The Role of Gender in Leader and
Subordinate Relationship, Job Satisfaction
and Career Prospects for Women in Dubai

ABSTRACT

Although women constitute almost 50% of the global population, they remain underrepresented in senior leadership roles. Recognizing the critical role of women in the economy and helping them advance in the workplace, constitute a huge step forward towards reducing this leadership gender gap. Grounded on the gender and leadership theories, this study examines whether women are more likely to have better career advancement opportunities under women leadership. It argues that female gender-specific work behaviors and attitudes play a significant role on the career prospects of expat women employees in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where unlike the global workforce, women have a higher presence and hold more senior positions in the workplace. The study uses the mixed methodology in which qualitative and quantitative data was collected independently, analyzed separately, and interpreted collectively to investigate to what extent the experiences within the specific local context explain the theories. The quantitative data, collected through surveys, was used to locally test the validity of the theories on women leadership, the role of gender in supervisor and subordinate relationship, and the role of gender in job satisfaction. The qualitative data, collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with women Chapter 1: ABSTRACT leaders explored the women’s career experiences and investigated their growth opportunities. The quantitative data analysis provided full support to the role of gender on leader and subordinate relationship dimension, and no support to the role of gender on job satisfaction and career prospects. The themes emerging from the qualitative analysis highlighted organizational support, and transformational leadership style as contributing factors towards women career advancement to top positions. Collectively, the findings revealed the positive role of transformational leadership that offset the role of gender on women job satisfaction and career progression. the results also highlighted the adapted manifestation of the transformational leadership style within the local context. The findings also revealed the role of the UAE gender equality program and its significant positive effect on the career progression of female employees. Implications, recommendations, and limitations are also discussed.

Keywords: Gender, leadership, job satisfaction, and career progression

Digital Transformation: Risk and
Challenges in Nigeria’s Logistics and
Supply Chain Industry.
Case Study of Jumia Logistics, mds
Logistics and Bollore Transport &
Logistics

ABSTRACT

The chosen topic for the IRP is “DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: RISK AND CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA’S LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN INDUSTRY. CASE STUDY OF JUMIA LOGISTICS, MDS LOGISTICS AND BOLLORE TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS”. The aim of the research is to identify key challenges and risks bedeviling the logistics and supply chain industry in Nigeria vis-à-vis the use of Digital Transformation to address the challenges identified. The research philosophy is based on interpretivism and constructivism which are subjective in nature and the methodological approach is the use of qualitative (inductive) research methods with research data acquired for analysis through the use of survey questionnaire administered to the 3 selected organizational case studies. It’s important to note that the sample size used in qualitative research is usually a small sample size that is adequately reflective of the research objective. For the purpose of this IRP, a sample size of 9 is adopted with 8 responses confirmed for further analysis.

The analysis and results indicate the specific challenges and risks bedeviling the industry and the importance of digital transformation in curbing these challenges. The results also show specific aspects of digital transformation that is critical to the implementation and adoption of digital transformation.

The conclusion shows the digital transformation strategy required by the organizations to implement, adopt and properly apply digital transformation as part of organization wide business strategy for sustainability.

Defining an effective Digital
Transformation
Strategic Framework in a
Knowledge-Based Organization

ABSTRACT

This research focuses on the purpose of a digital strategy for a knowledge-based organization. Identifying the key elements that should be included in a successful digital strategy framework for such an organization, like the OECD. Having an effective digital strategy framework for a knowledge-based organization is key to maintaining leadership in evidence-based analysis and optimizing the use of data, information, and knowledge available through digital means. This requires building out the next generation of policy outputs and other AI-enabled processes, adapting to rapid technological advancements, and ensuring coherence and consistency in data and knowledge management across the organization. A successful digital strategy framework should include design principles, working principles, values, goals, and governance that align with the mission of the organization, guide how work must be approached, and enable better data, information, and knowledge stewardship. A qualitative research approach was undertaken to understand people’s experiences, practical perspectives, and recommended best practices applicable to the research question at hand.

Keywords: Knowledge based, Digital Transformation

Impact of Telehealth on patient outcomes
during COVID-19. A case study at Fakeeh
University Hospital Dubai.

ABSTRACT

Topic: Impact of Telehealth on patient outcomes during COVID-19. A case study at Fakeeh University Hospital Dubai
Aim: The main purpose of this research is to analyze the impact of telehealth services during COVID-19 on patient outcomes, particularly during the time frame of the pandemic December 2020 – February 2022 at Fakeeh University Hospital.
Research Objectives: The study consists of three objectives. (1) To determine and compare patient-physician satisfaction levels from teleconsultation before and during the pandemic. (2) To analyze the impact of teleconsultations without physical examination on physician-patient communication during COVID-19 (3) To investigate the influence of telehealth on the number of admissions to hospitals during COVID-19.
Methodology: A retrospective Mixed method approach was used to answer the research questions using data obtained from an online survey and face-to-face interviews with physicians and patients who used telehealth services. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative analysis and Chi-square tests, systematic measures, and risk estimates were used for quantitative analysis. SPSS Version 26 was used for statistical analysis, and a p-value of 0.05 was set statistically significant

Results & Discussion: The sample size of 100 showed a high knowledge about telehealth as related to their satisfaction with telehealth services. Chi-square statistics (p-Value 0.000) showed a significant positive impact on the patient-physician satisfaction level, while there is a significant relationship between the impacts of teleconsultations without physical examination on physician-patient communication (p-Value 0.000) and the strong influence of telehealth on the decreased number of admissions to the hospital during COVID-19 (p-value 0.000)
Conclusion: This study assembled substantial information to analyze the impact of telehealth on patient outcomes during a COVID-19 pandemic and the findings of this study have highlighted the positive impact of using telehealth services on patient outcomes during the COVID-19, however, furth studies are required to see the impact of post- COVID-19 telehealth services

Keywords: Telemedicine, Mental Health, Employee Motivation

Impact of Enhanced Reward Practices on
Employee Engagement during COVID-19:
A case study on Coral Paints Ghana

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted businesses globally leaving a huge challenge for HR practitioners to battle declining employee engagement. Many studies, based in Western countries, proved that an effective total reward system can boost employee engagement. However, there is limited related literature (1) focused on Ghana and (2) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of Ghana. Thus, this research paper sought to understand the impact of enhanced reward practices on employee engagement during the pandemic through a case study analysis of Coral Paints Ghana. A simple mixed-method research design was utilized to determine the levels of employee engagement before and after the implementation of enhanced reward practices; as well as, to identify enhanced extrinsic and intrinsic reward (total rewards) practices implemented from January 2020 to December 2021. The researcher determined the enhanced reward practices through a collection of qualitative data through a pre-survey questionnaire and interviews, as well as, from secondary sources (company HR records and databases). The levels of employee engagement were obtained through quantitative surveys. Thematic data analysis was relied on to understand the data collected in the interviews, whilst a descriptive statistical analysis was used to evaluate the levels of employee engagement before and after the implementation of enhanced reward practices. Descriptive statistics were performed on the data to determine three data sets: across the company, among different roles, and among different departments. The means and standard deviations were computed for each question in the quantitative survey, across the entire company. In addition, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the effect of employee roles and departments on Enhanced Reward Difference. The findings revealed that there is a positive correlation between enhanced reward practices and employee engagement. From a total reward approach, the company was able to mitigate challenges to maintain employee engagement levels. The results of this dissertation have significant implications for the academic world, Ghanaian SME businesses, and human resource practitioners. As a result of these findings, recommendations were made to HR practitioners, particularly in Ghana, as well as to other businesses.

Keywords: Employee Engagement, Covid 19 Reward, Employee Performance

A Study to Examine The Additional
Strategies Developed by Nigerian
Development Finance Institutions to Ensure
Long-Term Financial Sustainability Between
2017 and 2021

ABSTRACT

Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) are universally charged with providing financing to growth sectors in their respective jurisdictions. The Nigerian government since 1964, has set up several DFIs, some of which were unable to perform optimally, despite this, there have been attempts to restructure them into more commercially oriented enterprises. This study aimed to identify and explore the additional strategies that the Nigeria DFIs have developed to ensure long run financial sustainability between the periods of 2017 to 2021. It examined a quantitative approach to measuring the financial sustainability of Nigerian DFIs using different metrics, empirically, the impact of the adoption of the wholesale model, the implementation of institutional safeguards, and the influence of political interference on corporate governance on long-run financial sustainability. The results identified that (1) the wholesale model has had a positive impact on financial sustainability indices like the NPL, CAR, ROE, and SDI from 2017 to 2021, (2) several respondents believed that Corporate Governance and Institutional Safeguards are directly related to financial sustainability. The study results showed that to ensure long run financial sustainability by Nigerian DFIs, effective corporate governance and the implementation of institutional safeguards underpinned by a business model that works (the Wholesale model) are important.

Keywords: Development finance Institutions, Wholesale DFI Model, Retail DFI Model

The Role of Transformational Leadership
Style in Secondary Level Teaching.
A Case Study of Secondary Schools in Oman

ABSTRACT

Teachers of the 21st century are qualified, motivated, facilitators of learning who play a key role in the education of children in their respective countries. Their mission is not only to impart education but also to nourish higher-order thinking skills, effective collaboration, communication, counseling, critical thinking skills, etc. Since teachers play such a major role in the learning outcome of the students, they need to perform their best. Their performance is directly linked to their motivation which on one side affects their attitude at work and on the other side impact’s student’s motivation to study (Hyseni Duraku and Hoxha, 2021).

Teachers’ motivation is influenced by various factors and one of the major determinants is a school leadership style which affects the teacher’s motivation to work, their mental exhaustion, burnout, etc. Some research findings have suggested that the leadership styles and practices followed by school leaders have a direct impact on the motivation of teachers. Leadership styles have evolved from religious, political, and military styles and later during the industrial revolution towards transactional and latest transformational leadership. Transformational Leadership has emerged today as the new leadership paradigm. This kind of leadership leans towards internal motivation and personal development rather than the traditional exchange process of transactional leadership and this doctrine is very much pertinent to school heads. It is a well-known fact that a school leader has a direct impact on the entire body of the school- teachers, students, parent committee, school committee, local community, and government (Bellibas and Liu, 2018).

Transformational leaders also improvise student relations. They consider the lived experiences of the students and find out means to better their experiences. “If we want our students to have the courage to speak up, then the adults around them need to demonstrate that we have trust in them. Lisa Brady, Superintendent, Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District, New York State (Fontein, 2022)

The educational sector in Oman has gone through major changes and is always in the process of keeping abreast with the educational reforms. Oman like other countries in the Gulf region employ expatriates from all over the world. Due to this, the demand for private schools with different curriculums are always increasing. In this study the focus is going to be on private schools and secondary education as leadership in secondary education is very crucial as its critical to be aware of the diverse needs of students which can be emotional, or career related.

Most countries nowadays are trying to modify their education system to the constantly changing society. The expectations of parents and students from educational institutions are changing. There are still many old thinking-run schools where the school leaders are selected as per their age and who are almost on their verge of retirement. The requirement of necessary leadership skills needs to be redefined in majority of the educational sectors. The ultimate role of school leaders or school administrators should not be to acquire a particular position through their qualifications and experience but to imbibe or learn leadership skills to carry out effective leadership in diverse environments.

Critical Analysis of The Impact of
Knowledge Management Tools in The
Decision-Making Process of
Multidisciplinary Healthcare Teams

ABSTRACT

Healthcare is a knowledge-driven industry, hence knowledge management (KM) and methods to manage knowledge are becoming more popular. Furthermore, KM in healthcare is crucial to EBMP (Evidence Based Medical Practice), which is the process of making clinical decisions based on research, clinical judgment, and patient preferences and values. The aim of the following study was to evaluate the role of knowledge management tools in supporting the multidisciplinary teams involved in the clinical decision-making process for patient care and to evaluate the influence of KM tool in the team climate. Furthermore, it was an object of the study to examine the barriers of implementing KM tools in healthcare and to analyze the disadvantages of knowledge management tool. To meet the aims and objectives, this research was based on the mixed method analysis which comprised of the interviews from the healthcare workers and the critical review of the 12 previous studies. The study concluded that despite of the various advantages of knowledge management tools on healthcare including the improvement in clinical practice and outcomes, increased patient’s satisfaction, and raised standards of the practice, there are multiple barriers which negatively affects the application of knowledge management tools in healthcare.

An Analysis on the Effectiveness of
Performance Appraisal System: Correlation
of Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention
to Workforce Performance at Dr. Sulaiman
Al Habib Hospital in Riyadh, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT

The main objective of this study was to determine the Effectiveness of Performance Appraisal System: Correlation of Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention to Workforce Performance in the healthcare sector in Saudi Arabia at Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital in Riyadh.

With the goals of determining how the performance appraisal system affects employee performance at Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital; determining how employee views of PAs can be improved to improve job satisfaction by investigating the impact of employee performance appraisal systems on job satisfaction within a healthcare organization as well as the healthcare sector at Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and providing data that hospital administration can use

The findings of this study will help firms establish successful performance measurement systems by allowing the company to discover and make recommendations that will enhance effective staff assessment and, therefore, staff performance. The study findings were beneficial to academics and researchers in laying the groundwork for future research on the subject and providing a critical appraisal of the profession. It founded on expectations theory and equity theory. A cross-sectional descriptive research approach was adopted for the investigation.

A sample of 50 staff from Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital in Riyadh. The primary data gathering instrument employed by the researcher was questionnaires.

Keywords: Performance Appraisal System, Job Satisfaction, Employee Retention, and Workforce Performance

Total Quality Management and
Performance: Gender and Company Size as
Moderating Factors in Pharmaceutical
Distribution Companies in Somalia

ABSTRACT

Total quality management is a strategy for ensuring long-term success by focusing on improving the customer experience. When a company implements Total Quality Management, everyone in the company works together to better the company’s operations, its outputs, and its internal culture. For this reason, researchers in Somalia set out to analyse how Total Quality Management principles affect business success in the pharmaceutical distribution sector. A cross-sectional approach was used in the research and Somalia’s 30 pharmaceutical wholesalers were examined.

Since everyone has an equal opportunity of being included in the study, a stratified random sampling approach was applied. Structured questionnaires were used to gather the primary data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data using SPSS, and the results were displayed as percentages, probabilities, means, standard deviations, correlation coefficients, and SEM.

In this study, it was found that pharmaceutical company performance was significantly impacted by TQM principles. A positive correlation between TQM principles and company performance was confirmed by SPSS (Pearson correlation) analysis. TQM’s impact on business success is examined further and found to be independent of factors like employee gender or firm size. This study’s findings corroborate those of earlier research and shine a light on how crucial TQM techniques are to the financial and social success of the pharmaceutical distribution industry. Both the study’s limitations and its recommendations for businesses are examined.