The association between risk and return is a significant concept in finance that has been studied in the past to a large extent. The stock market volatility is closely associated with the risk. The current study examines the intraday volatility pattern of stock market of Saudi Arabia by reviewing the stocks of Tadawul All Share Index (TASI). We obtain return data at 5-minute frequency from the SASEIDX starting on 25 October 2017 and ending on 9 May 2018. We examine the stock market volatility by using different symmetric and asymmetric GARCH models and observe that, the symmetric GARCH models showed a significant positive association between risk and return. Similarly, the asymmetric GARCH models show that the estimates were significant and the leverage estimate was negative and significant, indicating a no-leverage effect in the return series. Moreover, the asymmetric results suggest that negative shocks do not entail to future higher volatility than positive shocks. Therefore, the symmetric and asymmetric GARCH models are comfortable to capture the volatility of Saudi stock market from Intraday data.

A series of big changes have recently taken place in banking and financial sector as a result of global economic crisis, deregulated markets, globalization of economy and demonetization affecting the working lives of bank employees. The present exploration was planned to probe the associations involving job stress, need deficiency and performance of bank employees. Further it aimed to find out the predictors of performance within the facets of job stress and need deficiencies among total employees, managerial and non-managerial bank staff. The sample comprises of 335 employees, consisting of 135 managerial and 180 non-managerial staff who were randomly selected from dif-ferent branches of bank located in small cities in Uttar Pradesh, India. Job stress, need deficiency and performance measure scales were used to collect the information. Data were analyzed by step-wise multiple regressions analysis. The results observed as: i) total job stress, intrinsic impoverishment, role overload and unreasonable pressure showed significant positive correlation with perfor-mance and intrinsic impoverishment as well as role overload appeared as predictors of performance for sample group whereas esteem need, autonomy need were emerged as predictors and showed negative correlations with performance of employees; ii) esteem need, intrinsic impoverishment, strenuous working conditions and poor-peer relations were emerged as predictors of performance among managerial staff and iii) intrinsic impoverishment, role overload and strenuous working conditions appeared as predictors of performance for non-managerial staff. Further results discussed in details with suitable evidences.

The objective of this research was to investigate the effects caused by the announcement of mergers of SBI and its associate banks i.e. State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travan-core (SBT) with State Bank of India on the volatility of the return of SBI stock during the event window of 300 days. In order to achieve the proposed objective, this study applied Generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (Garch) class model to the return series to model their volatility because it is considered an important tool for time series data analysis. Our results confirmed the impact of the announcement of Merger on volatility. The results suggest that merger announcement was expected to cause a reaction in the returns, which is related to higher abnormal return in lesser time through merger announcement for investors.

This study examines the relationships between Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness with actual use of E-Services among 189 students from College of Business Administration (CBA) at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU) for the academic year 2017/2018. Using a survey-based methodology based on TAM perceptive, the results show that Perceived Ease for Use (PEU) and Perceived Usefulness (PU) had positive associations with Actual Use (AU) of E-Services among CBA students. Thus, the result of this study supports the prediction of TAM theory. The results of this study should be useful to educational policy makers in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and elsewhere, as there is an opportunity of enhancing the E-Services in the academic context.

This study examines the acceptance level of Accrual Accounting System (AAS) among the accountants in the public sector. Subsequently, this study examines whether the accountants’ acceptance level of AAS influences their motivation, job satisfaction and job performance. Using a cross sectional study via a questionnaire survey on 166 public sector accountants in the public sector, the study shows that the accountants accepted AAS. The study also shows that the acceptance of AAS among the accountants significantly influences their motivation, job satisfaction and job performance. Further analyses show that the accountants’ motivation to accept AAS significantly influences their job satisfaction and subsequently, job performance. The findings of this study indicates that acceptance of a technology could lead to positive attitude and ultimately, ensuring AAS implementation success in the public sector.

This paper evaluates the efficiency of five Indian pharmaceutical Industries using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach. The paper uses Net Block, Cash and Bank Balance, Share Capital, Reserve and Surplus, Secure Loan and Unsecured Loan as input variables and Investments and ‘Loans and Advances’ as output variables. In this study, the Basic Radial Models input oriented with Constant Returns to scale (CRS) are used to estimate the efficiency of pharmaceutical Industries. The DEA tool assists the administrators to identify the inefficient measures and take necessary actions for improvement. The results are indicative of the scenario that changed patent laws in India are not detrimental to the financial and overall health of Indian pharmaceutical companies in general. The Indian pharmaceutical companies have suitably modified their business model to cope up with the changed legal environment. It is a positive sign for all Indian pharmaceutical companies that they are dynamic in management and operational policies to face any new situation and shall flourish more in the coming days.

This paper investigates the potential correlation between the performance of Audit Committees (AC) and Audit Quality (AQ). Data is derived from capital goods firms listed on the main stock exchange of Saudi Arabia (TASI). Logit regression analysis is used for this purpose and the dependent variable of BIG4 is used as a proxy for AQ, while AC meetings (ACMT), size (ACSZ), and AC members with a financial background (ACEX) are used as explanatory variables. The results show no statistical association between ACMT and AQ. However, the analysis indicates a positive statistical relationship between ACSZ and AQ, and a strong negative association between ACEX and AQ. These findings provide insights into the impact of AC attributes on AQ, and would be of interest to decision makers, policy-makers, investors, and senior management.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) techs help businesses turn internal and external data into real gold by analyzing customer data, extracting valuable insights, and offering individual solutions. The current study aimed to identify the mediating effect of artificial intelligence and digital experience on the relationship between neuromarketing (emotional appeal and memory encoding) and consumer behavior. The current study was applied to consumers within the MENA region by using an online questionnaire self-administered by (837) individuals. The study hypotheses were all accepted, and results confirmed that there is a mediating effect of AI and digital experience (DX) on the relationship between neuromarketing (emotional appeal and memory encoding) and consumer behavior. The degree to which digital experiences can modulate the association between emotional appeal, memory encoding, and consumer behavior, is not absolute; other factors and external cues that may be integral parts of a seller's marketing campaign remain relevant as well. The marketing strategy, quality of the product, prices, and effect of the enclosing environment influence consumer behavior from the digital dominion. Consequently, the comprehensive study of the digital situation is the premise of comprehending as well as using the mediating influence of digital experience on a consumer's mind. The study supports the idea that it is crucial for digital experience to bring up good feelings and provide opportunities for better information memory. Building visualizations that are appealing, interactive, and immersive to the users is intended to keep them interested and promote remembering. Through this approach, information on the brand can be associated with, recalled, and can become a significant decisive factor in future purchase decision-making.

The current trend in deteriorating mechanical performance of green polymeric-based materials has made it essential for designers to establish more reliable and sustainable bio-products. Here, the mechanical performance of Jordanian lignocellulosic olive fibers in polymeric-based composites has been methodically investigated. The outcomes of different reinforcement conditions on the desired mechanical performance of the olive leaf’s lignocellulosic fibers with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) composites have been examined, including the properties of tensile strength, tensile modulus, mechanical strain, impact strength, and the intensity per composite volume. This has been accomplished to determine the optimum reinforcement condition for the desired mechanical behavior as well as to establish the performance deterioration and enhancement trends of such bio-materials in a more consistent manner. The results signify that lignocellulosic olive fibers have exhibited various enhancements in terms of mechanical performance. Both the tensile strength and modulus of elasticity have been dramatically improved at 20 wt.% fiber content. This was the most desired reinforcement condition among all considered cases. The olive fibers also possess the capability of maintaining relatively high ductility and impact strength properties, making them suitable for various industrial applications where high ductility is necessary. Thermal stability analysis using TGA and DTG has been employed to obtain accurate results.

This study investigates the impact of different leadership styles on project success, specifically examining the mediating role of team collaboration. This study utilized a diverse sample of 202 respondents representing five distinct national contexts: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, China, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. PLS-SEM were employed to analyze the relationships between transformational leadership, transactional leadership, laissez-faire leadership, team collaboration, and project success. Our findings reveal that both transformational and transactional leadership styles are positively associated with project success. Conversely, laissez-faire leadership demonstrated a negative relationship with team collaboration but did not directly predict project success. Importantly, team collaboration was found to mediate the relationship between both transformational leadership and project success, as well as between transactional leadership and project success. However, the hypothesized mediating role of team collaboration between laissez-faire leadership and project success was not supported. These findings underscore the critical role of leadership style and team collaboration in achieving project success, offering valuable insights for organizations and project managers seeking to optimize leadership practices and foster collaborative work environments.