SACM - Malaysia
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9660
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Item Restricted To Increase the Awareness of Techno-Entrepreneurship Among Saudi Arabian Women in Saudi Arabia(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2025-01-31) alqahtani, malak; Alhaimi, Basheer MohammedThis research examines the advancement of technological entrepreneurship among women, focusing on overcoming barriers and fostering innovation. The study explores the challenges women entrepreneurs face in the tech industry, their strategies for success, and the support systems necessary for sustained growth. Through interviews with women entrepreneurs and collaboration with industry stakeholders, this research highlights the critical factors influencing women's participation in technological entrepreneurship. The study identifies key obstacles such as gender biases, limited access to funding, and inadequate mentorship opportunities, while also showcasing successful case studies of women who have excelled in this field. Additionally, it explores the role of education, networking, and government policies in shaping a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Findings reveal that targeted interventions, such as providing access to funding, mentorship, and training programs, can significantly enhance women's involvement in the tech industry. The research also emphasizes the importance of creating culturally sensitive and inclusive initiatives to empower women and bridge the gender gap in entrepreneurship.This study contributes to the growing body of literature on technological entrepreneurship and offers practical recommendations for policymakers, educators, and industry leaders to support women in their entrepreneurial journeys.16 0Item Restricted Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis on Healthcare Services Uding pre-trained Languges Model(Malaya University, 2025) Alkathiri, Sarah; Sabri, AznulThis research explores the application of various computational models for aspect- based sentiment analysis (ABSA) of healthcare reviews, a critical component of enhancing healthcare services through feedback analysis. With the rapid expansion of online health platforms, the volume of textual reviews generated by patients provides a rich source of data for understanding patient satisfaction and areas needing improvement. The research thoroughly assesses various models, encompassing conventional statistical models, recurrent neural networks (RNNs), and sophisticated transformer-based models like BERT, RoBERTa, and DistilBERT. Each model was assessed based on its ability to accurately classify sentiments tied to specific aspects of healthcare services, such as cleanliness, staff behavior, and treatment efficacy. Two primary feature extraction techniques, Bag of Words (BoW) and Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF), were employed to transform raw text into a suitable format for model ingestion. Our findings demonstrate that while traditional models offer quick and interpretable results, they sometimes lack the nuanced understanding of context provided by more sophisticated deep learning and transformer models. RNNs, particularly LSTM and BiLSTM, were effective in capturing temporal dependencies in text data, essential for comprehending longer patient feedback.14 0Item Restricted PERCEIVED VALUE AS A MODERATOR ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERVICE QUALITY AND SATISFACTION PILGRIMS IN SAUDI ARABIA(University Technology Mara, 2025) dubayl, Hanadi Al bu; Gani, Arni bt AbdulIn Umrah, service quality is paramount due to the unique nature of the Umrah experience. Ensuring smooth and efficient services, such as transportation, accommodation, safety, and food & beverages, is crucial for meeting pilgrims' expectations. Pilgrims' satisfaction in Umrah is closely tied to the seamless execution of services, commitment to religious protocols, and personalized attention from Saudi Arabia and service providers. This study aims to assess the impact of service quality on pilgrims’ satisfaction with the services received. And to examine the role of perceived values as the moderating factor between service quality and satisfaction. This study employed a quantitative approach with convenient sampling to analyze service quality in Umrah in Saudi Arabia. The sample consists of 138 Malaysian pilgrims who have performed Umrah at least once in the last five years. The data was gathered through the distribution of the questionnaire, following which it was run by SPSS 27&30 for further analysis. The study results showed that the regression model accounts for 80.5% of the variation in Perceived Value, and the correlation matrix shows that most of the variables are positively correlated. Finally, perceived value moderates the relationship between service quality and satisfaction in some dimensions of service quality, enhancing its impact on satisfaction. However, in other dimensions, the perceived value did not have a significant effect on the satisfaction of pilgrims.7 0Item Restricted The Contribution Of Public Relations In Reducing Employee Resistance To Organisational Change: The Case Of Saudi Telecommunication Company(Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2025) Shaya, Mohammed; Ahmad, JamilahResistance to the process of organisational change is damaging to an organisation and its employees as it is regarded as a significant reason for failure in executing the process. This study explored employee resistance to organisational change in Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Telecommunications Company (STC) and how public relations (PR), can act as one of the initiatives to implement changes successfully. This research had three objectives: to understand the role of public relations in Saudi Telecommunications Company based on the principles of relationship management theory, to analyse employee resistance issues during organisational change in Saudi Telecommunications Company based on aspects of Lewin’s change management theory, and to recommend a public relations framework to manage employees’ resistance to organisational change in Saudi Telecommunications Company. The study adopted a qualitative research design, and the data were collected using in-depth interviews, which were conducted with 12 public relations Saudi Telecommunications Company employees at the company’s headquarters in Riyadh and five other Saudi Telecommunications Company branches in Jeddah, Mecca, Al-Madinah, Dammam, and Abha. The informants, who comprised public relations directors and practitioners in the public relations departments of each of the six Saudi Telecommunications Company branches actively engaged in change management, were selected using the purposive sampling method. These individuals possess relevant expertise in addressing internal challenges that have the potential to impact the company’s image, such as employee resistance. The obtained data were analysed and organised using the thematic analysis method. Findings revealed that organisational change can leave some employees with negative emotions of fear, a lack of identity, a lack of motivation, and elevated stress levels, which can lead to increased levels of employees’ resistance to change. Thus, public relations can help the management system and employees reduce this resistance by involving employees in the change process, creating a more positive environment, and building better relationships and effective communication. The findings also indicate that the public relations department plays a crucial role in augmenting organisational performance through effective communication, reputation management, stakeholder engagement, crisis response, and strategic decision-making. Ultimately, the study offered several implications and recommendations for future studies on the role of public relations in Saudi Arabia in response to employee resistance.11 0Item Restricted PERSONALIZING TOURIST EXPERIENCE IN SAUDI ARABIA BY LEVERAGING MACHINE LEARNING(University of Malaya, 2025) Abuhasha , Rayan Omar s; Mohamed, Riyaz Ahamed Ariyaluran HabeebSaudi Arabia is rapidly emerging as a global tourist destination, driven by its vision to diversify the economy and prioritize the tourism sector. While the Kingdom offers diverse attractions, existing recommendation systems lack personalization, often providing generic itineraries that fail to cater to individual preferences. Motivated by the need to enhance the tourism experience and attract a broader audience, this study leverages machine learning algorithms to create a personalized recommendation system. The objective of this project is to address challenges in information gathering and itinerary planning by developing a hybrid recommendation model that combines collaborative filtering, knowledge-based filtering, and supervised learning. The system utilizes datasets containing user preferences, attraction profiles, and sentiment data to generate tailored recommendations. Evaluation metrics, including hit rate, precision, recall, and f1-score were used to assess model performance, demonstrating the hybrid model's accuracy and relevance compared to standalone approaches. Results indicate that the proposed system successfully delivered personalized travel plans, which simplify decision-making, and offers a unique travel experience to travelers. This study contributes to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by fostering innovation in the tourism sector, making Saudi Arabia a more attractive destination for global visitors. Future work will focus on integrating real-time data, multi-language support, and advanced deep learning techniques to further enhance the system's capabilities.3 0Item Restricted RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ALGORITHMS FOR SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORKS-BASED EDGE-CLOUD COMPUTING(University Putra Malaysia, 2024) Alomari, Amirah Hassan; Subramaninam, Shamala A/P KThe integration of Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Edge Computing, and Cloud Computing represents a transformative synergy in modern network and computing architectures. SDN enhances network flexibility by separating control and data planes, a concept that becomes particularly valuable when combined with edge computing, which places computational resources closer to data sources. Cloud computing complements these advantages by offering scalable and on-demand resources to a wide range of applications and workloads, and ensuring resource availability across the network. Recent advancements consider the adoption of SDN infrastructure to empower cloud and edge computing for dynamic controllability and manageability. However, the integration of SDN into cloud and edge poses key challenges, including suboptimal resource utilisation in heavily-loaded SDN-Cloud networks, which leads to network congestion, QoS violations, and increased power consumption. Additionally, controller congestion in SDN systems leads to delays, reduces scalability, and prevents the system to handle high traffic loads efficiently, posing a significant challenge for optimising network performance. While conflicts in prioritisation complicate the efficient allocation of resources, which can degrade QoS and network efficiency. To address these challenges, three algorithms are proposed for SDN-Cloud and SDN Edge-Cloud platforms. The Dual-Phase Virtual Machine (VM) allocation algorithm (D-Ph) optimises resources in SDN-Cloud networks, considering processing capacity and memory requirements, to enhance QoS and power efficiencies. The Queue Theory Model-based Adaptive Reinforcement Learning Algorithm (QTM-ARL) optimises load balancing in SDN Edge-Cloud platform while maintaining QoS constraints. Priority-Aware Scheduler (PASQ) based on QoS constraints and incorporated with rate limit mechanism, manages network traffic efficiently while prioritising VoIP traffic over video streaming to enhance network performance. The proposed algorithms are investigated for performance through eventdriven simulation (CloudSimSDN) and MATLAB, employing real workload datasets and delay-sensitive applications. Results demonstrate D-Ph's efficiency in balancing network performance and power consumption in heterogeneous heavily-load large-scale SDN-Cloud networks based on response time, network and CPU performance, QoS violation rate, and power consumption. Furthermore, QTM-ARL's effectiveness in maintaining QoS in hierarchical multi-controller system with fluctuating data flows, and PAS-Q's ability to prioritize low-latency VoIP traffic over video streaming while achieving the desired level of service quality for real-time communication applications and thus fair resource utilisation. Future research can explore advanced AI, emerging technologies, eco-friendly practices, and adaptive SDN architectures to enhance the efficiency, security, and sustainability of SDNbased Edge-Cloud systems.8 0Item Restricted A FRAMEWORK FOR SMART CONTRACT EVALUATION AND SELECTION USING MULTI-CRITERIA ANALYSIS(UNIVERSITI MALAYA, 2024) Alshahrani ,Norah Mohammad R; Mat Kiah, Miss LaihaNumerous smart contract frameworks have been proposed in academic literature and implemented in the industry, for a number pf blockchain platforms such as Ethereum, Corda, and Hyperledger Fabric. Choosing among these frameworks involves a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) process with various evaluation and selection criteria, including security, financial aspects, and technical considerations. To address this complexity, this research aims to develop a comprehensive framework for standardizing the evaluation criteria and building a selection process for smart contracts. This framework will assist in evaluating critical criteria and selecting the most suitable smart contract framework from the available alternatives. Existing approaches for MCDM-based blockchain evaluation and selection are often not tailored specifically to smart contracts. These approaches are typically general and lack comprehensiveness, often designed for specific case studies. Multi-criteria analysis is employed in this research to determine the optimal option based on the decision-maker’s preferences. Among the available MCDM techniques, the Decision by Opinion Score Method (DOSM) was utilized, which has been applied across diverse fields, including financial institutions and operating businesses. However, this technique does not provide the functionality of explicit criteria for weight measurement. Therefore, a modified version of DOSM that incorporates explicit weight measurement is proposed in this research. The proposed framework consists of five phases. In the first phase, the final set of criteria is identified and examined through expert opinions and the Fuzzy-Delphi method. An improved version of the fuzzy DOSM technique with an explicit weight mechanism is employed in the second stage. The third phase involves identifying and evaluating smart contract alternatives using the criteria identified in phase one. In the iv fourth phase, developed and assessed the opinion score weighting algorithm (NS-WFDOSM), This algorithm modifies FDOSM and incorporates a Neutrosophic Fuzzy Sets (NFSs) environment to measure the weights explicitly and rank the alternatives. In the final phase, a sensitivity analysis module to study the behavior of the new weight technique and its impact on alternative ranking is developed. The inclusion of weight parameters in the proposed framework facilitates the identification of influential criteria in the ranking procedure. The research methodology adopts a quantitative approach to determine critical criteria for smart contracts. Different numerical samples obtained through a closed-ended questionnaire survey are applied in various scenarios to collect data regarding the essential criteria of the subject under investigation. Results indicated the following: (1) The FW-DOSM method efficiently weights the criteria for smart contract blockchain. (2) The NS-FW-DOSM method successfully ranks smart contract blockchain frameworks. (3) Given the binary nature of the selected data, the variation of the criteria, and an increase in the number of alternatives, no significant changes were observed in the final framework among different 𝛼 values. The validation of the framework results was confirmed using sensitivity analysis. The implications of this study can assist administrators in various organizations in selecting the most appropriate and confident smart contract framework and guide future directions for system developers. In conclusion, NS-WF-DOSM is extensively discussed and compared with different MCDM methods from ranking and weighting perspectives. The results demonstrate that NS-WF-WDOSM produces more logical outcomes than other MCDM methods.5 0Item Restricted THE ECONOMIC IMPACT AND ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES OF COVID-19 ON UMRAH TOURISM IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA(UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA, 2025) Alzahrani, Shaymah Ahmed; Alzahrani, Shaymah AhmedReligious tourism, particularly Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), was among the most affected sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government implemented various preventive measures, but the recovery process took longer than anticipated. This study examines the economic effects of the pandemic on the Umrah sector and the strategic responses by the Saudi government and business owners in Makkah. Although essential to KSA’s non-oil economy, the crisis resilience and adaptability of the Umrah sector during unprecedented disruptions like the pandemic have received insufficient attention. This study therefore seeks to address this critical need by investigating the economic impacts of COVID-19 on the Umrah sector and evaluating the strategic responses implemented. Such an analysis is essential for advancing crisis management frameworks and ensuring the sustainability of religious tourism under similar conditions. A qualitative research approach employing purposive sampling was used, with data collected through interviews with 13 government officials and three business owners, as well as three focus group discussions. These methods provided a comprehensive understanding of the economic impacts and adaptive strategies utilized. The study was guided by established frameworks, which include Swenson's economic impact framework, Wenzel's crisis response strategies, and Deb and Nafi's recovery model, that offered a structured analysis of the sector’s resilience and adaptation. The involvement of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the Ministry of Tourism ensured that the study captured authentic insights into policy-making, sector management, and recovery strategies during the crisis. The interviews, averaging 45 minutes each, offered detailed insights into the participants' experiences and perspectives. The findings revealed that the pandemic resulted in the cessation of Umrah activities, leading to revenue losses, as millions of pilgrims contribute substantially to KSA's non-oil economy annually. The lockdown also caused widespread job losses and income reductions, affecting private and public finances. In response, the KSA implemented various strategies, including immediate financial aid and a shift towards digital platforms, underscoring the critical role of technology in managing crises within the religious tourism sector. This study provides actionable insights for policymakers in KSA, highlighting the importance of integrating digital transformation and adaptive strategies into national policies to ensure resilience in the tourism sector. Furthermore, the findings emphasise the need for dynamic economic strategies that support rapid adaptation and resilience in the face of such challenges. By applying theoretical frameworks such as Chaos Theory to a unique context, this study provides valuable contributions to the literature on crisis management and economic resilience in religious tourism. It offers novel insights into the interconnected economic, social, and operational challenges posed by the pandemic and provides actionable recommendations to policymakers and stakeholders for building a more resilient and adaptive Umrah sector in the future. Finally, future research should explore cross-regional comparisons, delve deeper into the integration of digital solutions, and employ longitudinal and interdisciplinary approaches to uncover sustained effects and broader implications for religious tourism's resilience.5 0Item Restricted CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MECHANISMS AND UNLISTED FAMILY BUSINESS PERFORMANCE WITH THE MODERATING ROLE OF INTERLOCKING DIRECTORATES(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2024) Algthami, Nawar muneer; Algthami, Nawar muneerDespite the prominent role family businesses play in the Saudi Arabian economy, which is deeply embedded in the societal fabric, their economic contribution remains relatively modest compared to their significant presence in the society. This performance discrepancy is often attributed to the resource dependence challenges confronting the family business sector, particularly exacerbated by their deliberate choice to restrict ownership exclusively to family members and uphold familial control through family-dominated boards. However, there is a notable scarcity of empirical evidence on how family businesses in Saudi Arabia navigate these resource dependence challenges. Hence, this research examines how interlocking ties, moderate the relationship between family ownership and board composition, particularly, their impact on business performance within family businesses in Saudi Arabia. This study is rooted in the understanding that family business ownership is often underpinned by the emotional commitment owners invest in their enterprises. Furthermore, the effect of family connections on board composition and functioning, in fostering business networks, exerts a significant influence on the performance of family businesses. Consequently, this research explores the interplay between family ownership and board composition, with the moderating effects of sent interlocking directorates and received interlocking ties. The survey method was employed for data collection, involving a sample of 204 respondents. Data analysis was conducted using the statistical tools, SPSS and SmartPLS. Four out of the eight moderation propositions received empirical support, underscoring the significance of discerning between these moderating factors. Hence, this study makes noteworthy contributions to the family business research in Saudi Arabia. It has successfully constructed and validated a model that establishes a connection between the dimensions of family ownership and board composition as a precursor to family business performance in Saudi Arabia. This relationship is moderated by the sent and received dimensions of interlocking directorates. Furthermore, the findings from this study lend considerable support to the theoretical model which posits a direct linkage between family ownership, board composition, and family business performance.21 0Item Restricted DETERMINANTS OF INNOVATIVE WORK BEHAVIOUR AMONG ACADEMICS IN SAUDI ARABIA: QUALITY CULTURE AS MODERATOR(UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA, 2024) Harmal, Majed Ageed A; HANIFAH, HANIRUZILA BT MD; RICHARDSON, CHRISTOPHER JOHANN ROLANDABSTRACT In recent years, there has been a notable increase in government financing and investment directed towards Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Saudi Arabia. This trend highlights the crucial significance of academicians’ hard and soft skills in shaping their performance. The concept of academic Innovative Work Behaviour (IWB) is strongly associated with the ability to come up with and share original ideas. The objective of this study is to further investigate the influence of academic talents on several aspects of innovative work behaviour, with a specific focus on the creation and advancement of novel ideas. Comprehending these processes is crucial for cultivating a culture of innovation within the academic domain. This study looks at the factors that influence innovative work behaviour (IWB) among academic staff in Saudi Arabian higher education institutions (HEIs). This study examines the impact of various factors on IWB, including extrinsic motivation, communication efficacy, self-determination, competence, management support, and psychological empowerment, with the moderating influence of quality culture, with a focus on the country’s underutilization of human resources for innovative ideas despite significant government investments in HEIs. Using an approach grounded in the self-determination theory and the social cognitive theory, the study analysed data from 390 assistant professors, associate professors, and professors. While four out of six primary hypotheses were found to be supported, self-determination and management support were not found to have a significant effect on IWB. In addition, the analysis revealed that the quality culture moderated the association between the aforementioned variables only and innovative work behaviour. The research provides valuable insights into the dynamics of innovative work behaviour within the academic setting of Saudi Arabia, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that foster or inhibit the cultivation of an innovative culture within higher education institutions. This research enriches the literature by examining IWB among academics, incorporating quality culture as a moderating variable. Unlike prior studies predominantly focused on industrial settings, this study offers a nuanced understanding of how these variables function within HEIs. It also has strong implications for administrators, who are encouraged to prioritize programs that enhance extrinsic motivation, competence, communication efficacy, and psychological empowerment among academic staff. Furthermore, this study discussed the limitations and recommends future research that might contribute to the body of knowledge.6 0