An epistemological approach to evaluating a financial index of profitability and wellbeing: the case of Islamic instruments in National Commercial Bank, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Asserts that the world needs to integrate economic issues with social demands and discusses ideas on the unity of knowledge (including Islamic theories). Develops a string model of the process of unification as seen by the Koran and applies it to the Islamic financing division of a Saudi Arabian bank to show how it can produce an “interactive financial index” encompassing social well‐being, economic development and financial profitability. Claims that this could not be achieved in any other way and contrasts the Islamic approach with mainstream economic ideas. Assesses how the Islamic approach works in practice by looking at the bank’s portfolio and relating it to social well‐being and policy.

Citation

Alam Choudhury, M. and Al‐Hallaf, H.M. (2001), "An epistemological approach to evaluating a financial index of profitability and wellbeing: the case of Islamic instruments in National Commercial Bank, Saudi Arabia", Managerial Finance, Vol. 27 No. 10/11, pp. 87-113. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074350110767592