Strategic management Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic management - Research Proposal Example This is because Saudi Arabia encompasses the geographical scope of the area that was inhabited by the Prophet of Islam and the various activities he was involved in, during his life and the founding of Islam. Due to this, the King of Saudi Arabia has the title â€Å"Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques† (Ramady, 2010). This is primarily because Saudi Arabia controls the two holiest sites of Islam: Mecca and Medina. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy that is controlled by the core principles of the Islamic faith (Niblock, 2006). The King of Saudi Arabia has an absolute power over activities in the kingdom and his decrees are obeyed without question (Bowen, 2008). This is necessary to preserve his authority as a major figurehead in the world of Islam. Also, the king has the right and power to appoint authorities to run the various public institutions of the kingdom (Roberts, 2007). Until the 1930s when oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia, education was mainly steeped in Islamic study and Islamic law (Roberts, 2007). By the 1940s, the need to acquire higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia was recognized by the King of Saudi Arabia (Abiur, 1988). This is because Saudi Arabia had two main options: to either rely on foreigners who had the skills or send their nationals to Europe, America or other nations with modern institutions of higher learning to get educated. This was seen as undesirable because it exposed Saudis to lifestyles that were not seen as complementary. In 1949, the King of Saudi Arabia commissioned the first college in Mecca but it was to operate a religious curriculum (Abir, 1988). A teacher training college was established in 1952 but the Ulama or religious elites controlled these institutions. Finally, in 1957, the King commissioned the University of Riyadh. Several universities and institutions of higher learning were opened after this. As Saudi public institutions, the universities are ran by authorities that are appointed by