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Purpose Medical tourism offers many opportunities to diversify Bahrain’s economy and foster economic development and prosperity. This study aims to holistically investigate the potential of developing Bahrain as a medical tourism destination and create a strategic roadmap to help government decision makers and other key private sector players to realize that potential. Design/methodology/approach This study is primarily based on quantitative research methods. Data were collected from medical service providers in the Kingdom of Bahrain using a questionnaire and subsequently analyzed using quantitative analysis techniques. Findings Overall findings indicate that Bahrain has the potential to attain competitiveness in the medical tourism sector. This can be achieved through a combination of industry-specific management strategies which facilitate effective public–private partnerships, reinvent healthcare legislation and encourage investment in medical tourism infrastructure. Practical implications This study will help determine best practice, prioritize improvement opportunities and enhance performance relative to stakeholders’ expectations and responsible tourism development. Originality/value Studies assessing medical tourism competitiveness of various countries are difficult to obtain. This study fills an existing gap by providing a distinct and comprehensive evaluation method of such competitiveness through a structured analysis of relevant market data in Bahrain. This study can be further extended to include a wider range of stakeholders, namely, private enterprise and the government sector.

Purpose – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was set up in 1981 between Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait for strengthening cooperation and economic development in the region. The GCC has made strides towards economic consolidation by forming a customs union and a common market. The long-term vision is to create an Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) with a single currency. Progress towards the EMU has been slow and the recent oil price plunge has led to concerns regarding sustainable growth of member countries due to their significant dependence on oil and lack of diversification. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the scope of an EMU in the GCC against the backdrop of current oil crisis and examine sustainability of such a union. The paper studies convergence criteria similar to the ones followed by the accession countries of the European EMU in the 1990s preceding the introduction of the single currency Euro. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws its practical approach from the experience of the European Monetary Union, though the original idea of the single currency in Optimum Currency Areas was conceived by Mundell (1961). The present paper analyses macroeconomic time-series variables (e.g. GDP, budget deficits, debt, growth rates, inflation rates, exchange rates) for GCC during the period 2005-2014. Data has been sourced from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) databases to study the convergence criteria adopted by the EMU countries for the introduction of the Euro. Findings – The paper concludes that GCC economies are similar in terms of their structural and economic fundamentals. Most elements of the convergence criteria that were followed by the accession countries in Europe are fulfilled by the GCC member states, particularly during 2011-2014. The GCC states look similar in terms of sustainable growth, price stability and exchange rate stability – three aspects of convergence met by the European Union states. However, heavy dependence on oil and lack of diversification from oil and hydrocarbon-related products in the gross domestic product (GDP) composition of GCC states pose severe risks to the potential union. Fiscal vulnerabilities of these economies to oil price shocks, such as the current oil price crisis, create concerns for such a union during oil price lows. Widely divergent fiscal deficit-to-GDP ratios and rising debt-to-GDP ratios during periods of low oil prices imply the lack of sound and unsustainable public finances for some of the GCC states. The divergence has stemmed from widely different break-even oil prices for government budgets within the GCC and also due to varying degrees of oil dependencies between the member states. The scope of a successful and more sustainable EMU can be further explored once the GCC economics have achieved adequate diversity from oil. Originality/value – The study is useful to policy makers, central banks, businesses and researchers since it highlights the EMU as a feasible option for the GCC states. The sustainability of the EMU is contingent on diversification of these economies in the future from oil and oil-related products. The study can be utilized by policy makers as a strategy to further restructure GCC economies towards greater resilience and integration prior to accession to the GCC EMU.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the validity of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) between gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and environmental indicators in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Additionally, this paper also explores the relationship between health and income levels in the GCC to identify whether higher incomes necessarily affect overall health metrics. Design/methodology/approach The first part of this paper studies the relationship between GDP per capita and the greenhouse gases (GHGs) – carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) (all per capita data). The second part of this paper explores the relationship between GDP per capita and the following health variables: life expectancy, infant mortality and child mortality – for GCC countries during 1980–2012. Unit root tests were conducted, followed by cointegration analysis, leading to Granger causality test and vector error correction model. Findings GCC states are highly dependent on fossil fuel production and hence depend on hydrocarbons for GDP growth. Most of the GCC states demonstrate lack of the EKC curve. However, there is evidence of U-shaped relationship between environmental pollutants and GDP per capita in kingdoms like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (KSA). United Arab Emirates (UAE), on the other hand, demonstrates EKC, though not significantly. The study then explores the existence of potential relationship between health and GDP in the GCC, where it has been found that higher incomes have driven a better standard of living resulting in improved health metrics and higher life expectancy rates. Thus, growing incomes have played a positive role by improving health parameters and by offsetting some of the negative impacts from lack of environmental improvement as demonstrated by the absence of EKC in general in GCC. Originality/value GHG emissions data are individually and empirically examined for each country in the GCC. Furthermore, the study delves into the environmental problems that lead to health issues, which were initially caused by pollution. The results of the empirical analysis provide strong evidence that GCC countries need to rely less on fossil fuels, as lower productivity due to higher pollution reduces income and economic growth in most countries.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) awareness on the attitudes of Bahraini women consumers in the age group of 18-55 and their buying behavior toward cosmetics products. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative method is used for focusing on Bahraini women consumers aged between 18-55 years. Primary data comprising consumer’s buying behavior and attitudes were collected through an online questionnaire and analyzed using software like SPSS and Microsoft Office Excel. Findings The empirical findings revealed that Bahraini women are not aware of CSR. This lack of awareness leads to the exclusion of CSR as a factor in their purchase decisions. However, the awareness of CSR can become a reason for avoiding purchase of specific cosmetics when the consumer discovers that the producer has been involved in socially irresponsible business practices. Moreover, Bahraini women do not seek CSR-related information voluntarily from the cosmetics industry. Research limitations/implications This research paper is subject to sample size limitations; it focuses on women of a specific age group using cosmetics and is limited to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Survey method was used as the only primary data collection method. Practical implications This research provides a clear picture of how consumers behave in the absence of any or very little awareness of CSR. It can benefit cosmetics companies, both existing and new, for adopting future long-term marketing strategies to create public awareness of CSR. Social implications This research highlights the importance of raising awareness of CSR in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the possible implications of such activities on consumers’ purchases of cosmetics products. Originality/value This paper contributes significantly toward information regarding Bahraini consumers’ lack of awareness of CSR and sheds light on consumers’ behavior toward cosmetics products in the Kingdom of Bahrain.