Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council Countries Research Articles

Chinese in the Kuwaiti linguistic market: language policy and political economy

ABSTRACT As China is building closer economic and geopolitical relations with oil-rich Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council countries, enthusiasm for learning and teaching Chinese is surging in the region. In Kuwait, whereas Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) education is emerging, research into this topical domain remains scarce, particularly on issues such as (1) how, beside English and Arabic, Chinese is construed as a means of employability and socio-economic mobility, and (2) what competencies and skills are thought to be essential. The present study adopted an exploratory qualitative design, collecting and analyzing document data from mainstream Kuwaiti media and narrative data through oral interviews and written surveys from 19 administrators in the foreign language centre at a Kuwaiti university. Results demonstrated that the rise of CFL education is strongly influenced by the bilateral economic cooperation between China and Kuwait. According to the participants, Kuwaiti learners invest in learning Chinese mainly based on their hopes to obtain economic benefit in the domestic job market. Administrators also exhibited limited knowledge of CFL education policies. These results provide insights for education policymakers, language instructors, and other stakeholders involved in CFL education in Kuwait. Implications and future research directions are also discussed.

Accounting information quality and tax avoidance effect on investment opportunities evidence from Gulf Cooperation Council GCC

The motivation of this research is to investigate the important factors that affect Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies and increase the investment opportunities to avoid the threats of limited oil resources in the future. This study examines the relationship between tax avoidance, accounting information quality, and other control variables on investment opportunities in six Arabian GCC countries, namely Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Moreover, this research investigates whether the accounting information quality affects the tax avoidance investment opportunities relationship. The data sample of the study includes 191 companies over the period of 2011 to 2017 (1337 company-year observations). This study used ordinary least squares (OLS) and moderated multiple regression (MMR) models for direct and moderation effects of accounting information quality, respectively. This study demonstrates that tax avoidance has a significant negative effect on investment opportunities, while the accounting information quality has a significant positive effect on investment opportunities. In line with the agency theory perspective, the high accounting information quality mechanism leads to the control of the managers’ opportunist behaviour, mitigates information asymmetry in managers and increases investment opportunities. Moreover, further analysis found that accounting information quality positively moderates the relationship between the tax avoidance and investment opportunities. Thus, higher quality of accounting information is strongly recommended to companies and policymakers, where tax planning is used as an alternative source of cash to achieve higher investment opportunities in GCC countries.

Depressive disorders in the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council countries: a literature review.

ObjectiveTo determine the contributions from the six Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to the national scientific literature on depressive disorders.MethodsThis literature review identified all of the published studies on all major depressive disorders as cited on the PubMed® and APA PsycInfo® databases from inception to 31 December 2016 from the six GGC countries. Data were extracted using a standardized form. The study compared the volume of research production between the countries by calculating an index that allowed for the country population size.ResultsA total of 28 studies met the inclusion criteria. Saudi Arabia headed the list of publications (10 articles) followed by the United Arab Emirates (n = 6), Kuwait (n = 5), Qatar (n = 3); and Bahrain and Oman produced two articles each. Only six out of the 28 (21.4%) studies included a random sample or adopted good sampling strategies. The majority of studies (24 of 28; 85.7%) were cross-sectional in design. Only one study clearly stated the use of the DSM-4 criteria for diagnosis.ConclusionThe scientific literature published by the GCC countries on depressive disorders is scant and lacking scientific depth. These findings should be considered as a wake-up call for public health researchers, mental health workers and policymakers.

Alarming High Prevalence of Falls Among Older Adults in The Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Falls are common public health problems facing older adults. Limited research has produced conflicting evidence on the fall prevalence among older adults in the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the prevalence and risk factors of falls in older adults living in the GCC countries.

An exploration into student learning mobility in higher education among the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council countries

This paper explores the dynamics of the internationalisation of higher education in the Gulf region. Exploring the presence of foreign universities, international curricula, programmes, students and academic staff, it pays particular attention to the learning mobility of students from the region. Consequently, the aim of this piece of research is to explore the current learning mobility among the GCC countries. The study makes use of secondary data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) on the global flow of tertiary-level students and a survey conducted especially for this study among students from the Gulf region. Considering the literature explored and based on data from UIS and the survey conducted, it seems that higher education in the Gulf region has expanded and that the presence of foreign universities, international curricula, programmes, students and academic staff is a positive experience overall. Although learning mobility has been stimulated in the region, much of it is regionally driven. It seems that the growth of inward learning mobility is not proportional to the growth of foreign universities in the region. The growth of outward learning mobility is predominantly driven by scholarships and the potential for growth on inward and outward learning mobility seems likely to increase in the future. The Gulf countries may enhance learning mobility through multilateral learning and research cooperation by means of scholarships and regulated commercial activities. To emerge as an international education hub, the Gulf countries must become an attractive destination for students from outside of the region as well. The region may wish to draw relevant lessons from regions such as the European Union to stimulate learning mobility.

The Role of Folate on Colorectal Cancer in the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: An Overview

Driven by the boom of wealth brought by oil discovery and production, the high rate of urbanization and a steady increase in the per capita income, during the past years, has improved the socio-economic status of the people in the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC). This radical economic change has been accompanied by drastic changes in their lifestyle and food consumption patterns. During the past years, the regular consumption of traditional foods is being replaced with more Western-style and ready-made foods. In addition to adopting a sedentary life style in daily life and other related activities. According to National Health Survies in the GCC countries, high daily caloric intake, refined carbohydrates and protein were associated with increased risk of noncommunicable diseases including colorectal cancer (CRC). The rate of CRC among GCC countries is in the rise; however, there is dearth of research exploring it. In particular, there is lack of research about role of folate on occurrence of CRC despite the recent flourishing scientific research papers from other parts of the world.

Analysis of volatility persistence in Middle East emerging equity markets

PurposeThere is growing demand for research approaches that consider the functioning of financial markets in the emerging economy. The current paper aims to examine cointegration and volatility persistence of six Middle East emerging Arabian Gulf Cooperation council (AGCC) equity markets with developed markets.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses the MGARCH and VAR methodology to analyze the cointegration and volatility spillover across emerging AGCC markets and developed markets. Time series stock return data for six AGCC countries from February 2003 to January 2006 are used from Shuaa Capital Market together with MSCI world developed market index.FindingsThe study shows that AGCC markets exhibit significant own and cross spillover of innovations and volatility spillover and persistence in these markets. Emerging markets in AGCC derive relatively more of their innovations and volatility persistence from within the domestic market.Practical implicationsThe results imply that, emerging AGCC markets are susceptible to conditions within the AGCC region. This increases potential benefits of international diversification for international investors. The study findings have implications for security pricing within AGCC markets, for hedging and other trading strategies, and for regulatory polices conducted within financial markets.Originality/valueThe paper provides empirical evidence and justification for investors, both individual and foreign institutional, to adjust their portfolios through diversification.

Estimation of solar radiation for Oman

SYNOPSIS Measurements of global solar radiation on a horizontal surface and duration of sunshine are presented. The results illustrate the abundance of solar energy in Oman and show that the potential of solar energy is less in the summer months than in the rest of the year, which is contrary to what is known for the other Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The monthly variations of n/N and HIH°, where n is the measured monthly mean of daily hours of bright sunshine, N is the maximum possible daily hours of sunshine, H is the measured monthly mean of daily global solar radiation and H° is the monthly mean of daily extraterrestrial radiation, are also shown for three areas in Oman, viz. Salalah, Masirah and Ali Sib in addition to the overall variations in Oman. The correlation between the global solar radiation and bright sunshine is shown for the three areas. The overall correlation for Sultanate of Oman is predicted and given by: