Thesis

The study seeks to assess the Corporate Social Performance (CSP) of a sample of forty six IFIs, and finds that most of the IFIs were observed to be focused on meeting their legal, economic and Shari'ah responsibilities as well as their goals for profit maximization. The ethical worldview of the socially responsible financial institutions (SRFIs)in the West is guided by socially determined secular humanistic values, as opposed to religious ones.

The research focuses on legal and policy issues associated with foreign investment in the energy, and in particular the gas sector of the KSA. The study found the most important problem perceived by foreign investors in KSA is the Shari'ah (Islamic Law) which prohibits the institution of Riba, (Usury).

The thesis is a study of Al-Dawudi's Kitab Al-Amwal divided into three parts. The first includes commentary on the geographical and linguistic aspects of the Arabic text and a thorough review of references to the book by later jurists. The second part is comprised of a critical study of the author, period and the book, including an explanation for the reasons for confusion of several financial terms over the years.

The thesis addresses whether the presence or absence of a financial profit motive alter management decisions and require the creation of a Decision Support System (DSS. Case studies were made of the Kuwait Finance House (KFH) and the Kuwait

The Thesis investigates the compatibility/incompatibility of Islamic Banking practice with Western conventional banking in the global financial environment, in the context of finance, an area in which key differences of principle and practice exist between

This study assesses the financial status of SMEs, and investigates the finance gaps in the manufacturing sector through evaluating the opinions of both the suppliers and the demanders of funds. The main findings indicate an information gap, rather than a debt gap, as the problem. The SMEs are often reluctant to provide information concerning their business activities and financial position, and prefer to use their own funds, notably internal sources of finance such as retained profits.

This thesis discusses the changes in the religious perception of usury, and analyzes the local as well as international circumstances that generated a suitable environment for the establishment and growth of Islamic banking are analyzed. Structural changes have liberalized international financial environment since the 1980s, which facilitated the acceptance of Islamic banks by Western banks. The thesis takes Kuwait as a case study in which Islamic financial institutions pose a real threat to conventional banking.

The thesis reviews factors that have prohibited affordable housing in poor societies, and examines the applicability of Islamic models in housing fields in Malaysia. Perceptions of Islamic ideas in action are also surveyed, according to both "influentials" and grassroots levels. "Influentials" balance Islamic beliefs and pressures on policy development, at the grassroots level, some households seem open in accepting modern values and in interpreting Islamic values in the context of time and place.

This thesis examines the applicability of both the conventional expression of Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC), and that of an alternative formulation, to Islamic banks. The research hypotheses argue that the calculation of WACC components and the implications and effect of WACC differ between conventional and Islamic banks. The new nature of depositors' funds is neither as a share capital nor liability but as a "profit and loss account".