This essay critically analyzes the implementation of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative through a detailed descriptive case study as the methodological framework, employing the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) model as the theoretical basis. The essay delves into the alignment of Vision 2030 with TBL principles, particularly in its influence on economic diversification, social inclusivity, and environmental conservation.  The study incorporated the three dimensions, concluding that Vision 2030 has successfully taken substantial steps in steering the Saudi economy away from its conventional reliance on oil. Socially, Vision 2030 places a significant emphasis on enhancing the quality of life for all Saudi citizens by investing in education, healthcare, and social welfare programs. On the environmental front, Vision 2030 demonstrates a steadfast commitment to sustainability through initiatives that promote renewable energy and environmentally friendly practices. The TBL framework serves as a valuable perspective for assessing the intricate impact of Vision 2030. Through an evaluation of the initiative's advancements in economic diversification, social inclusivity, and environmental preservation, it becomes evident that Vision 2030 is facilitating a more balanced and sustainable developmental trajectory for Saudi Arabia. / <p>My deepest gratitude extends to the individuals who have played a pivotal role in the success of this essay, particularly my unwavering family and cherished friends. Their unwavering support, encouragement, and constructive feedback have been instrumental in shaping my thoughts and refining the essay's content. I am particularly indebted to my esteemed advisor, Abdulelah Al Mutairi, whose guidance, expertise, and unwavering belief in my potential have been invaluable. His insightful suggestions and meticulous attention to detail have elevated the essay to a level I could not have achieved on my own. I am truly grateful for the collective support and encouragement that has made this endeavor possible.</p>

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Security is becoming an increasingly important issue for business, and with it comes the need for appropriate authentication; consequently, it is becoming gradually more important to develop secure e-commerce systems. Fraud via the web, identity theft, and phishing are raising concerns for users and financial organisations. In addition, current authentication methods, like passwords, have many problems (e.g. some users write them down, they forget them, or they make them easy to hack). We can overcome these drawbacks by using biometric authentication systems. Biometric systems are being used for personal authentication in response to the rising issue of authentication and security. Biometrics provide much promise, in terms of preserving our identities without the inconvenience of carrying ID cards and/or remembering passwords. This research is important because the securing of e-commerce transactions is becoming increasingly important. Identity theft, hacking and viruses are growing threats to Internet users. As more people use the Internet, more identity theft cases are being reported. This could harm not only the users, but also the reputation of the organisations whose names are used in these illegal acts. For example, in the UK, online banking fraud doubled in 2008 compared to 2007. More users took to e-shopping and online banking, but failed to take necessary protection. For non-western cultures, the figures for web security, in 2008, illustrated that Saudi Arabia was ranked ninth worldwide for users who had been attacked over the web. The above statistics reflect the significance of information security with e-commerce systems. As with any new technology, user acceptance of the new technology is often hard to measure. In this thesis, a study of user acceptance of biometric authentication systems in e-transactions, such as online banking, within Saudi society was conducted. It examined whether Saudis are practically willing to accept this technology. This thesis focuses upon Saudi Arabia, which has developing economy. It has achieved a rapid rate of growth, and therefore makes an interesting and unique case study. From an economist¿s point of view, Saudi Arabia is the powerhouse of the Middle East. It has the leading regional economy, and, even though it is still relatively young. It has a young and rapid growing population; therefore, this makes Saudi Arabia an attractive potential market for all kinds of e-commerce applications. Having said that, with more than half of population under the age of 30 are more to be expected to take the risk of accepting new technology. For this work, 306 Saudi participants were involved in the experiments. A laboratory experiment was created that actively tested a biometric authentication system in combination with a survey. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was adopted in the first experimental phase as the theoretical basis on which to develop the iv research framework, the model has proven its efficiency as a good predictor for the biometric authentication system. Furthermore, in a second experimental phase, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with moderating variables such as age, gender and education level was examined as a proposed conceptual framework to overcome the limitations of TAM. The aim of the study was to explore factors affecting users¿ acceptance of biometric authentication systems. The findings from Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis indicate that education level is a significant moderating factor, while gender and age do not record as significant. This thesis added new knowledge to this field and highlighted the importance of the perceptions of users regarding biometric security technologies. It helps determine the factors affecting the acceptance of biometric technology. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic study of this issue carried out by academic and non-biased researchers in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the thesis presents security technology companies and developers of information security products with information to help in the determination of what is significant to their user base when taking into account the introduction of new secure systems and products.

Fire incidents are a central issue in Saudi civil defence. Despite detailed regulation concerning firefighting equipment dealing with dwelling fires, fires occur frequently. Globally, research on dwelling fire safety is relatively new. Most studies focus on human factors, incidence and causal issues. Few studies examine management or policy-making perspectives towards managing these individual agents. Thus, a detailed study on understanding the management of these factors for dwelling fires is long overdue. The study uses an inductive approach to investigate key management issues in reducing dwelling fires in Saudi Arabia. This qualitative study consisted of twelve indepth semi-structured interviews and four focus groups with senior managers of the Civil Defence Division dealing with fire safety. A sustainability-based framework is developed to map the critical issues in generating a long-term planning solution to policy and management of fire hazard and risk in Saudi Arabia. Critical drivers of this sustainability approach are good management, regulation, governance practices: especially accountability and transparency; reduction of tribalism, bureaucracy, and burns unit efficiency. However, given the modern environment of communications, information technology and communications, and in particular public education, are viewed as important mediators between drivers and sustainability. The critical role of knowledge generation is also positioned as a mediator. The framework proposed is a paradigm shift from merely managing fire incidents on a case by case basis to a proactive risk reduction strategy. This represents an original solution to managing fire hazards at a national level and an important contribution to the fire management literature.

Labour migration to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has been occurring forseveral decades. Most of the GCC countries regulate this process through the Kafala System, alegal regime through which individuals and companies can sponsor foreigners with whom theyhave concluded an employment contract. But why do these countries bring millions of foreignersto their lands and what rights does the Kafala System guarantee them? Are there any negativeeconomic and political consequences that result from the way that the Kafala System has beenconceived in the GCC countries? If so, how can this system be reformed so that it produces moredesirable economic and political outcomes? This thesis explores these questions in the contextof the Kafala System in Saudi Arabia. It uses a New Institutional Economics (NIE) approach tounderstand the political, economic, and historical context within which the Kafala System arose,positing that the design of the system reflects a desire to promote economic growth and improvepolitical stability while remaining rooted in the Islamic identity of Saudi Arabia. It further showsthat for a long time, the Kafala System was successful in furthering these objectives. However, ithas lately become prone to producing suboptimal outcomes. Foreign direct investment in SaudiArabia has gone down, remittance outflows as a percentage of GDP have increased, skilled andhighly skilled workers are leaving the kingdom, and even Saudi Arabia’s political stability has beenreduced. Given all of these problems, the thesis uses Path Dependence (PD) theory to argue thatthe only reason that the Kafala System continues to be in place is that it has become a path-­‐dependent institution that is resistant to change. This took place in three steps: (1) the initial setof choices that created the Kafala System were informed by important economic and politicalconsiderations as well as an affirmation of the Kingdom’s commitment to tie all legal institutionsto an Islamic source, (2) the Kafala System successfully helped Saudi Arabia achieve rapideconomic growth and increased political stability, outcomes which served as a positive feedbackeffect, and (3) the continued use of the Kafala System has increased switching costs because oflearning effects, coordination effects, and adaptive expectations. The thesis then argues that inorder to successfully reform this system, it is important in the first instance to justify proposedchanges in light of Islamic teachings, since this will improve how receptive Saudi society is tothem. At the same time, it is also necessary to show that changes in the international investmentclimate and the transition to a global information economy constitute a ‘critical juncture’ duringwhich the problem of switching costs can be overcome and far-­‐reaching reforms can besuccessful. Of course, it goes without saying that reforms that increase protections for the rightsof workers would also align Saudi Arabia’s domestic law with its international treaty obligations.

Football is the world's most practiced sport. Historically, countries worldwide have employed the positive attributes of sports as a means of propaganda to present a more favorable image of their nation to a global audience. Recently, countries such as Russia, China, Qatar, and now Saudi Arabia have been accused of sportswashing. Football star Cristiano Ronaldo became the first to depart from European elite football and move to the untested Saudi Professional League, with several elite European players following suit. In 2023, voices emerged, accusing Saudi Arabia of sportswashing and questioning the underlying motives. Research acknowledges the prevalence of sportswashing in contemporary times, yet there is a dearth of studies examining sports journalism's coverage of it. This thesis explores how the sports journalists of Swedish Expressen and Saudi Arab News cover the substantial investments in the Saudi Professional League. The empirical material comprises a total of 20 articles, evenly sourced from respective news outlets. These articles underwent a comparative qualitative text analysis. Given Saudi Arabia's geographical location within the historical Orient, it is pertinent to analyze how Western sports journalism reports on football in Saudi Arabia through the theoretical lenses of orientalism and eurocentrism. Furthermore, the study explores how Saudi sports journalism legitimizes itself through the perspectives of occidentalism and ethnocentrism. The study's findings reveal that Expressen incorporates elements of both orientalism and eurocentrism in their articles. In response to European football leaking top footballers to Saudi Arabia, Expressen resorts to both orientalist and eurocentric criticism in its arguments. In an attempt to reaffirm European superiority and diminish the emerging influence of Saudi Arabia. Conversely, Arab News predominantly employs ethnocentric arguments to position Saudi Arabia among the absolute global elite without substantial scrutiny. / Fotboll är världens mest utövade sport. Historiskt har länder världen över nyttjat sportens positiva egenskaper som ett propagandaverktyg för att ge omvärlden en bättre bild av landet. I absolut närtid är Ryssland, Kina, Qatar och nu senast Saudiarabien exempel på länder som anklagats för sporttvätt. Cristiano Ronaldo tillsammans med flera av Europas elitspelare har lämnat den europeiska fotbollen för den obeprövade Saudi Professional League. Under 2023 höjdes röster världen över som anklagade Saudiarabien för sporttvätt och ifrågasatte motiven bakom spelarnas flyttar. Forskning visar att sporttvätt i modern tid är ett faktum, men det saknas studier om sportjournalistikens rapportering om dessa länder. Denna studie undersöker hur sportjournalisterna hos svenska Expressens respektive saudiska Arab News rapporterar om de omfattande satsningarna på den saudiska fotbollsligan. Det genom en kvalitativ jämförande textanalys med teoretiska verktyg från representationsteorin, orientalismen, eurocentrismen, occidentalismen samt etnocentrismen för att synliggöra historiska dolda värderingar, kritiska mot Saudiarabien respektive Västerlandet. Eftersom Saudiarabien geografiskt är en del av den historiska Orienten är det relevant att analysera hur västerländsk sportjournalistik rapporterar om saudisk fotboll. Samt i relation hur saudiska sportjournalister legitimerar Saudiarabien. Studiens empiriska material består av totalt 20 artiklar, lika många från respektive tidning. Resultatet visar att Expressen i respons till att den europeiska elitfotbollen läcker toppspelare till Saudiarabien använder både orientalistisk och eurocentrisk kritik i sin argumentation. Det görs för att bekräfta den europeiska överhögheten och förminska uppstickaren Saudiarabien. Arab News å andra sidan använder främst etnocentriska argument för att positionera Saudiarabien bland den absoluta världseliten utan någon egentlig prövning.

This thesis assesses the current rights of women in Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Within each case study, four main factors are measured based on their individual influence in each state. The first factor, historical context, examines various historical influences and their effect on the empowerment of women in their country. The second factor, the socio-cultural context, describes social and ethnical effects on society such as the influence of tribal lineage. The third factor researched is the political structure of the state and the impact that each different political system has upon gender equality in that region. The fourth and final factor is the economic system and the various economic determinants that influence the presence of women in the economy. Subsequently, the conclusion cross analyzes these factors and their distinctive and comparative impact across each region. This thesis attempts to offer an introductory glimpse into the various factors that may hinder empowerment of women in these regions. This information is imperative in order to understand how these states can develop policies that will empower women economically, politically, and socially.

In the last decade, the rapid economic development in the Middle East has encouraged organisations to implement modem quality management and strategic initiatives such as Six Sigma to ensure continuous improvement and achieved excellence. Six Sigma is a comprehensive business strategic quality programme and a systematic process improvement methodology for achieving, sustaining and maximising business success. The proper implementation of Six Sigma leads to breakthrough in profitability through ensuring quantum gains in product/service quality, customer satisfaction and productivity. This research presents an empirical exploratory and comparative study that aims and attempts to bridge the gap in the existing literature of Six Sigma by investigating the current implementation status of Six Sigma in organisations of three Middle East countries (namely, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and United Arab Emirates (UAE)). The reasons/benefits that encourage Middle East organisations to implement Six Sigma projects, the challenges commonly faced during implementation, the critical success factors (CSFs) for effective implementation and the organisations’ satisfaction with the implementation are investigated. The key issues of Six Sigma implementation and their criticality relating to the experience of the implementing process of Six Sigma projects are explored through an extensive review of the relevant literature. The data were collected from a combination of quantitative (232 questionnaires) and qualitative (74 semi-structured interviews) methodologies. The research covered 44 organisations from manufacturing and services sectors and large, small, and medium enterprises (SME) sizes, which have implemented or were implementing Six Sigma projects in the selected countries at the time of study. The study findings identified 15 significant reasons/benefits which encourages Middle East organisations to implement Six Sigma projects, 13 major challenges commonly faced during implementation, 19 CSFs for effective implementation and level of the organisations’ satisfaction with the implementation. Based on the research findings, a generic model for successful and effective implementation of Six Sigma in Middle East organisations is developed and proposed. The research concludes that Six Sigma implementation in Middle East organisations still in early stage, most organisations have outstanding opportunities to implement the Six Sigma project successfully and effectively with tangible and intangible benefits. In addition, all the responding organisations, which are actively implementing Six Sigma programme, regardless of their countries, sectors and sizes are highly satisfied with the implementation results. However, the research output highlights that an improvement culture must be developed and promoted throughout the organisation to ensure long-term benefit and sustainable success. Furthermore, the research makes recommendations on development of an implementation strategy in Middle East organisations. Finally, a number of suggestions are made for future research.

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