms of the relationships between size, sector, and perceived impacts. The study also contributes to practice, offering insight to managers who are motivated to address the challenges of technology adoption, mitigate negative effects, and maximise positive impacts. Such decision makers can benefit from the insights of the study about the importance of use cases, ROI measurement, and other factors.4 0Item Restricted Computational Approaches for Drug Repositioning and Target Discovery in Alzheimer’s Disease(King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), 2024) Alamro, Hind; Gao, XinAlzheimer’s Disease (AD) presents significant challenges to global healthcare systems due to its complex and progressive nature. Despite extensive research, the underlying mechanisms of AD lack clarity, and current treatments only alleviate symptoms without halting disease progression. Consequently, there is an urgent need for computational approaches that can accelerate research efforts and aid in the development of more effective treatments for AD. In this thesis, we address these critical challenges by developing computational and AI-based methods to improve the early detection of AD, identify novel biomarkers, and explore new therapeutic strategies through drug repositioning. To begin with, we focus on identifying key biomarkers associated with AD using gene expression datasets and then expand it to the identification of biomarkers through exploring the association between AD and its comorbidity, resulting in the discovery of new hub genes and miRNAs. Next, we examine the potential for drug repositioning by mining biomedical literature to uncover associations between drugs, targets, and diseases. This task was fulfilled by developing a systematic pipeline to extract valuable information from a curated collection of AD-related literature. The resulting data is subsequently used to construct a disease-specific knowledge graph, which is employed for drug repositioning using advanced graph-based techniques. Overall, this thesis contributes to AD research by employing computational methods, multi-data integration, and literature mining to provide new insights and therapeutic strategies. This work identifies key participants in AD progression and presents a pathway to accelerate the discovery of treatments through computational approaches.9 0Item Restricted أعراض اضطرابات النوم وعلاقتها باتخاذ القرار العقلاني لدى الممرضين(جامعة عمان الأهلية, 2025) العنزي, نواش فلاح; أبو الخير, فداءهدفت الدراسة الكشف عن أعراض اضطرابات النوم وعلاقتها باتخاذ القرار العقلاني لدى الممرضين، اتبعت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي الارتباطي، تكون مجتمع الدراسة من جميع ممرضي وممرضات المستشفيات الحكومية والخاصة في مدينة القريات في المملكة العربية السعودية التي تعمل بنظام المناوبات حيث بلغ عددهم (406) ممرضا، تم اختيار عينة الدراسة الحالية بالطريقة الميسرة حيث تكونت من (253) ممرض وممرضة. تم استخدام مقياس اضطرابات النوم للدسوقي (2006) بصورة مختصرة بعد التحكيم بما يتلائم مع مهنة التمريض، أيضا تم استخدام مقياس أنماط اتخاذ القرار العقلاني والحدسي من تطوير هاملتون وآخرون (Hamilton et al., 2016) . أظهرت نتائج الدراسة مستوى متوسط من اضطرابات النوم لدى الممرضين جاء بوسط حسابي (7.50) ،كذلك ظهر مستوى متوسط من اتخاذ القرار العقلاني والحدسي لدى الممرضين بوسط حسابي (3.96)، وللنمط الحدسي (3.15) بانحراف معياري (0.89)، وجود علاقة ارتباطية عكسية ضعيفة ذات دالة احصائية بين أعراض اضطرابات النوم وأنماط اتخاذ القرار حيث بلغت قيمة معامل الارتباط (-0.169) عند مستوى (0.01)، مما يعني أن زيادة مستويات اضطرابات النوم يقابلها انخفاض في قدرة الممرضين على اتخاذ القرار العقلاني والحدسي. وأوضحت الدراسة مجموعة من التوصيات أهمها: ضرورة تصميم برامج دعم تعزز الوعي الذاتي وتطوير مهارات اتخاذ القرار وفقاً لاحتياجات الممرضين الفردية، مع مراعاة الفروقات الثقافية والاجتماعية نظرًا لاختلاف أنماط اتخاذ القرار بناءً على الجنس والدخل. الكلمات المفتاحية: اضطرابات النوم، اتخاذ القرار العقلاني، المستشفيات السعودية، الممرضون.9 0Item Restricted Understanding the Impact of Adopting Information Management Systems (IMS) on Firm Performance in Saudi Arabian SMEs(American University of Bahrain, 2025) Alhajouj, Asama; Mohammed, LaylaThis study explores how adopting Information Management Systems (IMS) influences the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia. Using a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with SME managers across multiple sectors, the research identifies key benefits such as enhanced operational efficiency, improved decision-making, better customer satisfaction, cost reduction, and competitive advantage. It also highlights major challenges including financial constraints, technical barriers, organizational resistance, cultural factors, and industry-specific needs. The findings emphasize that successful IMS adoption requires strategic planning, employee training, phased implementation, and collaboration with experts. The study contributes to the limited literature on IMS adoption among Saudi SMEs and provides practical recommendations for overcoming barriers and enhancing firm performance.4 0