Analysis of Skills Needed by Unemployed Fresh Graduates in Business Administration: Evidence from Oman Текст научной статьи по специальности «Экономика и бизнес»

ORIGINAL PAPER

DOI: 10.26794/2308-944X-2024-12-2-17-27 UDC 331.5,378.4,311.2(045) JEL E24, M1, O15, M48

Analysis of Skills Needed by Unemployed Fresh Graduates in Business Administration: Evidence from Oman

S. Al-Saadi, A. Al-Abri, R. Khairnnas, A. Al-Shukaili

University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman

ABSTRACT

The authors consider the increasing unemployment rate for fresh graduates from business administration majors in developing countries, such as Oman. The abilities and skills students need to obtain employment after graduating from postsecondary education institutions are the subject of this study. The aim of this study was to identify the skills required by the Omani labor market as well as the employability skills gap among recent business administration graduates. The relevance of this study relies on proposing an evaluation model to assess the skills required by employers, specifically in the private sector, from fresh graduates of business schools. The authors adopted a quantitative research method to achieve the study's objectives. The data were collected through a survey which was distributed to 101 fresh graduates from two higher education institutions. The findings reveal that soft skills, such as problemsolving, teamwork, dedication to work, a positive attitude, leadership, communication, critical thinking, negotiation, and pursuit of learning, are the most needed by graduates in all aspects. The study concluded that there is a demand for different types of soft and technical skills that are important for future jobs in the private sector. The study recommends more collaboration between universities and various stakeholders to review current academic programs and design more professional and vocational training programs. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the promotion of an entrepreneurial mindset to prepare graduates to develop creative business ideas and innovation to create their jobs. Keywords: Oman; fresh graduates; universities; education; soft skills; technical skills; unemployment; training programs; entrepreneurship; job market

For citation: Al-Saadi S., Al-Abri A., Khairnnas R., Al Shukaili A. Analysis of skills needed by unemployed fresh graduates in business administration: evidence from Oman. Review of Business and Economics Studies. 2024;12(2):17-27 DOI: 10.26794/2308-944X-2024-12-2-17-27

ОРИГИНАЛЬНАЯ СТАТЬЯ

Анализ навыков, необходимых безработным выпускникам в области бизнес-администрирования: данные из Омана

Ш. Аль-Саади, А. Аль-Абри, Р. Хайрннас, А. Аль-Шукаили

Университет Низвы, Низва, Оман

АННОТАЦИЯ

Авторы рассматривают рост уровня безработицы среди недавних выпускников по специальности «бизнес-администрирование» в развивающихся странах, таких как Оман. Предметом исследования являются навыки, необходимые студентам для трудоустройства после окончания высших учебных заведений. Целью данного исследования было выявить навыки, необходимые на рынке труда Омана, а также пробелы

© Al-Saadi S., Al-Abri A., Khairnnas R., Al-Shukaili A., 2024

This work is licensed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

в навыках, необходимых для трудоустройства среди недавних выпускников по специальности «бизнес-администрирование». Актуальность данного исследования обусловлена предложением модели оценки навыков, требуемых работодателями от недавних выпускников бизнес-школ, особенно в частном секторе. Для достижения целей исследования авторы использовали количественный метод. Данные были собраны с помощью опроса, в котором принял участие 101 выпускник двух высших учебных заведений. Результаты исследования показывают, что «мягкие» навыки, такие как умение решать проблемы и работать в команде, преданность работе, позитивный настрой, лидерство, общение, критическое мышление, ведение переговоров и стремление к обучению, наиболее необходимы выпускникам. Исследование позволило сделать вывод, что существует спрос на различные виды «мягких» и технических навыков, которые важны для будущих рабочих мест в частном секторе. Исследование рекомендует расширять сотрудничество между университетами и различными заинтересованными сторонами для анализа текущих академических программ и разработки дополнительных программ профессионального обучения. Кроме того, в исследовании подчеркивается важность развития предпринимательского мышления, чтобы подготовить выпускников к разработке творческих бизнес-идей и инноваций для создания рабочих мест.

Ключевые слова: Оман; выпускники; университеты; образование; мягкие навыки; технические навыки; безработица; учебные программы; предпринимательство; рынок труда

Для цитирования: Al-Saadi S., Al-Abri A., Khairnnas R., Al Shukaili A. Analysis of skills needed by unemployed fresh graduates in business administration: evidence from Oman. Review of Business and Economics Studies. 2024;12(2):17-27. DOI: 10.26794/2308-944X-2024-12-2-17-27

Introduction

The stage of looking for a job opportunity is a critical phase in the lives of fresh graduates who move from education to employment. In developing countries, such as Oman, the young graduates' job seeker rate is a significant concern for the government and other stakeholders due to its negative effects on the country's general economic welfare and level of human resource productivity [1]. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the world unemployment rate in 2023 stood at a rate of 5.2%. It was 4.5% for high-income countries compared to 5.5% in upper-middle-income countries. In addition, in 2023, the job rate for women was higher than for men by 3% in upper-middle countries and 2.3% in high-income countries. The figures from World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) Trends 2024 indicate that the unemployment rate in Arab countries is expected to reach 9.8% in 2024, and for the Gulf Region countries, it is expected to reach 3.5% in the same year. This is due to the lack of skills, poor education and training, and the highest rate of unemployment in Arab countries for the youth population [2]. According to the Oman National Center for Statistics and Information,1 the unemployment rate in 2024 will reach 3.2%, most of which is observed within the age group of 20-34. What is important in these statistics is that 44.43% of them are university degree holders (30.73%

1 URL: https://portal.ecensus.gov.om/ecen-portal/indica-tors/65/viewer (accessed on 17.03.2024).

holding a bachelor's degree or higher, 13.7% holding a diploma degree). Recently, Oman's economy has witnessed remarkable growth, and the job market has expanded. However, this growth leads to an increased demand for skilled professionals and poses more challenges for fresh graduates to secure suitable employment opportunities. This raises questions about the adequacy of their skills and the relevance of their education to the current industry requirements. The primary objective of this study is to conduct a thorough analysis of the skills needed by fresh graduates and identify the gaps between their existing skill sets and job market demand.

This study contributes to literature by indicating the skills that are required by fresh graduates from universities in business administration majors. Therefore, the main achievement and contribution to the field can be finding an evaluation model to assess the skills that are required by employers, specifically in the private sector, from the fresh graduates from business schools. Thus, it will help to reduce the gap in understanding the skills required by the private sector on one side and education institutions and fresh graduates on the other side. The findings from this study will provide policymakers in Oman and other stakeholders, including educational institutions and vocational training centers, with the necessary information to align their training programs and curriculum to the job market requirements. This will provide fresh graduates with useful knowledge and skills that enhance their employability

opportunities and make significant contributions to Oman's economy. The educational institutions can review their academic programs and include the employer's required skills in the curriculum.

Literature review

There is a prevalent belief that more education means more employment opportunities. In other words, those who hold a higher education degree are unlikely to be unemployed [3]. This is because a higher level of education serves as a foundational form of training, and universities are a vital supply of future workers [3, 4]. Thus, many students seek prolonged education to avoid unemployment, especially in the current difficult economic climate [5]. Therefore, the objectives of higher education are to expand vocational training for students to achieve outstanding intellectual goals, to access selected institutions, and raise their entry rates in the job market [6, 7]. Moreover, colleges teach students the necessary skills for all job types [8]. Hossain et al. found a significant correlation between graduate characteristics, employability, and job mismatch [9].

However, the annual increase in the number of graduates, particularly those with the lowest degree of education, leads to unemployment among them [10]. This issue has become more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic [11], and it is more notable in urban areas where competition is high and gender inequalities play a role in women's unemployment [12]. Moreover, many employers have developed specific standards and strong hiring practices for each position, which make it difficult for graduates to find a suitable job [13]. According to WESO Trends 2024 [2], the unemployment rate among youth in Arab countries for women was 39.3% compared with 25.2% for males, and the gender gap between adults was 14.3% for women and 5.5% for males. This indicates that the unemployment rate in Arab countries is higher among adults and women.

According to Noay et al. (2021) [14], employers look forward to graduates with a range of skills and features, such as teamwork, communication, leadership, critical thinking, the ability to work independently, and intellectual and problemsolving skills. This is in addition to other technical skills, such as software proficiency, project management, data analysis, and knowledge of

common operating systems. These skills are advantageous for new graduates in obtaining offers from companies. Their research highlights the importance of incorporating the employability skills and qualities of graduates into teaching and learning strategies. Moreover, they call for more collaboration between universities and industry and promote opportunities for students to access work-based learning to obtain relevant employment skills, knowledge, and awareness of employers' culture [14]. Along the same line, according to Okolie et al. (2020), professional self-efficacy and cognitive social behavior help fresh graduates gain more information, skills, and the ability to participate in the labor market successfully [15]. For this purpose, Tilak and Choudhury proposed changes to improve technical education, including hiring experienced teachers and developing a positive learning environment with solid infrastructure such as libraries, classrooms, labs, and contemporary technology [16].

Abd Rahman et al. (2020) have a different opinion as they advocate for preparing graduates to come up with innovative ideas to create their jobs since the trend of graduate unemployment keeps rising and they should see this issue as an opportunity to improve their knowledge and abilities to meet future industrial needs [11]. Ganefri et al. (2020) call for building higher education thinking abilities through project-based learning and promoting entrepreneurship learning via production-based entrepreneurship training models [17]. Al-Harthy and Yusof believe that local employees' performance and retention should be the top consideration when making decisions for localization policies if Oman is to work toward them [18].

Some international reports have highlighted a mismatch between the job seekers' skills and the employer's job requirements. According to WESO Trends 2024, there is a gap between understanding the workers' expectations and the characteristics of the jobs available in the market. This is due to the quality of education that provides the required skills and training to respond to the current needs of the private sector. According to the ILO [2], 68% of job seekers thought there were skills gaps in Oman between employers and job seekers, and 31% of them don't know which skills the employers are looking for. Many of the job seekers in Oman are facing difficulties in finding

jobs based on their current skills attained from their university or college.

Research methods

We adopted quantitative research methods to achieve the study objectives. We conducted a survey that encompasses many dimensions, such as technical skills, knowledge, competencies, and other soft skills, such as communication skills, teamwork skills, and problem-solving skills. The list of skills used in the survey is based on previous studies, e.g., [19, 20, 21].

The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 101 fresh graduates in Business Administration from the University of Nizwa and the University of Technology and Application Science in Nizwa through the Alumni Center. The respondents were asked to rate their skills on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 meant strongly disagree and 5 meant strongly agree. These skills are diversified in three dimensions: 1) Skills needed after graduation and can contribute to the job opportunity. 2) Skills that enhance job opportunities. 3) Skills that universities should provide to prepare their students to join the job market. In addition, the survey included some other questions related to entrepreneurial opportunities.

We used descriptive analysis to describe demographic data, including age, gender, employment status, graduating from university, educational level, and major. In addition, we used a quantitative analysis approach employing Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software to analyze the reliability and validity of the data. Finally, we used mean scores to rank the relative importance of skills as perceived by fresh business graduates.

Results and discussion

The study started with descriptive analysis to shed light on the characteristics of the surveyed population, including age, gender, work status, number of years since university graduation, educational level, and major. The results are presented in Table 1.

Since this study analyzes the needs and preferences regarding skills and job market readiness of young adults who may have recently completed their education or are in the early stages of their careers, the majority of respondents fall in the 24-26 age range and 23 or under (43.6% and 34.7%,

Table 1

Descriptive analysis

Responses

Characteristics

Frequency Percentage

Age

23 or under 35 34.7

24-26 44 43.6

27-29 13 12.9

30 or older 9 8.9

Total 101 100

Gender

Male 39 38.6

Female 62 61.4

Total 101 100

Employment status

Graduate student 13 12.9

Employee 12 11.9

Job seeker 70 69.3

Entrepreneur 6 5.9

Total 101 100

Graduating from

university

1 year ago 43 42.6

2 years ago 17 16.8

3 years ago 16 15.8

4 years ago 8 7.9

5 years ago, or more 17 16.8

Total 101 100

Educational level

Diploma 18 17.8

Bachelor 82 81.2

Master 1 1

Total 101 100

Major

Business management 40 39.6

Information systems 13 12.9

Accounting 14 13.9

Economics and finance 6 5.9

Marketing 4 4

Human resources 6 5.9

Operation management 2 2

other specify 16 15.8

Total 101 100

Source: Developed by the authors.

respectively), followed by a smaller percentage of age ranges of 27-29 and 30 or older (12.9% and 8.9%, respectively). Data show a higher representation of females with 61.4%, while only 38.6% of respondents identify as male. This may reflect the gender composition of the survey participants. Regarding the work status of respondents, 69.3% of respondents identified themselves as job seekers

Table 2

Reliability tests

Skills needed after graduation and can contribute to the job opportunity.

Skills enhance the job opportunity

The skills that universities should prepare their students for to join the job market

Source: Developed by the authors.

and 12.9% as graduate students, while only 17.8% of respondents were employees or entrepreneurs. This aligns with the interest of the study in understanding the needs and aspirations of individuals actively seeking employment. The distribution of respondents based on the number of years since they graduated from university shows a significant proportion of recent graduates. The highest percentage of respondents (42.6%) graduated one year ago, followed by 5 years ago or more (16.8%). This indicates a group of individuals in the early stages of their careers who are likely recent graduates from university and have entered or are about to enter the job market. A Bachelor's degree was the most common education level among the respondents (81.2%), followed by diploma-holders (17.8%). However, only 1% of respondents hold Master's degrees. This highlights that all participants in the survey have completed undergraduate studies. The first majors reported in the results are business management (39.6%), accounting (13.9%) and information systems (12.9%). Other specified majors, such as economics and finance, marketing, human resources, and operations management, have lower percentages, ranging from 2% to 15.8%. This is in line with the study's target group, as respondents to the poll were people with backgrounds in business.

We performed some reliability tests for the three variables. The results are shown in Table 2. As we see from the table, Cronbach's alpha coefficients are all close to Alpha = 1 (0.967, 0.928, 0.992). According to Taherdoost (2016) and Hair et al. (2012), these results, as in an exploratory study in the social sciences, indicate that there is an acceptable internal consistency reliability for all multidimensional variables used in the study [22, 23].

As in prior studies, e.g., [24-26], we used mean scores to rank the relative importance of skills

Cronbach's Alpha N of Items

0.967 13

0.928 10

0.992 10

perceived by fresh business graduates as needed after graduation and can contribute to the job opportunity, or enhance the job opportunity, or that universities should prepare their students to join the job market. As shown in Table 3, graduated students ranked problem-solving, teamwork, dedication to work, a positive attitude during challenges, and management skills as the top five most important skills that they think they need when they graduate and find their job. In terms of skills that can enhance job opportunities, the graduates placed leadership and time management, good communication with customers and suppliers, participation in different academic activities, knowledge of some software programs, knowledge of using Word, Excel and different office tools, as the top five most important skills. Regarding skills that universities should prepare their students to join the job market, the results come as follows. Leadership skills were ranked first, followed by critical thinking in second rank. At the third rank came teamwork skills and technical and computer skills and the fourth rank was shared between motivation skills and improved personal knowledge. The fifth rank was also shared between time management skills and problem-solving skills. Down in the list, personality development skills and communication skills came in sixth and seventh places, respectively.

The participants were asked some other questions to identify skills that they would like to improve and enhance in the future, and to what extent their intention to start their own business if they do not find a job opportunity.

Therefore, the present study confirmed the findings about the need for some types of specialized skills that can satisfy the demands of the labor market in Oman. There is an increase in demand for highly skilled graduates' students who will be capable of meeting the requirements of job specifica-

Table 3

Measurement variables analysis

Variable Mean SDev p_value Rank

Please specify the skills that you think you need when you graduate and can contribute to finding your job

Major knowledge level 2.8515 1.26796 0.00* 13

Leadership skills 3.0495 1.29905 0.00* 6

Communication skills 3.0396 1.24837 0.00* 7

Computer and IT 3.0099 1.26882 0.00* 9

Practical experience 2.8614 1.28864 0.00* 12

Analytical and critical thinking 3.0297 1.32254 0.00* 8

Logical analysis 2.8812 1.21068 0.00* 11

Dedication to work 3.2277 1.41337 0.00* 3

Management skills 3.0990 1.36018 0.00* 5

Positive attitude during challenges 3.1485 1.32201 0.00* 4

Technical skills 3.0000 1.27279 0.00* 10

Teamwork 3.2475 1.29156 0.00* 2

Problem solving 3.2970 1.29263 0.00* 1

How can the following factors and skills enhance the job opportunity for graduate students?

Participation in different academic activities

Overall knowledge in business studies activities

Knowledge of using Word, Excel and different office tools

4.1089 3.8812

4.0792

0.94764 0.89763

1.04578

0.00* 0.00*

0.00*

Personality: (language / critical think / making decisions) important to find a job 3.8812 1.00287 0.00* 8

Knowledge of using some software programs 4.0891 0.92843 0.00* 4

Teamwork 3.9901 0.87744 0.00* 6

Good communication with customers and suppliers 4.1287 0.95565 0.00* 2

Problem solving and decision making 3.9901 0.93268 0.00* 6

Leadership and time management 4.1584 0.96677 0.00* 1

Ability to plan and forecast international changes 3.9703 0.95347 0.00* 7

Skills that universities should prepare their students for to join the job market

Communication skills 1.4545 0.50252 0.00* 7

Personality development 1.7455 0.43962 0.00* 6

Time management 1.8727 0.33635 0.00* 5

Leadership skills 1.9636 0.18892 0.00* 1

Motivation skills 1.9091 0.29013 0.00* 4

Problem solving 1.8727 0.33635 0.00* 5

Teamwork 1.9273 0.26208 0.00* 3

Critical thinking 1.9455 0.22918 0.00* 2

Technical and computer skills 1.9273 0.26208 0.00* 3

Improve personal knowledge 1.9091 0.29013 0.00* 4

Note: * significant at p < 0.001. Source: Developed by the authors.

5

tions in the private sector. The findings in Table 3 illustrate the statistical significance of all the p-values for all skills. The most important skills that students need to find jobs are problem solving, dedication to the work, and teamwork. In addition, leadership and time management, good communication with customers and suppliers, and participation in various academic activities are significant skills that can help students land job opportunities. Overall, all the mentioned skills in the study are important, and the findings of the current study are consistent with the ILO's list of skills needed in Oman's labor market [2], which is recommended for companies in Oman to provide training opportunities for graduates. Furthermore, education institutions and the government should collaborate to indicate the future skills required to be given to students to meet the needs of the future job market.

The results in Table 4 indicate that a significant portion of respondents, specifically 70.3%, desire to enhance their knowledge in their major area. Other areas include communication skills (56.4%), personality development (46.5%), teamwork and problem-solving (42.6%), motivation skills (47.5%), and technical and computer skills (37.6%), which represent the skills that respondents desire to improve and enhance in the future. Moreover, some other soft skills were pointed out by participants, such as time management (43.6%), critical thinking (38.6%), presentation skills (36.6%), conducting research and studies (33.7%), data analysis (33.7%), negotiation (27.7%), and pursuit of learning (26.7%). This highlights the importance and awareness of respondents of soft skills and personal growth for their future careers. Regarding the question related to the intention of respondents to start their own business if they do not find a job opportunity, the results emphasize the significant interest of fresh graduates to pursue entrepreneurship as an alternative career path with a percentage of 82.2%.

Due to environmental, technological, climate and economic changes, there will be a high generation of future jobs related to the green business transition, big data, technology adaptation, artificial intelligence (AI) and the digitalization of trade and business (Future of Jobs Report (2023), published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).2

2 URL: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of Jobs_2023.pdf (accessed on 20.05.2024).

In addition, there will be a growth in jobs that are more focused on e-commerce, environment management technology, cybersecurity, and all jobs related to tech like agriculture technology, financial technology, education technology, etc. Education, agriculture, digital commerce, and trade industries are expected to see growth in job creation in the coming five years. However, administrative jobs are predicted to be reduced, and many jobs will be lost due to the adaptation of technology and automation systems. Therefore, companies in the future are expected to recruit graduates or employees who have analytical thinking skills, creative thinking skills, cognitive skills, self-efficacy skills, motivations, self-awareness, and life-learning skills. In addition, they are looking for candidates who are flexible and can adapt to the environmental and workplace changes. Furthermore, the core skills that will be required more in the future will be those related to teamwork, empathy skills with customer awareness, leadership, active listening and social influence.

Conclusion

The study aims to shed light on the training needs of unemployed fresh graduates in the Business Administration major in Oman and provide actionable recommendations to address the skills gap and enhance their employability.

Previous studies have emphasized the importance and role of higher education and other professional training institutions, as a foundational form of vocational training, indicating that higher education students are unlikely to experience unemployment. However, there are still obstacles that new graduates must overcome in order to enter the workforce. These include the annual increase in the number of graduates, the development of stringent hiring procedures and standards by employers, and their preference for graduates with a diverse range of abilities. A survey was distributed to 101 fresh graduates from the University of Nizwa and UTAS-Nizwa, and the data were analyzed using the SPSS program. The findings show that the skills that ranked higher in all aspects (skills that can enhance job opportunities, skills that universities should teach their students to join the job market, and the skills that fresh graduates would like to improve and enhance in the future) are soft skills: problem-solving, teamwork, dedication to work, a positive attitude,

Table 4

What do you want to improve and enhance in the future?

Particulars

1 Improve personal knowledge in my major

2 Communication skills

3 Motivation skills

4 Personality development

5 Time management

7 Teamwork and problem solving

8 Critical thinking

9 Technical and computer skills

10 Presentation skills

11 Leadership skills

12 Data analysis

13 Conducting research and other studies

14 Negotiation

15 Pursue learning Source: Developed by the authors.

leadership, communication, critical thinking, negotiation, and the ability to pursue learning. This reflects the demand for what we call "Future Skills" due to global economic change and technological advancements. However, some technical skills are included, such as technical and computer skills (e.g., software programs, such as Word and Excel), and data analysis.

Interestingly, the results show that most respondents expressed their intention to pursue entrepreneurship as an alternative career path. Our results demonstrated that the most important skills that graduate students need and can contribute to easily finding jobs are problem solving, teamwork, and dedication to work. In Oman, foreign workers dominate the private sector. Therefore, maintaining the required skills for graduates is vital to the government and education institutions. Although Table 3 ranks the importance of each opinion, it is important to note that there are many different opinions with varying standard deviations when assessing the skills that are required after graduation and demanded by the private sector.

In addition, the analysis of this study concludes that leadership skills, critical thinking

Frequency Percentage, %

71 70.3

57 56.4

48 47.5

47 46.5

44 43.6

43 42.6

39 38.6

38 37.6

37 36.6

36 35.6

34 33.7

34 33.7

28 27.7

27 26.7

skills, and teamwork are the important skills that universities should provide their students to successfully join the job market. According to the recommendations of the World Economic Forum, the Oman government should develop the professional and technical skills of the national workforce, which can help replace the expatriates in the private sector. Enhancing internship training and providing practical experience are the policy tools that can reduce the gap between the national and foreign workforces in their professional skills. It is important to monitor the future jobs market in the Omani and balance the skills required for Omani workforce in order to replace expatriates in the private sector. The unemployment problems in Oman could be due to the saturation of job vacancies available in the public sector, as 86% of total workers in the public sector are Omanis. However, the dominance of foreign workers or investors in the private sector in Oman, who prefer to recruit non-Omanis due to their skills or salary advantages, prevents the private sector from creating more job opportunities for Omanis.

In conclusion, we propose the following recommendations:

1. Prepare graduates with relevant soft skills, self-efficacy, and cognitive social behavior through workshops, seminars, and internships.

2. Emphasize technical skills such as data analysis, programing, project management, and emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence and block chain.

3. Foster collaboration between universities and industry to design curricula and training programs that promote opportunities for students to access real-world-based learning to obtain relevant employment skills, knowledge, and awareness of employers' cultures.

4. Encourage and facilitate internship programs that provide fresh graduates with practical experience and communication with professionals in their field of interest.

5. Promote an entrepreneurship mindset to prepare graduates to come up with creative ideas and innovation to create their jobs via several

learning methods, such as production-based en-trepreneurship training models.

These recommendations may help educational institutions, policymakers, and even employers prepare suitable curricula and training programs that will empower fresh graduates with the right technical and soft skills, along with a mindset for continuous learning and entrepreneurial creativity and innovation. By implementing these recommendations, Oman can foster a more vibrant and skilled workforce, leading to sustainable economic growth and development.

The limitations of the present study include the small sample size, necessitating cautious generalization of the findings. In addition, due to the size of the sample, and the homogeneity of the data, implementing the ANOVA analysis to check the differences among the skills was not performed in the study.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS / ИНФОРМАЦИЯ ОБ АВТОРАХ

Sheikha Al-Saadi — Undergraduate Student, Management Department, College of Economics,

Management and Information Systems (CEMIS), University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman

Шейха Аль-Саади — студентка бакалавриата факультета менеджмента Колледжа экономики,

менеджмента и информационных систем (CEMIS), Университет Низвы, Низва, Оман

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5486-7488

12847568@uofn.edu.om

Amjaad Al-Abri — Undergraduate Student, Management Department, College of Economics, Management and Information Systems (CEMIS), University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman Амджаад Аль-Абри — студентка бакалавриата факультета менеджмента Колледжа экономики, менеджмента и информационных систем (CEMIS), Университет Низвы, Низва, Оман https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7245-4180 12659075@uofn.edu.om

Rabie Khairnnas — Research assistant, Entrepreneurship Center, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman. Раби Хайрннас — научный сотрудник Центра предпринимательства, Университет Низвы, Низва, Оман

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9820-1105 97711995@uofn.edu.om

Abdullah Al-Shukaili — Ph.D. in Management, Head of Management Department and the Executive Director, University of Nizwa Entrepreneurship Center; Assistant Professor at the Management Department, College of Economics, Management and Information Systems (CEMIS). University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman

Абдулла Аль-Шукаили — Ph.D. в области менеджмента, руководитель департамента менеджмента

и исполнительный директор Центра предпринимательства, Университет Низвы; доцент

кафедры менеджмента Колледжа экономики, менеджмента и информационных систем (CEMIS),

Университет Низвы, Низва, Оман

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5206-0828

Corresponding Author

a.alshukaili@unizwa.edu.om

Authors' declared contribution:

Sheikha Mohammed Ali Al-Saadi and Amjaad Nasser Salim Al-Abri (both) — have contributed to writing an introduction, analysed the literature review and finding the research gap, preparing the research questionnaire, collected the data, and participated in writing the results and the conclusion. They are also compiled the tables, defining the research sources and formulating all the research sections.

Rabie Khairnnas — has participated in conducting the analysis, applied the research method, description of evaluation methods, indicating the key findings, contributed to writing the conclusions of the research and implication of the study, He has also assisted in reviewing the references and formatting and reviewing the manuscript based on the Journal guidelines.

Abdullah Al Shukaili — has assisted and guided the team in defining the research problem and objectives, developing the conceptual framework, developing the indicators corresponding to the model component, participating in writing and reviewing the whole study's sections, and writing the abstract.

Conflicts of Interest Statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

The article was submitted on 16.04.2024; revised on 25.05.2024 and accepted for publication on 03.06.2024. The authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.