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1 – 10 of 15The study is exploratory and aims to investigate students’ learning experience in a supply chain management (SCM) course at a university in Bahrain. The selected learning skills…
Abstract
Purpose
The study is exploratory and aims to investigate students’ learning experience in a supply chain management (SCM) course at a university in Bahrain. The selected learning skills were cognitive, affective and interactive, whereas the adopted pedagogical tools were case analysis, evaluative essay and game exercise.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was distributed to undergraduate students enrolled in an SCM course at a university in Bahrain. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis techniques were used. Inferential analysis tests were principal component analysis, Kruskal–Wallis analysis of variance and Dunn’s post hoc pairwise comparison test.
Findings
Results are inconclusive but revealed significant differences in students’ perceptions of learning skills among the adopted teaching methods. Significant differences in the perceived learning skills were found between the evaluative essay and the case analysis and between the report and the game exercise. The game exercise was the most useful technique in improving students’ interactive, cognitive and affective skills, followed by case analysis and evaluative essay.
Research limitations/implications
As the sample of this study consisted of students enrolled in a particular SCM course at a University in Bahrain, the small sample size may restrict the study’s conclusive findings.
Practical implications
It is recommended to establish an experiential or problem-based learning support unit to assist faculty in the planning, design and development of pedagogical and assessment tools.
Originality/value
The research findings are expected to help design, assess and enhance students’ learning experience in SCM and other business courses that adopt a process-based experiential learning perspective.
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Minwir Al-Shammari and Rana Waleed
This study aims to explore the level of entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) among students in three private universities in Bahrain. The examined factors that are expected to shape…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the level of entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) among students in three private universities in Bahrain. The examined factors that are expected to shape EI are personal attraction toward becoming an entrepreneur, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms and social valuation of entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach
A close-ended questionnaire was used to collect data of the study. The total number of questionnaires distributed was 1,530 questionnaires, while the total number of the valid questionnaires retrieved was 550, which makes the total response rate to be 36 per cent.
Findings
Regression analysis results indicated that students’ personal attraction toward entrepreneurship and perceived behavioral control had a significant strong positive relationship with their EI. In addition, there was a significant moderate positive relationship between students’ perceived subjective norms and social valuation of entrepreneurship with their EI.
Originality/value
The findings showed that entrepreneurial education is needed to improve students’ skills and knowledge and enhance their EI and perceived behavioral control. In addition, it is important to expose students to entrepreneurial role models and their businesses and to promote entrepreneurial careers as desirable and feasible options that may bring more advantages than working in the government or private sector.
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Minwir Al-Shammari and Shaikha M. Almulla
This study aims to explore the interaction among individual factors (enjoyment in helping others and knowledge self-efficacy), organizational factors (top management support and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the interaction among individual factors (enjoyment in helping others and knowledge self-efficacy), organizational factors (top management support and organizational rewards) and the use of information and communication technology factors as enablers of knowledge-sharing (KS) processes (knowledge donating and knowledge collecting) and firm innovation capability (IC) in a telecommunications company in an emerging market economy, namely, Bahrain.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a mixed-methods case study approach. It used answers from 77 employees’ questionnaires and applied the partial least squares structural equation modeling method to test the research model. Several in-depth semidirective interviews were conducted with managers from different levels, functions and educational qualifications to address additional social, cultural, structural and strategic issues related to KS and IC.
Findings
The results indicated that enjoyment of helping others correlates with knowledge collection. Top management support had a substantial connection with knowledge donation, which had a robust positive relationship with firm IC. The interviews showed that moving toward a customer-centric strategy, policies, procedures and KS culture in a big organization with many business silos required tremendous effort and pain. People’s ability, willingness and readiness to share knowledge heavily depend on the corporate culture. Employee resistance to change posed a significant challenge.
Originality/value
Researchers have rarely used a case study or a mixed-methods case study approach to explore KS and IC. This study aims to fill this gap using a mixed-methods approach to examine KS enablers, processes and IC in a developing country’s social and cultural context, Bahrain. The work brings together new ways of looking at things and figuring out what they mean to understand knowledge transfer and IC in a telecommunications company. The company must incur changes and additions to its KS mechanisms to inspire innovation.
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Mohammed Almalki and Minwir Al-Shammari
Organizations sustain competitiveness by improving product or service quality, performing efficiently or innovating. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizations sustain competitiveness by improving product or service quality, performing efficiently or innovating. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between knowledge management (KM) and sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in business organizations in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The KM initiatives are categorized into knowledge creation, knowledge storage, knowledge transfer and knowledge application. Employees’ attitudes toward workplace knowledge resources are derived from their perceptions of their importance, usefulness and ease of use.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a cross-sectional survey design. Data is collected via an electronic questionnaire developed using Google Forms. Purposive sampling used a list of 122 business organizations. Ninety responses were received and taken into consideration for data analysis.
Findings
Spearman correlation analysis and partial least square structural equation modeling revealed a positive association between KM and SCA. This study reflected a positive association between employees’ attitudes toward knowledge resources and sustaining organizations’ competitive advantages.
Originality/value
In Bahrain, empirical studies still need to be developed to explore KM in business organizations and investigate its association with SCA. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the relationship between KM and the sustainability of quality, efficiency and innovation-based competitive advantages in business organizations in an emerging economy context.
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The study aims to design a holistic multi-stage hierarchical model that leverages the firm's knowledge-enabled distinctive core competencies (DCCs) and builds enduring and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to design a holistic multi-stage hierarchical model that leverages the firm's knowledge-enabled distinctive core competencies (DCCs) and builds enduring and profitable customer relationships to achieve sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in dynamic and challenging environments. It developed a knowledge-enabled customer-centric competitiveness strategy (KCCS) model that integrates four pillars: business process reengineering (BPR), knowledge management (KM), customer relationship management (CRM) and competitiveness strategy. It also proposed a BPR model to enable cross-functional cooperation and coordination for firms dealing with customers, provided a blueprint for KCCS's successful implementation and compared the KCCS model with other customer-centric (CC) approaches.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted an exploratory research design based on a literature review of relevant studies. It has systematically analyzed 130 articles and books from Scopus, the Web of Science, Google Scholar and other renowned databases from 1982 to 2022. The analysis involved identifying and selecting relevant literature and conducting thematic research to develop a theoretical KCCS model that integrates BPR, KM, CRM, competitiveness strategy and the firm's SCA into a KCCS model.
Findings
This study developed an integrative KCCS theoretical model rooted in the extant literature in BPR, KM, CRM, competitiveness strategy, DCCs, SCA and other fields. The study proposed a BPR model as a significant component of KCCS that enables cross-functional cooperation and coordination, which are often troublesome for firms in their dealings with customers. The study also provided a blueprint for successfully implementing the KCCS model and compared the KCCS model with other CC approaches.
Originality/value
This study filled many research gaps in the literature in which knowledge-enabled CC frameworks are widely scattered. It offered a conceptual multi-stage hierarchical KCCS model that combines interrelated elements of BPR, KM, CRM, and competitiveness strategy. It proposed a BPR model as a significant component of the KCCS that enables cross-functional cooperation and coordination, which frequently form barriers when dealing with customers. It also provided a blueprint for successfully implementing the KCCS and compared it with other CC approaches.
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Minwir M. Al-Shammari and Afnan Al-Maathidi
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between seven green supply chain management (GSCM) practices and their impact on three types of organizational performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between seven green supply chain management (GSCM) practices and their impact on three types of organizational performance in Bahrain’s food and beverage (F&B) producers: operational, environmental and economic. This significant study sheds light on a relatively unexplored area in an emerging Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology was cross-sectional and deductive, using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Using a convenience sample technique, 69 responses, representing a response rate of 61.6%, were gathered from 149 Bahraini F&B managers.
Findings
There was a positive link between all five of the used organizational performance indicators and the GSCM practices of green purchasing, customer cooperation, investment recovery, green packaging and reverse logistics. Seven out of the 21 hypotheses were found statistically significant. The results suggest that Bahraini enterprises are only beginning to apply GSCM at this level. Consequently, managers must work harder to implement GSCM concepts effectively.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is a pioneering effort, being the first to investigate GSCM practices among F&B manufacturers in Bahrain. It is also one of the first to use the PLS-SEM for data analysis on this topic. The results contribute to the existing body of knowledge and provide a significant learning opportunity for F&B managers. By applying the insights from this study, managers can enhance their products, profitability and competitive edge in Bahrain, promoting eco-friendly practices in the F&B industry.
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Introduction Ask most people what the term “culture” means to them and the reply frequently displays a notion of shared characteristics (such as language, religion, heritage) and…
Abstract
Introduction Ask most people what the term “culture” means to them and the reply frequently displays a notion of shared characteristics (such as language, religion, heritage) and values that distinguish one group of people from another. In organizational settings, culture can be defined as the set of norms, values, guiding beliefs, ways of thinking, and practices shared by members of an organization (Schein, 1990).
Aims at differentiating organizational climate from other relatedconcepts of job satisfaction, corporate culture and leadership style.Concludes that while these latter concepts…
Abstract
Aims at differentiating organizational climate from other related concepts of job satisfaction, corporate culture and leadership style. Concludes that while these latter concepts were related to the concept of organizational climate, they were not synonymous. Addresses several theoretical and methodological differences between organizational climate and these related terms.
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This study explores the differences in climate perceptions according to employees' demographic (age, gender, marital status, and education) and organizational (tenure, position…
Abstract
This study explores the differences in climate perceptions according to employees' demographic (age, gender, marital status, and education) and organizational (tenure, position, and pay) background patterns. In order to achieve this goal, self‐administered questionnaires were distributed to 400 subjects in Jordanian manufacturing organizations. Usable answers were obtained from 297 subjects. The results of the study showed that the background of employees (with the exception of gender) were found to account for significant differences in the perception of several dimensions of climate.
Minwir Al‐Shammari and Anwar Salimi
This paper seeks to model and evaluate the comparative operating efficiency of banks using a non‐parametric methodology known as the data envelopment analysis (DEA). The paper…
Abstract
This paper seeks to model and evaluate the comparative operating efficiency of banks using a non‐parametric methodology known as the data envelopment analysis (DEA). The paper adopts a modified version of DEA in which no inputs are specified. The only variables considered are the financial ratios. The results obtained suggest that the majority of banks investigated are fairly inefficient over the period 1991‐94. In addition to calculating efficiency scores for all banks in the sample, the study results revealed the composite reference set and their shadow prices, major determinants of banks’ relative performance, and the target financial ratios.
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