Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations

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Start date: 2023Subject: search.filters.subject.Saudi Arabia

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    The Impact of Privacy Awareness on Sharenting and Privacy Management Practices Among Saudi Parents
    (Kent State University, 2025) alnemre, Afnan; Hollenbaugh, Erin; Egbert, Nichole
    In the digital age, parents frequently engage in the practice of sharenting—sharing their children's photos and information on social media—raising concerns about privacy and its implications for identity theft and other risks. This phenomenon has significant impacts on the violation of children’s privacy and their psychological and social well-being. Guided by communication privacy management (CPM) theory, this study aimed to identify the role of privacy awareness and religiosity in sharenting and privacy management practices among Saudi parents, using a quantitative approach and relying on a survey as a data collection method, N =139 were collected from Saudi parents. The findings revealed that extrinsic religiosity demonstrated positive relationship with all sharenting dimensions self-control, social behaviors and implications also with boundary linkages and boundary permeability in CPM. Also, intrinsic religiosity has a negative correlation with boundary permeability, while the study does not find a relationship between intrinsic religiosity and all sharenting dimensions. Additionally, there was a significant negative correlation between privacy awareness and boundary ownership in CPM. Moreover, the study has shown gender differences in sharenting behavior, showing that mothers post more pictures of children. This research aspires to inform initiatives promoting privacy-conscious digital practices among parents and aims to support the development of child protection policies in Saudi Arabia to safeguard children's online privacy.
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    Bridging the gaps in mortality data and healthcare access: A novel verbal autopsy application using subnational T2DM register in Saudi Arabia.
    (University of Gothenburg, 2025) Alyazidi, Faleh; Hussain-Alkhateeb, Laith; Petzold, Max; Shakely, Delér
    Abstract Background: Diabetes mellitus is an increasingly critical health concern in Saudi Arabia, often with other comorbidities and mortality causes, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). National sociodemographic changes entail the urgent need for reliable insights on the scale and causes of mortality in order to develop appropriate healthcare policy. Where death certification is inadequate, verbal autopsy (VA) can serve as a useful tool to fill crucial gaps in vital data. This thesis aims to explore various contextual dimensions using the validated VA method. Specifically, this thesis aims to explore the community perception of causes of death, measure the circumstantial barriers (social and health system) to accessing healthcare, assess and validate the adequacy of medical certification of cause of death at population level, and investigate the clinical and demographic factors influencing out of hospital deaths among deceased individuals with specific health conditions T2DM and CVD. Methods: Studies I-IV utilized mortality data from the T2DM register at a major hospital in Makkah City, while Study V used data from the CVD registers at two major hospitals. For the first three studies, 302 VA assessments were conducted with the deceased’s next of kin. The VA data were analyzed using the computerized InterVA-5 software, which provided probable causes of death and circumstances of mortality categories (COMCATs). Study I employed Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) to assess the concordance between verbal autopsy causes of death (VACoD) as a presumed reference standard and family-reported causes of death. Also, the study employed multiple logistic regression to identify factors influencing community perception of causes of death. Study II applied epidemiological estimations of absolute measures and Causes Specific Mortality Fractions (CSMFs), while also using numerical and graphical assessment to describe trends and patterns in the VA data. The COMCATs were ranked across the causes of death based on their derived probabilities. Study III employed Lin’s CCC to assess the concordance between physician reviewed causes of death (PRCoD) and VACoD at the population level. Study IV employed multiple logistic regression to identify factors influencing out of hospital deaths among deceased with T2DM, while Study V focused on CVD. Findings: Study I demonstrated broad community perceptions of causes of death, with notable misconceptions related to type of death and marital status. Study II found most deaths were seen as inevitable, with the COMCATs ‘recognition’ and ‘traditions’ being identified as avoidable barriers. Study III showed moderate concordance between PRCoD and VACoD, though discrepancies were apparent in the CSMFs, particularly for the most prevalent causes. Studies IV and V uncovered that cause and year of death in addition to nationality significantly influenced out of hospital deaths, with both studies illustrating decreasing trend of out of hospital mortality. Conclusion: This thesis uncovers challenges for Saudi public health policy concerning T2DM-related mortality, identifying issues in access to healthcare, community perceptions, and medical certification. Misconceptions about mortality causes of death hamper prevention strategies, while health system and sociocultural barriers heighten latent problems. The findings underscore the requirement to enhance the medical certification, as discrepancies between PRCoD and VA data suggest challenges in current practices on population level.
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    Analysing Existing Saudi Arabian University Admission Criteria for Accounting Programs
    (Victoria University, 2025) Alboty, Yazeed; Farley, Alan; Yang, Helen
    This research was motivated by the significant role played by effective admission criteria in predicting academic performance, particularly in Saudi Arabian accounting programs. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the appropriateness of Saudi Arabian university admission criteria for undergraduate and postgraduate accounting programs. First, for the bachelor accounting program, this research aims to explore how well existing admission criteria—which test different dimensions of prior knowledge—predict academic performance of accounting students based in Saudi Arabia. It evaluates the validity of the High School Grade Point Average (HSGPA) and College Entrance Exam (CEE)—that is, the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and Achievement Test (AT)—to predict student performance in the Preparatory Year Program (PYP), along with first-year core courses in the accounting program and First Year Grade Point Average (FYGPA) and overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of students at the end of the degree. It also examines how the business college PYP predicts performance in the first year, and overall student GPAs at the end of the degree. The role of gender as a moderator in these relationships is considered. This investigation is based on prior knowledge theory (PKT), which is characterised as a multidimensional, hierarchical entity comprised of various types of knowledge and skills. Tied to the above, for the Master of Accounting program, this research aims to evaluate how effectively one admission criterion predicts the relative academic performance of accounting students in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, it examines the impact of English language proficiency—as measured by International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores—on the relative performance of Saudi Master of Accounting students in more versus less conceptually oriented accounting courses. This investigation is informed by cognitive load theory (CLT), which addresses the challenge of processing complex cognitive tasks with multiple interactive information elements. The findings demonstrated that when used as sole predictors, the explanatory variables (HSGPA, GA, and AT) all had statistically significant positive correlations with the dependent variables related to predicting academic performance. Multiple regression analyses indicated that HSGPA was the strongest incremental predictor of academic performance, whereas GAT was the weakest, showing no significant incremental predictive power in most cases. This study demonstrates that HSGPA is the strongest predictor of both short- and long-term college outcomes in particular accounting disciplines. Further, the results consistently imply that the individual courses and GPA of the PYP in the business college have predictive value for academic performance. Additionally, the results indicate that gender does moderate the relationship between admission criteria and PYP and academic performance, which is significant in many cases. Last, the results show that English language proficiency measured by the IELTS alone has no significant direct effect on the relative academic performance of Saudi accounting students. Several implications can be drawn from this research for stakeholders and policy makers. It raises questions about the continued use of GAT score as an entry criterion and strongly supports gender-based differential entry criteria. In addition, it provides insight into the efficacy of the PYP.
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    Evaluating Audit Quality through Audit Quality Disclosure: An Examination of Audit Committee Practices in Saudi Arabia
    (Royal Holloway, University of London, 2025-02) Almutawa, Waleed; Napier, Christopher; Stadler, Christian
    This thesis explores current practices that audit committee members and audit committee attendees (ACMs) from a developing nation, Saudi Arabia, perform when trying to evaluate the audit quality of the audit firm. It also examines current approaches and challenges encountered while utilizing Key Audit Matters (KAMs) and Transparency Reports (TRs), and the necessity for Audit Quality Indicators (AQIs) (referred to as the audit quality disclosure). I conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 29 ACMs and those who have influence over the practices of the audit committee. I used documents to triangulate different sources and add credibility and trustworthiness to the findings. Theoretically, the study draws on the institutional logics perspective to understand the logic behind the current practices and beliefs. This study found that ACMs mainly use signals and clues that are obtained through the public domain, proposals, private sources, interactions with the auditors, and audit outputs to assess audit quality. The findings clearly show the predominance of professional logic among the majority of ACMs, and naïve stakeholder logic among ACMs of small companies and ACMs who lack audit literacy in large companies. The majority of the study participants do not utilize KAMs and TRs and do not support disclosing AQIs as transparency logic tools for assessing audit quality, although some younger interviewees show some inclination towards them. This thesis aims to broaden our understanding of the crucial role that audit committees are expected to play, particularly in evaluating audit quality. This role was broadly investigated in the audit committee effectiveness literature before. Furthermore, existing research on KAMs and TRs has largely overlooked their use in evaluating audit quality. Additionally, the literature on AQIs is scant, focusing mainly on identifying suitable AQIs and assessing their impact. Thus, this study attempts to shed light on these neglected but important realms of research.
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    The Challenges and Opportunities in Organisational Arrangements for Disaster Preparedness during Hajj
    (Coventry, 2025) ALdwsari, Mater; shibani, Abdualssalm
    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the challenges and opportunities in the organisational arrangements for disaster preparedness during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. This paper explores the complexities of managing disaster risks during this mass gathering event, focusing on operational frameworks, stakeholder coordination, and the integration of modern technologies. Design/methodology/approach – This research was undertaken from a secondary approach and analysed existing literature, government reports, and past incident case studies for Hajj. It evaluated inter-agency coordination, health preparedness, and technology use for the management of risks and how disasters could possibly improve response during the pilgrimage period. Findings – The major challenges that really come forth comprise but are not restricted to the following: poor inter-institutional co-operation; very little application of some digital technologies; and impeding the rich social and cultural diversity regarding the stakeholders under consideration. On the contrary, available opportunities would include the following areas: better disaster simulation, improvement in public health strategies, and efficient crowd control and emergency response operations by using technology. Practical implications – The report presented some recommendations on enhancing organizational arrangements for disaster preparedness during Hajj. It includes creating a centralized command structure, investing in integrating technology, offering cultural competency training for stakeholdersin more disaster simulation exercises to boost operational readiness. Originality/value – This working paper uniquely reflects the study of preparedness for disaster in the Hajj pilgrimage in operational management challenges as well as opportunities for improvements. Findings and recommendations are useful for other large-event management and disaster preparedness exercises across the world.
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    The Entrepreneurial Orientation of Females in Saudi Arabia: The Associations with Informal and Formal Institutions
    (University of Glasgow, 2025-05) AlMarri, Salem; Wei, Yang; Trevor, Buck
    While entrepreneurship is considered a critical factor in developing economies, it is essential to note that the focus on entrepreneurship has broadened from investigating key individual characteristics influencing entrepreneurship to exploring the influence of institutional factors such as policies, education, financial support and other informal factors. Therefore, this study examined the impact of national culture (NC) represented by Hofstede’s dimensions, namely power distance tolerance (PD), uncertainty avoidance (UA), individualism (IND), masculinity (MAS) and long-term orientation (LTO), on entrepreneurial orientation (EO) among female Saudi entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia. The study also examined the moderating effect of access to finance (ATF) on the relationship between cultural dimensions and EO. The study revealed valuable results, including the fact that female entrepreneurs reported a quite different set of cultural values from those of Saudi Arabia as a whole, and that their IND and MAS positively influenced their EO respectively. In contrast, their LTO, UA and PD showed no significant association with EO. Furthermore, the hypothesised moderating effect of ATF on the relationships between NC and EO was not supported. The findings emphasise various important conclusions. For example, as ATF was not significant here, there may be a need to provide comprehensive support systems to enhance EO, such as mentorship programmes, customised entrepreneurial training, and other market access initiatives. Saudi policymakers may focus on combining financial and non-financial support, including capacity-building and support, which can be done by developing multi- faceted strategies that enhance entrepreneurial ecosystems and manage entrepreneurs' challenges. Furthermore, multi-faceted strategies developed by policymakers may wish to address gender-specific challenges by implementing tailored entrepreneurial training programmes, increasing female representation in leadership roles, and creating inclusive networking opportunities.
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    A framework to adopt construction 4.0 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Impact of Institutional Pressures, Ambidexterity and Organizational Resources on Intention to Adopt
    (University of Newcastle, 2025) Alyami, Abdullah; Thayaparan, Gajendran; Marcus, Jefferies; Tanvi, Newaz
    Construction 4.0 is the construction industry’s response to Industry 4.0, a technological revolution to adopt innovative methodologies and modern technologies to boost productivity and efficiency in modern workplaces. Construction 4.0 is driven partly by an accelerated pace of urbanization, the resulting heightened demand within the construction industry, and the construction industry’s reputation for lack of modernization. It marks a paradigm shift characterised by the integration of digital technologies, automation, real-time data, and artificial intelligence across all stages of the construction lifecycle. The extant literature suggests that Construction 4.0 adoption is influenced by organizational resources (technology, people, process, and education), ambidexterity (exploration and exploitation), and institutional pressures (normative pressure, memetic pressure, and coercive pressure). The predominant discourse of existing studies on the implementation of Construction 4.0 have focused on its impact on work procedures, project completion times, quality, and safety measures, despite the significant influence of organizational resources, ambidexterity, and institutional pressures on the successful adoption of Construction 4.0. Less attention has been paid to how internal organisational factors and external institutional forces interact to shape the strategic intent to adopt Construction 4.0 technologies. This study addresses this gap by investigating the influence of three critical constructs: organisational resources (technology, people, processes, education and training), organisational ambidexterity (exploration and exploitation capabilities), and institutional pressures (coercive, normative, and mimetic) on the intention to adopt Construction 4.0 within the Saudi construction industry. Hence, this study investigates the influence of organizational resources, ambidexterity, and institutional pressures on the adoption of Construction 4.0 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ultimately, the study has developed a framework for implementing Construction 4.0 in the Saudi construction industry. This research developed a theoretical model proposing eighteen (18) hypotheses, based on theories related to strategic resources (Resource-Based View), strategic flexibility (ambidexterity), and institutional pressures (institutional theory) to understand their impact on Construction 4.0 adoption. A comprehensive literature review was conducted, and a conceptual model was developed to measure the influencing factors. A quantitative research methodology was adopted, underpinned by a positivist paradigm. Data was collected through a questionnaire completed by 261 professionals in construction organizations in Saudi Arabia. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was adopted to test the hypotheses, examine the relationships between variables, and validate the conceptual model. The results of the SEM confirmed 13 of the 18 hypotheses, revealing that institutional pressures significantly influence exploration orientation. This orientation, in turn, positively impacts key organizational resources—particularly human capital, education and training, and processes—needed for the adoption of Construction 4.0. The intention to adopt C4.0 was found to be most strongly influenced by the development of these organizational resources. Moreover, the study identified five dominant adoption pathways that integrate external institutional forces and internal strategic capabilities. These pathways offer a nuanced understanding of how adoption dynamics unfold in practice, especially in contexts undergoing rapid socio-economic transformation. These findings offer theoretical and practical contributions. Theoretically, it advances the discourse on digital transformation in construction by integrating three organizational theories into a single explanatory model. The integration of organizational theories provides a deeper understanding of Construction 4.0 adoption dynamics. Empirically, it provides evidence-based insights specific to the Saudi Arabian context, an emerging market undergoing rapid reform aligned with Vision 2030. Practically, the study offers an empirically validated framework tailored to the Saudi construction context, which can inform decision-makers, policy developers, and construction professionals seeking to enhance productivity through digital transformation in alignment with national strategic ambitions.
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    The Influence of Snapchat Consumption on Saudi Women’s Self- Perception and its Relation to The Desire to Change Their Appearance: A Quantitative Approach Applying Cultivation and Social Comparison Theory
    (The University of Southern Mississippi, 2025-05) Meer, Hebattollah; Maxwell, Lindsey
    This dissertation examined Saudi women’s exposure to Snapchat content related to cosmetic procedures, including news and content creators, and its impact on their self-perception, including self-esteem, body satisfaction, perception of beauty standards, and desire to change appearance through cosmetic procedures. This study utilized cultivation and social comparison theory as theoretical groundings. An online questionnaire was distributed among Saudi women (N=307) which was analyzed using multiple statistical tests, including correlation, regression, and mediation analysis, found causal relationships and statistical significance between the variables. The findings revealed that the amount of time spent consuming news about cosmetic procedures led to a low level of self-esteem among Saudi women, but the exposure to content creators, regardless of the amount of viewing, also had an impact. The findings also indicated that consuming both news and creators’ content related to cosmetic procedures on Snapchat led to an increase in achieving beauty ideals and, thus, the desire to change appearance by undergoing cosmetic procedures. In particular, the amount of viewing of the creator’s content had an impact on both previous dependent variables. Also, it found that social comparison behavior mediated the relationships as it led to a negative impact on Saudi women’s self-esteem and body satisfaction but raised the desire to reach more beauty norms and the desire for change. However, no mediation for religiosity was observed between the variables. Keywords: Content creators, Cultivation theory, Media consumption, Saudi Arabia, Self-perception, Social comparison theory, Snapchat
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    Addressing risk, challenges, and solutions in Megaprojects: A case study of Neom Smart City in Saudi Arabia
    (leeds beckett university, 2024) Alluqmani, Waleed Salem; Omotayo, Temitope
    Neom Smart City is designed as a high-tech city with sustainable living and renewable energy sources such as solar power and autonomous transportation systems. The City aims to become an attractive destination for talents and investment Mega Projects are more common in the 21st century due to global population growth, urbanisation, and technological innovation that requires the establishment of big projects. The aim of this research is to focus on risks, challenges, and solutions that may occur at the Neom Smart City project in KSA, and provide insights for the effective management of megaprojects. A positivist philosophy and a deductive research approach was used in this research. The overarching methodology was quantitative. The data-gathering procedure involved questionnaire instruments. The sample involved twenty participants including project managers, while the data analysis technique used was descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS and crucial ethical considerations were confidentiality and informed consent. Descriptive analysis of the findings have revealed that the participants perceived financial risks to be the most important concerns, followed by legal and construction risks. The result from the study also shows poor planning, political failures, and the lack of high-performing teams were the most significant contributor to the failure of megaprojects. The inferential statistics have revealed that there is a significant positive correlation between design risks and legal risks, contractual risks, construction risks and operational management risks. Financial risks are linked to construction risks, political risks, and leadership risks. Empirically, financial risks are influenced by contractual risks, poor leadership, and poor planning. The outcomes also suggest that stakeholder collaboration has a statistically significant impact on construction risks.
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    Investigating the Implementation of Governance Through the Adoption of the Universities Law in Saudi Higher Education
    (ASTON UNIVERSITY, 2025) Alowaid, Othman; Hall, Matthew
    This research investigates the implementation of the new Universities Law in Saudi Arabia and its implications for higher education governance. The primary aim is to develop a comprehensive governance framework tailored to Saudi universities' unique sociocultural, political, and economic context. This study provides a robust theoretical foundation for understanding governance dynamics within Saudi higher education by synthesising agency, stewardship, and stakeholder theories. There has previously been an in-depth exploration of adapting governance in Saudi higher education through the new Universities Law; hence, this research examines the two universities that first implemented the new law. The study explores the governance framework of Saudi higher education, the adaptation processes, and the challenges encountered. A qualitative case study approach allowed participants to describe their experiences. Data collection involved two main methods: document analysis and semi-structured interviews. The key documents analysed were the previous Higher Education and Universities Council Law and the new Universities Law. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from the two universities and the Universities Affairs Council, considered the body supervising universities. This study contributes to the theoretical discourse on higher education governance by demonstrating the novel combination of agency, stewardship, and stakeholder theories and revealing the limitations of existing governance frameworks when applied in isolation. This study addresses practical challenges universities face during the transition, providing insights crucial for successfully implementing governance reforms. By bridging the gap between theory and practice, this research supports ongoing efforts to improve governance in Saudi higher education, aligning with the broader goals of the Vision 2030 initiative. Additionally, it addresses practical challenges universities face during the transition, providing insights crucial for successfully implementing governance reforms. By bridging the gap between theory and practice, this research supports ongoing efforts to improve governance in Saudi higher education, aligning with the broader goals of the Vision 2030 initiative.
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