Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange - Assignment Example

Appendix Β Participant Information Sheet You are being invited to participate in a research study, which is a key part of my doctoral research project. Through this project I hope to contribute to a better understanding of the use and effectiveness of strategic management tools. My project has three primary objectives: First, to identify the strategic management tools used by firms listed on the Saudi stock exchange; second, to investigate the effectiveness of these tools in terms of firm performance as they are applied by the firms which use them. And finally, the study will investigate other internal and external factors that have an impact on the success of firms’ strategic management decisions. Apart from meeting the requirements for my doctoral degree, it is my overall goal with this research is to provide insights that will help firms choose relevant strategic management tools to help achieve positive results in general performance measures, according to the areas of organisational strategies, strategic planning, or control techniques within their businesses. Your participation in this research is thus extremely valuable not only to this particularly study but to the wider body of management knowledge. Before you decide to participate, however, the information presented in the rest of this information sheet describes the project in more detail, explains exactly what your participation in the study will entail, and details what your rights as a participant are, and measures that are being taken to eliminate any risks to you that may arise as a result of your participation. After reading this information sheet, you may ask me any questions you may have, and I have provided my contact details for that purpose; I would be pleased to provide you further information if you need it, so please do not hesitate to inquire. In addition, while I shall be very grateful for your kind assistance by participating in the study, you are under no obligation to do so; should you decline to participate after reading the information below, that is at your discretion, and I thank you very much for your time. In addition, please be aware that authorisation for presenting this information to you and, should you decide to do so, for you to participate in the study has already been kindly granted by your employer; thus you need not be concerned about any possible sanctions due to your participation in the research during working hours. What is the objective of the research project? This study is investigating the application and effectiveness of strategic management tools among firms listed on the Saudi Arabian stock exchange. The broad area of inquiry is the relationship between strategic management tools and firm performance, and in order to investigate that relationship fully, we must consider not only the different forms of strategic management tools, but also an appropriate context by which to define firm performance. For this study, the investigation will focus on managers’ perceptions of their firms’ performance in relation to their use of strategic management tools; the firms being investigated in this context are companies from a variety of business sectors listed on the Saudi Arabian stock exchange. The outcomes of the study will shed light on which strategic management tools are most effective under a variety of conditions, and will provide valuable insights to businesses seeking to enhance or improve the results of their strategic management and planning. Why have I been chosen? You have been selected as a potential participant in this study because your position within your organisation indicates that you have valuable insights in planning, strategic management processes and tools, and aspects of firm performance. You will be among 40 participants selected to take part in this study, and your views will be very important to achieving the overall goals of the research project. What will I be asked to do in the study? You will be asked to complete an 18-question survey, which will gather information from your perspective about your firm, your position and experience, the kinds of strategic management tools used by your firm, and your impressions of the effectiveness of using those strategic management tools. This survey, which should take 10 to 15 minutes to complete, will be administered in person, although if that is inconvenient, you may complete the survey by telephone or e-mail. Following the survey, you may be asked to take part in a one-on-one semi-structured interview, which you may choose or decline to participate in at your discretion. This interview will be conducted at your office or place of business, or at another location such as a café or other public place both convenient comfortable for you, and will take approximately 45 minutes to one hour to complete. This interview will explore in greater detail information from the survey, specifically about your perceptions of your firm’s performance and the factors that contribute to it. What happens to the data collected? The survey responses will be recorded both on paper copies of the surveys and digitally; interviews will be recorded for accuracy – although you may decline to have your interview recorded if you wish – and through my notes taken during the interview. All the information gathered will be organised, analysed, and presented as part of a written doctoral dissertation. The dissertation or parts of it may in the future be published in academic and peer-reviewed journals, and summaries of the findings will be available upon request to firms and individuals participating in the research. The survey and the interview formats have been carefully designed, however, to ensure complete anonymity for all participants, so that your identity, the identity of your firm, or sensitive business information is not inadvertently disclosed. How is confidentiality maintained? The research project has been carefully designed so that the names of firms and individuals will not be needed in the research data, to ensure the complete security of all participants; your firm will only be identified by the general type of business and its relative size, and you will only be identified by a general description of your position and years of experience. To further ensure security of the information collected, only the principal researcher (myself) and my dissertation supervisory team at the university will have access to the data, which will be kept under lock and key (in the case of paper copies) or password-protected digital files. In accordance with University policy, all data will be destroyed after ten years or when related publications are deemed completed, whichever comes first. May I decline to participate? What happens if I change my mind after we begin? Your participation in the research is entirely voluntary, and you may decline to participate if you do not wish to take part in it. If you do decide to participate but change your mind later and do not wish to continue, you may do so, and need not provide an explanation. In that case, any information collected from you to that point will be removed and safely discarded. Will I be paid for participating in the research? Because your participation in this academic study is voluntary, no payment will be made for taking part in the research. You will be making a valuable contribution to the body of management knowledge, and will through your participation, it is sincerely hoped, gain insights that you may later be able to put to practical use in your own business. How long does the research project last? The entire research process will last as long as three years, of which four to six months will be spent in gathering and analysing the research data. Your part in the extended process, however, will only require a maximum of one to one-and-one-half hours. Where will the research be conducted? The research is being carried out among business firms in Saudi Arabia, mostly, but not limited to, firms in and around the city of Riyadh. The final product of this research project will be a doctoral thesis, which will be available in its entirety in the library of the University of Manchester. Parts of the dissertation or a revised version of it may also be published in academic or other peer-reviewed journals in the future. In addition, a summary of the findings and conclusion of the study will be available to research participants upon request. What if I have questions or complaints? If at any time you have questions about the research project, you may feel free to contact me (my contact details are provided at the end of this form). If you wish to confirm the validity of this research activity, or have complaints or concerns that you feel I am unable to satisfactorily address, you may contact the Head of the Research Office of the university; those contact details are also included below. Appendix Γ “A Comparative Analysis of the Effectiveness of Strategic Management Tools in Saudi Exchange-Listed Firms” A. Indicative list of questions for surveys/interviews Research Objective 1 Research Question(s) Survey/Interview questions (S = Survey Question; I = Interview Question) Investigate which types of strategic management tools are used by Saudi-listed companies. 1. Which strategic management tools are used by the surveyed organisations in Saudi Arabia? 6. To what extent do organisations use the same tools consistently over time? S10. Which strategic management tools has your firm used? (select all that apply) S11. Rate how often your firm uses each of the strategic management tools, with (1) signifying the tool used most often. S12. Which strategic management tools is your firm using currently? Research Objective 2 Research Question(s) Survey/Interview questions Explore the effectiveness of the strategic management tools as applied by the surveyed organisations. 4. To what extent are the tools effective in addressing organisational performance? 5. Which of these tools are most effective? S17. How would you compare your firm’s performance using SMT to the most recent period in which you did not use SMT or used a different SMT? I5. As a manager, how do you assess the effectiveness of the strategic management tools: better development of firm mission and vision, better financial performance, better efficiency or performance of the staff, better use of resources, better management of customers and the market, or something else? I6. Based on your answer to Question 5, are your current strategic management tool(s) effective? Has your firm performed better since using them? If not, do you feel a different tool or method would be more effective, and if so, which one(s)? Research Objective 3 Research Question(s) Survey/Interview questions Identify internal and external conditions of firms which contribute to the effectiveness of these strategic management tools. 2. How are these strategic management tools used? 3. To what extent are strategic management tools used without modification? 7. To what extent does the organisational context contribute to the effectiveness or failure of strategic management tools? S13. How would you rate the impact of SMT on gathering information needed for planning? S14. How would you rate the impact of SMT on developing objectives for the firm as a whole? S15. How would you rate the impact of SMT on developing objectives for individual departments? S16. How would you rate the impact of SMT on monitoring performance in the period covered by the planning? I1. What do you think the most useful function of the strategic management tools your firm uses: information-gathering, setting objectives, monitoring performance, or something else? I2. Do you feel that strategic management tools are more useful for the firm overall or at the level of divisions or departments, or are they equally useful in both applications? Why do you feel that way? I3. What are the biggest challenges to using a particular strategic management tool: learning how the tool works, customizing it for your firm’s unique circumstances, training or otherwise aligning staff to use the tool effectively, or something else? Appendix Δ Ground Rules for Interview Discussions 1. Information provided by the respondent should pertain only to his or her firm and the scope of his or her position (e.g., general manager, department manager, shift supervisor) within the firm. 2. Interviews are to be one-on-one only. 3. Interviews will be conducted in a secure, comfortable location, free from distractions as much as possible. 4. At the beginning of the interview: a) The interviewee will be asked for permission to record the interview. b) The interviewee will be reminded that he may stop the interview at any time. c) The interviewee will be advised that he may decline to answer any question which asks for sensitive company information, or information he is otherwise not authorised to disclose. Read More