Jewish Service Learning: An Analysis of Participant Jewish Identity and Program Characterisitcs

LBJ School of Public Affair

Cross-Border Collaboration in Disaster Management

Wenn sich eine Katastrophe ereignet, ist eine schnelle und koordinierte Reaktion der verschiedenen Krisenmanagementakteure unerlässlich, um die vorhandenen Ressourcen bestmöglich einzusetzen und somit ihre Auswirkungen zu begrenzen. Dieses Zusammenspiel wird erschwert, wenn die Katastrophe mehrere Länder betrifft. Neben den unterschiedlichen Regelungen und Systemen spielen dann auch kulturelle Einflüsse wie Sprachbarrieren oder mangelndes Vertrauen eine entscheidende Rolle. Obwohl die Resilienz von Grenzgebieten von fundamentaler Bedeutung ist, wird diese in der wissenschaftlichen Literatur immer noch unterschätzt. Im ersten Teil dieser Arbeit wird ein agentenbasiertes Modell zur Untersuchung der organisationsübergreifenden Zusammenarbeit bei Katastropheneinsätzen in einer Grenzregion vorgestellt. Indem Kommunikationsprotokolle aus der Literatur auf den Kontext der grenzüberschreitenden Kooperation erweitert werden, analysiert das Modell die globale Dynamik, die aus lokalen Entscheidungen resultiert. Ein szenariobasierter Ansatz zeigt, dass höheres Vertrauen zwar zu signifikant besseren Versorgungsraten führt, der Abbau von Sprachbarrieren aber noch effizienter ist. Insbesondere gilt dies, wenn die Akteure die Sprache des Nachbarlandes direkt sprechen, anstatt sich auf eine allgemeine Lingua franca zu verlassen. Die Untersuchung der Koordination zeigt, dass Informationsflüsse entlang der hierarchischen Organisationsstruktur am erfolgreichsten sind, während spontane Zusammenarbeit durch ein etabliertes informelles Netzwerk privater Kontakte den Informationsaustausch ergänzen und in dynamischen Umgebungen einen Vorteil darstellen kann. Darüber hinaus verdoppelt die Einbindung von Spontanfreiwilligen den Koordinationsaufwand. Die Koordination über beide Dimensionen, zum einen die Einbindung in den Katastrophenschutz und zum anderen über Grenzen hinweg, führt jedoch zu einer optimalen Versorgung der betroffenen Bevölkerung. In einem zweiten Teil stellt diese Arbeit ein innovatives empirisches Studiendesign vor, das auf transnationalem Sozialkapital und Weiners Motivationstheorie basiert, um prosoziale Beziehungen der Menschen über nationale Grenzen hinweg zu quantifizieren. Regionale Beziehungen innerhalb der Länder werden dabei als Vergleichsbasis genommen. Die mittels repräsentativer Telefoninterviews in Deutschland, Frankreich und der deutsch-französischen Grenzregion erhobenen Daten belegen die Hypothese, dass das Sozialkapital und die Hilfsbereitschaft über die deutsch-französische Grenze hinweg mindestens so hoch ist wie das regionale Sozialkapital und die Hilfsbereitschaft innerhalb der jeweiligen Länder. Folglich liefert die Arbeit wertvolle Erkenntnisse für Entscheidungsträger, um wesentliche Barrieren in der grenzüberschreitenden Kooperation abzubauen und damit die grenzüberschreitende Resilienz bei zukünftigen Katastrophen zu verbessern. Implikationen für die heutige Zeit in Bezug auf Globalisierung versus aufkommendem Nationalismus sowie Auswirkungen von (Natur-) Katastrophen werden diskutiert

The influence of religion on retail patronage behaviour in Malaysia

Although culture and subcultural norms have been subjected to increased scrutiny in recent years as explanatory constructs for various dimensions of consumer behaviours, religion as a subsystem of culture has received only slight attention in the marketing literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the religious influences on some selected aspects of consumer behaviour. Utilising consumer behaviour model of retail patronage as a framework, religious influences on the following aspects of consumer behaviour were examined: lifestyle, use of information source, shopping orientation, store attribute importance and store patronage. Consistent with previous research, religion was viewed from two different perspectives namely religious affiliation and religiosity. Religious affiliation is the adherence of individuals to a particular religious group while religiosity, or religious commitment, is the degree in which beliefs in specific religious values and ideals are espoused and practiced by an individual. Fieldwork for this study was carried out in Malaysia where the populace contains sizable percentages of adherents to four of the world’s leading religions, namely Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. The research data was collected by means of a survey through personal interviews with a structured questionnaire. Out of three hundred respondents targeted, two hundred and twenty-six questionnaires were deemed usable for statistical analysis. Statistical tests were calculated using statistical procedures of SPSS version 11.5. The main statistical techniques used include exploratory factor analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate ANOVA and multiple linear regression analysis. Findings indicated significant differences between religious affiliation groups in the areas of lifestyle, store attributes and store patronage. Significant differences between religiosity groups were also revealed in the areas of lifestyle, information source, shopping orientation and importance of store attributes. The usefulness of religious variables was further tested using multiple linear regression analysis with demographics and lifestyles were entered as extraneous variables. Results indicated that when the effect of other predictor variables were explicitly controlled (i.e. held constant) during the regression analysis, religious affiliation appeared to influence the perceived importance of store attributes. Intrapersonal religiosity, when controlling for the effect of other predictor variables, appeared to influence the use of information source, shopping orientation and perceived importance of store attributes. Similarly, interpersonal religiosity, when controlling for the effect of other predictor variables, was found to influence the use of information source, shopping orientation and importance of store attributes. Overall, findings indicated that consumer religiosity, as compared to religious affiliation, was more useful in predicting aspects of retail patronage activities. Thus it is suggested that religiosity variable should be given consideration in future patronage behaviour model building and research efforts. The implications of these results for theories of consumer behaviour along with the practical implications of the findings were discussed and opportunities for future research were provided

Consumer Multicultural Identity Affiliation: Reassessing Identity Segmentation in Multicultural Markets

The increasing intra-national diversity of many modern markets poses challenges to identity segmentation. As consumers require greater recognition of their diverse identities from brands, marketing science and practice are in search of theories and models that recognize and capture identity dynamics as impacted by cultural influences both from beyond and within national market borders. This paper extends consumer acculturation theory into multicultural market realities and offers a Consumer Multicultural Identity Affiliation (CMIA) Framework5 that distinguishes and integrates three key types of intra- and trans-national cultural influences informing identity dynamics. By examining consumer cultural identities within the CMIA framework in a mixed-method, two-country study, we show that gaining such an integrative view on cultural identity affiliations uncovers greater diversity and complexity (mono-, bi-, or multi-cultural) of consumer segments. We conclude with discussing future directions for CMIA applications to support marketing managers, scholars and educators dealing with culturally heterogeneous markets

Indonesian Women and Islamic Economy: A Case Study of Islamic Microfinance and Women's Empowerment in Yogyakarta

Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT), a model of Islamic microfinance institution (IMFI), has emerged in Indonesia in the last two decades. Although BMTs were not initially created for women, they have embraced women as their primary beneficiaries. The main objective of this study is to examine the link between BMTs and women's empowerment. More specifically, this study aims to address three main problems. First, to observe the origins of BMTs and their affiliation, it investigates their institutional missions and their ties with women's empowerment agendas. Second, it analyzes the particular patterns with which BMTs' empower women clients. Third, to investigate the effects of BMTs' services on women. Employing a qualitative approach, this study explores four BMTs operating in Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, document review, and field observations. Participants included BMT managers, founders, and staffs, as well as women clients and experts. This study has three main findings. First, although the majority of BMTs in Yogyakarta predominantly deal with women, from a historical perspective, there is no indication that the BMT movement in this region is related to a women's empowerment agenda. Moreover, none of the BMT institutions in this research specify women in their goals, objectives, or operations. Targeting of women as primary beneficiaries is merely intended for financial sustainability and not gender concerns. BMTs consider women to be 'a rational economic segment', who can enhance the efficiency of programs and contribute to organizational sustainability. Observing the four selected BMTs, it is found that the service orientation and character of each BMT is significantly affected by its primary affiliation. BMTs that are allied with Islamic mass organization are inclined to accentuate Islamic symbols, while BMTs that work with the government and/or international donors use such symbols less regularly. Second, this thesis demonstrates that women's empowerment in BMTs follows various models, dealing with socio-economic, religious, and environmental issues. For socio-economic empowerment, BMTs employ individual and collective empowerment. Individual empowerment, called jemput bola, is widely used by BMTs as their main means of maintaining personal relationships and member loyalty, as well as to oppose the conventional banking sector. This scheme requires BMTs to arrange rigorous meetings between clients and BMT officers. Meanwhile, collective empowerment is generally facilitated through the creation of independent groups of women based on proximity of residency. BMTs also use religious activities as instruments to deliver their mission of da'wah, to attract new members, and to monitor members' business performance. Supported by its international NGO's partners, one BMT institution has pioneered ecological projects that are integrated at the strategic level into its organizational mission and goals. Third, according to clients, the effects of BMT projects on their family and personal lives are mostly positive. Respondents reported that access to BMTs' programs andservices have fostered socio-economic and psychological benefits for women.Economically, positive outcomes have emerged from increased income, savings,and ownership as a consequence of business growth. Meanwhile, access to credit has given women social advantages, such as increased social mobility. Involvement in BMT programs has expanded women's ability to travel to places outside the province. In addition, women's participation in BMT projects has also had positive psychological contributions. Most respondents reported having more self-esteem and dignity as a result of their economic growth. The involvement of women inBMTs' religious programs also improves their religious knowledge and practice.Nevertheless, this study also demonstrates that BMTs may have a negative effect on women; one of the most apparent harmful effects of women's engagement in BMTs is their continuing dependence on loans. The importance of this study lies in several points: 1) It contributes a new understanding of the intersection between microcredit, women’s empowerment, religious and cultural problems in a Muslim-majority society. 2) There has been lack of research into the connection between the Islamic microfinance movement and women's issues in a historical and political context; this study helps fill such gaps by expanding the interdisciplinary scope of Islamic microfinance in an Indonesian setting. 3). The findings of this study enrich discussions and debates on Islamic financing and women's empowerment. This work provides the insight that women's empowerment is a universal concept that is applicable to Muslim-majority societies. 4) There has been a dearth of qualitative study studies on BMTs in Indonesia; this study addresses this gap by undertaking a qualitative approach. Future researchers could extend the research findings and reflections of this research and continue discussion of how to develop and integrate the aspects of gender, Islamic values, and microfinance. While this study has investigated the effects of BMT programs on women's lives, particularly in a Javanese setting, future researchers could expand this to the broader location and include the perspectives of spouses and other family members

EUSN 2021 Book of Abstracts, Fifth European Conference on Social Networks

Book of abstract of the fifth European conference on Social Networks EUSN 202

The role of Islamic finance in reducing financial exclusion: an exploratory case study of Muslims in Queensland, Australia

Nearly 3 billion people in the world faced the difficulties in accessing formal financial products and services on the basis of financial exclusion. Financial exclusion refers to a situation where individuals lack access to appropriate and affordable financial products and services. In 2012, approximately 3.1 million of the Australian adult populations were identified as being financially excluded. The purpose of the study is to explore the nature and extent of financial exclusion of Muslim community in Queensland, Australia as well as to understand the overall socio-economic structures and banking behavior of the community including their access to conventional finance. Based on the available data, there are 476,300 Muslims in Australia as at 2011. Approximately 20,300 Muslims resided in the state of Queensland. The research method employed by the study is by using qualitative survey questionnaires. The main finding of the research is that the Muslim community in Queensland, Australia are financially excluded due to the absence of banking and finance products that would meet their needs and comply with the Shariah (Islamic Law). Although the Muslim community in Queensland, Australia have a preference for Islamic finance products and services, the current Islamic finance products being offered in Australia are limited and do not enhance their financial inclusiveness. Based on the findings, the main reason for the problem is that Islamic finance facilities are not widely offered in Australia but it was centralised in two major cities - Sydney and Melbourne. There are no Islamic financial institutions in Queensland and as such, this limits the access of Muslims community to the financial system that is consistent with their religious beliefs. Another revelation from the study is that it appears that there is no mechanism in Australia that would compel the IFSPs to comply with regulations and directions of the international Islamic regulatory bodies. On the other hand, the study discovers that there are no Islamic insurance products in Australia. The insurance market in Australia are dominated by conventional insurance, hence, again this has deprived the Muslim community from accessing insurance products that is in line to their belief. The fact that the majority of the Muslims observe Shariah-compliance in all aspects of their lives, including the consumption of financial services, means that they will remain financially excluded unless authentic, suitable and competitive financial products are offered to them. The current provision does not appeal to many people of this community at all and thus the effect that the current Islamic finance products have had on enhancing their financial inclusion has been minimal. The limitations of access to products and services that are in compliant with Shariah (in terms of banking, finance and insurance) have created a gap between the Muslims community and the financial systems in Australia. This suggests that a holistic and coordinated effort is warranted if this chronic problem is to be dealt with. This research concludes that the Muslims in Queensland are financially excluded from Australia’s financial systems

Liberal Arts, Religion, and Irreligion: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Student Religiosity and Secularity at the Claremont Colleges

This study measures levels of religiosity and secularity among students at the Claremont Colleges, including students’ (ir)religious affiliations, beliefs, and practices. The religious landscape in the U.S. is shifting in multiple ways, and young adults feature prominently in these changes. Using data from an online survey of students, the present study addresses the following research questions: What is the (ir)religious makeup of the student body at the Claremont Colleges? Do the observed patterns mirror those of the general U.S. population? The results of this study show that the sample population at the Claremont Colleges is much less religious than the U.S. as a whole in terms of affiliation, beliefs, and practices. The findings highlight the shifting religious landscape in the U.S., particularly in the younger population, and the importance of understanding these shifts in order to best serve the needs of students