Mousa Albashrawi, Yousef Asiri, Muhammad Binsawad and Latifah Alqahtani
The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of social media use on both empathy and well-being through using a five-factor model (FFM) of personality in the context of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of social media use on both empathy and well-being through using a five-factor model (FFM) of personality in the context of Saudi Arabia.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from the 13 regions in Saudi Arabia. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to measure the reliability and validity of the study’s constructs and a structural equation modeling technique was applied to test the study hypotheses.
Findings
With a sample of 450 users, the regression results indicate a less significant relationship between personality and social media use, as well as between personality and affective empathy, while a more significant relationship between personality and cognitive empathy. Also, individuals’ well-being are influenced directly by the heavy use of social media.
Research limitations/implications
The cross-sectional design used in this research may not be able to provide the true essence of the hypothesized relationships compared to the cause-effect design. This study furthers the understanding of the role of personality on empathy and well-being in social media among Saudis from one side and provides insights to professionals for better improvement of social media and so better individuals’ well-being from the other side.
Originality/value
This paper fills an untapped gap in a developing country context by exploring the relationship between the usage of social media and the two dimensions of empathy, which, in turn, influence well-being under the theoretical lens of an FFM personality.
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Eisa Ahmad S. Asiri, Yousef Sahari, Ibrahim Alasmri and Ahmad Assiri
This paper investigates professional translation practice in Saudi Arabia with a particular focus on translation ethics. Following an examination of varying opinions and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates professional translation practice in Saudi Arabia with a particular focus on translation ethics. Following an examination of varying opinions and contentious concepts relating to translation, this paper suggests that Saudi Arabia should establish a code of ethics for translation services. It investigates the ethical challenges that translators encounter during their professional work and considers their responses to these challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative methodology was adopted to collect data from forty participants. This self-completed survey uncovered 11 ethical dimensions that translators encounter during the translation process and the researchers used descriptive analysis to calculate the mean and standard deviation of their frequency and importance. Participants' responses to the multiple-choice questions were categorised as personal, professional ethics or sociopolitical activism, and their overall percentages calculated.
Findings
For all 11 dimensions, the mean scores fell in the mid-frequency range between 2.74 and 3.88, inferring that the respondents faced these ethical challenges neither particularly frequently nor infrequently. Regarding the importance rankings, the mean scores varied between 1.58 and 2.04, consistently lower than the experience frequency rankings, which indicates that these challenges were considered important regardless of their frequency. The majority (40.27%) related to professional notions of ethics, followed by personal ethics (35.22%) and sociopolitical and activist conceptions of ethics (24.14%), while less than 1% (0.37%) reflected mixed motivations.
Originality/value
The study's concept and methodology are both novel. The researchers believe that this is the first study to examine professional translation ethics in the Saudi context. Unlike most studies in this field, this study adopted a quantitative approach, thus calling for the development of an effective professional code of ethics for translators.
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The purpose of this study is to examine learning style instruments used in Arab countries to measure higher education students’ learning styles, identify the most common…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine learning style instruments used in Arab countries to measure higher education students’ learning styles, identify the most common instruments and determine whether the reliability and validity of these instruments have been verified in Arab contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive review of the existing literature using several databases and search engines. Descriptive statistics, such as frequencies and percentages were used to present the results.
Findings
There are only a few published studies related to learning styles in Arab countries, with the majority published between 2012 and 2016 using samples drawn from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq. The most common learning style instrument is the Felder–Silverman/Solomon Index of Learning Styles. The reliability and validity of this instrument require further investigation.
Research limitations/implications
This study is not without limitations. First, it covers only publications in the English language. Second, the paper focuses on research involving higher education students. Third, only research that was available online was used in this study. Nonetheless, the findings have several implications for researchers, educators and human resource development managers. For researchers, this study highlights research gaps that need to be filled. It also serves as a basis for more analytical and in-depth studies. The data also helps educators become more informed about the learning style instruments commonly used in the Arab context and whether the results from these instruments are dependable. Human resource development managers can draw on these findings to choose instruments that have proven reliable and valid.
Originality/value
This study is the first attempt to examine learning style instruments used in Arab countries and to explore whether the reliability and validity of these instruments have been verified in Arab contexts. This paper is a useful contribution to research into learning styles and learning style instruments.
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The year-long campaign to reverse gains made by Huthi militants and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdallah Saleh had been in stalemate for several months. However, in…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB210045
ISSN: 2633-304X
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Geographic
Topical
The purpose of this study aims to synthesize a novel donor–acceptor dye based on phenothiazine as a donor (D) and nonconjugated spacer was devised and synthesized by condensing of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study aims to synthesize a novel donor–acceptor dye based on phenothiazine as a donor (D) and nonconjugated spacer was devised and synthesized by condensing of 2,2'-(1H-indene-1,3(2H)-diylidene) dimalononitrile with aldehyde and the practical synthesis methodology as given in Scheme 1.
Design/methodology/approach
The prepared phenothiazine dye was systematically experimentally and theoretically examined and characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H,13C NMR), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (IR) and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory DT-DFT calculations were implemented to determine the electronic properties of the new dye
Findings
The UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy of the synthesized dye was investigated in a variety of solvents with varying polarities to demonstrate positive solvatochromism correlated with intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). The probe’s quantum yields (Фf) are experimentally measured in ethanol, and the Stokes shifts are found to be in the 4846–9430 cm−1 range.
Originality/value
The findings depicted that the novel (D-π-A) chromophores may act as a significant factor in the organic optoelectronics.
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Kuan-Thye Sean and Muammer Ozer
The purpose of this paper is to study talent retention, which has long been an important area of inquiry across many industries. Consistently, both academicians and practitioners…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study talent retention, which has long been an important area of inquiry across many industries. Consistently, both academicians and practitioners have recommended several “posthire” solutions to retain employees, such as allowing employees to work from home, providing them with flexible work schedules, promoting a work–life balance and rewarding good performance. In this study, the authors focus on how the “prehire” career-related characteristics of call center agents and their personality traits relate to their turnover intentions. This is important because selecting the right person at the employee selection stage can prevent firms from trying to retain someone who is likely to quit his/her job.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors surveyed 442 employees working in the call centers of a major multinational logistics company across China and Malaysia and used covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) to test the model.
Findings
The results showed that call center agents who reapplied for a job in the current company had lower turnover intentions than first-time applicants. Similarly, call center agents who provided supplementary information during their application had lower turnover intentions than the ones who did not provide any such information. As for the personality traits, the results indicated that while the call center agents’ agreeableness and openness to experience were positively associated with their turnover intentions, their consciousness and emotional stability were negatively associated with them.
Originality/value
This study shows the uniqueness of Asian emerging markets and the call center industry by presenting several interesting patterns that are different from those that have been found in other industries.