Leadership style is an important factor that affects the enhancement of organizational performance and employee’s job performance, and what objectives they should pursue, which also makes a profit for their employees or makes another social and economic contribution to society. The present study was developed to observe the impact of transformational leadership on job performance and to investigate the mediating mechanism of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Primary data were collected from the employees by using a cross-sectional design method. Employees who participated in the study are working in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) of Pakistan. A total of 300 questionnaires were circulated, and 130 were received. The Regression analysis was executed to examine whether CSR mediated the correlation among transformational leadership and job performance. The results of the study suggest that transformational leadership positively and completely predicts job performance. Particularly, the study finds that CSR significantly mediated the effect of transformational leadership on job performance. On the basis of these findings, it can be explicated that transformational leadership, job performances, and CSR are important elements of an organization. These elements can improve organizational performance. Theoretical implications of the recent study are discussed, and offer directions for future research in the area.

Background: Like many international universities and institutions of higher education that have shifted the entire educational system from the traditional face-to-face education model to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, universities in Saudi Arabia have expended great effort to change the behavior of educators and students to accommodate the transition. This rapid shift has had a significant impact on students, especially in programs such as interior design, in which different practical courses are taught along with the theoretical ones. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the benefits and challenges senior interior design students experienced while taking their classes online. Design and Methods: The current paper has adopted a qualitative approach for assessing the data obtained. Semi-structured interview was used to collect all the needed information regarding participants’ opinions about distance learning. Results: Increased time to spend on assignments, reduction of costs to the student, and improvement in achievement of learning outcomes were the three main benefits students reported in their experience of distance learning. On the other hand, technical issues, changes in grade distribution, and changes in project types were identified as student concerns. Although students found many advantages in communicating with others remotely, some issues arose. Conclusions: Students expressed a preference for the hybrid learning method, or at least for having their exams, juries, and presentations on campus in person, not remotely.

Purpose: The role of women in the architecture and design industry is aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to increase the participation of women in the Saudi construction sector. Saudi female graduates from architectural and design schools are currently working in most of the mega projects underway in Riyadh; however, they face certain challenges at the beginning of their working lives due to the gap between the skills acquired during an architectural and design education and those needed for employability.Design/methodology/approach: This study evaluates the employability skills of Saudi female cooperative education (COOP) students and graduates from architectural schools in Riyadh. A quantitative approach is taken, and two questionnaires are administered: one for female COOP students and graduates from the college of architecture and design in one of the private universities in Riyadh and the other for employers from different architectural firms and governmental organizations in Riyadh. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the research data.Findings: The research findings suggest that practical experiences and on-site observation activities should be provided, and sustainability solutions and applications should be incorporated into the curriculum to bring architecture education closer to the architectural profession and highlight the role of universities in supporting graduates' skills development.Research limitations/implications: It is worth mentioning that the results of this study were based on the survey distributed to architecture and interior female students in a private university in Saudi Arabia. The number of students surveyed in this study is not large enough to generalize the survey results to the entire population of architecture and interior design students in the kingdom and in the world. The study will be extended to include more participants from male and female students in other universities in Saudi Arabia to investigate the gaps in employability skills in the field of architecture and interior design in the Kingdom.Practical implications: The study has practical and policy implications for further development and upcoming challenges as the labor market seems to improve and innovate every day. The study suggests providing practical experiences and onsite observation activities and incorporating sustainability solutions and applications into the curriculum.Originality/value: The originality of this study is that it focuses on the importance of some employability skills, such as research and budgeting aspects, Sustainability solutions and applications for students that have not been mentioned in the previous studies.

The present study aimed to investigate the appropriate level of value contrast in built environments, including the ratio of dark value to light value color, to enable people with low vision to distinguish elements more readily from the surroundings. The study included a total of 20 participants from four locations in Texas. Participants received a two-part questionnaire: Part 1 recorded demographic information including age, gender, and visual acuity; Part 2 presented the central questions of the study relating to given images. All of the participants agreed that high value contrast images with at least 60% variance between the dark and light values were very easy to see. Participants also indicated that medium value contrast images with a variance of 30% were recognizable. Most of the participants also indicated a preference for light value to dark value in a built environment.

Interior designers need to understand the importance of research and evidence-based solutions in design. In interior design education, senior students usually start the “research phase” of their projects before the practical phase. They often struggle with crafting a well-refined research thesis, relying on a scientific research background, and implementing appropriate research methods. The present study aims to explore the teaching strategies that instructors at a private university in Saudi Arabia use to conduct senior thesis projects. The study will be conducted using mixed methods. First, a qualitative description of the teaching methods that have been used through different semesters will be explained. These strategies have been developed over time and evaluated through several semesters in an effort to aid the students with their senior theses, adjust to students’ capabilities, and follow the developing trends of design pedagogy. The study will then be supported by an analysis of students’ work and the application of knowledge gained through several semesters using a grading rubric developed by the instructors of the course and based on the requirements of each assignment submitted by students. For the quantitative part, senior students’ completed questionnaires will be used to assess their level of understanding of the research methods and achievement of desired learning outcomes. The study will be limited to the evaluation of research methods taught for senior students. The obtained result will contribute to the literature on interior design pedagogy, specifically in relation to the integration of research methods and the practice of interior design.

In rapidly growing Saudi cities like Mecca and Jeddah, population diversity and expansion have increased the need to improve residents’ quality of life. As part of Saudi Vision 2030, both cities have launched major redevelopment initiatives that replace old neighbourhoods and relocate residents to newly developed housing. This study evaluates residents’ perceptions of indoor environmental quality across different housing environments, reflecting changes in residential context, building typology, and interior conditions. The study adopted a quantitative approach to gather data from 80 participants who were impacted by demolition projects and moved to newer urban neighbourhoods; the analysis used descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA to analyse the obtained results. The results revealed that for most of the environmental factors, the ANOVA test showed no significant differences between premodern and modern houses, yet the descriptive statistics showed that modern houses were perceived slightly more positively than older houses. Furthermore, the results showed that, in both premodern and modern houses, thermal comfort was identified as one of the most important parameters, followed by indoor air quality and lighting, while acoustics ranked as the least important.