Purpose – This paper debates the Islamic perspective on the work ethics employed in an organization. It aims to discuss the issues of assumptions involving the Islamic Work Ethic (IWE). Therefore, this paper addresses the gap in the management literature and suggests a group of dimensions from fundamentals of Islam. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the foundations of IWE and investigates various empirical studies conducted in several countries. Then, briefly presents a short historical and conceptual review of the work ethic construct, suggests a general conceptual definition of work ethic, and offers multidimensional model including a series of constructs which can enable researchers to evaluate and measure work ethic in Islamic societies. Findings – The study reveals that there is an evidence of ethics formulation depending on Islamic literature which constructs Islamic values for work. This paper proposes new perspective about the right ethics of work in Islam. Further, multidimensional model including 18 dimensions has been developed to evaluate work ethic in Islamic societies. Research limitations/implications – This field needs to reconsider the constructs of IWEs where it is far from reflecting Islamic theory. This paper presents new dimensions which can be utilized to enrich this area. Originality/value – This is one of the few attempts to suggest the appropriate constructs of IWE in the management literature. It provides 18 elements responsible and have the promise to strengthen individual transparency and morally which eventually enhance economic progress in Islamic world.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze crowdfunding (CF) as new entrepreneurial finance (EF) tool and to predict the success of CF projects in the Middle East region. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted in seven Middle Eastern countries (i.e. Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and UAE) in addition to serval CF platforms that are commonly used by crowd funders in this region (such as Kickstarter, GoFundMe, Beehive and Zoomal) with total members (195,193). A pilot sample of 20 units was used to validate and verify the research instrument of the study. The research sample consists of 1,910 respondents from the seven countries included in the study. The study emphasizes the partners, micro-structures, administrative conditions and CF advancement in the Middle East. Findings The findings reveal that CF’s presence positively impacts fundraising success and that CF platforms are an effective financial technology (Fintech) tool for financing entrepreneurs in the Middle East. The study shows that the success of CF projects in the Middle East can be anticipated by estimating and breaking down enormous information of web-based and social media movement, human resources of funders and online venture introduction. The authors conclude with recommendations for future EF and CF research. Originality/value This study aims to analyze the CF and EF principles in the Middle East region as the CF experience and practice in this part of the world tend to be unexplored in terms of research. Presently a very few numbers published research on CF exists. Moreover, to the best of the knowledge, there is no single study investigating CF as an alternative financing source in the Middle East. In particular, the study.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate and discuss the viability of Islamic crowdfunding (ICF) as an alternative form of financing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Middle Eastern and Islamic business environment. This study raised essential questions: what is the perception of ICF in the Middle East? Does the Middle East region really need an Islamic crowdfunding model to support SMEs? Is it possible to create a crowdfunding platform complaint with Sharia? What are the requirements for developing an Islamic crowdfunding model? Design/methodology/approach The methodology followed to answer these questions is a qualitative research design depends on in-depth interviews, literature review, historical analysis and critical discussion. Data analysis was conducted using NVivo to analyze 25 in-depth interviews with Islamic scholars, Sharia board members and Islamic finance experts from different Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, UAE and Bahrain. In addition, more than 115 transcriptions, memos and research articles were used. Findings The study provides a new Islamic Sharīʿah-compliant crowdfunding model as the main outcome of this study. In addition, the content analysis revealed four main themes to be the essential pillars to develop the ICF model. These provisions of Islamic Sharia are: Project Idea (Halal) (28.5%), Funding Goal (36%), Return and Risk (14%) and Funding Commitments (21.5%). The findings also revealed that the four types of crowdfunding (reward-based crowdfunding, donation-based crowdfunding, loan-based crowdfunding and equity-based crowdfunding) are legal and supported by evidence from Quran and Sunnah. Originality/value Despite the critical development in Islamic finance and the expanding number of young Muslims slanting digital Islamic services, empirical studies exploring this issue in the Middle East is still inadequate. Further, ICF has increased attention and there is an urgent need for financing new SMEs in the Middle East.

This study aims to analyze crowdfunding’s economic success in the Gulf region as the Crowdfunding (CF) experience and practice in this part of the world tend to be unexplored in terms of research. In particular, the study examines whether the adoption of entrepreneurial finance (EF) principles in crowdfunding platforms affects the economic success of funding and entrepreneurs’ ability in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to access financial resources. The study uses an online questionnaire survey on Crowdfunding economic success in the GCC to collect information from the participants. Participants are investors, entrepreneurs, and startups from five Gulf countries (i.e., Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and UAE) in addition to several Crowdfunding platforms commonly used by crowdfunders in this region (such as Indiegogo, Kickstarter, Eureeca, Beehive and GoFundMe) with total members (102964). Signaling theory and principle-agent theory combine to make a theoretical foundation that explains the relationship between funders and fundraisers. The pilot sample consisting of 10 units was used to validate and verify the research instrument of the study. The research sample consists of 1145 respondents (sample size n = 1145) selected randomly from the five Gulf countries included in the study. The findings reveal that CF’s presence positively impacts economic fundraising success and that crowdfunding platforms are an effective financial technology (Fintech) tool for financing entrepreneurs in the GCC. We conclude with recommendations for future EF and CF research. The findings of this study will have implications for improvements in practices of economic and finance. They may be used as a guide towards advancing the management and performance of the crowdfunding platforms in the Gulf region. Presently, a very few number of published research on crowdfunding exist in this region. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, there is no single study investigating crowdfunding as an alternative financing source in the GCC.

This research aims to investigate the application of leadership and governance in higher education organizations in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the UK. The study also intends to gather evidences on the practices of academic management in different cultures. The methods of the study relies on reading lists of governance standards from several advanced educational institutions and uses a “comparative methodology” based on the data from the Kingdom of Bahrain and The UK. This research reviews the various models of “the higher education governance” and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each model. The study employs the three principles of UNDP (Transparency, Participation and Accountability) to assess application of leadership and governance in higher education institutions.The findings of this study reveal that Arab universities need to perceive the significance of clarifying the reason for governance. The examination likewise distinguishes the significance of relating their job and commitment to the procedure of change to the learning based economy and world informatics. Also, it features the need of broadening the cooperation of stakeholders in the key basic leadership.The importance of this study lies in examining whether the governance standards are associated with practical application in universities. Also it examines whether there is an influence of the culture and social aspects on the application and understanding of these standards. The significance of receiving administration measures in the Arab world lies in its possibility to change the HE organizations’ practices, and increment their ability for greatness and aggressiveness. Thus, ensures the autonomy of advanced education alongside its quality and viability particularly with respect to their yield and status locally and internationally.