This chapter aims to provide an overview of the dates palm farming in Malaysia. Besides, this paper also discussed on issues and challenges, prospect and future “baraqah” for dates palm farming sector in Malaysia. As new farming sector in Malaysia, facts sheets and general farming information are readily available and easily accessible to dates palm farmer. However, as the sector is rapidly growing, the lack of research in dates palm farming, production and prospect in Malaysia could represents a serious limitation to the long term viability of the sector. As results, several important issues and challenges for dates palm farming in Malaysia are derived such as dependency of imported dates, insect pest attack, climate and lack of expertise in dates palm farming. Besides, several prospects and future ‘baraqah’ for dates palm farming in Malaysia such as fulfilling local consumption trends, cultivation nature, dates palm health and disease, establishment of the National Dates Palm Centre and Waqf dates palm are proposed.

The success of awqaf institutions are determined by many factors, among others is good feedback from the endowers either from their contribution or repeat endowing. This study investigates the perception of endowers to endow and factors motivating them to repeat endowing in ensuring waqf institution success among 366 respondents in 2014. The study employs two models of multiple linear regression analysis. The first model examines the determinant factors influencing the intention to endow whereas the second model investigates internal and external factors influencing the intention to repeated waqf endowment in future. The findings show integrity of waqf institution, religious obligation and access to cash waqf have significant contribution to the endower’s perception to endow cash waqf. Meanwhile, repeated cash waqf behavior will take place if endowers are familiar with waqf institutions and have easy access to cash waqf as these two variables are significantly related to dependent variable. Thus, in order to motivate endowers to repeat cash waqf behavior, continuous promotion to create familiarity together with easy access to cash waqf are vital to encourage repeated charitable behavior.

The awareness on cash waqf contribution and the obligation to donate is now higher among Malaysians. In fact, many Malaysians donate cash waqf repeatedly. In understanding the background of cash waqf contributors, this paper presents the socio-demographic and socioeconomic profiles of those who donate repeatedly. A survey has been distributed to 100 respondents using random sampling. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings of this article show that 51 percent respondents claim that they will donate cash waqf repeatedly. Based on the respondent’s demographic background, the prevalence of donating cash waqf repeatedly is more common among females, aged between 20 to 25 years old, single and live in urban area. Meanwhile, the socio-economic background of the respondents shows that repeated cash waqf contributors are mostly professional and management workers, degree and postgraduate degree holders, those who received formal Islamic education in university, and those who earn between RM1501-RM3000 monthly. These findings provide some insights of repeated cash waqf contributor’s profile which might be beneficial to waqf agencies in accumulating waqf contribution in Malaysia.

This paper discusses the development of ethical funds and the Islamic funds in Malaysia and evaluates how the investment criteria of ethical funds coincide with the investment perspective of the Islamic fund or vice versa. This study selected two ethical funds and analysed the investment criteria of both funds to determine the similarities and differences between ethical and Islamic funds. Data were collected from the fund manager master prospectus and annual report in various years. The findings suggest that an ethical fund cannot be regarded as an Islamic fund but an Islamic fund can be considered as an ethical fund.

This technical report contains cases, namely "ETCS : Touch 'n Go"; "The Roaring Tiger: Relocating Zoo Negara"; and "Usahawan Francais : Antara Mimpi dan Realiti". The case "ETCS: Touch 'n Go" presented an issue relating to the implementation of the government policy on the single electronic toll collection system (ETCS). "The Roaring Tiger: Relocating Zoo Negara" looked at the factors surrounding the discussions to relocate Zoo Negara. While "Usahawan Francais: Antara Mimpi dan Realiti" looked at the challenges facing a small business from a franchisee's perspective. The cases have valuable learning points and together with teaching guides, they could be useful for teaching-learning purposes. However, it must be noted that the cases are written as case research exercises and they are not meant to evaluate good or bad management practices. Any use of the cases and reference to them must be accompanied with written permission of the author(s) concerned.

The paper examines Islamic unit trust fund's performance and evaluates whether the performance persists over severa1 time periods. On average, overall funds' performance as well as each fund performance is evaluated. Besides using raw return, this paper also uses Sharpe index, Treynor index as well as Jensen Alpha index to evaluate the funds' performance. Evaluating persistence in performance is done by comparing &e performance measures on year to year basis starting 1999 to 2003 and also on several time intervals of one (1999)' two (1W9-2000)' three (1999-2001), four (1999-2002) and five (1999-2003) years. In addition, this study also ranks each trust fund according to the performance indicator. Top 25% and bottom 25% of the funds in the ranking are then analyzed to look at persistence in being in the place through the differing time intervals. The results show that persistence in performance of the overall funds, on average, cannot be proved in the differing time periods. However, the result differ when each fund is being evaluated . Some funds persist in performance while the others do not. Similar results are also shown in the ranking performance. Thus, the evidence of the persistence in performance could give some hints to the potential investors to carefully choose which funds to commit.