Adaptability of Kuwaiti Public Administration Employees to Total Quality Management Requirements

This exploratory study examines the infrastructure of total quality management （TQM） in Kuwaiti public administration. The research was based on a questionnaire administered to a random sample consisted of 600 government officials from various Kuwaiti ministries. The basic elements of TQM which were investigated relate to work relations, administrative procedures, and professionalism. The objective of the study is to improve quality of public services through diagnosing and strengthening positive points, shedding light on the negative aspects, and giving recommendations on how to enhance services＇ quality. The study results showed that public administration employees are highly adaptable to TQM requirements. Statistically significant variations were found in adaptability to TQM requirements due to gender, age, educational level, job level, and work relations with regard to many aspects. It is recommended that decision makers in Kuwaiti public administrators take some measures to enhance TQM orientation such as simplifying administrative procedures, making greater compatibility between employees and type of work, investing more resources on continuing education of public administration employees and conducting field studies concerning adaptability of other government bodies （public institutions, public companies, etc.） to TQM requirements to see similarities and differences between them and the ministries in this regard and draw appropriate lessons.     

Authority in Arctic governance: changing spheres of authority in Greenlandic offshore oil and gas developments

The Arctic has rapidly transformed from a “frozen desert” into a theater for high-level politics. Climate change and socioeconomic interdependencies bring the World more and more to the Arctic and vice versa. Increased geological knowledge, new technologies, and high-energy prices make it possible to develop oil and gas resources in the Arctic; however, the effectiveness of oil spill response techniques remains a key concern. To understand oil and gas exploration in the Arctic governance setting, and especially the authority of Greenland, we combine a multi-level governance framework with the concept sphere of authority from post-international theory. The Arctic sphere of authority on oil and gas consists of many different governance arrangements, of which the most well-known governance arrangement is the Arctic Council. This paper focuses on the authority of Greenland in the changing oil and gas governance arrangements in the Arctic. Crucial is the changing Danish–Greenlandic relationship, in which the development of a Greenlandic oil and gas sector is seen as a tool to become financially independent. It can be concluded that the capacity of the Greenlandic government and civil society actors should be the primary guideline for the pace in which oil and gas activities are being developed. Taking this approach will ensure that the Greenland is retaining its central position and high degree of influence on the governance of oil and gas development in its country. Otherwise, it will lose influence and benefits will flow elsewhere.     

Parental Abuse Towards Their Children with ADHD in Iran

This study assesses whether or not the three different forms of child abuse, parental “Nonviolence discipline”, “psychological abuse” and “physical abuse”, are associated with ADHD symptoms. The parents of a clinical sample of 108 ADHD children and 102 mothers of school children reported their behaviors using Parent–child Conflict Tactics Scales (CTSPC). The age range of children was from 6 to 15 years old. The mean scores of all the three types of abuse in the ADHD group were statistically higher than those in the comparison group. Inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity scores are not associated with the scores of abuse in ADHD children. Parental abuse occurs in a cluster of different types of abuse. Mental health professionals can be involved for all the three types of prevention of parental abuse.     

The Development of Gender Role Attitudes During Adolescence: Effects of Sex,Socioeconomic Background,and Cognitive Abilities

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - How gender role attitudes develop during adolescence, and how biological, social, and cognitive factors predict this development, remains a matter of debate. This...     

Political institutions and income (re-)distribution: evidence from developed economies

We discuss the effect of formal political institutions (electoral systems, fiscal decentralization, presidential and parliamentary regimes) on the extent and direction of income (re-)distribution. Empirical evidence is presented for a large sample of 70 economies and a panel of 13 OECD countries between 1981 and 1998. The evidence indicates that presidential regimes are associated with a less equal distribution of disposable incomes, while electoral systems have no significant effects. Fiscal competition is associated with less income redistribution and a less equal distribution of disposable incomes, but also with a more equal primary income distribution. Our evidence also is in line with earlier empirical contributions that find a positive relationship between trade openness and equality in primary and disposable incomes, as well as the overall redistributive effort.     

Localizing the Private Sector Workforce in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: A Study of Kuwait

The Gulf States have the highest numbers of migrant workers in the world (Shah, 2006 Shah, N. 2006. Restrictive labour immigration policies in the oil-rich Gulf: Effectiveness and implications for sending Asian countries. United Nations Expert Group Meeting on International Migration and Developments in the Arab region. 2006, Beirut, Lebanon.  [Google Scholar]). The rapid economic growth these states have witnessed over the last five decades has made them an attraction to foreign labor from around the world. This study explores the problem of the low rate of citizens working in the private sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, with a focus on the State of Kuwait. In order to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon under study, the problem is contextualized in the wider region by examining localization efforts in two other GCC countries: the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. Considering the similar demographical, economic, and social conditions among GCC countries, the study was conducted in the State of Kuwait.     

Offshore energy terrorism: Perspectives on a problem

Abstract

This essay examines prevailing perspectives on the prospect of terrorist sabotage against the offshore oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico. It contrasts the dominant “wait‐and‐see” attitude in the United States with counterterrorist preparations by the North Sea countries, and suggests some of the reasons for this difference in attitudes.     

Media,globalisation and culture: issues and trends

Abstract

This article addresses some of the trends and issues as they relate to media and cultural globalisation. Grounded in a fundamental cultural perspective, the problematic of international communication is framed in different views of ‘local culture’, ‘cultural identity’ and ‘processes of cultural mixing’. In the end, a research framework for the study of cultural globalisation/localisation is outlined. The framework captures the issue of hybridised cultural products from a people centred perspective.     

Bribery Problem in Kuwaiti Public Administration

This empirical study examines the bribery, problem in Kuwaiti public administration, its conception, magnitude, reasons, and its consequences. The study is a field research which is based on a random sample consisted of （600） people from various spheres of life in society. Study findings have shown that bribery in Kuwaiti administration is widespread and increasing, transcends nationality, gender, position, education level, and agencies in Kuwait which require paying attention to what kind of measures need to be taken to eradicate it. Recommendations are suggested on ways how to eradicate this problem in order not to become a phenomenon.