The College of Administration and Economics at the University of Mosul, represented by the Department of Business Administration, witnessed on Sunday, 15 February 2026, the defense of a PhD dissertation entitled: “Leader–Member Exchange and Its Impact on Enhancing Happiness at Work: The Mediating Role of Organizational Trust – An Analytical Study of the Views of a Sample of Employees in Several Tourism Sector Institutions in the City of Mosul”
The dissertation was submitted by the student Safwan Nafi Abdullah and defended in Discussion Hall No. (1).
The study aimed to demonstrate the explanatory importance of happiness at work as a key variable in promoting a healthy work environment and raising levels of performance and productivity. This was achieved by examining the effect of leader–member exchange on happiness at work and identifying the mediating role of organizational trust in interpreting this relationship.
The main findings revealed a structural interconnection among the three variables within the proposed model. The results also indicated a non-significant direct effect contrasted with a significant indirect effect of leader–member exchange on happiness at work through organizational trust, confirming the existence of full mediation by the organizational trust variable.
The study recommended that organizations, particularly in the tourism sector, benefit from these findings by redirecting their development programs toward building organizational trust and strengthening leadership interaction patterns with members. Such efforts would contribute to improving happiness at work and creating a positive organizational environment that supports the achievement of institutional goals in tourism organizations.
The examination committee consisted of:
Professor Dr. Mayson Abdullah Ahmed – College of Administration and Economics / University of Mosul as a chair,  Professor Dr. Wissam Ali Hussein – College of Administration and Economics / University of Fallujah as a member, Assistant Professor Dr. Iman Basheer Mohammed – College of Administration and Economics / University of Mosul as a member, Assistant Professor Dr. Safaa Idrees Abboudi – College of Administration and Economics / University of Mosul as a member
Assistant Professor Dr. Raghad Mohammed Yahya – College of Administration and Economics / University of Mosul – Member
Assistant Professor Dr. Hassan Thabit Jassim – College of Administration and Economics / University of Mosul as a member and supervisor.