Economic integration, which in today’s global trade is the fundamental component of linking economic ties between countries, is another important factor in the acceleration of economic growth. The provision of trade logistics services is essential to a nation’s economic success in international trade activities. It is essential for enterprises engaged in active international trade to achieve competitive advantages. The international trade and localised commercial activity, to a large extent, is dependent on the logistics and supply chain infrastructure and operational capacity. However, the area received little attention from the perspective of applied economics. The in-depth empirical studies on the impacts of logistics on trade efficiency are few and limited. The study aims to investigate the role of logistics and supply chains in international and national trade in a developing country. It uses secondary data for the analysis. The model and software used in the study are the gravity model and GTAP10a. The time horizon used spans 2014–2030. The results show that in order to enhance trading and commercial activities, a developing country should develop logistics and supply chain infrastructure, train people, and design a flexible logistics policy.

This study is probably the first of its kind to explore the potential and challenges of developing a clean energy transition through sustainable exploration and the use of lithium in Oman’s mining industry. This study explains how growing energy and environmental concerns significantly intensify interest in electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, consequently increasing the demand for lithium exploration and production. Whereas Umm as Samim and Mahout are usually identified as major resources for a potential lithium commodity, this study uses statistical data from Oman’s National Center of Statistics and Information (NCSI) to determine the quantity and value of salt, lithium production, and sales to assess their commercial viability. The findings reveal that Oman has huge potential for lithium exploitation and production, considering the enormous quantities of spodumene and seawater salt with high-grade lithium available, developing efficient regulations and rules to protect investors’ rights, and reducing the environmental risks associated with the production and recycling of lithium-ion batteries. The realization of this potential cannot be attained until serious challenges in the country’s regulations, environmental hazards, and investment strategy are overcome. This study concludes by offering some practical and policy implications.

This paper underlines the significance of free trade agreements in attracting foreign direct investment and their impact on the operational capacities of local firms in host countries. It argues that free trade agreements do not only eliminate barriers to trade, but they also increase the size of the regional market and improve the business environment, making it more attractive to foreign direct investment, along with all the attributes and spillover effects associated with it. While determining the type of spillover effects of foreign direct investment associated with Oman’s trade agreements, this paper uses the Kruskal–Wallis H-test and 438 samples from companies surveyed between 1 August and 31 October 2023 to assess the impact of spillovers on the performance of the surveyed companies. The results reveal that technology transfer, knowledge transfer, labour productivity, product efficiency, capital investments, and job creation have positive effects on the firms’ operational capacities, with technology transfer having the highest impact (27%), followed by labour productivity and job creation (18%). The spillover effects are almost the same for company size and percentage of ownership. They also identified manufacturing and tourism as priority sectors and the availability of a skilled workforce as a major challenge. These findings make original contribution to the field as this is probably the first study to produce a firm-level analysis of spillover effects of foreign direct investment and trade agreements in the context of Oman and the wider Gulf region. The paper concludes with practical implications for policy makers when negotiating trade agreements and designing investment policies to optimize spillover effects on the performance of their domestic firms.

Background: Regular exercise provides benefits that are beyond dispute, and promoting physical activity levels ought to be a primary focus at all levels of healthcare. Chronic exercise causes a variety of cellular and organismal changes that modify how the body processes all macronutrients, including lipids. Purpose: The study investigates different types of aerobic exercise and their impact on both types of cholesterols—low-density-lipoprotein and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and recommends the best protocol for regulating cholesterol levels. Design/Methodology/Approach: This mixed-method study analyzes survey questionnaires distributed among physicians from two different sites in Oman. A total of 60 randomly selected and complete samples were used for the analysis using the Chi-square test. The survey consists of demographic information and questions about the types of cholesterol and types of aerobic exercise and the effect of different kinds of aerobic exercise on cholesterol levels. Finding: The study’s findings demonstrate a statistically significant reduction of cholesterol levels through 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise (walking, swimming, and running). The relationship between aerobic exercise and cholesterol levels vis-a-vis age and gender is not statistically significant. Furthermore, this study recommends the best protocol for regulating cholesterol levels. Research implications: The study has wider implications for future studies in wellness rhetoric in the Arab Gulf States. The outcome is on the wellness discourse which has mass level impact. The rhetoric of wellness programs has a buy-in potential for the Arab Gulf States sitting on the cusp of lifestyle-based diseases, including blood pressure and diabetes. Originality/value: With hardly any extant research in this field in Oman and some sporadic studies in Arab Gulf states, this study establishes its originality, exigency, and value addition in the repertoire of wellness programs in Oman and the Arab Gulf States.