The purpose of this study was to examine parent and teacher expectations for early childhood educational programs in Muscat, the capital city of Oman. Questionnaires were distributed in three private schools in Muscat; these schools differed from one another in terms of their socioeconomic (SES) levels. Parent and teacher expectations were assessed, as reflected in their educational levels and socioeconomic status, in jobs and income level, and by the c hi !d 's level in kindergarten. Participants were 95 mothers, 52 fathers, and 13 teachers of children age 3.5 to 5.5. Results indicated that teachers were more developmentally appropriate than mothers and fat hers. Also, mothers were more developmentally appropriate than fathers. In addition, parental education level affects their views about early childhood education programs. Parents with higher educational levels were more developmentally appropriate than those with Jess education. However, the teacher expectations with regard to early childhood education in Oman did not vary by their education level. Parental expectations are affected by their SES level. Parents with high socioeconomic level are more developmentally oriented than parents of lower economic level. But contrary to the original assumption about social class and the three schools, it was the middle school that turned out to have the highest level of SES as reflected in the educational level of fathers. Regardless of the child's level in kindergarten, parent and teacher expectations were similar with regard to early childhood education in Oman. Parents and teachers identified the top three priorities in their child's school from a list of 10 items. These items included a strong emphasis on English, Omani teachers, and libraries. Respondents in this study commented on the things they liked best and least about the educational system in Oman.

Organisational culture plays an important role in the success of the adoption of technology and the development of the organisation; therefore, it is very important to understand how organisational culture impacts the process of implementing technology, either positively or negatively. The aim of this study is to explore the role of organisational culture in digital government implementation in Omani public sector organisations. This study used mixed methods as a research methodology. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with top and middle management and at operational levels in the Omani public sector organisations. In the quantitative phase, a survey was distributed to employees within the public sector organisations to build on the findings of the first stage and develop an understanding of the relationship between organisational culture and implementation of digital government in Oman. This study found that there is a relationship between organisational culture and digital government implementation. It was found that the type of organisational culture has some impact on the digital government implementation as it was found that the organisations with the clan culture type had low levels of implementation of digital government whereas, organisations with the hierarchy culture type had high levels of implementation. Moreover, the study found that middle managers in public sector organisations in Oman had a critical impact on the digital government implementation.

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Inspired by my personal interest in the topic of dramaturgy, coupled with the continuous change programmes that Shell Oman Marketing Company (SOMC) adopts in many areas, this research attempts to explore the role of dramaturgy (Goffman 1956) in change management in SOMC. The primary question that this thesis addresses is: What is the role, impact and potential of dramaturgy in change management in SOMC? The objective is to examine the ability of dramaturgy to offer an effective method for managing change, and one that will eventually be used as an integral part of effective change management programmes in SOMC. The research consists of a case study of installing Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system cameras in the offices of SOMC. The research was a qualitative study, conducting 22 semi-structured interviews along with unstructured observations of meetings and engagements. The research concludes that front stage performances and backstage performances are witnessed extensively in SOMC, and concludes that the boundary between front and backstage is blurred, that stories, metaphors and body language play an important role in performances, and that the audience perception of the authenticity, sincerity and genuineness of the performers is a key factor in their acceptance of the message. This research identifies a number of themes that can be added to the existing literature. The study highlighted the importance of ‘Alignment’ as a way of explaining the work that goes on in backstage and front stage performances, much part of living organisations. The term found extensively in organisational life at SOMC and many other organisations. Backstage meeting often has the goal of aligning participants to the message that has to be conveyed – the coordinated front stage performance. Therefore, alignment is a key element of the rehearsals and practices for the frontstage performances, and in bringing together the supporting team and loyalists. Another contribution of this research that is not available in other studies is that the importance of context and culture. That although metaphors and storytelling are used in many organisations across the world, they resonate particularly with Omanis because they are part of their history and culture. Hence using storytelling and metaphors in performances in SOMC can have a huge help connecting the audience with the performance.

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Yes / We examine how managers in Oman make sense of localization policies (Omanization) through their use of talent management (TM). Through an institutional logics (IL) lens, it is possible to examine how organizations confront institutional complexity and understand the interplay between state, market and societal logics. The paper analyses twenty-six interviews with managers in the Petroleum and Banking sector and is the first to examine TM within the context of Omanization using a layered, IL perspective. The paper finds that punitive state logics encourage organizations to focus on the societal wellbeing of their TM measures and inspires a sense of corporate social responsibility. Yet, the market logic dictates a stratified and differentiated approach that manages impressions of inclusivity while safeguarding organizational interests.

Yes / Mobile applications are becoming a preferred delivery method for the government sector and contributing to more convenient and timely services to citizens. This study examines the intention to use mobile applications for the government services (mG-App) in Oman. This study extended the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model by including two constructs namely trust and information quality. Data were collected from 513 mobile application users across Oman. The research model was analysed in two stages. First, structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to determine significant determinants affecting users’ acceptance of mG-App. In the second stage, a neural network model was used to validate SEM results and determine the relative importance of determinants of acceptance of mG-App. The findings revealed that trust and performance expectancy are the strongest determinants influencing the acceptance of mG-App. The findings of this research have provided theoretical contributions to the existing research on mG-App and practical implications to decision-makers involved in the development and implementation of mG-App in in Oman.

No / Rational, aim, and objectives: A positive patient safety culture in maternity units is linked to higher quality of care and better outcomes for mothers. However, safety culture varies across maternity units. Analyses of variation in safety culture using statistical process control (SPC) methods may help provider units to learn from each other's performance. This study aims to measure patient safety culture across maternity units in Oman using SPC methods. Methods: The 36-item Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) was distributed to all doctors, nurses, and midwifes working in ten maternity care units in Oman's hospitals and analysed using SPC methods. The SAQ considers six domains: job satisfaction, perception of management, safety climate, stress recognition, teamwork, and work condition. Results: Of the 892 targeted participants, 735 (82%) questionnaires were returned. The overall percentage of positive safety responses in all hospitals ranged from 53% to 66%, but no hospital had the targeted response of above 75%. Job satisfaction had the highest safety score (4.10) while stress recognition was the lowest (3.17). SPC charts showed that the overall percentage of positive responses in three maternity units (H1, H7, and H10) was above and one (H4) was below the control limits that represent special cause variation that merits further investigation. Conclusion: Generally, the safety culture in maternity units in Oman is below target and suggests that considerable work is required to enhance safety culture. Several maternity units showed evidence of high/low special cause variation that may offer a useful starting point for understanding and enhancing safety culture.

Yes / Patient safety culture/climate in maternity units has been linked to better safety outcomes. Nurses have a crucial role in patient safety and represent the majority of staff in maternity units. In many countries, nurses are recruited from abroad, bringing their own perceptions of patient safety culture. Nonetheless, little is known about the relationship between perceptions of patient safety culture and nurses’ nationality. Understanding this relationship will assist stakeholders in designing a responsive programme to improve patient safety culture. Aims: To investigate the association between nurses’ nationality and their perceptions about patient safety culture in maternity units in Ministry of Health hospitals in Oman. Methods: In 2017, the Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) was distributed to all staff (892 distributed, 735 returned) in 10 maternity units. Results: About three-quarters (74%, 541/735) of the returned SAQs were completed by nurses, of whom 34% were non-Omani, 21.8% were Omani and 44.7% did not report their nationality (missing). Overall, the mean safety score for non-Omani nurses was significantly higher than for the Omani nurses: 3.9 (SD 1.3) vs 3.6 (SD 1.2) (P < 0.001). The mean safety score for stress recognition was significantly lower for non-Omani nurses: 2.8 (SD 1.5) vs 3.2 (SD 1.3) (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Non-Omani nurses have a more positive perception of patient safety culture than Omani nurses except in respect of stress recognition. Decision-makers, directors, and clinicians should consider these differences when designing interventions to improve patient safety culture. / This study is part of a PhD study that was funded by the Ministry of Health in Oman