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Purpose: The global economy is plagued by an unprecedented shock that has devastated economic growth under the coronavirus pandemic. The prolonged movement control orders, social distancing, and lockdowns have triggered the global economic downturn, disrupted the demand and supply chains, reduced the pool of workforce, and caused many jobs loss. This paper aims to analyze the global economic cost of the coronavirus pandemic, and its current and future implications. Design/methodology/approach: Based on contingency theory, this paper provides an in-depth analysis of the current situation on the global economic cost of the COVID-19 outbreak and gives insights from an organizational perspective. Findings: This paper found that the world has witnessed far-ranging economic consequences due to the coronavirus pandemic in four aspects: (i) decline in personal consumption; (ii) decline in the investments and stock prices in capital market; (iii) decline in government spending in developmental projects and increase in new borrowing; and (iv) decline of exports of goods to international markets. Originality/value: The novelty lies in investigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on micro and macroeconomic levels — the components of GDP, consumer behavior, business investments, government spending, and global exports. The paper suggests the need for urgent actions by the world leaders to oversee, anticipate, and manage the risks and cushion the economic consequences. It concludes that the flexibility and adaptability of leaders, effectiveness, workforce protection, efficient use of modern technology, including automation and artificial intelligence, would enhance the resilience of supply chains which will support organizations to sustain in this critical time.

The considerable environmental concerns and limited resources have prompted oil and gas companies to incorporate effective sustainable practices into their procurement strategy. This study aims to assess and prioritise critical internal and external organisational factors, and innovative capabilities, and their respective sub-criteria for the implementation of sustainable procurement (SP). Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is employed to prioritise the main factors and subfactors that can critically affect the implementation of SP strategies in the context of the UAE's oil and gas companies. Data were collected through a survey wherein 10 senior executives in procurement departments of two oil and gas companies reveal the internal factors are the highest and innovation capability is the lowest ranked criterion. Leadership is the highest ranked sub-criteria of internal factors, while ethical and ecological environment as the most prioritised one in external factors. Technology adoption is to be the most important sub-criteria amongst innovation capabilities.

Purpose: Despite making significant strides in transforming its environmental outlook over the past few years and promoting sustainable procurement (SP) in the public sector, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is still facing serious challenges in moving up the global sustainability ranks. Thus, this study aims to assess and prioritize critical factors, including cost, organization, innovation capability, stakeholder, culture and market-related factors, and their respective sub-factors for the implementation of SP, and come up with recommendations. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses the analytical hierarchy process model to prioritize the main factors and sub-factors that can critically affect the implementation of SP in the UAE public sector. Data were collected through a survey of 17 procurement experts working in procurement departments in public organizations in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Findings: The results reveal that cost is the highest ranked critical factor, followed by an organization, whereas innovation capability is the lowest ranked of the main factors. The initial cost of green products and their life-cycle cost are the most prioritized of cost factors. An individual’s commitment to change, top management support and organizational commitment are the highest-ranked sub-factors. Social awareness is the most important sub-factor among culture, and the supplier’s capability is the highest ranked sub-factor in the market. Social implications: The government should issue a standard practices handbook for SP to be used by public organizations to provide public procurers a clear method for conducting a proper cost–benefit analysis to evaluate and decide on sustainable purchases that fit the economy and society and meet the national sustainability agenda. Furthermore, additional attention needs to be paid to cultural factors such as social and environmental awareness by policymakers to succeed in achieving SP. Finally, top management and government officials must reevaluate their own personal values and commitment to sustainability issues as they participate in forming policies, rules, regulations and training programs designed for procurement managers within government organizations. Originality/value: Although considerable research has been conducted on this topic, this study is unique in its presentation of a critical understanding of which factors and sub-factors are likely to significantly affect SP implementation in the UAE, which shall provide the relevant researchers and practitioners with the necessary knowledge to be ready for the changes that may lie ahead.

The contentious and growing sustainability concerns within the UAE's oil and gas industries have highlighted the necessity of systematically examining the internal and external organisational factors that influence sustainable procurement (SP) in the industry. This study investigates the internal and external factors most influencing SP in the UAE's oil and gas industry. Utilising questionnaires, the researcher obtained data from 100 procurement professionals working in three oil and gas companies operating in the UAE. The research framework, developed through an extensive literature review, was analysed and tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results reveal that both internal and external factors have a positive and statistically significant impact on sustainable procurement, although internal factors have a relatively greater effect. This study found that leadership in change management, internal management structure, management strategy, and infrastructure cost management, are the most influential internal factors affecting SP, whilst social and economic factors are the most influential external factors. An emphasis on these internal and external factors can help oil and gas companies operating in the UAE greatly improve their level of SP performance.

This paper evaluates the impact of the 'big five' personality dimensions of leaders, focusing on how and to what extent, they influence transformational leadership in the United Arab Emirates. Online-survey data were gathered from 202 leaders and middle-managers from government, private and non-profit organisations across the United Arab Emirate (UAE). The questionnaire comprised six sets of questions: five assessing the 'big five' personality dimensions; and one measuring transformational leadership. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were employed to analyse the leadership model. A positive relationship was found between transformational leadership and different personality traits: agreeableness, extroversion and openness. he results can be used to help leaders willing to rediscover themselves in the context of their defined roles and objectives. This is the first study of its kind to examine the relationship between the 'big five' personality factors and leadership in different organisational contexts in the UAE.

Purpose: Despite the wide recognition of enterprise resource planning’s (ERP’s) multiple uses, little research has examined the internal forces that influence success after ERP implementation in the service industry. This study aims to identify the factors influencing post-implementation ERP capabilities (PERPC) and improving post-implementation sustainability and user satisfaction (PERPSUS). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are used for this, with advance managed outsourced solutions (AMOS) and an entanglement view of all firm ERP users. Design/methodology/approach: A theoretical model is created to explain internal organizational factors impacting post-implementation ERP sustainability and user satisfaction. Data were collected from 152 executive ERP users in two organizations in the UAE. Two CFA models were created. Findings: The results show that adoption by internal organizational forces leads to more sustainable post-implementation ERP. A 69 per cent variance in user satisfaction and post-implementation ERP sustainability was found through a PERPC model and its dimensions, which are significantly highly correlated. Research limitations/implications: ERP professionals and stakeholders believe that identification of ERP capabilities (ERPCs) and user satisfaction must be multi-dimensional. Practical implications: CIOs and ERP professionals could use these results to increase the success of ERP in the service industry, and they can support the inclusion of post-implementation ERP practices. Originality/value: Using AMOS, this paper explores the role of ERPCs in system sustainability and user satisfaction in the service sector, utilizing stakeholder perspectives and an entanglement view of ERP users in the service industry.

Purpose: This study aims to identify barriers to social sustainability in the health-care industry in the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, the impact of these dimensions on social sustainability is examined. Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive questionnaire has been developed based on semi-structured interviews with different departments of two tertiary hospitals in the first phase. In the second phase, data are collected from ten public and private hospitals situated in the United Arab Emirates. In the third phase, responses are examined using principal component analysis to identify the five major barriers for social sustainability. A measurement model (confirmatory analysis) is developed to examine the relationship among these dimensions. Finally, a structural model is developed to examine the significance of these dimensions to the notion of social sustainability in health care. Findings: The statistical model shows a 61 per cent variance for social sustainability, which is caused by infrastructure, organizational culture, lack of coordination, stakeholder’s disparity and uncertainty, which are positively and highly correlated measurement barriers to social sustainability practices implementation. Research limitations/implications: Health-care professionals and stakeholders believe that the elimination of obstacles to social sustainability must be multi-dimensional and not limited to specific practices. Practical implications: This study would enable health-care industry to examine the extent of obstruction for social sustainability. Hospital administrators and medical professionals could use this feedback to assess and benchmark their performance against that of other competitive hospitals. Originality/value: The contribution of this paper is to advance the understanding of social sustainability in the health-care sector by viewing it from the perspective of the stakeholders and the social exchanges that occur among them.

This article seeks to investigate factors that predict students' attitudes and intentions to use technology in higher education in the UAE context. A survey research was conducted on a sample of public and private University students using blackboard learn system and other educational technologies in the UAE. A model was developed, and structural equation modeling was used to ascertain the goodness of fit of the model. Computer literacy, ease of use and usefulness were hypothesized to impact the electronic satisfaction and retention of a student with Blackboard and other technology based educational platforms. Perceived usefulness and perceived computer literacy to e-satisfaction and retention was found to be statistically significant. This paper emphasizes technology implementation and receptivity in higher education students in a developing country context, and makes tentative suggestions and recommendations on how policy makers might respond to current and future technology needs.

Medication errors in healthcare have a high cost since it is one of the main causes of harming a patient; it leads to inefficient utilization of healthcare organization resources. The barcode medication administration system helps in improving the patients' safety. The purpose of this article is to determine preparatory needs for introducing a Barcoding Medication Administration System (BCMA) in the medical units in one of the largest tertiary hospital in Abu Dhabi City, United Arab Emirates. Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) has been employed to describe systematic decision-making by prioritizing different factors that affect the implementation of BCMA and how technology plays a role in helping to reduce or prevent human errors by promoting safety in the health care sectors. Five major domains are identified: leadership, technology, process, education, quality and safety. Leadership was found to be the most important factor oppositely of technology was the least important.

The purpose of this paper is to examine linkages amongst Organisational leadership, organisational structure, organisational culture and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) provide a framework that helps to understand, predict, and control factors affecting firm's knowledge management architecture. The paper examines the researchers conducted in the domain of knowledge management and proposes a framework to be used by the organisations to increase organisational growth and sustainability. Here, we propose a framework wherein four propositions concerning the inclination of organisations using different cultural styles, organisational structures, and organisational leadership and OCB have for the key KM processes in the organisation. However, an empirical study should be carried out to ascertain the effect of the proposed framework on knowledge management across organisations. The study incorporates the linkages among relevant organisational and individual level variables for developing a knowledge management architecture for organisations.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between knowledge management practices (KMPs), information communication technology (ICT) and operational efficiency (OE) from financial perspective. Five hypotheses are developed with the help of literature review and are tested through the application of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in structural equation modelling (SEM). Altogether, 462 valid responses were collected from an oil and gas company in UAE. Four out of five KMPs have a significant relationship with OE. Also, ICT has been found to moderate the relationship between KMPs and OE. One KMP has shown an insignificant relationship with OE. The results also show that the standardised coefficients of these paths and the loadings of the indicators on their factors are all significant. A validity test shows strong evidence of the joint impact of KMPs and ICT on OE with the possible moderating impact of ICT on OE. One of the research limitations is the type of organisation under study. Future studies may include other industries such as manufacturing and construction.

Inventory management and coordination among different echelons are some of the primary factors for the success of any supply chain. The classical economic order quantity (EOQ) model endeavours to achieve optimisation in the field of inventory management across supply chains. Most of the literature on supply chains ignores the role of quality, human factors and variability in lead-time-demand, while trying to improve its performance. The objective of this paper is to study the combined effect of defective items, inspection errors and stochastic lead time demand on the optimal cost of a two level (vendor-buyer) supply chain. A simple solution procedure along with a numerical example is presented to determine the optimal solution to this model. A sensitivity analysis is carried out to illustrate the significance of different parameters. Finally, a discussion on management insights is presented to complement the model and results.

This study examines supplier selection using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The primary objective of this study is to find the best procurement criteria addressing critical items in government organisations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The paper includes a thorough review of the literature on current best practices in procurement and supplier selection, focusing on addressing challenges faced by procurement professionals in public organisations during supplier selection. The study will contribute a new practical model for supplier selection based on the AHP method, and the proposed model will employ new proposed stakeholders' interest factors in selection and is customised for needs of public organisations working in the UAE business environment.

The primary motive behind this study is to enhance understanding of the relationship between organisational practices and knowledge sharing among employees. A quantitative approach is used to examine the relationship between organisational practices and knowledge sharing among the employees in an organisation. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to assess the impact of organisational practices on knowledge sharing by selecting an appropriate conceptual model that fits the study premise and results in better findings. The outcome of this research clarifies that organisational practices, such as collaboration, learning cultures, and management support, significantly impact knowledge sharing among employees at the workplace. This study can improve an organisation's understanding of the internal culture enhancement in regard to organisational practices, collaboration, management support, and learning cultures, affect knowledge sharing among employees. Moreover, this study can help an organisation create effective strategies to develop knowledge sharing mechanisms in their organisations.

The relationship between organizational culture (OC) and corporate performance was commonly studied and reflected in the literature in the last few years. However, the relationship between OC and business excellence is rarely tackled. In this context, this research examined the relationship between four OC types and organizational excellence and the role of information communication technology (ICT) as a moderator. A quantitative study was conducted, and the data were collected using a survey questionnaire distributed to middle managers in one of the gold winners of a United Arab Emirates-based business excellence award. The results showed that there is a positive relationship between organizational culture components and business excellence in general. A mission culture has the most significant relationship, in contrast, the adaptability culture had no positive relationship. Also, the moderating role of ICT was proven. The results of this research can be utilized by managers to build the OC type that boost excellence within their organizations.

A manufacturing plant treats defectives and non-defectives differently (Wahab and Jaber, 2010). On the basis of this approach, in this technical note, an optimal batch size is determined for the model in Khan et al. (2011a). Furthermore, the model is extended for learning in supplier's quality. These practical extensions of the above model are more in line with the practice in the present-day industry. The numerical results are compared to those in Khan et al. (2011a), and Maddah and Jaber (2008). The proposed model suggests a smaller batch size and lower annual cost than that in Khan et al. (2011a).

The problem of resource allocation and scheduling is considered for a flexible job shop composed of several work centers with multiple identical machines. Each machine has its own setup time that depends on the current and the arriving batch types. The optimal number of machines at each center and the optimal batch size for each job type is to be determined for several dispatching rule. The objective of the study is to assist the scheduler in selecting the best dispatching rule with respect to a desired performance measure along with its corresponding batch size and optimum number of machines in each center. Several measures are considered including the average flow time, sum of earliness and tardiness, and the number of tardy jobs. The simulation package ProModel is used to build the model and its optimization tool called SimRunner is used for optimization.

In this paper, a two-level supply chain situation is considered. A manufacturer/vendor is assumed to receive raw material parts from a number of suppliers for assembling a single product. The parts obtained from the supplier are not of a perfect quality. That is, each supplier may have an approximately fixed percentage of defectives in the lots supplied. An inspection process is carried out at the vendor’s end to take out these imperfect parts while manufacturing the product. A different percentage of defectives from each supplier gives rise to some unused parts left with the vendor in each cycle. These parts are utilised in the next cycle. Different coordination mechanisms for controlling the supply chain inventory are studied. A cost minimisation model is given for each. A numerical example is given to compare the coordination mechanisms.

ABSTRACTObjective:To evaluate the effect of pioglitazone, metformin, and/or sulfonylurea on metabolic syndrome and its component parameters after a year of treatment.Methods:Adult patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes were enrolled in 4 multicenter, double-blind studies and received pioglitazone, sulfonylurea, metformin, or a combination of any 2 agents. Post hoc analyses were performed on data from patients with evaluations at baseline and week 52, and treatment groups were compared to determine change from baseline in metabolic syndrome status and its component variables by using the McNemar test and analysis of covariance, respectively.Results:Most patients (72.1%) had metabolic syndrome at baseline. Change in the proportion of patients with metabolic syndrome status was significant in each monotherapy and the pioglitazone plus metformin combination groups. Pioglitazone alone or in combination with metformin resulted in a significantly greater percent decrease from baseline in triglycerides (pioglitazone vs. metformin, 10.3%; pioglitazone vs. sulfonylurea, 6.5%; pioglitazone plus metformin vs. sulfonylurea plus metformin, 13.4%; P< 0.05) and a greater percent increase from baseline in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (pioglitazone vs. metformin, 9.1%; pioglitazone vs. sulfonylurea, 12.6%; pioglitazone plus metformin vs. sulfonylurea plus metformin, 17.8%; P< 0.001) at week 52 than did the respective comparison groups. A significant decrease from baseline in the ratio of urinary albumin to creatinine was found only with pioglitazone monotherapy (–1.764 mg/mmol; P< 0.001), which was significantly greater than the change in the metformin monotherapy group (2.1%; P< 0.05). Significant decrease in blood pressure was observed in the pioglitazone monotherapy and pioglitazone plus sulfonylurea groups, with no significant treatment group differences.Conclusions:Treatment with pioglitazone as monotherapy or combination therapy led to sustained, positive effects on important components of metabolic syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes, independent of effects on blood glucose control and, as such, could be translated to potential for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Study Objective.To characterize frequency of liver enzyme elevation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving troglitazone.

Objectives:Characterize degree of weight loss with stage of diabetes and describe its effect on cardiovascular disease risk factors in obese patients with and without diabetes. Research Methods and Procedures:Retrospective cohort analysis from patients participating in a long‐term weight management protocol using diet, exercise, behavioral modification, and appetite‐suppressant therapy. Patient groups, with (n= 19) and without diabetes (n= 19) were matched for age, gender, and weight before weight loss therapy. The effect of 12 months of therapy on weight, blood pressure, glycemic control, lipid profile, and medication requirements were tested. Additionally, patients were grouped or staged based upon therapy required for control of diabetes at the beginning of weight loss intervention. Analysis of covariance described relationships between diabetes disease stage and weight loss at 12 months. Results:Nondiabetic patients had greater mean reduction in BMI than the diabetic group (7.98 kg/m2vs. 4.77 kg/m2, p< 0.01). A significant linear trend (p< 0.001) for decreasing weight loss with stage of diabetes was observed. Blood pressure, lipid profile, and glycemia improved significantly. The average daily glyburide‐equivalent dose decreased from 9.4 to 3.0 mg (p< 0.01). Discussion:Patients with diabetes lost less weight than similarly obese patients without diabetes. Regardless of differential weight loss between groups, cardiovascular disease risk factors improved. Hypoglycemic medication requirements decreased with weight loss therapy. A predictive relationship may exist between diabetes disease stage before weight loss therapy and future weight loss potential.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has emerged as an important condition of older patients in which both microvascular and macrovascular complications are a common cause of morbidity and mortality. In contrast to type 1 diabetes mellitus, this endocrinopathy is clustered in minority populations and has both strong genetic and environmental factors that influence disease manifestation. A number of physiological alterations of glucose metabolism including hepatic overproduction of glucose, and reduced glucose utilization by peripheral tissues as a result of insulin resistance contribute to the development of the metabolic manifestations of this disease. Ultimately, pancreatic failure and reduced insulin secretion lead to hyperglycemia and the diabetic state. Frequently, many of these metabolic manifestations, or what has been termed Syndrome X, antecede the development of overt diabetes by many years. This syndrome is manifest clinically by such cardiovascular risk factors as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and coagulation abnormalities. This abnormal metabolic milieu contributes to the high prevalence of macrovascular complications including coronary artery disease as well as more generalized atherosclerosis. Microvascular complications have only more recently been recognized as an important and frequent complication of type 2 diabetes. Among the elderly and minority populations, this has become the single most important cause of end-stage renal failure that necessitates renal replacement therapies. The outcome for these patients on hemodialysis, the modality most frequently selected, is poor, with the majority of these patients dying of cardiovascular causes. Unfortunately, interventional strategies to reduce or prevent the microvascular and macrovascular complications have only recently received the needed attention and will require considerable effort and resources to improve the clinical outcomes and life expectancies for these patients.

Familial lipodystrophy is a genetically heterogeneous set of disorders characterized by a total or partial absence of subcutaneous fat, diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance, hyperlipidemia, and hypermetabolism [Senior and Gellis, 1964]. One subtype, familial partial lipodystrophy Dunnigan (FPLD), is a rare autosomal dominant trait that results in an gradual loss of subcutaneous fat in the lower trunk and limbs, Type V hyperlipoproteinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and insulin-resistant diabetes. Previous reports of this condition have been limited to case reports or very small families. Recently, Peters et al. reported on linkage of five families of Western European descent to a 5.3 cM region on chromosome 1q21-22 between the flanking markers D1S305 and D1S1600 [Peters et al., 1998: Nat Genet 18:292–295]. We performed linkage and haplotype analysis using highly polymorphic, microsatellite markers on a large, multigeneration Caucasian kindred of German ancestry. The maximum two-point lod score achieved was 4.96 at θmax = 0 for marker D1S2721. Multipoint analysis gave an overall maximum lod score of 6.27 near marker D1S2721. The results of the haplotype analysis support the minimal candidate region as reported by Peters et al. Am. J. Med. Genet. 82:161–165, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.