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This paper aims to explore factors impacting citizen intention toward artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, considering government regulation as a moderating variable. It focuses on the Palestinian Cellular Communications Sector in Gaza Strip, providing insights into the citizen-AI relationship dynamics. The research contributes to enhancing comprehension of AI technology from clients’ perspective.

To test the hypotheses, a questionnaire was used in an empirical study to collect primary data. In total, 347 Palestinian citizens responded to the survey.

The findings of this paper reveal that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived risks, social influence, user experience and privacy and security concerns significantly influence citizen intention toward AI adoption. Furthermore, government regulations as a moderating variable strengthen the impact of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived risks, social influence, user experience and privacy and security concerns on citizen intention toward AI acceptance and adoption. Thus, further research should explore specific domains and cultural contexts to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors shaping acceptance and adoption.

The findings of the study should be understood in the context of their limitations. First, the study ignored cultural or domain-specific subtleties in favor of generic characteristics, which calls for more research in these particular circumstances. Second, relying on self-reported data might result in biases and limitations due to subjectivity in reporting, indicating the necessity for alternate data gathering methods and approaches in future research.

Policymakers, developers and organizations working to promote the acceptability and implementation of AI applications should consider the practical implications of this study’s results. To secure the long-term use of AI technologies in a responsible and user-centric way, policymakers should give priority to public education and awareness, user-centered design and ethical AI development techniques. They should also stimulate partnerships and create monitoring systems.

This paper investigates the originality of factors that influence citizen intention toward AI acceptance and adoption. It uniquely examines the moderating role of government regulations in shaping this intention. By addressing this novel aspect, the paper contributes to advancing our understanding of the complex dynamics surrounding citizen intentions toward AI applications.

This paper aims to quantify the impact of antecedents (frustration, locus of control, spirituality, and religion and attention to social-comparison information) on the intensity of emotional outcomes of consumers’ disposal behaviour.

A structural equation model fitted with PLS was used to evaluate data obtained from 323 self-administered questionnaires filled out in a stratified random sample of respondents living in Gaza Strip camps.

Spirituality and religion, and attention to social-comparison information have the highest impacts on emotional outcomes related to consumer disposal behaviour.

Spirituality and religion are seldom considered in previous consumer research, but they turn out to have high relevance for disposal-related emotions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study investigating disposal-related emotions. Moreover, it is also the first study combining the impact of frustration, locus of control, perceived self-efficacy, spirituality and religion and attention to social-comparison information on emotional outcomes related to consumers’ disposal behaviour.

Bahrain has been the center for financial services industry in the Middle East since 1970s as a result of the national strategy of diversification of its economy from oil-based resources to financial services. Since then Bahrain has also become the center for training and development for the Bahraini nationals with the aim of recruiting Bahrainis as employees of choice by the sector. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of training and development initiatives on the employability of Bahrainis in the financial services sector in 2015. To this end, pioneering initiatives were undertaken by the government in creating institutions for training and continuous education in Bahrain. The Economic Vision 2030 of Bahrain lays emphasis on a vibrant private sector with Bahrainis being the employees of choice.

The study is a mixed approach using quantitative and qualitative methods through the use of a survey questionnaire and secondary data to analyze the impact of training and development on the employability of Bahraini nationals in the financial sector as of 2015.

The findings show that training and development lead to career progression which impact employability rates of Bahrainis in the financial services sector for the selected sample of financial sector employees.

The study is limited by only a cross-section of data collected via questionnaire and does not consider the historical development and analysis of employability rates in Bahrain over the years. The questionnaire has some limitations and there are expected possible biases in the responses.

Given the sensitivity of the topic of research, the analysis has policy implications for the labor market of Bahrain due to the Bahrain 2030 Vision of privatization and diversification and is the first study of its kind for the financial sector of Bahrain.

Najib Mahfuz is the first Arab‐language author to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Born in 1911 the son of a middle‐class Jamaliyah merchant, he became the most popular novelist in Egypt and the Arab countries.

This paper aims to propose a research model that explores perceived green organizational support (OS) as a mediator of the effect of green human resource management (GHRM) on job performance (JP) and organizational citizenship behavior toward the organization (OCB-O).

This paper used data obtained from small- and medium-sized hotels in Palestine. The associations given above were tested using structural equation modeling.

The findings reveal that GHRM boosts hotel employees’ perceptions of green OS. That is, the effective implementation of GHRM is a sign of perceived green OS. Congruent with the study predictions, employees’ perceptions of green OS activate their JP and OCB-O. Finally, perceived green OS mediates the impact of GHRM on JP and OCB-O.

Management should take advantage of green human resource practices to acquire and retain talented employees whose environmental goals and values fit those of the company. Employees should be involved in problem-solving on environmental sustainability and green management. They should also participate in continuous training programs and enhance their awareness of environmental sustainability and green management.

There is a lack of evidence appertaining to the effects of GHRM and perceived green OS on non-green positive workplace performance outcomes. More importantly, there is a scarcity of evidence about the mechanism linking GHRM to these performance outcomes.

The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has largely transformed the higher education ecosystem and shifted the modes of delivery around the world. The rapid shift from traditional face-to-face teaching to online delivery was accompanied by a set of significant challenges. In Lebanon, the situation was exacerbated by a plethora of political, economic, and humanitarian crises. Even the most well-prepared Lebanese higher education institutions were facing an insurmountable challenge to maintain education quality under extremely strenuous circumstances and limited resources. The challenges included the absence of clear quality assurance mechanisms, problems associated with limited internet connectivity due to frequent electric power outages, the lack of teacher and student preparedness for online delivery, and the absence of online-ready curricula. Nevertheless, Lebanese universities were able to make the necessary adjustments for their students to complete their education using available resources and minimal training. The current chapter explores the challenges faced by private and public universities in Lebanon and the approaches utilized to overcome tremendous limitations. We discuss the lessons learned during the process of adopting online and hybrid classroom learning, and the opportunities for growth that were brought about by unforeseen circumstances. We also introduce the changes needed on the institutional, national, and regional levels to prepare for the post-pandemic era in higher education.

This study aims to investigate the thermal creep behavior of steel frame assemblies with shear tab connections subjected to transient-state fire temperatures. Different key parameters are investigated to study their effect on the global response of the steel frames in fire.

Finite element (FE) models of connection assemblies are first analyzed using Abaqus under transient-state temperature conditions and validated against experimental work available in the literature. Upon acquiring the validated conditions, parametric studies are carried out to study the effect of key geometric and heating parameters on the overall response of the frame assembly to fire temperatures. Thermal creep material is also incorporated in the analyses through a user-defined subroutine, and a comparison between including and excluding creep material is illustrated to show the effect of thermal creep on the structural behavior.

The results reported herein indicate that having a rigid column increases the thermal-induced axial forces, thus increasing the development of thermal creep strains. Slow heating rates can cause axial stress relaxation in the restrained beam and increase the mid-span deflection and consequently the development of beam catenary action. The results also show that reaching higher initial cooling temperatures and having longer cooling phase durations result in more tensile forces at the end of the cooling phase.

Previous studies were limited to isolated steel connections under steady-state conditions. This study investigates the creep behavior of shear tab connection assemblies under transient-state conditions of fire when creep effects are explicitly considered. This can provide a rational and realistic assessment of the steel behavior in fire events.

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2008. The IBO published a strategic plan in 2004 calling for a shift towards directed growth of the three IB programmes, and greater access. The purpose of this paper is to show how the Middle East region offers a microcosm of the huge challenge facing the IBO in meeting its desired aims.

This paper presents the current situation regarding the IB in the Middle East region as defined by the International Air Transport Association standards organization. This involves a total of 16 countries.

The Middle East involves a relatively small area of IB activity in relation to the total number of “international schools” in the region. There is currently 48 schools offering 60 programmes, and comprising 2 percent of IB schools worldwide. Dubai in particular has seemingly much potential for future growth. No school offers the continuum of IB programmes.

This paper offers a regional insight into the challenge facing the IB in meeting its desired goals. It will allow for the success of the IB strategic plan to be assessed more fully in the year 2014.

The nature and development of the IB in the Middle East has received very little attention by the scholarly community in spite of 40 years of involvement. This is the first paper to offer a resource for evaluating the future success of the IB strategic plan.

The purpose of this paper is to deliberate on the establishment of zakat (Islamic alms) on oil and gas in Malaysia. Being one of the five Islamic pillars, zakat contributes significantly to the country’s socio-economic development and prosperity. However, in Malaysia and other Islamic countries, there is not yet a proper mechanism for calculating zakat on extracted minerals. Similar to gold and silver, oil and gas are valuable minerals, which, upon extraction, are subject to zakat payment. In Malaysia, however, this is not the case.

This study uses a qualitative method. It presents a thorough review on the stipulation for paying zakat on minerals, specifically oil and gas. The deliberation is based on secondary data entailing a comprehensive content analysis of prominent books on the subject, current zakat rulings and legal acts on oil and gas.

Oil and gas are subject to zakat payment, as indicated in several Qurʾānic verses and based on the academic reasoning of Muslim scholars. The zakat calculation for oil and gas entails the nisāb (minimum threshold value of the assets) but not the ḥawl (the requirement for one full Islamic year of ownership for the assets), by analogy with zakat on agricultural produce. Despite the obligation to pay zakat on minerals under the zakāt al-māl (alms due on wealth) category, oil and gas is yet to be fully subject to this practice in Malaysia, although the country is known as an oil-producing Muslim country. Several legislative acts covering the managerial and business side of oil and gas operations have long been established, but the provision on zakat remains unclear. Hence, comprehensive legislation is needed to fine-tune the Malaysian oil and gas system, particularly with regard to zakat.

This study relies mainly on secondary data and literature without performing any empirical investigations.

In terms of academic implication, this study enriches the existing body of knowledge on zakat. Practical implications would include enhanced decision-making concerning zakat on oil and gas on the part of zakat institutions, policymakers and the government of Malaysia.

This study provides practical and academic contributions to the deep understanding of zakat on oil and gas, which has received very little attention in the existing body of literature. Despite being limited in literature, this is a breakthrough study that sheds light on zakat on oil and gas.

The awareness for protecting the environment has resulted in remanufacturing and recycling policies in manufacturing industries. Carbon emission is one of the most important elements affecting the environment. Carbon emission due to production and transportation creates complicated situations for the manufacturing firms by affecting the manufacturer's carbon quota. The ecological consequences posed in a reverse logistic model are the subject of this study.

The present study explores the fuzzy model of economic production for both remanufacturing and recycling with uncertain cost parameters under the cap-and-trade rule to control the carbon emission due to different modes of transportation. Due to imprecise cost parameters, the hexagonal fuzzy numbers are set to fuzzify the overall cost, which leads to correct decisions in a more confident way. The result is defuzzified by using graded mean integration.

This study offers an explicit condition to control the carbon emission of the manufacturer and reduce the optimum cost. The findings indicate that the collection of used goods that can be remanufactured must be increased. The model is validated numerically. Sensitivity analysis explores the various aspects of different parameters on net cost to accomplish the fuzzy production model.

Under fuzzy inference, the research offers a relevant contribution in the field of recycling with controlling carbon emission by using the cap-and-trade policy. This study provides a trading strategy for a manufacturer's decision to avoid losses.