Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge management interrelationships in higher education institutions and to assess the impact of the university’s culture on knowledge management processes: creation, dissemination, exchange and application. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model establishes the relationships between organizational culture (OC) and knowledge management processes in a single framework. The study used the organizational culture assessment instrument to determine the culture type and used structural equation modeling to assess the underlying relationships between knowledge management process and OC. Findings The results of the factor analysis used in this study suggest that adhocracy organizational culture, in which an organization is characterized by emphasis on individual initiative and employee empowerment, may not necessarily affect all knowledge management processes equally. In particular, an organization’s culture principally influences the knowledge creation process, followed by knowledge exchange, in a public university setting. Originality/value The study provides a comprehensive outlook on the effect of adhocracy culture in higher education on the knowledge management process through the lens of one cultural context. In addition, this is the first study that explores the OC effect on knowledge management process in a Saudi public university.

Purpose Most studies focusing on the transformational leadership style present the conclusion that compared with other leadership styles tends to be associated with a lower level of workplace stress experienced by employees. Yet, the literature is by no means extensive enough to put the issue of the relationship between this style of leadership and employee stress to rest. Given that this is the case, the purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between the transformational leadership style and the work stress (WS) of employees in the banking industry. The extent to which this relationship leads to employee burnout and the extent to which WS correlates with multiple factors, such as demographic characteristics (gender, work experience and marital status), are examined in this context. Design/methodology/approach In total, 600 questionnaires were distributed to employees of government and non-government banks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in late 2017. The final sample comprised 250 complete sets, which were used in the analysis. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: transformational dimensions, WS, burnout and demographic profile. Before the authors proceeded to test the hypotheses developed in this study, the authors performed an exploratory factor analysis on the items designed to measure transformational dimensions, WS and burnout. Next, the authors performed confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate that bank managers who use the transformational leadership style significantly increased the job-related stress of employees, indicating that bank managers who use a transformational leadership style increase the job-related stress of subordinate employees. However, the results in regard to the transformational leadership style show a significant though small positive effect on employee burnout, indicating that this type of leadership decreases employee burnout. Furthermore, job-related stress has a significant mediating effect in relation to the transformational leadership style and subordinate employees’ burnout. Finally, the results indicate that married status and a high level of work experience are each associated with lower job stress compared with unmarried status and a low level of work experience. Originality/value This research paper contributes to the literature by investigating transformational leadership in the banking industry – an industry of fundamental economic importance in Saudi Arabia and globally. The research results, unlike those reported in most other studies to date, strongly suggest that the transformational leadership style can be associated with a high level of workplace stress, thereby pointing to new conclusions about this style and its effects on the health and well-being of the majority of employees. The results of this paper should be carried forward in this research direction, as doing so has the potential to challenge and even override what have become assumptions about the positive effects of the transformational leadership style. The insights derived from this research paper, therefore, should benefit academics and practitioners who can reference the outcomes in designing programs to support the recruitment, selection and development of effective leaders in the banking sector – especially given the broader ramifications both for overall firm performance and for the well-being of the majority of the country’s employees.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the gap in the literature by extending the service profit chain (SPC) model and testing the validity of the proposed model in high-contact service contexts rather than by testing the key elements of the SPC in regard to a single business. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the exploratory factor analysis to identify a set of observables to use in representing the relationships included in the proposed extended model and employs the structural equation modeling to test the eight proposed hypothesis. Findings The study shows that the best-fit structural model supports the notion that employee internal service quality drives employee satisfaction that drives employee loyalty and employee productivity. In addition, employee productivity is shown as partially mediating the relationship between employee satisfaction and employee loyalty. Practical implications The results presented in this study have managerial implications and shed light on the importance of operational factors in the service industry, in particular high-contact services. Originality/value The integration of operations management and SPC still remain limited in the literature. Therefore, the study extends the SPC by integrating other operational factors, namely, employee productivity and internal service quality, and tests its validity in high contact services where the prolonged contact between the customer and the service system creates more opportunities to influence a customer’s perception of service quality.

Purpose In recent years, the trend toward entrepreneurship in the emerging ecosystem has grown such that it has become an important driver of economic growth and prosperity. Against this background, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of several personal, cultural and social antecedents on female students’ intentions to become entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach A structural model is used to assess the entrepreneurial intentions of 740 female students enrolled in private and public universities in Saudi Arabia. Through exploratory factor analysis, a set of observables is identified to represent the relationships in the conceptual model, whereas structural equation modeling is used to test the main hypotheses proposed in the study. Findings Antecedents of entrepreneurial intention were explored based on the theory of planned behavior. The paper extends this theory by incorporating two additional antecedents, namely, university support and fear of failure. The construct of university support was found to have a significant effect on perceived behavioral control, which, in turn, had a positive impact on the entrepreneurial intentions of female students. Further, the multi-group analysis showed no significant difference between female students’ entrepreneurial intentions in relation to where they were enrolled, i.e. public vs a private university. Practical implications Given the relevance of our research to the employment market, this study contributes to efforts to realize Saudi Vision 2030. The results constitute valuable information for policymakers in terms of suggesting steps that can be taken to maximize this population’s contributions to the country’s economy, particularly in regard to the educational opportunities that can support entrepreneurship. Originality/value Although the literature includes a wide range of studies addressing university students’ entrepreneurship intentions, only a few address the antecedents involved in decisions to pursue entrepreneurship on the part of students in disciplines other than business. Further, despite Saudi Arabia’s new orientation toward empowering women, considerations of entrepreneurship on the part of Saudi women are almost entirely absent from the literature. To that end, this study provides a much-needed analysis of the extent to which female students in Saudi Arabia at public and private universities intend to become entrepreneurs.

PurposeThis study aims to present a case study using a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) process to manage the Assurance of Learning (AoL) process in higher education. The case study highlights the value that LSS can bring to the higher education context in respect to making the AoL process more efficient and more effective. The article also illustrates lessons learned in relation to adopting LSS in higher education institutes (HEIs).Design/methodology/approachThe case study presented is part of a larger undertaking implemented by the Faculty of Economics and Administration (FEA) at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia to improve its curricula for all its programs as the graduate and undergraduate level in line with the 2013 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business standards. The FEA project team implemented the AoL process using an LSS methodology – define–measure–analyze–improve–control (DMAIC).FindingsThe experience of the FEA as described in the case study suggests that the DMAIC framework can be very useful in managing the AoL process. Three aspects of LSS used in the AoL context are identified as critical in ensuring that the process achieves its stated institutional goals. Firstly, it is necessary to clearly identify which team members have which areas of responsibility in relation to, for example, sponsoring, implementing, managing and monitoring the project. Secondly, the common language provided by LSS is essential to fostering collaboration among members of a cross-disciplinary team. Lastly, quantifiable priorities should be identified.Research limitations/implicationsThe experience of the FEA as described in the case study suggests that the DMAIC framework can be very effective in advancing and managing the AoL process. For example, writing the project charter, mapping the process using the suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, customers model and using various LSS tools and techniques to measure and control the assessment were critical to improving the AoL process.Practical implicationsThis paper provides a guide to the range of practices cited in the literature on implementing LSS in relation to AoL as a comprehensive means of assessing, evaluating and improving curriculum design and delivery. The importance of this process to accreditation is explored and recommendations are offered focused on realizing both short- and long-term benefits through the initial assessments and subsequent iterations.Originality/valueThe defining contribution of this paper to the literature is its consideration of LSS implementation in the HEI context through the development and management of the AoL process.