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Purpose-This paper aims to review the Shari'ah investment screening methodologies of 34 prominent global Islamic finance users, including index providers, Shari'ah service providers, Islamic banks, a regulator, an association body and fund managers. Design/methodology/approach-A comparative analysis is performed to highlight the variances of the Shari'ah-compliant methods and principles practiced by these renowned institutions with the latest compiled data. Findings-The two sets of business screens and financial screens are profiled separately to clearly examine the similarities and differences between the different methodologies. Some of these practitioners are more specific in their listing of Shari'ah-impermissible activities, while some are more general in allowing more businesses to be included as permissible. The majority of these users practice a two-tier method of screening: qualitative and quantitative. Under quantitative screen, the range of allowable threshold ratios on non-permissible criteria differs slightly between them. Research limitations/implications-With the wide divergence in screening methodologies applied by practitioners, there is a general consensus in the acceptance of compliant assets from various countries and practice. Standardization is, therefore, seen as a need not only to make understanding of Shari'ah investments clear to investors but also to discourage misunderstandings between scholars and investors. Practical implications-The suggestion, therefore, is to set globally acceptable universal Shari'ah standard methodologies which are applicable by the world Islamic financial market. These standards which are relevant and logical to global ethical investing would further stimulate investments in Islamic finance. Social implications-With Shari'ah-compliant asset growing exponentially relative to the world's financial assets, it is alleged that greater harmonization of the global screening methods would prevent misunderstanding and provide a clearer insight on Shari'ah investing, which could further accelerate growth of the Islamic finance sector worldwide. Originality/value-To provide a more transparent regulatory environment and build local and regional regulatory framework through establishment of standards, there should be more consistency with minimum barriers that prevent the industry from achieving its full potential. The paper also contributes to existing literature by documenting and analyzing the qualitative and quantitative screening procedures as practiced by a comprehensive set of global Islamic finance users. It is, therefore, important to share this knowledge as an effort toward greater understanding and harmonization of the practices at the global level to accelerate growth in the industry.

Purpose This study aims to provide comprehensive models that investigate the combination of both external fundamentals and internal characteristics on firm performance and if there is any difference between Shariah and non-Shariah compliant firms. The objective of this paper therefore is to analyze the significant relation between external fundamentals, internal characteristics and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach Panel data regression analyses are applied to determine significant results. It helps to control for unobserved factors of firm heterogeneity, which may result in spurious regression. Findings Most internal firm characteristics are found to be significant, but the same cannot be said for external fundamentals. Firm size is found to be very significant in driving both sets of firm performances. Financial distress in term of higher level of leverage is found to be a negative driver of non-Shariah-compliant firms’ performance in terms of return on asset but not for Shariah firms consistent with Islamic finance understanding. Shariah-compliant firms with higher liquidity tend to perform much better than less liquid firms, but the same is not found for non-Shariah-compliant ones. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to the industrial production sector and compares both Shariah and non-Shariah compliant firms. Practical implications This study adds new findings to clarify the roles of external macroeconomic fundamentals and internal characteristics determinants on firm performance. Findings from this study combine relevant information on different sets of determinants on firm performance and produce empirical evidence beneficial to both sets of Shariah and non-Shariah compliant firms in the industry. Originality/value This paper fulfills the need for firms to understand the external and internal environment for continuous survival and performance. It is therefore important for firms to recognize the possible factors which may influence their performance and mechanisms to sustain their performance for long-term survival.

The objective of this study is to disclose the effect of socio-demographic characteristics such as, age and ethnicity which is comprised of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Others on four financial capability domains namely planning ahead, managing money, choosing products and staying informed. A closed ended self-administered questionnaire was disseminated to a total of 2000 respondents among four types of groups which consist of FELDA or rural area residents, private sector employees, government sector employees and youth in institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. Those four groups were selected to cover a wide range of Malaysian population. 500 respondents were involved in this study for each types of groups through purposive sampling technique. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and analysis via Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was utilized in this study. The results revealed that age has significant effect on planning ahead, managing money, choosing products and staying informed. Whereas, ethnicities were found to have no effect on financial capability except planning ahead domain. It is suggested that more devotion should be placed on research and professional training in building respondents' financial capability. Furthermore, government and non-government organizations should develop a comprehensive approach to intensify their financial capability and upgrade their standards of living especially of financially vulnerable households.

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