Zeinab Gamal, Ahmed Aboualam and Munther Abbas Alkandari
Seaports seek to find innovative technological solutions to deal with the ever-increasing growth of transportation and increasing the intensity of competition through the use of…
Abstract
Seaports seek to find innovative technological solutions to deal with the ever-increasing growth of transportation and increasing the intensity of competition through the use of emerging technology such as digital twin technology to improve the quality of their logistics operations. Despite the success of digital twins in many industries, there is still a lack of their application in the field of seaports where ports play a central role as part of global transportation chains. Seaports sustainability comprises three main aspects: the social aspect that encompasses more job opportunities, the economic aspect that enhances foreign trade, and the environmental aspect that refers to the process of managing and operating ports in a way that saves the environment. This chapter discusses how to apply digital twins’ technology on the imported Twenty equivalent foot unit (TEUs) taking into consideration the population growth, and the capacity of the storage area of the container terminals in an attempt to explore the impact on Kuwait’s seaports sustainability. The study provides a framework for capacity management in an attempt to initiate the next generation of smart seaports cities and consequently impact society, economy, and well-being in Kuwait and Gulf region. The results of the study showed that there is a strong correlation between population growth and imported TEUs growth during the essential stage of the study. The correlation factor was 0.97, and this correlation will support the prediction until Kuwait vision 2040.
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Said Abdel Hakim Rateb, Azza Abdel Razek El Nouman, Moshira Abdel Hakim Rateb, Mohamed Naguib Asar, Ayman Mohammed El Amin, Saad abdel Aziz Gad and Mohamed Salah Eldin Mohamed
The purpose of this paper is to develop a model for improving health services provided by the pre‐employment medical fitness check‐up system affiliated to Egypt's Health Insurance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a model for improving health services provided by the pre‐employment medical fitness check‐up system affiliated to Egypt's Health Insurance Organization (HIO).
Design/methodology/approach
Operations research, notably system re‐engineering, is used in six randomly selected centers and findings before and after re‐engineering are compared. The re‐engineering model follows a systems approach, focusing on three areas: structure, process and outcome. The model is based on six main components: electronic booking, standardized check‐up processes, protected medical documents, advanced archiving through an electronic content management (ECM) system, infrastructure development, and capacity building. The model originates mainly from customer needs and expectations.
Findings
The centers' monthly customer flow increased significantly after re‐engineering. The mean time spent per customer cycle improved after re‐engineering – 18.3±5.5 minutes as compared to 48.8±14.5 minutes before. Appointment delay was also significantly decreased from an average 18 to 6.2 days. Both beneficiaries and service providers were significantly more satisfied with the services after re‐engineering. The model proves that re‐engineering program costs are exceeded by increased revenue.
Research limitations/implications
Re‐engineering in this study involved multiple structure and process elements. The literature review did not reveal similar re‐engineering healthcare packages. Therefore, each element was compared separately.
Practical implications
This model is highly recommended for improving service effectiveness and efficiency.
Originality/value
This research is the first in Egypt to apply the re‐engineering approach to public health systems. Developing user‐friendly models for service improvement is an added value.
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The objective of this research paper is to assess how the internet is used, in particular for email‐based library services in Sudan.
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this research paper is to assess how the internet is used, in particular for email‐based library services in Sudan.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is based on primary data: a structured field survey was conducted among six information institutions in Sudan. Because the number of librarians in these institutions was thought manageable, all librarians in the selected institutions were surveyed. The response rate reached 88.1 per cent. The SPSS package was used for data analysis, and the alpha value found to be 79 per cent.
Findings
The major patterns of internet use were: chat sessions; checking e‐mails; and surfing professional sites. The majority of the sample did not utilize email for library services as such. The low use of internet resources for library services was due to inadequate access and inadequate time that can be devoted to internet activity, rather than a matter of lacking skills per se. But it was also found that there was a real need for training on using internet for library services. Moreover, lack of English language skills were a factor: findings indicated that there is a positive correlation between the level of English language proficiency and the level of using the internet.
Research limitations/implications
For practical reasons the fieldwork data was collected only from Khartoum state. More research work could be done in the other major cities to complete the view. More studies are needed to highlight the nature of internet training needs, and user attitudes that influence the current patterns of internet use.
Originality/value
This paper is an original work that fills a gap in the literature about the use of the internet among the Sudanese librarians. This paper is of value to practitioner librarians and researchers, while LIS instructors may use the research results to develop the LIS syllabus and curriculums.
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Zahra Salah Eldin, Mohamed Elsheemy and Raghda Ali Abdelrahman
Many countries around the world are facing great challenges from their ageing population with shrinking workforce, this will put more pressure on their financial system and will…
Abstract
Purpose
Many countries around the world are facing great challenges from their ageing population with shrinking workforce, this will put more pressure on their financial system and will increase the public spending on care costs provided to older people. Egypt is in the phase of establishing a new law for older people care's rights, a law that will organise how older people in need for care would benefit from access to government financial support and how will families support their older relatives financially and how the care costs will be shared between the older people, their families and the government.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines the suitability two cost-sharing methods and applying them to assess the effect on the individuals and families' income strain.
Findings
The preferred approach can be used for sharing costs as it applies a gradual funding withdrawal by the government and provide more fairness and flexibility for application in different regions. Besides, the parameters of this approach can be used by policy makers to control the levels of funding.
Originality/value
The paper will be the first to discuss the intergenerational fairness from a financial perspective in Egypt to avoid forcing older people into poverty or resorting to poverty trade-off.
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Ahmed M. Al‐Sabagh, Salah A. Khalil, Abdellatief Abdelrahman, Notaila M. Nasser, Mahmoud R. Noor Eldin, Marwa R. Mishrif and Mohamed El‐Shafie
No one particular fluid has cooling and lubrication properties suitable for every metalworking application. The purpose of this paper is first, to investigate the effect of…
Abstract
Purpose
No one particular fluid has cooling and lubrication properties suitable for every metalworking application. The purpose of this paper is first, to investigate the effect of anionic and nonionic mixed emulsifier system in stabilization of cutting fluid formulations and second, to study the interaction synergism of the fulfill additives of metalworking fluids to achieve low scar diameters, high stability, anti rusting and corrosion properties.
Design/methodology/approach
A lot of set mixtures in this work were formulated to get the demand needed for soluble oil metalworking fluids. It was based on a blend of emulsifier package (anionic‐non ionic), and in order to reach acceptable manufacturing conditions, coupling agent, stabilizer, biocide, base oil and anti‐rust additives were added to the formulation. Different percentages of these components were incorporated to optimize the stability of the emulsifier system. Standard tests were carried out to evaluate the performance of oil‐in‐water (O/W) emulsions as lubricating and cooling fluids in machining operations. The evaluation was drawn in five factors; oil stability, emulsion stability, pH, anti‐rust (corrosion inhibition), biological activity and extreme pressure performance tests.
Findings
All tests achieved excellent results according to the ASTM. From the obtained results, the formula (named EPRI 950) exhibited a good performance compared with the commercial cutting fluid.
Originality/value
This work investigates the effect of anionic and nonionic mixed emulsifier system in stabilization of cutting fluid formulations; and the interaction synergism of the fulfill additives of metalworking fluids to achieve low scar diameters, high stability, anti‐rusting and corrosion properties.
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– This study aims to analyze Saudi scientific output in the field of computer science in Web of Science database, covering the years 1978 through 2012.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze Saudi scientific output in the field of computer science in Web of Science database, covering the years 1978 through 2012.
Design/methodology/approach
The study involved analyzing 998 publications in terms of the publication count and its growth, citation, share of international collaboration, research areas and researchers’ productivity.
Findings
The results show that the number of papers produced in computer science field has only increased after year 2007; this is because Saudi universities have applied a catch-up strategy to increase its research output. Also, our study reveals that the publication performance of Saudi scientists in computer science was domestic and suffers from low international visibility. Only two universities took the lead in the production of computer science research. Furthermore, computer science research trends in Saudi Arabia focused on engineering, followed by mathematics and telecommunications.
Originality/value
Studies on international academic publication productivity in the Middle East, particularly in Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, are rarely found. In fact, bibliometric studies on Saudi researchers in the field of computer science are not available. Therefore, the originality of this study resides in being the first study to measure publication productivity of Saudi researchers in the field of computer science.
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Doaa Salman Abdou and Zeinab Zaazou
This paper aims to shed light on the Egyptian socio-economic and political conditions seven years post the 2011 revolution.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to shed light on the Egyptian socio-economic and political conditions seven years post the 2011 revolution.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors depended on secondary data and information gathered from scholars and from domestic and international institutions as well. Additionally, the authors distributed 390 Likert-scale questionnaires among respondents to test their perceptions regarding the safety, social, political and economic conditions in Egypt seven years post the 2011 revolution.
Findings
The research findings confirmed that there was an agreement among participants that the safety conditions in Egypt improved during the past seven years post the 2011 revolution, and there was a general agreement among participants that the political conditions in Egypt became more stable lately. The economic and social cost presents a challenging status to the current decision maker.
Practical implications
Finally, authors came up with recommendations aiming to find solutions for certain economic and political problematic issues. The main research limitation is that the representative sample was confined only to the two main governorates in Egypt: Cairo and Giza.
Originality/value
Finally, the study is of a value, as it could be considered a road map to policy makers. Moreover, the findings provide a set of policies for governments to undertake tenable actions to accelerate development and economic growth.