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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the level of job satisfaction among faculty members of the health sciences program at a Saudi higher education institution; and predict the influence of various factors on overall job satisfaction. However, this study is quite different since it intended to evaluate the level of job satisfaction of faculty members using a self-structured questionnaire and ascertained the various factors influencing the overall job satisfaction of Saudi academics.

An exploratory study design was adopted and Academic Job Satisfaction (AJS) survey was administered to 943 faculty members of the health sciences program through an online system. A total of 850 faculty members responded to 47 items and one global rating item (overall job satisfaction) using a five-point ordinal scale.

The level of job satisfaction of health sciences’ faculty members on all dimensions of AJS is observed to be high (>3.5) except salary, which is shown as medium (2.5–3.49). Regression analysis indicates the factors other than Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU) administrative policies and interpersonal relationships are significant predictors of overall job satisfaction; and salary is the most significant predictor of overall job satisfaction among health sciences’ faculty members.

This study adds a value to the existing literature by exploring the factors influencing job satisfaction of health sciences’ faculty members working in Saudi Universities. This would aid policy makers to focus on these factors, thereby improve and maintain job satisfaction among healthcare academics.

Higher education institutions understand the importance of the quality of work life (QoWL) since it directly impacts faculty members’ involvement in providing high-quality teaching. The purpose of this paper is to compare the QoWL of faculty members in undergraduate medical and undergraduate engineering programs offered at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.

An exploratory study design was adopted and 100 faculty members from each program were selected. A pretested QoWL questionnaire was distributed among faculty members using the Questionpro online survey portal.

Results showed that there is no significant difference between the two programs with regard to the overall QoWL (p>0.05). However, a significant difference was observed with respect to dimensions such as “working condition/environment,” “psychosocial factors at work place” and “job satisfaction and job security.” Also, there is a positive relationship observed between all the dimensions of QoWL (p<0.05).

This study will help educational policy planners to understand the differences in QoWL of faculty members in different programs so as to develop appropriate strategies for its improvement.

This paper aims to examine the challenges faced by health-care leadership in teaching hospitals in attaining accreditation for their institutions.

This paper is based on a study of current literature on health-care leadership, hospital accreditation and quality of patient care and identifies the challenges facing health-care leadership in attaining accreditation for teaching hospitals.

Based on a review and analysis of literature, infrastructure, finance, legal support, workforce recruitment and training, documentation and technology are identified as challenges faced by health-care leadership in teaching hospitals. The key challenges facing health-care leadership with respect to medical education and clinical research are found to be integration of education into hospital operations, compliance with all regulatory and professional requirements and adequacy of resources in executing research programs.

This study draws the attention of health-care leadership in teaching hospitals on the challenges they face in obtaining accreditation for their institutions so that they may develop appropriate strategies to overcome them.

A crisis in the financial sustainability of the public healthcare sector often compels governments to consider privatization. The purpose of this paper is to summarize various strategies to overcome the challenges facing the privatization of academic medical centers (AMCs) in Saudi Arabia.

In this paper, the authors discuss the challenges faced in privatizing AMCs in delivering their core functions such as patient care, medical education and research. Further, the appropriate strategies are listed to overcome these challenges in privatization of AMCs.

The authors described the benefits of privatization that include a reduction in the financial burden on government healthcare expenditure, quick decision making and creation of new financial models to improve healthcare services. On the other hand, the profit motive of private management could create pressure on patients and may divert AMCs from their primary objectives. Therefore, it is imperative for the government to develop and implement appropriate strategies that balance the benefits of privatizing AMCs with eliminating the negative impact of privatization on patient care, medical education and research.

Though AMCs privatization is currently feasible in Saudi Arabia, appropriate strategies are essential to overcome the challenges of its implementation. The government should frame a uniform rules and regulations prior to privatizing public hospitals so that it will fulfill the purpose in an efficient manner.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of adopting the Six Sigma define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) approach in reducing patients fall rate in an Academic Medical Center, Saudi Arabia.

A prospective study design was adopted and this study was conducted at King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU) during the year 2014. Based on the historical data of the patients’ falls reported at KFHU during the year 2013, the goal was fixed to reduce the falls rate from 7.18 to<3 (over 60 percent reduction) by the end of December 2014. This study was conducted through the five phases of “DMAIC” approach using various quality tools. Three time periods were identified, namely, pre-intervention phase; intervention phase; and post-intervention phase. Appropriate strategies were identified through the process of brainstorming and were implemented to study the potential causes leading to the occurrence of falls.

The pre-intervention falls rate was reported as 6.57 whereas the post-intervention falls rate was measured as 1.91 (demonstrating a 70.93 percent reduction) after the implementation of improvement strategies. The adherence rate toward the practice of carrying falls risk assessment and hourly rounding was observed to be high where 88 percent of nurses are regularly practicing it. A control plan was also executed to sustain the improvements obtained.

The Six Sigma “DMAIC” approach improves the processes related to the prevention of falls. A greater reduction in patients falls rate (over 70 percent) was observed after the implementation of the improvement strategy.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the perceptions of students of health sciences on research training programs offered at Saudi universities.

A cross-sectional survey design was adopted to capture the perceptions of health science students about research training programs offered at selected Saudi universities. A criterion-based sampling technique was adopted, and accordingly, 630 students were selected to participate in the study. A pre-tested questionnaire tool titled, “Students Attitude towards Research (SAR) questionnaire ”, was used to capture student responses on a five-point Likert scale with respect to three dimensions, namely, extent of research activities offered in their college, involvement of faculty in research and the infrastructural facilities offered by the college for research. The students’ attitudes with respect to various components of research training programs were analyzed using mean and cumulative percentage of students satisfied with the training. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to study whether there is any significant difference in attitudes among the students belonging to four health science programs of the seven selected universities.

The results of this study demonstrate that only less than 50 per cent of the students from the selected health science colleges are satisfied with the existing research training programs. There are significant differences in the students’ attitude toward research training programs offered in seven selected Saudi universities.

This is the first Saudi Arabia-based study that provides an alarming signal to educational-policy planners on students’ perceptions and attitudes toward research training programs offered in Saudi higher education institutions.

The purpose of this paper is to study the financial facilitators who provide financial muscle to terrorists.

The methodology adopted is based on the available materials on two major terrorists groups: Al Qaeda and LTTE, who have terrorized the global community in the last two decades.

The key findings are that most financial facilitators are knowledgeable, literate and suave and who are kin of the top leadership or part of the clan/sect. Kinship is an important factor for trust worthiness, which leads to their association with the top level leadership for a decade or so, to handle aspects related to a terror group. Also, illegal fund raising/moving aspects are controlled by financial/operational heads of groups, while legal fund raising methods are handled by sympathizers.

The methodology is based on descriptive analysis of existing materials gathered from different writings of different persons in different places, as none of the traditional approaches to the study is possible. The only possible method for analysis is a behavioural approach, and that too on a selective basis, not in total.

Government intelligence agencies need to strive to identify such facilitators, who in turn may lead them to the top leadership, as happened in the cases of Osama bin laden and Hambali.

There is no previous systematic approach which has attempted to study the financial facilitators who provide financial muscle to terrorists. The value of this paper lies in its originality of presentation of facts in a systematic fashion.

Kuwait has taken significant steps to reform its corporate governance (CG) by introducing the New Company Law (NCL) in 2013. This study investigates how this reform of CG mechanisms affects the disclosure of future-oriented information. Likewise, it explores how CG mechanisms affect the informativeness of this disclosure.

The sample comprises the nonfinancial firms listed on the Boursa Kuwait from 2014 to 2018. The study uses an automated textual analysis to measure the level of future-oriented disclosure in the annual reports of these firms. The informativeness of disclosure is proxied by firm value at three months of the date of the annual report.

The study finds that Kuwaiti firms with larger board sizes and substantial ownership by institutional investors are less likely to disseminate future-oriented information. Conversely, firms with more independent directors and larger audit committees are more inclined to provide future-oriented disclosure. Furthermore, the disclosure of future-oriented information carries contents that enhance investors' valuations of Kuwaiti firms, especially in firms with fewer institutional ownership and more prominent audit committees.

It focuses on management decisions to disclose information in the annual reports. Examining other channels of disseminating information, such as social media disclosure, provides avenues for future research.

Policy setters in Kuwait should consider the importance of some CG mechanisms to improve the transparency of Kuwaiti firms, as suggested by the NCL. Likewise, investors should rely on such specific CG mechanisms to build their prospects about the firm's value.

Apart from developed countries, the current study is the first evidence on how CG mechanisms could affect the informativeness of future-oriented disclosure in a developing economy. It is also the first to investigate the new CG mechanism introduced by Kuwait NCL in 2013.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a measurement framework to evaluate the lean readiness level (LRL) and lean systems (LS) within Kuwaiti small and medium‐sized manufacturing industries (K‐SMMIs). A measurement framework which encompasses the quality practices related to LS (processes; planning and control; human resources; top management and leadership; customer relations; and supplier relations) is used to assess the quality practices in K‐SMMIs and determine whether they have the foundation to implement LS.

The authors conducted a comprehensive literature review, semi‐structured interviews with 27 senior managers, and a quantitative survey administered to 50 K‐SMMIs. The responses were entered into SPSS software to conduct a reliability test and independent sample t‐test.

The results indicate that current quality practices within K‐SMMIs are not very supportive towards LS. Many factors are revealed to affect K‐SMMIs with respect to LS, including language barriers, and deficiencies in aspects including quality workers in terms of education and skills; technology; government attention; know‐how regarding LS; market competitiveness; and urgency for adopting LS.

Very limited information is available on LS and QI in Kuwait. The LRL framework should be tested in small and medium‐sized manufacturing industries (SMMIs) that successfully use LS, in order to provide a benchmark. The study's findings can be used as an internal checklist prior to and during lean implementation.

This LS and LRL measurement framework relating to K‐SMMIs represents a unique effort in the area of lean management.