No abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are widely used by organizations to enhance enterprise competitiveness. This study provides an overview of the current state of affairs of the ICT adoption in SMEs in private and public organizations in Qatar. It investigates ICT infrastructure, productivity and business application software used, drivers for ICT investment, perceptions about business benefits of ICT, outsourcing trends and availability of help and advice on ICT adoption. The study also has investigated major barriers in ICT adoption with the findings of the study are being consistent with other similar studies. The study identified the need for more training facilities for adopting ICT in SMEs. Additionally, the study identified that there is a need for the Government to provide guidance on suitable ICT products and services at an affordable cost as well as provide incentives to promote ICT investment and usage e.g. soft loans, availability of professional advice and consulting at no/low cost to SMEs. This is the first study on the status of ICT adoption and usage by SMEs in Qatar. The findings of this research will provide a foundation for future research and will help policy makers in designing policies to further enhancing usage and ICT adoption in SMEs in Qatar resulting improved productivity and competiveness.

The study empirically examines the interplay between lecture capturing viewership, performance and attendance for students in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. The sample consists of 254 students enrolled in an introductory accounting class either in the Fall or Spring semesters. We show a weak positive relationship between lecture capturing and performance especially in the presence of more traditional explanatory variables such as GPA, attendance, gender and seniority. However, we do not find that lecture capturing reduces attendance. Actual performance results are contrasted with students' perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of lecture capturing. Survey responses reveal that, overall, students attribute a great deal of credit to this pedagogical resource. They stated that lecture capturing clarifies concepts discussed in class, assists in studying for exams, enhances exam results and increases interest in the course. We find significant differences between low performing students and others when it comes to viewing recorded lectures during the same week that those lectures were presented in class. Another important difference is their perception of attendance. The results indicate that the majority of low performing students believe lecture capturing to be a substitute for attending traditional face-to-face lectures.

The authors evaluated the level of Total Quality Management (TQM) adoption in Qatari educational institutions within private and semigovernment institutions. To accomplish these objectives, a literature review was done of TQM adoption in higher education institutions, followed by a survey questionnaire. Data were collected from Qatari educational institutions with SPSS used in performing the analysis. It assessed awareness, understanding, benefits, and progress of TQM implementation based on the 11 critical success factors (CSFs) or essential elements developed in the revisited model of leverage points for a total quality culture transformation. The strongest driving force toward TQM was teamwork while the strongest restraining force was lack of knowledge of TQM principles and its associated tools. The analysis concluded that although there was a low level of TQM implementation, the dominant perception of TQM in general was positive where a culture toward collective consciousness or teamwork was beginning to be accepted within private and semigovernment educational institutions in Qatar. The findings would be of a particular interest to private and public educational institutions; especially those that intend to initiate TQM and accreditation within their institutions in the Middle East.

<p>Continued professional development (CPD) has been at the centre of capacity building in most successful organisations in western countries over the past few decades. Specialised professions in fields such as Accounting, Finance and ICT, to name but a few, are continuously evolving, which is necessitating certain standards to be followed through registration and certification by a designated authority (e.g. ACCA). Whilst most developed countries such as the UK and the US have well established frameworks for CPD for these professions, several developing nations, including Qatar (the chosen context for this article) are only just beginning to adopt these frameworks into their local contexts. However, the unique socio-cultural settings in such countries require these frameworks to be appropriately modified before they are adopted within the respective national context. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of CPD in Qatar through comparing the UK as a benchmark and drawing corresponding and contrasting observations to formulate a roadmap towards developing a high level framework.</p>