This thesis analyses the issue of sovereignty in the Arab Middle Eastern context with a special reference to three cases: Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq. The basic argument of this thesis is the inapplicability of Western sovereignty in the related cases. The thesis will discuss that Western sovereignty which was brought to the region has been limited by certain facts. Instead, what we have is a hybrid sovereignty model in which both modern and primordial patterns co-exist. The thesis will also trace the history of Western sovereignty in the region since the early periods of colonization and modernization, and will seek to answer such questions as how the failure of colonially brought Western sovereignty affects Arab politics in different levels.

After the discovery of oil, many Arab Gulf States failed to diversify and expand their economies beyond the oil sector. Resource curse theory contends these states, also known as rentier states, exhibited slower economic development than other states due to their dependency on oil. Dubai has been classified as a rentier state, however, it has achieved significant economic growth and political stability. Kuwait and Qatar were selected as case studies to compare and contrast with Dubai. Dubai s growth can be attributed to its rulers decisions prior to and after the discovery of oil and the growing role of the merchant class in the state. Therefore, the resource curse theory alone cannot address the development of Arab Gulf states.

A hybridized society, Kuwait meshes Islamic ideologies with western culture. Linguistically, English exists across both foreign language and second language nomenclatures in the country due to globalization and internationalization which has seen increasing use of English in Kuwait. Originally consisting of listening, speaking, reading and writing, the first grade English curriculum in Kuwait was narrowed in 2002 to focus only on the development of oral English skills, and to exclude writing. Since that time, both Kuwaiti teachers and parents have expressed dissatisfaction with this curriculum on the basis that this model disadvantages their children. In first grade however, the teaching of pre-writing has remained as part of the curriculum. This research analyses the parameters of English pre-writing and writing instruction in first grade in Kuwaiti classrooms, investigates first grade English pre-writing and writing teaching, and gathers insights from parents, teachers and students regarding the appropriateness of the current curriculum. Through interviews and classroom observations, and an analysis of curriculum documents, this case study found that the relationship between oral and written language is more complex than suggested by either the Kuwaiti curriculum reform, or international literature concerning the delayed teaching of writing. Intended curriculum integration across Kuwait subjects is also far more complex than first believed, due to a developmental mismatch between English pre-writing skills and Arabic language capabilities. Findings suggest an alternative approach to teaching writing may be more appropriate and more effective for first Grade students in the current Kuwait curriculum context. They contribute also to an emerging interest in the second and foreign language fields in the teaching of writing to young learners.

Cette thèse de doctorat explore la validité de la notion d’agenda setting sur un média social particulier : Twitter. La théorie de l’agenda setting a montré comment les médias de masse utilise la hiérarchisation de l’information et la « prépondérance des sujets » (« issue salience ») pour tenter d’agir sur l’opinion publique. La thèse cherche à déterminer si cette théorie, conçue à une époque antérieure à l’avènement des médias numériques, peut s’appliquer à Twitter qui est à la fois un média de masse et un média d’exposition sélective à l’information.La recherche est menée sur le terrain de la communication politique. Deux études ont examinés et comparés les comptes de personnalités politiques et de medias d’information générale dans deux Twittosphères : l’une française et l’autre koweitienne durant une période de l’année 2016, correspondant pour la France aux primaires qui ont précédé les présidentielles. Une enquête sur les utilisateurs de ces Twittosphères complète cette analyse.Les résultats montrent à quelles conditions un effet d’ « agenda setting » peut se former et créer des conversations au-delà de la « bulle de filtrage » auquel conduit l’exposition sélective à l’information. / This doctoral thesis explores the validity of the agenda setting theory in the social media platform of Twitter. The theory has shown how the mass media prioritize information using the "issue salience" to try to influence public opinion. This thesis seeks to determine whether this theory, conceived in an era prior to the advent of digital media, can be applied to Twitter, which is both a mass media source and a selective news media source.This research is conducted in the field of political communication. Two studies have examined the accounts of political personalities and mass media sources present on Twitter in two Twitterspheres, France and Kuwait, during a selected period of the year 2016, corresponding for France to the primaries that preceded the presidential elections. A survey of users of these Twitterspheres completes this analysis.The results showed under what conditions an effect of "agenda setting" can form and create conversations beyond the "filtration bubble" that commands the selective exposure to information.

As a result of globalization, the concept of Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) has become on the agendas of organizations over the past decade. The organizations in Kuwait are no exception; they have been striving to address and execute the best practices of CSR. The banking sector in Kuwait, which plays a pivotal role in the economy, represents an area of strong interest for anyone wanting to research the depiction of CSR in Kuwait since it was the first sector that introduced corporate social responsibility and is considered a pioneer in that field. However, no studies were found that have examined CSR policies in practice in Kuwait or in the banking sector in particular. This thesis therefore focuses on obtaining a better understanding of how corporate social responsibility works in practice in the Kuwaiti banks from the perspective of three groups: the decision makers of CSR in the Kuwaiti banks, the employees of the banks, and the banks’ customers. The researcher used a qualitative approach in which data were collected using interviews and document analysis. The collected data were interpreted and analysed and thereafter drawn the conclusion that banks are very clear in defining their CSR objectives which are aligned with their overall corporate strategy. However, there were commonalities and differences in how stakeholders understand and perceive CSR. The study also revealed that both the 2008 financial crisis and Islam influenced the way CSR is exercised in the banks, and moderately, influenced the employees and customers.

This thesis explores students’ views concerning the current English as medium of instruction (EMI) policy at Kuwait’s two public higher education institutions, Kuwait University (KU) and the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). In line with the exploratory nature of this study, an interpretivist and social constructivist epistemological stance was implemented to elicit and analyse students’ views and gain their insights on the current situation. The study employed a sequential mixed method design using quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (focus groups, semi-structured interviews and semi-structured observations) methods to present a holistic picture. The number of the participants were 12 for the focus groups, 100 for the questionnaire, 11 for the in-depth interviews and 10 teaching sessions were observed. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the quantitative strand data and thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data. The study revealed that although most participants preferred to learn through English, the current EMI policy raised many concerns. These related to students having to endure an ‘extra burden’ and the additional effort needed to study a subject being taught in a language that was not their mother tongue. The students expressed the view that this resulted in them being unable to gain a deep knowledge of the subject and not attain high grades which then affected their career prospects. These issues arose due to the students not being sufficiently competent in the use of English at the high level expected for degree level work. Students also expressed concerns relating to EMI policy effects on Arab identity and on the use of Arabic as a language of science and academia. Students would prefer a policy that promoted the use of both Arabic and English in their courses which would enable them to benefit from developing their understanding of both languages. The thesis concludes by presenting a recommendation to modify the medium of instruction policy such that it incorporates both English and Arabic. These recommendations have implications for policymakers, teachers and students.

abstract: Desert environments provide considerable challenges to organisms because of high temperatures and limited food and water resources. Accordingly, desert species have behavioral and physiological traits that enable them to cope with these constraints. However, continuing human activity as well as anticipated further changes to the climate and the vegetative community pose a great challenge to such balance between an organism and its environment. This is especially true in the Arabian Desert, where climate conditions are extreme and environmental disturbances substantial. This study combined laboratory and field components to enhance our understanding of dhub (Uromastyx aegyptius) ecophysiology and determine whether habitat protection influences dhub behavior and physiology. Results of this study showed that while body mass and body condition consistently diminished as the active season progressed, they were both greater in protected habitats compared to non-protected habitats, regardless of season. Dhubs surface activity and total body water decreased while evaporative water loss and body temperature increased as the active season progressed and ambient temperature got hotter. Total body water was also significantly affected by habitat protection. Overall, this study revealed that, while habitat protection provided more vegetation, it had little effect on seasonal changes in surface activity. While resource availability in protected areas might allow for larger dhub populations, unprotected areas showed similar body morphometrics, activity, and body temperatures. By developing an understanding of how different coping strategies are linked to particular ecological, morphological, and phylogenetic traits, we will be able to make more accurate predictions regarding the vulnerability of species. By combining previous studies pertaining to conservation of protected species with the results of my study, a number of steps in ecosystem management are recommended to help in the preservation of dhubs in the Kuwaiti desert. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biology 2017

This research explores leadership effectiveness in organisations in Kuwait from the perspective of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). This is an area that has been neglected by the extant literature, and no integrated model for assessing CEO effectiveness exists for us to fully understand the phenomenon. Based on a positivist qualitative research approach, evidence was drawn from 16 CEOs using semi-structured interviews. The evidence was corroborated by using data obtained from participant observations of two CEOs working in the same organisation as the researcher. The results indicated that CEOs perceive leadership effectiveness as driving execution and not necessarily the realisation of goals themselves. Their experiences of leadership lead to CEOs in Kuwait believing that leadership effectiveness depends on their leadership style, relationship with the Board and the Executives, experience and family ground, societal and organisational culture, the business environment and CEO characteristics. On the basis of the participants’ perceptions of leadership effectiveness, it is recommended that CEO leadership development in Kuwait should focus on these areas, as this should equip CEOs to be effective in formulating clear visions and executing strategies to enable economic development of the country, and this should help them to compete globally. As the study focused on private and public companies, future research could consider CEOs from governmental and not-for-profit organisations to expand the sample of CEOs.

abstract: To understand the visual culture and art education practices within three ideologically distinct kindergartens, I employed an interdisciplinary approach, utilizing tools from the fields of art, education, anthropology, literary theory, visual studies and critical social theory. Each of the three schools was considered to be the "best" of its kind for the community in which it resided; TBS was the original bilingual school, and the most Westernized. It was set in the heart of a major city. The second school, OBS, operated from an Islamic framework located in an under-developed small transitioning suburb; and the last school, NBS, was situated in Al-Jahra, an "outlying area" populated by those labeled as bedouins (Longva, 2006). The participants' attitudes towards art education unfolded as I analyzed my visual observations of the participants' daily practices. I have produced a counter-hegemonic visual narrative by negotiating my many subjectivities and methods to gain new knowledge and insights. This approach has provided a holistic understanding of the environment in each site, in which attitudes and practices relating to art education have been acquired by the community. Operating from three different educational paradigms, each school applied a different approach to art education. The more Westernized school viewed art as an individual act which promoted creativity and expression. In the Islamic school art was viewed as an activity that required patterning (Stokrocki, 1986), and that the child needed to be guided and exposed to the appropriate images to follow. In the bedouin school, drawing activities were viewed as an opportunity for representing one's individual story as well as a skill for emergent literacy. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2012

This diploma thesis focuses on trade environment in Mexico with special focus on practical example of a particular trade operation. The aim is to analyze trade environment in Mexico on an example of particular trade operation. The first part focuses on main attributes, characteristics and structural problems of the Mexican economy. The second part describes more in detail the country's business environment and customs procedures. The last chapter analyzes the selected trade operation of export of goods to Kuwait performed by small Mexican trade company. Based on the analysis of the operation are identified several recommendations for potential improvement of the exporter's activities. Methods of interview, description, analysis and comparison are used. The bibliography cites printed resources, books and articles, as well as electronic resources, statistical databases and legal rules. The practical part was elaborated with support of the exporter's and freight forwarder's experts, who provided access to information and documentation needed.