• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.7
• /
• pp.4307-4312
• /
• 2013

Breast cancer is the most frequent malignancy of women worldwide. It is the leading cause of female cancer related disability and mortality. In Saudi Arabia breast cancer ranks first among cancerous diseases in females. In the Gulf region, and especially in Saudi Arabia, few studies have been conducted to address breast cancer awareness. The purpose of the current study was therefore to investigate the level of breast cancer awareness among Saudi females in Jeddah, focusing on knowledge of breast cancer warning signs, risk factors, screening programs and breast self-examination (BSE). The design of this study was an exploratory correlational analysis. The sample comprised 200 Saudi females aged 20 and older living in Jeddah. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews. Breast cancer awareness was measured using a modified Arabic version of the Breast Cancer Awareness Measure (Breast CAM) version 2. Descriptive statistical analysis, Pearson's Product Moment correlation coefficients and ANOVA test were used to answer study questions. Out of 200 participants, 50.5% were aware of breast lump as a warning sign of breast cancer, 57.5% claimed that family history was risk factor, 20.5% had undergone breast screening, 79% heard about BSE, and 47.5% knew how to perform BSE. Findings indicated that Saudi females level of awareness of breast cancer is very inadequate. Public awareness interventions are needed in order to overcome an ever-increasing burden of this disease among Saudi females.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.7 no.7
• /
• pp.105-112
• /
• 2020

The study investigates and measures the impact of capital structure, profitability and financial performance on the success of the business organization. Capital structure of the business organization refers to the proportion of external funds and internal funds, i.e., debt and equity. In Saudi Arabia, petrochemicals companies are working on equity, but financial performance reflects negative trend for the period 2004 to 2016. The research is based upon secondary data available on the websites of petrochemicals companies of Saudi Arabia. Financial Ratio variability analysis and Trend Indices of financial ratios (TI_CBI) measure and compare the financial variability and sensitivity of financial ratios of the business organization. Correlation between Trend Indices (TI_CBI) of independent variable and dependent variables are to be calculated to know the impact of changes in debt equity on other dependent variables. The results reveal the unexpected performance of petrochemicals companies due to under-utilization of the resources caused by low demand and lower prices of the products governed by some internal and external factors. The study finds that size, demand, cost of production, profitable streams of products, and low cost capital in external funds are the factors responsible for overall growth development of the petrochemicals industry of Saudi Arabia.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.7 no.11
• /
• pp.259-268
• /
• 2020

Several studies demonstrate that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is becoming a dominant issue in both research and companies' management due to stakeholders' pressure. The identification of internal and external drivers and barriers is an initial stage of the corporate social responsibility implementation. The study aims to identify and analyze the drivers and barriers of CSR in Saudi Arabia's private organizations. For this purpose, primary data were collected using a survey questionnaire that was administered to a representative sample of companies from different sectors in Saudi Arabia. The results show that the main drivers behind the adoption of CSR among Saudi companies are improvement of corporate image, ethical/moral commitment, and to some extend customers' requirements and risk management. The findings of this study also suggest that there are important barriers hindering the adoption of corporate social responsibility. Among these, the lack of management commitment and the lack of investors' interests together with the lack of economic resources and lack of employees' competencies are the most prominent. The findings of this study not only contribute to a deeper understanding of CSR drivers and barriers, but could also encourage firms' managers and stakeholders to improve CSR activities for more effective implementation.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.8 no.5
• /
• pp.913-921
• /
• 2021

The objective of the study is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Saudi Arabia stock market. The study relied on the data of the daily closing stock market price index Tadawul All Share Index (TASI), and the number of daily cases infected with COVID-19 during the period from March 15, 2020, to August 10, 2020. The study employs the Vector Auto-Regressive (VAR) model, the Impulse Response Function (IRF) and Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (ARCH) models. The results of the correlation matrix and the Impulse Response Function (IRF) show that stock market returns responded negatively to the growth in COVID-19 infected cases during the pandemic. The results of ARCH model confirmed the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on KSA stock market returns. The results also showed that the negative market reaction was strong during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study concluded that stock market in KSA responded quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic; the response varies over time according to the stage of the pandemic. However, the Saudi government's response time and size of the stimulus package have played an important role in alleviating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Saudi Arabia Stock Market.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
• /
• v.21 no.7
• /
• pp.273-283
• /
• 2021

The aim of this paper is to review the current knowledge management (KM) practices and their importance in the public sector of Saudi Arabia. Using the term "knowledge management in public sector", a search for available works was done in Google Scholar. In the first stage, the search for literature published under anytime choice was done in the first 10 pages of the search engine. Then another nine pages of Goggle Scholar were searched for more recent works published setting the time as 2014 to 2018. The search yielded 37 usable works for this review. The results of this literature search and review indicated that out of the 37 works reviewed, only three works were related to Saudi Arabia. Number of papers on factors of KM were maximum, many of them giving diagrammatic presentation of their results. KM modelling itself is not easy as only very few papers on KM modelling were available. Problems of too much reliance on qualitative data and hypotheses not matching with the literature backgrounds for them were also found. Considering the works related to KM, the number of papers in various categories may indicate the dimensions of KM to be considered when KM is implemented or evaluated in any public sector of any country. This applies to Saudi Arabian public sector organizations also. There is a fertile ground of research waiting to be investigated by researchers in Saudi Arabia.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.9 no.9
• /
• pp.181-189
• /
• 2022

The current study examines the nexus between the capital structure (debt-equity) and firm value (Tobin's Q) by including profitability (alternatively Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE)) as a moderator in the companies of Saudi Arabia. The study sample consists of 102 companies listed on Tadawul (the Saudi Arabian stock exchange) from different sectors of Saudi Arabia during the period 2013 to 2020. The study estimates pooled regression, panel regression with fixed and random effects, and dynamic panel regression models to report the results. The study results report that there is a negative and significant association between capital structure and firm value in model 1, while in models 2 and 3 there is a more negative and significant impact between the two study variables compared to model 1 after the inclusion of interaction variable, i.e. profitability in terms of ROA and ROE. The comparative result shows that the companies of Saudi Arabia hold more debt in their capital structure mix, hence evidencing a decrease in the firm value. The reported results also show that models 2 and 3 are better in explaining the impact of capital structure on firm value due to the interaction of profitability compared to model 1.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.54-65
• /
• 2021

The movement control order and shutting down educational institution in Saudi Arabia has jeopardized the teaching and learning process. Education was shifted to distance learning in order to avoid any academic loss. In the middle of the Covid-19 crisis, there is a need to assess the full image of e-learning in Saudi Arabia. To investigate student and teachers' perception and acceptance, parents' attitudes and believes about distance education are the main goals of the study. The mix-method research design was employed to collect data. Three surveys were distributed to 100 students and 50 teachers and 50 parents from different educational institutions in Saudi Arabia, while semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 parents. Random stratified and convenient sampling methods were adopted. Both descriptive and content analysis was conducted using SPSS25.0 and NVIVO software for quantitative and qualitative data accordingly. The findings showed that students are comfortable with remote education and are receiving enough support from schools and instructors but they think online education can't replace conventional face-to-face learning. Moreover, the results showed that teachers are having challenges in preparing online classes because of the development of conducting online classes and the lack of training. However, parents showed negative attitudes regarding the benefits and values of remote education and preferred conventional learning styles in elementary schools. Parents tended to reject and resist distance learning for several reasons: professional knowledge and lack of time to support their young kids in online classes, the shortcomings of e-learning, young children's inadequate self-regulation. Saudi parents are neither trained nor ready to use e-learning. The study provided suggestion and implications for teacher education and policymakers.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.193-196
• /
• 2000

Thirty-eight species in addition to 2 varieties (3 unidentified) of zoosporic organisms belonging to 14 genera of Oomycetes and 3 genera of Chytridiomycetes were recovered from 50 soil samples randomly collected from different localities in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Allomyces and Dictyuchus have the highest frequency of occurrence while Achlya, Aqualinderella, Saproleginia and Phytophthora were of moderate occurrence, The remaining genera were less frequent. Seven species and two varieties were new records to Saudi Arabia, which are Achlya oblongata, Allomyces javancius var. allomorphus, Aphanomyces stellatus, Blastoccladia gracile, Dictyuchus magnusii, Olpidiopsis Saproleginia var. levis, Olpidium species, Phytophthora megasperma, and Saproleginia turfosa. Water and organic matter contents of soil samples are considered as major factors influencing the prevalence and occurrence of zoosporic organisms.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
• /
• v.23 no.9
• /
• pp.177-185
• /
• 2023

The global FinTech industry has experienced significant growth, with key projects developing the financial sector. In Saudi Arabia, startups have used technology to offer FinTech services. In this area, it is important to investigate the usability of platforms that offer FinTech services. This research aims to examine the usability of samples of Saudi FinTech websites and identify design issues impacting user experience. Usability testing was conducted on the websites of two FinTech firms identified design issues, including navigation problems on the homepage and a lack of transparency in displaying investment details, negatively impacting end users. Employing usability methods can assist in enhancing the development of FinTech platforms and addressing these issues. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of FinTech usability problems and the user experience, enabling advancements in the industry.

• Asia Pacific Journal of Business Review
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.43-66
• /
• 2019

Home-based business (HBB) is one of the fastest growing form of business start-ups where the business is conducted from home. In develop economies, the HBB industry is an engine for economic growth that has proven its viability through significant contribution to the national GDP. In view of its importance, the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Industry encourage local women to start and develop their own HBB as it gives them the flexibility while still contributing to the national economy. Although various initiatives have been taken place, little information is available about Saudi HBB. This study therefore aims to determine the factors that contribute to the growth as well as the challenges of female HBB in Saudi Arabia. The study was based on qualitative approach which adopted an in-depth interview with eleven Saudi females who run HBB. The findings revealed that HBB contributing factors comprised of access to funding, sufficiency of savings and the influence of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in starting the business. Meanwhile, the obstacles are government regulations and policies, culture, and home design. The study recommendations include improving banks and service institution policy and procedures to enable HBB to have access to funding and services and to develop legal policies to protect the right of the HBB operator and customers. Finally, the study also suggests future research on managerial factors that can contribute to HBB female success, the stress coping mechanism of HBB and the factors contributing to the difference between HBB in growth strategies.