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The design of the emergency department (ED) requires high precision in the process of distributing spaces. An increase in population and continuous development during the past years caused the addition of new services, changes in patients’ numbers, movement flow and treatment procedures which makes the existing layout plan of the ED no longer appropriate for its current needs. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to generate a process of finding better alternatives for ED’s spatial planning.

The genetic algorithm method as a part of the systematic layout planning strategy was adopted for decision-making in redesigning the ED layout and finding the most appropriate alternative. This methodology was applied to a teaching hospital in Jordan to create layout alternatives with better functional dimensions.

The design that is based on the study of the movement of users and the relationship of spaces increases the layout performance.

The structural method of this study can be adopted for different hospital designs, but the results are limited only to the study case itself because of the different factors and data for each building.

This study demonstrates the process of making the most appropriate decision to redesign the ED in the hospital; therefore, the method can be adopted in restructuring the scheme of different hospitals and evaluated, especially before implementation.

This paper aims to systematically review the literature on digital supply chain (DSC), big data (BD) and manufacturing lead time (MLT) in industrial companies.

This study provides a systematic review of the 99 research on this subject that was published between 2015 and 2022. Studies were found in the Scopus database. This review also identifies gaps in the literature, highlights conflicting results, examines prospective data sources for empirical researchers and offers suggestions for choosing promising research subjects in the future.

This study performed a thorough literature review to a developing field of inquiry in order to identify the impact of the digital supply chain, BD and manufacturing lean time, an area that has received little attention in the literature. Future pathways and ramifications are also offered based on the literature content search. The results showed that BD improves DSC performance through resilience and innovation of the DSC. MLT and DSC integration were found to be positively correlated, according to the results.

Although the production lead time is preferable to boost customer value and supply reliability, the long lead time hurts the DSC’s ability to compete. DSC integration also improves coordination and streamlines processes. The researchers suggest fostering organizational flexibility, information exchange to accomplish DSC integration and adaptable behaviors including responsiveness and alertness.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the factors influencing leadership development (LD). It responds to the following question: what are the factors influencing the phenomenon of LD in the Syrian context.

A qualitative research method has been adopted, using face-to-face interviews with leaders in middle and top management.

The findings revealed that there are two types of factor influencing LD: determinant factors to LD and influencing factors on the application of LD.

Research data has been conducted in an unstable environment because of what is called the Arab Spring, so data were collected only from for-profit sector companies that presented more flexibility for participation than state and non-profit sector organisations.

The paper explored two different types of factors influencing LD: factors influencing the application of LD, and factors determining LD. This helps designers of LD programmes and companies operating in Syrian context to differentiate between these two factors.

The study offers data and interpretation on factors influencing LD in a specific context on which foundation further studies in the Middle Eastern context can be developed.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of networking on business performance by uncovering particular and significant methods of pursuing business connections, for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Tangier.

A two-stage design, which incorporated both quantitative and qualitative approaches, was employed in this study. Approaches were employed in succession with the findings from the quantitative phase informing the qualitative phase. Initially, a paper and online survey questionnaire was administered to a population of 365 industrial SMEs to gain some insights on the perceptions of owner-managers of the impact of networking on business performance. Following the quantitative phase, 15 in-depth face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected owner-managers of SMEs, forming a judgmental selection, to explore their experiences, beliefs, and attitudes with respect to networking factor.

Both quantitative and qualitative phases of the study found that networking was a significant factor in influencing the success of SMEs. The concept of wasta, the Arabic word for connections, emerged from the qualitative phase. Findings show that using wasta, through politico-business networks is important since it enables access to current information that is crucial for the success of SMEs. The concept of wasta was also mentioned in relation to financial resources and suppliers. Findings revealed that strong relationships with suppliers enable firms to get financial resources in the form of trade credits. Furthermore, the relationship between wasta and human resources was also revealed. Findings showed that owner-managers use their network relations through wasta in order to recruit their staff.

The findings of this study add to the understanding of networking in Arabic countries with the importance of wasta in an economy that functions on relationships. The findings of this study could therefore be useful to international managers to assist their intercultural effectiveness by adjusting to culture-specific networking in Tangier.

This study is among those few studies located in the Middle East North Africa region that explore the performance of SMEs from the perceptions of owner-managers themselves, and not based on aggregate or economic data. It supports previous findings of several studies and contributes additional evidence that suggests the significance of wasta and its impact on SME success.