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This study aims to empirically examine the influence of financial constraints on firm carbon emissions. In addition to the role of financial constraints in firm-level carbon emissions, this study also examines this influence in the presence of governance, environmental orientation and firm-level attributes.

Using pooled ordinary least square, this study examines the impact of financial constraints on firm-level carbon emissions using a panel of 1,536 US firm-year observations from 2008 to 2019. This study also used two-step generalized method of moment–based dynamic panel data and two-stage least square approaches to address potential endogeneity. The results are robust to endogeneity and collinearity issues.

The results suggest that financial constraints enhance the carbon emissions of the firms. The economic significance of financial constraints on carbon emissions is more pronounced for the firms that do not report environment-related expenditure investment and those that are highly leveraged. The authors further document that firms with a nondiverse gender board signify a statistically significant impact of financial constraints on carbon emissions. These results are also economically significant, as one standard deviation increase in financial constraints is associated with a 3.340% increase in carbon emissions at the firm level.

Some implicit and explicit factors like corporate emissions policy and culture may condition the relationship of financial constraints with carbon emissions. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to consider these factors for future research. In addition, it is beneficial to identify the thresholds and/or quantiles at which financial constraints may significantly make a difference in enhancing carbon emissions.

The findings offer policy implications for investment in stakeholder engagement for capital acquisitions, thereby effectively enforcing environmental innovation and leading to a reduction in carbon emissions.

This study integrated governance and environment-oriented variables in the model to empirically examine the role of financial constraints on the carbon emissions of the firms in the USA over and above what has already been documented in the earlier literature.

This paper aims to present a technique that has been developed to study the wear in the camshaft and tappet. The engine manufacturers use the most suitable materials, lubrication additives and surface coatings to minimize friction in all the components of the engine. Reduced friction results in less wear of critical engine components. The researchers are constantly trying to find an improved lubrication formula which reduces the wear and friction coefficient at a considerably low price. In this regard, the cam follower interface is of much importance because most of the wear occurs in this interface.

The tappets and the cam lobes are analyzed to determine wear. A two-dimensional optical surface profilometer is used to measure the tappet wear, and a high-resolution linear variable differential transformer is used for the measurement of cam lobes. Tests are conducted on Mercedes Benz engine OM 646 under constant camshaft speed, constant inlet lubricant temperature and constant lubricant pressure to study the oil rheology on cam tappet wear.

The results show that the wear occurs on the cam tappet interface, which is almost a linear phenomenon, and it increases with use.

Customized jigs were made to measure wear of camshaft and tappet.

This study aims to understand and document the impact of market-based – market returns and momentum – as well as firm-specific – size, book-to-market (B/M) ratio, price-to-earnings ratio (PER) and cash flow (CF) – factors on pricing of Shari’ah-compliant securities as explanation of variations in stock returns in an emerging market – Pakistan’s Karachi Stock Exchange.

Initially, the authors test Fama and French (FF) three-factor model – market risk premium, size and B/M – followed by modified FF model by including additional risk factors (PER, CF and momentum) over a 10-year period (2001-2010).

Our results support superiority of FF three-factor model over single-factor capital asset pricing model. However, addition of further risk factors – including PER, CF and momentum – improves explanatory power of the model, as well as refines the selection of risk factors. In this study, CF, B/M and momentum factors remain insignificant. Traditional B/M factor in FF model is replaced by PER.

Based on the modified FF model, the authors propose a stock valuation model for Shari’ah-compliant securities consisting of three factors: market returns, size and earnings, which explains 76per cent variations in cross sectional stock returns.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study (which combines market-based as well as fundamental factors) on pricing of Islamic securities and identification of risk factors in an emerging market – Karachi Stock Exchange.

This study aims to evaluate the role of the prevailing currency systems in achieving (or departing from) the socio-economic objectives of a progressive and just society; i.e. featuring stability and equitable distribution of wealth.

After documenting historical developments in currency systems, the study reviews the Islamic perspective on the matter. Features of an ideal currency system are listed and then a critical evaluation of existing currency systems – fiat, banking and cryptocurrency – is undertaken.

It is found that existing currency systems – fiat, banking and cryptocurrency – are not compatible with the socio-economic objectives of a forward-looking, progressive society, which upholds transparency and justice as its core values. The study documents that Sharīʿah norms have no preference or dislike for any of the existing currency systems. Any prudent currency system compatible with the objectives of the Islamic financial system (i.e. stability and equitable distribution of wealth) is acceptable. A single international reserve currency (with country-specific legal tendering) is subject to the risk of destabilisation across global markets.

This paper recommends autonomy of central banking, the spending of seigniorage for the welfare of community members, development of asset-backed currencies (following ṣukūk structures), as well as multiple international reserve currencies and joining of hands by professionals and Sharīʿah scholars to design a currency system compatible with the Islamic financial system. This paper’s recommendation is against the adoption of cryptocurrency that lacks the backing of real assets.

The study contributes to the literature by evaluating the compatibility of existing currency systems in the achievement of socio-economic objectives of a welfare state which seeks to uphold justice and equitable resource distribution as core values in the financial system.

This study aims to investigate the influence of different solder alloy materials on passive devices during laser soldering process. Solder alloy material has been found to significantly influence the solder joint’s quality, such as void formation that can lead to cracks, filling time that affects productivity and fillet shape that determines the solder joint’s reliability.

Finite volume method (FVM)-based simulation that was validated using real laser soldering experiment is used to evaluate the effect of various solder alloy materials, including SAC305, SAC387, SAC396 and SAC405 in laser soldering. These solders are commonly used to assemble the pin-through hole (PTH) capacitor onto the printed circuit board.

The simulation results show how the void ratio, filling time and flow characteristics of different solder alloy materials affect the quality of the solder joint. The optimal solder alloy is SAC396 due to its low void ratio of 1.95%, fastest filling time (1.3 s) to fill a 98% PTH barrel and excellent flow characteristics. The results give the ideal setting for the parameters that can increase the effectiveness of the laser soldering process, which include reducing filling time from 2.2 s to less than 1.5 s while maintaining a high-quality solder joint with a void ratio of less than 2%. Industries that emphasize reliable soldering and effective joint formation gain the advantage of minimal occurrence of void formation, quick filling time and exceptional flowability offered by this solution.

This research is expected not only to improve solder joint reliability but also to drive advancements in laser soldering technology, supporting the development of efficient and reliable microelectronics assembly processes for future electronic devices. The optimized laser soldering material will enable the production of superior passive devices, meeting the growing demands of the electronics market for smaller, high-performance electronic products.

The comparison of different solder alloy materials for PTH capacitor assembly during the laser soldering process has not been reported to date. Additionally, volume of fluid numerical analysis of the quality and reliability of different solder alloy joints has never been conducted on real PTH capacitor assemblies.

The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate how conventional and Islamic banks trade off risk, efficiency and financial performance in their business models, to investigate how patterns of risk and efficiency vary between conventional and Islamic banks and to critically evaluate how the profitability of conventional and Islamic banks varies following the financial crisis.

This study uses univariate and multivariate statistical techniques by investigating 12 Islamic banks and 34 conventional banks operating in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region has been studied over the period 2011–2018.

The results suggest that Islamic and conventional banks differ not in the levels of efficiency, risk and profitability, but rather in how risk and efficiency influence banks’ financial performance. Islamic banks are found to be less influenced by the adverse effects of credit risk, which is consistent with the risk-sharing nature of Islamic financing. However, the results only hold for return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) while the net interest margin is observed to be negatively influenced by credit risk. Lower cost-income efficiency is also found to boost ROA and ROE of Islamic banks which could be attributed to a larger share of non-interest revenues due to Sharīʿah-compliance.

From a theoretical point of view, this study helps to understand the risk, efficiency and financial performance of Islamic banks in comparison with conventional banks.

The results of this study can serve bank managers, regulators and shareholders. Policymakers should encourage a more risk-sharing structure of Islamic financing as it brings less adverse effects of credit risk and increases income sustainability for Islamic banks. The present study may help bank managers to improve the financial performance of their firms by controlling risk and efficiency. The study results also have implications for shareholders and depositors of Islamic and conventional banks as they should have a predetermined position about the level of credit risk and efficiency in each banking system.

The foremost contribution is that this is one of the few studies to compare risk, efficiency and financial performance of Islamic and conventional banks in the GCC region. By using the latest data, this paper hopes that the findings will be more relevant than previous studies to the current situation of the banking industry in the region.

This study aims to investigate the comparative importance of factors influencing the customer shift behavior from conventional to Islamic banking for consumer finance in Pakistan.

First, a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature was conducted to identify a broad range of factors related to customer shift behavior. Through an expert sampling, 14 essential factors were chosen for further investigation. Second, a questionnaire was developed using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). This questionnaire was then distributed among customers who had previously been using conventional banking services but had made a shift toward Islamic banking. The purpose of this questionnaire was to gather data and insights regarding their motivations and decision-making process behind the shift, and a sample 215 customers are taken in the study.

The results of AHP depicts that the religiosity is a most important factor influencing customers to shift from conventional to Islamic banking, and the second most important factor is pricing. The other subsequent important factors are reputation of the bank, marketing and promotion, service quality, behavior of banks staff, Shariah compliance, management, convenience, fastness and charges/fees. Whereas documentation, ambiance and recommendation are found least important factors to patronize Islamic banking.

The study recommends Islamic banks to create awareness, concentrating on religious factor to have a greater impact on growth of Islamic banking and shrinking of conventional banking. Further, it suggests Islamic banks to apply Shariah-recommended approach of doing business, to help community in best possible way and to launch differentiated marketing techniques to attract customers. It also proposes regulatory authorities to provide facilitation to Islamic banking business by providing level playing field similar to conventional banking, tax equality and conversion of public financing from conventional banking to Islamic banking.

The originality of this study lies in its comprehensive analysis of factors influencing consumer shift behavior from conventional to Islamic banking in the context of consumer finance in Pakistan. By using the AHP, the study provides a structured approach to understanding the relative importance of these factors. This is the uniqueness of the paper that it applies the AHP for the analysis. Furthermore, the study offers practical implications for Islamic banks and regulatory authorities to effectively address and capitalize on this consumer shift trend.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of risk sharing and non-risk sharing instruments on both the profitability of Islamic banks and the economic growth of the country. This study also aims to improve the profit and loss sharing-based asset growth of Islamic banks.

The data for this study are obtained from the annual reports of all Islamic banks from Bangladesh using Bank scope database and annual report for the period of 1983–2014. The research uses Autoregressive Distributive Lag approach.

The findings reveal that risk sharing instruments are positively related to profitability and the economic growth of the country. This study also finds that non-risk sharing instruments play a predominant role in the profitability of the Islamic bank but are negatively related to the economic growth of the country.

Banks and other financial institutions need to pay greater attention to systemic risk created by risk transfer and apply risk sharing methods of financing more vigorously than has hitherto been the case.

This study will also contribute to the literature as relatively few Islamic financial literatures deal with the relationship between equity financing and profitability which may make a strong contribution to the area of Islamic finance.

This paper aims to critically analyse the application of present value (PV) practised in the concept of time value of money (TVM) from the perspective of maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah (objective of Islamic law) explained by Ibn ‘Ashur. The analysis is important as this concept has been adopted in the practice of Islamic accounting measurement.

This paper uses qualitative research approach. The authors first review literature related to TVM in Islamic perspective to understand the extent to which the scholarly articles have been discussing this topic. Furthermore, the authors conduct face-to-face interviews with the experts to comprehend the means of TVM application in the recent Islamic accounting practices. The tawhid (monotheistic) paradigm is further used with special reference to the concept of maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah of Ibn ‘Ashur to critically analyse the practice of TVM in Islamic accounting measurement.

This study identifies the opposing views among the experts on the topic of TVM from the Islamic perspective. That is, the experts’ opinion on this issue can be classified into two. Firstly, a view that rejects TVM and proposes the concept of economic value of time. Secondly, an opinion that recognises TVM with the basis of bay’ al-mu’ajjal (deferred sale). This paper further critically analyses these two opposing opinions. The discussion is established based on the theory of maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah as explained by Ibn ‘Ashur and the excerpts from interviewing the experts. This work draws a conclusion that such PV-based measurement of TVM does not meet the Islamic principles explained in the theory of Ibn ‘Ashur’s maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah. Thus, the practice of PV measurement in Islamic accounting is debatable.

This study does not establish a positivism discussion. It is thus the generalisation of this work is not applicable to the Islamic perspective in general. Rather, it is limited to Ibn ‘Ashur’s maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah.

An analysis of PV measurement adoption in Islamic accounting from maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah perspective is practically important to raise the awareness that such practice is debatable in Islamic principles. That is, such debate opens new arena for academics, industry professionals and other related stakeholders to further discuss an ideal practice of Islamic accounting.

This paper is among the pioneers that analyses the concept of TVM, in particular relation to PV measurement in Islamic accounting practice from the perspective of Ibn ‘Ashur’s maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah.