Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/10
Browse
4 results
Search Results
Item Restricted Islamic Finance, Dividend Policy, and Performance of Insurance Firms(The University of New Orleans, 2025-05) Almoaheem, Yazeed; Hassan, KabirThe dissertation investigates the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and dividend policy on the performance of insurance firms. It examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the performance of Islamic insurance versus conventional insurance firms in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries. Using Dynamic Capabilities theory and Resource Dependence Theory, the study examines the reasons behind the more significant performance reduction in Islamic insurance firms during the pandemic. Using firm- and country-level panel data from 425 insurance firms for 7 years (2016-2022) and employing different regression models, the analysis focuses on Return of Assets (ROA) and Asset Turnover Ratio as performance measures. The results indicate that Islamic insurance firms exhibited a greater reduction in performance, during the pandemic, compared to conventional firms, primarily due to weaker liquidity management and operational flexibility. Cash from operating activities (COA) was the key factor of lack of liquidity management, contributing to the underperformance of Islamic insurance firms during the pandemic. The findings highlight the need for improved liquidity management approaches in Islamic insurance firms to increase their resilience to future economic shocks. The dissertation also investigates the impact of dividend policy on the performance of 688 insurance firms globally from 2014 to 2022. Employing different econometric models, we find that dividend policy significantly increases both accounting (ROAA) and market (MKTCAP) performance. The findings align with the Dividend Signaling Theory and the Agency Theory of Free Cash Flow, which emphasize that dividend payouts signal a stable financial health and mitigate agency problems. Our findings demonstrate that consistent dividend payments (CONDIV) increase ROAA and MKTCAP by 0.007 and 0.139, respectively, which underlines the importance of consistent dividends. Channel analysis shows that corporate governance board committees, CEO duality, and board gender diversity amplify the positive effect of dividend policy, while larger board size diminishes it. This provides a global understanding of dividend policy significant impact on insurance firm performance. Jointly, the dissertation’s findings provide a complete picture to understand the financial decisions and governance structures that affect the performance of insurance firms during economic shocks such as Covid-19 pandemic and on the global stage.43 0Item Restricted Using the Concept of Work Alienation as a Lens to Explore Academic Females’ Experiences at King Saud University(University of Leeds, 2024-01-16) Alothaim, Dunya Mohammed A; Grugulis, Irena; Umney, CharlesThe purpose of this research was to explore the experience of Saudi women working in academia by using the concept of alienation as a lens. With this aim, there were three research questions: • To what extent, and in what ways, are dimensions of alienation relevant in understanding the situation of women in academia in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? • How do women working in academia in Saudi Arabia experience gender segregation? • How are these dynamics affected by the new ways of working (notably, Saudi Vision 2030) and the technological innovations introduced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic? The paper begins with a literature review, which established the starting point for answering the research questions. After that, a qualitative methodology was selected to collect and analyse the research data. Data collection took place via face-to-face and Zoom interviews. The study comprised 33 female academics working at King Saud University. Ten of those interviewees were interviewed more than once to collect more data about the Covid-19 pandemic. Thematic analysis was used to highlight codes and develop themes from the data. The results and discussion show that alienation is a valuable concept in exploring phenomena related to women in the workplace. Academic careers were found to have positive features, but these were based on employees’ culturally determined points of view. Aspects such as the level of autonomy enjoyed by the participants, the degree to which they felt they were under control and their sense of meaningfulness is better identified from employees’ perspectives within a specific context. The results also indicate that negative feelings, such as sadness, should not always be understood as a sign of alienation. In contrast, sadness and tiredness arose in informants as an indication of high engagement with their work. Further recommendations include more exploratory studies to enrich the concept of alienation and to provide organisations with an understanding of specific issues rather than just symptoms.10 0Item Restricted Modelling Health Emergency: An Efficient Approach in Operating via Simulations(The University of Sydney, 2024-06) Alhuntushi, Nasser; Jajo, NethalThis thesis aimed to develop a mathematical model to minimise patient wait times and stay length in the Australian Nepean Hospital's emergency department (ED). The model used integer programming to analyse patient movements and identify bottlenecks. The thesis also adopted a discrete event simulation (DES) generic model for ED patient flow to investigate weekday and weekend patients’ arrival and waiting times and staff utilisation rates, identify resource management problems, and test multiple possible scenarios solutions. The model was based on Nepean hospital’ ED data from the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District and analysed during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used Arena software to develop the model, identifying areas where patients may experience long wait times and supporting decision-making to improve ED efficiency. The study aimed to improve patient experience and efficiency. The research reveals that priority queuing theory is crucial for understanding the ED system, with the DES model being more appropriate. The Acute care zone has the longest wait time and highest nurse utilisation, with physician utilisation consistently exceeding 95%. The COVID-19 pandemic has not significantly impacted patient arrivals, but staff reallocation is necessary for efficiency and patient health. The thesis proposes three efficient scenarios based on ED preferences and limits: moving one physician to a new peak hour shift, hiring an extra physician, or rostering a nurse from the Subacute care zone to the morning shift. These results help decision-makers optimise service delivery, reduce wait times, and improve staff utilisation.32 0Item Restricted Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Blended Learning in EFL Classrooms: Post-Pandemic Tertiary Education in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-02-09) Alamri, Nada; Sitter, JaneThis study aimed to determine whether or not the COVID-19 pandemic has had an effect on the perceptions of blended learning held by EFL teachers working in higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This study also looked at how teachers' attitudes differed based on their gender, age, level of education, level of training, and number of years teaching. In addition, 58 male and female EFL teachers participated in a survey questionnaire to provide the necessary data for this study. The results indicated that the attitudes of EFL teachers toward blended learning shifted in a positive direction after the pandemic. Before and after the pandemic, there were no clear differences in how male and female EFL teachers viewed blended learning based on their gender. Also, there was no statistically significant difference between the teachers' opinions and their demographic variables. The results showed that most EFL teachers liked blended learning and thought it made teaching and learning more convenient. Finally, the answers to the open-ended questions about the problems and challenges of blended learning showed that the delivery of these courses was hampered by a lack of training and technical knowledge.14 0