Narrow Results

The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which some factors such as trust, cultural differences, time differences, language have a significant effect on virtual team's work collaboration. Study population comprised of Jordanian Royal Medical Services; two most largest medical services were selected as a study sample; King Hussein Medical Centre and Queen Alia Medical Centre both located at Amman (the capital of Jordan). A purposive sampling technique was used to select the respondents surveyed for this study and a questionaire was used to collect primary data from the respondents, a total of 120 questionnaires were administered to potential respondents chosen from the two medical services; a total of 105 usable questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 87.5 %. Simple regression analysis was performed to test the study hypothesis. The study findings of this research show that there is a statistical significant effect at cultural differences, time differences and language on virtual team's collaboration, whereas, trust factor did not show a statistical significant effect. This study is delimited to only Jordanian royal medical services, as a case study, thus the results of this study cannot be generalised to other medical services.

There are many studies discussing how knowledge management and market orientation (MO) are positively related to innovation, but an examination of the impact of the knowledge management processes (KMP) — as we conceptualize the four in this study — and MO on the innovation capability of organisations which in turn impact organisational performance has never been done. Hence, this study formulates a comprehensive conceptual framework which encompasses KMP (knowledge creation, intra-organisational knowledge sharing and application, external knowledge acquisition, and knowledge storage and documentation), MO (customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination), innovation capability (product, process, marketing and organisational innovation), and organisational performance (product quality, operational performance and financial performance). Then empirically test the relationships among the study models with the focus on the mediating role of innovation capability. The design of the study is based on a survey of 210 Jordanian manufacturing and service organisations. The sample of this study encompasses the mid-level managers of the organisations. About 440 self-administered questionnaires were distributed among the respondents. Confirmatory factor analysis is undertaken to assess statistically the validity of the study measures. Then the structural equation modelling (SEM) path analysis is used to assess the structural relationship of KMP, MO with innovation capability, and organisational performance. The results of the study reveal that engagement in KMP and MO can lead to better innovation capability in the organisations which in turn can lead to better organisational performance. The results we observe concerning this sample of companies may not be applicable to a greater population of companies from other countries with a different technological base or to specific subsectors of the manufacturing industry (e.g. the food industry). Moreover, the study represents only snapshots since it utilized self-administered questionnaires which also have no qualitative data. For the practicing managers intending to increase the rate of innovation in their firms, this means that KMP and MO are important activities to master. Additionally, managers should put additional emphasis on innovation as it is an important element for achieving improved overall firm’s performance and sustainable competitive power.

Despite the assured benefits of strategic primacy for HR administrators, performance effectiveness and cost reduction provided by Electronic-Human Resource Management (e-HRM), user acceptance of these systems is a critical factor for the initiative’s success. Accordingly, current research addresses factors that permit or hamper e-HRM adoption in private universities of Jordan. Conceptual theoretical model which extends the proposed UTAUT model was used, self-administered questionnaire was developed and data from 243 administrative employees who operate in four selected private universities in Jordan were collected through non-probabilistic self-selection sampling. Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling was employed to analyse relationships, performance expectancy and habits achieved (53%) of the varying behavioural intentions (BIs). Contrary to expectations, effort expectancy and social influence were not significant in achieving the variance, as facilitating conditions and BIs (43%) achieved the variance in e-HRM use. Accordingly, practical and theoretical implications were provided, with suggestions and directions for future studies.

This paper utilises data dimension reduction to settle a heavily debated question concerning the dimensionality of political ideology in the Arab World. It relies on recent data available through the World Values Survey to generate a stable solution for the number of important and exciting dimensions defining ordinary citizens’ political attitude structures. The findings of the analysis suggest that in four Arab states, political ideology is multi-dimensional on the mass level. This negates the widespread assumption made about Arab politics where Islam and secularism constitute the only dimension organising voters’ attitudes and behaviours. This is important because many analyses of Middle Eastern politics start with this assumption without questioning its validity. Further, models of political ideology are to be modified when transferred to studying Middle Eastern political attitudes. The single-dimension hypothesis applicable in some Western settings is not attainable in the Arab World.

Patient satisfaction in the developing world has not received sufficient interest in the healthcare literature. More importantly, models predicting patient satisfaction seldom incorporates patient perspectives into their measurement providing ill-suited metrics for healthcare administrators to make decisive decisions concerning service quality improvements. The current analysis utilizes original data collected from 336 patients in Jordan. This paper tests whether service quality (SERVQUAL) is suitable to be used in the new context and concluded that SERVQUAL is reliable and valid in supplying stakeholders with reliable and valid information concerning patient satisfaction. Further, the analysis suggests a large gap between perceived and expected services performed by Jordanian hospitals signalling the need to service quality enhancement. The study calls for the adoption of agile and rapid patient screening models in emergency departments to reduce wait times and decrease the number of patients left without being seen. This study constitutes an emerging attempt at better understanding how service quality influences patient satisfaction, and more importantly, introduce affordable and cost-effective solutions capable of improving satisfaction in the short run.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of financial management on improving quality at the public university hospitals in Jordan. We used a quantitative method with a sample of 220 public university hospital staff. Using simple linear regression analysis, we showed via our findings a significant impact of the financial management dimension on the quality management dimension. These findings emphasise that using a proficient financial management system would improve the quality of services and overall organisational performance in the Jordanian public healthcare sector.

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of performance-based rewards on radical innovation. In doing so, it explores the role of knowledge acquisition and innovative work behavior (IWB) as possible mechanisms that underlie the relationship between performance-based rewards and radical innovation. The subsequent effect of IWB on promoting radical innovation is explored. The study employs data from 235 unit managers in manufacturing and technology firms in Jordan. Structural equation modeling was used to test for reliability, validity, and the hypothesized relationships. The results indicate that performance-based rewards positively affect knowledge acquisition. In addition, knowledge acquisition mediates the link between performance-based rewards and IWB. IWB is also significant and positive in promoting radical innovation. This paper is one of the first to examine how radical innovation can be promoted through IWB. It offers insights into and contributions to the literature on the role of performance-based rewards in driving radical innovation through the mediating effect of knowledge acquisition and the subsequent impact of IWB on radical innovation.

This study used TAM to achieve the objective of examining the impact of perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), interactivity, perceived value (PV), and critical mass on business performance (BP) mediating buy social media marketing (SMM) adoption. An online survey was distributed to 174 participants in Jordanian homemade food start-ups. AMOS was used to evaluate a sample of 152 valid surveys. This study had seven hypotheses, all of which were supported. The results highlight that PEOU, PU, interactivity, PV, and critical mass have a significant positive impact on SMM adoption. Furthermore, this study found that SMM adoption has a significant impact on business performance. In addition, this study contributes to the existing knowledge related to SMM adoption and is valuable to enterprises.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of entrepreneurial leadership (EL) on innovative work behaviour (IWB). It also heightens the perception of the pathways to improve innovative work behaviour by evaluating the mediating role of knowledge sharing (KS) and of person–job fit. The findings indicate that KS mediates the effects of EL on innovative work behaviour. In addition, the influences of KS on aspects of innovative work behaviour are different and depend on the extent of person–job fit. This paper highlights the important role of person–job fit in enhancing the effects of KS activities and innovative work behaviour. The study provides evidence that EL is the main driving force of KS and innovative work behaviour performance. Thus, organisations should prioritise implementing leadership development programs to stimulate KS activities and foster the firm’s innovative work behaviour. This study conducts a questionnaire survey and applies Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test hypotheses in the proposed research model based on data collected from 355 participants in Jordanian firms Securities Commission list of approximately 235 enterprises. Originality/value. The study significantly fills the gaps in the literature that emphasises how KS mediates the influence of EL on innovative work behaviour. By exploring the moderator of a person–job fit, this paper significantly contributes to advancing the deeper insight of the specific conditions to strengthen the relationship between KS and innovative work behaviour.

Due to the rapid population growth and industrial development in Jordan, the demand on water resources for different purposes, mainly agriculture has been elevated. The shortage of fresh water resources and the high demand make the reclaimed wastewater a key factor in the water budget. This paper examines both positive and negative impacts of wastewater reuse for agriculture. Currently, Jordan has more than 27 wastewater treatment plants all over the country; the largest is As-Samra treatment plant. The objective of this article is to set a framework for optimal utilization of the said reclaimed water taking into consideration the technical, financial, economical and social aspects at the end user demand centers and the new upgrading project at the study area, in addition to promoting the anticipated findings for other similar regional cases in terms of knowledge disseminations and setting a pilot cases for neighboring countries.

Water harvesting is a must and not an option for Jordan in the near future. The available water resources are limited and barely satisfy the current growing demands. In the basalt aquifer/NE of Jordan, there is a possibility to construct water harvesting ponds to assist the livestock owners in villages and towns in watering their livestock which will ease the pressure on the existing water resources. This research was based on the use of GIS techniques to select the optimum sites for water harvesting ponds within the basalt aquifer. Buffering, Union and arithmetic operations in GIS were all used in analysing the data based on different socio-economic and physical criteria. The outcomes of the GIS analysis resulted in selecting 72 suitable sites within the study area. These sites could be used as a guideline to the decision makers in Jordan when they decided to establish a water harvesting pond in the area. This will save time and money which could be directed to the construction of the actual water harvesting ponds.

Political inclusion is a major concern for democratizing states. Among the many groups excluded and repressed by the former regime, which should now be included? Which should be excluded? And who decides? With the extraordinary events of the Arab uprisings that began in 2011, a wider range of political actors than ever before have become directly engaged in debates and processes of political transition. The new political institutions, however, remain unstable and the distribution of power between them unclear. This paper explores the inclusion-moderation hypothesis with special attention to Islamist groups. It examines the literature on Islamist moderation prior to the Arab uprisings and asks whether the central tenets of those arguments hold in the dynamic environments of the post-revolutionary contexts, particularly in Tunisia and Egypt, where Islamists have done well in free and fair elections. I argue that in unstable and changing institutional contexts, the logic of the inclusion-moderation hypothesis is less likely to be present, particularly when more extreme opposition groups challenge Islamists to prove their core commitment to a conservative religious political vision.

This chapter uses data from a commissioned nationwide sample survey of some 1,100 female-headed households, as well as from focus groups with female household heads. Women-headed households constitute about one-tenth of Jordan's households. By region of residence, religion, and household size they differ little from households in the country at large. But nearly half of them (48 percent) are living below the poverty line, compared with about 13 percent in the population at large. Their annual spending is less than one-third of the nationwide average. Very few of the women household heads work outside the home: 78 percent of them are not and have never been employed. Their education levels are low: about 54 percent are either illiterate or have only basic schooling, and about 27 percent have secondary education. The problems faced by women household heads include malnutrition (a problem in nearly one in five of these families); social stigma attached to themselves and their children; problems in rearing their sons, many of whom drop out of school and become socially withdrawn; and pressures from their own or their husband's family. Recommendations are made for policies and other measures to assist female-headed households.

Forensic accounting is a modern occupation that covers many services, including fraud investigation, IT forensics, litigation support, and business valuation. Few, if any, have come across forensic accounting based on an Islamic perspective. The religion of Islam ascribes to a wide spectrum of the highest morals and virtues. Our research involved a review of the previous research on forensic accounting, and we benchmarked it to the Islamic Sharia and law within the Jordanian context. The findings show that Islamic perspectives would lend robust foundations to forensic accounting in its endeavors to detect and prevent fraud and assist the trier of fact. This chapter contributes to the previous literature on forensic accounting by providing an optimal set of Islamic concepts that might be of benefit to forensic accounting practitioners, academics, and regulators.

Jordan is a small country with fewer natural resources than neighbouring countries. The financial crisis, regional turbulences, along with increasing food, power and oil prices have all put substantial pressure on Jordan’s economy. Furthermore, Jordan has been faced with rising unemployment rates that have worsened with the influx of Syrian refugees. Jordan has made important progress in promoting the country’s economic infrastructure, aided by openness to foreign trade and investments. Still, government services and finance are the main contributors to Jordan’s gross domestic product (GDP) and neither of these can be considered engine of economic growth. An enhancement of the macroeconomic and fiscal stability of Jordan through increased government revenues and the development of a diversified and competitive national economy are required.

The growing interest in studying and researching women’s entrepreneurship in Jordan is welcomed as the Kingdom continues to grapple with one of the lowest rates in the world for women’s entrepreneurship, and one of the highest rates for unemployment. To better understand the opportunities, challenges, and prospects for women entrepreneurs in Jordan, this chapter covers the past, present, and future of women entrepreneurs in Jordan. This is achieved by first presenting a contextual overview of Jordan and a historical overview of the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Kingdom. Secondly, a discussion of the current and maturing entrepreneurial ecosystem, and how it relates to women entrepreneurs operating in the Kingdom, is presented. Third, and finally, the chapter offers a set of potential prospects for the future of women entrepreneurs in Jordan. In doing so, the chapter highlights that the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Jordan began with a “gender neutral” approach assuming that men and women entrepreneurs shared the same barriers, challenges, and opportunities. However, as it developed, there was a growing awareness of the lack of engagement from women entrepreneurs, which led to an awareness of gendered barriers to women’s entrepreneurship and business growth. Strategies and remedies have been activated to address this, but this could be too little, too late.

Since quaternions have isomorphic representations in matrix form we investigate various well known matrix decompositions for quaternions.