Work‐related lifelong learning for entrepreneurs in the agri‐food sector

This article presents a study on work‐related lifelong learning for entrepreneurs in the agri‐food sector. Accordingly, learning needs, learning preferences, learning motivation and conditions in the context of lifelong learning were identified. The results indicate that technology, IT and entrepreneurial competencies will become of increasing importance in the future. Non‐formal and informal learning seem to play an especially important role in the competence development of entrepreneurs. Supporting learning in a personal way is a critical factor in stimulating lifelong learning. The results might provide some important starting points for the support of lifelong learning in practice. Investment in new, different, long‐term work‐related learning arrangements than have been undertaken hitherto is a high priority. Workplace learning for entrepreneurs in the context of lifelong learning should take place in settings where (new) knowledge is constructed in dialogue with the entrepreneurs’ environment and where personal competence development is facilitated by experts in learning.     

Privacy attitudes and privacy‐related behavior

A significant body of research has arisen over the last few decades describing the causes of observed incongruity between attitudes and behaviors. Recent work in the area of privacy has demonstrated this type of situation, in which people with negative attitudes toward the provision of personal information will disclose this very same infor‐ mation for no apparent benefit. However, little theoretical work has been developed to explain why this paradoxical anomaly exists. This paper suggests that attribution plays a crucial role and should be taken into account with regard to both the assessment of behavioral outcomes and the examination of attitude formation. The purpose of the current work, thus, is to consider the contribution of the two theoretical areas, attitude formation and attribution, in explaining the correspondence between privacy‐related attitudes and behaviors. This represents a critical first step in understanding the antecedents of privacy‐related behaviors and in further developing the under‐ standing of attitude models in general. As such, the paper suggests a framework and a set of propositions to guide future research and theoretical development. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Understanding self‐initiated expatriates: Career experiences of Lebanese self‐initiated expatriates in France

Drawing on a field study based on interviews with 43 Lebanese skilled self‐initiated expatriates from the Paris region in France and six policymakers and immigration specialists, the article offers an alternative to theories of management that frame expatriate careers as either organizationally or individually driven. In doing so, we explicate how the international work experiences of self‐initiated expatriates can be captured in ways true to their nature as multifaceted and multilevel phenomena. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Doing business in Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest market in the Arabian Gulf region and, despite current political and economic uncertainties, offers investors and exporters many opportunities in a wide variety of business sectors. Key factors driving economic policy include the desire to reduce the dependence on oil, and the need to provide jobs, housing, and services to citizens in a time of rapid population growth. The foreign investment law of 2000 significantly changed the rules for foreign investors, permitting 100% ownership of projects. There is a streamlined foreign investment application process with various investment incentives. Important policies are privatization, economic diversification (such as the development of a tourism sector), and the education and training of Saudi workers. Although lifestyle in the kingdom is ultramodern and high‐tech, Saudi Arabia is an extremely conservative country and many of its citizens desire to preserve their religious values and ancient traditions. The Saudi culture is influenced by two dimensions: Islam and the Bedouin tradition. Foreign executives doing business in Saudi Arabia must be prepared to conduct thorough preliminary research, visit the kingdom regularly, show genuine concern for Saudi development goals and culture, be patient in business negotiations, and adapt carefully to the Saudi environment. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Barriers to Franchising in Saudi Arabia

Franchising has rapidly grown in Saudi Arabia since 2005, yet a small number of the large companies dominate the market with mostly foreign brands. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the barriers that Saudi small and medium enterprises and startups face when striving to become franchisors or franchisees. These barriers are investigated through the use of semi-structured interviews with people who belong to the franchise community either as administrators, franchise committee members, franchise developers, franchisees–franchisors, or prospective franchisees and franchisors. The results of this study show that there are several barriers standing against using franchising as a mode of expansion and investment by small and medium enterprises and startups, such as lack of legal, financial, institutional, marketing, development, and educational services support, and other key factors related to international franchisors' preferences and domestic franchising.     

The impact of values‐job fit and age on work‐related learning

Research shows that both individual and job‐related factors influence a worker's work‐related learning. This study combines these factors, examining the impact of fit between one's work values and job characteristics on learning. Although research indicates that fit benefits multiple work‐related outcomes, little is known about the impact of fit on learning. Moreover, life span theories indicate that values evolve throughout the lifespan. Therefore, we examined how age influences work values and thereby work‐related learning. Our self‐report questionnaire was completed by 221 workers of various ages and occupations. Our findings indicate that work values, job characteristics and their fit influence the quantity and quality of work‐related learning. Generally, a higher fit benefits learning, but misfit can also stimulate learning. Workers of different ages report an equal amount of learning, but perform different learning activities. However, this relationship is unrelated to work values. Recommendations for research and practice are discussed.     

The development of consumer protection in Saudi Arabia

The development of consumer protection in Saudi Arabia is of interest for a number of reasons. First, Saudi Arabia presents a unique combination of size, stage of development of the economy and wealth, coupled with strictness of Islamic observance. Second, consumer protection in the Saudi context has received very little attention from researchers. Despite the richness of Islamic teachings on the conduct of business and trade, very little has been written on consumer protection in Islamic societies other than discussions of financial markets and consumer credit and monopoly. This article briefly explores the background to the emergence of consumer protection in Saudi Arabia. Consumer credit and financial markets are excluded from the discussion. Islamic (Shari’ah) law is analysed as a basis for the regulation of consumer affairs; this system of law is then compared in its major outcomes for consumers with legal systems in advanced Western economies. The development of secular commercial law during recent times in Saudi Arabia is also considered as a parallel development to those in Shari’ah. Both strands of development are then set in the context of Saudi Arabia's 5‐year development plans and the changing position of consumer policy issues is tracked through successive plans. The institutional location of consumer policy within the Saudi government system is discussed before finally considering the changing nature of the Saudi consumer and the possible future for consumer protection in the country.     

Characterisitcs of Exporting and Nonexporting Joint Ventures in Saudi Arabia

The study profiled 83 exporting and onexporting manufacturing joint ventures (JVs) in Saudi Arabia. This represents about one-fourth of all manufacturing JVs in operation at the end of 1987. Stepwise discriminant analysis showed that a set of 9 characteristics representing 4 factors were signficant in differentiating the two groups. Exporting JVs tend to be larger, produce industrial goods in more technology intensive industrial sectors, and be more leveraged than nonexporting JVs. Potential limitations of these findings, and their implications for the policy makers are also discussed.     

Attitudes Towards Advertising Among Executives in Saudi Arabia

The executives of 65 Saudi companies were surveyed to determine their attitudes toward five issues in advertising: need for advertising; economic concerns; social concerns; ethical concerns; and regulation of advertising. The findings of the study indicated that the executives generally held mixed feelings toward advertising. While concurring with the need for advertising, they showed concern for the high costs of advertising and supported the need for regulating advertising aimed at children and for harmful products.     

International briefing 11: Training and development in Saudi Arabia

The people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are, just like the citizens of any other country, the most valuable resource potential it possesses (Al‐Dogether, 1993). Thus, in its development plans the Kingdom makes all possible efforts to spend its wealth on preparing the citizen for his expected role in modern development (GOTEVOT, 1996). The current government policy thrust is to expand technical education and industrial training to meet the labour market requirements. This article explores the training and development strategies and practices in Saudi Arabia.     

Career anchors: A comparison between organization‐assigned and self‐initiated expatriates

In the present study, based on the theory of fit, we have tested hypotheses on a sample of 303 French expatriates, comparing career anchors between assigned and self‐initiated expatriates. We found that lifestyle and internationalism are both very important anchors for assigned as well as self‐initiated expatriates, although most anchors differ among these groups. Furthermore, we have introduced a measure of the internationalism career anchor that presents promising psychometric characteristics. Our results provide important theoretical and practical implications. In particular, they show that both assigned expatriates and self‐initiated expatriates can be engaged in a boundaryless career. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Prospect of Infrastructure Public‐Private Partnerships in Kuwait,Saudi Arabia,and Qatar: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities

This article examines the prospect of using infrastructure public‐private partnerships (PPPs) within Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar in light of the drastic drop in oil prices since mid‐2014. It argues that, while PPPs appear to be a strategic policy option for the three Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to tackle growing fiscal deficits, these states are constrained by numerous governance‐related, administrative, and regulatory challenges that make PPPs problematic. Effective implementation of the inherently complex and contractual PPP policy requires addressing the existing institutional, economic, bureaucratic, and cultural constraints within these three states. This article concludes with recommendations to mitigate these challenges, that require serious political will and sufficient time to yield positive results, and to attract international investors and contractors to the Gulf region. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Privatization in Saudi Arabia: Is slow beautiful?

The aim of this article is to abridge the dearth of academic research on Saudi Arabia's privatization strategy, which is touted by government as key to empowering the business community in the largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa region. Whereas some contend privatization has moved at a slow pace and that the business model employed for privatizing public enterprises lacks commercial business efficiency standards, government retorts that, guided by an organized and sequential process, privatization has been successful. This article maintains that if privatization is to confer the benefits claimed for it and sway international investors equipped with modern managerial skills and technical know‐how, authorities need to accelerate privatization and subject enterprises to steadfast market competitive forces. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

沙特与汤加2005年底“入世”

2005年10月28日在世界贸易组织(WTO)总部举行的、由主要成员参加的谈判工作组会议通过了沙特阿拉伯加入世界贸易组织的最终文件,沙特工商大臣雅玛尼、国务大臣宰伊阿勒,以及52个国家的代表参加了这次会议。12月15日,正在香港举行的WTO第六次部长级会议正式批准汤加加入世贸组织     

A study of living wage effects on employees' performance‐related attitudes and behaviour

Despite the surge of interest in living wage research, most studies pay little attention to the effect of living wages on employee attitudes and behaviour. We examine the differences between living wage and minimum wage workers on three attitudinal and behavioural outcomes: affective commitment, organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), and turnover intention. We also examine the effects of training and benefits on the three outcomes. Results show that living wage workers have higher affective commitment and lower turnover intention. Training and benefits also improve workers' attitudinal and behavioural outcomes variously. Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of job characteristics and self‐directed learning orientation on workplace learning

Given the increasing importance of learning at work, we set out to examine the factors which influence workplace learning behaviour. The study investigated the influence of the job characteristics from Karasek's Job Demand Control Support model and the personal characteristic self‐directed learning orientation on workplace learning. A total of 837 workers, aged between 18 and 65, from different sectors and with different educational levels completed a paper questionnaire. Analysis revealed that job demands and self‐directed learning orientation constitute significant and positive predictors of workplace learning behaviour. The study can help organizations to create job structures that promote workplace learning.     

Us consumer product marketing in Saudi Arabia: Comparative perceptions

The period between 1970 and 1990 has seen a steady decline of the market share of US products in Saudi Arabia. This article deals with the differing perceptions of US exporters and Saudi importers regarding factors that might have contributed to this decline. These factors include the marketing environment, the product, the price, the distribution, US business practices, advertising, trade policies and the market situation in Saudi Arabia, and the role played by the US government. An analysis of these factors has led to a series of recommendations to respective governments and businesses.     

Exploring complementarity in on‐ and off‐job training for apprenticeships

The differences between on‐ and off‐job learning environments continue to be the subject of much debate, and the notion of complementarity between them is a perennial issue for most forms of training and development. This paper grapples with this issue in relation to apprentices in the building industry in Australia. It analyses the different perceptions of complementarity held by apprentices, host employers and college teachers. It strives to understand the diverse meanings of complementarity within the context of communities of practice in which apprentices acquire not only vocational knowledge and skills, but also a sense of identity through internalising sometimes complementary but often contradictory messages from their different learning environments. Their development towards the status of ‘competent tradespersons’ heavily depends on their individual abilities to integrate and synthesise these messages.