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Many South African educators seek employment in Saudi Arabian schools, drawn by monetary incentives and better working conditions. However, little consideration is given to differences in cultural and educational values synonymous with the two entities. This research deals with the role of conflicting values in the teaching experiences of South African educators in Saudi Arabian schools by means of a literature study and empirical investigation. Qualitative data collection was done by in-depth personal interviews and personal narratives, written and sourced via e-mail. Findings revealed that the preconceived educational values of the South African educators sometimes acted as a barrier to teaching, restricting the educators from fully optimising their educational experiences. However, positive features of the Saudi education system were highlighted. The implications indicate a need for better orientation for South African educators working or planning to work in Saudi Arabia with emphasis on societal norms, customs and values. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The focus of this study is the development of an ICT training package for novice female primary teachers in Saudi Arabia. In recent years, the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia has placed a lot of importance on increasing the use of ICT within schools. Evidence suggests however that little attention has been paid to the provision of ICT training, particularly in primary education. Furthermore, in the general research literature; whilst there is much talk about the need for training, very little evidence is provided regarding what kind of training is effective. The purpose of this study therefore was to systematically design and evaluate an ICT training package that was informed by learning theory, research evidence and user needs. The study was conducted in two phases: 1) determining the ICT training needs of novice female primary teachers in Saudi Arabia; 2) designing, piloting and evaluating a training package based on identified needs and preferences, in-service teacher training literature and common learning theories in the field. In phase one, a qualitative survey that employed a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews was conducted. There were 135 participants in the questionnaire and 20 interviewees. The survey findings of revealed a great gap in both the technical and pedagogical skills of teachers. Furthermore, the data identified some factors that either limit or motivate teachers’ use of ICT. The participants’ preferences for their future ICT training were also determined. These results were used to inform the design of a training package. Key design features of the training package included: covering both technical and pedagogical content; using a blended approach that combined face-to-face and online delivery and using iv social constructivism and experiential learning to underpin its pedagogy. Twenty-two teachers participated in the pilot training. Evaluation data collected from a range of sources suggest that the teachers responded well to the design features of the training package and that the training had some positive influence on their practice. Using the literature review and the training needs data as well as the data generated from my own study I have identified five key design criteria that I believe can be applied to designing similar training packages in the future: Ownership; Shared learning; Contextualisation; Transformational potential and Evidence-based.

Over time, due to the increase in the numbers of foreign workers, both the Saudi population and the rate of unemployment among Saudi workers increased sharply so the Saudi government embarked on a process of replacing the foreign workers with Saudi workers. The government was concerned that there were many young people who remained jobless on leaving university whilst, at the same time in Saudi Arabia, there were many foreign nationals who, essentially, were taking jobs meant for the local population. This study aims to investigate, on the one hand, the factors affecting the adoption of Saudization and, on the other hand, to measure the effect of the adoption on the improvement of productivity and other benefits such as improving work opportunities and job security. Previous literature shows that there were four antecedents of the adoption of Saudization. These were: government policies and regulations to encourage adoption; facilitators and incentives of adoption; knowledge-sharing practices between Saudi and non-Saudi workers and the barriers to the adoption of Saudization. In the same line, the consequences of Saudization were increased productivity and other benefits of adoption. A model was developed to conceptualise the causal relationships between the constructs and the interactions amongst these constructs. This study employs mixed methods starting with a quantitative stage which was followed by a qualitative one. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 479 Saudi Arabian construction companies. Thereafter, 16 interviews were conducted with some of these IV companies’ managers. Structural equation modelling produced findings which revealed that, with the exception of barriers which had a negative effect on adoption, all the antecedents of the adoption of Saudization (policies and regulations, facilitators and incentives of adoption and knowledge-sharing practices) had a positive effect on the adoption of Saudization. Meanwhile, the adoption of Saudization had a positive effect on productivity and the other benefits of adoption. This study contributes to the theory since it has revealed a theoretical model which could be used in investigating the determinants and consequences of any localisation programme. It has also contributed to the practices used by the managers of construction companies and policy makers. Through identifying the antecedents and consequences of the adoption of Saudization and in parallel with preparing the required training needs to qualify Saudi’s young people, managers could deploy strategies to gradually replace foreign workers with Saudi workers. Also, this could encourage government bodies and policy makers to implement appropriate measures and incentives to encourage adoption and to reward the pioneer companies. In addition, it could help to finance training programmes and to restructure higher education to prepare qualified graduates who could fill the jobs previously taken by foreigners.

In recent years, petrochemicals products from Saudi Arabia have been the subject of anti-dumping (AD) cases in several countries. This has raised questions about whether Saudi Arabia’s domestic laws and regulations relating to AD and anti-subsidy are, (1) effective, and (2) compatible with Saudi Arabia’s international legal obligations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This thesis examines the compatibility of Saudi Arabia’s domestic laws concerning AD, with international trade law, under the WTO agreement on the Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (Anti-Dumping Agreement (AD Agreement)). It critically analyses cases filed against Saudi Arabia’s petrochemicals products in a number of countries; including India, China, and Turkey, and in the European Union. It is observed that the high number of AD cases filed against Saudi Arabia’s petrochemicals products around the world reflect a need to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s domestic laws, and the regulations applicable to dumping. Arguably, some aspects of the WTO AD Agreement are in need of reconsideration by the contracting parties in view of the modern context of trade between contracting parties. Aspects to be re-examined include, for example, dispute resolution procedures. In this respect, this thesis argues that some parts of the WTO AD Agreement should be subject to further negotiations between the WTO contracting parties, with a view to making appropriate amendments. Finally, this research will present recommendations for the Saudi Arabian economic system, suggest amendments relating to AD and anti-subsidy provisions under the WTO and finally offer recommendations for the dispute resolution mechanism under the DSU. This will help to improve and develop an effective AD legal regime under the WTO agreement, which would be applicable in the context of the changing circumstances of global international trade.

In the last few decades Saudi Arabia and Jeddah has experienced a massive flow of undocumented migrants. This phenomenon is particularly interesting in Saudi Arabia because it involves migrants from different continents and countries, offering the opportunity of a cross-sectional analysis of their communities. This thesis will focus in particular on the case of Jeddah as a case study that serves as a representative microcosm for the whole country. For the first time, using a qualitative analysis, a researcher has been able to access some of the undocumented migrant communities living in the city in their own environment and, through face-to-face interviews, to gather their personal narratives about their lives as the “undocumented.” In particular, this research will analyse twelve communities chosen for being the most representative in the city of Jeddah: the African (e.g., Ethiopian, Eritrean, Somali, Sudanese, Chadian, Nigerian, Burkinabe, Ghanaian, and Cameroonian), the Yemeni, and the Filipino and Indonesian ones. Despite sharing the common experience of living as undocumented in the Kingdom, their relationship with the members of their communities, with the other communities and with the Saudi society are as varied as their backgrounds. This study also offers the opportunity of a discussion on the immigration policies adopted by Saudi Arabia and on their failure in tackling the problems of the undocumented migrants on its soil. In this regard, the study ends with recommendations for Saudi policy makers. Due to the sensitivity of the subject, the researcher guaranteed full confidentiality and anonymity to the interviewees from all the communities who accepted to share their experiences with him.

This thesis aims to fill an existing research gap, identified in a review of more than 173 TM studies, by developing a theoretical model of turnover intentions among talented employees in the Saudi Arabian tourism sector.

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