Theses for Business Management

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    Factors Determining SMEs Intention to Access Alternative Financing in Emerging Markets: Evidence from the UAE
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2023-11) SHAH, SHAZIA; Professor Husam Aldin Al-Malkawi
    Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in driving economic growth, fostering innovation, and creating employment opportunities in the UAE. Despite their significance, SMEs often face a persistent challenge namely the funding gap. The realm of alternative finance presents a valuable opportunity for SMEs in the UAE to address their funding gaps. However, there seems to be a gap in SMEs' understanding of the viability of alternative finance mechanisms and their willingness to explore such funding sources. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the factors that may shape SMEs' inclination to adopt alternative finance in emerging markets, with a particular emphasis on the UAE market. Previous research has primarily focused on SMEs' access to bank finance, leaving alternativefinance underexplored, particularly in the context of the UAE. This study addresses this research gap by providing empirical evidence, proper measurement, and conclusive findings. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the factors influencing SMEs' intention to access alternative finance in the UAE such as level of complexity in using alternative finance mechanisms, SME owner/manager perceived trust and risk towards alternative finance, credit terms of alternative finance sources, visibility of alternative finance in the UAE, social/peer influence on SME, innovativeness, and financial literacy of SME owner/ manager. This study examines variety of factors simultaneously to assess SMEs intention to access non-bank financing and to the best of the researcher’s knowledge, no systematic study in the UAE is conducted to test such robust relationship till date. The study employed a convenience sampling and purposive sampling techniques to target 40x0 SMEs from various dominant business sectors in the UAE. A questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data, which was then analyzed using binary logistic regression to bridge the gap between theory and practice and enhance existing theories. A total of 430 samples were gathered over a duration of 6 months for the purpose of data analysis, thereby culminating the research process. The collected sample was larger than the target sample. This study represents one of the earliest investigations in the UAE and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region to identify strong predictors enabling SMEs willingness to access alternative finance. The study has theoretical as well as practical contribution. The theoretical framework of the research study is based on the technology-organization-environment framework, also known as the TOE framework, that explains technology adoption in organizations and describes how the process of adopting and implementing technological innovations are influenced by the technological context, organizational context, and environmental context (Tornatzky and Fleischer 1990). This study not only tested the TOE framework in the UAE context but extended the framework of the theory by adding individual context testing the relationship between financial literacy of owner/manager of SME and their intention to access alternative finance. The research findings strongly support the significance of innovation, credit terms of alternative finance, visibility of alternative finance, and SME owner/manager financial literacy within the TOE framework in predicting the intention of SME owners/managers to utilize alternative finance. However, complexity, perceived trust, and perceived risk associated with alternative finance have been found to be insignificant as there is no relationship found of these variables with SMEs intention to access alternative financing. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers, regulators, and SME owners/managers on the theoretical and practical benefits of alternative finance for driving the growth and development of SMEs in emerging markets, particularly in the UAE.
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    Analysing Factors Influencing AI Implementation Effectiveness in the UAE Public Sector
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2023-10) ALAWADHI, JASSIM; Professor Stephen Wilkins
    This research examines factors influencing AI implementation effectiveness in the public sector. Governments globally compete to advance public sector services and transform public services to digital to fulfil continuous citizens and business demands to reach the expectation of state-of-the-art services. Thus, governments worldwide are racing to utilise advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Hence, governments implement Artificial Intelligence systems to develop cutting-edge platforms, serving as a base for the government's journey to AI-based government transformation. Existing literature reveals that organisations' cognitive technology projects fail to meet their successful implementation. Therefore, the AI-deployed system fails to deliver the expected performance and objective outcome. Further, scholars discuss gaps in AI field literature and reveal the absence of public sector articles since most AI articles are technical. Also, there is a literature gap in empirical quantitative theory-based research and research measuring the effectiveness of AI system implementation. Moreover, scholars reveal that nations' AI strategies are inspirational and lack implementation guidance. Consequently, this research aims to fill the gap in the literature by creating a theory-based, quantitative study to examine factors that influence the implementation effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence in the public sector at the organisational level from a technology, organisation, and environment perspective. Based on the extensive literature review, the thesis formulates a theoretical framework that combines the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI), the Institutional Theory (INT), and the Technology – Organisation – Environment Framework (T.O.E) to act as the researcher's lens to view the study world. This study tested hypotheses based on literature and existing theories. Hence, the researcher adopted objectivist worldwide ontology, positivist epistemology, explanatory deductive reasoning, and a quantitative method as study philosophy to examine the relationship between the study factors. The research findings indicate a significant relationship between study factors. However, the results show a lack of significance between technology compatibility, usability, and effectiveness of AI implementation. Further, the study results reveal an insignificant relationship between culture impact and AI implementation effectiveness in the UAE public sector. The research implies that public sector top management is critical to AI system implementation; therefore, public sector top management must have cognitive technology knowledge and understand the Technology – organisation – Environment aspects for implementing AI systems. To effectively implement AI systems, top management should plan strategically to retain organisation data with quality, create a collaborative culture, strategically demonstrate the organisation's competitive advantage, cooperate with human resources to hire AI expertise to lead AI-based projects and adopt an implementation framework.
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    Factors Impacting Patient Loyalty in the Government Hospitals of Dubai: How can we Reduce Patient Attrition?
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2024-01) NASSIR, ABDULRAHMAN HASSAN; Dr Abdelmounaim Lahrech
    Abstract Patient attrition in the government hospitals of Dubai has emerged as a critical concern in recent years, highlighting the need for comprehensive research to address this issue. This quantitative research study aims to unravel the intricate interplay between integrated care, patient safety measures, doctor quality, and patient attrition within the context of government healthcare facilities in Dubai. Patient attrition, often referred to as patient turnover or the loss of patients from a healthcare facility's care continuum, has been a growing challenge faced by government hospitals in Dubai. Factors contributing to patient attrition include patients seeking care outside the government healthcare system, discontinuing treatment prematurely, or experiencing dissatisfaction with the care they receive. Understanding the underlying causes and relationships between various healthcare variables is crucial to mitigate patient attrition and improve the overall quality of care in government hospitals. The research questions encompass a broad spectrum of factors influencing patient attrition and healthcare performance in the unique healthcare landscape of Dubai. The study delves into the extent of integrated care provided to patients, the correlation between patient safety measures and patient attrition, the impact of patients' perceptions of doctor quality on their healthcare-seeking behaviour and the specific aspects of integrated care influencing patient safety. Additionally, it investigates how the integration of patient care affects doctors' performance and development, and how doctor quality impacts the implementation of safety protocols in patient care. To achieve these objectives, this study employs both Statistical Package for Social Sciences and Partial Least Sqaure Method for a comprehensive quantitative analysis tailored to the context of government hospitals in Dubai. The research hypotheses guide the investigation, positing the positive significant effects of integrated care, patient safety, and doctor quality on patient attrition. Furthermore, the research explores the mediating roles of patient safety and doctor quality between integrated care and patient attrition, as well as their combined mediating effect. This research aims to provide valuable insights into optimising healthcare delivery within government hospitals in Dubai by shedding light on the relationships and mechanisms underlying patient attrition, patient safety, doctor quality, and integrated care. The findings will be essential for healthcare administrators, policymakers, and practitioners, offering evidence-based strategies to enhance patient satisfaction, safety, and the overall experience in the government healthcare system of Dubai. Key words: Customer Attrition Patient Attrition Integrated care of patient Patient safety Quality of doctor
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    Influence of Firm-Actor Integration on Value Co-creation within Base of Pyramid Market Ecosystems
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2023-04) JOHN, RESHMA DAS; Professor Stephen Wilkins
    Academic and practitioner interest in the very low-income or Base of Pyramid (BOP) markets has been on the rise for the past two decades, resulting in considerable insights into the challenges and opportunities involved in introducing market-based solutions to alleviate poverty among the poorest of the poor in the world. However, in spite of much scholarly work, several facets of the dynamics of strategy implementation and operationalisation at the BOP firm and consumer levels remain obscure. This study aims to illuminate one of these aspects, namely, the influence of the integration of the firm and the multiple actors on the value that is co-created within viable market ecosystems. Theoretical lenses from the Viable Systems Approach (VSA), Stakeholder Theory and Social Network Analysis are utilised to examine the various aspects of the research problem. A multiple-case-study design has been adopted for exploring the nature of integration and the location of value co-creation leading to a successful market-based ecosystem. An Actor-Classification typology matrix and a Value Co-creation ‘Cloud’ framework are proposed in the conceptual framework and examined during the empirical part of the study. The findings of the study lend initial support for the proposition that increased bonding between the firm-actors and the community-actors can lead to an enhanced value co-creation ‘cloud’ which spreads its benefits over multiple categories of actors in the ecosystem. Besides this, the study also presents a detailed set of factors which appears to strengthen the firm-actor bonds, and explains the process through which these relationships are formed. The study contributes towards an improved understanding of the dynamics that support the development and sustenance of strong and sustainable bonds by the firm with the multiple actor-groups, as well as explains their influence on the value co-generated within the BOP ecosystem.
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    The Impact of Institutional Support, Cluster Involvement, and Absorptive Capacity on Innovation and Market Performance in Industry Clusters in the UAE
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2023-01) ABDULQADER, AHMED IBRAHIM M.; Professor Stephen Wilkins
    While industry clusters can enhance a firm’s resources and improve performance, judging the role such clusters play in developing countries, such as the UAE, without assessing the pertinent institutional factors surrounding these firms and their capabilities provides an imperfect portrayal of such clusters. The existing literature regarding industry clusters often overlooks the role of the cluster facilitators in supporting firms through the institutions they create and the knowledge they enrich for their members and further neglects the concept that firms within clusters are heterogeneous in terms of their capabilities; hence, they do not capitalise on the benefits equally. This research explores the effect of institutional support and cluster involvement on the innovation performance of the firms within industry clusters in the UAE while considering a firm’s absorptive capacity as a mediator. This research relied on the institution-based view (IBV), the resource-based view (RBV), and dynamic capabilities theories to develop the conceptual framework and adopts a quantitative approach. Data was collected from 225 companies within various industry clusters in the UAE and analysed using Structured Equation Modelling (SEM). Unexpected findings revealed that the institutional support and cluster involvement are insufficient to improve innovation performance directly. Industry clusters may improve a firm’s innovation performance through the mediation effect of the absorption capacity of firms which partially mediates the relationship between cluster involvement and innovation performance and fully mediates the same relationship with institutional support. This research is among the first attempts to integrate the IBV, RBV, and dynamic capabilities theories to explain how industry clusters can improve clustered firms’ innovation performance. On a practical note, the findings highlight the importance of cluster involvement and the progressive development of organisational learning systems to exploit the benefits of being located in an industry cluster.
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    Factors Affecting Internal Audit Effectiveness: Evidence from GCC Region
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2023-05) ABDELRAHIM, AYMAN ABDELLATIF; Professor Husam Al-Malkawi
    The role of the internal audit (IA) function in companies has evolved dramatically over the last two decades, and has become increasingly important to support audit committees and senior management. An effective IA provides audit committees and senior management with insights, assurance, and opportunities to improve the company’s internal control, risk management, and governance processes. However, IA effectiveness is influenced by many factors. This study aimed to examine factors that influenced the effectiveness of the IA function in publicly listed companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and examine the moderating effect of senior management support. Specifically, the factors that examined in this study were IA independence, IA size, IA staff competence, the relationship between IA and the audit committee, adopting a risk-based audit by IA, adopting a quality assurance and improvement program by IA, the role of IA in leading combined assurance implementation, cooperation between IA and external auditor, and senior management support. Existing literature emphasizes the need for research to examine factors that influence the effectiveness of the IA function, especially as few studies have been conducted on this topic. To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, this is the first empirical academic study in this area that covered all the GCC countries. This study contributes to the IA literature in different ways. First, by testing the relationship between the role of IA in leading combined assurance implementation and IA effectiveness. Second, by examining the moderating role of senior management support in the relationships between the aforesaid factors and IA effectiveness. Third, by testing new relationships, to the researcher’s knowledge, this is the first study that examines the relationship between IA role in leading combined assurance implementation and IA effectiveness, also this is the first study that examines the moderating role of senior management support between the relationship of IA effectiveness and the following factors: IA size; IA relationship with audit committee; adopting risk-based audit by IA; adopting a quality assurance and improvement program by IA; IA role in leading combined assurance implementation. In addition, this study expands the application of agency theory and institutional theory, also expands the literature and provides new insights into the factors that affect IA effectiveness and the moderating role of senior management support. This study employed a quantitative deductive approach. Data were collected by using a web-based questionnaire that was completed by 207 chief audit executives working in the GCC publicly listed companies. The results revealed that IA independence, IA size, IA staff competence, adopting a quality assurance and improvement program by IA, and the role of IA in leading combined assurance implementation were factors that positively and significantly affected IA effectiveness. Whereas, the relationship between IA and the audit committee, adopting a risk-based audit by IA, cooperation between IA and external auditor, and senior management support were factors that did not significantly affect IA effectiveness. Moreover, the results showed that senior management support, as a moderator between the examined factors and IA effectiveness, strengthened the relationships between IA effectiveness and IA independence, IA staff competence, and adopting a risk-based audit by IA. However, the results showed that senior management support as a moderator dampened the relationships between IA effectiveness and the relationship between IA and the audit committee, adopting a quality assurance and improvement program by IA, and the role of IA in leading combined assurance implementation. In addition, the findings suggested that senior management support did not play a moderating role in the relationships between IA effectiveness and IA size and cooperation between IA and external auditor. Furthermore, this study drew on the agency and institutional theories, and contributed to the internal auditing knowledge by applying these two different theories to identify factors that affect IA effectiveness and determine the importance of these factors in shaping IA effectiveness. Moreover, this study applies agency theory to explain the relationship between senior management and IA and explain the moderating role of senior management in reducing information asymmetry between senior management and the board through the support provided by senior management to IA function and interactions with factors that influenced IA effectiveness. In addition, this study contributes to institutional theory by emphasizing the isomorphic behavior of IA functions in companies and considering a broad set of factors and their influence on IA effectiveness. Finally, this study offered several policy implications for IA practitioners, audit committees, senior management, and external auditor, also offer policy implications for policy-makers, and regulators in the GCC countries that may help them to enhance corporate governance legislations.
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    Exploring the Impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology Implementation at the Individual and Team Levels_
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2023-05) AL ALI, AISHA Jr
    The public sector is under increasing pressure to deliver efficient services, attain high levels of customer satisfaction, and meeting the pressing societal needs. Consequently, there is need for the implementation of technology to ensure efficiency within the public sector organizations. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of the useful technologies available for organizations to enhance efficiency and deliver quality and satisfactory services to customers. The purpose of this dissertation was to carry out an assessment of AI technology implementation in the operational workplace processes and its impact at the individual and team level. The study is qualitative and involved in depth exploration of AI technology implementation in two governmental entities, referred to as Organization X and Organization Z. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 participants from Organization X and 16 from Organization Z. The participants were involved in AI technology implementation within their operational workplace processes and were highly informative about the impact of AI implementation at the individual and team levels. The textual data collected through the interviews was thematically analyzed using traditional thematic analysis. The findings underlined the impact of AI in enhancing employee autonomy through independent decision-making. AI also enhances competence through learning how to apply complex technologies in delivering services to citizen. In addition, AI enhance employee relatedness through increased connectedness emanating from data sharing across departments. AI implementation also leads to increased team integration through cooperative working. Finally, AI implementation advances creativity and innovativeness through the discovery of new ideas to improve the organization by employees. The study specifically contributes to the research question, the SDT theory, team effectiveness theory, and AI technology research. The first contribution of the research is that it enhanced the comprehension of how the autonomy of employees in the use of AI could be manipulated to achieve greater levels of innovation through AI. Second, the study contributed to the understanding of how both the SDT theory and the team effectiveness theories could be used in the implementation of AI at the individual and team level by emphasizing how employees could complement each other’s skills, collaborate, and solve problems while using high technological capacities such as AI. Keywords: AI, autonomy, competence, team integration, creativity, Dubai, relatedness
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    The Impact of Dynamic Managerial Capabilities on Response Strategies to Disruptive Innovation: The Mediating Role of Unlearning and Moderating Role of Managerial Discretion
    (The British University in Dubai, 2023-05) MADI-ODEH, RANA B. S.
    This thesis utilizes the upper echelon theory, and dynamic capability view of the firm, to address the impact of dynamic managerial capabilities (i.e., managerial human capital, managerial social capital, and managerial cognition) on response strategies to disruptive innovation (i.e., adaptive, and defiant resistant response strategies) in established professional service firms operating in the Emirate of Dubai. Additionally, it tested the impact of individual and organizational unlearning as serial mediators, and managerial discretion as a moderator, on the above-mentioned relation. Adopting a philosophy inclined to positivism, this deductive and quantitative investigation followed a survey strategy, and employed questionnaire as a data collection tool. The questionnaire was established based on adopted measures from previous literature, pre-tested and piloted, before final data collection commenced to its total count of (491) responses. Utilizing (IBM-SPSS 26.0) and (IBM- Amos 23.0), data were analyzed through covariance-based structural equation modelling technique (SEM). The findings of this investigation revealed interesting, and somehow unexpected insights. Contrary to the expectations, managerial human capital indicators (i.e., experience, education, and training) failed to predict for any of the identified response strategies. However, managerial social capital indicators (i.e., social capital from relations with government and community leaders, and social capital from relations with top managers at other business firms) had contrasting results. While the first indicator was expected to predict adaptive response strategies, it did not. Rather, it predicted for defiant resistant strategy. The second indicator successfully predicted the adaptive response strategy, as hypothesized. Finally, managerial cognition indicators (opportunity, and threat cognitive perceptions) played their hypothesized role in relation to response strategies, where opportunity cognitive perception predicted adaptive strategy adoption, and threat cognitive perception predicted the defiant resistant. Unlearning (individual and organizational) significantly and serially mediated the significant identified relations. Managerial discretion was not moderating it. This study contributes in many ways to theory and practice. Theoretically, new insights have been retrieved on the applicability of the upper echelon theory in the research context. A contribution is made in terms of partially unpacking the relational black box of the theory. The study also provided interesting insights on the somehow taken for granted significance of the dynamic managerial capabilities (i.e., managerial human capital, and managerial social capital) and the role they play in responding to disruptive innovation. It also contributed to the enrichment of the literature on upper echelon theory, dynamic managerial capabilities, and disruptive innovation, by providing an empirical and quantitative evidence which the literature lacks, as it highlighted the role of endogenous factors (i.e., dynamic managerial capabilities) in predicting strategic behaviour of established firms (i.e., response strategies to disruptive innovation). It has also emphasized that established firms do respond to disruptive innovation, contrary to the common argument of established firms’ lack of response. Practically, this study provides important empirically supported insights for managers and practitioners regarding the impact of dynamic managerial capabilities on response strategies to disruptive innovation adopted by established firms. In addition to those responsible for developing and selecting executives in organizations, it provides empirical evidence on which capability might affect adaptive response strategies the most. The findings of this study are of significance to policy makers too, who might need to re-look into their requirements if creative economy and innovation are being pursued.
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    Developing a Framework for Guiding Blockchain Implementation in UAE Public Sector Based on Structuration and Actor Network Theories: A Qualitative Case Study Examination
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2023-02) ALROB, ALLAM MOHAMMAD
    Blockchain is recognised as a radical technological innovation that will influence most sectors in the coming years as it is designed to exchange tangible and intangible assets in a secure distributed ledger. Focusing on the public sector, this study aimed to explore how the public sector can incorporate Blockchain to improve the quality of public sector services while considering the organisational and institutional structure. The research outcome is developing a framework to guide decentralised public sector e-services delivery. The study adopted subjectivist and interpretive philosophical stances and is based on two in-depth case studies of Blockchain implementation in two public sector entities in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Data was collected through 38 semi-structured interviews in the two public sector entities. The data was gathered with relevance to implementing Distributed Ledgers Technology (Blockchain) applications. The study relied on seven conceptual propositions informed by two supporting theoretical frameworks: Actor-Network Theory (ANT) combined with Structuration Theory (ST), which allows researchers to achieve a better understanding of the socio-technical factors and aspects that are associated with and have an impact on the adoption process for Blockchain in public sector organizations.. The analysis of captured data in the two case studies was conducted using NVivo software and was underpinned by the seven conceptual propositions. The study’s findings make several contributions to the Information Technology Management field of study. This study has a theoretical contribution that is founded on the examination of how to combine Structuration and Actor-Network Theories in analysing the adoption of new technology. The study integrated both theories to develop a framework to guide decentralised public sector e-services delivery and help decision-makers in the public sector to appropriately determining how Blockchain implementation could be achieved in both sustainable and scalable manners. A practical contribution is found in increasing our understanding of how and why the public sector can adopt Blockchain to change the service delivery approach.
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    The mediating role of Place Brand Image in the relationship between place branding communication strategies and Foreign Direct Investment
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2022-02) ALANSAARI, MOHAMED EISA
    The main aim of this study was to identify and examine the mediating role of place brand image in the relationship between place brand communication strategies and FDI attraction. This quantitative study intended to bridge the gap of research regarding the relationship between place brand image, place branding and FDI attraction. In this regard, this thesis will explore how place branding, place brand image impacts the attraction of FDI. The study develops a novel model to understand the relationship between the concepts. Using the investment path development paradigm (IDP) as a starting point for this study. The thesis will specifically look into the five factors classified as to having an effect on FDI attraction: cost factors, market factors, infrastructure and technological factors, political and legal factors, social and cultural factors and examine how they relate to place branding and place brand image. Noting that the IDP model does not incorporate ‘soft factors’ in the model specifically place brand image this thesis incorporated the theories of corporate branding which developed a place brand communication model that includes three types of place brand communication strategies which effect place brand image and utilised the place brand image scale of past research to understand the relationship of the concepts. This holistic approach is seen to be highly rewarding in having a stronger view on FDI attraction factors and has not been applied by scholars before. One of the main anticipated contributions to knowledge is that it verify that place brand image is an important factor that needs to be incorporated in the FDI attraction model. This study is of importance because it makes several contributions to the place branding literature. First, it will provide significant data on the impact of place brand communication strategies on a place brand image. Moreover, undertaking the research will enable governments to adopt various policies and strategies aimed at creating a positive place brand and ultimately enable countries to understand the dimension and scope of place branding and its relationship to attracting foreign direct investments. Thus, the research will provide a theoretical and practical guide to the best practices place branding communication strategies in a cities’s context. Looking at the past studies in the area, it can be seen that this kind of research is lacking.
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    Exploring the role of co-production in enhancing happiness and well-being in the UAE
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2023-01) ALYAMMAHI, ABDULLA JUMAH
    The aim of this research is to discover the views, practices and advice of experienced employees and citizens on how co-production can enhance happiness and well-being. The global challenges led governments all over the world to believe in the role of co-production in providing effective public services for citizens to increase their happiness and well-being. However, the literature of co-production as a factor for happiness and well-being has not been given much attention and remains limited or confined to certain factors such as wealth, health, and employment. The study applied a qualitative method utilising semi-structured interviews with 35 participants. The sample was divided into two groups. The first group consisted of the employees from the Ministry of Interior (MOI) who already managed some co-production practices. The second group was the citizens who have already experienced the co-production process with the (MOI). The data analysis was accomplished using Nvivo. The research found that there is a strong belief in the role of co-production in enhancing the levels of happiness and well-being. In addition, the findings revealed that there is a need for a comprehensive strategy for co-production with a set of skills that co-producers should have. The thesis also sheds light on the benefits of co-production, such as enhancing innovation and maintaining sustainability. Moreover, the thesis identified some challenges and barriers that can limit co-production. This thesis can contribute to knowledge by presenting a conceptual framework for co-production and suggest a practical set of required skills of co-production to be considered by public organizations.
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    Envisioning Workforce Agility Through Embracing A Dynamic Capabilities Model
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2022-12) SHAKHOUR, NOUR
    This empirical research study investigates how dynamic talent management capabilities as a strategic asset contribute to employee agility as a necessary organizational outcome. Through the mediating effects of absorptive capacity and strategic agility as robust dynamic capabilities, under the moderation effect of adaptive organizational culture. The research context is knowledge workers, which has not been a very popular research context in relation to the examined constructs compared to information technology companies, including Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (Ajgaonkar, Neelam & Wieman, 2022) and manufacturing (Gunasekaran, 1999). The finding is based on a deductive quantitative research design using a positivist approach and a cross-sectional survey collected from knowledge workers holding managerial roles working within the UAE with a sample size of 406 at a 95% confidence interval. The data was analyzed through a covariance-based approach to structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) using IBM SPSS-AMOS version 26. The finding indicates a statistically significant positive relationship between dynamic talent management capabilities and employee agility, both direct and sequential, through the mediating effect of absorptive capacity and strategic agility. Unlike the traditional human resources practices that were widely accepted, it hardly leads to a direct impact on organizational performance.
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    Financial Technology, Customer Experience, Behaviour and Banks Financial Performance: The Case of United Arab Emirates
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2022-11) ALMASAFRI, AMAL HAZEEM SAEED HAZEEM
    The primary aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the experiences of users towards Fintech on the banks' financial performance, testing the intermediation role of confirmation, familiarity and customer satisfaction, in light of Expectation Confirmation Theory. In the study, a quantitative approach is used to study the hypothetical associations on the conceptual framework. This thesis collected data from primary and secondary sources, utilizing surveys and bank financial reports. The data was collected from 590 valid surveys and 11 banks' financial reports during Covid-19 pandemic. The research shows how Fintech enhances banks’ profitability. The results reveal that economic, perceived service quality, security risk, operational risk, financial risk are the main factors that met customer expectations after Fintech was experienced. Furthermore, confirmation also has a positive effect on customer satisfaction – moderated by familiarity - and customer satisfaction has a significant relationship with customer intentions and loyalty. In addition, customer loyalty has a positive relationship with a bank’s financial performance. This research identifies the key factors based on customer evaluation of Fintech services in the banking sector and the moderating effect of user familiarity with Fintech. The results advance the area of knowledge on understanding customer perception of Fintech based on actual usage, which also has practical contributions and theoretical implications. The results reveal that economic benefit and service quality are together positively associated with confirmation, while security, operational and financial risks are significantly associated with confirmation. Both convenience and seamless transaction processing results show that they are not significantly associated with confirmation. The positive effect that confirmation leads further to user satisfaction, loyalty and continuous intention to use Fintech are confirmed, and user’s familiarity is found to be a significant moderator in the relationship between confirmation and satisfaction. There is a significant relationship between confirmation, satisfaction and loyalty, which is related to bank financial performance. This study focuses on the United Arab Emirates bank customers which limit its generalisability to other banks globally, however, banks adopt common standards in the application of financial instruments. The empirical study contributes to advancing the understanding of the benefit and risk factors that have useful implications in users’ experience of Fintech. Based on the fact that bank managers, in general, can benefit from this study’s finding to capitalize on the positive factors, to improve Fintech platforms to meet user’s expectations and remove barriers arising from the risks that ultimately improve financial performance. The finding of not confirming convenience and seamless transaction processing as benefit factors on Fintech bank platform requires serious consideration by the bank managers to develop users’ friendly Fintech platforms in the banks. The results inform the bank managers to develop marketing strategies to consider customers’ level of familiarity with Fintech.
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    Value Co-creation through Social Media Platforms in Hotel Industry: Constructivist Grounded Theory
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2022-03) MOSA, AMANY ABDELKADER SAAD ABDELAATY
    This research is carried out to explore the opportunities for value co-creation and value capture provided by social media, as well as their applicability to strategy development purposes in the context of the hotel industry. For this purpose, a critical review of academic literature is conducted to understand the past research and use the theoretical frameworks of service-dominant logic, absorptive capacity theory, value co-creation, and the use of social media to develop a conceptual framework. The study is aimed at the hotel industry which provides a clear focus to the study and the performed analysis, allowing theory development. The study uses constructivist ground theory methodology to explore value co-creation in the context of the hotel industry. Primary data is collected through semi-structured interviews with 24 experts from six luxury hotels in the UAE. The primary data is analyzed through three-stage coding represented by initial line-by-line, focused, and theoretical coding employed in the data analysis process, in line with the postulates of the Constructivist Grounded Theory paradigm. The secondary research is based on qualitative content analysis of secondary data, represented by 960 social media posts from 12 social media accounts of six luxury hotels in the UAE, characterized by extensive social media activity. The findings of the study present evidence of the influence of social media platforms on value co-creation by combining the SDL and ACT perspective. Furthermore, this research has also acknowledged the importance of social media activities and how it has challenged conventional organizations to react to a co-creation experience. The findings of the study also emphasize the interaction of the 3 components - social media platforms, customer engagement and organizational strategy - through the absorptive capacity theory dimensions can only lead to effective value co-creation in the context of service-dominant logic. The findings of the study have both theoretical as well as managerial implications which are discussed. In the hotel industry, the findings of the study present a strong case for use of social media platforms and for value co-creation in hotel industry.
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    Constructing a successful career in the Fourth Industrial Revolution for young graduates in the UAE
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2022-09) AHMED, AYMAN MOUSTAFA HANAFY
    A lifetime career, job security, promotions, and career development in one organization are no longer guaranteed for young graduates. Today, during the fourth industrial revolution, career ambiguity and rapid changes in the nature of work have presented young graduates with many challenges in constructing their careers. For example, globalization, advances in technology, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the trend towards more information and service-based business have required individuals to have a clear career path and to be adaptable, flexible, and proactive in their career behavior. In recent years, and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, young graduates have found it increasingly difficult to secure full-time employment with career prospects, and many individuals have begun questioning the meaning of their jobs and careers (Baruch and Sullivan, 2022; Duffy et al., 2016; Trevor-Roberts et al., 2018). Due to technological advancements, economic changes, and global competition, individuals often have to change employer or retrain for a new career. To respond to changing labor market needs and job opportunities, individuals need to carefully plan and manage their career development, improving both their career competencies and commitment. Career competencies have become important in today’s labor markets (Kong et al., 2012), so that individuals can obtain, retain, and effectively manage their careers (Heijde and Van Der Heijden, 2006). Employees worldwide are experiencing uncontrollable job losses and career interruptions (Ng et al., 2005). Accordingly, individuals are required to pay high attention to managing and shaping their careers to address the complex and unpredictable changes in business. Akkermans et al. (2012) identified three categories of career competencies – namely reflective, communicative and behavioral – which reflect the four perspectives of boundaryless career, protean career, career self-management, and human capital. Few studies have examined the effects of boundaryless and protean career competencies components on young graduates’ subjective career success. To our knowledge, only Eby et al. (2003) have investigated the impact of boundaryless career competencies on young graduates, while other studies investigated boundaryless career competencies in general, with less emphasize on specifying which component significantly impacts career success (e.g., Akkermans and Tims, 2017; Blokker et al., 2019; Cappellen and Janssens 2008; Francis-Smythe et al., 2013; Kuijpers et al., 2006; Park, 2020). To our knowledge, no study has examined the effects of protean career competencies components on young graduates’ career success. Additionally, all the research that has investigated the impacts of career commitment (career planning, career resilience, and career identity) on career success are general and did not specify which component of career commitment has the superior impact on career success (Ballout, 2009; Carson et al., 1999; Day and Allen, 2004; Karavardar, 2014; Najam et al., 2020; Poon, 2004; Sultana et al., 2016). This research aims to assess the significant impacts of the different components of career competencies and career commitment on young graduates’ career success, and how these individuals construct their careers in the fourth industrial revolution. Thus, the study seeks to answer the following research questions: • To what extent do career competencies impact upon the career success of young graduates in the fourth industrial revolution? • To what extent does career commitment impact upon career success of young graduates in the fourth industrial revolution? • How do young graduates build successful careers during the fourth industrial revolution? The study adopted a quantitative, deductive, cross-sectional research method to explain how young graduates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) construct their successful careers in the fourth industrial revolution. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the combined impacts of career competencies and career commitment components on recent graduate career success. This research contributes to boundaryless career, protean career, and career construction theory, by improving our understanding of the role of the various components within the related constructs. In addition, it addresses a recent call for more research that investigates aspects of job crafting, whereby individuals make changes to their jobs or job roles to make better use of their skills and abilities and to ensure their career development (Tims et al., 2022). By examining the impacts of career competencies and career commitment components on subjective career success, the study also makes a useful contribution to the career success literature, which contains considerable ambiguity and contradictions. Since existing studies were mostly undertaken in Western countries, this study, which was conducted in an Arab Gulf/Middle Eastern context, allows us to account for the possible influences of economic, political and social factors, such as culture and religion, as well as the composition of labor forces in this region (there are very high proportions of expatriate labor in some Arab Gulf countries).
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    Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Institutionalisation in the UAE: The Complex Interactions Between Health Policy Context, Actors, and Content in a Health Policy Reform
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2022-02) AHMAD, MAISS
    Innovative technologies are credited with significant improvements in health indicators, but they come at a high financial impact. Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is a universally established tool to rationally assess the value of health innovations. Despite its acknowledged value, almost one-third of countries have not institutionalised HTA in their systems yet. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a pioneering country in adopting health innovations, this emphasises the importance of exploring when and how the UAE will establish the HTA in its health system to guide the decision-making process of adopting innovative health technologies. This study aims to provide an in-depth health policy analysis of an ongoing, and prospective HTA institutionalisation process. This case study used a hybrid framework combining the Walt-Gilson triangle, the Dunlop and Raedelli framework, stakeholder analysis, and policy participation rules. Data were collected from document reviews and semi-structured interviews and analysed by the codebook thematic analysis. The findings outline multiple interlinked facilitators and challenges in the predicted HTA establishment process. While certain elements were found to be associated with certain phases in the envisioned process, policy learning and policy participation rules were found to be associated with all the phases of the process, and, therefore, require the most political and scientific attention. The originality of this research lies in designing and testing a new hybrid framework to examine health policy reforms. The findings are projected to support global organisations, academics, and HTA policy entrepreneurs in designing more effective HTA policy learning programmes.
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    Students' Staying and Supportive Intentions at Federal Higher Education Institutions in the United Arab Emirates
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2022-06) ALHASSANI, AMAL ABDULLA
    In a highly competitive higher education environment where institutions aim to meet the student's needs and expectations, quality of service is a key stander for measuring the level of excellence in higher education among institutions. Furthermore, concepts such as student satisfaction, student retention, and the institution's reputation have become a strategic concern for private and public institutions as it has a strong impact on students and thus on the institution's performance and their ability to enhance the better services. The main literature gap of the thesis is to focus on university retention rates, as the majority of student dropouts happen in the first year of their study. The dropout rate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) higher education sector is high and reached 14% in 2017 in the federal institutions, as compared to a global rate of below 10%. The purpose of this research is to examine the factors influencing undergraduate students' retention from the university during their first year by studying two federal institutions in the UAE and how the institution can improve the retention procedures to keep the students till they complete their degree. Moreover, it aims to investigate the mediation impact of student satisfaction on the five antecedents of satisfaction: Perceived Service Quality of Teaching (QTS), Student Life and Support (SLS), Social Identification (SI), Organizational Identification (OI), and Institution Reputation (RE). Additionally, it aims to propose a new and clear conceptual framework to support higher education institutions (HEIs) by examining the literature and analyzing new data to find recommendations to help to increase the retention rate by identifying the factors that influence how students interact with and support their HEIs. The thesis research employs a quantitative method, as data were collected using questionnaires from 444 undergraduate students who were in their first year in two UAE federal institutions. A conceptual model was developed and tested by using SPSS and AMOS, which included an assessment of possible common method bias (CMB) and mediation analysis. To analyze the data, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied where they explored the associations between the eight constructs and, then, utilized the structural equation model (SEM) to test a theoretical model described by a set of basic hypotheses, with the aim of explaining the relationship between perceived quality of the educational services, student satisfaction, student retention, institution reputation and examining the possible effects of these relationships on students’ support or intention to stay in the institution. The findings showed that student satisfaction mostly fully mediates the relationships between the five antecedents’ factors of satisfaction and both Intention to Stay and Supportive Intentions. The institution's reputation, organizational identification, and student life and support are the very strongest predictors of satisfaction among students. Organizational identification is a strong forecaster for student achievement, promise, and fulfillment levels in organizational settings. It is an effective organizational identification that is a strong forecaster of student commitment and gratification for substantiating student-level achievement. Learning is often tangled with social identification of academic level performance. Shared identity is approached as they perceive in-group members to have dissonance in university-level learning. The values in management programs are identified through satisfaction and self-esteem in broader terms. In addition, student life and support can also play a big change in the level of student satisfaction as most students are looking for the high-quality services that should be provided by institutions, especially in facilities like libraries, classrooms, laboratories, restaurants, clubs, accommodation, and so on, where they spend most of their time so the student is always looking for an enjoyable place that the university can provide parallel with an excellent education. The originality of the study emerged from the limited studies that have examined the effect of institution reputation on student satisfaction so It made an important theoretical contribution in that the findings help to articulate that reputation of the institution has not been sufficiently examined in the literature related to higher education or to the marketing of international institutions and quality services. The thesis developed a new concept by paying attention to the role of the institution’s reputation as one of the important factors for students. Furthermore, mediation analysis for the five antecedents of satisfaction on staying and supporting is a new contribution to the literature. On the other hand, the practical implications of the study provide the HEIs with insights and new information on how they can improve their strategies by rising the gap of low rate of retention and improving the level of both student satisfaction. These results will reflect positively on student education and will benefit both academics and practitioners in higher education. This study is one of the first to focus on first-year undergraduate students and how they settle into life in higher education. Furthermore, existing studies have only focused on two or three independent variables, while this study combines more independent variables, to assess how students judge a university’s services and their overall experience in HEI. Finally, retention of the students helps an institution gain a competitive advantage as it indicates the ability to make their students happy and satisfied. If the antecedents of satisfaction offered by the universities are meeting the expectations of the students, it will increase their level of satisfaction. These are steps that follow one after the other and are highly dependent on each other to operate properly. Hence, it can be said that factors such as reputation, quality, identification, and satisfaction are all interrelated and important for all higher education institutions.
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    The Effects of New Public Management on Managers’ Work-Life Balance and Behavior
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2020-09) AL HEBSI, AHMED
    Through delivery and coordination of citizen services and government operations, the public sector plays a crucial economic role in most emerging and developed nations. In this context, the study aims to evaluate the outcome of new public management (NPM) on managers’ work-life balance (WLB) and behaviours. NPM is a critical approach adopted by government and public service institutions in the running of public service organisations. This study is inspired by the establishment of a centralised NPM in Abu Dhabi in 2010, which aimed to ensure that all services are delivered in a timely manner and within the expectations of all citizens. To date, only limited research has evaluated the impact of NPM on managers’ work-life balance and behaviours, which provides the rationale for this research. In order to achieve the aims of the study, data were collected through two rounds of semi-structured interviews with 21 managers employed in Abu Dhabi’s public sector. These data were supplemented with secondary data sources, which included journals and industry reports. The factors identified in this study include how WLB, organisation citizenship behaviours (OCB) and loyalty are influenced by NPM. It was found that the public sector has shifted its framework towards greater customer satisfaction, which has led to an increase in the workload of the managers. In addition, the results identified that two-thirds of the participants did not suffer from poor WLB due to NPM, although the remaining one-third did. While several participants agreed that this management style has affected their work and personal life, the attitudes of several managers remained positive. One of the primary reasons for this result was identified as being the extent of the NPM implemented in the organisation. For instance, participants who did not depict poor WLB were employed in organisations that did not report an extensive use of the private sector. In addition, the participants maintained positive attitudes to the increase in job responsibility, often stating that an increased scope of work was a natural phenomenon that came with the job. Moreover, where the organisations removed a level of hierarchy, this was often viewed as being beneficial as it reduced the number of reports. Several participants believed that while this management style resulted in a greater workload, it was towards achieving greater outcomes, and it enhanced their productivity, accountability and autonomy. One of the reasons for the limited impact of NPM on the WLB of managers could be the high levels of OCB that they displayed. In addition, the majority of the participants also depicted strong loyalty to the organisation that they worked with. However, the results do indicate that some of the participants suffered from poor WLB and that this negatively influenced their loyalty, but not their OCB. Age, sex, and nationality did not appear to have an influence on any of the proposed relationships. Participants with poor WLB depicted several key differences from their counterparts who had good WLB. The main differing factors included the manner in which NPM was implemented and the negative attitude of the participants when faced with an increasing workload. The key significance of the present study lies in its difference from prior research carried out in other contexts. Prior research has outlined that NPM leads to poor WLB in other countries. However, in the context of the UAE, as the findings have depicted, the link between NPM and poor WLB does not always hold true. One of the reasons could be the level and the innovative manner in which NPM has been applied in the organisations. Furthermore, the context of the UAE can also be attributed to the difference in the results. For instance, the general cultural attitude of the workforce in the UAE is geared towards achieving career success which could lead to them viewing additional responsibilities as part of their success. In addition, contributing to the success and prosperity of the nation could also be a factor.
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    NON-WORK-RELATED FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE WORK COMMITMENT OF GENERATION Y UAE NATIONALS
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2021-07) ALHEFEITI, KHOLOUD SAEED
    The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of non-work-related factors on organisational commitment among Generation Y UAE nationals. The three non-work-related factors that were investigated included family influence, neighbourhood influence, as well as religiosity. Organisational commitment is conceptualised into affective commitment, continu-ance commitment, and normative commitment based on existing literature for greater under-standing of how it is manifested by Generation Y UAE nationals within the organisational environment. Based on the purpose of the study, it was determined that Generation Y UAE nationals are individuals aged 21 to 40 years in 2020 and mainly considered those who work in the public sector. To effectively explore the influence of non-work-related factors on organ-isational commitment among Generation Y employees, the qualitative methodology was ap-plied. Both convenience and purposive sampling were used to get the appropriate respondents to take part in the study. With the application of the qualitative methodology, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 30 Generation Y UAE nationals working in different areas of the public sector. Data was analysed using NVIVO and was structured into themes that emerged for easier understanding of the perspective of Generation Y UAE nation-als on non-work-related factors that influence their organisational commitment. From the data that was collected, the results were based on three key non-work-related factors that influence work commitment among Generation Y employees in the UAE. Results were collected in re-gard to each of the three non-work-related factors of family influence, neighbourhood influ-ence, and religiosity. The first result revealed that family influence plays a role in leading to organisational commitment among Generation Y employees in the UAE through of the encour-agement from family members. More so, because of the financial support that family members offer, there is increased commitment to the organisation. The second result indicate that neigh-bourhood influence leads to increased commitment to the organisation. Increased commitment comes about as a consequence of the modern cultures that have been adopted in the neighbour-hood allowing everyone to undertake different roles without being discriminated because of their gender. More so, the fact that neighbours appreciate roles that Generation Y play in the society increases commitment. Lastly, religiosity leads to greater commitment among Genera-tion Y to their organisations especially if the work matches their religious values. Additionally, religiosity advances adherence to the desired ethical standards by Generation Y employees. Generally, it was established in this study that non-work-related factors including family influ-ence, neighbourhood influence, and religiosity lead to increased organisational commitment among Generation Y UAE nationals.
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    The Influence of Supply Chain Collaboration Strategies on Innovation Performance in the Pharmaceutical Industry: The Role of Supply Chain Competence and Absorptive Capacity on the Relationship
    (The British University in Dubai (BUiD), 2022-01) ALZAABI, NOURA MOHAMED
    Embedded under the theory of dynamic capabilities, this study aims to identify how the pharmaceutical industry can achieve innovation performance using supply chain collaboration strategies, and how this relationship is affected by factors such as supply chain competence and absorptive capacity. The present study is underpinned by the dynamic capabilities’ theory as its primary guiding framework. Drawing on dynamic capabilities’ theory, the researcher embedded the present research under a positivist paradigm and adopted a deductive approach. In other words, the research was carried out using quantitative methodology whereby survey responses were collected from 351 pharmaceutical manufacturing industry members. Analysis of the data was carried out using Structured Equation Modelling (SEM) and revealed several key insights. The present research identifies that strategic relationship with supply chain partner is positively linked to innovation performance. In addition, supply chain competence mediates the relationship between supply chain collaboration strategies (strategic relationship with supply chain partner and supplier involvement in NPD) and innovation performance of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. It was also noted that supply chain competence was found to have a positive association with innovation performance. Furthermore, it was noted that the absorptive capacity does not impact the the relationship strength between supply chain collaboration strategies (strategic relationship with supply chain partner and supplier involvement in NPD) and innovation performance of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry The study has bridged an essential gap in the theoretical field of dynamic capabilities theory as only few studies have been conducted linking supply chain and dynamic capabilities. Secondly, the research generates essential knowledge by identifying the indirect link between supply chain collaboration strategies, supply chain competence and innovation performance. Furthermore, the research makes a novel contribution in the field of supply chain competence. The research enables managers in the pharmaceutical industry to obtain a deeper understanding of the advantages of adopting certain beneficial supply chain collaboration strategies to improve innovation performance, through supply chain competence.