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Liquefaction of soils is defined as significant reduction in shear strength and stiffness due to increase in pore water pressure. This phenomenon can occur in static (monotonic) or dynamic loading patterns. However, in each pattern, the inherent variability of the soil parameters indicates that this problem is of a probabilistic nature rather than being deterministic. The purpose of this paper is to present a method, based on random finite element method, for reliability assessment of static liquefaction of saturated loose sand under monotonic loading.

The random finite element analysis is used for reliability assessment of static liquefaction of saturated loose sand under monotonic loading. The soil behavior is modeled by an elasto-plastic effective stress constitutive model. Independent soil parameters including saturated unit weight, peak friction angle and initial plastic shear modulus are selected as stochastic parameters which are modeled using a truncated normal probability density function (pdf).

The probability of liquefaction is assessed by pdf of modified pore pressure ratio at each depth. For this purpose pore pressure ratio is modified for monotonic loading of soil. It is shown that the saturated unit weight is the most effective parameter, within the selected stochastic parameters, influencing the static soil liquefaction.

This research focuses on the reliability analysis of static liquefaction potential of sandy soils. Three independent soil parameters including saturated unit weight, peak friction angle and initial plastic shear modulus are considered as stochastic input parameters. A computer model, coded in MATLAB, is developed for the random finite element analysis. For modeling of the soil behavior, a specific elasto-plastic effective stress constitutive model (UBCSAND) was used.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on corporate financial performance (CFP) using Zakat as a measure for CSR.

The study examines a sample of 107 non-financial firms listed on the Saudi Arabia stock market over a ten-year period from 2004 to 2013. The authors use the generalized method of moments framework developed by Arellano and Bover (1995) and Blundell and Bond (1998). In addition, for comparison purpose and as a robustness check, the present study uses other panel data techniques including fixed effects model, random effects model (and pooled ordinary least squares.

The results reveal that there is a strong positive relationship between CSR (Zakat) and CFP. This suggests that Zakat contribute positively to both firm’s profitability and value and can be considered as a win-win strategy to maximize returns and improve performance while considering the society as a whole. The results are robust to alternative econometric estimation methods.

The companies in Islamic economies can effectively and efficiently implement the basic Shari’a Law of paying Zakat, as a successful measure to implement CSR program, thus benefiting the society by narrowing the gap between the haves and have-nots, that, in turn, leads the company to achieve successfully its short-term as well as long-term goals and enhances the value of the firm in the market. Moreover, corporations are generally encouraged to adopt CSR because of its perceived benefits to both macro- and micro-performances.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first empirical study attempting to examine CSR-CFP relationship within Saudi context employing Zakat as a proxy for CSR. Additionally, the paper provides support for the stakeholder theory from an Islamic perspective.

This paper discusses the role of Zakat Funds in the provision of social protection in the Middle East and North Africa region, based on the examples of Jordan and Sudan. The purpose of this paper is to assess different modalities of Zakat in two countries where it is regulated in some form by the state.

Findings are based on a desk review of academic, peer-reviewed literature as well as reports published by international organisations and information provided online by governments and national Zakat Funds. The choice of these countries was further motivated by the availability of literature in English and Arabic.

The extent to which Zakat can be used to finance social protection measures varies not only in the way it is collected and administered, but also with the country’s geographic and political conditions. In Sudan, Zakat is mandatory and reaches proportionally more households than in Jordan. While the Quran establishes the eight categories for those who should receive Zakat, the selection in both countries is at the discretion of the Funds’ administrators.

The topic of Zakat is one that has received increased attention by researchers interested in Muslim values, social policy and public finance. However, little research has been produced on the intersections of these three topics.

This paper is a corpus-driven study of written electronic texts, particularly the “About Us” sections in the university websites of 41 members of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU). This inquiry is important because it will provide an insight as to how AAOU members describe and portray themselves in the World Wide Web, a platform which is highly utilized in the field of distance education. This will also lead to the understanding of conventional knowledge among AAOU members during the period of study. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Guided by Swales’ (1990) seminal work on genre analysis, the researchers conducted a three-part genre analysis which involved identification and analysis of moves, keywords, and concordance lines.

Results of the keyword analysis were conducted using the AntConc application. Anthony (2017) found that the top 100 keywords with positive keyness exemplified inherent characteristics of open and distance learning institutions as well as characteristics common to higher education institutions and their thrusts. The analysis also found that the use of adjectives and verbs with positive denotations is common in the “About Us” sections. Concordance for several keywords related to the overarching theme of the AAOU 2017 Conference then revealed that the AAOU members are active in the discourse about accessibility, assessment, and quality, while there is not much discourse on openness, inclusivity, and justice. Meanwhile, subscribing to equality and equity could still be a point of discussion among the AAOU members as the concordance analysis revealed more discourse on equality than equity as a goal and principle. Overall, results of the genre analysis resonated with previous studies of the academic genre as the “About Us” sections are promotional in both authoritarian and inclusive ways.

The inquiry will provide the members of the AAOU with an overview of their common communicative purposes, overused or underused keywords, and their usage of these words which they may opt to work on in the future.

The aim the study is to explore the impact of real exchange rate volatility and other macroeconomic variable such as price of import, industrial production and real exchange rate on 45 import commodities, considering global financial crisis period on India's import from the US. The empirical analysis at disaggregate level of import indicates the existence of both short-run and long-run effect in one-third importing commodities. The results show both positive and negative effect and causality among variables.

The study uses E-GARCH model to gage the real exchange rate volatility, an autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) bound test technique to discover the adequate short- and long-run relationships and Toda-Yamamoto causality method to analyze the causality among variables. The study uses the time period from 2002:M09 to 2019:M06.

The empirical analysis at disaggregate level of import indicates the existence of both short-run and long-run effect in one-third importing commodities. The results show both positive and negative effects and causality among variables.

The finding of the study suggests that macroeconomic variables have significant role and could be important to undertake the small and medium scale industries in policymaking. Government may need to make decision for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as their performance can bring change in the trade to compete globally by increasing and controlling the price of the import and defending the domestic competitiveness.

The study uses additional variable namely price of import and includes the global financial crisis period to measure dampening effect on each commodity by using robust econometric technique in context of emerging nation like India.

To provide a sound understanding of Zakah compliance behaviour, this paper aims to shed light on the relationships between Zakah system fairness, Zakah morale, peer influence and law enforcement with Zakah compliance behaviour among entrepreneurs.

The underpinning model used in this paper is the socio-economic theory of regulatory compliance for assessing the probable determinants shaping Zakah payers' compliance behaviour. Based on a survey of active entrepreneurs in a typical Islamic situation like Yemen, a total of 500 self-administered instruments were distributed to the respondents. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to estimate the compliance model.

All the variables included in the compliance model are statistically significant, except for law enforcement. Zakah compliance of entrepreneurs is significantly influenced by Zakah system fairness, Zakah morale and peer influence.

Zakah institutions and agencies in Muslim-majority countries may use the results of this work to focus attention on appropriate proactive policies to formulate a fair Zakah system, inculcating moral responsibility among Zakah payers, embarking on sensitisation programmes in society as a whole, and being more proactive in educating Muslims in the importance of paying Zakah to the respective Zakah agencies.

This paper complements the limited literature on Zakah by examining both tangible and intangible motivations affecting Zakah payers' compliance decision.

The purpose of this study is to explore the expectations of Muslim tourists when taking a halal holiday. Understanding consumer expectations is an important factor in any service context since expectations determine whether the consumer is satisfied or dissatisfied with the service outcome.

An exploratory approach was adopted and in-depth interviews with Muslim tourists and halal holiday providers were undertaken.

The findings identified services and facilities Muslim consumers expect from a halal holiday and those they did not expect to see. Factors such as halal food, women-only facilities and dress codes were identified as services and facilities that are expected, whereas no alcohol was seen to be an important factor for Muslim tourists.

This exploratory study used a small sample and hence the findings should not be seen to be generalisable. However, the study provides a number of valuable insights into the expectations of Muslim leisure tourists. Halal travel organisations and tourism boards will benefit from a better understanding of factors that influence the satisfaction/dissatisfaction of Muslim tourists.

The study makes three main contributions to our understanding of halal holidays. First, the study identifies expectations that are likely to influence satisfaction, such as halal food and women-only facilities. Second, the study highlights those expectations which are likely to cause dissatisfaction for halal holidaymakers, such as alcohol and dress codes. Third, the study highlights the difference in expectations which exist between halal holidaymakers and how the interpretation and practice of Islam is highly varied.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the structural, electronic and optical properties of pure zinc oxide (ZnO) and transition metal (Tm)-doped ZnO using Tm elements from silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) by a first-principles study based on density functional theory (DFT) as implemented in the pseudo-potential plane wave in CASTEP computer code.

The calculations based on the generalized gradient approximation for Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof for solids with Hubbard U (GGA-PBEsol+U) were performed by applying Hubbard corrections U_d = 5 eV for Zn 3d state, U_p = 9 eV for O 2p state, U_d = 6 eV for Ag 4d state and U_d = 9.5 eV for Cu 3d state. The crystal structure used in this calculation was hexagonal wurtzite ZnO with a space group of P63mc and supercell 2 × 2 × 2.

The total energy was calculated to determine the best position for Ag and Cu dopants. The band structures and density of states show that Tm-doped ZnO has a lower bandgaps value than pure ZnO because of impurity energy levels from Ag 4d and Cu 3d states. In addition, Ag-doped ZnO exhibits a remarkable enhancement in visible light absorption over pure ZnO and Cu-doped ZnO because of its lower energy region and extended wavelength spectrum.

The results of this paper are important for the basic understanding of the 3d and 4d Tm doping effect ZnO and have a wide range of applications in designing high-efficiency energy harvesting solar cells.

Islamic finance and Halal product sectors are thriving successfully. This chapter is a general review of the perception of Asian consumers on Islamic finance and Halal sectors in the global Halal economy.

The first section will briefly describe the Halal concept in both Islamic finance and Halal industries, and the growth of both sectors in Asian countries. The second part highlights the review of Asian consumers’ perception towards Islamic finance products and Halal products.

The review found that the consumers’ perception towards the Islamic finance products and Halal products is distinctive. This is due to the diversity of Asian countries in terms of geography, religion, culture, ethnic, school of thoughts (madzahib), income per capita and government’s involvement.

The third part of the chapter concentrates on planning towards Halal marketing, which involves the move and future challenges in different layers of industries to gear up and strengthen the Halal economy.