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This exploratory research examines the effect of motivational factors on the firm performance of women entrepreneurs in Lebanon. An interview questionnaire was used to collect data from 110 women entrepreneurs. Findings of the multiple regression model indicated three women entrepreneurial motivations (internal locus of control, self-efficacy, and financial success) were positively related to firm performance. Other entrepreneurial motivations that were explored (need for achievement, desire for independence, and passion) appeared to have no significant positive relation with firm performance. Generally, this exploratory research suggests that theories regarding women entrepreneurship derived from developed countries should be examined carefully before being used in developing country settings like Lebanon.

The purpose of this study is to assess psychological distress among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), self-esteem as a predictor of such distress and the effect of coping strategies.

A descriptive correlational study design was conducted using a convenient sample of parents of ASD children (N = 93).

This study revealed that the parents of an ASD child experienced a high level of anxiety (M = 15.89), a moderate level of depression (M = 15.85) and a mild level of stress (M = 16.86). Parents of ASD children also reported a low self-esteem score (M= 13.27). Mothers of ASD children reported higher levels of psychological distress, lower levels of self-esteem and more frequent utilisation of maladaptive coping strategies than fathers of ASD children.

Parents of children with ASD experience a significant level of psychological distress; however, this may be improved by developing programmes and psychological interventions focused on improving parents’ self-esteem and using more active coping strategies.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study conducted in Saudi Arabia that predict the psychological status among family caregivers of an autistic child.

This paper aims to propose a new pricing alternative called Rental Rate Index (RR-I) that captures the true value of property to be used by Islamic banks in Musharakah Mutanaqisah (MM) contract for home financing.

By formulating a profit rate based on Rental Index (RI) and House Price Index (HPI), the proposed rate eliminates conventional profit rate benchmarking, and, at the same time, suggests a fair, equitable and sustainable financing. This new RR-I (measured by RPI/HPI) enables computerization of the MM system in home financing to be easily implemented. A financial simulation is developed to demonstrate the feasibility of this newly proposed rate.

This newly proposed RR-I is found to be more stable, having less fluctuations, resilient to macroeconomic conditions and yet comparable to the conventional interest rates, without depending on them. It can also be regarded as a rate that is fair and sustainable to both the customer and the bank, as it measures the actual rate of return to both parties in MM contract.

The paper confines one contract, namely, MM, as it is claimed to be more Shariah-compliant than others.

The finding also sheds some light on the recommendation by Bank Negara Malaysia, which is to consider RR that is more indicative of the actual rental price while taking into account the competitiveness of the product. (BNM, 2007).

This paper wreaks customer patronage in selecting the contract of home financing.

This paper attempts to resolve the issue of benchmarking RR to the conventional interest rate in the MM contract. Studies conducted on this issue via simulation approach are meager.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficiency of the banking sector in Qatar. The paper utilizes 15 banks comprising Islamic, conventional and foreign banks for the duration of 2007 to 2011.

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique is applied to compute technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. Also, Malmquist productivity index (MPI) is used to identify the sources of productive efficiencies of the banks.

The results suggest that Qatari banks are operating below optimum performance and thus there is still room for improvement. While conventional banks are the most efficient in Qatar in terms of technical and pure technical efficiencies, Islamic banks are most efficient in terms of scale efficiency. Besides, pure technical inefficiency dominated scale inefficiency in the Qatari banking sector. Moreover, as compared to the Islamic banks, conventional and foreign banks recorded a reduction in average technical efficiency during the duration of the 2008/2009 global financial crisis. In terms of productivity progress, all the Qatari banks were experiencing a decline in productivity mainly attributed to less technological innovation in the banking sector of Qatar.

Most of the banks in Qatar do not have published data before 2007 and after 2011.

There is less technological innovation in the banking sector of Qatar. Hence, bank managers in Qatar should focus on educating customers about modern banking technologies and other innovative banking services in Qatar.

This study is a pioneering effort in the application of DEA and MPI to study about the banking sector in Qatar.

The level of mental alertness among students who are in need of study in the preparatory year – Imam Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal University. The level of self-competence of female students who are in need of study in the preparatory year – Imam Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal University. To learn about the relationship between mental alertness and self-competence among students who are in need of study in the preparatory year – Imam Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal University.

The researchers used the experimental method by following the experimental design with two measurements, tribal and posterior, for two groups, one experimental and the other control, due to its suitability to the nature of this research. Research sample: the research community included female students stumbling in the scientific path of Rayyan, the second semester of the academic year 2020–2021 AD, where the researchers selected the research sample in a deliberate manner from the stalled students of 25 students and a random sample of 10 female students was withdrawn to conduct the exploratory study. The number of the basic research sample is 15 female students. Reasons for selecting the search sample: all of the sample members are female students stumbling in the scientific path of Al-Rayyan for the academic year 2020–2021 and all sample members agree to apply the research.

The researchers refer to this to the virtual psychological guidance program-specific objectives, as well as the follow-up of the scientific principles and principles and the legalization of the measurement tools used in the research and the diversity of the program within the parts of the program and the training sought to develop the ability to manage pressures and emotions and training in social skills, awareness and self-awareness and the use of exercises relaxation, breathing and modern self-help, as well as the use of different methods and techniques such as the method of dialogue, discussion, awareness of feelings and problem-solving, which led to a change in behavior and personal characteristics, which led to a change in behavior and personal characteristics, leading to the development of behavior and personal characteristics.

The study aims to design a hypothetical psychological counseling program as a method of health care and its effect on the level of mental alertness and the level of self-efficacy of students who have struggled to study at the Deanship of the preparatory year – Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University. The researchers used the experimental approach and applied this study on a sample of 25 students from the students who failed to study at the Deanship of the preparatory year for the second semester of the academic year 2020–2021 AD and the most important results were that the psychological counseling program as a method of health care had a positive effect on improving the level of mental alertness and the level of self-efficacy among the students who had failed to study. There is a positive correlation between the level of mental alertness and self-efficacy of struggling students as a way of health care.

The purpose of this study is to examine the legal paradigm of multiple Sharia' board directorship practice from the Sharia' law concept of Maslahah Al-Mursalah (public interest).

It uses a doctrinal research method that relies on the commonly referred sources of Quran and Sunnah, with a specific focus on Maslahah Al-Mursalah and, where applicable, commentaries by contemporary scholars, academics and practitioners as well as translations of classical book of Fiqh. This study scrutinises the polarity of views concerning the distinct Masyaqqah (necessity) surrounding the practice in discussion: the Masyaqqah that encourages and one that discourages the application of the practice.

This study is keen to suggest the industry to adopt a cautious approach and consider exploring a corporate governance framework that appraises the theoretical and practical Sharia' issues concerning its application in cognisance of its adversarial influence towards the sustainability of Islamic banking industry.

Since Murat Unal’s study of multiple Sharia' board directorships in 2009 and 2011, empirical works that scrutinise the practice from the Sharia' law perspective have remained limited or almost non-existent. It is aspired that this study may assist fellow readers and future researchers alike in evaluating and appreciating the divergent views surrounding the application of this practice in Islamic banking.

This study aims to compare types and levels of risk and risk management practices (RMPs) including the recognition, identification, assessment, analysis, monitoring and control of risk in both Islamic and conventional banks.

A questionnaire survey was conducted among the Islamic and conventional banks in Qatar, together with an analysis of archival data extracted from the Thomson Reuters Eikon database for the period 2009-2018. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA and regression analysis.

Islamic banks encounter unique types and levels of risk that are not encountered by conventional banks. In Islamic banks, risks such as those of operation and Sharia non-compliance are perceived to be higher, while in conventional banks other risks such as those of credit and insolvency are higher; other risks, for example, liquidity risk, are faced by both. RMPs are determined by understanding risk and risk management, risk identification, risk monitoring and control and credit risk analysis, but not by risk assessment and analysis. However, the RMPs of the two types of bank are not significantly different, except in the analysis of credit risk.

The study contributes to the debate in the literature by developing a better understanding of the dynamism of risk management in Qatari banks, which can be extended to similar contexts in the region. However, the relatively small sample size in only one country limits the possibility of generalizing the findings. The survey methodology is based on the perception of bankers rather than their actual actions and does not provide in-depth analysis for each type of risk, especially credit risk. However, using archival data, in addition to those from the survey, minimises the bias that would result from depending on one source of data.

The study provides valuable insights into the different types and levels of risk, as well as the RMPs in Islamic and conventional banks, which can help in guiding the future development and regulation of risk management in the banking sector of Qatar and its region.

The study helps to explain the mixed results of previous studies that compare types and levels of risk and RMPs in Islamic and conventional banks. Using different types of data and analysis, it provides evidence from one of the fastest growing economies in the world. It also addresses the concerns over RMPs in banks since the global financial crisis.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of non-economic factors on the financing decisions of family firms in the Middle East. To contextualize the study, the authors steer away from the traditional capital structure debate toward the choice of financing paradigm: conventional vs Islamic.

This study uses Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior due to its ability to delineate the influence of non-economic motivational factors on the financing decisions of family firms. This study also examines the influence of “familial stewardship (FS),” another non-economic factor which is highly relevant in a collectivistic context. The authors initially use SEM with Amos to analyze 115 surveys of family firm owner-managers. For deeper probing, the authors undertook an additional post hoc qualitative analysis of six case studies using semi-structured interviews.

The findings of this study suggest that owner-managers’ attitude toward Islamic finance plays a primary motivational role in influencing their intentions to use it. More importantly, the findings depict a significant influence of “FS” and subjective norm on the attitudes of owner-managers. This implies that financing decisions which involve religious beliefs are directly influenced by the decision maker’s personal attitude, which, in turn, is significantly influenced by familial and social pressures.

This study fills a gap in the family-firm financing literature by suggesting that when choosing religion-related financial products, attitude plays a far more significant role than other motivational factors. This study also contributes to the “familiness” area of research by empirically demonstrating that FS has a significant influence on owner-managers’ attitude toward financing choices.

As an essential component of Islamic governance for ensuring religious compliance, Shari’ah annual reports (SARs) play an important role in providing communication between Shari’ah board (SB) members and stakeholders. This paper aims to determine the ethical disclosure in SARs to identify how close the Shari’ah disclosure to the standards set by AAOIFI and also substantive morality of Islam. The research also aims to examine the factors determining disclosure performance.

Two disclosure indices are developed to generate data from the SARs: the AAOIFI standards for Shari’ah governance index for form related approach, an Islamic ethicality augmented index reflecting on substantive morality approach. The sample consists of 41 Islamic banks from 15 different countries for the period of 2007–2014. Sampled 305 SARs were examined through disclosure analysis in line with the two indices developed for this study. The econometric analysis was run to identify the factors determining disclosure performance.

The findings suggest that AAOIFI guidelines have an influence on the level of disclosure, even if Islamic banks have not adopted them. However, the level of disclosure for the ethically augmented index is found to be very limited with reliance on general statements in most of the cases. As part of determining factors, the popularity of Shari’ah scholars is significant for both indices, while the existence of an internal Shari’ah auditing department holds some explanatory power. The adoption of AAOIFI standards at the country level, the regulatory quality and the duration of Sharīʿah-compliance are particularly deterministic factors in terms of complying with AAOIFI standards for SARs.

Although SB is the most crucial division of corporate governance in Islamic banks in terms of securing the “Islamic” identity of these institutions, their most important communication instrument, namely, SAR, has not been explored sufficiently, alongside an insufficient attempt to constitute Islamic corporate governance. Initially, this study attempted to constitute an Islamic corporate governance framework as a theoretical construct, which provides context for the empirical part of the research and this should be considered a novel approach. Second, the empirical part of the research aims to fill the gap observed in the literature such as small sample size and index construction-related matters. This research is conducted with a larger sample size as compared to the available studies in the literature and it has developed two indices for disclosure analysis along with developing an Islamic morality-based index beside an index based on AAOIFI standards.