Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Strategic Partnerships Between Saudi Arabia and International Technology Companies amid Vision 2030: Drivers and Outcomes(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) ALSHAHRANI, NIDAA SAEED G; Dan, ColeThis study examines how Saudi Arabia is using international technology partnerships to support its Vision 2030 agenda, which aims to reduce dependence on oil and build a knowledge-based economy. Partnerships with multinational enterprises (MNEs) such as Google Cloud, Oracle, and NVIDIA are especially important because they bring advanced capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and semiconductors: sectors viewed as central to digital transformation agenda of Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030. The aim of the study is to investigate how such partnerships promote Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation under Vision 2030. The literature review employed three main theories: Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), which examines governance and risks; the Resource- Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities, which focus on ownership and renewal of resources; and the Triple Helix (TH), which focuses on collaboration between government, industry and academia. The research adopted a pragmatist philosophy and abductive approach, applying a case study design with purposive sampling of secondary data, including policy documents, corporate press releases, consultancy reports, and legal analyses. Thematic analysis was used to generate codes and themes across four research questions. The findings show Saudi Arabia engages in partnerships to achieve five key goals: signalling international credibility, accelerating infrastructure growth, ensuring data sovereignty, creating economic multipliers, and using cost advantages. Governance is characterised by hybrid contracts, centralised convening bodies, jurisdictional innovation, and links between infrastructure and energy policy. Domestic benefits are visible in localised learning systems, transfer of knowledge, workforce development, and spillovers to suppliers and small firms. However, challenges include dependency on foreign hardware, high energy use, legal complexities, skills shortages, and risks of passive learning. The study concludes that although partnerships have accelerated digital transformation, their long-term success depends on strengthening domestic capabilities and embedding sustainable governance models.3 0Item Restricted Understanding Consumer Responses to Incongruent Brand Activism: Appraisal and Coping Processes in a Religious and Cultural Context(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Almuajel, Abdulrahman Abdullah; Zoe, Lee; Carmela, BosangitPrior research in brand activism (BA) has shown that consumers react positively or negatively to a brand’s stance on controversial issues based on their value alignment. However, these studies often overlook the underlying psychological and social mechanisms that drive such responses to BA, especially in cases of incongruent brand activism (IBA). This thesis addresses this gap by drawing on the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping (TTSC), conceptualising IBA as a stressor that triggers cognitive appraisal and coping processes. It examines how consumers respond to IBA that conflict with their religious and cultural values, a context largely underexplored in BA research. The research adopts an abductively framed, sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. The qualitative phase explores how Saudi consumers interpret and respond to IBA through 22 in- depth interviews. Building on these insights, the quantitative phase comprises four experimental studies with a total of 635 participants to test the proposed model systematically. Findings show that responses to IBA are not uniformly negative but vary depending on the severity and underlying appraisals. Activism that challenges religious values or is perceived as a threat to social identity often triggers rejection, whereas appreciation of self-dignity can instead foster forgiveness, even in cases of IBA. Brand origin (domestic vs. foreign) does not shield brands from their activism, as consumers hold both to similar moral standards. The thesis makes several contributions. Theoretically, it extends TTSC by illustrating how consumers navigate ideological dissonance in religious and culturally anchored contexts, introducing culturally grounded constructs and psychological pathways. Methodologically, it contributes to an underutilised application of sequential mixed methods in BA research. Managerially, brands are advised to avoid cultural and religious symbolic cues that trigger sacred value violations and to present their activism in ways that uphold dignity and align with consumers’ cultural and religious frameworks. Overall, this thesis moves beyond the dominant binary logic of alignment versus misalignment, offering a more nuanced, culturally contextualised framework for understanding how consumers in religious societies navigate ideological conflict in the marketplace.3 0Item Restricted Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Surgical Staff Towards Preoperative Anti-Microbial Prophylaxis in Secondary Care Units in Al-Jouf, Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alsharaan, Mohammed; Tayyem, MayIntroduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are one of the most consequential complications in patients undergoing surgeries and are associated with poor prognosis and increased hospital length of stays. Therefore, preoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis, administered within 60 minutes prior to surgery, is an important consideration aiming to prevent SSIs, and improve patient outcomes . Aims: The present study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of surgical teams, regarding preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, along with their adherence in surgical units of secondary care hospitals in the Al-Jouf region of Saudi Arabia . Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study using a validated anonymous questionnaire assessing the KAP of 291 surgical staff of various specialties within fourteen secondary care units in Al-Jouf Health Cluster in the Al-Jouf province, Saudi Arabia . Results: In this study, 92.8 % of all participants knew the purpose of antimicrobial prophylaxis, and 261 participants released that cefazolin is the antibiotic of choice in case of no penicillin allergy. However, only 24% of the participants “always” check for allergies between patients. Moreover, 34% of respondents showed agreement with the idea that the overuse of antibiotics is problematic in the hospital they work for. On the other hand, only 9% “always” observe non-compliance with preoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis guidelines . Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the overall antimicrobial prophylaxis KAP was good, however, some principles regarding their practices should be monitored. Thus, multidisciplinary collaboration should be introduced. Furthermore, continuous training programs should be adopted in order to fulfil knowledge gaps and improve quality of surgeries.2 0Item Restricted Community Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Toward the Use of Topical Corticosteroids: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia (Al-Jouf)(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alzarea, Sadun; AlKhader, EnasTopical corticosteroids are widely used for skin conditions and are commonly dispensed in community pharmacies, making pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices essential for safe use. This descriptive analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Jouf, Saudi Arabia, using a structured online questionnaire distributed via social media to licensed community pharmacists.1 0Item Embargo Women's Particcipation in Sport and Physical Activity in Saudi Arabia: An Intersectional Study(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Bamuhair, Nouf; Giulianotti, Richard; Mason, CarolynneWomen’s participation in sport has been a globally debated topic. Despite the growing body of research and government initiatives aimed at increasing women’s mass participation in sport, limited empirical evidence has been provided on this issue through an intersectional lens. This gap in knowledge is especially relevant for Saudi Arabia as the nation is undergoing sociopolitical transformation, under the national Vision 2030 strategy, which seeks to promote women’s inclusion across various sectors, including sport. Thus, understanding the lived experiences of women’s sports become critical for generating knowledge which may in turn serve to enhance policies that promote the social inclusion of women. The overall aim of this research was to explore how Saudi women from different generations and social backgrounds experience sport participation; and to assess whether these experiences align with or diverge from the kingdom’s policy effort. Specifically, the study examines: (1) How does Saudi Arabia’s ‘Sport for All’ (SFA) policy enhance women’s participation in sport, and to what extent is it aligned with their lived experiences? (2) How do the sports participation experiences of different generations of Saudi women vary across different locations? (3) How can women’s participation in sport be increased in Saudi? To achieve this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 women from diverse backgrounds (i.e. across different ages, social classes, and cities) in two major Saudi cities: Jeddah and Riyadh. The study employs an intersectional framework to analyse how gender, age, socioeconomic status, and location interact to shape women’s sport experiences. Alongside this, Bacchi’s (2012a) ‘What’s the Problem Represented to be?’ (WPR) framework was employed to critically examine SFA policy, comparing the policy’s representation of women’s sports participation with their real-life experiences. The findings highlight key themes that underpin or shape women’s experiences and involvements in sport, and these include culture factors, geographical differences, environmental barriers, financial limitations, perceptions of body image and prevailing social expectations, as well as education and political structures. A comparison between SFA policy objectives and women's experiences reveals key gaps. The policy marks a major step in acknowledging women as a distinct and targeted category, but policy needs to evolve to identify more specific targets and gender-sensitive strategies. This would cover the gap between policy aspirations and meeting the actual needs of various women. The research findings highlight this need to be move beyond viewing women as a homogeneous group, and instead to recognise the diverse perspectives, experiences and challenges in their sport participation. The findings thus lead to the recommendations that addressing structural and socio-cultural barriers through inclusive policy development, shifts in public attitude, culturally responsive practice, and investment in accessible infrastructure are all essential to bridge the gap between policy intent and practical implementation. Ultimately, this research concluded that increasing women’s participation requires moving beyond one-size-fits-all policies. It calls for a strategy that integrates intersectionality, tackles socio-cultural limitations, and reflects women’s voices and aspirations in order to facilitate real social change.8 0Item Restricted A Cross-Sectional Study of Fatigue and Burnout Predictors among Shift-Working Nurses in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alanazi, Salman Alhumaidi; Trainor, Lisa HannaA literature review on shift work's impact on nurses' health linked night shifts, rotating schedules with a high frequency of nights and long hours or overtime with fatigue, burnout, and poor mental health. The review identified significant inconsistencies in the literature regarding which specific shift patterns (e.g., 12-hour vs. 8-hour, rotating vs. fixed nights) had the most critical risk for burnout. It also highlighted a research gap concerning the role of occupational fatigue as a direct mechanism linking shift type to burnout and a scarcity of quantitative data from Saudi Arabia and the larger Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This gap provided the rationale for the accompanying journal paper, which aimed to investigate these relationships within a Saudi Arabian context. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed. Data was collected using an online self-administered questionnaire that was designed to collect social demographic data, fatigue using the Three-Dimensional Work Fatigue Inventory (3D-WFI), and burnout using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). Of the 188 targeted nurses working at King Khalid Hospital in Saudi Arabia who were sent invitation emails, 148 of them returned a fully completed survey questionnaire. The findings showed that night shifts are significantly associated with the highest levels of fatigue, while burnout was linked to the morning and rotating shifts. Fatigue and burnout, as found in this study, are distinct phenomena driven by different mechanisms. Fatigue appears to be a primarily physiological response to circadian disruption inherent in night work. In contrast, burnout is more likely a psychosocial response to the high-demand, high-pressure organisational environment of daytime and rotating shifts. Shift-specific interventions should be tailored to meet each shift's needs, such as mitigating physiological fatigue for night staff and a separate approach to address the organisational stressors that cause burnout among day and rotating shift nurses.9 0Item Restricted A DATA ANALYTICS FRAMEWORK TO SUPPORT DECISION MAKING IN RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE ASSET MANAGEMENT(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alotaibi, Abdulaziz; Cardenas, IsidroThe process of management of the assets of the railway infrastructure is becoming increasingly dependent on the big amounts of the condition-monitoring information produced by the recent inspection technologies. Although this type of data can give a detailed picture of the track condition, it also brings issues of interpretation, prioritisation and decision making. The current asset-management methods usually are based on evaluating thresholds and disjointed analysis tools, which restrict their strengths in promoting proactive and data-driven maintenance practices. The study creates and assesses a combined visual analytics system in order to aid decision making in the management of railway infrastructure assets. The framework integrates data pre-processing, analytical intelligence, machine-learning, and interactive visual analytics to convert raw track geometry data into actionable decision-support products. The research design was a mixed-methods research design comprising of two large-scale case studies, one of them on the basis of the UK and Saudi Arabian railway networks, and the other one on the basis of expert validation. The data of track geometry measured by Network Measurement Trains and Track Geometry Inspection Vehicles was analysed to prove the relevance of the framework to the different operational and environmental conditions. The case study of the UK is a fully developed, regulation-based data environment whereas the Saudi Arabian case study is a developing network that is functioning in the harsh desert conditions. Findings indicate that the suggested framework improves the interpretability of complex condition data using integrated 2D, 3D, and GIS-based visual analytics. The unsupervised and supervised methods were combined to form machine-learning techniques which enhanced the performance of fault detection and classification and led to quantifiable reductions in false positive alerts compared with the baseline threshold-based methods. A comparative analysis shows that the framework can be adjusted to differences in data maturity, regulatory environment, and operational issues. The study brings on board a transferable and validated visual analytics model that provides the balance between advanced data analytics and feasible decision support in the management of railway infrastructure assets.6 0Item Restricted FACTORS IMPACTING EMPLOYEE RETENTION IN THE SAUDI ARABIAN EDUCATION SECTOR, MEDIATED BY EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION AND MODERATED BY GENDER(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alharthey, Abdullah Mulfi S; Yee, Choy LeongSaudi Arabia's higher education system suffers from poor employee retention as we as low employee satisfaction. For many years, employment in Saudi universities has been unstable, as shown by the high turnover rates among academic staff, especially in public universities. This study examines factors that influence employee retention and satisfaction within Saudi Arabia's higher education sector, focusing on public universities where turnover has risen from 1.7% in 2020 to 2.3% in 2022. The research explores the mediating role of employee satisfaction between five key factors (work engagement, coworker relationships, compensation packages, perceived organizational support, and a supportive work environment) and their impact on employee retention. It also investigates the role of gender in these relationships. Using a quantitative approach, the study surveyed 384 academic staff members from public universities and applied structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses. Results show that work engagement, perceived organizational support, and a supportive work environment directly and positively affect employee retention, regardless of gender. However, the effects of coworker relationships and compensation packages on retention were not significant for either gender. Notably, while work engagement and a supportive work environment significantly enhance employee satisfaction, coworker relationships do so only for females, and compensation packages show no significant relationship with satisfaction for either gender. These findings reveal a complex interplay of factors influencing satisfaction and retention, underscoring the need for tailored strategies that reflect gender differences and cultural nuances in the educational sector. This study provides practical implications for human resource policies in Saudi public universities, highlighting the importance of gender-specific retention strategies to support a diverse workforce. The findings also offer guidance for policymakers and university administrators to create a more supportive and engaging work environment that aligns with the aspirations of Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia.5 0Item Restricted EXAMINING READING-RELATED TEACHER EDUCATION AMONG GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES IN TAIF, SAUDI ARABIA(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Alqrashi, Ahmad; Hosp, JohnThe education system of Saudi Arabia has made significant advances in expanding access to its general education through policies of inclusion, particularly through initiatives aligned with Vision 2030. In spite of these advances, the system still lacks an effective support structure for students with learning disabilities (LD) in general education classrooms, especially at the primary school level. Research on inclusive education indicates that teachers’ preparedness, encompassing their knowledge of evidence-based reading strategies, awareness of students’ needs, and capacity to implement appropriate strategies, directly enhances the academic outcomes of students with LD. In this study, the researcher investigated three central questions: 1. What professional development in reading do Saudi general education teachers of students with LD in primary schools report having undertaken? 2.) To what extent do Saudi general education teachers' university training and professional development in reading instruction relate to their implementation of evidence-based practices for students with LD in inclusive primary classrooms? and 3.) What are the perceptions of Saudi general education teachers toward evidence-based reading instruction for students with LD? To address these questions, a mixed-methods approach was employed, including a survey of 98 general education teachers in Taif and semi-structured interviews with six teachers from the same region. Quantitative analysis indicated that teachers received significantly more training in general reading than in LD-specific instruction, and that formal training did not predict the use of evidence-based strategies. Qualitative findings revealed that while teachers held positive perceptions of evidence-based reading strategies, structural barriers such as large class sizes, limited instructional time, and insufficient collaboration with special education professionals severely constrained implementation. The study concludes that there are both knowledge and application gaps between the Saudi inclusive education policy and classroom practice. To realise the goals of Vision 2030, urgent reforms are needed in teacher preparation, mandatory professional development, and classroom resource allocation.25 0Item Restricted The Role of Soft Power and Mega-Events in advancing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 – A systematic review(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Almutawa, Abdullah; Lynsey, MelhuishSaudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 represents an ambitious national transformation programme aimed at reducing dependence on oil, diversifying the economy, and strengthening the Kingdom’s global influence. In order to achieving these goals strategic use of soft power and mega-events to reshape international perceptions, attract investment, and stimulate growth in tourism, culture, entertainment, and sport is being done. This systematic review critically examines how these instruments contribute to Vision 2030 by analysing peer-reviewed studies, comparative case literature, government publications, and grey literature from 2015 to 2024. The findings show that mega-events and soft power initiatives play a significant role in expanding tourism revenues, accelerating infrastructure development, enhancing global positioning, and supporting social transformation. They also reveal ongoing challenges, including criticisms of sportswashing, questions around sustainability, and the difficulty of assessing long-term outcomes. Based on this evidence, the study offers recommendations centred on improving transparency, strengthening legacy planning, investing in local capacity, and enhancing the integration of cultural and sporting initiatives within broader development strategies. While the review provides a comprehensive synthesis, it is limited by the relatively recent nature of Vision 2030, the scarcity of long-term observed studies, and reliance on grey literature where peer reviewed sources are still emerging. These limitations highlight the need for future research that tracks long-term impacts of Saudi Arabia’s soft power and mega-events over time and examines their effectiveness through primary data.26 0