Social Cost-Benefit Analysis (SCBA) of Islamic Insurance (takaful) Drone-Assisted Disaster Victim Identification: Emotional Management

Abstract

Islamic insurance (takaful) companies have continuously used the latest technology to serve their customers better. One of the potential technologies that takaful operators can consider is drones. Nonetheless, the adoption of drones has shown an imbalanced pattern between regions, with some countries displaying more commendable experiences than others. In the context of Malaysia, such adoption can be regarded as negligible, if not minimal. While drones have numerous positive effects, this study focuses on emotional management through the lens of social cost-benefit analysis (SCBA) based on disaster victim identification (DVI). DVI is the process of identifying corpses (often in large numbers) following a disaster, either natural or man-made disaster. This study provides preliminary findings that support the need for drones to be integrated into takaful operations, based on the SCBA method focusing on emotional management. The findings indicate that emotional management affects not only the family of the victim but also the first responders involved in the search and rescue (SAR) operation and their families. Hence, proper consideration must be given to using drones in takaful operations with the government disaster agency.