Journal of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies

• Published by Scientific Publication Journal – Kuwait University.
• Acting Editor Chief Prof. Abdulaziz Gh. AlGhanim.
• Contributors are academic faculty members from various universities and faculties in both Arab and English and French.
• It's newly published the Journal No. (174) for the month of July 2019. It includes Ten academic researches about different issues :

First Research : Intellectual Security and Religious Extremism in Arab Gulf Countries: Problems and Strategies.
Dr. Hasan A. Johar - Dr. Hamed H. Alabdullah

     Since the Arab uprisings, several countries in the region witnessed waves of violence which were carried out by radical Islamic organizations and caused major threats to the political regimes, as well as social integrity. Social media and communication tools were widely used to penetrate what might be called the "psychological barrier", which led to a multi-risk recruitment process. This study focuses on the strategies that may be used to confront "terrorism" as a means to enhance national security in Arab Gulf countries. These strategies include policies and mechanisms that guarantee the stability of the state and the maintenance of its integrity, as well as entrenching its beliefs and culture by establishing positive social communication among various segments of the society. Intellectual security also requires promoting dialogue values and mutual interaction in order to face the challenges of the proliferation of intellectual extremism both at individual and state levels.

Second Research : Obstacles to Scientific Research as Perceived by Faculty Members of Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences at Kuwait University and its Relationship to some Variables.
Dr. Salem S. Alhajeri - Fatema M. Alosaimi           

     This study aimed at investigating the obstacles to scientific research facing faculty members in the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences at Kuwait University. To achieve the objectives of the study a questionnaire was developed as a study tool. The questionnaire consisted of (40) items, which distributed among six domains. The sample consisted of (135) faculty members which were selected based on stratified random sample. The results of the study revealed that the obstacles came mostly in general moderately (administrative obstacles, scientific obstacles, financial obstacles, personal obstacles, and publication obstacles), with exception of the obstacles to working conditions which were high. The results also revealed that  there were no statistically significant differences in dimensions of  research obstacles based on gender, while the scientific obstacles vary depending on academic rank in favor of assistant professor and on college variable in favor of College of Law.

Third Research : Investigating Marriage and Divorce Cases in State of Kuwait from 2003 to 2015 Using Geographic Information System.
Dr. Muhammad G. Almatar 

     This study aimed to investigate marriage and divorce cases from a chronological and geographical perspective in the State of Kuwait from 2003 to 2015 by using a Geographic Information System (GIS). It examined the geographic distribution of marriage and divorce cases, and employed a numerical sequence to calculate the census of undocumented years. The study also used linear regression to identify the economic and educational characteristics of the population and their impact on the increase or decrease of marriage and divorce cases. The results showed a significant relationship between the number of marriages and the nature of the job and educational level. The coefficient of interpretation of the linear regression model was 0.75 for the number of employees in the finance sector, the number of employees of the gas and electricity sector, and the illiteracy variable. The linear regression model also showed that there were three factors which affected the rise of divorce cases, namely number of employees in the education sector, number of employees of the gas and electricity sector and the number of holders of the primary schools certificate (the coefficient was 0.73). The study concluded with a number of suggestions and recommendations that could benefit decision makers and social research in Kuwait.

Forth research : Impact of Schools Principals' Management by Walking Around on Organizational Commitment.
Dr. Meznah S. Alazmi

     The aim of this study was to determine whether management by walking around done by Kuwait public school principals had impact on organizational commitment. Using the descriptive correlation analytical approach, two questionnaires measured two things: management by walking around and organizational commitment. The questionnaires were administered to a random sample of teachers (n = 724). The results showed the following: (1) the perceptions with respect to principals practicing management by walking around were very high in all dimensions; (2) the teacher's perceptions of their organizational commitment was also very high in all dimensions; and (3) management by walking around impact on organizational commitment was statistically significant. In light of these results, the study makes a number of recommendations, the most important of which was integrating the concept of management by walking around within preparing principals for the developed school administration in public education.

Fifth research : The Role of Cooperatives in Development: A Case Study of Kuwait.
Dr. Nawaf M. Abou Shamala - Dr. Faisal H. Almunawer

     The study aims at evaluating the role of cooperatives in development in light of best international practices and focusing on  the case study of Cooperatives in the State of Kuwait. The study discusses and analysis  the role cooperatives play in supporting sustainability and realizing the Sustainable Development Goals "SDG's", as well as elaborating on the role cooperatives play in economic development and its effect on the labor markets. Furthermore, the study analysis the current situation of cooperatives in the State of Kuwait through field research that examines the role these cooperatives play in promoting economic development and the main obstacles that hinders their work.
     The study concluded that in the case of Kuwait, cooperatives could play a vital role in promoting and assisting in building developmental capacities, in addition; the study provided a number of recommendations which aid n promoting the role of cooperatives, mainly in terms of policies that list the obstacles and widen the perspectives of these cooperatives.

Sixth research : The Role of  Religious Scholars in Influencing Political Decision-Making in Kuwait 1896 – 1939.
Dr. Abdulrahman M. Alebraheem

     This article re-examines the history of the political decision-making process in Kuwait through discussing the role of religious scholars in the political decision-making process between 1896 and 1939. The importance of this category of Kuwait society has been neglected by many historians. Most historians working on Kuwait's modern politics have focussed on two forces: the ruling family and the merchants. Although these two players were undeniably the most influential parties, other segments of society should not be overlooked. This article seeks to prove that the religious scholars in Kuwait had an effective impact on the two main powers, Sheikhs and merchants. The article employs a critical, historical investigation of all information related to the topic through available documents, manuscripts, and books.

Seventh research : Teachers and Administrators' Perceptions on Academic Excellence at the Preparatory Stage in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Ziad K. Allala

     The study aimed to identify teachers and administrators' perceptions on preventive strategies, enrichment strategies, and the strategies oriented toward students excelling academically at the preparatory stage in the city of Buraydah, Saudi Arabia. The study sample consisted of 102 participants: 56 teachers and 46 principals. To achieve the objective of the study, a questionnaire consisting of 60 items from the curriculum was used.  The t-test was used to answer the three questions. The results, which are statically significant, showed that enrichment strategies came first, followed by preventive strategies, and finally strategies directed at academic excellence. The study also showed significant differences between the perceptions of teachers and administrators which relate to both their type of work and specialization. Finally, a number of recommendations is offered.

Ninth research in English  : External Factors in Using GIS Tools for City Management - Case Study : Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Hamad A. Altuwaijri

     GIS helps in visualizing and analyzing information that can help a user to monitor projects, make decisions, and develop solutions. Government agencies also use GIS to perform and manage many functions. In addition, GIS data can be shared between government agencies and departments. The scope of this study focused on government organizations inside Riyadh. The main objective was to study the effect of using GIS in city projects. Two different methods were used. First, GIS users and managers were interviewed, and information was collected regarding the usage of the GIS in their departments, then factors that affect city project management's use of GIS are identified. Second, the collected data was subsequently used to build an employee survey that included department heads, IT employees, and engineers. The results showed no statistically significant relationships between the success percentage of recently completed projects and sharing data or hiring GIS consulting expertise. However, a statistically significant relationship was found between the success percentage of recently completed projects and GIS training. The study recommends that the municipality and government sectors should provide appropriate GIS training for people working in city projects to upgrade the level of their work.

Tenth research in English:Corporate Social Responsibility   Reporting Within Kuwaiti Top 100 Corporations : CSR Issues, Targeted Stakeholders and Reporting Standards.
Dr. Manaf M. Bashir

     Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a way for corporations to meet the expectations of different stakeholders about economic, social and environmental issues. It has become indispensable for an organization's success and positive image and reputation. Employing the stakeholder theory, the purpose of this research is to analyze CSR content of leading Kuwaiti corporations. It attempts to identify the issues and stakeholders of the CSR and whether corporations are following CSR reporting standards. By analyzing websites, annual and CSR reports of the top 100 Kuwaiti corporations, this study found low mentions of the CSR issues and even lower mentions of stakeholders. Environmental issues were among the least mentioned. ``Society'' was mentioned the most as the stakeholder and ``Environment'' was among the least mentioned. Independent sample t-tests found no significant difference between the issues and stakeholders that are mentioned in the websites and the reports. Only two companies from the sample followed reporting standards. Kuwaiti corporations need to pay more attention to CSR and particularly to environment. They should adopt a strategic approach toward it where higher management needs to understand its significance and allocate specialized personnel such as marketers and public relations practitioners to manage it. The government and non-profit organizations should encourage the private sector in Kuwait to do more CSR and meet the needs and expectations of different stakeholders and not only shareholders. This is in addition to reporting the CSR information strategically and professionally because of its benefits to corporate image, reputation and transparency.

                                                 

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