Abdulaziz M. Al‐Bassam and M. Tahir Hussein
Salt‐water intrusion has always been a source of contamination in coastal aquifers that hinders sustainable groundwater development. Classical techniques to detect its occurrence…
Abstract
Purpose
Salt‐water intrusion has always been a source of contamination in coastal aquifers that hinders sustainable groundwater development. Classical techniques to detect its occurrence are costly and time consuming. The application of combined geo‐electrical and hydro‐chemical methods is cheaper, executable in reasonable time, and successfully applied in mapping the interface between saline and fresh groundwater. The current study aims at detecting and delineating salt‐water intrusion in the downstream part of Wadi Gizan in southwest Saudi Arabia using geo‐electrical and hydro‐chemical methods.
Design/methodology/approach
The case study area is the downstream part of Wadi Gizan in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Geo‐electrical data were obtained from field measurements using both Shlumberger and Wenner procedures. A number of 65 groundwater samples were collected and analysed for its total dissolved solids and major ionic composition.
Findings
The results show variations in the resistivity of the water‐bearing strata in the study area. Resistivity values decrease towards the Red Sea, and, in separate pockets. The total dissolved solids (TDS) and chloride distributions show the same pattern. Overlapping the areal distributions of the resistivity, TDS, and chloride concentration yield a map showing the limits of salt‐water intrusion and up‐coning pockets of saline water.
Practical implications
Planners, decision makers and other interest groups can use these findings for a sustainable groundwater development in the study area, and, to safeguard the aquifer from further advancement of salt‐water intrusion.
Originality/value
The case study indicates the importance of applying combined geo‐electrical and hydro‐chemical methods for groundwater quality variations and especially in detecting and delineating the contact between saline and fresh groundwater in coastal aquifers.
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M. Tahir Hussein, Hussien Awad, Omar Allafouza and Fahad Al Ahmadi
Surface hydrology studies are becoming more important for environmentalists and design engineers in arid regions where climate elements, particularly rainfall, are severe…
Abstract
Purpose
Surface hydrology studies are becoming more important for environmentalists and design engineers in arid regions where climate elements, particularly rainfall, are severe, sporadic and difficult to forecast. The main purpose of this study is to analyse elements of surface hydrology in the northwest of Riyadh City as part of environmental quality characterization for urban development.
Design/methodology/approach
The study area lies within a typical arid zone in the Arabian desert, and forms an integral part of Riyadh City extension. Field observations, collection and analyses of meteorological data, identification and analyses of the drainage network were the main approaches used in this study. The study made use of SPOT 4 satellite images, published topographic maps and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) from Shuttle Radar (SRTM).
Findings
Drainage analyses show four sub‐dendritic systems in northwest Riyadh. The study area lies within the middle sub‐catchment with a total area of 11‐5 km2. Average annual rainfall is 125 mm. It occurs in the months of November‐February with a standard deviation of 17‐25.5 for monthly rainfall and a standard deviation of 3.2‐8.8 for maximum daily rainfall. Annual relative humidity is 34.4 percent, annual solar radiation is 477 cal/cm2 per day, prevailing wind direction is NE and N with an average speed of 5.1 km/hr, and average annual evaporation is 2910 mm. Runoff peak flow varies from 2.73‐4.67 m3/sec.
Practical implications
Planners, design engineers, decision makers can use these findings for urban environmental development. The results of this study can help to prepare safeguard settlements from any unforeseen events.
Originality/value
The study indicates the importance of environmental quality chacterization for urban development.
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Hussein-Elhakim Al Issa, Tahir Noaman Abdullatif, Joseph Ntayi and Mohammed Khalifa Abdelsalam
This research aims to examine the role of green intellectual capital (GIC) dimensions in promoting sustainable healthcare as reflected by sustainable performance. The mediating…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to examine the role of green intellectual capital (GIC) dimensions in promoting sustainable healthcare as reflected by sustainable performance. The mediating effect of green absorptive capacity (GAC) and moderating role of environmental turbulence were also explored.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling was utilized for hypotheses testing of a survey data set of 387 at healthcare organizations operating in Iraq. The data were collected using purposive sampling with expert judgment from senior managers and professionals.
Findings
Contrary to previous studies, the findings showed that only green human and relational capitals predict green performance and only green human capital predicted economic performance. GAC was related to green human capital, green structural capital and performance, and played a significant mediating role on the relationships.
Research limitations/implications
Even though the research was limited to one region of a single country, Iraq, GAC can be modified by managers to enhance GIC for sustainable healthcare performance. This action must be viewed in terms of the future timing of the impact while managers display strong conviction for sustainability commitment. Managers will find GRC least associated with performance, but that GIC dimensions work best in unison.
Originality/value
The examination of GIC with GAC as moderated by environmental turbulence contributes nascent theoretical insights in sustainable healthcare.
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Abdul Hamid Mar Iman and Mohammad Tahir Sabit Haji Mohammad
This paper aims to add to the existing body of literature on this subject by advocating how waqf-based entrepreneurship can be practiced in Malaysia.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to add to the existing body of literature on this subject by advocating how waqf-based entrepreneurship can be practiced in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper begins by presenting an overview of waqf and its role in entrepreneurship and proceeds by proposing a model of waqf-based entrepreneurship which is synthesized from various models existing in the Islamic world.
Findings
The paper concludes by recommending waqf-based entrepreneurship as an alternative socio-economic framework of society’s wellbeing.
Research limitations/implications
The research is limited to the preliminary aspects of waqf entrepreneurship.
Practical implications
Waqf organization may be able to finance its own businesses through crowdfunding and other methods and also disburse waqf funds to small and large ventures.
Social implications
The waqf system is a social tool that not only finances social development projects but also has social economic alternatives to assist poor and underprivileged groups in the society. This paper is toward such a socio-economic direction.
Originality/value
This paper might be considered the first attempt to detail the practical aspect of waqf entrepreneurship, in terms of enterprises to be financed, and how the funds to be accumulated.
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Syaidatul Azzreen Ishak, Hazreena Hussein and Adi Ainurzaman Jamaludin
This paper probes into the relationship between Neighbourhood Parks and their efficiency as a potential stress reliever from the outdoor environment. It consists of the…
Abstract
This paper probes into the relationship between Neighbourhood Parks and their efficiency as a potential stress reliever from the outdoor environment. It consists of the introduction to the relationship between stress and outdoor environment, background research on recent issues of Neighbourhood Park and it then continues with the context of perceiving Neighbourhood Park as a stress reliever. This paper looks into the previous studies that employed observations, survey, interviews and instruments as methods in proving Neighbourhood Parks as a potential stress reliever. Relevant findings were highlighted and recommendations for improving the design and planning were suggested to generate more quality living environment in the future.
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Muhammad Tahir and Toseef Azid
This paper aims to establish a relationship between trade openness and economic growth in the context of the developing countries. This study has proposed a new measure of trade…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to establish a relationship between trade openness and economic growth in the context of the developing countries. This study has proposed a new measure of trade openness to the literature, as the available measures are flawed.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical analyses are carried out with the help of panel econometric techniques.
Findings
The main finding of the paper is that the relationship between trade openness and economic growth is positive and statistically significant for developing countries. Besides trade openness, other determinants of economic growth such as investment and labour force are also significantly related with economic growth and carry expected coefficients. Further, it is found that frequent fluctuations in prices are detrimental to long-run economic growth.
Practical implications
Therefore, the developing countries are suggested to speed up the process of trade liberalization and also pay favourable attention to other determinants of economic growth to achieve high economic growth.
Originality/value
The authors have used a new measure of trade openness apart from the conventional trade volume measure of trade openness.
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Muhammad Tahir, SAF Hasnu and Mario Ruiz Estrada
Trade openness plays a significant role in the growth process of countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of macroeconomic determinants on the trade openness…
Abstract
Purpose
Trade openness plays a significant role in the growth process of countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of macroeconomic determinants on the trade openness of countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The study focuses on the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries and the data used were from 1971 to 2011. Panel data econometrics techniques and two stages least square method (TSLS) are used to carry out empirical analysis and robustness testing.
Findings
The main finding of the paper is that macroeconomic determinants such as investment both in physical and human capital and per capita gross domestic product (GDP) positively affect trade openness. Further, the size of labour force and currency exchange rate has also impacted trade openness negatively and significantly.
Practical implications
It implies that efficient macroeconomic management matters for higher trade openness. The sampled developing countries are suggested to pay favourable attention to macroeconomic variables if they want to grow in the long run through outward-oriented policies.
Originality/value
This paper is an original contribution in the context of SAARC countries by focusing on the relationship between macroeconomic determinants and trade openness.
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Muhammad Tahir, Tooba Mazhar and Muhammad Asim Afridi
The trade–growth nexus has been researched during the past few decades. However, the impact of trade openness on different sectors of the economy is not well explored. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
The trade–growth nexus has been researched during the past few decades. However, the impact of trade openness on different sectors of the economy is not well explored. The purpose of the current study is to focus on developing countries to examine the impact of trade openness on three main sectors: industrial, service and agricultural.
Design/methodology/approach
The study applied econometric techniques that control unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity to obtain robust and reliable results.
Findings
The results revealed that trade openness impacts different sectors differently. Trade openness positively impacts agriculture and industrial sectors, whereas it negatively affects the service sector. A similar trend is observed with regard to employment as it affects service sector negatively and creates a positive impact on other sectors, namely, agriculture and industrial sectors. Furthermore, it was found that human capital has a negative effect on all sectors, whereas financial development has positive effects on service and industrial sectors and negative effect on agriculture sector. The results are robust because of the method of estimation and the addition of some relevant variables.
Practical implications
The policymakers should focus on trade in agricultural and industrial sectors and should discourage trade in the service sector.
Originality/value
This study has examined the impact of trade openness on sectoral growth by focusing on the developing world, which is an under-researched area in the literature.
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Muhammad Tahir, Muhammad Mumtaz Khan, Imran Naseem, Syed Afzal Moshadi Shah and Arshad Hayat
Improving the quality of life of the masses is the prime objective of all policymakers of both developed and developing countries. However, the determinants of improved quality of…
Abstract
Purpose
Improving the quality of life of the masses is the prime objective of all policymakers of both developed and developing countries. However, the determinants of improved quality of life are not well explored in the empirical literature. This study has, therefore, tried to identify the determinants of quality of life by focusing on military expenditures.
Design/methodology/approach
Panel data from 1990 to 2017 are collected from internationally reliable sources for the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN hereafter) member countries, and suitable econometric techniques are employed to estimate the designed models.
Findings
The results show that military expenditures have affected the quality of life of the ASEAN member countries both negatively and significantly. Similarly, the inflation rate has also negatively affected the quality of life. In terms of magnitude, the negative impact of the inflation rate on quality of life has exceeded than the impact of military expenditures. On the other hand, trade openness, per capita income, urbanization and government expenditures have played a positive and significant role in improving the quality of life in the ASEAN region. Moreover, it is found that the positive impact of per capita income on quality of life is highest among other determinants.
Originality/value
This study provided comprehensive evidence about the relationship between military expenditures and quality of life in the ASEAN context. Consequently, the ASEAN member economies will benefit a lot from the results of this study.
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Kanza Abid, Zafar Iqbal Shams, Muhammad Suleman Tahir and Arif Zubair
The presence of heavy metals in milk causes many acute and chronic physiological dysfunctions in human organs. The present study aims to investigate the heavy metals in cow's and…
Abstract
Purpose
The presence of heavy metals in milk causes many acute and chronic physiological dysfunctions in human organs. The present study aims to investigate the heavy metals in cow's and buffalo's milk of two major cities, Karachi and Gujranwala, Pakistan to estimate metal intake by humans from this source.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 48 milk samples from 2 cities were drawn from animals' udder to avoid contamination. Each sample was digested with nitric acid at 105 oC (degree Celsius) on a pre-heated electric hot plate to investigate the metals by atomic absorption spectroscopy (flame type). Air-acetylene technique analyzed chromium, cadmium and lead, and the hydride method analyzed arsenic in the milk samples.
Findings
The results revealed the highest mean lead concentration (19.65 ± 43.86 ppb) in the milk samples, followed by chromium (2.10 ± 2.33 ppb) and arsenic (0.48 ± 0.73 ppb). Cadmium was not detected in any sample, assuming cadmium's occurrence was below the detection level. The concentrations of all the metals in the samples of the two cities do not differ statistically. Lead concentrations in the buffalo's milk were higher than in cow's milk (p < 0.05). However, the concentrations of arsenic and chromium between buffalo's and cow's milk do not differ statistically. The present study reveals a lower level of metals in the milk than those conducted elsewhere. The mean concentrations of all the metals met the World Health Organization's (WHO) safety guidelines (1993).
Research limitations/implications
Although cadmium causes toxicity in the human body, cadmium could not be measured because cadmium's concentration was below the detection level, which is 1 ppb.
Practical implications
This study will help reduce the toxic metals in our environment, and the sources of heavy metals, particularly from the industrial sector could be identified. The feed and water consumed by the milking animals could be carefully used for feeding them.
Social implications
This study will help reduce the diseases and malfunction of human organs and organ systems since these heavy metals cause toxicity and carcinogenicity in humans. Arsenic and chromium cause cancer while lead causes encephalopathy (a brain disease).
Originality/value
The study reports heavy metal concentrations in the two attributes of four independent variables of raw milk samples that were scarcely reported from Pakistan.