Search Results (12)

During the recent founding of Saudi Arabia in 1932, there was no interest in the urban and architectural heritage that Jeddah possesses. As a result, historic Jeddah was exposed to many problems similar to many historical Middle Eastern cities. For example, the historic city wall and many heritage buildings were demolished. With the economic recovery during the 1970s, the original dwellers abandoned the city altogether. They were soon replaced by a class of ex-patriate workers who would inhabit the area, and the city’s distinct heritage fell into neglect. At the beginning of the 1980s, attempts to preserve that area began with the expert Robert Matthew, who studied the remaining historical buildings and proposed strategies for preservation that were based on three main directions: restoration, replacement, or new construction. The issuance of “Saudi’s 2030 vision” included programs to develop Saudi cities, including Jeddah. This program includes the removal of unplanned and slum areas around historic Jeddah without developing a clear master plan for what will replace them. In addition, it includes the complete expropriation of historic Jeddah, without announcing a specific plan for what the area will be used for. Therefore, this study seeks to review current preservation strategies, with the aim of reaching results related to the challenges facing the area; demonstrating the effectiveness of the preservation strategies used; and deducing what could contribute in the future to the development, preservation, and optimal exploitation of the area, without losing its value as a result of the modernization processes currently taking place. Full article

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the countries that heavily rely on expatriates, especially in the private sector, which includes restaurants. However, to overcome the increasing rate of unemployment, the government has adopted new quota up to 50% Saudi Arabian people in restaurants. Notwithstanding, Saudization has been more successful in public sectors than it has been in the private sector. The current study undertook a sequential mixed method approach, starting with a questionnaire for newly joined local workers in restaurants and supplemented with in-depth interviews with managers. The main purpose of the questionnaire was to understand how new local workers perceive their new jobs/careers in restaurants, while the managers’ interviews explored the challenges encountered in the effective implementation of the new quota in restaurants. The results of questionnaire showed that local workers had negative perceptions about their new jobs/careers. They perceived it as a “bad” and “disrespected” job and reported overall dissatisfaction with their new job. Newly joined local workers consider restaurant positions as a “transit job”, with no intention to continue it as a career or even recommend it to their friends and family members. Managers, on the other hand, identified six main challenges that are associated with this, albeit they are linked to the absence of a clear strategic framework and executive plan by the government for the effective implementation of the new quota. The plan has to clearly focus on the employability and mitigate the wrong assumption about working in restaurants due to cultural and social impacts. The plan should consider the needs of both employers and employees to promote sustainable career among local workers, which ultimately influences the sustainable development of restaurants in the KSA. Full article

Expatriates, or migrant workers, are employees who work outside their home country and reside in a foreign country for the purpose of work. They are often subject to job fraud, employment contract violations, and poor working conditions. These calamities are mainly due to language barriers, limited legal protection, and feeling inferior in their host countries. Many reports have indicated that minimum working and living standards for expatriates are not as adequately enforced as those for domestic employees. These issues may be elevated with the presence of an employment contract framework, which would enable better enforcement and wider visibility for both workers and employers. Thus, we propose a blockchain-powered framework to represent expatriate employment contracts as digital assets managed by smart contracts. It enables employers to create contracts to which employees agree in a decentralized, tamper-proof, transparent, and traceable manner. This framework facilitates auditability, tracking, and enhanced visibility of expatriate employment contracts and job history verification for both workers and employers. We provide a prototype implementation using the Hyperledger Fabric platform and analyze the framework qualitatively from scalability, efficiency, security, and privacy perspectives. Full article

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) heavily relies on expatriates to meet the needs of their labor market, especially in the private sector. Nonetheless, to reduce the increasing rate of unemployment the government has recently implemented a new Saudization quota in restaurants/cafés. The new Saudization policy aims to replace foreign workers with up to 50% locals. This research takes the first attempt to examine the perceptions, commitment, and attitudes of local workers, who newly joined this career after the new quota in October 2021, versus foreign workers toward careers in restaurants/cafés. A quantitative research approach was used, including a self-administered questionnaire for a sample of 408 local workers and 455 foreign workers in a random sample of restaurants/cafés. The results showed statistically significant differences between local and foreign workers in relation to nature of work, perceived social status, working conditions, career development, relationship with managers and co-workers and commitment to a career in restaurants/cafés. Despite foreign workers having higher education and experience in comparison to their local counterparts, they received less compensation, albeit they have positive perceptions, attitudes, and commitment to a career in restaurants/cafés. The negative perceptions, attitudes and commitment to a career in restaurants and cafés held by newly joined local workers have several implications for scholars and practitioners in the restaurant business. It is crucial that restaurant managers in KSA recognize the heterogeneity of their restaurant/café workers, especially after the new Saudization quota, for proper management of their human assets and sustainable performance. Full article

Effects of traditional training methods are not obvious when transferring competent knowledge to construction workers to allow them to deal with new technology and intelligent equipment. The purpose of this study was to explore knowledge transfer paths and transfer characteristics within worker groups and to provide a theoretical basis for formulating new measures to improve knowledge and skills in worker groups. Firstly, we analyzed and verified the group characteristics of workers. Then, the social network analysis (SNA) method was used to study the knowledge transfer characteristics of worker groups, and the following conclusions were drawn: (1) construction workers have obvious group closure and regional concentration, which have significant impacts on knowledge transfer; (2) team leaders are the core and authority of knowledge transfer within entire networks, so improving the knowledge and skills of team leaders has a significant impact on promoting the overall knowledge and skills of workers; (3) it is very difficult for expatriate technical instructors with high levels of education but no blood or geographical relationships with other workers to establish knowledge authority among workers; and (4) due to the large gaps in knowledge and skills among workers, one-way flows of knowledge occur easily within groups. Full article

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is growing enormously worldwide, and actions need to be taken in order to minimize the burden of diabetes mellitus and reduce its complications. Since two-thirds of Kuwait’s population are expatriates, the prevalence of and factors associated with diabetes among migrant workers was assessed as it has a significant impact on migrant workers’ quality of life, health, and productivity. The data used in this study was for all migrant workers who attended Shuaiba Industrial Medical Center (SIMC) for physical examination in the year 2018. Univariate and multivariate regression were used to assess the relationship between diabetes mellitus and the other independent factors where odds ratios with confidence intervals were delineated. Information for a total of 3477 participants was recorded in the dataset for 2018. Of the total participants, 10.1% had diabetes mellitus. About 49% of the participants were overweight. The largest age group of participants was between 31 and 40 years of age. A small percentage of the participants were diagnosed with hypertension at 11.8%. Additionally, 76.1% of the participants reported themselves as non-smokers. Diabetes was positively associated with age, hypertension, and nationalities. However, no association was found between BMI and smoking tobacco. This is the first study in SIMC to assess DM and its associated risk factor among migrants, since migrant workers are neglected subpopulations that need our focus and attention to achieve justice and fairness. The findings revealed that the prevalence of DM among our study population was considerably lower. However, a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet and being physically active, need to be introduced to prevent any further damage. Full article

Neurocysticercosis (NCC), a leading global cause of severe progressive headache and epilepsy, in developed or affluent countries is mostly diagnosed among immigrants from poor or developing Taenia solium taeniasis-endemic countries. Taeniasis carriers in Kuwait are routinely screened by insensitive stool microscopy. In this study, enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) was used as a confirmatory test for NCC. Screening was performed on 970 patients referred for suspected NCC on the basis of relevant history and/or ring-enhancing lesions on computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging during a 14-year period in Kuwait. Demographic data and clinical details were retrieved from laboratory or hospital records. EITB was positive in 150 subjects (15.5%), including 98 expatriates mostly originating from taeniasis-endemic countries and, surprisingly, 52 Kuwaiti nationals. The clinical details of 48 of 50 NCC cases diagnosed during 2014–2019 were available. Most common symptoms included seizures, persistent headache with/without fever, and fits or loss of consciousness. Cysticercal lesions were located at various brain regions in 39 of 48 patients. Multiple members of 3 families with NCC were identified; infection was linked to domestic workers from taeniasis-endemic countries and confirmed in at least 1 family. Our data show that NCC is predominantly imported in Kuwait by expatriates originating from taeniasis-endemic countries who transmit the infection to Kuwaiti citizens. Full article

Developing cultural diversity skills is a major ethical challenge for organizations operating within marginalized communities. This study defines cultural intelligence profiles us a two-step approach. In the first step, managers (n = 31) are invited to complete a Cultural Intelligence Quotient Assessment Test to identify and describe different managerial profiles. In the second step, semi-structured interviews are conducted (n = 17) to better understand the characteristics of the managerial profiles developed in phase one. The findings indicate that there are three typical managerial profiles: (1) The opportunist, (2) the modern missionary, and (3) the seasoned sage. These managerial profiles highlight the emerging dynamics of the cultural intelligence model and provide a better understanding of the career trajectories of managers in the healthcare sector. The results also have important managerial implications, particularly concerning strategies for training managers working with marginalized populations. Full article

Work-related injury (WRI) control is an integral part of occupational safety. In rapidly developing Gulf countries such as Qatar with a predominantly expatriate workforce, WRI control is a complex issue often seen in conjunction with the implementation of labour laws and labour rights. We aimed to implement a public health approach to facilitate efforts to achieve long-term WRI control in Qatar. A range of initiatives helped to gain visibility and momentum for this important public health problem, including identifying and engaging with key stakeholders, workers’ surveys, steps to establish a unified injury database, and the implementation of a WRI identification tool in the electronic medical records. A contemporaneous improved enforcement of existent occupational safety regulations through heightened worksite inspections and efforts to improve living conditions for migrant workers also took place. WRIs are not only a Qatar-specific problem; the same issues are faced by neighbouring Gulf countries and other rapidly developing economies with large expatriate worker populations. These strategies are also useful starting points for similar countries interested in nurturing a safe, healthy and productive workforce. Full article

The new context of the Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development has reached the attention of the scientific community in recent years, due to its comprehensive approach aimed at enhancing the sustainability of interpersonal and intrapersonal talent, as well as of groups and communities. In this scenario, research on employee cross-cultural adjustment (CCA) is considered a key theme in human resource management. It is known that psychological support in the host country may alleviate distress and facilitate the integration of the expatriate workers. However, there is a lack of research investigating expatriate adjustment as an antecedent of the perceived organizational support. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship among cross-cultural adjustment (CCA), perception of organizational support (POS), work-related stress (WRS), and innovation, considering these factors as a part of a unique innovative framework. A cross sectional study was performed using a sample of 234 expatriate workers of a multinational organization. Data were collected through a monitoring survey for the assessment of work-related stress risk factors of their expatriate staff. The results showed a positive correlation between CCA, POS, and innovation. On the other hand, a negative correlational effect of CCA and WRS, CCA and POS on WRS, and POS and WRS was found. Finally, POS was found to be a significant antecedent of CCA. These findings have implications for both international human resource management researchers and practitioners. Full article

Migrants are mainly employed in “3D jobs” which are dirty, dangerous, and difficult, are characterized by monotony and intense rhythms, and are found in sectors with higher risks such as construction, heavy industry, and agriculture. The aim of this study is to construct a systematic review in order to identify the main occupational risks and occupational diseases of this category. Research included articles published from 2013 to 2018 on major online databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus), which were obtained using a combination of keywords (migrant workers, expatriates, physical health, diseases, illnesses, travel, travelers, work, and occupational medicine). The online search included 1109 references. We excluded 977 studies because they were unrelated to physical health and another 64 due to duplication. There were 68 articles which were analyzed, including six reviews and 62 original articles. The main risks which emerged are developing infectious diseases, metabolic cardiovascular diseases and manifesting a lower quality of life, in particular due to difficulties in accessing local health services. It will be crucial to implement the role of occupational medicine in order to introduce multilevel interventions designed to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses, and to promote healthier working environments. Full article

The African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) is a bilingual (English and French) nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of cancer control and palliation in Africa. Its mission in respect to cancer control in Africa includes (1) support of research and training; (2) provision of relevant and accurate information on the prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, and palliation of cancer; (3) promotion of public awareness about cancer and reduction of the stigma associated with it. In seeking to achieve its goal of cancer control in Africa, AORTIC strives to unite the continent and to make a positive impact throughout the region by collaboration with health ministries and global cancer organizations. The organization’s key objectives are to further research relating to cancers prevalent in Africa, to support training programs in oncology for health care workers, to deal with the challenges of creating cancer control and prevention programs, and to raise public awareness of cancer in Africa. It also plans to organize symposia, workshops, meetings, and conferences that support its mission. Founded in September 1982, AORTIC was active only between 1983 (when its inaugural conference was held in the City of Lome, Togo, West Africa) and the late 1980s. The organization subsequently became inactive and moribund. In 2000, a group of expatriate African physicians and scientists joined in an effort with their non-African friends and colleagues to reactivate the dormant organization. Since its reactivation, AORTIC has succeeded in putting cancer on the public health agenda in many African countries by highlighting Africa’s urgent need for cancer control and by holding meetings every two years in various African cities. National and international cancer control organizations worldwide have recognized the challenges facing Africa and have joined in AORTIC’s mission. Full article