After completing my PhD in 2009, I resumed my duties as assistant professor at Ahfad University teaching the subjects of my interest in sociology and social work disciplines, then after in 2016 I joined AU to fill a position with the same job title and same duties and responsibilities, teaching the subjects of sociology and social work and other related disciplines. My research area of interest includes multidisciplinary researches and assessments of social work and community development programmes and projects, gender issues and women empowerment, Social Institutions policies, youth, the welfare of elderly, welfare of special needs, family and children. Since I joined AU staff I followed working in a team approach with the academic colleagues to enrich the teaching, research and community services to achieve the college and AU goals.
The purpose of this study is to identify factors that influence knowledge management and evaluate its effectiveness in non-governmental organizations in the context of an integrative-oriented approach. The assessment framework for knowledge management effectiveness offered in this study permits the evaluation of decision-making alternatives and their impact on the effectiveness of knowledge management. The analysis of knowledge management effectiveness was performed using a coefficient-based assessment method on practices such as knowledge creation, knowledge acquisition, and knowledge attraction. The assessment framework incorporates both rational and asymmetry-driven styles in the decision-making practice. The study involved six nongovernmental organizations of various specializations from across the globe. The majority of non-governmental organizations showed an upward trend in the knowledge management effectiveness over the past five years. The knowledge creation asymmetry was established. The analysis of knowledge management alternative revealed that five out of six non-governmental organizations should continue those process that were effective at the time of the study and only one organization needs to move to a practice that was less effective during the research period. The major finding is that actions aimed at enhancing the least effective practice will fail to be as effective as the asymmetry-driven decision, even if they ensure a double increment.
The profession of a social worker is one of the most important professions for the functioning of a household and society as a whole. A key feature of this type of activity is that an employer does not have economic benefits associated with the tasks that a social worker performs. The study aims to determine the components of job satisfaction of public social workers and to conduct a quantitative analysis of the dependence of these components on factors of the external (professional) environment. The research methodology is focused on considering the object as a system. To achieve a goal, other studies were analyzed with the allocation of categorical data of satisfaction components and external (professional) environment factors. Using the statistical method, categorical data are presented in the form of frequencies to conduct a quantitative analysis of the dependence of satisfaction components on external (professional) environment factors, using the correlation coefficient. The study focused on two categories - job satisfaction and the external (professional) environment. The most significant components of job satisfaction are interpersonal relationships and commitment to an organization; the most significant factors of the external (professional) environment are the interaction of social workers with different population groups and compliance with the law and regulations. On the other hand, the least significant components of job satisfaction are social connections and wages, and the least significant factors of the external environment are professional burnout and personal life. A positive relationship was established between the components of job satisfaction and factors of the external (professional) environment. This indicates that job satisfaction components have an inverse relationship with external environment factors such as rules and norms. The research results are applicable in the field of public policy development, as well as for managers of public institutions, in particular, human resource management. Keywords: public sector, emotional work, personnel, productivity, work environment
The book, with its four chapters, addresses three important processes in the development sphere: namely mobilization, leadership, and empowerment. The book explores the relation and the link of the three processes, explaining their action implementation at the community level. The book advocates the use a human inclusion approach to development. Relevant literature are critically reviewed from published International and national books, articles and reports. Chapter 1 of the book introduces some related concepts that usually assist of the explanation of three processes. Chapter 2 gives an understanding of the community mobilization process: its methods of action planning and implementation. Chapter 3 explains the different perspectives of community leadership. Community empowerment as a new concept emerged recently in development is cortically explained, its understanding related to different community groups. The book is recommended for development and community-work students, researchers, and workers who are using bottom-up and human-development approaches of development.
The processes of democratization, observed in recent years in the traditionally conservative Arab world, actualize the need for social workers, so the aim of the study was to study the features of teaching social work in Arab communities. Twelve universities with undergraduate programs in social work were randomly selected to compare these universities' curricula and social work programs and Ajman University. One conclusion is that social work programs in Arab communities should rely on traditional values of Islamic culture and legal literacy to achieve professionally necessary competence. Improvement of curricula and social work programs following international standards of the profession and taking into account the ethnocultural and religious characteristics of the Arab world will provide the Arab communities with highly qualified social workers who can competently provide support to the needy population categories.
Social work plays a vital role in containing the corona crisis that has affected millions of people during the last few years. This study aims to identify how social work services respond to the urgent social needs of senior citizens. The descriptive-analytical approach was adopted with 50 social workers who work at senior citizens centers in Ajman & Al Sharjah Emirates. The study results reveal modifications in senior citizens’ policies and strategic partnerships. Introduction of new high-technology instruments for implementing online social work interventions. Health Care mobile unit was suspended, and more emphasis is placed on using sustainable and high-quality medical and social services. Social workers' roles have accommodated participation in the implementation and supervision of new initiatives of online club models-Assala, receiving and responding to requests, supervising subsidies, home nursing, and providing social and psychological care. Also, coordinated with relevant institutions, executing research work, reports writing, and adopting WhatsApp group, telephone, Zoom, and other intelligent devices.
The objective of inclusive education is to increase the quality of social and psychological integration in society of students with disabilities in the learning process. This study aimed to identify the social and psychological effects of inclusive education of students with hearing disabilities at Sharjah University’s Disability Resource Centre. The study adopted a descriptive analytical approach with a purposive sample comprising 24 students with hearing impairment. An electronic questionnaire comprising 25 psychological and social statements and nine open-ended questions was administered to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The results revealed positive correlation coefficients between inclusive education and both psychological adjustment and social interaction and negative relationships between gender and age and both social interaction and psychological adaptation variables (for age ρ = 0.091 and ρ = 0.262 and for gender ρ = 0.47 and ρ = 0.076, respectively). A statistically significant difference of less than 0.05 was found in favour of those who agreed that inclusion affects psychological adaptation. A statistically significant difference of less than 0.05 was found in favour of students who agreed that inclusion affects social interaction. The research results can be used in the practice of inclusive education to determine ways to improve the social and psychological adaptation of students with hearing impairments.
The study aims to form and test a knowledge management model for universities, which made it possible to identify the most influential factors and their relationship with knowledge management processes. The sample of the study (N= 100) included members of the administrations of the United Arab Emirates universities, senior students (graduate students) and teachers. The data were collected based on a Google Forms questionnaire (65 questions). The model includes 6 main factors: leadership, organizational culture, organizational structure, human resources, information technology, measurement and control. It is assumed that the favourable influence of these factors will contribute to the effective implementation of the knowledge management process. Statistical analysis of the collected data was performed in SPSS and EViews. The model was verified with the help of the root-mean-square error of approximation. The factors" organizational culture"," human resources"," organizational structure", as the processes of creation, storage and use of information demonstrate the highest degree of compliance (value is 0.5 and below). Internal consistency was checked by calculating Cronbach's alpha (total Cronbach alpha is 0.97). To assess the existing relationships between the processes and factors of knowledge management, an analysis of Spearman's ρ correlation was performed (confidence level is 99%). The findings of the study show that the factor" organizational culture" has the greatest impact on the process of creating knowledge, and the factor of the organizational structure considerably affects knowledge management.