Anas A . Makki | King AbdulAziz University (KAU) Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (original) (raw)

Papers by Anas A . Makki

IEEE Access, 2024

Higher education institutions (HEIs) aim to achieve a significant impact on research, learning, t... more Higher education institutions (HEIs) aim to achieve a significant impact on research, learning, teaching, and community services, which are core elements of their strategic plans. Determining the priorities of strategic objectives and related projects is crucial for the successful implementation of HEIs' strategic plans. However, such prioritization necessitates the use of effective methods capable of dealing with several conflicting criteria in their objectives and ambiguous inputs from the decision-makers. Therefore, this study proposes a new integrated approach for prioritizing the objectives and projects of strategic plans in HEIs. The proposed approach utilizes a hybrid of the fuzzy method based on the removal effects of criteria using the geometric mean (fuzzy MEREC-G) and the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS). The proposed approach was tested on a strategic transformation plan at one of the Saudi Arabian universities and showed that it effectively prioritizes the objectives and projects of the university's strategic transformation plan. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the proposed approach's stability in providing consistent rankings under different criteria weights. The proposed approach offers decision-makers in HEIs an effective tool that assists in prioritizing the objectives and projects of their strategic plans.

Journal of Engineering Research, 2024

Achieving financial sustainability is a critical challenge for Public higher education institutio... more Achieving financial sustainability is a critical challenge for Public higher education institutions worldwide. This study aims to provide modified strategic planning tools for planning financial sustainability in higher education institutions. The paper employs modified forms of three strategic planning tools: a strategy map (SM), the balanced scorecard (BSC), and business-model-canvas (BMC), which were applied to support the analysis of planning financial sustainability at King Abdulaziz University (KAU). These tools enhance the planning process and contribute to the outcomes. The paper also draws a roadmap of key milestones for financial sustainability at the university by identifying sources and indicators of the university's financial capacity. This paper contributes to the literature on financial sustainability in higher education institutions and offers novel insights for other universities that seek to adopt similar plans. Furthermore, four recommendations are suggested to boost business development and connect with the university investment network. These recommendations involve investing in competent human resources, increasing financial assets, and utilizing technical capabilities. Further research includes examining the applicability of this novel approach in other contexts and identifying potential challenges and limitations of implementing and achieving financial sustainability.

Information, 2024

This study presents a hybrid multicriteria decision-making approach for evaluating stocks in the ... more This study presents a hybrid multicriteria decision-making approach for evaluating stocks in the Saudi Stock Market. The objective is to provide investors and stakeholders with a robust evaluation methodology to inform their investment decisions. With a market value of USD 2.89 trillion dollars in September 2022, the Saudi Stock Market is of significant importance for the country’s economy. However, navigating the complexities of stock market performance poses investment challenges. This study employs the best–worst method and the technique for order preference by similarity to identify an ideal solution to address these challenges. Utilizing data from the Saudi Stock Market (Tadawul), this study evaluates stock performance based on financial criteria, including return on equity, return on assets, net profit margin, and asset turnover. The findings reveal valuable insights, particularly in the banking sector, which exhibited the highest net profit margin ratios among sectors. The hybrid multicriteria decision-making-based approach enhances investment decisions. This research provides a foundation for future investigations, facilitating a deeper exploration and analysis of additional aspects of the Saudi Stock Market’s performance. The developed methodology and findings have implications for investors and stakeholders, aiding their investment decisions and maximizing returns.

Urban Science, 2024

This study analyzes the barriers to developing smart cities (SCs) using the decision-making trial... more This study analyzes the barriers to developing smart cities (SCs) using the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach. The primary objective is to identify, classify, and assess the main barriers hindering the progress of SCs. Through an extensive literature review, twelve main barriers were identified. The DEMATEL approach models and analyzes the relationships among these barriers based on expert input. The results reveal that technical problems, a lack of infrastructure, and high costs are classified as cause barriers. Security and privacy concerns and the absence of coordinated planning are classified as effect barriers. This study emphasizes the need for established criteria and iterative development requirements. Although the influence of knowledge and skills gaps and a lack of awareness is less significant, these aspects still require attention. The findings suggest that a comprehensive approach focusing on technical solutions, infrastructure development, strategic planning, and cybersecurity measures can effectively overcome barriers. Regular evaluation of barrier dynamics is crucial for implementing adaptive measures. The results provide decision-makers with a valuable model to address the challenges and foster the efforts of SC stakeholders.

Sustainability, 2024

Ensuring financial sustainability is paramount for higher education institutions (HEIs) to mainta... more Ensuring financial sustainability is paramount for higher education institutions (HEIs) to maintain financial viability and accomplish their strategic objectives by efficiently managing and utilizing resources. Studying strategic enablers’ interconnections and influences on each other is essential to forming a profound understanding and guiding the execution of initiatives linked to achieving financial sustainability plans. The main objective of this research study is to construct a model and analyze the strategic enablers of financial sustainability in HEIs and their associated dimensions. An integrated modeling approach was followed based on the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) methods. Input data collected from experts with specialist experience in financial sustainability in HEIs were used in the modeling. The overarching finding is that starting with the development of regulations and legislation-related systems leads to good governance practices, enabling the achievement of financial sustainability in HEIs. The developed model unpacks the complex relationships among the enablers and their dimensions. It reveals their cause-and-effect relationship classifications, ranks based on relative importance weights, dependence and driving powers classifications, relationship directions, and interpretive structure. It provides an overarching view of the interconnected network that acts as a roadmap to achieving financial sustainability in HEIs.

Logistics, 2024

Background: The retail sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, necessitating e... more Background: The retail sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, necessitating efficient supply chain management and sustainable logistics practices. Evaluating the performance of retail warehouses is crucial for meeting customer expectations and enhancing operational efficiency. Methods: This study employed a combined multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, using the group best–worst method (G-BWM) for weighting criteria and ranking the alternatives based on the trace-to-median index (RATMI) for warehouse ranking. The performance criteria were cost, quality, time, productivity, and safety. Data were collected from four mega retail warehouses in the western region of Saudi Arabia for evaluation and analysis. Results: The evaluation of retail warehouse performance using the MCDM approach provided valuable insights for decision-makers and warehouse experts. The criteria weights were determined using the G-BWM, and the RATMI enabled the ranking of the warehouses based on their weighted performance scores. The results highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each warehouse, facilitating strategic planning, resource allocation, and operational improvements. Conclusions: This study presents a novel combined MCDM performance evaluation approach for retail warehouses. The study has implications for effective decision-making processes, resource allocation, and operational efficiency. Furthermore, it serves as a foundation for future research, exploring additional dimensions of warehouse performance and enabling sustainable logistics within the broader supply chain context.

Water Supply, 2014

Rebounding water use behaviour has been observed in communities that have experienced plentiful w... more Rebounding water use behaviour has been observed in communities that have experienced plentiful water supply following a very dry period. However, the drivers of such rebounds in water consumption are varied and not well understood. Knowledge of such drivers can greatly assist managers towards proactive demand management, modelling and timely promotion of water efficient behaviours. Total and end-use residential water consumption has been tracked in South East Queensland, Australia for a sample of up to 252 homes in post-drought conditions (dam supplies growing but water restrictions continued, changed water use behaviours still ‘fresh’), and during and post-flooding conditions (eased restrictions, 100% dam capacity). Data on end-use water consumption trends using nearly 3 years of residential water end-use data have revealed several interesting patterns of consumption such as a delayed return to pre-drought use, the influence of climate and end-use specific rebounds (e.g. indoor ve...

Engineering Sciences, 2023

Food and beverage production firms are socially active workplaces by their very nature. They func... more Food and beverage production firms are socially active workplaces by their very nature. They function in an oligopoly market environment with their competitors. Conflicting interests of competitors create tradeoff game situations that impact many business decisions. The purpose of this paper is to conduct an oligopoly market analysis in the food and beverage sector using game theory. Data from two leading competing brands in the industry were collected for analysis. Five social interactionrelated decisions were the focus of this study: marketing campaigns, price war, investment in R&D, the introduction of a new product, and a new policy. The designed games were based on the Prisoner's Dilemma, Deadlock, and Extensive-Form game models. Games, players, strategies (actions), assumptions (payoffs), representations, analysis, and results are addressed in a series of phases for each of the five studied decisions. Implications of this study include assisting decision-makers in the food and beverage industry in developing reactive and proactive strategies for competitor actions and maintaining competitive advantage.

Applied Sciences, 2022

Achieving the Saudi Kingdom’s vision 2030 in the higher education sector requires higher educatio... more Achieving the Saudi Kingdom’s vision 2030 in the higher education sector requires higher education institutions to make a significant simultaneous change in their current practices. This encompasses the transitioning of government-funded educational institutions to be financially independent. Therefore, a prompt, agile transition is required while maintaining a positive socioeconomic impact, entrepreneurship and innovation, and high-quality education. This necessitates the transition to lean processes and the review of current practices. One of the most vital processes in educational institutions is student admission/enrollment capacity planning. This study puts forward a capacity planning decision support system (DSS)-based framework for university student enrollment. The framework was applied to the case of KAU, where current practice and challenges are presented, and from which data were collected. A top-down/bottom-up approach was followed and applied using the goal programming technique and a developed mathematical model, respectively. Results show that the proposed framework effectively affects student admission/enrollment capacity planning on strategic and operational levels. Moreover, it can be used in other planning aspects of higher education in universities, such as human resources planning, teaching load planning, faculty-to-student ratios, accreditation, quality requirements, lab capacity planning, equipment/teaching aids procurement, and financial planning, to mention a few. The implications of this study include assisting decision-makers in higher education institutions in matching their admission/enrollment capacity of student numbers between the macro-strategic and the micro-operational level.

Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Istanbul, Turkey, March 7-10, 2022, 2022

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, measures were enforced on air travel to limit the spread of the vir... more Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, measures were enforced on air travel to limit the spread of the virus as a step towards mitigating health and financial risks. This study aims to reveal the most critical COVID-19 measures in airports that effectively reduce potential risks. In addition, the study aims to put forward a framework to redesign internal airports facility layouts that facilitate reducing passengers' cycle time and ensure optimal compliance with the revealed measures based on their priorities. A compiled list of imposed preventive measures is used for the design of a questionnaire survey targeting the opinions of experts in the fields of epidemiology and infectious diseases, as well as airport managers and operational staff for the collection of measures' importance weights and rating data. The internal facility layout of a typical domestic medium-sized airport in Saudi Arabia was also captured, along with its pertaining data were also collected. A hybrid approach was followed using: the VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) technique in Serbian, which means: Multicriteria Optimization and Compromise Solution, the Systematic Layout Planning (SLP) procedure, and the Computerized Relative Allocation of Facilities Technique (CRAFT) to generate airport facility layout alternatives. Results of the study revealed a prioritized set of critical COVID-19 preventive measures within airports. Furthermore, an optimal internal layout redesign of an airport facility is developed based on the revealed set of prioritized measures. Implications of this study include the proposed hybrid approach of the used methods and the revealed set of prioritized COVID-19 preventive measures in airports. Which can assist decision-makers and responsible authorities of airports in increasing the compliances with enforced measures through optimized layout designs of airports limiting the spread of viruses and pandemics.

Sustainability, 2022

The traditional production system is mainly concerned with economic growth. However, with growing... more The traditional production system is mainly concerned with economic growth. However, with growing pollution and the rapid depletion of natural resources, there is an urgent need to adopt environmentally conscious manufacturing (ECM) to prioritize the environment alongside society and business. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the barriers that prevent the sustainable implementation of ECM to overcome them better. This research uses interpretive structural modeling to identify and comprehend the contextual interrelationships between barriers to ECM. The identified barriers are categorized and modeled based on their interdependence and driving powers. The findings show that management’s lack of understanding of ECM is an essential barrier that leads to a communication gap. Both lead to barriers, such as a less qualified workforce, high taxation, poor policy framing and implementation, poor financial support, and lack of technological upgrades. Thereby, this leads to the poor adoption of remanufacturing, higher costs of sustainable products, and in turn, overconsumption of natural resources. Overcoming these barriers will improve the poor acceptance of ECM, the inadequate legislative framework, and the lack of its implementation. The resulting model provides a deeper understanding of the barriers and enables the better design of coping strategies toward a more sustainable implementation of ECM to its fullest potential.

Systems, 2022

Financial technology (FinTech) has emerged as a significant financial sector breakthrough due to ... more Financial technology (FinTech) has emerged as a significant financial sector breakthrough due to the sharing economy, new legislation, and IT advances, contributing to its fast growth. Under a new national policy, Saudi Arabia intends to increase the number of FinTech firms. Thus, it is necessary to develop a more profound understanding of what critically enables FinTech innovation, how these enablers are interconnected, and their priorities. This research study aims to identify and model the critical enablers of FinTech innovation by exploring contextual relationships among them and their importance. A hybrid approach was followed using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and an analytic network process (ANP) to achieve the objective. Eleven enablers and their essential components were extracted from the literature and confirmed by Saudi FinTech experts who provided input data on their linkages and relative importance through interviews and a designed questionnaire. The developed model reveals the enablers’ structure in terms of their driving and dependence powers and classifies them into six levels with relative importance to each other. The developed model in this research puts forward a holistic perspective on FinTech and innovation, assisting decision-makers, regulators, policy designers, practitioners, and technology developers to create effective ways to safeguard the FinTech industry’s growth.

Buildings, 2022

Safety is an essential success factor in construction projects. However, due to the complexity of... more Safety is an essential success factor in construction projects. However, due to the complexity of construction projects, accidents typically occur randomly. Thus, efficient leadership based on a systematic approach is vital to reduce the possibility of accidents occurring. A combination of emotional, social, and cognitive competencies aligns with the Systems-Thinking concept. This concept enables safety leaders to influence their followers effectively. Systems-thinking-based leadership enables safety leaders to know how, when, and what leadership behaviors should be acquired and practiced. Therefore, it is essential to understand the interrelationships among those competencies. The main objective of this research study is to model the interpretive structure of critical Systems-Thinking-based leadership competencies as enablers to better construction safety performance. The Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) approach was followed to achieve the objective using safety experts’ opinion data collected via questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed using 14 Systems-Thinking-based leadership competencies to collect information on the direction of influence among the competencies. Results of the modeled interrelationships demonstrated that cognitive competencies are the preliminary building blocks to other social and emotional competencies enabling construction safety performance. The developed model provides a better understanding of how safety performance can be improved by building those competencies in construction personnel.

Sustainability, 2022

Digital government (DG) is key to more efficient, transparent, and successful governance processe... more Digital government (DG) is key to more efficient, transparent, and successful governance processes in meeting beneficiaries’ demands. However, its implementation challenges traditional conceptions. This research study aims at modeling barriers surrounding DG implementation in Saudi Arabia. The interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach was followed. Thirteen barriers to DG implementation were identified and used to collect DG experts’ opinions on the barriers. The developed model classifies the barriers based on their dependence and driving powers and reveals interrelationships among them on multiple levels. Key findings showed that institutional habits are a foundational barrier affecting political coordination. Both, in turn, lead to ethical concerns and perceived barriers related to law, organizational practice, finances, and technological resources, which all lead to risk aversion and capacity and skills barriers, consequently resulting in a lack of engagement with and demand from users/citizens, a lack of awareness/strategic thinking, and legal framework issues, thereby resulting in technological infrastructure issues, difficulty articulating benefits to beneficiaries, and political management support and leadership barriers. Implications of the developed model include providing a better understanding of the contextual interrelationships between the barriers, which will, in turn, assist in fostering current implementation successes and opening prospects for future opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

Decision Science Letters, 2023

Quality standards must be fulfilled to satisfy a base level of quality. Despite using this idea a... more Quality standards must be fulfilled to satisfy a base level of quality. Despite using this idea as a foundation, evaluations of academic programs still rely on the evaluators' experiences and may differ from one evaluator to the next. As a result, more precise evaluation approaches must be created to ensure quality is accurately reflected. The main goal of this research paper is to propose and evaluate an approach to assessing higher educational programs using the Self-Evaluation Scale (SES) developed by the Saudi National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (NCAAA). The proposed approach is a breakdown of the original performance criteria and standards into sub-criteria and elements to ensure the required data quality. The second goal is to compare the NCAAA's original performance criteria and the proposed evaluation sub-criteria. A comparison framework that uses the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is developed. Data from eight programs offered in a Middle Eastern University was used for the application and comparison between the two evaluation approaches. Results show that both approaches provide different quality performance rankings. The proposed approach demonstrated more conservative and accurate overall quality performance ratings, indicating that application decisions for accreditation are affected. .

International Journal of Ecosystems and Ecology Science (IJEES), 2023

Since the 1970s, Saudi Arabia's Agricultural and Food (A&F) production has grown at an astronomic... more Since the 1970s, Saudi Arabia's Agricultural and Food (A&F) production has grown at an astronomical rate. The Saudi Stock Market (Tadawul) now has several top-ranking agricultural and food processing firms listed, making the country's A&F industry the fourth largest contributor to the local economy. As a result, the A&F sector plays a critical role in maintaining Saudi Arabia's worldwide stock market strength. Any dynamic economy requires longterm sustainability in the A&F industry. To achieve long-term viability, regular evaluations of performance efficiency and comparison are necessary. The study aimed to examine enterprises' financial and operational performance in Saudi Arabia's agriculture and food sectors. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used in this study to evaluate technological efficacy. A non-parametric analytic approach, the DEA method from one firm, is used to gauge efficiency compared to a productivity unit with the same purpose. According to the findings, the relative efficiency of the examined seven prominent A&F firms significantly varied during the research. According to efficiency-based rankings, financial data may help make more objective decisions. Results of the study indicated potential cost reductions in general administration by 22.63%, owners' equity by 15.15%, and capital expenditures by 10.15%. Implications of this study include providing a reflective understanding of the relative performance of the Saudi A&F companies, which can assist in developing better targeted continuous performance improvement plans and more effective strategies.

Economies, 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the financial performance of companies in different sectors. O... more The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the financial performance of companies in different sectors. One of the most important sectors affected is the energy sector. Therefore, this research study aims to conduct a financial performance evaluation of companies in the Saudi energy sector in 2019, 2020, and 2021. This is to capture and analyze the effect on companies before, during, and post the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. A hybrid multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approach is followed to achieve the objective. The financial performance evaluation of energy companies is based on four financial dimensions and 11 performance indicators. Results revealed that energy companies’ efficiency and profitability were relatively the most important dimensions, followed by leverage and liquidity. Furthermore, results revealed the relative importance of the indicators from the most to the least important. Results also revealed the effect of COVID-19 on energy companies’ financial performance, demonstrating the change over the three years. Implications include providing insights for energy companies on the financial dimensions and indicators to be maintained and monitored in the case of pandemics. Furthermore, to assist decision-makers in the energy sector in developing strategies to mitigate financial performance disparities during and post-pandemics.

Journal of Engineering Research, 2023

This study measured noise levels in Saudi university laboratories and classrooms to determine whe... more This study measured noise levels in Saudi university laboratories and classrooms to determine whether they meet international standards. The study was conducted by highlighting primary noise components and their combined influence. A design of experiments (DoE) approach was employed for nine noise components in university classrooms and laboratories. In total, 1024 readings were obtained from Saudi university classrooms and laboratories using a sound-level meter. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA), nine noise variables were evaluated for their effects both independently and through mutual interactions. The study found that the noise level in classrooms and laboratories was 50-70 dBA, which is above the tolerable level (40-50 dBA). Although the noise variables analyzed had minor primary impacts, the study revealed eleven statisticallysignificant interactive effects, indicating the variables' combined effects for classroom and laboratory noise. This study fills a research gap on classroom noise in Saudi university settings, equipping educational leaders with the understanding needed to apply noise-abatement techniques, which will improve teaching and learning.

Education Sciences, 2023

Universities worldwide strive to achieve excellence in research, learning, teaching, and communit... more Universities worldwide strive to achieve excellence in research, learning, teaching, and community services, which are the pillars of their strategic plans. However, satisfying international ranking criteria might not directly result in achieving their strategic objectives. This paper proposes a new approach to rank university colleges by evaluating their educational quality. Standard sets of criteria from multiple international university ranking systems and a university’s strategic plan’s Balanced Scorecard perspectives were cross-mapped for the evaluation. A new multi-criteria decision-making-based framework was applied to six colleges of a non-profit university in the Middle East. It revealed their performance rankings and contributions to the university’s educational quality objectives. This paper offers a novel approach for universities to develop strategies that satisfy multiple international ranking systems while achieving their strategic goals concurrently and as per their priorities. Implications include informing university leaders on the most contributing colleges and assisting in pinpointing quality shortcomings and their causes. This helps universities design better performance indicators and allocate resources to achieve educational excellence. This paper puts forward a new approach for universities to unify their efforts in satisfying the requirements of multiple international ranking systems while achieving their strategic goals.

International Journal of Industrial Engineering: Theory, Applications and Practice, 2023

In the industrial and manufacturing sectors, scheduling is an essential component in the process ... more In the industrial and manufacturing sectors, scheduling is an essential component in the process of determining crucial production cost aspects of corporate strategy. Solving flow-shop problems minimizes the makespan it takes for all jobs to be completed, reducing production costs and boosting output. Therefore, many heuristics techniques have been developed to assist in reaching a good and quick solution. However, newly developed techniques necessitate testing their performance against the classical ones. Therefore, this paper aims to conduct a comparative analytical, computational study of heuristic techniques for solving Permutation Flow-Shop Sequencing Problems and evaluating their performance. Eight techniques were compared by generating a set of problems of varying sizes and then solving them via a developed computer simulation program. Furthermore, a multi-criteria decision-making approach is followed for their performance evaluation. Results of the study revealed that based on six performance evaluation criteria, Dannenbring's technique is the first best, followed by the Slope Index technique as the second best, then the technique by Campbell, Dudek, and Smith, Hundal, the Time Deviation technique, Palmer, Gupta, and the technique by Jayasankari, Jayakumar, and Vijayaragavan, respectively. This paper puts forward a ranking of the developed techniques for flow-shop problems and a framework for the performance evaluation of new permutation flow-shop scheduling problem methods.

IEEE Access, 2024

Higher education institutions (HEIs) aim to achieve a significant impact on research, learning, t... more Higher education institutions (HEIs) aim to achieve a significant impact on research, learning, teaching, and community services, which are core elements of their strategic plans. Determining the priorities of strategic objectives and related projects is crucial for the successful implementation of HEIs' strategic plans. However, such prioritization necessitates the use of effective methods capable of dealing with several conflicting criteria in their objectives and ambiguous inputs from the decision-makers. Therefore, this study proposes a new integrated approach for prioritizing the objectives and projects of strategic plans in HEIs. The proposed approach utilizes a hybrid of the fuzzy method based on the removal effects of criteria using the geometric mean (fuzzy MEREC-G) and the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS). The proposed approach was tested on a strategic transformation plan at one of the Saudi Arabian universities and showed that it effectively prioritizes the objectives and projects of the university's strategic transformation plan. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the proposed approach's stability in providing consistent rankings under different criteria weights. The proposed approach offers decision-makers in HEIs an effective tool that assists in prioritizing the objectives and projects of their strategic plans.

Journal of Engineering Research, 2024

Achieving financial sustainability is a critical challenge for Public higher education institutio... more Achieving financial sustainability is a critical challenge for Public higher education institutions worldwide. This study aims to provide modified strategic planning tools for planning financial sustainability in higher education institutions. The paper employs modified forms of three strategic planning tools: a strategy map (SM), the balanced scorecard (BSC), and business-model-canvas (BMC), which were applied to support the analysis of planning financial sustainability at King Abdulaziz University (KAU). These tools enhance the planning process and contribute to the outcomes. The paper also draws a roadmap of key milestones for financial sustainability at the university by identifying sources and indicators of the university's financial capacity. This paper contributes to the literature on financial sustainability in higher education institutions and offers novel insights for other universities that seek to adopt similar plans. Furthermore, four recommendations are suggested to boost business development and connect with the university investment network. These recommendations involve investing in competent human resources, increasing financial assets, and utilizing technical capabilities. Further research includes examining the applicability of this novel approach in other contexts and identifying potential challenges and limitations of implementing and achieving financial sustainability.

Information, 2024

This study presents a hybrid multicriteria decision-making approach for evaluating stocks in the ... more This study presents a hybrid multicriteria decision-making approach for evaluating stocks in the Saudi Stock Market. The objective is to provide investors and stakeholders with a robust evaluation methodology to inform their investment decisions. With a market value of USD 2.89 trillion dollars in September 2022, the Saudi Stock Market is of significant importance for the country’s economy. However, navigating the complexities of stock market performance poses investment challenges. This study employs the best–worst method and the technique for order preference by similarity to identify an ideal solution to address these challenges. Utilizing data from the Saudi Stock Market (Tadawul), this study evaluates stock performance based on financial criteria, including return on equity, return on assets, net profit margin, and asset turnover. The findings reveal valuable insights, particularly in the banking sector, which exhibited the highest net profit margin ratios among sectors. The hybrid multicriteria decision-making-based approach enhances investment decisions. This research provides a foundation for future investigations, facilitating a deeper exploration and analysis of additional aspects of the Saudi Stock Market’s performance. The developed methodology and findings have implications for investors and stakeholders, aiding their investment decisions and maximizing returns.

Urban Science, 2024

This study analyzes the barriers to developing smart cities (SCs) using the decision-making trial... more This study analyzes the barriers to developing smart cities (SCs) using the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach. The primary objective is to identify, classify, and assess the main barriers hindering the progress of SCs. Through an extensive literature review, twelve main barriers were identified. The DEMATEL approach models and analyzes the relationships among these barriers based on expert input. The results reveal that technical problems, a lack of infrastructure, and high costs are classified as cause barriers. Security and privacy concerns and the absence of coordinated planning are classified as effect barriers. This study emphasizes the need for established criteria and iterative development requirements. Although the influence of knowledge and skills gaps and a lack of awareness is less significant, these aspects still require attention. The findings suggest that a comprehensive approach focusing on technical solutions, infrastructure development, strategic planning, and cybersecurity measures can effectively overcome barriers. Regular evaluation of barrier dynamics is crucial for implementing adaptive measures. The results provide decision-makers with a valuable model to address the challenges and foster the efforts of SC stakeholders.

Sustainability, 2024

Ensuring financial sustainability is paramount for higher education institutions (HEIs) to mainta... more Ensuring financial sustainability is paramount for higher education institutions (HEIs) to maintain financial viability and accomplish their strategic objectives by efficiently managing and utilizing resources. Studying strategic enablers’ interconnections and influences on each other is essential to forming a profound understanding and guiding the execution of initiatives linked to achieving financial sustainability plans. The main objective of this research study is to construct a model and analyze the strategic enablers of financial sustainability in HEIs and their associated dimensions. An integrated modeling approach was followed based on the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) methods. Input data collected from experts with specialist experience in financial sustainability in HEIs were used in the modeling. The overarching finding is that starting with the development of regulations and legislation-related systems leads to good governance practices, enabling the achievement of financial sustainability in HEIs. The developed model unpacks the complex relationships among the enablers and their dimensions. It reveals their cause-and-effect relationship classifications, ranks based on relative importance weights, dependence and driving powers classifications, relationship directions, and interpretive structure. It provides an overarching view of the interconnected network that acts as a roadmap to achieving financial sustainability in HEIs.

Logistics, 2024

Background: The retail sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, necessitating e... more Background: The retail sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, necessitating efficient supply chain management and sustainable logistics practices. Evaluating the performance of retail warehouses is crucial for meeting customer expectations and enhancing operational efficiency. Methods: This study employed a combined multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, using the group best–worst method (G-BWM) for weighting criteria and ranking the alternatives based on the trace-to-median index (RATMI) for warehouse ranking. The performance criteria were cost, quality, time, productivity, and safety. Data were collected from four mega retail warehouses in the western region of Saudi Arabia for evaluation and analysis. Results: The evaluation of retail warehouse performance using the MCDM approach provided valuable insights for decision-makers and warehouse experts. The criteria weights were determined using the G-BWM, and the RATMI enabled the ranking of the warehouses based on their weighted performance scores. The results highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each warehouse, facilitating strategic planning, resource allocation, and operational improvements. Conclusions: This study presents a novel combined MCDM performance evaluation approach for retail warehouses. The study has implications for effective decision-making processes, resource allocation, and operational efficiency. Furthermore, it serves as a foundation for future research, exploring additional dimensions of warehouse performance and enabling sustainable logistics within the broader supply chain context.

Water Supply, 2014

Rebounding water use behaviour has been observed in communities that have experienced plentiful w... more Rebounding water use behaviour has been observed in communities that have experienced plentiful water supply following a very dry period. However, the drivers of such rebounds in water consumption are varied and not well understood. Knowledge of such drivers can greatly assist managers towards proactive demand management, modelling and timely promotion of water efficient behaviours. Total and end-use residential water consumption has been tracked in South East Queensland, Australia for a sample of up to 252 homes in post-drought conditions (dam supplies growing but water restrictions continued, changed water use behaviours still ‘fresh’), and during and post-flooding conditions (eased restrictions, 100% dam capacity). Data on end-use water consumption trends using nearly 3 years of residential water end-use data have revealed several interesting patterns of consumption such as a delayed return to pre-drought use, the influence of climate and end-use specific rebounds (e.g. indoor ve...

Engineering Sciences, 2023

Food and beverage production firms are socially active workplaces by their very nature. They func... more Food and beverage production firms are socially active workplaces by their very nature. They function in an oligopoly market environment with their competitors. Conflicting interests of competitors create tradeoff game situations that impact many business decisions. The purpose of this paper is to conduct an oligopoly market analysis in the food and beverage sector using game theory. Data from two leading competing brands in the industry were collected for analysis. Five social interactionrelated decisions were the focus of this study: marketing campaigns, price war, investment in R&D, the introduction of a new product, and a new policy. The designed games were based on the Prisoner's Dilemma, Deadlock, and Extensive-Form game models. Games, players, strategies (actions), assumptions (payoffs), representations, analysis, and results are addressed in a series of phases for each of the five studied decisions. Implications of this study include assisting decision-makers in the food and beverage industry in developing reactive and proactive strategies for competitor actions and maintaining competitive advantage.

Applied Sciences, 2022

Achieving the Saudi Kingdom’s vision 2030 in the higher education sector requires higher educatio... more Achieving the Saudi Kingdom’s vision 2030 in the higher education sector requires higher education institutions to make a significant simultaneous change in their current practices. This encompasses the transitioning of government-funded educational institutions to be financially independent. Therefore, a prompt, agile transition is required while maintaining a positive socioeconomic impact, entrepreneurship and innovation, and high-quality education. This necessitates the transition to lean processes and the review of current practices. One of the most vital processes in educational institutions is student admission/enrollment capacity planning. This study puts forward a capacity planning decision support system (DSS)-based framework for university student enrollment. The framework was applied to the case of KAU, where current practice and challenges are presented, and from which data were collected. A top-down/bottom-up approach was followed and applied using the goal programming technique and a developed mathematical model, respectively. Results show that the proposed framework effectively affects student admission/enrollment capacity planning on strategic and operational levels. Moreover, it can be used in other planning aspects of higher education in universities, such as human resources planning, teaching load planning, faculty-to-student ratios, accreditation, quality requirements, lab capacity planning, equipment/teaching aids procurement, and financial planning, to mention a few. The implications of this study include assisting decision-makers in higher education institutions in matching their admission/enrollment capacity of student numbers between the macro-strategic and the micro-operational level.

Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Istanbul, Turkey, March 7-10, 2022, 2022

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, measures were enforced on air travel to limit the spread of the vir... more Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, measures were enforced on air travel to limit the spread of the virus as a step towards mitigating health and financial risks. This study aims to reveal the most critical COVID-19 measures in airports that effectively reduce potential risks. In addition, the study aims to put forward a framework to redesign internal airports facility layouts that facilitate reducing passengers' cycle time and ensure optimal compliance with the revealed measures based on their priorities. A compiled list of imposed preventive measures is used for the design of a questionnaire survey targeting the opinions of experts in the fields of epidemiology and infectious diseases, as well as airport managers and operational staff for the collection of measures' importance weights and rating data. The internal facility layout of a typical domestic medium-sized airport in Saudi Arabia was also captured, along with its pertaining data were also collected. A hybrid approach was followed using: the VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) technique in Serbian, which means: Multicriteria Optimization and Compromise Solution, the Systematic Layout Planning (SLP) procedure, and the Computerized Relative Allocation of Facilities Technique (CRAFT) to generate airport facility layout alternatives. Results of the study revealed a prioritized set of critical COVID-19 preventive measures within airports. Furthermore, an optimal internal layout redesign of an airport facility is developed based on the revealed set of prioritized measures. Implications of this study include the proposed hybrid approach of the used methods and the revealed set of prioritized COVID-19 preventive measures in airports. Which can assist decision-makers and responsible authorities of airports in increasing the compliances with enforced measures through optimized layout designs of airports limiting the spread of viruses and pandemics.

Sustainability, 2022

The traditional production system is mainly concerned with economic growth. However, with growing... more The traditional production system is mainly concerned with economic growth. However, with growing pollution and the rapid depletion of natural resources, there is an urgent need to adopt environmentally conscious manufacturing (ECM) to prioritize the environment alongside society and business. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the barriers that prevent the sustainable implementation of ECM to overcome them better. This research uses interpretive structural modeling to identify and comprehend the contextual interrelationships between barriers to ECM. The identified barriers are categorized and modeled based on their interdependence and driving powers. The findings show that management’s lack of understanding of ECM is an essential barrier that leads to a communication gap. Both lead to barriers, such as a less qualified workforce, high taxation, poor policy framing and implementation, poor financial support, and lack of technological upgrades. Thereby, this leads to the poor adoption of remanufacturing, higher costs of sustainable products, and in turn, overconsumption of natural resources. Overcoming these barriers will improve the poor acceptance of ECM, the inadequate legislative framework, and the lack of its implementation. The resulting model provides a deeper understanding of the barriers and enables the better design of coping strategies toward a more sustainable implementation of ECM to its fullest potential.

Systems, 2022

Financial technology (FinTech) has emerged as a significant financial sector breakthrough due to ... more Financial technology (FinTech) has emerged as a significant financial sector breakthrough due to the sharing economy, new legislation, and IT advances, contributing to its fast growth. Under a new national policy, Saudi Arabia intends to increase the number of FinTech firms. Thus, it is necessary to develop a more profound understanding of what critically enables FinTech innovation, how these enablers are interconnected, and their priorities. This research study aims to identify and model the critical enablers of FinTech innovation by exploring contextual relationships among them and their importance. A hybrid approach was followed using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and an analytic network process (ANP) to achieve the objective. Eleven enablers and their essential components were extracted from the literature and confirmed by Saudi FinTech experts who provided input data on their linkages and relative importance through interviews and a designed questionnaire. The developed model reveals the enablers’ structure in terms of their driving and dependence powers and classifies them into six levels with relative importance to each other. The developed model in this research puts forward a holistic perspective on FinTech and innovation, assisting decision-makers, regulators, policy designers, practitioners, and technology developers to create effective ways to safeguard the FinTech industry’s growth.

Buildings, 2022

Safety is an essential success factor in construction projects. However, due to the complexity of... more Safety is an essential success factor in construction projects. However, due to the complexity of construction projects, accidents typically occur randomly. Thus, efficient leadership based on a systematic approach is vital to reduce the possibility of accidents occurring. A combination of emotional, social, and cognitive competencies aligns with the Systems-Thinking concept. This concept enables safety leaders to influence their followers effectively. Systems-thinking-based leadership enables safety leaders to know how, when, and what leadership behaviors should be acquired and practiced. Therefore, it is essential to understand the interrelationships among those competencies. The main objective of this research study is to model the interpretive structure of critical Systems-Thinking-based leadership competencies as enablers to better construction safety performance. The Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) approach was followed to achieve the objective using safety experts’ opinion data collected via questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed using 14 Systems-Thinking-based leadership competencies to collect information on the direction of influence among the competencies. Results of the modeled interrelationships demonstrated that cognitive competencies are the preliminary building blocks to other social and emotional competencies enabling construction safety performance. The developed model provides a better understanding of how safety performance can be improved by building those competencies in construction personnel.

Sustainability, 2022

Digital government (DG) is key to more efficient, transparent, and successful governance processe... more Digital government (DG) is key to more efficient, transparent, and successful governance processes in meeting beneficiaries’ demands. However, its implementation challenges traditional conceptions. This research study aims at modeling barriers surrounding DG implementation in Saudi Arabia. The interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach was followed. Thirteen barriers to DG implementation were identified and used to collect DG experts’ opinions on the barriers. The developed model classifies the barriers based on their dependence and driving powers and reveals interrelationships among them on multiple levels. Key findings showed that institutional habits are a foundational barrier affecting political coordination. Both, in turn, lead to ethical concerns and perceived barriers related to law, organizational practice, finances, and technological resources, which all lead to risk aversion and capacity and skills barriers, consequently resulting in a lack of engagement with and demand from users/citizens, a lack of awareness/strategic thinking, and legal framework issues, thereby resulting in technological infrastructure issues, difficulty articulating benefits to beneficiaries, and political management support and leadership barriers. Implications of the developed model include providing a better understanding of the contextual interrelationships between the barriers, which will, in turn, assist in fostering current implementation successes and opening prospects for future opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

Decision Science Letters, 2023

Quality standards must be fulfilled to satisfy a base level of quality. Despite using this idea a... more Quality standards must be fulfilled to satisfy a base level of quality. Despite using this idea as a foundation, evaluations of academic programs still rely on the evaluators' experiences and may differ from one evaluator to the next. As a result, more precise evaluation approaches must be created to ensure quality is accurately reflected. The main goal of this research paper is to propose and evaluate an approach to assessing higher educational programs using the Self-Evaluation Scale (SES) developed by the Saudi National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (NCAAA). The proposed approach is a breakdown of the original performance criteria and standards into sub-criteria and elements to ensure the required data quality. The second goal is to compare the NCAAA's original performance criteria and the proposed evaluation sub-criteria. A comparison framework that uses the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is developed. Data from eight programs offered in a Middle Eastern University was used for the application and comparison between the two evaluation approaches. Results show that both approaches provide different quality performance rankings. The proposed approach demonstrated more conservative and accurate overall quality performance ratings, indicating that application decisions for accreditation are affected. .

International Journal of Ecosystems and Ecology Science (IJEES), 2023

Since the 1970s, Saudi Arabia's Agricultural and Food (A&F) production has grown at an astronomic... more Since the 1970s, Saudi Arabia's Agricultural and Food (A&F) production has grown at an astronomical rate. The Saudi Stock Market (Tadawul) now has several top-ranking agricultural and food processing firms listed, making the country's A&F industry the fourth largest contributor to the local economy. As a result, the A&F sector plays a critical role in maintaining Saudi Arabia's worldwide stock market strength. Any dynamic economy requires longterm sustainability in the A&F industry. To achieve long-term viability, regular evaluations of performance efficiency and comparison are necessary. The study aimed to examine enterprises' financial and operational performance in Saudi Arabia's agriculture and food sectors. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used in this study to evaluate technological efficacy. A non-parametric analytic approach, the DEA method from one firm, is used to gauge efficiency compared to a productivity unit with the same purpose. According to the findings, the relative efficiency of the examined seven prominent A&F firms significantly varied during the research. According to efficiency-based rankings, financial data may help make more objective decisions. Results of the study indicated potential cost reductions in general administration by 22.63%, owners' equity by 15.15%, and capital expenditures by 10.15%. Implications of this study include providing a reflective understanding of the relative performance of the Saudi A&F companies, which can assist in developing better targeted continuous performance improvement plans and more effective strategies.

Economies, 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the financial performance of companies in different sectors. O... more The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the financial performance of companies in different sectors. One of the most important sectors affected is the energy sector. Therefore, this research study aims to conduct a financial performance evaluation of companies in the Saudi energy sector in 2019, 2020, and 2021. This is to capture and analyze the effect on companies before, during, and post the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. A hybrid multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approach is followed to achieve the objective. The financial performance evaluation of energy companies is based on four financial dimensions and 11 performance indicators. Results revealed that energy companies’ efficiency and profitability were relatively the most important dimensions, followed by leverage and liquidity. Furthermore, results revealed the relative importance of the indicators from the most to the least important. Results also revealed the effect of COVID-19 on energy companies’ financial performance, demonstrating the change over the three years. Implications include providing insights for energy companies on the financial dimensions and indicators to be maintained and monitored in the case of pandemics. Furthermore, to assist decision-makers in the energy sector in developing strategies to mitigate financial performance disparities during and post-pandemics.

Journal of Engineering Research, 2023

This study measured noise levels in Saudi university laboratories and classrooms to determine whe... more This study measured noise levels in Saudi university laboratories and classrooms to determine whether they meet international standards. The study was conducted by highlighting primary noise components and their combined influence. A design of experiments (DoE) approach was employed for nine noise components in university classrooms and laboratories. In total, 1024 readings were obtained from Saudi university classrooms and laboratories using a sound-level meter. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA), nine noise variables were evaluated for their effects both independently and through mutual interactions. The study found that the noise level in classrooms and laboratories was 50-70 dBA, which is above the tolerable level (40-50 dBA). Although the noise variables analyzed had minor primary impacts, the study revealed eleven statisticallysignificant interactive effects, indicating the variables' combined effects for classroom and laboratory noise. This study fills a research gap on classroom noise in Saudi university settings, equipping educational leaders with the understanding needed to apply noise-abatement techniques, which will improve teaching and learning.

Education Sciences, 2023

Universities worldwide strive to achieve excellence in research, learning, teaching, and communit... more Universities worldwide strive to achieve excellence in research, learning, teaching, and community services, which are the pillars of their strategic plans. However, satisfying international ranking criteria might not directly result in achieving their strategic objectives. This paper proposes a new approach to rank university colleges by evaluating their educational quality. Standard sets of criteria from multiple international university ranking systems and a university’s strategic plan’s Balanced Scorecard perspectives were cross-mapped for the evaluation. A new multi-criteria decision-making-based framework was applied to six colleges of a non-profit university in the Middle East. It revealed their performance rankings and contributions to the university’s educational quality objectives. This paper offers a novel approach for universities to develop strategies that satisfy multiple international ranking systems while achieving their strategic goals concurrently and as per their priorities. Implications include informing university leaders on the most contributing colleges and assisting in pinpointing quality shortcomings and their causes. This helps universities design better performance indicators and allocate resources to achieve educational excellence. This paper puts forward a new approach for universities to unify their efforts in satisfying the requirements of multiple international ranking systems while achieving their strategic goals.

International Journal of Industrial Engineering: Theory, Applications and Practice, 2023

In the industrial and manufacturing sectors, scheduling is an essential component in the process ... more In the industrial and manufacturing sectors, scheduling is an essential component in the process of determining crucial production cost aspects of corporate strategy. Solving flow-shop problems minimizes the makespan it takes for all jobs to be completed, reducing production costs and boosting output. Therefore, many heuristics techniques have been developed to assist in reaching a good and quick solution. However, newly developed techniques necessitate testing their performance against the classical ones. Therefore, this paper aims to conduct a comparative analytical, computational study of heuristic techniques for solving Permutation Flow-Shop Sequencing Problems and evaluating their performance. Eight techniques were compared by generating a set of problems of varying sizes and then solving them via a developed computer simulation program. Furthermore, a multi-criteria decision-making approach is followed for their performance evaluation. Results of the study revealed that based on six performance evaluation criteria, Dannenbring's technique is the first best, followed by the Slope Index technique as the second best, then the technique by Campbell, Dudek, and Smith, Hundal, the Time Deviation technique, Palmer, Gupta, and the technique by Jayasankari, Jayakumar, and Vijayaragavan, respectively. This paper puts forward a ranking of the developed techniques for flow-shop problems and a framework for the performance evaluation of new permutation flow-shop scheduling problem methods.