• Title/Summary/Keyword: Saudi Arabia

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Head and Neck Cancer in Saudi Arabia: a Systematic Review

  • Alhazzazi, Turki Y;Alghamdi, Faisal T
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.17 no.8
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    • pp.4043-4048
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    • 2016
  • Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the ninth most common cancer worldwide, and has a poor 5-year survival rate averaging 50%, which has not changed for decades. A high prevalence of HNC has been reported in the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia, as compared to other areas of the country. However, data in regards to HNC are scattered and not well documented. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to gather all available and updated important information regarding HNC in Saudi Arabia, and highlight the gaps of knowledge in our country with regard to this disease. In addition, suggestions of solutions to overcome the current status and improve our future standard of care to fight HNC are also highlighted. Materials and Methods: The electronic databases PubMed and Google Scholar using English-language literature were used for this systematic review, using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and keywords. The search was performed in April 2016 and updated in June 2016. Results: Our search revealed twenty-one studies that fulfilled our inclusion and exclusion criteria and that were conducted in Saudi Arabia. These studies investigated different aspects of HNC, including prevalence, risk factors, biomarkers, and assessed knowledge and awareness of both public and practitioners with regard to HNC. Conclusions: This review uncovered a big gap in our epidemiological data in cancer information in general, and head and neck cancer in particular. In addition, a lack of knowledge and awareness of both the public and health care practitioners hinders the early diagnosis of disease and negatively impact the prognosis, treatment and outcome. The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia should develop a more systematic way and adapt policies to gather cancer information in general, and head and neck cancer in particular, from all governmental and private sectors from all over the kingdom, and develop educational programs to raise the knowledge and awareness of HNC in the country.

Patterns of Use, Cessation Behavior and Socio-Demographic Factors Associated with Smoking in Saudi Arabia: a Cross-Sectional Multi-Step Study

  • Abdelwahab, Siddig Ibarhim;El-Setohy, Maged;Alsharqi, Abdalla;Elsanosy, Rashad;Mohammed, Umar Yagoub
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.17 no.2
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    • pp.655-660
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    • 2016
  • Smoking is accountable for the fatality of a substantial number of persons and increases the likelihood of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Although data have shown high prevalence rates of cigarette smoking in Saudi Arabia, relatively little is known about the broader scope. The objectives of this study were to investigate socio-demographic factors, patterns of use and cessation behavior associated with smoking in Saudi Arabia (KSA). The study utilized a cross-sectional, multi-step design of sampling. Residents (N=1,497; aged 15 years and older) were recruited from seven administrative areas in Southwest Saudi Arabia. A pretested questionnaire was utilized to obtain data on participant cigarette smoking, including their daily use, age, education, income, marital status and employment status. The current study is the first of its kind to gather data cessation behavior of Saudi subjects. With the exception of 1.5% females, all the respondents were male. The majority of the respondents were married, had a university level of education, were employed, and were younger than 34 years old. The same trends were also observed among smokers' samples. The current prevalence of cigarette smoking was 49.2% and 65.7% of smokers had smoking at less than 18 years of age. The mean daily use amongst smokers was 7.98 cigarettes (SD=4.587). More than 50% of the study sample had tried at least once to quit smoking. However, 42% of the smokers participating had never. On the other hand, about 25% of the respondents were willing to consider quitting smoking in the future. Modeling of cigarette smoking suggested that the most significant independent predictors of smoking behavior were geographic area, gender, marital status, education, job and age. Considerable variation in smoking prevalence was noted related with participant sociodemographics. Findings recommend the necessity for control and intervention programs in Saudi community.

Breast Cancer Awareness among Saudi Females in Jeddah

  • Radi, Sahar Mahmoud
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.14 no.7
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    • pp.4307-4312
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    • 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.

Capital Structure and Financial Performance: A Case of Saudi Petrochemical Industry

  • ALI, Anis;FAISAL, Shaha
    • The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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    • v.7 no.7
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    • pp.105-112
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    • 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 (TICBI) measure and compare the financial variability and sensitivity of financial ratios of the business organization. Correlation between Trend Indices (TICBI) 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.

Critical Drivers and Barriers of Corporate Social Responsibility in Saudi Arabia Organizations

  • PINTO, Luisa;ALLUI, Alwyia
    • The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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    • v.7 no.11
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    • pp.259-268
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    • 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 Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Stock Market: An Empirical Study in Saudi Arabia

  • ALZYADAT, Jumah Ahmad;ASFOURA, Evan
    • The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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    • v.8 no.5
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    • pp.913-921
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    • 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.

Critical Appraisal Study of Knowledge Management and its Importance Among Public Sector

  • Gharieb, Magdah
    • International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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    • v.21 no.7
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    • pp.273-283
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    • 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 Nexus between Capital Structure and Firm Value by Profitability Moderation: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

  • FATIMA, Nadeem;SHAIK, Abdul Rahman
    • The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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    • v.9 no.9
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    • pp.181-189
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    • 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.

Acceptance and Effectiveness of Distance Learning in Public Education in Saudi Arabia During Covid19 Pandemic: Perspectives from Students, Teachers and Parents

  • Alkinani, Edrees A.
    • International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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    • v.21 no.2
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    • pp.54-65
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    • 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.

Occurrence of Zoosporic Organisms in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia

  • El-Nagda, M.A.
    • Mycobiology
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    • v.28 no.4
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    • pp.193-196
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    • 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.

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