Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Bridging Tradition And Modernity: People’s Perceptions of Social Media's Impact on Realizing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030(Ohio University, 2025-05) Alharethi, Mesfer; Khan, LaeeqThis research investigates how nation branding and social media influence public perceptions and travel intentions regarding Saudi Arabia, particularly in the context of Vision 2030. The study evaluates the impact of platforms such as TikTok on emotional engagement and travel motivations by analyzing the interplay between push and pull factors. A descriptive, cross-sectional correlational approach was employed, gathering data through an online survey of 426 Saudi nationals aged 18 and above who regularly engage with social media. Inferential statistics reveal that nation branding as measured by knowledge of Vision 2030 significantly correlates with increased knowledge of tourism opportunities (r = .519, p < .001) and travel intentions (r = .259, p < .001). Emotional appeal was also a critical factor, as respondents who followed TikTok influencers creating Saudi tourism content exhibited significantly higher emotional perceptions (t = 5.20, p < .001). In addition, a strong correlation was found between push factors (r = .507, p < .001), pull factors (r = .463, p < .001), and the likelihood of considering Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination. The results highlight how incorporating social media into nation branding efforts can drive significant change. By offering empirical data on the influence of TikTok, this research contributes to academic discourse while delivering actionable recommendations to support the tourism goals of Vision 2030.15 0Item Restricted A comparative study of the framing of COVID-19 by the BBC and Al Arabiya(University of Leicester, 2024) Shbeer, Saud; Qian, GongThe COVID-19 pandemic required public service media (PSM) outlets to respond swiftly and adapt their communication strategies. This thesis examines how two major PSM organisations—BBC in the UK and Al Arabiya in Saudi Arabia—framed the COVID-19 crisis, focusing on eight key news frames identified in the study: human-interest, vaccination safety/hesitancy, war, commitment and transparency, uncertainty, economic consequences, government handling; criticism vs. firm state control, and authority-centric frames. This thesis uses corpus linguistic analysis (CLA) to assist the framing analysis process, building two corpora from tweets and the attached full news articles on X (formerly Twitter) from both outlets. This method allows for a detailed comparison of how COVID-19 was communicated in the different political, social, and media contexts of the UK and Saudi Arabia. The findings show that BBC’s coverage often highlighted public engagement, transparency, criticism and economic impact, while Al Arabiya focused more on government authority and firm state control. The thesis also tracks how these frames changed over time, noting both similarities and differences between the two outlets. Early coverage in both media focused on uncertainty and health risks but later shifted to issues such as vaccination, economic recovery, and government handling. However, the degree to which each outlet emphasised these frames varied, reflecting the differences in media landscapes and political environments. This change shows how PSM adapted their messages as COVID-19 progressed. This thesis offers new academic contributions by providing fresh insights into the role of PSM in risk communication and how PSM frames health crises and demonstrates the value of integrating CLA with framing analysis. It provides valuable lessons for policymakers on how to effectively manage public health messaging during future global emergencies.16 0Item Restricted Do hand gestures obtain a universally consistent emotional interpretation across different cultures?(University of the Arts London, 2025) Almasoud, Sara; Mairs, NigelThis research revolves around the importance of hand gestures as a method of communication in animation and the study of how cultural variations affect the interpretation of these gestures. Animation is considered one of the most expressive and influential arts. It specifically depends on non-verbal communication to enhance the interaction with the audience and deliver messages directly and non-directly. While animation has been developed as a communication and storytelling method, animators still face challenges and obstacles repeatedly with the need to create understandable and capable gestures and movements that could cross cultural boundaries. It also focuses on hand gestures as one of the nonverbal forms to show how these gestures influence building rich and expressive characters that can deliver emotions more effectively. While these movements appear universal at first glance, they could be translated and understood differently from one culture to another. For example, a simple hand gesture for a greeting could have a positive meaning in one culture but may be unclear or even offensive in another. By reviewing examples from well-known global works such as Disney and Pixar films and analyzing some animated series from different cultures, the research shows how animators used hand gestures to enhance narratives and communicate ideas. At the same time, in some cases, the audience misunderstood these non-verbal gestures due to cultural differences, which negatively impacted the reception of the artwork. The research relies on academic literature and case studies to better understand the relationship between animation and cultural communication. Additionally, it examines the potential of modern technologies, such as artificial intelligence and data analysis, to gather insights into how diverse audiences worldwide perceive and respond to different gestures and movements. The research has reached some findings that enhance understanding of the importance of hand gestures in animation. First, animators should carefully design the needed hand gestures since it will significantly help improve the audience's interaction with the characters and make them more lifelike and relevant to the viewers. Second, searching for and learning about the cultural differences that affect the understanding of these gestures will gradually help the animators avoid any negative impacts on the audience. Third, there can be tremendous opportunities for collaboration between animators and experts in different cultures to design artworks that speak a universal language. Furthermore, the research offers simple suggestions for animators, such as enhancing awareness of different cultures and using academic studies on nonverbal communication. It also encourages adopting an integrated approach that combines psychology, cultural studies, and technology with the aim of finding innovative ways to improve the quality of animation and increase its effectiveness as a means of international communication.14 0Item Restricted Exploring How Social Media Advertising Shape Cultural Saudi Identity in Saudi Arabia(University of Sheffield, 2024-08-29) Alaydaa, Sarah; Ogunmuyiwa, HakeemInvestigating how social media advertising shapes Saudi cultural identity is the goal of this study. The research reviewed the previous studies that conducted in the last decade to derive its results and conclusions. Social media platforms have fundamentally changed how people interact and communicate. Thus it's important to understand how these virtual social phenomena are affecting our feelings and ideas about ourselves and each other. Finding out how social media advertising affects cultural identity in a good and bad way is the goal of the research. The benefits can be seen in the freedom to engage with others, pick up new information, and deal with the outside world, as well as in the education of other people about their cultures. The negative consequences could manifest as a person adopting Western values, breaking free from the dominant social norms, or acquiring values and customs that are incompatible with Arab culture. Thus, the researcher thinks that the social media has positive effects on cultural identity and on society.20 0Item Restricted THE INFLUNCE OF DIVERSITY OF CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE PRIVATE DIVISION IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA(DeMontfort University, 2024-09) Alotaibi, Fahad; Oyinlola, AdewaleWith the expansion of businesses in the entire world, they need a huge range of commitments from multiple sectors in which some complexities like cultural diversity in the relevant context of Hofstede's Cultural Dimension Theory and Hall's high-context and low-context communication theory. This study is conducted to figure out the influence of cultural diversity on communication patterns of project management in the private sector mainly in Saudi Arabia. Through a detailed review of previous studies, we analyse it effects on management and the economy, it also identified a few obstacles with advantages and the efficient tactics to resolve them. This research study was based on Saunders’s research onion which provides a practical framework with the necessary tools and techniques to achieve study objectives by utilising quantitative research techniques. The findings of this conduct reveal that communication styles are found significant while others like cultural relativism, hierarchical structures, and time zone differences are found insignificant. In conclusion, this study seems credible in identifying the influence of cultural diversity on project management.21 0Item Restricted Development and Impacts of Wireless Communication Systems(Queensland University of technology, 2022) Rubayan, Sultan; Kajewski, Stephen; Rose, TimThe specific aim of this research is to explore and analyze how wired communication systems are gradually being replaced with wireless ones in the context of construction projects. This centers on the technological advancements and new inventions that have come up to transform communications in construction operations in the past. A major goal of this research is to investigate the use of 5G networks along with the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices into the wireless communication technology among construction sites (Chowdhury et al., 2019). This aim mainly reflects a detailed study of the past, present and future wireless communication in the building sector which will help the industry experts as well as the researchers obtain good perspectives.23 0Item Restricted Resonance in Dissonance: Noise and the Aesthetics of Auditory Abstraction(Pratt Institute, 2024-06-29) Basowad, Mariam Ali S; Liebergesell, Alex; Echeverria, Maria Gracia“Dissonance,” “discordance,” and “cacophony” are among the countless negative connotations associated with noise in the fields of communication, musicology, and sound studies. In these contexts, noise is often perceived as an “interference” that needs to be mitigated and controlled. Similar biases exist in communications design, influenced partly by a historical preference for clarity, order, and coherence, coupled with the belief that noise diverges from conventional design principles. However, in this thesis, noise is presented as an event, a flux, a multisensory entity, and, most importantly, a form of emancipation from established artistic norms. This thesis aims to explore the vital role of abstract sonic noise in communication, considering how to craft more resonant and immersive experiences and unlock new possibilities for creativity and expression. To achieve this objective, the thesis surveys sound, philosophy, and communication studies, drawing upon the insights of esteemed philosophers and composers, including Jacques Attali, Salomé Voegelin, and Luigi Russolo. Additionally, it investigates historical and contemporary practices of incorporating noise in creative fields, such as music and audiovisual art. Through a synthesis of theoretical and practical experimentation, this thesis demonstrates the effectiveness of noise as a communicative and resonant medium.23 0Item Restricted Models for honeybee nest-site selection: a survey with cross-model comparisons(University of New England, 2019-12-14) Alzubaidi, Sharifah Mohammed; Schaerf, TimothyThroughout their lives honeybees engage in a variety of complex, cooperative, tasks that require re markable group-level coordination between thousands of worker bees. These tasks include foraging, provisioning stores and offspring, and guarding the entrance to their home. Another such task is the nest-site selection process that reproductive swarms must undertake to find and establish a new home in a limited period of time. One general way to view nest-site selection by honeybees is as a best-of-N decision-making process, where the swarm members must first find and then choose the best between many alternative sites, some of which can be at distances many kilometres from the location of the swarm, to establish a new home. The process has a finite time-limit, as reproductive swarms cannot store food, and are exposed until they establish a new home. Nest-site selection is best understood for the western hive bee, Apis mellifera, particularly due to a sequence of studies performed since 1999, but it seems that all species of honeybee apply processes with at least some similarities in choosing a new location to establish a colony. Part of the process of better understanding how the nest-site selection process of A. mellifera works has been the development and analysis of a variety of mathematical models based on current knowledge of the system at the time that the models were developed, starting with systems of nonlinear ordinary differential equations proposed by Britton et al. (2002). Since the seminal work of Britton et al. (2002), the types of models used to study nest-site selection have grown to include matrix models, individual based models, stochastic simulation models, and systems of nonlinear stochastic differential equations, across more than a dozen studies. One of the most important advances in understanding the details of nest-site selection in the last decade has been the study of the role that inhibitory stop-signals play in the overall decision-making process (Seeley et al., 2012), which required a combination of empirical observations and the analysis of an appropriate model to understand properly. As models of nest-site selection are based on the same biological process, they often include mathematical terms or algorithmic mechanisms that represent the same components of the decision making process, and that are broadly similar whilst at the same time differing in fine detail. This study is devoted to examining if differences in the details of models for nest-site selection result in quantitatively different predictions by these models. Chapter 1 provides an overview of current understanding of the real-world, biological, nest-site selection process for A. mellifera. Chapter 2 briefly details each of the current models of nest-site selection, the aspects of nest-site selection that these models have been used to examine, and the broad similarities between the models. In Chapter 3, I then chose a smaller sample of the available models for nest-site selection to examine in greater detail (one matrix model, one differential equation model and two individual based simulation models, one with relatively simple components and another that is more complex). I examine a process for choosing within-model parameters for each model so that equivalent components of the nest-site selection process will produce quantitatively similar outcomes for a standard, simplified, problem of choosing between two nest-sites - one that is of excellent quality, and another that is of poorer quality, but still acceptable. I then examine and compare the overall predictions of the models with parameters chosen so that equivalent elements of the nest-site selection process behave as similarly as possible. When parameter sets are chosen to try to maintain quantitative similarities between model components, the broad qualitative predictions of the models remain the same (with the best nest-site identified by model swarms as being the best site). However, the quantitative predictions of the models, particularly the absolute number of workers "devoted" to a particular site and some details of the system's dynamics, differ markedly across the models, in some cases by a factor of more than ten.40 0Item Restricted Investigating the major causes of mega-project failures and success in Saudi Arabia(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-12-07) Almutairi, Salwa; Tabassi, AminMega-projects are considered as large projects which associated with complex and one-off capital investment such as infrastructure development, Olympic parks, railway, power plants, airport, road constructor and other. Despite the fact that mega-projects has a large influence over the country’s economic and social development; however, it associated with disappointing performance as well. This research main aim was to investigate the major causes of mega-projects failure in Saudi Arabia. It was also taken under the context of Vision 2030 which is a national development plan. For this purpose, survey questionnaire was used to collect data from participants who were domain expert in their profession. A total number of 72 participants responded. The results from data analysis procedures indicated that the most important factors of mega-projects failures in Saudi Arabia includes skills shortages, inadequate team design, lack of reward management system. Poor budget estimation, lack of communication and coordination, inappropriate leadership, poor planning and scheduling, and lack of stakeholder’s involvement. Further, results also indicated that failure of mega-projects in Saudi Arabia directly impact on Saudi Vision 2030. There were different strategies recommended in this research for effective managing mega-projects in Saudi Arabia to avoid failure which included: adoption of appropriate stakeholder engagement methods, implementation of an effective communication system, effective monitoring and supervisor, quality work and equipment management and transformational leadership approach. Finally, a conceptual framework for mega-project management was recommended which can be validated in future work. This research also highlighted on the research limitations and future work.42 0Item Restricted Barriers to communication between Mental Health Nurses and their patients: a systematic review of the literature(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-11-03) Alanazi, Shau; Hughes, ColinBackground: Effective communication between mental health nurses and patients is critical for positive health outcomes and patient satisfaction (Aryankhesal et al., 2019). Various barriers, however, can impede effective communication in this context. Understanding these barriers is key to enhancing communication and, ultimately, outcomes for patients (Martínez‐Martínez et al., 2019) via the delivering of high- quality mental healthcare. Objectives: This dissertation aimed to systematically review evidence on communication barriers between mental health nurses and patients. The specific objectives were as follows: 1) Explore the impact on care quality and patient outcomes due to poor communication; 2) Understand the causes and types of barriers; 3) Identify communication barriers from nurses' and patients' perspectives; 4) Assess proposed strategies to address barriers in order to improve patient outcomes. Search Strategy: A comprehensive search strategy was developed and executed across a number of major databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO and EMBASE. Additional manual searching of reference lists of included studies supplemented the database search. The search was limited to studies written in English and published between 2013 and 2022 that examined various aspects of communication barriers, including causes, types, impacts, and strategies, specifically within the context of mental health nurse-patient interactions. Both qualitative and quantitative primary research, as well as reviews, were considered eligible for inclusion. Results: The systematic search and screening process identified six studies that met the eligibility criteria for final review and analysis. All six studies utilised qualitative 8 approaches with sample sizes ranging from 9 to 85 participants. The studies represented diverse geographic contexts, including Finland, USA, China, Iran, Canada, and Belgium. Three key themes were identified from the synthesised data via thematic analysis: 1) Communication barriers stemming from factors related to nurses, patients, and healthcare organisations; 2) Underlying causes encompassing stigma, language barriers, technology gaps, clinical environment, and workload; 3) Proposed strategies emphasising training programmes, optimising workloads, addressing personal biases, and addressing disparities in digital access to enhance communication. The review highlighted that prevailing communication barriers negatively impact therapeutic nurse-patient relationships and the overall quality of mental healthcare. Conclusion: The findings revealed that communication barriers in mental healthcare settings are multidimensional, arising from an interplay of personal, interpersonal, and organisational factors. Evidence-based training programmes, cultural competency building, workload adjustments and thoughtful technology integration could help attenuate existing barriers and enhance communication quality. Sustainable solutions, however, should be comprehensive rather than piecemeal or fragmented. This review makes a robust contribution to the empirical evidence regarding an important yet underexplored topic, with meaningful implications for enhancing clinical practice, education, and health policy. Future research could further build on these findings using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods approaches.38 0