An analysis of the adoption and use of HRIS in the public Universities in Saudi Arabia

309 Pages·2016·2.68 MB·English

An analysis of the adoption and use of
HRIS in the public Universities in
Saudi Arabia

Aletaibi, R. G.

Submitted version deposited in Coventry University’s Institutional Repository

Original citation:
Aletaibi, R. G. (2016) An analysis of the adoption and use of HRIS in the public Universities in
Saudi Arabia. Unpublished PhD Thesis. Coventry: Coventry University

Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author. A copy can be downloaded for
personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item
cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in
writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold
commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright
holders.

Some materials have been removed from this thesis due to third party copyright. Pages
where material has been removed are clearly marked in the electronic version. The
unabridged version of the thesis can be viewed at the Lanchester Library, Coventry
University.

CURVE is the Institutional Repository for Coventry University
http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open
An analysis of the adoption and use of
HRIS in the public Universities in
Saudi Arabia

BY
RASHID GHAZI ALETAIBI

Award PhD
August 2016

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the University’s
requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
An analysis of the adoption and use of
HRIS in the public Universities in
Saudi Arabia

BY
RASHID GHAZI ALETAIBI

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the University’s
requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Coventry University
August 2016
Library
Declaration

Yes No
Have materials contained in your thesis/submission been used for any

other submission for an academic award?
If you have answered Yes to above please state award and awarding body and list the
material:

I am aware of no health reasons that will prevent me from undertaking
and completing assessment and will undertake to notifying my Director

of Studies and PGRSU - Registry as soon as any change in these
circumstances occurs.
Ethical Declaration:
I declare that my research has full University Ethical approval and
evidence of this has been included within my thesis/submission. Please
also insert ethics reference number below

Project Reference: P21239

Freedom of Information:

Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) ensures access to any information held by
Coventry University, including theses, unless an exception or exceptional circumstances
apply.

In the interest of scholarship, theses of the University are normally made freely available
online in CURVE, the Institutions Repository, immediately on deposit. You may wish to
restrict access to your thesis for a period of three years. Reasons for restricting access to
the electronic thesis should be derived from exemptions under FOIA.
(Please also refer to the University Regulations Section 8.12.5)

Do you wish to restrict access to thesis/submission: No

If Yes please specify reason for restriction:

Does any organisation, other than Coventry University, have an interest in the Intellectual
Property Rights to your work?
No

If Yes please specify Organisation:

Please specify the nature of their interest:
An analysis of the adoption and use of HRIS in the public Universities in
Saudi Arabia
P21239

REGISTRY RESEARCH UNIT
ETHICS REVIEW FEEDBACK FORM
(Review feedback should be completed within 10 working days)
Name of applicant: Rashid Aletaibi
Faculty/School/Department: [Business, Environment and Society] Human Resource
Management…………………………..
Research project title: An analysis of the adoption and use of HRIS in the public
Universities in Saudi Arabia
Comments by the reviewer
1. Evaluation of the ethics of the proposal:

2. Evaluation of the participant information sheet and consent form:

Thank you - information requested has been provided.
3. Recommendation:
(Please indicate as appropriate and advise on any conditions. If there any conditions, the applicant will be required
to resubmit his/her application and this will be sent to the same reviewer).
X Approved - no conditions attached
Approved with minor conditions (no need to re-submit)
Conditional upon the following – please use additional sheets if necessary (please re-submit application)
Rejected for the following reason(s) – please use other side if necessary
Not required
Name of reviewer: Anonymous
Date: 11/03/2014
Abstract
Evaluating the use of human resource information systems (HRIS) by employees working in
the human resource management (HRM) departments of the public universities in Saudi
Arabia is one of the main aims of this project. Other researchers in this field have proposed
several success models for HRIS use, and they are suitable for organisations working in the
conditions and circumstances surrounding a particular region; however, they cannot be
applied directly to Saudi organisations. Thus, it is very important to construct an HRIS use
model for higher education institutions. In view of the weaknesses of other HRIS success
models for the particular environment in Saudi Arabia, this study has integrated some
incumbent factors into the DeLone and McLean HRIS success model to develop a new model
that provides comprehensive insight into the most important factors affecting the issue of
HRIS within the HR Departments of Saudi universities.
This results in the development of a theoretical framework as a model to carry out the
investigation into the impacts of various dimensions of the proposed model on the use of
HRIS by employees. A mixed-method research design involving interviews and
questionnaires was used to collect qualitative and qualitative data; analytical techniques along
with SPSS20 were employed to analyse the data. The results obtained from the qualitative
phase showed that there were six factors that affected the use of HRIS in the HR Departments
of public universities: usefulness, a speedier decision-making process, system quality, ease of
use, subjective norms (social and peer pressures), and the unification of systems. The impact
of these dimensions on the use of HRIS was measured in the qualitative phase, showing the
positive impact of system quality, service quality, and ease of use on the use of a system.
Furthermore, the impact of HRIS on human resources (HR), based on performance and
productivity, was investigated through interviews and surveys with the sample population. In
general, it was found that HRIS have a significant and positive impact on the performance
and productivity of the HR Departments of public universities in Saudi Arabia. This study’s
main contribution is the successful development of an adoption model for the measurement
of HRIS use in Saudi public universities, by taking into account the social elements that play
an important role in the use of HRIS in Saudi Arabia. This is the first study of its kind that
has been performed to measure the factors and map the strength of their relationship with the
use of HRIS, user satisfaction and HRIS adoption.
DECLARATION
I Rashid Ghazi Aletaibi declare that this research and the ideas, analysis, findings and
conclusions that are included in this PhD dissertation were developed entirely by me
for the purpose of this programme only, and have not been submitted for another
qualification.

7
DEDICATION

This thesis is dedicated, with deepest love and everlasting respect, to my parents.
Without your prayers, support and encouragement, I could not have reached this stage.
It is also dedicated to my wife Nagah Alotaibi for her patience and support throughout
the period of my research and to my loving kids (Tariq, Ghadah, Raghad Ghaida and
Omar) for their patience while being away from me. Their sweetest memories keep me
working hard.

8
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my sincere appreciation, first and foremost, to Professor Jim
Stewart, my supervisor, for his guidance, patience, and insight throughout the research.
Deepest thanks to Dr Randhir, Dr Kirsten, and Dr Husni Kharouf for their valuable
suggestions and comments to improve my work.
I also thank my wife, Nagah Alotaibi, who has been a source of an inspiration to me
and supported me every step of the way. My two boys, Tariq and Omar, who frequently
asked me when I would get my PhD degree, gave me the energy to continue and finish
the work successfully. Thanks also go to my daughters, Ghadah, Raghad, and Ghaida.
Many thanks are also due to all the heads and managers of HR Departments and the
respondents in the five public universities in Saudi Arabia for their valuable time,
support, and willingness to provide information on their HRM practices during my field
trips.
Finally, thanks go to all those who provided me with any assistance during the
completion of this work, including the teaching staff at the HR Department of Coventry
University.

9
Contents
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ 6
DECLARATION .................................................................................................................. 7
DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... 8
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................... 9
LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. 14
LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. 16
1.0 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................... 18
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH LOCATION – THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA ... 18
1.1 RESEARCH BACKGROUND................................................................................................ 20
1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM ............................................................................................... 24
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION .............................................................................................. 26
1.4 THE AIM OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................... 26
1.5 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................... 26
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY .................................................................................. 27
1.7 CONCEPTUAL DEFINITIONS ...................................................................................... 31
1.8 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS ..................................................................................... 32
1.9 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 33
2. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 35
2.2 AN OVERVIEW OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ............................................. 35
2.2.1 DEFINITION OF HRM ...................................................................................................... 37
2.2.2 CORE FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE MODERN ERA ........... 38
2.2.3 DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTICES IN SAUDI ARABIA .......................... 40
2.2.4 PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES .... 44
2.2.5 IT/IS IN ORGANISATIONS IN SAUDI ARABIA .................................................................. 46
2.3.NATIONAL CULTURE AND SUBJECTIVE NORMS ..................................................................... 51
2.3.1 HOFSTEDE’S STUDY ......................................................................................................... 51
2.3.2 SUBJECTIVE NORMS ............................................................................................................. 56
2.4 HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEMS ............................................................ 51
2.4.1 OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................... 58
2.5.1 DEFINITION OF A HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM (HRIS) .......................... 59
2.5.2 HISTORY OF HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEMS ............................................. 60
2.5.3 THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
SYSTEMS .................................................................................................................................. 62
2.6 APPLICATIONS MONITORING AND COLLECTION ...................................................... 63
2.6.1 RECORD KEEPING ........................................................................................................... 63
2.6.2 PAYROLL SYSTEM........................................................................................................... 63
2.6.3BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION ............................................................................................ 64
2.6.4 TRAINING SOFTWARE PACKAGE..................................................................................... 64
10