Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Exploring the Socio-Cultural Factors Influencing the Persistence of Traditional Flood Irrigation in Al Ula, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Arafah, Mohammed Ayman M; Ainslie, AndrewThis dissertation examines the socio-cultural factors that contribute to the continued use of traditional flood irrigation among farmers in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, despite rising water scarcity and the existence of more effective options (modern irrigation methods), such as drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation. Al Ula's oasis agriculture is heavily dependent on the non-renewable Saq-Ram aquifer, where unsustainable withdrawals and flood irrigation practices have hastened groundwater depletion, salinity building, and nitrate contamination. While Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 emphasises modern irrigation as a national goal, adoption remains low in Al Ula, indicating that technical and economic explanations are insufficient. This study, guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), utilizes a qualitative, exploratory approach to investigate how social norms, attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and broader cultural traditions influence irrigation decisions. Data were collected through 20 semi-structured interviews with farmers, which were conducted partly through snowball sampling on participants' farms and partly through an opportunistic approach at the Al Ula Fruit Festival, and complemented with direct field observations. Transcripts were analysed thematically. The study found that dependence on flood irrigation is fuelled by cultural continuity, family heritage, and peer influence, as well as practical views of simplicity, price, and crop quality. Partial modernization, such as installing pipelines to convey water while still flooding basins, reflects common misunderstandings and risk aversion. Although farmers realized groundwater depletion, they prioritized immediate output and profit, revealing an awareness-action gap. Notably, participants stated a conditional willingness to implement modern irrigation if financial, technical, and institutional support were offered. This study contributes to theory by expanding TPB to include social reinforcement and cultural identity, as well as to practice by emphasising the importance of culturally sensitive, farmer-centred policy. Addressing Al Ula's irrigation dilemma necessitates solutions that are solved not only by transferring technology but also interacting with the socio-cultural factors that underpin traditional practices.10 0Item Restricted The Implementation and Impact of Value-Based Healthcare in Saudi Arabia: Opportunities and Challenges(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alkhathlan, Ibrahim Saad; Abou Hamdan, OmarThis study examines how Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) is being implemented in Saudi Arabia and what challenges are affecting its progress. As part of Vision 2030, the Kingdom has committed to shifting its healthcare system toward value-based models that improve outcomes. The research aims to explore the implementation and challenges, with a focus on policies, progress and barriers of VBHC healthcare in Saudi Arabia. A structured literature review was carried out using academic databases and official Saudi health sector sources. Fourteen sources were selected, including studies and government publications from 2020 to 2025. These were analysed thematically based on their focus on policies, barriers and achievements related to VBHC. The findings reveal strong policy support and early progress, such as pilot payment models, digital infrastructure and outcome measurement initiatives. However, several issues are slowing the implementation, including dependence on fee-for-service payments, weak data integration and limited clinical engagement. While early results are promising, the transition is still in early stages. The study highlights the need for improved digital systems, provider autonomy, national performance tracking and larger staff training. Addressing these areas is essential to make VBHC sustainable and ensure that national reforms lead to meaningful change in everyday care.7 0Item Restricted An Exploration of How Talent Management Enhances Employee Performance Management in the Saudi Arabian Workplace(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Bukhari, Firas; Limki, RashneThis study investigates how talent management enhances employee performance management in the Saudi Arabian workplace, with a focus on national programs like Vision 2030 and Saudization. The study focuses on three areas: organised talent identification, talent development integration with performance systems, and policy framework. A qualitative method was used, using semi-structured interviews with HR professionals from various sectors and thematic analysis to find relevant patterns. The findings show that structured talent identification improves worker competency and engagement, whereas combining talent development with performance promotes continuous learning, career growth, and retention. Alignment with national policies improves compliance, reputation, and competitiveness. The study adds to the HRM literature in Saudi Arabia and provides practical guidance for organisations seeking to align policy requirements with global practices. It emphasises the importance of a comprehensive approach that promotes both individual achievement and national economic goals.3 0Item Restricted AN ANALYSIS OF SAUDI WOMEN’S UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE IMPACT OF VISION 2030(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alghamdi, Norah; Gilleylen, JohnnyThis study addresses the problem of high female unemployment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data from the General Authority for Statistics indicates that the female unemployment rate has increased significantly from 17.6% in 2000 to 33.8% in 2015, an increase of 16.2 points annually. The highest female unemployment rate was recorded in 2012 at 35.7%, while the lowest rate was in 2001 at 17.3%. Previous studies show that female unemployment negatively impacts women's empowerment in Saudi Arabia, whether in terms of education, social and cultural barriers, economic participation, leadership, or gender discrimination. The Saudi government has taken many comprehensive measures and reforms to mitigate female unemployment and increase their participation in the labor market through Vision 2030 and supporting programs such as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program, the Wusool program, the Qara program, the Tamheer program, and the Qiyadat program. The Kingdom's Vision 2030 for national transformation was launched in 2016 by the Saudi Crown Prince. It includes several objectives, including developing human capabilities and reducing unemployment, which is significantly higher among women than men. This study analyzes the role of Vision 2030 reforms in lowering women's unemployment rates. This study uses a quantitative, cross-sectional, and time-series approach to combine trend analyses of the unemployment rate, labor force, economic participation, and unemployment by educational level and age group for Saudi women across the two periods before and after the implementation of the Vision. The study is based on secondary data from the Saudi General Authority for Statistics, covering the period from 2010 to 2023, including the years before and after the implementation of Vision 2030. The results indicated that Vision 2030 expanded the range of economic opportunities available to women, leading to significant progress in reducing the unemployment rate among women and empowering them by increasing their economic participation in the labor market during the post-policy implementation period from 2017 to 2023. At the end, this study provides policy recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 initiatives and strategies for continued improvement.7 0Item Restricted Revisiting the Environmental Kuznets Curve under Vision 2030 Reforms(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alotaibi, Shihana; Byrne, JosephThis dissertation examines whether the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis holds in Saudi Arabia by analyzing the relationship between carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, economic growth, energy consumption, and technological innovation over the period 1990–2022. An autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) econometric framework is employed and carefully estimated, supported by unit root and cointegration testing, using annual national data. Policy and structural shifts are accounted for through two dummy variables capturing the Kyoto Protocol (1997–1999) and the launch of Vision 2030 (post-2016). The results confirm the presence of a long-run cointegrating relationship among the variables. However, there is no evidence of the inverted-U pattern predicted by the EKC. Instead, the estimates indicate a U-shaped relationship, with CO2 emissions increasing alongside economic growth at higher income levels, reflecting the persistent reliance on fossil fuels in the Saudi economy. Energy consumption emerges as the dominant long-run driver of emissions. Innovation, proxied by annual patent counts, exerts only a limited short-run effect, suggesting that the diffusion of green technologies has yet to influence emissions trajectories meaningfully. The findings confirm that economic growth alone will not achieve environmental improvements, requiring targeted reforms. Expanding renewable energy capacity and strengthening the Saudi Energy Efficiency Program across sectors are essential to lower carbon intensity. Developing human capital is equally important, as the transition demands skilled labor and technological capacity. Energy price reform, including cost-reflective pricing and carbon charges, would discourage wasteful consumption. Finally, strong international collaboration is needed to reinforce domestic efforts and align fully with Saudi Arabia’s long-term climate commitments8 0Item Restricted The impact of leadership style on employee motivation and performance in the Saudi financial sector(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alharbi, Meshal; Das, RanjitThis study investigates the impact of four leadership styles—transformational, transactional, authoritarian, and laissez-faire—on employee motivation and performance in the Saudi financial sector, within the broader context of institutional reforms and Vision 2030. A quantitative, positivist approach was adopted, using a structured online questionnaire distributed to a sample of 80 employees from government, semi-government, and commercial financial institutions. The data were analysed using SPSS, applying descriptive and inferential statistical methods such as correlation and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the transactional leadership style was the most successful, exerting a significant beneficial impact on performance and motivation. Although it did not immediately result in better performance, transformational leadership dramatically increased employee motivation, indicating that institutional and regulatory limitations might restrict its usefulness. Laissez-faire leadership was negatively correlated with motivation and did not significantly correlate with performance, whereas authoritarian leadership had no discernible impact on either. Additionally, a strong positive link between motivation and performance was validated, highlighting the essential role of motivation as a mediating component in the dynamics between leadership and performance. Theoretically, this study challenges the notion that transformational leadership is always preferable by providing a comparative analysis of leadership philosophies in a Saudi setting. It offers valuable perspectives for managers, legislators, and human resources specialists, emphasising the importance of fusing the motivating attributes of transformational leadership with the accountability and structural clarity of transactional leadership. The study findings also advise reducing the dependence on authoritarian and laissez-faire methods.16 0Item Restricted Nawa (نوى): From Seed to Strategy — A Sustainability Advisory for Aspiring Entrepreneurs(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alqahtani, Rozan; Ramli, KautsarNawa Consulting helps early-stage founders in Saudi Arabia and the GCC build practical sustainability into their businesses. Year 1 delivers fast audits and 1:1 coaching (Arabic/English, digital-first); Year 2 adds ESG-readiness projects; Year 3 offers strategy, impact KPIs and investor-readiness packs. The model is lean, remote and partner-led, using repeatable toolkits to keep prices accessible and delivery quick. Primary customers are aspiring entrepreneurs and micro-SMEs reached via startup hubs, universities, webinars and referrals. Evidence comes from customer interviews, a simple market scan and live experiments; risks and ethics are addressed with clear consent, data-minimisation and no-greenwashing rules. Financially, break-even is ~70 billable hours/month (reached Jan 2026). Year-1 totals: sales SAR 518k; cash in SAR 546k; cash out SAR 417k; year-end cash SAR 129k, with one early cash dip mitigated by spend controls and part-payments. An SDB loan at month 12 funds conversion to an LLC and a first hire; from Year 2, 10% of net cash supports founder-focused initiatives. The plan sets a 24-month path to a resilient, values-led advisory ready to scale or partner for strategic growth.16 0Item Restricted Sustainability and Risk Management in Saudi Arabia’s Giga Projects: A Case Study of NEOM(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) ALSHEHRI, BADER AWADH; Hasan, FakhrulThis study critically investigates the sustainability practices, risk governance frameworks, and financial mechanisms underpinning NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s flagship giga-project under Vision 2030. Using a qualitative case study approach, supported by semi-structured interviews with ten domain experts, the research explores how sustainability is conceptualised and operationalised, how environmental, financial, and geopolitical risks are governed, and how the Public Investment Fund (PIF) influences financing and ESG integration. Thematic analysis in NVivo identified four overarching themes: sustainability conceptualisation and strategic alignment, risk landscape and governance structures, financing mechanisms and ESG integration, and future improvements through measurement frameworks. Findings reveal that while NEOM embeds ambitious sustainability goals, such as renewable energy and hydrogen production, governance gaps remain in risk management, stakeholder inclusivity, and financial transparency. Theoretically, the study extends the application of the Triple Bottom Line, Stakeholder Theory, and Institutional Theory to giga-project governance, illustrating how sustainability functions both as substance and symbolic branding in state-led development. Practically, the research highlights the need for enforceable regulatory frameworks, transparent ESG disclosure, and robust performance metrics to transform NEOM from a reputational project into a credible global model of sustainable urbanism.5 0Item Restricted Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Sustainable Infrastructure Development in Saudi Arabia: A Risk-Reward Analysis from a Project Management and Contracting Perspective(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alanzi, Mashal Johim; Hasan, FakhrulThis study investigates the dynamics of risk and reward allocation, governance, and technological enablers in Saudi Arabia’s Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) within the framework of Vision 2030. Using a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis in NVivo, the research identified 13 initial codes consolidated into four overarching themes: risk–reward mechanisms, project management and governance, institutional and technological enablers, and international best practices. Findings reveal that while PPPs are central to infrastructure delivery, risk allocation in Saudi Arabia remains highly government-centric, often undermined by opaque communication and weak project management capacity. Governance reforms, such as the PSP Law, provide a legal basis, yet institutional fragmentation and regulatory overlaps persist. Technology, including blockchain and AI, is recognised as a potential enabler of transparency but remains at a largely symbolic stage. Comparative analysis highlights that international best practices can inform Saudi PPPs only when adapted to the Kingdom’s socio-economic and institutional context. The study advances PPP scholarship by providing a context-specific understanding of governance and risk-sharing in emerging markets, integrating technology as a dual enabler, and offering practical recommendations for policymakers, investors, and project managers.1 0Item Restricted Understanding Saudi Female Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Physical Education Provision in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Light of Vision 2030 Reforms(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Nahari, Laila; Makopoulou, KyriakiBackground The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) introduced physical education (PE) to girls’ public state schools in 2017 as part of Saudi Vision 2030 (SV30), a national reform aiming to promote health, empowerment, and gender equity. While the reform is historic, girls’ voices and teachers’ experiences remain under-researched. despite cultural, structural, and policy challenges such as limited facilities, specialist staff shortages, and mixed social support. Aim The aim of the present study was to investigate the perceptions and experiences of female students and female PE teachers in KSA regarding the implementation of PE in the unique historical context of the country. Design and Methodology A mixed-methods multiple-case study design was used, informed by social constructivism. The study was carried out in three state secondary schools in one Saudi city. Study 1: A cross-sectional anonymous online questionnaire (n = 60 girls, Grades 7–9) explored female students’ enjoyment, perceived purpose, and preferred ways of learning in PE. Study 2: A multi-site qualitative case study (7 focus groups, n = 30 girls) examined girls’ lived experiences, and perceived challenges, using task-based participatory activities. Study 3: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods study investigated female PE teachers’ perceptions, practices, confidence, and challenges through semi-structured interviews (n = 5) followed by a quantitative survey (n = 16). Key Findings Across the three studies, several patterns converged. Both girls and teachers recognised PE as important for health, fitness, and stress relief, though a minority questioned its academic relevance. Students strongly preferred practical, hands-on activities such as football, basketball, and self-defence, and teachers agreed these lessons generated more engagement. However, many lessons remained theory-heavy due to limited space, equipment, and teacher confidence. Teachers emerged as pivotal change agents. Their support was strongly linked to girls’ enjoyment and positive health perceptions, while their identities and beliefs shaped whether they became innovators or reluctant implementers. Finally, facilities and resources were consistently highlighted as inadequate, with students and teachers calling for safe, well-equipped spaces. At the same time, several divergences emerged in how girls perceived the value of PE. While most emphasised the importance of developing physical competence, others viewed PE as a pathway to well-being, fitness, and a positive body image. Some also framed PE in terms of empowerment and gender equality, reflecting broader views shaped by SV30 expectations. Teachers’ responses similarly varied, some advocated competitive, performance-oriented models, whereas others promoted more inclusive and empowering approaches. Many teachers also noted a gap between their theoretical knowledge and practical confidence, underscoring the need for sustained and targeted professional development. Discussion The findings show that girls’ PE in KSA is more than a new subject. It is a space where health, identity, and social change intersect. Girls described PE as empowering: they understood health, felt able to manage their experience, and found personal meaning in movement, reflecting Antonovsky’s salutogenic model of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. Yet some girls adopted narrow, body-image views of health, echoing Kirk and Quennerstedt’s critique of biomedical discourses. Constructivist, student- centred lessons helped many girls to experience freedom, strength, and equity, supporting arguments by Oliver, Kirk, and Stolz that transformative learning in PE can reshape relationships with the body. Teachers emerged as key change agents. Confident teachers reframed PE to support cultural change and created supportive learning environments, aligning with Rogers’ concept of the teacher as a change agent and Giroux’s view of teachers as cultural workers. Where teachers lacked confidence or felt identity conflicts, resistance slowed reform, illustrating Tschannen-Moran’s work on self-efficacy and Kelchtermans’ ideas on professional values. A persistent policy–practice gap was evident. Despite strong SV30 policies, limited training and resources left many lessons theory-heavy and repetitive, consistent with Fullan’s implementation gap and Kirk & Tinning’s critique of policy collapse at classroom level. Gendered assumptions about “appropriate” activities reproduced inequalities, echoing Amade-Escot and Penney & Evans. Finally, the research highlights the need for diversity, inclusion, and student voice. Girls wanted choice, feedback, and dialogue with teachers’ evidence that students should be partners in curriculum design, not just recipients, as argued by Fielding and Enright & O’Sullivan. Intersectional factors of religion, gender, and culture shaped experiences, underscoring the importance of culturally responsive and participatory approaches to sustain reform. Conclusion This thesis provides the first localized, evidence-based account of girls’ PE in Saudi Arabia. It demonstrates that successful reform requires more than policy: it depends on culturally relevant pedagogy, empowered teachers, and ongoing investment in resources and training. The study contributes to global debates on gender, inclusion, and quality physical education in non-Western contexts.15 0