No description available.

This study is concerned with the integration of young Omanis into the labour market. The aim is identify the factors that hamper their efforts to gain access into the labour market. The year 1970 marked the beginning of a new era in the history of Oman. This hitherto backward and undeveloped country embarked on an ambitious development programme and within a span of twenty five years achieved rapid economic growth and social change. The pace of economic development has been determined by the revenues generated from oil which are the main source of income for the government. In its transformation the country relied on an expatriate labour force to meet the demand for a competent work force needed to carry out and run various plans and projects. Their size increased from few hundreds in 1970 to constitute two thirds of the country's workforce which was estimated at around 625,000 in 1995. Until 1970, most young Omanis were seeking employment in the public sector. The fall of oil prices from 1986 onwards and the advent of the Gulf crises in 1990, weakened the economy of Oman and the Government's role as the leading employer of school-leavers was reduced. Accordingly, a growing number of young Omanis began to approach the private sector for employment. The private sector employers were, however, more enthusiastic to recruit expatriate workers than to employ young Omanis. The result was growing unemployment amongst young school-leavers. This situation coincided with the majority of jobs being occupied by non-Omanis. This situation raised question marks about the efficiency of the human resource policies of the country. The changes brought about by this new pattern of employment and the difficulties faced by the young schoolleavers is the central focus of this study. To provide an adequate explanation for the impact of this issue, the study drew on the experiences of several countries and covered different issues under different disciplines, in order to formulate a set of assumptions. These assumptions were developed to reflect the perspectives of the principle groups of stakeholders concerned with labour market issues - young Omanis, private sector employers, and Omani society as a whole. In gathering data and generating knowledge, the study employed a triangulation of methods comprising quantitative and qualitative research methods. The employment of multiple methods was essential, on the grounds that not much research has been carried out in Oman. Respondents, many of them expatriates with little motivation to support the objective of the study, often questioned the intention and motivation of the researcher. Therefore, to obtain an accurate picture from them, it was important to intensify the efforts in the field to ensure the veracity of their responses. Based on these investigations the study has sought to conceptualise a theoretical approach to youth transition from school to the labour market, based on two types of factors: endogenous and exogenous. The study also offered a set of suggestions to policy makers to alleviate the problem of youth unemployment in the country.

Electronic government (e-government) diffusion and adoption is a global topic that concerns many developed and developing countries worldwide. However, global efforts to provide e-services to different stakeholders (citizens) differ from one country to another in terms of readiness, challenges, adoptions and diffusions. These differences are due to the variation of technological, political, cultural, economic and social differences. A number of studies on e-government have focused on the technological, economic and political aspects of implementation, while others have examined factors that influence citizens‘ adoption of e-government services, such as availability, accessibility, usability, awareness and trust. This study will focus on the influence of intermediary roles played by third parties in helping diffusion and adoption of e-government. This study will use a qualitative research approach to reflect the roles of intermediaries on e-government realms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study will aim to address the research question, "What are the roles of an intermediary in adoption and diffusion of e-government services?" In addition, the study undertaken for this thesis will examine the most salient factors that determine adoption of e-government services in Saudi Arabia and validate the UTAUT model in the Saudi Arabian context, particularly focusing on intermediary organisations. This aspect of the study will use a quantitative approach using a survey to understand citizens‘ perspectives regarding intermediary and e-government adoption. The outcome of this study will create a conceptual model for studying e-government adoption in Saudi Arabia. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings will be discussed, offering recommendations for future research directions.

No description available.

Organisations are constantly striving to maximise shareholder wealth by improving effectiveness and efficiency of operations. There has been an emerging trend since the early 1980‟s to outsource functions which were considered non-core. These trends have now moved into the internal audit sphere, a function which was previously maintained in-house. With the outsourcing of Internal Audit Functions issues such as independence and the value adding approach of internal audit are brought into question. This paper explores similarities and differences between public sector internal auditing and its counterpart in the private sector in South Africa. Using survey data collected from a purposive mix of 72 organisations in the South African private and public sector, the degree of internal audit outsourcing, the rationales behind their outsourcing decisions, the types of internal audit services providers, the perceived status of in-house and the perception of Independence of outsourced Internal Audit Functions were investigated. Results from statistical analysis suggest that there was no significant difference in the consideration of outsourcing of Internal Audit Function by sector. The private sector was significantly more likely to consider internal audit a core activity when compared to the public sector while the public sector were more uncertain. No significant differences were observed between sectors with regards to interaction with external auditors in terms of coordination of areas of audit coverage and work schedule. Private companies were significantly more likely to have longer hours provided by interval service providers relative to outside providers when compared to the public sector. The biggest difference appears to be that private companies chose a big 4 accounting firm more often than in the government sector. Conversely the government sector had a higher frequency of choosing smaller accounting firms and specialised internal audit providers when compared to the private sector. The value of this research study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by means of bridging the gap between the theory and practice from a developing economy xvi and emerging market perspective, by highlighting the different perspectives of Internal Audit practice. Challenges that face this developing economy that are of particular interest when considering the sourcing arrangements of the Internal Audit Function, are events (political, social and economical) that have occurred in South Africa during the past 15 years. The public sector element is unique to other studies that were undertaken in South Africa.

University of Macau / Faculty of Science and Technology. / Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

This study was conducted in the context of health service planning in an environment of changing government strategies for regional, rural and remote area health care and telecommunications infrastructure planning in Western Australia. The study provides an account of the State Government of Western Australia’s planning for the implementation of a telecommunications network infrastructure, and specifically the Telehealth Project, conducted between 1998 and 2002. The purpose of this study was to examine influences on community participation in planning within the dynamic political, economic and social forces that impact on the development of regional, rural and remote area health services. Specifically, the study outlines the issues and barriers in providing for significant local participation in projects that are centrally initiated and controlled. It examines the influences in planning for projects that incorporate local community based beliefs and needs, the requirements of collaborating with multiple state and national government departments, and the private sector. This study was situated within the interpretive paradigm, and is conceptualised within Donabedian’s (1969) framework for assessing and assuring quality in health care. The methodological approach is bound within a case study and consists of a participatory action research approach. The research method uses the single case to undertake in-depth interviews, observations and a survey to collect data from community, government and industry members as a basis for reflection and action. The findings of the study clearly indicated that there was consensus between all rural, remote and metropolitan area participants that telecommunications did offer the opportunity to provide increased, improved or alternative health services. However, there were a number of obstacles to the success of the planning process, including a lack of local community inclusion in planning committees, poor communication within central government agencies, overuse of external consultants, a bias toward the medical view, a limited scope of invitation to contribute, and local information being overlooked in the final implementation plan. Analysis of planning for the Telehealth Project reveals the implications of organisational and political stakeholders making final decisions about outcomes; and provides a reminder of the importance of engaging communities authentically when planning for health and telecommunications services which involve the public and private sectors. The originality and significance of this study stems from understanding how technology can advance community health; through measures such as the use of community participation strategies, through authentic community based leadership, truly representative participants, decentralised decision making, a focus on community based health needs and change management strategies that include all of these. Consequently, the study advances knowledge of community participation in planning, and the evidence suggests implications for practice, education and further research.

Thesis (PhD (Public Affairs))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

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Thesis (M.C.R.P.) -- University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.