Challenges of BIM implementation in GCC construction industry

Innovation management (IM) for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region poses unique socio-economic challenges due to the multi-faceted nature of Arab and Islamic countries. Additionally, proposals for indigenous initiatives, sustainability transitions and outward-oriented strategies in economic reform plans of the GCC add further complexity to IM scholarship and practice with imperatives to harness the potentials of these strategic visions. Yet, there is an absence of a systematic review to scrutinize IM literature on the GCC region. This paper systematically reviews the IM literature whose subject involve the GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The review scrutinizes theories, trends and targets in this literature, covers the period from 1980 to 2019, and involves 110 journal papers from high quality IM-related publication outlets. Using insights from the review, the paper develops theoretical foundations for creative complementarities, institutional-pumps and a ripple model of regional innovation. The review also details some methodological, theoretical, conceptual and topical directions for future regional IM research studies.

PurposeWith the continuing development of the financial technology revolution, a better understanding of bank deposits variability has become necessary for bank management and policymakers, especially central banks. This is because the novel innovations of cryptocurrencies operate beyond the realm of the banking system, which may impact the performance of banks and their deposits variability. This study aims to investigate the long- and short-run effects of cryptocurrencies’ market capitalization development on the banks’ deposit variability in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the Johansen–Juselius (1990) cointegration test with vector error correction model was applied to examine the long-run relationships, while the Engle and Granger (1987) and the Granger (1969) causality tests were used to detect causal relationships in the short term.FindingsThe findings of Johansen–Juselius cointegration test indicate that the banks’ deposits variability in all six states of the Gulf region share negative long-run equilibrium association with the development of global cryptocurrencies market capitalization, but with different statistically significant levels. For the short-run analysis, the study found that the development of cryptocurrencies market capitalization has significant unidirectional causal effects on bank deposits variabilities in only four states, namely, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. The findings of the study therefore suggest that to eradicate the effects of cryptocurrencies industry and its threats to the banking industry, banks in GCC region are encouraged to either consider cryptocurrencies as an alternative investment asset for their portfolio investment diversification strategies or adopt the blockchain technology in their operation system to facilitate their customers with low transaction cost, high level of security and ease of use and real-time settlement.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical findings of the study will provide valuable input for policymakers, especially central banks and bank managements, to evaluate the current situation and the threats of the cryptocurrencies market growth and its effect on the banking industry’s performance, future survival and their deposits variability for better regulation and policy planning and investment strategies.Originality/valueThis is a pioneering study that empirically explores the phenomenon of bank deposits variability as a consequence of expansion in cryptocurrencies market capitalization, where the findings proved evidence of a drastic decline in banks’ deposits size due to the substantial growth in cryptocurrencies market capitalization.

Climate change is a problem that many municipalities in the world are facing today. Due to the fragile ecosystem, and harsh climates that are experienced by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the region has become vulnerable to a wide variety of ecosystem and climate change issues. Aside from the climate affecting the area severely, its dependence on hydrocarbons, also makes it vulnerable to climate changes. There are climate change policies adopted by the GCC region for prosperous future and sustainability. These include, policies to affect impacts of energy and carbon intensities, response measures being adopted for climate change, the mitigation potentials of the region, along with the suitability of the markets to harness potentials. This analysis focuses on utilizing Marginal Abatement Cost curves, along with econometric techniques that will assess the emissions of Green House Gases (GHGs), the potential for mitigation in the GCC region, and computable general equilibriums that invest the impacts of measures, exploring suitability of instruments that can help to harness the potential mitigation measures for the region. Main policy insights that can be concluded based on the analysis is the role that incentives play to help promote energy efficient mechanics, while reducing emissions of carbon emissions within the region, contributions made to climate policies for air quality, along with the roles that green tax reforms play to help improve the economics of welfare, while pursuing carbon policies for the domestic areas in the region. Globally, there are a lot of energy efficiency policies. The GCC has been witnessing a phenomenal amount of growth when it comes to meeting the needs of domestic households. The region is facing extreme demographic pressure, and as a result has decided to accelerate energy intensive drives. The requirements that the GCC has to meet is causing trade-offs and challenging implications regarding allocation and development of hydrocarbon resources to adhere to domestic and export demands. In conclusion, four issues that have arisen within the GCC in relations to climate change policies have been addressed in this paper. These issues include the rising amounts of energy and carbon intensities, the impacts that the response measures that are being implemented by developed countries have on developing countries, as well as the mitigation potentials that exist within the region, as a method to harness the potentials that are available. Energy efficiency is believed to be a primary candidate to deal with the challenges the GCC is facing. Detailed assessments regarding energy efficiency for the GCC economies is addressed, along with how these intensities relate to outside world economies. This analysis focuses on utilizing Marginal Abatement Cost curves, along with econometric techniques that will assess the emissions of Green House Gases, the potential for mitigation in the GCC region, and Computable General Equilibriums that invest the impacts of measures, exploring suitability of instruments that can help to harness the potential mitigation measures for the region. Main policy insights that can be concluded based on the analysis is the roles that incentives play to help promote energy efficient mechanics, while reducing emissions of carbon emissions within the region, contributions made to climate policies for air quality, along with the roles that green tax reforms play to help improve the economics of welfare, while pursuing carbon policies for the domestic areas in the region. Globally, there are a lot of energy efficiency policies and measures that are being taken. The GCC, which is an acronym for Gulf Cooperative Council, has been witnessing a phenomenal amount of growth when it comes to meeting the needs of domestic households. The region is facing extreme demographic pressure, and as a result have decided to accelerate energy intensive drives. The requirements that the GCC has to meet is causing trade-offs and challenging implications regarding allocation and development of hydrocarbon resources to adhere to domestic and export demands. Energy efficiency is believed to be a primary candidate to deal with the challenges the GCC is facing. Detailed assessments regarding energy efficiency for the GCC economies is addressed, along with how these intensities relate to outside world economies.

Antimicrobial resistance in the Gulf Cooperation Council region: A proposed framework to assess threats, impacts and mitigation measures associated with AMR in the marine and aquatic environment

Purpose The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have unanimously worked toward localizing their workforce, given the imbalanced proportion of locals in the region's workforce and the rising local unemployment levels. To date, current localization initiatives have not resulted in notable improvements in increasing the local workforce participation. This study, thus, sets out to identify the key challenges that the GCC region has faced in its implementation of the workforce localization policies from multiple perspectives. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory two-stage approach was taken to identify relevant academic literature on localization in the GCC. The study then carried out a thematic analysis of 71 empirical and conceptual studies to discover the underlying challenges faced by the GCC economies in their national strategy of localizing the workforce. Findings Through a narrative review, six challenges pertaining to the GCC market's labor market configuration, citizen's job preferences, work attitudes, education and skill set, and expats and the private sector's attitudes toward localization were identified. We conclude with a comprehensive plan that considers educational, economic and cultural factors. Practical implications To improve workforce localization in the GCC, governments should reform education and address socio-cultural barriers, especially those affecting female employment. Private sector firms must implement culturally sensitive strategies to develop and retain local talent. A coordinated effort among governments, employers and society is essential to create a unified labor market and a performance-driven employment culture. Originality/value In providing a review of the most important obstacles, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the major challenges documented by academic researchers on the localization policies of GCC. Further, the findings enable practitioners to accomplish objectives of localization policies in the GCC region by taking note of the identified challenges and overcoming them through partaking in potential opportunities.

This chapter delves into the innovation of blockchain technology and its benefits for advancing the economic growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Blockchain technology provides the security and reliability that is required in the GCC region for enhancing the technology acceptance level of its population. Apart from providing security, blockchain technology offers financial efficiency, cost reduction, and the elimination of operational risks. Blockchain technology is equally beneficial for nonfinancial industries, such as the healthcare and education industry of the GCC region. The digital revolution based on blockchain technology is beneficial for GCC countries to shift their economic dependence from oil to innovations driven by technology. This will move the GCC to develop more smart cities as the GCC region has an ample amount of financial and human resources that are required for successful integration of blockchain technology in its numerous industries.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the intellectual capital (IC) performance of banks in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and to empirically investigate if IC has an impact on financial performance as well as to identify the IC components that may be the drivers of the traditional indicators of bank success.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical data are drawn from banks’ annual reports over the three-year period of 2008 to 2010. Ordinary least squares regression analysis is constructed to examine the relationships between IC and the banks’ financial performance indicators. Pulic’s value-added intellectual coefficient method (VAIC) is applied to measure IC performance.FindingsEmpirical findings, after controlling for bank size and global financial crisis, indicate that IC is positively associated with bank financial performance indicators in all GCC countries. However, when VAIC is split into its three components, the relationships between these components and bank financial performance indicators are varied.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study is the use of IC measurement model. Its basic advantage (simplicity and ease of use) is also its main limitation. The main problem is measuring the contribution of something which is not physical and cannot be easily quantified. The key issue is that the value created by IC is indirect. However, at present, no perfect solution is available for intellectual capital measurement, as the area is still exploring the best possible solutions.Practical implicationsThe results may extend the understanding of the role of IC in banking sector in GCC region and may give inputs to managers of GCC banks to structure relevant strategies to obtain, utilize, develop and retain IC. The findings also could help policy makers in GCC to formulate and implement policies for establishing a resilient banking sector.Originality/valueThis study adds to the literature by extending the knowledge of IC performance and its utilization for increasing the financial performance of GCC banks. There has only been one previous empirical study that explores the IC and its relationship with the traditional measures of bank performance in GCC region (only in Bahrain). It is the first comparative study across GCC countries.

The GCC’s path to a sustainable future: Navigating the barriers to the adoption of energy efficiency measures in the built environment

Cities worldwide are embracing shared mobility systems to improve their livability and competitiveness. E-scooters, in particular, have gained significant importance lately and are popular among users and policymakers alike. However, as more of these systems spread globally, questions related to their equity are becoming more prominent, especially considering existing inequalities and infrastructure barriers across these different contexts. Against this backdrop, this paper examines these themes in Dubai, an emerging global city within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Though still a relatively new introduction to the city, the paper takes a closer look at where these e-scooters operate relative to public transport and, more importantly, who their target audiences are. Primarily, the paper gives special attention to issues of equity in transport, while also reflecting on Dubai’s delicate demographics and car-centric urban form, and identifies areas of concern. Methodologically, the paper conducts spatial analysis using GIS and includes field observations and interviews. It contributes to the limited literature surrounding the equity of e-scooter systems within such emerging global cities, particularly within the GCC region.

This research examines the factors influencing the performance of Islamic banks in Southeast Asia (SEA) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions. It focuses on three key areas: corporate governance (CG), Shari’ah supervisory board (SSB) mechanisms, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure. This research employed rigorous panel data regression analysis, covering data from 79 Islamic banks spanning the years 2012 to 2021. This analytical approach revealed intricate connections between CG practices, SSB mechanisms, CSR disclosure, and bank performance. Strong CG and SSB mechanisms, in conjunction with robust CSR disclosure, positively impacted Islamic bank performance. These factors facilitated value creation, accountability, and stability, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. This underscores the significance of enhancing CG, SSB mechanisms, and CSR disclosure to bolster transparency and trust within the Islamic banking sector. Collaborative efforts among regulators, investors, and creditors are imperative for enforcing regulations, formulating CSR guidelines, and strengthening governance. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of CG practices, their impact, and the role of CSR disclosure in Islamic banks. It offers valuable insights for stakeholders and enhances comprehension of these mechanisms within the context of the SEA and GCC regions.

By using panel data over the 1980-2017 period and two alternative indicators of environmental pollution (carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions), this paper investigates the validity of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Using three alternative econometric estimation techniques, we find strong evidence of a long-run inverted U-shaped relationship between real GDP per capita and both environmental indicators in the GCC region. Country-level short-run analysis indicates that the EKC hypothesis holds for Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when CO2 emissions are used as a measure of environmental pollution. However, when SO2 emissions are used as a measure of environmental pollution, the EKC hypothesis holds for Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The results of a recently developed panel causality test reveal one-way causality from real GDP per capita to CO2 emissions and from real GDP per capita to SO2 emissions.

This study explores the adoption, applications, usage, training, challenges, and future perception of generative artificial intelligence tools among university librarians in the GCC region. The research aims to assess and evaluate artificial intelligence integration in various library services and operations, identifying training and institutional gaps and exploring librarians’ future perspectives on impact of GenAI in the libraries and their roles. The research employs a descriptive quantitative approach using an online survey targeting librarians working across higher education in the GCC region. The structured survey included questions related to demography, multiple choice responses for selection of AI tools and the application of these tools, and a Likert scale involving construct on measuring AI adoptions, training requirements, challenges and future perspective on GenAI technologies. A total of 160 participants were included in the study and various statistical analysis such as descriptive analysis, independent sample T-test and one way ANOVA tests were conducted to identify the key trends and group differences. The key finding revealed a widespread adoption of generative AI technologies with ChatGPT, Google, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot being the most frequently used. The study found that librarians were using GenAI tools for various services including answering research queries, summarizing articles, research writing, information retrieval, and enhancing library services. Regardless of high adoption rates, the study highlights significant gaps in training and institutional support for AI technologies, with many librarians relying on self-based training to upskill themselves due to lack of structure AI training programs and institutional support. A country wise analysis revealed UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have made substantial investments in AI training and infrastructure whereas Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait are lagging. Key challenges include AI content accuracy, data privacy concerns, ethical risks such as bias and plagiarism. The study also found some gender related significant differences primarily related to their tasks. Despite the concerns related to the changing role of librarians and job loss, librarians in GCC reflected a positive and optimistic attitude despite toward AI applications in library and expected strong support from institutions in terms of investment in training and infrastructure for AI technologies. The study provides deep insights into the current state of GenAI adoption in universities libraries across the GCC region, highlighting the regional disparities in AI training and institutional support. It contributes toward the growing literature on AI literacy in Library & information science and offers practical recommendations for academic institutions, policymakers and library & information science professionals to bridge the gap in artificial intelligence skills and competencies and foster responsible use of AI integration in library services.

The past 30years have seen an exponential growth concerning the identification of genes and variants responsible for hereditary hearing loss (HL) worldwide. This has led to a huge gain in our understanding of molecular mechanisms of hearing and deafness, which improved diagnosis for populations with hereditary HL. Many communities around the world, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, have a high prevalence of consanguineous marriages. Congenital monogenic conditions, such as recessive HL, are more common in these populations due to high consanguinity rates. Many studies have shown that high rates of consanguinity, endogamy, and first cousin marriages were observed in the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The intent of this study is to investigate the etiology of HL in the GCC region. A deep literature review of genes and variants responsible for HL in this region revealed 89 recessive DNA pathogenic variants reported in 138 cases/familial cases. A total of 21 genes responsible for non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL) and 17 genes associated with syndromic hearing loss (SHL) were reported in cases from the GCC region. Out of 156 reported affected cases, 112 showed HL only, and 44 showed HL associated with other clinical manifestations. This data suggests that in the GCC region 72% of HL forms are non-syndromic and 28% are syndromic. For individuals with NSHL, 66% of variants were detected in four genes (GJB2, OTOF, TMC1 and CDH23), with a predominance of variants located in the GJB2 gene (37.5%). However, among SHL, Usher syndrome was the more frequent as it has been observed in 41% of the reported syndromic GCC cases. Finally, our analysis showed that HL genetics testing and research in the GCC region took advantage of the next generation sequencing (NGS)-based techniques, as approximately 58% of reported variants were identified using this technology.

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of sector market competition on the ownership structure of publicly listed firms in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Design/methodology/approach The authors employed the system-Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model for panel data, utilizing over 93,000 data points from 6,215 firm-years across six GCC countries from 2010 to 2020. Findings The results reveal a statistically significant negative relationship between total block holders and institutional ownership for both Herfindahl–Hirschman and Tobin’s-Q competition proxies. This finding suggests that companies operating in monopolistic or oligarchic sectors are likely to attract block holder investors. Moreover, various firm- and country-level factors, including return on assets, growth, size, gross domestic product and political crisis, also exhibit significant relationships with specific ownership variables. Practical implications Investigating the influence of competition on block holders’ ownership in the GCC region may provide new insights into the role of competitive markets in fostering economic development, promoting investor protection and shareholder rights, enhancing market efficiency and competitiveness and implementing effective reform policies and strategies. Originality/value Despite the significant contribution of GCC countries to global oil commodities, limited market competition research has been conducted in these markets. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the impact of various firm-, industry-, and country-level factors on firm ownership structure in the GCC region, focusing on the influence of market competition.

Energy consumption accounts for most of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Managing the growth in energy demand is therefore a key part of climate change mitigation. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, energy consumption has been growing rapidly. Between 2004 and 2014, final energy consumption grew at an average annual rate of 6.8% compared to a global average of 1.8%. Energy efficiency can help GCC countries manage their energy demand growth, but it is difficult to measure energy efficiency, so analysts often rely on indirect indicators such as energy intensity. Frontier analysis can be used to measure energy efficiency, but is data intensive. To undertake frontier analysis for the GCC countries it was therefore necessary to construct a new dataset, which was used for corrected ordinary least squares to estimate underlying energy efficiency between 2004 and 2014 for two key sectors in the GCC countries: residential electricity and road transport gasoline. The results suggest that underlying energy efficiency generally improved in the GCC region, in contrast to the trend of rising energy intensity that the region has been witnessing. The energy efficiency improvements may have been driven by global technical progress and tighter global fuel economy standards, of which the GCC countries were beneficiaries. With the provision of high quality, recent data with shorter lag times, frontier analysis could be used to provide prompt feedback on the impact of energy efficiency policies and programmes, leading to better outcomes.