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1 – 10 of 35Kassem Saleh, Christo El Morr, Aref Mourtada and Yahya Morad
This paper provides the specification of a platform for the management of mobile agents, and describes, using Mobile Unified Modeling Language (M‐UML), a mobile game application…
Abstract
This paper provides the specification of a platform for the management of mobile agents, and describes, using Mobile Unified Modeling Language (M‐UML), a mobile game application that uses the specified mobile platform. The specified platform considers the architectural guidelines described by the Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents that allows the interoperability between agents running on different agent platforms. Our platform specifications provide the application developer with an application programming interface (API) that allows the launching of mobile agents with two optional features, security and fault‐tolerance. Using the platform’s APIs, new mobile games can then be efficiently developed and deployed on the Internet.
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Hassan Saleh Al-Dhaafri and Mohammed Saleh Alosani
Drawing upon the resource-based view, the authors examined empirically the total effect of total quality management (TQM), organisational excellence and entrepreneurial…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing upon the resource-based view, the authors examined empirically the total effect of total quality management (TQM), organisational excellence and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on organisational performance
Design/methodology/approach
Hypotheses were formed to be tested using primary data collected through a survey questionnaire. The data were collected from the Dubai police organisation as a field of study. Out of the 500 distributed questionnaires, 280 questionnaires were returned. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the data for measurement and structural models.
Findings
The statistical results that were extracted using PLS-SEM confirmed the positive and significant effect of TQM, organisational excellence and EO on organisational performance.
Practical implications
In this study, many valuable implications were found from the results. The outcomes of this study can help managers, decision makers and practitioners in considering the importance of implementing practices, such as TQM, excellence and EO in their organisations. Therefore, the outcomes can help in achieving the best desired performance.
Originality/value
The present study is one of the most important empirical research studies that examine the total effect of TQM, organisational excellence and EO on performance relationships.
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The integration of the Internet in translation creates several opportunities for translators. This study aims at examining the impact of using web-based translation (WBT) on…
Abstract
Purpose
The integration of the Internet in translation creates several opportunities for translators. This study aims at examining the impact of using web-based translation (WBT) on translating religious texts.
Design/methodology/approach
The study followed a quasi-experimental study design. Sixty students enrolled in English Department, University of Bisha, participated in this study. The participants were divided randomly into three groups (i.e. words group, sentences group and passages group). The data was collected through a translation test and a questionnaire.
Findings
The results indicated that WBT is more beneficial in translating words than translating sentences or passages. In addition, WBT is more beneficial when words are translated from English into Arabic as well as from Arabic into English. The results from the questionnaire revealed positive attitudes toward using WBT in the process of translation.
Originality/value
This use of technology in translation has been examined in many studies (e.g. Bundgaard et al., 2016). WBT can be used to translate any field of knowledge. One of these fields is religious translation. According to O'Connor (2021), the study of religious translation has expanded greatly in recent years from its strong textual tradition and a constant focus on equivalence and translatability. However, very little has been done to examine the impact of WBT on translating religious texts. Therefore, this study aims at exploring the impact of WBT on translating religious texts with special reference to Islamic texts.
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Malik Abu Afifa, Isam Saleh and Rahaf Abu Al-Nadi
The purpose of this research is to investigate the link between external audit quality and integrated reporting (IR) quality in the Jordanian market, a developing market…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to investigate the link between external audit quality and integrated reporting (IR) quality in the Jordanian market, a developing market. Furthermore, the research model considers the mediating effect of earnings management practices and the moderating effect of board gender diversity. As a result, it intends to provide further empirical evidence in this area.
Design/methodology/approach
This research investigates its model using data from Jordanian services companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) during the period 2013–2022. With 430 company-year observations, the current research’s sample includes all companies in the research population for which complete data were available during the period under investigation. Data relevant to the research setting were obtained from annual disclosures and the ASE's database.
Findings
The findings of this research show that audit firm size and audit firm specialty have a positive influence on IR quality, but audit firm tenure does not. External audit quality (as proxied by the size, specialty and turnover of the audit firm) had a negative impact on earnings management practices, while earnings management practices had a negative impact on IR quality. Additionally, the findings reveal that earnings management practices completely mediate the relationship between two external audit quality proxies (audit firm size and audit firm specialty) and IR quality. Furthermore, in terms of the moderating impact of board gender diversity, it is obvious that board gender diversity favorably moderates the relationships between all external audit quality proxies and IR quality.
Originality/value
Using agency theory and stakeholder theory, this investigation fills a gap in previous literature by adding scientific explanations and empirical evidence from the Jordanian market, a developing market, in the context of the impact of audit quality on IR quality, mediated by earnings management and moderated by board gender diversity.
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Rassel Kassem, Mian Ajmal, Angappa Gunasekaran and Petri Helo
The purpose of this paper is to discover the impact of different dimensions of organizational culture (mission culture, adaptability culture, involvement culture and consistency…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discover the impact of different dimensions of organizational culture (mission culture, adaptability culture, involvement culture and consistency culture) on business excellence results criteria (customer results, people results, society results and business results) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and explore the moderating role of information and communication technology (ICT) use in both service and manufacturing industries.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected by questionnaire from 448 managers in nine companies that have won the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award in the last three years. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the data.
Findings
Organizational culture is significantly related to business excellence. However, these effects varied for different business excellence criteria. Three organizational culture types had a significant positive role in achieving excellent customer-related results. All four types of organizational culture had a positive role in achieving excellent people-related results. Only two culture types had significant role in achieving excellent society-related results. Business results were positively related to a balance between the four types of organizational culture. ICT use moderated the relationship between organizational culture and results related to customers, people and business, but not society.
Research limitations/implications
This study had some conceptual limitations. In particular, it considered the organizational culture as four types in the research model, but without structuring the indices under each type. It also had some methodological limitations. It was cross-sectional and used a self-administered questionnaire, which means that no causal relationships can be implied, and there may have been some bias in responding.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies that investigate the relationship between organizational culture and business excellence in UAE excellence award-winning companies.
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Hassan Saleh Al-Dhaafri and Mohammed Saleh Alosani
The study's goal is to look at how total quality management (TQM), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and organizational performance interact to affect organizational excellence.
Abstract
Purpose
The study's goal is to look at how total quality management (TQM), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and organizational performance interact to affect organizational excellence.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey questionnaire research design was used to achieve the goal of this study through the hypothesized model. The information was obtained from a Dubai police organization. Out of 550 questionnaires, 320 questionnaires were returned. To analyze the data for measurement and structural models, the structural equation modeling (SEM) partial least squares method was used.
Findings
The statistical results confirmed the positive and significant effects of TQM and ERP on organizational performance. The mediation role of organizational performance between TQM, ERP and organizational excellence also was confirmed.
Practical implications
More details and significant consequences have been explored in this study. The findings have a number of practical implications. The findings also assist practitioners and managers in making the best decisions while incorporating TQM, ERP and excellence practices in their organizations. Organizations will achieve optimum strong excellence and stay competitive in a competitive market by integrating the effects of TQM, ERP and organizational performance.
Originality/value
This study is another empirical investigation into the combined impact of TQM, ERP and performance on excellence relationships. In other words, the current study is one of the few that investigates the mediating role of organizational performance as a variable alongside organizational excellence as the ultimate variable in developing countries, specifically in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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Samirah Al-Saleh <sameeraalsaleh@hotmail.com> is a lecturer in geography and tourism at King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is also a doctoral candidate in the…
Abstract
Samirah Al-Saleh <sameeraalsaleh@hotmail.com> is a lecturer in geography and tourism at King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is also a doctoral candidate in the Faculty of Business and Law at the University of Sunderland, United Kingdom. She has participated in numerous tourism conferences in Saudi Arabia and abroad. She has contributed to the journal, Al Aqiq, in a recent special edition on the topic of domestic tourism in Saudi Arabia.
M.K.S. Al-Mhdawi, Alan O'connor, Abroon Qazi, Farzad Rahimian and Nicholas Dacre
This research aims to systematically review studies on significant risks for Critical Infrastructure Projects (CIPs) from selected top-tier academic journals from 2011 to 2023.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to systematically review studies on significant risks for Critical Infrastructure Projects (CIPs) from selected top-tier academic journals from 2011 to 2023.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, a three-step systematic literature review methodology was employed to analyse 55 selected articles on Critical Infrastructure Risks (CIRs) from well-regarded and relevant academic journals published from 2011 to 2023.
Findings
The findings highlight a growing research focus on CIRs from 2011 to 2023. A total of 128 risks were identified and grouped into ten distinct categories: construction, cultural, environmental, financial, legal, management, market, political, safety and technical risks. In addition, literature reviews combined with questionnaire surveys were more frequently used to identify CIRs than any other method. Moreover, oil and gas projects were the subjects most often explored in the reviewed papers. Furthermore, it was observed that publications from Iran, the USA and China dominated CIRs research, making significant contributions, accounting for 49.65% of the analysed articles.
Research limitations/implications
This research specifically focuses on five types of CIPs (i.e. roadways, bridges, water supply systems, dams and oil and gas projects). Other CIPs like cyber-physical systems or electric power systems, were not considered in this research.
Practical implications
Governments and contracting firms can benefit from the findings of this study by understanding the significant risks associated with the execution of CIPs, irrespective of the nation, industry or type of project. The results of this investigation can offer construction professionals valuable insights to formulate and implement risk response plans in the early stages of a project.
Originality/value
As a novel literature review related to CIRs, it lays the groundwork for future research and deepens the understanding of the multi-faceted effects of these risks, as well as sets practical response strategies.
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Elham Mahamedi, Martin Wonders, Nima Gerami Seresht, Wai Lok Woo and Mohamad Kassem
The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel data-driven approach for predicting energy performance of buildings that can address the scarcity of quality data, and consider the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel data-driven approach for predicting energy performance of buildings that can address the scarcity of quality data, and consider the dynamic nature of building systems.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes a reinforcing machine learning (ML) approach based on transfer learning (TL) to address these challenges. The proposed approach dynamically incorporates the data captured by the building management systems into the model to improve its accuracy.
Findings
It was shown that the proposed approach could improve the accuracy of the energy performance prediction compared to the conventional TL (non-reinforcing) approach by 19 percentage points in mean absolute percentage error.
Research limitations/implications
The case study results confirm the practicality of the proposed approach and show that it outperforms the standard ML approach (with no transferred knowledge) when little data is available.
Originality/value
This approach contributes to the body of knowledge by addressing the limited data availability in the building sector using TL; and accounting for the dynamics of buildings’ energy performance by the reinforcing architecture. The proposed approach is implemented in a case study project based in London, UK.
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