Gulf Cooperation Council Countries Countries Research Articles

Forecasting Head and Neck Cancer Trends in GCC Countries: Implications for Public Health Policy and Strategy.

The data available on the incidence and mortality rates of head and neck cancer types (HNCs) in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) have relied on global trends and covered only certain cancer sites, types or certain age groups. This study aimed to assess the incidence and mortality rates of head and neck cancer (HNCs) within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, providing insights into their geographic variability in 2020. Prediction of the magnitude of the disease to 2040 was explored based on demographic projections. Estimates of incidence and mortality and the population projections were extracted from the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) database and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs respectively for the time frame 2020 to 2040. Additionally, we analyzed the distribution of cases and deaths by age and sex for both time periods. The analysis indicates varying patterns in HNC rates across GCC countries in 2020, with Oman and Saudi Arabia carrying the highest burden. Projections for 2040 reveal a substantial increase in new HNC cases and related deaths, particularly in Qatar, UAE, and Bahrain. Furthermore, incidence rates are predicted to rise significantly for individuals aged 50 and older, while remaining relatively stable for those under 50. With regards to sex, males generally exhibit higher rates, except in Qatar. HNC burden is anticipated to rise significantly in the GCC, with variations per age, sex and geographical location. By 2040, a 2-3-fold increase in HNCs in the GCC is anticipated, emphasizing the need for focused public health strategies to address this rising health challenge.

The Impact of Growth in Real Estate Activities on Stock Returns and the Banking Sector in The Gulf Cooperation Council

This research studied the impact growth in real estate activities has on the return of the stock markets and banking sectors in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC). The study applied multivariate regressions to analyze yearly indices return data from 2010 to 2020. The results indicated a positive relationship between the growth in real estate activities and the return of both the stock markets and banking sectors in the GCC countries. Furthermore, the study also discovered a positive correlation between the returns of the stock markets and the banking sectors. Finally, the results of this study are expected to be of interest to researchers who are interested in examining the impact of the real estate sector on stock market returns, as well as to dealers in the financial markets, including investors and legislators, who should monitor the real estate sector to better forecast the returns of the stock market. These results also indicate the importance of adopting growth in real estate activities as a significant economic factor that affects both the stock market and the banking sector.

Do macroeconomic conditions affect corporate cash holdings and cash adjustment dynamics? Evidence from GCC countries

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the influence of macroeconomic conditions on corporate cash holdings in terms of their influence on the level of cash and the speed of adjustment of cash to target levels in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC).Design/methodology/approachThe study employs both static and dynamic regression analyses considering a sample of 2,878 firm-year observations drawn from stock markets in GCC countries over the 2010–2018 period.FindingsConsistent with the precautionary motive, the results show that GCC firms tend to accumulate cash reserves in weak economic periods. Evidence also reveals that the estimated adjustment coefficients from dynamic panel models show that GCC firms adjust more slowly toward their target cash ratio in periods of unfavorable economic conditions.Practical implicationsThis study has important implications for managers, policymakers and regulators. For managers, the study is an important reference to understand and design cash management policies by considering financial constraints imposed by macroeconomic conditions. In particular, managers should pay more attention to periods of credit crunch and weak economic conditions in which firms may be exposed to greater bankruptcy risks. For policymakers and regulators, this study may be useful in assessing the effect of macroeconomic factors on firm's cash holding decision. Therefore, in an effort to increase the supply of external financing available to firms, policymakers may devise investment friendly environment by controlling macroeconomic factors.Originality/valueThis paper offers some insights on the macro determinants of cash holdings by investigating emerging economies. It explores the role of macroeconomic conditions on corporate cash holdings in terms of their influence on the costs of external funds and financial constraints.

Innovative work behavior scale: development and validation of psychometric properties in higher education in the GCC countries

PurposeThe study aims to develop an innovative work behavior (IWB) scale for the faculty members and faculty leaders of universities in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC). This research is intended for assessing the level of IWB in higher education and evaluating its psychometric properties.Design/methodology/approachThe study targets academic staff of universities in the GCC region, and out of 810 questionnaires that were distributed, only 773 valid responses were obtained of which 517 were responses from males and 256 from females whose ages range between 33 and 67 years.FindingsThe exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used and confirmed a five-factor structural model (opportunity exploration, idea generation, idea promotion, idea realization and idea sustainability), and the model has a satisfactory fit. The scale consists of 27 items with high Cronbach's alpha value of 0.87, demonstrating good internal consistency. Preliminary results suggest that the IWB scale has adequate convergent and divergent validity.Practical implicationsThe IWB scale can be a useful tool for evaluating and developing a high level of innovative work behavior that maintains university services' sustainability and increases industries' competitiveness.Originality/valueThis research provides insights into the importance of IWB in achieving tangible success to the educational institutions. It provides a new method to confront sudden and unexpected circumstance such as what has happened during COVID-19 pandemic.

Examining the relationship between the accreditation of engineering programmes and institutional performance

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between engineering programme accreditation (EPA) and institutional performance (IP) using perceptual measures. Two IP dimensions have been explored to test this relationship, namely, graduate employability and student retention and attrition.Design/methodology/approachThis quantitative research is based on the perceptions of 211 academic staff holding a range of positions within 15 higher education institutions located in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC). Linear regression was used to test the relationships in the data.FindingsThe empirical analyses proved that EPA has a statistically significant positive relationship with the IP dimensions, namely, graduate employability, student retention and attrition.Research limitations/implicationsA few limitations were encountered while conducting this study. Most of the accredited engineering programmes are located in the United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) (nearly 73%). The online survey was the only option available for the researcher to reach some universities rather than using a face-method to collect data. Another limitation is the availability of only five accredited programmes in some countries such as Oman, where the researcher is based, meaning that the researcher had to devote extra time and effort to contact the other five countries by emails, telephone calls and travel to attain a reasonable survey sample size.Practical implicationsThere are many implications of these findings for the universities, employers and economies of the GCC. All GCC countries are concerned about high unemployment rates; for example, the rate of youth unemployment reached 41% in KSA. Adopting EPA for all academic programmes will eliminate the mismatch between the skills graduate students develop while they are studying and those skills required of them when they are practising their job in industry. Although the jobs market is determined by the wider economy, accredited programmes may help graduates to obtain employment because employers are more able to recruit students who graduate from accredited programmes. Universities aim to retain students until graduation and improving student retention and lowering attrition rate brings many direct and indirect benefits to universities, including saving governments’ financial resources.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the relationship between EPA and IP within the six GCC region as a whole.

Human Rights in the Constitutions of the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCCC): Texts and Realities

This study addressed the issue of human rights in the constitutions of the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCCC) by identifying human rights concept, development, and tracing the state of human rights within the GCCC countries through constitutional texts and practical application. The study is based on more than one scientific method to verify the hypothesis; it used the descriptive, analytical, and legal approaches. The study reached several conclusions, one being that there is no shortage in the contents of the constitutional provisions of the (GCCC) countries in terms of emphasis on human rights. However, practice in reality is different from theoretical texts. In the end, the study came up with several recommendations, including: the need for constitutional amendments in the constitutions of the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCCC) so that the new texts include clear commitments to respect human rights, the inclusion of human rights concepts in the curriculum, and the use of all means, the media in particular, to spread the culture of human rights in the (GCCC).

The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on the Human Development in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries : An Empirical Study

The main goal of this study is to investigate the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on human development in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC), particularly, the effect of ICT development index on the three-key component of human development; income, health, and education. The study focused on the years 2005-2014. Based on the theoretical background explained in the literature, the main study’s hypothesis tested using the Panel regression analysis to account for the existence of both cross sectional and time series relationship. The finding of the study shows different results ranging between positive, negative and insignificant relationship, which reflect the complexity that could associated with ICT implementation in the context of development. GCC countries spent a vast amount of financial resources to develop their ICT infrastructure, however, they failed to achieve the effective utilization of these technologies in socioeconomic development, due to mismatch between the ICT infrastructure and the availability of skilled human capital, adequate educational system, and public awareness about the importance of the ICT role in socioeconomic development. Therefore, ICTs as tool alone cannot improve human development; unless it occurs within broader context and multidimensional strategy aim to enhance the people's abilities to make the most use of these tools and techniques. Finally, the study recommends for the GCC policy makers to shift their paradigm of thinking about ICTs by changing their focus from the deployment of the ICT infrastructure to focus on analyzing and understanding the dynamic complementarities that could shape the potential role of these technologies.

Trade Openness and Economic Growth in the GCC Countries: A Panel Data Analysis Approach

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to re-examine the relationship between trade openness and economic growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC), with emphasis on both the role of exports and imports in economic growth in a multivariate framework including gross fixed capital formation, energy consumption, import, and export as the regressors. Design/methodology/approach: The study covers the period from 1992 to 2014 and utilized five models of the panel data regression: pooled ordinary least squares, one-way and two-way of fixed effects models as well as one-way and two-way of random effects models. In addition, the study employed the root mean square error statistics in selecting the most representative model. Findings: The study found that partially, export had a significant positive effect on economic growth, while import had a significant but negative impact on economic growth. These results provide evidence that GCC countries during the period of study were largely dependent on exports, in which carbohydrate exports account for the bulk of their business trading activities. Moreover, the findings reveal that investment and energy, as conventional input factors had a significant and positive impact on the GCC’s economies. Research limitations/implications: According to our finding, export is the most important contributor to economic growth. In addition, in order to ensure the stability of economic growth of these countries, more effective and efficient import policies must be pursued. Originality/value: The novelty of this study is that it uses panel data covering more than two decades, and employs different models that allow testing of many hypotheses.

Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC): How Developed and Inclusive are Financial Systems in the GCC?

Financial systems in the GCC have developed significantly over the last couple of decades, but there appears to be further room for progress. The development of bank and equity markets has been supported by a combination of buoyant economic activity, a booming Islamic finance sector, and financial sector reforms. As a result, financial systems have deepened and, overall, the level of financial development compares well with emerging markets. However, it still lags advanced economies and, other than for Saudi Arabia, appears to be lower than would be expected given economic fundamentals, such as income levels. Financial development in the GCC has relied to a large extent on banks, while debt markets and nonbank financial institutions are less developed and access to equity markets is narrow. The non-bank financial institutions—pension funds, asset management and finance companies, and insurance—remain small. Domestic debt markets are underdeveloped. While equity markets appear to be well developed by market size, they are dominated by a few large (and often public-sector) companies. GCC countries have made progress on financial inclusion, but gaps remain in some important areas. Access to finance for SMEs, women, and youth, in particular, appears relatively low. This may partly reflect social norms, low levels of participation of women in the labor market and private sector activity, and the high level of youth unemployment. Further financial development and inclusion is likely to be associated with stronger economic growth in the GCC countries. While there is uncertainty surrounding the empirical estimates in the paper, further progress with financial development and/or inclusion is likely to go hand-in-hand with stronger growth. The growth benefits, however, are likely to vary across countries depending on the current level of financial development and inclusion. To realize these growth benefits, reforms to strengthen access to finance for SMEs, women, and youth are needed. Addressing institutional weaknesses and promoting financial sector competition would help boost access to finance for SMEs. Reforms to enhance financial literacy and improve SME governance structures and insolvency frameworks are critical. Other reforms encouraging female and youth employment and the use of emerging technologies in finance also appear promising. Additional reforms to foster financial development should focus on developing debt markets and making stock markets more accessible to a larger pool of companies and investors. To grow domestic debt markets, the authorities should develop a government yield curve, seek to increase market liquidity through secondary market trading, and ensure requirements for private issuance are not onerous. Stock market reforms should focus on enhancing corporate governance and investor protection, removing restrictions on foreign ownership, and encouraging financial market competition. The latter would also help the development of non-bank financial institutions.

The Need for Uniqueness among Gulf Cooperation Council Countries’ Consumers: A Cross-Culture Study

Understanding differences among consumers across varying cultures is of great importance to the success of international retailers. Ignoring the influence of culture and centralized marketing has led to a decline in profits for some international companies. Studying the culture of Middle East countries, particularly the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCCC), Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman, is essential before marketing in these countries. Additionally, the GCCC is one of the top 10 luxury markets in the world. Hofstede model of national culture is crucial for GCCC due to the fact culture norms regarding dress and appearance are nationally adopted. A sample of 170 participants from the GCCC was collected using an online questionnaire of 45 items measuring national culture dimensions and need for uniqueness when shopping for luxury goods. It was found that power distance in all GCCC countries was a significant predictor of having a need for uniqueness, as well as indulgence. Power distance had a positive relationship with the need for uniqueness while indulgence had a negative relationship with the need for uniqueness. For other dimensions, findings indicated that long term vs short term orientation, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism were not significant predictors leading to uniqueness. Additionally, the important construct for uniqueness among GCCC consumers is unpopular choice followed by avoiding similarity. Creative choice is less important among the three constructs of uniqueness for GCCC participants.

Adolescent health and health care in the Arab Gulf countries: Today's needs and tomorrow's challenges.

This review article documents the evidence regarding the health status of adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years in the Arab region and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) and also considers the state of adolescent health care in the region compared to the recommended guidelines for such services. Adolescents make up more than 25% of the population of the GCC countries, a percentage that is far higher than that in other high-income countries, yet their health status and health care needs are not given proportional attention in the region. Thus, the burden of mortality and morbidity for adolescents in the region has shifted from communicable diseases to road traffic injuries, mental health issues, non-communicable diseases, and health-compromising behaviors and conditions that contribute to those issues. Whereas the sources of evidence are limited with respect to some issues, such as mental health issues, sexual and reproductive health, and alcohol use, other health issues, such as rising rates of tobacco use, low levels of physical activity, minimal consumption of fruit and vegetables, and high levels of obesity, are better-documented. Many health care providers see adolescents who have limited or no training in adolescent health care and adolescents who are transitioned to the adult care system at young ages without the necessary health care transition services, thus creating challenges for these individuals to access developmentally appropriate health care. Recommendations include prioritizing health care practice, health care facilities, clinical education, and adolescent health research to address key aspects of adolescent health and adolescent medical care in the GCC countries. This could be accomplished through the development of adolescent health care centers that bring together expert interdisciplinary care, excellent health provider training, and cutting-edge adolescent health research to provide leadership throughout the region and further both the health of adolescents and their access to high-quality, holistic health services.

Characteristics of salivary gland tumours in the United Arab Emirates.

Salivary gland tumours (SGT) are relatively rare cancers characterised by striking morphological diversity and wide variation in the global distribution of SGT incidence. Given the proximity to the head and neck structures, management of SGT has been clinically difficult. To the best of our knowledge, there are no epidemiological studies on SGT from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC). Patient charts (N = 314) and associated pathological records were systematically reviewed between the years 1998–2014. Predominance of benign (74%) compared with malignant (26%) SGT was observed. Among the 83 malignant SGT identified, frequency was higher in males (61%) than in females (39%) and peak occurrence was in the fifth decade of life. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common type of tumour (35%) followed by adenoid cystic carcinoma (18.1%) and acinar cell carcinoma (10.8%). A similar pattern of tumour distribution was seen in patients from GCC, Asian, and Middle East countries. This is the first report to address the distribution of salivary gland tumours in a multiethnic, multicultural population of the Gulf. The results suggest that the development of an SGT registry will help clinicians and researchers to better understand, manage, and treat this rare disease.

Working Capital, Financing Constraints and Firm Financial Performance in GCC Countries

This paper looks at the impact of level of working capital on a firm’s financial performance of 153 large manufacturing firms operating in the six Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC).Three hypotheses being tested in the paper are that working capital levels and inventory levels have a negative impact on corporate financial performance, have a positive impact on corporate financial performance, or that there is no empirically provable relationship between working capital and inventory and financial performance. A number of control variables including firm size, gross margins, and age of the firm are used in the regression analysis, as financial performance is not purely dependent on working capital and inventory levels. Pre-tax return on assets (ROA-profit before tax divided by total assets) is used to measure corporate financial performance. Performance is strongly influenced by levels of accounts receivables; however inventory levels and payables have no impact on performance.

Debt maturity, financial crisis and corporate performance in GCC countries: a dynamic-GMM approach

This study investigates the effect of debt financing and debt maturity on corporate performance, using evidence from Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC): Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. The study uses a dynamic GMM approach for an unbalanced sample of 400 firms for the period 2004-2012. The study also investigates the effects of the financial crisis on the significance of long-term and short-term debt financing as determinants of firms' performance. Our findings indicate that the long-term and short-term debt financing affect firms' performance negatively. The results also show that the economic importance of short-term debt increases as a determinant of firms' performance after crisis, while the effect of long-term debt decreases.

Economic growth, energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Gulf Cooperation Council countries

This study examines the empirical relationship between economic growth, energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, calculates the trend of decoupling effects and finally analyzes the evolution of inequality in CO2 emissions in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council countries) countries. Results indicate a positive and significant association between energy consumption and CO2 emissions and between economic growth and energy consumption both in the short- and the long-run. No significant relationship is found between economic growth and CO2 emissions. Energy consumption and CO2 emissions Granger cause each other while unidirectional causal link running from economic growth to energy consumption is also found to exist. Both absolute and relative decoupling occurred in all the GCC countries except Saudi Arabia during the study period. Divergences in the Gini index values contributed towards different levels of emissions inequality in the region. CO2 emissions inequality significantly declined both in energy carriers as well as in the economic sectors over time. Despite some optimistic findings, the GCC countries are still significant contributors to CO2 emissions and as such, the study recommends pursuing favorable regulatory policies that would promote various initiatives to reduce emissions. The overall findings will help GCC countries assess its position better in future climate change negotiations.

Does More Trade Potential Remain in Arab States of the Gulf?

This paper examines whether the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC) exerted any trade enhancing impact on its members by employing standard augmented gravity model as well as stochastic frontier gravity model. Panel data sets are constructed over the period of 1980 to 2008 for imports and exports of the bloc’s main trading partners along with GCC countries. The major finding is that the trade enhancing effect of the bloc is significant. However, there is still huge unutilized trade potential between the member countries. Several diagnostic tests were run to check and rectify possible problems of heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation as well as cross-sectional dependence.

Interest Rates Parity Between Industrial Countries and Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC)

The paper’s objective is to empirically invistigate whether monetary policy in GCC counties is integrarted and/or affected by monetary policy of the industrialized countries. To this end, the study tests possible cointegration and Granger‐causality between real interest rates of two GCC countries, namely Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and two industrialized countries, USA and Japan. The econometric methodolgy is based on the Johansen (1998) cointegration technique and on Dolado and Kuthepohi (1996) who used Tode and Yamamoto (1995) Wald test for Granger non‐causality in integrated and cointegrated systems. The Wald test value is obtained by using Seemingly Unrelated Regressions. The empirical results of the paper show that the monetary system of Saudi Arabia is well integrated and influenced by economic indicators of the US, while neither the US nor the Japanese monetary systems have a great influence on the financial market of Bahrain.