Osama Ali Maher, Dmitry Mun, Fatma Giha, Mayouson Ali and Saverio Bellizzi
The paper aims to examine some economical, political and health system indicators on the transmission of the COVID-19 transmission within the national system. The main objective…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine some economical, political and health system indicators on the transmission of the COVID-19 transmission within the national system. The main objective is to investigate what are the most effective indicators which have led to the declared numbers by countries.
Design/methodology/approach
This study combined multiple sets of data to describe best the economical status of the health system including the government spending on the health system to draw some conclusion regarding the behavior of the pandemic.
Findings
Complex emergencies and internal conflicts negatively affected the quality of the reported cases and the size of the pandemic. The health work force was the most determinant factor of the health system. It can sometimes be impossible to understand the epidemic only with epidemiological data or health system one; economical aspects of health system and political situation have to be added to the equation.
Originality/value
The research according to the authors’ knowledge is the most comprehensive comparison so far that investigate the non-covid aspects from a political side in particular in complex emergencies and war situation added health system indicators.
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Ahmad Hajebrahimi, Khalil Alimohammadzadeh, Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini, Ali Maher and Mohammadkarim Bahadori
High quality health-care delivery is not only the governments’ responsibility but also every prisoner’s right. Health care in prison and, particularly, of Iranian prisoners is…
Abstract
Purpose
High quality health-care delivery is not only the governments’ responsibility but also every prisoner’s right. Health care in prison and, particularly, of Iranian prisoners is increasingly important topic because of the rising number of the prison population. This paper aims to explore health-care managers’ perspectives and experiences of prisons and the barriers to health-care delivery in Iranian prisons.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research design was conducted in Iran from October 2018 to August 2019. The participants consisted of 51 health-care managers (50 men and one woman) from Iranian prisons. A combination of face-to-face (N = 42) and telephonic (N = 9) semi-structured interviews were used because of the geographical distribution of the respondents. The first part of the interview guide consisted of demographic characteristics, and the second part consisted of three main open ended-questions. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and thematic descriptive analysis was used to interpret the data.
Findings
The barriers to health-care delivery in Iranian prisons were categorized into four main topics: human resources, financing, facilities and barriers related to the health-care delivery process. Data synthesis identified the following themes for barriers to human resources: barriers to human resources planning (with eight sub-themes); barriers to education (with three sub-themes); and motivational barriers (with seven sub-themes). Moreover, barriers to financing consisted of five sub-themes. The barriers to facilities consisted of barriers related to physical infrastructures (with two sub-themes) and barriers related to equipment (with six sub-themes). Finally, barriers to the health-care delivery process included the following themes: communication barriers (with six sub-themes); legal barriers (with five sub-themes); and environmental-demographic factors (with seven sub-themes).
Originality/value
Identifying the barriers to health-care delivery in Iranian prisons plays a critical role in the improvement of planning, decision-making and the health-care delivery process.
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Ali Maher, Ali Ayoubian, Sima Rafiei, Donya Sheibani Tehrani, Farnaz Mostofian and Pooneh Mazyar
Today, healthcare organizations focus mainly on development and implementation of patient safety strategic plan to improve quality and ensure safety of provided services. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Today, healthcare organizations focus mainly on development and implementation of patient safety strategic plan to improve quality and ensure safety of provided services. The purpose of this paper is to recommend potential strategies for successful implementation of patient safety program in Iranian hospitals based on a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
In this qualitative study, key informant interviews and documentation review were done to identify strength and weakness points of Iranian hospitals in addition to opportunities and threats facing them in successful implementation of a patient safety program. Accordingly, the research team formulated main patient safety strategies and consequently prioritized them based on Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) matrix.
Findings
The study recommended some of the potential patient safety strategies including provision of education for employees, promoting a safety culture in hospitals, managerial support and accountability, creating a safe and high-quality delivery environment, developing national legislations for hospital staff to comply with patient safety standards and developing a continuous monitoring system for quality improvement and patient safety activities to ensure the achievement of predetermined goals.
Practical implications
Developing a comprehensive and integrated strategic plan for patient safety based on accurate information about the health system’s weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats and trying to implement the plan in accordance with patient safety principles can help hospitals achieve great success.
Originality/value
Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) conducted a national study to recommend potential strategies for successful implementation of patient safety in Iranian hospitals based on a SWOT analysis and QSPM matrix.
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Hounaida El Jurdi and Roudaina Houjeir
Recent scholarship has highlighted the complexity of buyer-seller relationships in emerging markets and called for a better understanding of the cultural norms shaping such…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent scholarship has highlighted the complexity of buyer-seller relationships in emerging markets and called for a better understanding of the cultural norms shaping such relationships. This paper aims to draw on social capital theory to explore the role of networks and relational norms, such as wasta, in Arab culture on consumer relational behaviors. The Arab market constitutes a significant economy and social networks and relational norms are of significant value in Arab culture.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach was used to address the research questions. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 male and female consumers across Lebanon over a four-month period.
Findings
Social networks are heavily used in relational behaviors to achieve four types of goals, namely, self-serving goals, unity goals and equality goals and relationship maintenance goals. In fulfilling these goals consumers create economies of favors that aim at the using and maintenance of communal bonds.
Research limitations/implications
This study was conducted in one geographical context. While Lebanon shares many of its characteristics with other Arab countries, future research should aim at exploring the influence of social networks in other Arab and emerging market contexts.
Practical implications
Consumers have different motivations between formal and informal markets. The research suggests that small sellers in highly embedded markets need to use their social networks and to make their stories authentic and known within their communities to facilitate emotional connections with consumers.
Originality/value
Emerging markets offer opportunities to extend our understanding of marketing theory and practice. This research provides a richer understanding of Arab consumers and suggests that wasta relationships play a role in consumptive decisions and not just in business negotiations. Wasta, as a cultural form of cultural capital, is heavily used in consumption as a coping mechanism to overcome market inefficiencies.
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Felicia O. Olokoyo, Rowland E. Worlu, Valerie Onyia Babatope and Oghenekparobo E. Agbogun
This chapter examined the financial effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigerian tourism by disaggregating the tourism sector into transportation industry, accommodation industry…
Abstract
This chapter examined the financial effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigerian tourism by disaggregating the tourism sector into transportation industry, accommodation industry, travelling agencies, resorts/tourist site and regulatory agencies. Specifically, this study only targeted 240 key players in the Nigerian Tourism sector in Lagos state while the sourced data were analysed using Pearson correlation analysis. The result revealed that the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic has a negative statistical influence on both the transportation and accommodation industry. The financial implication of this result is that the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic increased the cost of transport, sharply reduced revenue inflow into the transportation and accommodation industry Again, the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic exerted positive significant influence on Travel agency and resort/tourist site. However, the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic exerted positive insignificance influence on regulatory agency. Hence, the study concluded that the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic increased the cost of transport, sharply reduced revenue inflow into accommodation industry, increased travel agency and resort/tourist site costs. Premised on this, the study recommends that the federal government should ensure that the cost of transportation is subsidized, as this would help to correct the negative effect of COVID-19 on the Nigerian transportation industry.
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Attia Aman-Ullah, Azelin Aziz, Hadziroh Ibrahim, Waqas Mehmood and Attiqa Aman-Ullah
This research aimed to study the impact of compensation on employee retention and turnover intentions among healthcare employees. The study also tested the mediation role of job…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aimed to study the impact of compensation on employee retention and turnover intentions among healthcare employees. The study also tested the mediation role of job satisfaction in the relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
In the present study, self-administrated questionnaires were distributed among 600 doctors working in public hospitals of Pakistan, following stratified sampling. The data analysis was conducted through SPSS and smart-PLS.
Findings
Results of the present study supported all the hypotheses (H1–H7), such as the significant relationship of compensation with employee retention and turnover intentions. Results further confirmed the mediation effect of job satisfaction between compensation and employee retention as well as compensation and turnover intentions.
Practical implications
This study is useful for policymakers and organizational managers since the study provides guidelines on employee retention and high turnover intentions and how these factors are influenced by improved compensation.
Originality/value
This study sheds light on the relationship of compensation together with employee retention and turnover intentions through the mediating role of job satisfaction in healthcare context, which was overlooked in the existing literature.
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Mohanad Dahlan, Amer Ali Al-Atwi, Elham Alshaibani, Ali Bakir and Kevin Maher
This study aims to develop a theoretical integrated model examining the role of the co-occurrence of task and relationship conflict (CTRC) as a mediator in the relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a theoretical integrated model examining the role of the co-occurrence of task and relationship conflict (CTRC) as a mediator in the relationship between diversity and group effectiveness. The model also examines transformational leadership (TFL) as a moderator in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using a questionnaire survey from 354 faculty in 56 workgroups from three private universities in the Middle East. SEM and hierarchical regression analysis were used to test the suitability of the model and its hypotheses.
Findings
The results revealed that TFL moderated diversity's direct effect on CTRC as well as the indirect effect linking diversity, CTRC, and group effectiveness. Specifically, diversity had an inverted U-shaped relationship with CTRC in groups with low TFL, but a negative linear relationship in those with high TFL.
Originality/value
The findings expand understanding of how, and under what conditions, diversity influences group effectiveness by: offering a fresh treatment of this relationship, introducing CTRC as a bivariate construct and bringing into focus the centrality of its harmful effect on this association, and highlighting the influence of TFL in ameliorating this harmful effect.
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Maher Taha El-Nimr, Ali Mohamed Basha, Mohamed Mohamed Abo-Raya and Mohamed Hamed Zakaria
To predict the real behavior of the full-scale model using a scale model, optimized simulation should be achieved. In reinforced concrete (RC) models, scaling can be substantially…
Abstract
Purpose
To predict the real behavior of the full-scale model using a scale model, optimized simulation should be achieved. In reinforced concrete (RC) models, scaling can be substantially more critical than in single-material models because of multiple reasons such as insufficient bonding strength between small-diameter steel bars and concrete, and excessive aggregate size. Overall, there is a shortfall of laboratory and field-testing studies on the behavior of secant pile walls under lateral and axial loads. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to investigate the validity and the performance of the 1/10th scaled RC secant pile wall under the influence of different types of loading.
Design/methodology/approach
The structural performance of the examined models was evaluated using two types of tests: bending and axial compression. A self-compacting concrete mix was suggested, which provided the best concrete mix workability and appropriate compressive strength.
Findings
Under axial and bending loads, the failure modes were typical. Where the plain and reinforced concrete piles worked in tandem to support the load throughout the loading process, even when they failed. The experimental results were relatively consistent with some empirical equations for calculating the modulus of elasticity and critical buckling load. This confirmed the validity of the proposed model.
Originality/value
According to the analysis and verification of experimental tests, the proposed 1/10th scaled RC secant pile model can be used for future laboratory purposes, especially in the field of geotechnical engineering.
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Ahmed Maher khafaga Shehata and Metwaly Ali Mohamed Eldakar
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study to explore the Egyptian social science scholars’ academic writing behaviour in local and international context…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study to explore the Egyptian social science scholars’ academic writing behaviour in local and international context. Understanding the challenges that scholars in social science and humanities face while publishing in the international outlets would help to suggest strategies to improve academic writing in non-Arabic journals.
Design/methodology/approach
This study deployed mixed methods approach. The quantitative data were collected using an online questionnaire. Interviews were conducted with a group of scholars in the five faculties to elucidate the publishing behaviour of the sample.
Findings
The interviews and the questionnaire showed that social science scholars in Egypt prefer local publishing outlets. The number of scholars who publish internationally is very low compared to scholars who publish locally. Scholars who tried to publish internationally faced many challenges, such as language barriers, lack of academic writing skills and lack of appropriate training.
Research limitations/implications
This study was conducted in one university in Egypt. While the results can be generalised to Egyptian and Middle East universities, it cannot be generalised to non-Arab communities because of the differences in culture and education system.
Originality/value
This study provides insight on publishing practices in the international context among social science scholars in Egypt using a mixed methods approach. This helped to capture the scholarly publishing practices and the attitude toward international publishing and the main challenges that scholars face who attempt to publish in international outlets.
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Bader Yousef Obeidat, Mai Maher Al-Suradi, Ra’ed Masa’deh and Ali Tarhini
The paper aims to examine the effect of knowledge management processes (knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization) and knowledge management approaches…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine the effect of knowledge management processes (knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization) and knowledge management approaches (social network, codification and personalization) on innovation in Jordanian consultancy firms.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire that targets 266 respondents resulted in 216 usable ones with a response rate of 81.2 per cent. To test the research hypotheses, a multiple regression analysis was conducted, in addition to descriptive statistics that provide a background about the respondents.
Findings
The analysis showed that there is a significant and positive impact of knowledge management processes on innovation in Jordanian consulting firms, as well as a significant and positive effect of codification and personalization approaches on innovation, while the social network approach has a significant negative impact with innovation.
Originality/value
This is the first study that examines the effect of knowledge management processes (knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization) and knowledge management approaches (social network, codification and personalization) on innovation in Jordanian consultancy firms.