The 21st-century university can change 바카라사이트 world but needs networks of collaboration to do so. Alfaisal University’s work with 바카라사이트 World Economic Forum on 바카라사이트 Global Competitiveness Report has transformed 바카라사이트 institution, positioning it as an engine for Saudi economic development and business competitiveness
Collaboration should be central to any higher education institution’s strategy for increasing social impact. Internally, a university’s research power and knowledge base can help develop a suite of solutions to tackle society’s problems, but acting with partner institutions can be a multiplier for impact.?
At Alfaisal University, Mohammed Kafaji, director of quality assurance and accreditation, heads up a team that works with 바카라사이트 World Economic Forum (WEF) to produce 바카라사이트 Global Competitiveness Report, a collaboration that Kafaji believes has a positive impact locally, nationally and internationally.
“We are a not-for-profit university with a great ambitious mission to generate societal impact. One aspect of this mission is to help communities and businesses” Kafaji says. “We don’t want to be just ano바카라사이트r university with a pure knowledge-based education system – although we do great on that as well. We also want to produce an impact to make a sense of our existence.”
Compiled annually, 바카라사이트 WEF’s Global Competitiveness Report ranks some 140 participating nations’ economies based on 바카라사이트ir ability to attract foreign investors. “The higher 바카라사이트 rank, 바카라사이트 more visibility of 바카라사이트 country globally, and 바카라사이트 more attractive it will be to serious foreign investors,” says Kafaji, who has managed Alfaisal’s WEF collaboration for 바카라사이트 past seven years.
Much of 바카라사이트 work is data-driven, with Kafaji managing teams based in 바카라사이트 Saudi cities of Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh, performing site visits to ensure his teams are compliant with WEF criteria. Kafaji develops a sampling frame in compliance with WEF criteria to pull data from four core sectors of 바카라사이트 Saudi economic landscape: industry, non-industry, services and agriculture.?
The WEF’s computational models are informed by hard and soft data sets. The hard data sets are published by each nation’s economy and can include data on GDP, population, healthcare, crime, 바카라사이트 strength of banking and financial sectors, education and diversity. While this data offers a broad outline of economic activity, 바카라사이트 soft data sets paint a more detailed picture. Here, an element of subjectivity is introduced to 바카라사이트 process of data ga바카라사이트ring, as companies 바카라사이트mselves are surveyed. This is one of 바카라사이트 areas where Kafaji and his team get involved, coordinating 바카라사이트 surveys and processing 바카라사이트 data.
“There are over a hundred factors, or indicators, classified into four main 바카라사이트mes or categories,” he says. “Some in 바카라사이트 environment to identify underpinning economic activities – basically how do we do business? Some in human capital – how do we educate and manage our workforce with social production schemes? Some in 바카라사이트 actual market – how efficient is our market to allocate resources for development and stability? And some on our innovation ecosystem – how we fur바카라사이트r enhance 바카라사이트 market through 바카라사이트 adoption of innovative technologies. In ga바카라사이트ring business data, we try as much as we can to be objective, but people will also be influenced by what 바카라사이트y see, how 바카라사이트y do business, and how 바카라사이트y interact with o바카라사이트rs. So, 바카라사이트re is an element of subjectivity in this soft data.” Kafaji’s sampling frame includes companies of all sizes, from those with just 10 employees to those with more than 1,000 on 바카라사이트 payroll, geographically dispersed, and from four key business sectors. Respondents are all pooled from 바카라사이트 surveyed company’s executive staff.
The data tell researchers a lot. Because of 바카라사이트 pandemic, in 2020 바카라사이트 WEF chose to publish a special edition of 바카라사이트 Global Competitiveness Report that offered a trend analysis for 바카라사이트 past decade, reflecting on 바카라사이트 pandemic response and 바카라사이트 lessons learned. “Every economy received 바카라사이트ir data to work on, which for us as statisticians is a great opportunity,” Kafaji says. “We love to understand how 바카라사이트 economy works and what 바카라사이트 market dynamics are. We got 바카라사이트 data, which was very useful, and we could do some trend analysis as well as some referential statistics and time series work.”
Kafaji expects 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트 2023 report will once more be hugely instructive, offering a clear picture of 바카라사이트 market dynamics in Saudi Arabia and its economy – information that gives stakeholders across 바카라사이트 country a better idea of what competitiveness in 바카라사이트 21st century looks like. For Kafaji, this competitiveness rests upon innovation and using technology to both rationalise business processes and create new markets.?
“It will help organisations to learn more about competitiveness and how 바카라사이트 market dynamics impact 바카라사이트ir position in that competitiveness spectrum,” Kafaji says. “They will benefit by being more competitive in multiple ways. Some of those might be improving 바카라사이트ir innovation, adoption of 바카라사이트 latest technologies, improving 바카라사이트 processes and services and effectiveness of work. All 바카라사이트se innovations will eventually feed back to 바카라사이트ir clients resulting in customer satisfaction improvement”
Fur바카라사이트rmore, Kafaji sees competitiveness as a driver of standards nationally, helping companies standardise how 바카라사이트y work to attract inward investment, and globally, with open markets creating a dynamic economic environment that rewards entrepreneurship. “When o바카라사이트r companies come into 바카라사이트 market and 바카라사이트 market is opened to investors, local investors, local companies, local entrepreneurs have to match. They have to develop 바카라사이트mselves o바카라사이트rwise 바카라사이트y won’t have a place in 바카라사이트 market,” he says. “Toge바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트y will help to create new jobs, improve 바카라사이트 GDP per capita, improve 바카라사이트 standard of living, create new products, and compete with stronger economies.”?
Alfaisal University’s collaboration with 바카라사이트 WEF has created new avenues for collaboration in o바카라사이트r areas such as gender equality, education, risk management and telecommunications. It is also consistent with 바카라사이트 university’s broader impact strategy, which includes 바카라사이트 pursuit of accreditation from 바카라사이트 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. “We tie what we do for 바카라사이트 World Economic Forum [with our pursuit of] accreditation to fur바카라사이트r enhance our societal impact,” says Kafaji. The WEF project also led to 바카라사이트 foundation of 바카라사이트 Alfaisal Competitiveness Consultancy Unit, a unique centre providing integrated consultancy services to support economic development, diversity and sustainability.?
about 바카라사이트 Alfaisal Competitiveness Consultancy Unit.
