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The American University of Sharjah (AUS) in the United Arab Emirates was established in 1997. The university’s international curriculum and the library holdings have changed with the growth of the student enrollment. Assessment of the library collection was, therefore, necessary to maintain the quality of the materials. The objectives of the assessment were to support the international mission and curriculum of the university and to identify the unique materials to the region and gaps in the collection. Collection development policies were created that were unique to the Gulf region. In addition, the international faculty responded to a collection development survey and participated in a serials evaluation project. As a result of the assessment, an intensive collection development program was undertaken, the approval plan extended, and thousands of new monographs ordered. The project became a model for other newly developed libraries in the Gulf region.

The main purpose of this paper is to examine cost efficiencies of the selected Islamic and conventional commercial banks over the period of 2006 to 2009 in Malaysia.

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was initially used, to investigate the cost efficiency of the Malaysian banking sector and followed by Tobit regression analysis determine factors influencing the efficiency of Islamic and conventional banks in Malaysia.

The DEA results reveal technical efficiency as the main contributor of cost efficiency for conventional commercial banks and allocative efficiency as the main contributor for cost efficiency of Islamic commercial banks. This indicates conventional commercial banks have been efficient in utilizing information technology and electronics. Islamic commercial banks conversely have been efficient in allocating and utilizing their resources. Additionally, scale efficiency is found to be the main source of technical efficiency for both Islamic and conventional commercial banks, denoting that size is important in improving bank efficiency. The results of Tobit regression analysis are twofold. First, it documents capitalization and bank sizes are positively and significantly associated to efficiency. Secondly, loan quality is found to be negatively and significantly associated to efficiency.

This paper contributes to the body of knowledge through its literature discussions on the efficiency of both Islamic and conventional banks and the effect of banks' specific characteristics on their efficiency.

The paper aims to explore the impact of economic freedom on the efficiency of the Malaysian banking sector.

The analysis is confined into two stages. In the first stage, the bias-corrected data envelopment analysis method is used to compute the efficiency of individual banks. Then bootstrap regressions are used to examine the impact of economic freedom on bank efficiency, while controlling for the potential impacts of contextual variables.

It was found that greater freedom to start new businesses tend to impede the efficiency of banks operating in the Malaysian banking sector. The results indicate that restrictions on the activities of which banks could undertake exert negative impact on their efficiency levels. The empirical findings seem to support for official regulation and supervision of banks by setting the limits on activities which banks could undertake. In addition evidence supporting for government interventions in the foreign exchange and money markets was found.

The purpose of the present paper is to extend the earlier works on the performance of the banking sector in a developing economy and establish empirical evidence on the impact of economic freedom. Although empirical evidence which examines the performance of banking sectors is abundant in the literature, to the best of our knowledge, virtually nothing has been published to address the impact of economic freedom.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a new empirical evidence on the impact of economic globalization on the efficiency of the banking sector. The paper also investigates to what extent the internal (i.e. bank specific characteristics) and external (i.e. macroeconomic conditions) factors influence the efficiency of banks while controlling for the impact of the different dimensions of globalization.

The analysis is confined into two stages. In the first stage, the authors employ the bias-corrected data envelopment analysis method to compute the efficiency of individual banks during the period 1999-2012. The authors then use bootstrap regressions to examine the impact of economic globalization on bank efficiency, while controlling for the potential impacts of contextual variables.

The empirical findings indicate that the impacts of personal contacts, information flows, and cultural proximity seem to work in favor of Malaysian banks’ efficiency. A plausible reason could be due to the fact that capital account liberalization is usually accompanied by liberalization of the financial services sector, resulting in a greater competition and subsequently eroding monopolistic profits. The empirical findings also bring forth the importance of and political globalization in determining the efficiency of banks operating in the Malaysian banking sector.

The present study aims to provide for the first time empirical evidence on the performance of the banking sector and to establish new empirical evidence on the impact of globalization. The empirical evidence on the impact of globalization on the banking sector is completely missing from the literature.

This paper aims to empirically analyze the efficiency of full-fledged Islamic banks, Islamic branches of conventional banks and conventional banks in Pakistan.

The paper uses data envelopment analysis to measure and compare the efficiency of banks. Three measures of efficiencies such as total technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency are computed to achieve the objective of the paper.

Overall, full-fledged Islamic banks are less efficient in terms of total technical efficiency and pure technical efficiency than conventional banks. However, Islamic branches of conventional banks are highly scale-efficient than their counterparts.

The findings need to be supported by considering production function and risk exposure factors.

This paper evaluates and compares the efficiency of Islamic and conventional banks by utilizing the largest available data set during 2007-2014.

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the sources of inefficiency in the Korean banking sector. The present study focuses on three different approaches: intermediation approach, value‐added approach, and operating approach, to differentiate how efficiency scores vary with changes in inputs and outputs.

The paper utilizes the non‐parametric data envelopment analysis methodology to measure the efficiency of banks operating in the Korean banking sector. The method allows for the decomposition of technical efficiency (TE) into its mutually exhaustive components of pure technical and scale efficiencies.

The empirical findings suggest that estimates of TE are consistently higher under an operating approach vis‐à‐vis the intermediation and value‐added approaches. On the other hand, banks are characterized by a relatively low level of TE under the intermediation approach.

Further analysis on the performance of the Korean banking sector performance will examine the efficiency changes over time by employing the parametric stochastic frontier analysis method. Investigations into productivity changes over time, as a result of a technical change or technological progress or regression by employing the Malmquist productivity index could yet be another extension to the paper.

The findings from this study are essential not only for the managers of the banks, but for numerous stakeholders such as the central banks, bankers associations, governments, and other financial authorities. Knowledge of these factors would also be helpful to the regulatory authorities and bank managers who formulate going forward policies for improved efficiency of the Korean banking sector.

Unlike the previous studies on the efficiency of the Korean banking sector, the paper focuses on three different approaches: intermediation approach, value‐added approach, and operating approach to differentiate how efficiency scores vary with changes in inputs and outputs.

The aim of this paper is to discuss the similarities and differences of both conventional and Islamic financial institutions from various institutional perspectives.

This conceptual paper describes the insights held by the financial institution theory which is discussed from the perspectives of the economics of the financial institution, legal environment, the political aspect of an institution, the philosophical underpinning, the components of institution and also the ethical role of institution. Then, this paper will proceed to justify the similarities and differences that have been observed between both institutions.

Discussions in this paper will reveal that specifically specific similarity is prevalent on the nature of the supervisory role. The differences between both institutions from the aspects of business organization, economic roles and law of origin have also been found.

The similarities and differences that are established on both institutions will affect the structure of the financial contract and the design of financial systems.

The paper will contribute a new knowledge specifically on the design of the Islamic financial contract based on Shariah law at the initial phase.

This paper aims to explore how food-focused social activities are a route for promoting intergenerational relationships, well-being and dietary benefits among residents in care homes and children in preschool/schools.

Using a case study methodology, this study undertook staff-focused research on a 26-month UK programme in 12 partnership clusters, involving a range of growing, cooking, eating and community activities.

Staff reported benefits for older people, including improved mood, surfacing positive memories, new personal connections and relief from feelings of boredom and loneliness. Children were reported to develop in-depth relationships, greater empathy and overcame negative preconceptions. Food-based activities enabled all parties to express caring and nurturing in tangible and often non-verbal ways.

Food-based activities appear to have specific material and emotive characteristics that resonate with the intergenerational interests of older people and children. Using mainly in-house resources, this study showed that it is feasible to generate novel food-based practices between children’s education and care home sectors. A “test-and-learn” programme model is recommended, given sensitivities and complexity associated with food-based activities and the limited organizational capacity of care home and early education service providers.

This study examines the preparedness and responsiveness of Malaysian academic librarians in handling disruptions in library services during a disaster.

This qualitative approach involved semi-structured interviews with decision-makers, chief librarians and library managers from five selected public universities.

Thematic and qualitative data analysis produced several key themes based on (1) disaster preparedness involving policies, plans, asset protection, risk management, coordination of disaster management and preparative measures; and (2) disaster response involving strategies for information and communication access, community engagement, emergency response teams and procedures, and resource availability.

The findings are expected to be useful for policymakers in formulating policies and guidelines for library disaster management plans.

The interruptions of academic library services during a disaster may result in the disruption of the information sources and social information networks of students, academics and researchers alike. Effective disaster management is also the library’s responsibility to protect collections that belong to society at large.

This is one of the first attempts in disaster management research to focus on the preparedness and responses of academic libraries in Malaysia in the face of disasters. Therefore, the results of this study can be used as a baseline for policymakers to prepare policies, guidelines and manuals for management in the event of a disaster.

The institution of an annual series devoted to current and ongoing research in economics and business should be considered one of the notable developments during the period under review. Long standing need for such a reference not withstanding, there has been until this year no systematic attempt to organize a continuing series which concentrated on selected areas of ongoing research, especially adapted to the Jahrbucher format. By facilitating the publication of research papers which are longer than the conventional journal‐length article yet shorter than a monograph, publishing outlets available to scholars in the field have been infinitely expanded. Two years ago, the Royal Economic Society and the Social Science Research Council of Great Britain, developed an experimental series, published by Macmillan, entitled Surveys of Applied Economics. The JAI Press, Greenwich, Conn., has now come out with an annual series, which is expected to fill the gaps in at least seventeen areas of economic theory and business. These are briefly listed below, with pertinent bibliographical citations: Research in Economic Anthropology: An Annual Compilation of Research. Series editor, George Dalton. vol. 1. Sept. 1977‐ $22.00 ISBN 0‐89232‐040‐9; Research in Economic History: An Annual Compilation of Research. Series editor, Paul Uselding. vol. 1. Sept. 1976‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐001‐X; Research in Health Economics: An Annual Compilation of Research. Series editor, Richard M. Scheffler. vol. 1. Sept. 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐042‐7; Research in Human Capital and Development: An Annual Compilation of Research. Series editor, Ismail Sirageldin. vol. 1. June/July 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐019‐2; Research in International Business and Finance: An Annual Compilation of Research. Series editor, Robert G. Hawkins. vol. 1. May/June 1977‐ $23.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐031‐1; Research in Labor Economics: An Annual Compilation of Research. Series editor, Ronald G. Ehrenberg. vol. 1. March 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐017‐6; Research in Law and Economics: An Annual Compilation of Research. Series editor, Richard O. Zerbe. vol. 1. Sept. 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐028‐1; Research in Marketing: An Annual Compilation in Research. Series editor, Jagdish N. Sheth. vol. 1. June 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐041‐9; Research in Philosophy and Technology: An Annual Compilation of Research. Series editor, Paul T. Durbin. vol. 1. March 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐022‐2; Research in Political Economy: An Annual Compilation of Research. Series editor, Paul Zarembka. vol. 1. Sept. 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐020‐6; Research in Population Economics: An Annual Compilation of Research. Series editor, Julian L. Simon. vol. 1. April 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐018‐4; Applications of Management Science. Series editor, Matthew J. Sobel. vol. 1. 1977‐ $22.50. ISBN 0‐89232‐023‐0; Research in Econometrics. Series editor, Dennis J. Aigner. vol. 1. 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐039‐7; Research in Experimental Economics. Series editor, Vernon L. Smith. vol. 1. 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐030‐3; Research in Finance. Series editor, Haim Levy. vol. 1. 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐043‐5; Research in Organizational Behavior. Series editor, Barry Staw. vol. 1. 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐045‐1; Research in Public Policy and Management. Series editor, Colin Blaydon. vol. 1. 1977‐ $22.50 ISBN 0‐89232‐044‐3.