Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted The requirements of digital product passport (DPP) for the defence sector(Cranfield university, 2024) Alnijaidi, abdullah; Matopoulos, ArisThe adoption of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) is emerging as a strategic solution to enhance supply chain transparency, regulatory compliance, and sustainability within the defence sector. This thesis explores the potential of DPPs to address key challenges, including complex global supply chains, stringent regulatory demands, and the growing pressure for environmental accountability. Through a mixed-methods approach involving literature review, stakeholder interviews, and surveys, this study identifies the specific requirements, benefits, and challenges of implementing DPPs in the defence industry. Key findings demonstrate that DPPs offer significant advantages, including improved traceability, predictive maintenance, cost savings, and support for circular economy goals. By providing detailed, secure product data across a component’s lifecycle, DPPs enhance both operational efficiency and compliance with defence regulations. The thesis also highlights the role of enabling technologies such as blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) in driving DPP adoption. However, high initial costs, cybersecurity concerns, and integration challenges remain barriers to implementation. Despite these challenges, DPPs can provide defence companies with a competitive edge by improving trust with government clients, mitigating supply chain risks, and fostering long-term sustainability. In conclusion, the research positions DPPs as a vital tool for the defence sector’s future, enabling organizations to meet evolving geopolitical, technological, and environmental demand3 0Item Restricted Investor Relations in the Fashion Industry: An Investigation of the Role of Sustainability in Investment Using the Situational Theory of Problem-Solving and Organization-Public Relationship Frameworks(Virginia Commonwealth University, 2025) Banasser, Abrar; Alkazemi, Mariam FThis study examines the factors affecting individual investors' decision-making in the fashion industry, focusing on the impact of sustainability and investor relations. By employing both the Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS) and the Organization- Public Relationship (OPR) frameworks, this paper investigates the influence of variables such as problem recognition, constraint recognition, involvement recognition, and relationship qualities, including commitment and control mutuality, on investors' situational motivation and communication actions. Weighted regression analysis was conducted to evaluate hypotheses pertaining to these variables. The study also explores the types and sources of investment information that investors most used and preferred. The findings show that most STOPS’ predictors effectively triggers investors' motivation regarding investment, whereas commitment and control mutuality substantially impact communicative behaviors and investment intentions. Among communicative actions, information acquisition significantly influences investors' willingness to invest in fashion companies. In addition, the study emphasizes the importance of financial and sustainability reporting communication, primarily via the company’s annual reports and SEC filings, when considering investment in the fashion industry. The findings highlight the increasing value of incorporating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards alongside financial performance reports to appeal to both profit-oriented and socially responsible investors. Practical implications suggest that fashion firms should prioritize the transparent communication of brand identity and accomplishments, enhance investor participation via collaborative platforms, and design sustainable strategies to align with investor expectations. This study advances the knowledge of investors' behaviors in the fashion industry and provides insightful guidance for improving investor relations approaches.34 0Item Restricted Environmental Injustices in Robinson Jeffers’s and Denise Levertov’s Ecopoetry(University of Birmingham, 2025) AlRowisan, Amal Ali M; Holmes, John; Zimbler, Jarad; Wood, SaraThis thesis explores critiques of environmental injustices in the poetry of Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) and Denise Levertov (1923-1997). The anthropocentrism typical of American culture constantly imposes hierarchal division and underestimation of otherness which cause injustices to people and nonhumans. In urban, war, and natural environments, the poets investigate the impact of modernity, imperialism, and environmental degradation on changing environmental conditions and ecological wholeness. Jeffers and Levertov establish in their poetry a shared trajectory where they start with a description of injustices and their destructive impacts, progress towards a condemnation of the politics behind these injustices, and propose alternative ecological values. In their trajectories of critique across these three contexts, their poetry attempts to bridge the divide between the city and nature, between the Americans and the Vietnamese, and between humans and nonhumans. It provides a model for the reconstruction of anthropocentrism toward ecological relations of integrity. Their poetry reveals situations of the environmental ‘unconscious’ and attempts to draw a vision of environmental imagination and justice. Chapter 1 of the thesis registers Jeffers’s response to modernity. It explores his presentation of the city as a centre for accumulating change and corruption that separates man from nature. He presents the struggle of presence within the confinement of urbanization, mechanization, and rapid changes against human instinctual freedom and cultural values, a crisis he resists with his philosophy of Inhumanism. Instead, he urges a withdrawal to nature where he affirms in the landscape timeless and holistic values as contrasting models to human values. Chapter 2 investigates Levertov’s account of the Vietnam War as breeding violence and destruction to people's safety and emotional wellness. She presents victimization, loss, and emotional stasis which she supports with her political poetry of resistance. She encourages empathy, solidarity, and the need to maintain safety for others. Chapter 3 traces the poets’ presentations of exploitation, destruction, and cruelty to land and animals in their poetry. In the poems, both poets point out nonhuman forces that wrestle with humanity's injustices which they represent through myth and figuration. In their presentation of nonhumans, they highlight existing ideologies that underestimate nonhumans and seek in their poetry to affirm nonhuman agency and consciousness. In my investigation of their critique of injustices, my thesis draws on recent developments and turns of ecocriticism. It reframes the poets’ critiques through Environmental Justice theory, looking at human alienation in the city, the victimization of people in the Vietnam War, the exploitation of lands, and the cruelty to animals as environmental injustices. Under these thematic discussions, my thesis analyses the affective forces that emerge in response to injustices across these contexts. Jeffers’s presentation of the hopelessness of people in the city, Levertov’s depiction of the victimized emotions in Vietnam, and their presentation of nonhuman struggle in the degraded environments underscore the poets’ awareness of the notion of interdependency in the universe. The thesis also demonstrates the material forces of nonhumans that wrestle with human denial of them and affirm their existence instead. These recent developments in ecocriticism, which resonate with the poets’ critiques, elucidate the fundamental dynamics of existence and challenge the anthropocentric ideology that fosters such injustices.29 0Item Restricted Sustainable water management: Practices, challenges and benefits: A case study of hospitality sector in Alula, Saudi Arabia.(University of Gloucestershire, 2025) Aljohani, Manar; Abd Razak, AzleySustainable management is becoming increasingly relevant globally, with resource management as a key element. Businesses faces critical issues related to water, making effective management essential for businesses like hospitality. This study examines sustainable water management (SWM) in Alula's hospitality sector, a new case that has not yet been thoroughly investigated. It combines three elements: 1- Practices applied in Alula's hospitality sector – Which practices are most used, and are they primarily low-cost and simple? 2- Challenges and barriers – Are costs, lack of awareness, resource limitations, technical difficulties, expert shortages, and guest behaviours the biggest barriers affecting practice choice? 3- Sustainable practises benefits and look if they have benefit in reduce operational cost and water consumption. It applied three assumptions. The study applied three assumptions and used a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from questionnaires with qualitative insights from interviews with industry professionals. The findings conclude that while basic SWM practices are, like low flow showerhead, adopted in Alula's hospitality sector, significant barriers hinder the implementation of more advanced measures. Addressing these challenges through enhanced stakeholder engagement, increased awareness, and improved access to resources and expertise is crucial. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of SWM in emerging tourist destinations and provides sight for policymakers and industry stakeholders to promote SWM64 0Item Restricted Sustainability Reporting, Global Uncertainty, Cost of Capital and Firm Performance: The Case of Global Energy Industry(University of New Orleans, 2025) Alshehri, Abdullah; Hassan, M. KabirThis study examines the impact of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance on financial metrics within the energy sector, focusing on cost of capital and firm performance, with moderating factors such as the World Uncertainty Index (WUI) and Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI). The first study investigates how ESG performance affects the cost of capital measured as weighted average cost of capital (WACC), cost of equity, and cost of debt in energy firms. Using ordinary least squares regressions and longitudinal data from the LSEG database, findings reveal that higher ESG scores, including individual pillar performance (Environmental, Social, Governance), consistently reduce all three cost-of-capital measures. The WUI significantly moderates this relationship, amplifying ESG’s cost-lowering effect amid global uncertainty, offering energy managers a pathway to optimize capital structure while enhancing sustainability. The second study explores ESG’s impact on firm performance proxied by return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and earnings per share (EPS), across 700 energy firms from 2007–2023, analyzed through panel regression. Results indicate that robust ESG practices, particularly the Social Pillar (e.g., employee relations), strongly enhance ROA and ROE, while the Environmental Pillar drives EPS, underscoring the financial benefits of sustainable practices. Midstream and Downstream energy sectors show the strongest ESG performance links, with the CVI revealing that climate-vulnerable firms with high ESG scores maintain profitability during environmental stress. Collectively, these findings highlight ESG’s transformative potential in reducing financing costs and boosting performance, moderated by uncertainty and climate risks. For practitioners, integrating ESG offers a dual benefit of financial efficiency and resilience, while policymakers can leverage these insights to strengthen ESG reporting and address climate vulnerabilities like biodiversity loss and extreme weather. This research bridges gaps in ESG literature, emphasizing its critical role in shaping energy sector stability and sustainability.27 0Item Open Access Investor Relations in the Fashion Industry: An Investigation of the Investor Relations in the Fashion Industry: An Investigation of the Role of Sustainability in Investment Using the Situational Theory Role of Sustainability in Investment Using the Situational Theory of Problem-Solving and Organization-Public Relationship of Problem-Solving and Organization-Public Relationship Frameworks Frameworks(Virginia Commonwealth University, 2025-03-03) Banasser, Abrar; Alkazemi, MariamThis study examines the factors affecting individual investors' decision-making in the fashion industry, focusing on the impact of sustainability and investor relations. By employing both the Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS) and the Organization- Public Relationship (OPR) frameworks, this paper investigates the influence of variables such as problem recognition, constraint recognition, involvement recognition, and relationship qualities, including commitment and control mutuality, on investors' situational motivation and communication actions. Weighted regression analysis was conducted to evaluate hypotheses pertaining to these variables. The study also explores the types and sources of investment information that investors most used and preferred. The findings show that most STOPS’ predictors effectively triggers investors' motivation regarding investment, whereas commitment and control mutuality substantially impact communicative behaviors and investment intentions. Among communicative actions, information acquisition significantly influences investors' willingness to invest in fashion companies. In addition, the study emphasizes the importance of financial and sustainability reporting communication, primarily via the company’s annual reports and SEC filings, when considering investment in the fashion industry. The findings highlight the increasing value of incorporating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards alongside financial performance reports to appeal to both profit-oriented and socially responsible investors. Practical implications suggest that fashion firms should prioritize the transparent communication of brand identity and accomplishments, enhance investor participation via collaborative platforms, and design sustainable strategies to align with investor expectations. This study advances the knowledge of investors' behaviors in the fashion industry and provides insightful guidance for improving investor relations approaches.47 0Item Restricted Assessing the Effectiveness of Carbon Trading Mechanisms in Promoting Carbon Reduction: A Case Study of the US(University of Glasgow, 2024-08-16) Alduraihem, Abdulaziz; Spagnolo, FabioThis study examined the effectiveness of the cap-and-trade policy adopted by California by exploring the effectiveness of the program in meeting the intended goals of reducing carbon emissions within the energy sector. The study used a deductive approach to analyse and empirically test the data using regression analysis. Data was sourced from government agencies in the fifty states and included per capita carbon emissions, carbon intensity, energy intensity, and GDP. The time frame for analysis was 2008 to 2021. The findings show that the cap-and-trade program implemented in California has resulted in a decrease in per capita CO2 emissions in the energy sector. The study also found that the effects of cap-and-trade did not intensify in the subsequent years after its adoption. Despite the limitations of data quality and availability, focus on per capita emissions and exclusion of carbon leakages, the findings of this study are crucial for economic policy development and implementation on carbon emissions.8 0Item Restricted The Impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Factors on Firm Financial Performance: An Empirical Study of Non-Financial Constituents of the S&P 500(University of Liverpool, 2024-09) Fallatah, Ahmed Zaki; Giorgioni, GianluigiAbstract This study empirically examines the influence of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors on financial performance of non-financial firms listed on the S&P 500. It analyzes data for 425 firms over the period from 2010 to 2023. This research study apply panel data analysis using Generalized Least Squares (GLS) Regression and reveals a significant and positive relationship between overall ESG scores and Corporate financial performance metrics, Return on Equity, Return on Assets and Tobin's Q for current S&P 500 firms. For the firms that were removed from the index, while ESG scores significantly enhance Tobin's Q in terms of market evaluation and their impact on financial measurement is less pronounced. The analysis highlights that environmental scores influence financial outcomes across both current and dropped firms. Social scores positively affect financial performance in current firms but show limited impact for firms removed from the index. Governance scores appear to have a more nuanced impact, suggesting that good governance alone may not be enough to differentiate performance among firms. The study shows the importance of robust ESG practices, particularly in environmental and social pillars, for enhancing corporate financial success and market valuation. The firm’s market position and financial health may influence the relationship between ESG factors and immediate financial returns. The research shows that ESG investments can boost a market position of company and resilience and their direct impact on immediate financial returns can vary depending on the company’s financial health and market status. Therefore, this study reveals the complex relationship between ESG practices and financial performance. The findings provide useful valuable insights for business leaders, investors, and policymakers looking to align ESG practices with financial goals and foster sustainable, long-term growth.45 0Item Restricted Using Construction and Demolition Waste Recycled Aggregate as a Sustainable Solution in Hydraulic Bound Mixtures and Composite Pavements(UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM, 2024-09) Alsawadi, Abdulrahman; Thom , Nick; Tokbolat, SerikThe growth in worldwide waste production has resulted in severe negative effects on the environment, with continuing disposal of items causing long-term health and environmental challenges. Construction and demolition (C&D) waste comprises 25–30% of total waste in the European Union. In Saudi Arabia, it has emerged as a substantial waste stream after the huge increase in C&D waste amount led by the government mega redevelopment projects which required the demolition of all slum districts within the country . Many countries aim to increase the amount of recyclable material and achieve a sustainable waste disposal system. For example, Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Vision aims to improve various sections, including infrastructure, industrial lands, and research, and provide important ways to build and enhance sustainable roads and infrastructural systems. HBM plays a crucial role in road infrastructure, offering a sustainable and cost-effective solution for various pavement applications. It can be used in road foundations as a stronger alternative to traditional unbound sub-base in flexible pavement or as a replacement for the unbound sub-base layer or the asphalt base layer in a composite pavement. The research aims to investigate the possibility of using C&D waste as a replacement for natural aggregate to produce sustainable hydraulic bound mixtures (HBM) and use them in road construction applications as a base layer in composite pavement. To achieve the research aims, the research is divided into different phases which are summarised here. The first phase aims to study the physical properties of C&D waste to prepare and produce a recycled aggregate (RA) and then, understand the differences in physical properties between the recycled and natural aggregates (NA). In this phase, the study employed three aggregate types, namely two RAs (Crushed Concrete (CC) and Construction and Demolition (C&D)) and one NA (limestone). The second phase includes designing and preparing a range of HBMs and then investigating their mechanical properties. The results from this phase show that, using RA instead of NA resulted in a substantial decrease in compressive strength by 45 % to more than 70 %. However, although NA-HBM presents better mechanical performance, the compressive strength values for RA-HBM were in the range for base and subbase design for HBMs in pavements, which are 5-20 MPa and 2–10 MPa for base and subbase design respectively. The third phase includes developing a methodology to study composite pavement behaviour under wheel load in the laboratory which includes designing and acquiring a new mould to study the fatigue cracking and the distress in the HBM layer in composite pavements and then developing a KENLAYER simulation model to simulate the wheel track test. The result after arranging the wheel tracking test indicates an evident degradation in all HBMs but also a higher and more significant degradation in RA-samples compared to NA-samples. The compressive strength measurement showed significant deterioration among all HBMs, with the greatest reduction for M3 which contain C&D RA by around 37% , around 17.5% for M2 which contain CC RA and only 3% for M1 which contain NA. Also, the deflection measurements indicate a degradation in all HBMs but higher and more significant in M3 than M2 and M1, with average deflection measurements of around 897, 642, and 382 µm. Moreover, the visual crack examination made it evident that the difference between HBM bases had a major effect on the crack growth in the HBM samples, most significant for M3 and M2 and less noticeable for M1. On the other hand, The KENLAYER simulation models show that there were only minor variations in the initial transverse strain calculation for the majority of strain gauges and the simulation model's calculation of elastic modulus showed significant deterioration in all HBMs, with the greatest elastic modulus reduction for RA-samples around 32% and 20% for M3 and M2 respectively and less reduction in NA-samples around 5% only for M1. The low cycle count in the test had a significant negative impact on the life prediction for HBMs in the KENLAYER simulation models, especially in the NA-sample. However, RA-samples show efficient and appropriate results, with life predictions that outperformed those predicted using the Australian models. The last phase includes the sustainability assessment including economic and environmental assessment for all HBMs and for different composite pavements that contain NA and RA and have the same functional work. The result from this phase indicates that the most negative impact on the sustainability assessment in HBM was caused by the presence of limestone NA as an aggregate and cement as a binder while, in pavement assessment, the asphalt materials show the worst sustainability impact. The total costs were reduced by 48% to 70% when limestone NA was replaced with RA in HBM while it was reduced by 23% to 34% when flexible and composite pavements were compared. Also , the embodied energy (EE) values decreased by 69% to 80% when limestone NA was replaced with RA in HBM while it decreased by 28% to 43% when flexible and composite pavements were compared. Moreover, the embodied carbon (EC) values decreased by 48% to 70% when limestone NA was replaced with RA in HBM while, it decreased by 2% to 10% when flexible was compared with the majority of composite pavements with C&D RA in their HBM. To sum up, the research project indicates that, using C&D RA rather than NA in HBM for use in road construction is considered to be a durable and sustainable solution that can solve many sustainability problems around the world.21 0Item Restricted The Impact of Strategic Planning on The Success of Construction Project Outcomes in England, United Kingdom(De Montfort University, 2024) Badughaish, Tariq Omar; Odumosu, EmmanuelThis dissertation seeks to establish the impact of impact planning in construction project concerning retention of success in the United Kingdom Construction Industry. Some of these are aims at identifying the relationship between strategic planning and project performance, identifying factors that hinders effective planning, and how sustainability consideration is integrated when designing strategic frameworks. It also focuses on how the aspect of strategic planning affects cost, time, quality and satisfaction of stakeholders in construction ventures. Through a mixed-methods approach, incorporating interviews and a systematic review of literature, the research answers the following questions: To what extent, therefore, does strategic planning impact on project implementation in the United Kingdom? What issues can make its efficient adoption an issue or restrict the use of the methodology? There is also a need to consider the way strategic planning enables sustainability particularly in construction. Key findings indicate that instrumental concepts prove the utility of the concept of strategic planning in structuring projects regarding the time, cost and quality, but they reveal difficulties in fragmentation of the industry and short-term sustainability concepts. The analysis also reveals that it is possible to overcome all these barriers if there is increased focus on sustainability, some form of strategic pre-emption, and measures tailored for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Therefore, to enhance the effectiveness of construction projects’ outcomes, this paper calls for a comprehensive strategic vision across UK construction firms with special emphasis to SMEs that integrates sustainability. This means that resources must be allocated towards improving development initiatives that build the strategic competence of construction practitioners as well as encouraging long-term perspective. It is also important that government policies should encourage SMEs through appropriate financial and technical assistance to address the issue of resource constraint and the requirement on sustainability standards. Through the implementation of the above measures, firms can be able to optimise the performance of their projects, increase stakeholder satisfaction and therefore gain a competitive advantage in an industry that is fast being defined by sustainable standards.12 0
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