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Online retailers have become gradually popular to offer consumers installment payment services in the past few years. This paper aims to study how to determine the duration and rate of installment payment services, as well as the price of products to increase online retailers’ profits.

By modeling the utility functions, the behavior of consumers for strategic choosing the payment method and payment timing is analyzed. Thus, the market segments are obtained through the comparison of the consumer’s utilities. Combined with the given assumptions, the installment payment strategies for online retailers is investigated. This paper focuses on the impact of installment payment services on consumers’ purchasing behavior and online retailers’ profits by modeling and comparative analysis. No installment payment service as a benchmark, it is demonstrated whether online retailers can obtain more profits by offering installment payment services or what are the applicable conditions for installment payments.

If the installment payment service is offered, online retailers can gain more profits and need to adopt appropriate strategies based on different market conditions. During the depression or the peak shopping season, online retailers should take the strategy of free installment rate, and moderately increasing the product price of no installment service. When market demand is stable or during non-peak season, online retailers need to set a higher installment rate and maintain the product price without installment service. Finally, online retailers should determine the maximum duration of installments they can afford based on own risk control cost and allow consumers to freely choose the length of the installment within the duration limit.

First, the authors deeply analyze consumers’ payment and purchase behavior when the online retailer offers the installment payment service. Then, it is theoretically proved why many online retailers have offered installment payment services to consumers from a profit perspective. Finally, this paper proposes the optimal duration of installments, installment rate and product price in different market environments for online retailers, to provide theoretical basis and managerial insights for the development of installment payment service in online shopping.

The aggressive competition in the real estate market forces real estate developers to tackle the challenge of selecting the best project construction phasing alternative. The real estate industry is characterized by high costs, high profit and high risks. The schedules of real estate projects are also characterized by having large number of repetitive activities that are executed over a long duration. The repetitiveness, long duration of execution, the high amounts of money involved and the high risk made it desirable to leverage the impact of changes in phasing plans on net present value of amounts incurred and received over the long execution and selling duration. This also changes the project progress, and delivery time as well as their respective impact on customer degree of satisfaction. This research addresses the problem of selecting the best phasing alternative for real estate development projects while maximizing customer satisfaction and project profit.

The research proposes a model that generates all construction phasing alternatives and performs decision-making to rank all possible phasing alternatives. The proposed model consists of five modules: (1) Phasing Sequencing module, (2) Customer Satisfaction module, (3) Cash-In calculation module, (4) Cost Estimation module and (5) Decision-making module. A case study was presented to demonstrate the practicality of the model.

The proposed model satisfies the real estate market's need for proper construction phasing plans evaluation and selection against the project's main success criteria, customer satisfaction and project profit. The proposed model generates all construction phasing alternatives and performs multi-criteria decision making to rank all possible phasing alternatives. It quantifies the score of the two previously mentioned criteria and ranks all solutions according to their overall score.

The research proposes a model that assist real estate market's need for proper construction phasing plans evaluation and selection against the project's main success criteria, customer satisfaction and project profit. The proposed model can be used to conclude general guidelines and common successful practices to be used by real estate developers when deciding the construction phasing plan. In this study the model is based on business models where all the project units are sold, rental cases are not considered. Also, the budget limitations that might exist when phasing is not considered in the model computations.

The model can be used as a complete platform that can hold all real estate project data, process revenues and cost information for estimating profit, plotting cash flow profiles, quantifying the degree of customer satisfaction attributable to each phasing alternative and providing recommendation showing the best one. The model can be used to conclude general guidelines and common successful practices to be used by real estate developers when tackling the challenge of selecting construction phasing plans.

Yo Bike is selling scooters to commuters, housewives and students at a price (including battery) that is the same as that of petrol scooters. The key question faced by the manage is how to formulate and communicate the price to target customers to enhance probability of purchase.

This paper aims to propose a new housing finance mechanism through gold price as an alternative to interest rate in Islamic home financing, especially on Bai’Bithaman Ajil (BBA) contract.

This study using simulation approach to calculate the monthly installments for home financing using gold price references. In simple terms, propose a financing formula in the BBA contract by converting the selling price of the house to the gold price, and then the monthly installments also follow the actual gold price. The authors provide an example by simulating this formula using historical data and cases of housing financing at Indonesian Islamic banks. The authors compare housing financing models based on gold prices and interest rates. Finally, The authors can compare the two housing financing models that are affordable for low-income people.

The results show that in the initial period, monthly installments of BBA based on gold price were lower than home financing based on interest rate. This result makes it possible for low-income people who cannot access financing based on interest rates to access financing based on gold price. However, the total installments of financing based on gold prices are higher than the financing model based on interest rates.

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

These findings suggest an alternative model for Islamic banks and regulatory authorities in Indonesia to replace the interest rate reference with the gold price in BBA contract housing financing. This model can offer competitive advantages for Islamic banks, including lower initial installments and inflation-protected profits, serving as a means of differentiating them from conventional banks.

Gold price-based housing financing model in Islamic banks will increase the affordability of housing financing for low-income people.

This paper tries to solve two problems, namely, first, the problem of assuming that Islamic and conventional banks are the same, and second, the problem of housing finance affordability. This study needs to be explored.

The present study aimed to provide an understanding of the roles of community-based financial service organizations (i.e. rotating savings and credit associations [ROSCAs] as institutional pillars in facilitating low-income, unbanked consumers’ access to informal financial services).

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 39 low-income, unbanked consumers participating in ROSCAs in Pakistan, where only 21% of adults have a bank account and almost four out of five individuals live on a low income. The obtained data were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique.

ROSCAs’ regulatory, sociocultural and cognitive aspects facilitate low-income, unbanked consumers’ utilization of informal financial services owing to their approachability by, suitability for, and fairness to such consumers. Thus, they promote such consumers’ financial inclusion.

Low-income consumers are mostly unable to access formal financial services due to the existing supply- and demand-side impediments. Understanding ROSCAs’ institutional functioning can help formal financial service providers create more transformative financial services based on the positive institutional aspects of ROSCAs to enhance poor consumers’ financial inclusion and well-being.

The inclusion of low-income, unbanked consumers in formal banking services will help them better control their finances.

Many low-income, unbanked consumers in developing countries utilize informal financial services to meet their basic financial needs, but service researchers have rarely investigated how informal financial institutions function. The present study showed that ROSCAs, as informal institutions, meet low-income, unbanked consumers’ personal, social and financial needs in a befitting manner, which encourages such consumers to use the financial services offered by ROSCAs.

For the past ten years or so, librarians have been discussing the way reference service is provided, the most conspicuous recent installments being the “Re‐thinking Reference in Academic Libraries” conference and the widely publicized changes at Brandeis University. No one has heard every statement in this debate because it has been so extensive in time, space, and medium. Nevertheless, it seems safe to say that mathematical queuing theory has not played a significant role in it. At first, this lacuna is puzzling, since queuing problems are one of the fundamental types treated in operations research, which in “those thrilling days of yesteryear,” the fifties, sixties, and early seventies, was taught in some library and information science programs. By 1978 articles that applied the theory specifically to reference work appeared. Yet, the second edition of a text on operations research for librarians that appeared in 1991 says not a word about reference queues. Perhaps this theory has been neglected in recent discussions because it is usually applied to telephone calls or local area networks and other configurations of computers, while its use in analyzing queues of people in banks, supermarkets, and the like was passed over as too mundane. Perhaps, too, the failure of banks to take the theory to its logical limits in arranging the queues for bank tellers has led to caution.

This study aims to examine the validity of the installment payment contract when using the first Islamic credit card (ICC) in Jordan and will explore the hidden techniques that are used to operate such a financial product. The purpose of the study will be achieved by examining the structure and the issues surrounding the first ICC that was introduced to the Jordanian market as a hybrid contract of Qard Hassan (benevolent loan), Murabaha, Wakalah (agency) and Bay‘ Al Ajjal (credit sale). In addition, a further objective is to examine whether this credit card is a Sharia-compliant financial product.

A qualitative research method approach was adopted to understand the issues, nature and structure of the first Jordanian ICC. This was due to the explanatory nature of the product, the different financial solutions it offered and the fact that the ICC in Jordan is, to date, relatively unexplored. This paper used the technique of content/thematic analysis that involves multiple sequenced steps to analyze these matters.

The main finding of this research is that the first ICC in the Jordanian financial market has caused a degree of uncertainty. This is because, once a customer decides to choose the installment payment contract option, the bank does not have real possession of the assets in question. The issue of constructive possession has been denied by several classic and contemporary Islamic scholars, including the General Iftaa Department of Jordan. Therefore, it can be seen that the installment payment contract option does not comply with Islamic principles and particular Fatwas that have been decreed.

This is the first study that shows how the first ICC, being a new Islamic financial product in Jordan, operates in relation to the installment payment contract. In addition, focusing on the concept of changing the nature of the contract from a Qard Hassan (benevolent loan) to a hybrid contract is significant, to encourage Islamic scholars to take a clear, legal stand under Sharia law.

The purpose of this study is to examine how households opt for their loan’s duration when it comes to energy efficiency retrofits (EERs). The primary focus is on the time horizon that these types of EERs will provide benefits to the households.

This study examines the second wave of the largest EER support program in Greece in recent years. The authors exploit an idiosyncrasy of the support program which offered interest-free loans. The baseline sample of this study includes approximately 18,000 households awarded the support and opted for a loan. To provide robustness and complement the analysis, the authors also use data from 38,000 households that were awarded support from the first wave of the EER program.

This study finds that EER investments that are likely to deliver longer-term benefits, in the form of energy savings, are positively associated with longer duration. This finding implies that households view such EERs as long-term investments that will consistently provide benefits in the future, thereby tolerating a longer period of incurring the inconvenience of paying monthly installments.

This study posits that an EER can be perceived by the household as an investment that saves money in the long term because of more efficient energy use. To this end, the authors bring forward the duration of the benefits accrued to the household as a driving factor to the household’s decision over the length of the loan.

This study expands on prior literature that has focused on consumer and loans for durables (e.g. cars) by examining EERs. However, EERs are different, as they can save households money in future periods. In addition, house EERs are at the forefront of energy policies and the design of future support programs at the epicenter of several initiatives.

Regulation is critical for sustainable microfinance sector growth. Under this premise, the study aims to examine the different regulatory noncompliance (RNC) practices prevalent in the operations of microfinance institutions (MFIs) at the ground level.

Both the quantitative and qualitative (observations, interviews and focus group discussions) techniques are used to extract the findings.

The study highlights the different RNC practices exercised by the loan officers at the field level in their microfinance loan disbursements.

This study is based on the primary data collected from microfinance clients. The arguments put forth for the RNC practices are extracted from direct personal interviews with the loan officers and the clients. The role of various dilemmas/circumstances of the loan officers and the beneficiaries that implicate the MFIs in RNC is highlighted.

This study aims to explore the governance practices of profit and loss sharing (PLS) financing in connection to the socio-economic development objective of the Islamic financial institutions (IFIs).

The study context included IFIs from Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A two-stage research methodology was used. In the first stage, top ten IFIs – three Islamic commercial banks, three Islamic rural banks and four Islamic micro finance institutions – were considered for in-depth interviews. Formal interview protocol was followed to record and transcribe interviews. In the second stage, a questionnaire survey considered 26 IFIs. Unit of measurement was individuals working at the mid and top level from the selected organisations.

The governance process of providing and managing PLS financing involves several critical factors, such as the financing duration, instalment timing, contract approval and cost, basis of sharing, risk management, customer empowerment and Sharīʿah compliance. Contrary to the existing belief, the authors found that PLS financing is primarily available for shorter period of time (three years) and it is unavailable for start-ups. Also, newer IFIs rely less on PLS financing than the older IFIs. In addition to worrying about the higher risk of return, IFIs considered government regulation on PLS to be tighter in terms of provision and rescheduling.

This study is limited to investigating IFIs in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This limitation is covered by taking samples from three types of IFIs.

For IFI practitioners, these findings are expected to improve their confidence in undertaking more progressive efforts in adopting governance policies that contribute to greater socio-economic justice.

If the governance good practices are implemented by all IFIs, a higher degree of social welfare and customer awareness can be achieved.

Across all types of IFIs, this study’s results confirm that PLS is less preferred for long-term and start-up financing. These findings should be the ingredients to push research on PLS further, as these findings grossly violate the theory. Fulfilling these gaps could strengthen the nexus between PLS and socio-economic justice.