Shweta Belwal

Public Transportation Services in Oman: A Study of Public Perceptions

Public transportation services are vital for civic life. Recently, many countries in the Middle East have turned their attention towards developing and improving their public transport systems, as problems such as traffic congestion in cities, low mobility, high individual costs of transport, and a rural-urban divide in services have arisen. This study is a public needs assessment and opinion survey of an area in one such Middle Eastern country, the Al-Batinah region of Oman. The study finds public transport services in Oman are minimal and do not match demand, and there is an excessive reliance on private cars. Marketing of public transport services is constrained by certain environmental issues, particularly the socio-cultural and physical environments. The study is innovative from both an approach and implementation perspective and will help policy makers in Oman think about long-term strategies towards establishing viable public transport solutions.

Mobile Phone Usage Behavior of University Students in Oman

The purpose of this paper is to study the mobile phone usage behavior of university students in Oman. A survey was conducted in Muscat and Sohar cities of Oman where 200 students were contacted using questionnaires and interview methods. Students in higher educational institutions were covered and hypotheses about mobile services usage among students were formulated and tested on different aspects of mobile phone use. It was realized that Oman is very close to secure 100% penetration in mobile adoption and newer mobile technologies are available. Mobile usage related statistics revealed that a majority of students prefer to have prepaid connections, spend more than 10 Omani Rials per month on services, make less than 10 calls but more than 10 SMS per day, and depend on their parents for payment of bills. Nokia is the most popular handset brand among students and they tend to change handsets at least in a year. It was significantly tested true that students have higher affinity to buy top end mobile phones, they feel uncomfortable without mobile phones, they keep their mobile phone switched on 24 hours, and they are equipped with almost every feature in their mobile.

Students’ perception of entrepreneurship and enterprise education in Oman

Purpose – Universities and other higher educational institutions play an increasingly important role in providing entrepreneurship education, training, and technical assistance to existing and potential entrepreneurs. The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ perceptions of entrepreneurship and the role of universities in developing enterprise education in Oman, focusing on the case of Sohar University. Design/methodology/approach – The research used a questionnaire based survey to collect primary data. From the total population of 3,633 students registered across different faculties during the academic year 2012-2013, a sample size of 200 was drawn using convenience sampling and the proportional allocation method. Findings – The research outcomes revealed that the majority of the university students were optimistic and interested in starting their own business, but lacked knowledge about how to start a business. The students’ willingness to run a business and their sociable, go-getter attitud...

Training needs assessment of fishermen in Oman through concept mapping technique

Purpose – This study aims to assess the training needs of fishermen in Oman using the concept mapping technique. This study was the part of a larger research project on the training needs assessment (TNA), where a mixed method approach was used to identify the training needs. Design/methodology/approach – Perspective of 12 instructors on a focus question was taken during a brainstorming session at a Fishermen Training Institute in Oman. Using the concept mapping technique involving the multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis, the data recorded was analyzed to arrive at the need clusters, which were later rated and ranked to assign relative importance. Findings – The identification led to a ten-clustered solution, covering a range of areas, requiring technical and behavioral skills. The top five training concerns were also identified using the participants’ ratings of the identified training-need clusters. Furthermore, the merit of concept mapping technique over purely quantitative asses...

Fishermen on the Batinah Coast in Oman: AStudy from the Subsistence Marketplace Perspective

Fishing is common among the inhabitants in every coastal region. Oman’s Al-Batinah coast accounts for 20% of the national catch. However, poor uptakes of improved fishing technologies and practices, weak management, inefficiency and ineffective marketing have resulted in Al-Batinah fishermen securing low earnings (Al-Zabri, 2008). This study assesses the situation of the fishermen on the Batinah coast of Oman. It uncovers the reasons behind their leading a subsistence life. This study also explores their difficulties and concerns, and devises some policy implications that offer them a better life. The study utilizes both qualitative and quantitative data collected from fishermen using questionnaires and interviews in an organized form of field survey. The majority of the fishing activity takes place in the traditional sector, where small fishermen run it as their family business. Expenditures surpass fishermen’s income and restrict their savings and growth. The Omani Government has provided infrastructure; however, there is a need for officials to be more observant and concerned about the not so well off fishermen. Facilitators such as training institutes and banks need to provide concentrated measures to improve fishermen’s skills and productivity. Altogether all the facilitators and the fishermen need to come together and share a common platform to advance fishing activity and its scope in the region.

Factors affecting store image and the choice of hypermarkets in Oman

The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors affecting store image and customers’ choice of hypermarkets in Oman and compares two big hypermarkets in Sohar– the prominent industrial city of Oman.,A detailed review of literature was conducted initially to identify the attributes affecting store image and choice of hypermarkets in Oman and a questionnaire was developed later using the key attributes, vetted by a panel of professionals and consumers. Data were collected using convenience sampling from the targeted customers with due care to reduce possible biases. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), using SPSS, was then performed to arrive at the key factors affecting store image and choice of hypermarkets in Oman. Two most popular and leading hypermarkets of Sohar – Lulu and Al Safeer were selected to study consumers’ preferences for store choice and comparisons. The Mann-Whitney U-test in association with the Wilcoxon W-test was applied, using Minitab, for further comparison of the two hypermarkets.,Retailing industry in Oman is changing. The focus of consumers is shifting from traditional markets to modern retail formats. The presence of hypermarkets has attracted customers away from traditional souqs. Customers are attracted to hypermarkets for various reasons, including the local and socio-cultural ones. The factor analysis produced four components, namely, “purchase experience”, “visit experience”, “augmented experience”, and “repeat-purchase experience” affecting customers’ choice of hypermarkets and store image in Oman. A comparative analysis of two leading hypermarkets revealed that Lulu hypermarket acquired, overall, a better store image over Al Safeer on all the components. Purchase experience and visit experience, in Omani hypermarkets, were forerunners in satisfying customers than the augmented and repeat-purchase experience.,The study contributes to the narrow base of extant literature on consumer preferences of hypermarkets and their choice of related retail formats in the Islamic world. Although the use of EFA has been quite informative in revealing the findings, the limitation mainly arises due to the lack of confirmatory techniques, which were not intended at this stage of research. Whist the study opens room for researchers to contribute further in this regard, it brings forth certain implications for the managers, academics, and professionals working in the retail sector.,Analysis and discussions reveal that hypermarkets, particularly in Oman, need to take into account the factors, as identified in this study, and the differences in context of local conditions and religion. The study emphasizes that managers of retail formats in Oman need to give due importance to consumer experience to secure better store image and consumer patronage.,The study makes a pioneering attempt to analyse consumer preferences for retail stores, especially hypermarkets in Oman. It recognizes that the consumer expectations and business requirements of Oman, in particular, or Gulf countries in general are somehow different than the rest of the world. A heed to the identified factors and underlying variables would help the retail sector in serving consumers better as well as in increasing the store image and consumer patronage.

Hypermarkets in Oman: a study of consumers’ shopping preferences

Purpose – Hypermarkets have emerged as an important retail format in many parts of the world. The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer behaviour towards store preferences, particularly hypermarkets, in Oman. Design/methodology/approach – Following a mixed method approach, primary data, collected mainly using questionnaires and focus groups, were analysed to reveal consumer preferences. After pilot testing, 300 structured questionnaires were administered, of which 164 completed questionnaires were accepted for analysis. Data on store choice attributes were collected and analysed to reveal respondents’ preferences. Respondents’ characteristics were also measured using socio-demographic variables and were compared with their purchasing behaviour. Findings – By offsetting traditional markets, hypermarkets have emerged as one of the important retail formats in the urban areas of Oman. Their emergence has impacted trade in the traditional markets, the souqs. A weekly trip to the hypermarket is becoming ...

Employers’ perception of women workers in Oman and the challenges they face

The participation and productivity of women in Oman’s labor force are very low and heavily skewed toward the government sector. There are few women in the private sector and the reasons for this are not well-known. The challenges that women workers face specifically in the Arab World are worth understanding from a participation and policy perspective. The purpose of this paper is to explore employers’ perceptions of women workers and the major challenges they face in Oman in the context of government efforts to develop the female workforce in this Middle East region.,Data collected by interviewing the top executives (employers) from 28 organizations in two major cities in Oman were analyzed qualitatively, grouped into emerging themes, triangulated, and discussed.,The results indicated that employers, in general, are impressed by women workers in Oman. However, they identify a number of challenges women face. This study synthesized and grouped employers’ perceptions of these challenges in the following categories: women’s natural and physiological composition, their attitude at work, post-marital challenges, socio-cultural barriers, nature and place of work, organizational preparedness and governance, biases or prejudices of employers, and work-life balance (WLB) issues facing them.,This study suggests that since female participation in the government sector in Oman is substantial, women can also be attracted to work in the private sector if policies are formulated to safeguard their interests.,There is an absolute dearth of studies about female participation in the Omani workforce; this study is one of the pioneering efforts. Whereas the extant literature on WLB issues represents mostly the western perspective, this study highlights the major WLB issues in Oman and fills some important gaps between the West and the Middle East by focusing on women, WLB, and policies triangle.

Training needs assessment of fishermen on Oman’s Batinah coast: using exploratory factor analysis

Oman’s 3165-km-long coastline, which includes bays, islands and lagoons, has been rich in fish and crustaceans. In spite of this, the fishing sector and fishermen in Oman have not developed well. The fishermen have just managed to subsist and their motivation to stay in the traditional or artisanal fishery has declined. Assuming that the assessment of fishermen’s training needs could be one of the possible solutions, this paper attempts to identify, categorise and prioritise training needs of fishermen on the Batinah coast. Questionnaires were administered to 1934 fisher folks in the eight coastal regions on Batinah coast. Training needs were identified using the exploratory factor analysis technique for data reduction over a previously compiled list of 93 items of interest. This analysis extracted (categorised) 30 key factors, which were further classified into technical and/or behavioural needs. The outcomes suggested that some of the training needs of fishermen are as diverse as the groups of identified factors. It would be worthwhile training the fishermen on most of these aspects. The discussion revealed some vulnerability in the current training practices and recognised a need for educating and training these fishermen differently. Development of specific training programmes and policies are expected.