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This paper aims to investigate the mechanisms for managing coordinated benchmarking projects and the outcomes achieved from such coordination. While there have been many independent benchmarking studies comparing the practices and performance of public sector organisations, there has been little research on initiatives that involve coordinating multiple benchmarking projects within public sector organisations or report on the practices implemented and results from benchmarking projects. This research will be of interest to centralised authorities wishing to encourage and assist multiple organisations in undertaking benchmarking projects.

The study adopts a case study methodology. Data were collected on the coordinating mechanisms and the experiences of the individual organisations over a one-year period.

The findings show successful results (financial and non-financial) across all 13 benchmarking projects, thus indicating the success of a coordinated approach to managing multiple projects. The study concluded by recommending a six-stage process for coordinating multiple benchmarking projects.

This research gives new insights into the application and benefits from benchmarking because of the open access the research team had to the “Dubai We Learn” initiative. To the authors’ knowledge the research was unique in being able to report accurately on the outcome of 13 benchmarking projects with all projects using the TRADE benchmarking methodology.

This study aims to examine the moderator effect of religiosity on the relationship between halal brand awareness and habit towards purchasing decisions of halal products.

The quantitative method is used in this study. Descriptive and statistical (multiple and moderated regression) analyses are employed to test the hypothesis according to the research model. The data is collected using a cross-sectional design from 197 respondents consisting of business owners in North Sumatera, Indonesia.

It is found that both halal brand awareness and habit have a positive and significant effect on the purchasing decision of halal products. Meanwhile, religiosity significantly acts as a moderating variable in the relationship between awareness and purchasing decisions, as well as habit and purchasing decisions.

This study revealed the important factor of religiosity as a moderating factor in purchase decisions of halal products. The government may need to collaborate with Islamic educational institutions to raise awareness of the halal concept and product awareness. It is assumed that individuals who know about the Islamic religion will have a higher degree of awareness of halal products compared to individuals with limited knowledge of Islam; thus, providers of Islamic education play a crucial role in raising the level of awareness of halal products. Schools may serve as catalysts for the dissemination of knowledge of halal products.

Developing halal product markets can be done by enhancing the religiosity level of consumers, one of them through attending formal or informal religious classes.

The complex network structure causes several disruptions in the supply chain that make risk management essential for supply chain management including halal supply chain (HSM). During risk management, several challenges are associated with the risk assessment phase, such as incomplete and uncertain information about the system. To cater this, the authors propose a risk assessment framework that addresses the issues of uncertainty using neutrosophic theory and demonstrated the applicability of the proposed framework through the case of halal supply chain management (HSCM).

The proposed framework is using the capabilities of the neutrosophic number which can handle uncertain, vague and incomplete information. Initially, the risk related to the HSC is identified through a literature review and expert’s input. Further, the probability and impact of each HSM-related risk are assessed using experts’ input through linguistic terms. These linguistic values are transformed into single-value trapezoidal neutrosophic numbers (SVTNNs). Finally, the severity of each HSM-related risk is determined through the multiplication of the probability and impact of each risk and prioritised the risks based on their severity.

A comprehensive risk assessment framework is developed that could be used under uncertainty. Initially, 16 risks are identified related to the HSM. Further, the identified risks are prioritised using the severity of the risks. The high-priority risk is “raw material status”, “raw material wholesomeness” and “origin of raw material” while “information integrity” and “people integrity” are low-priority risks.

HSM risk can be effectively assessed through the proposed framework. The proposed framework applied neutrosophic numbers to represent real-life situations, and it could be used for other supply chains as well.

The proposed method is effectively addressing the issue of linguistic subjectivity, inconsistent information and uncertainty in the expert’s opinion. A case study of the HSC is adopted to illustrate the efficiency and applicability of the proposed risk framework.

The aim of this paper is to characterise the association between business network and the balanced scorecard used by Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as a method for assessing firm efficiency. The business network takes into account both the dimensions of stability and efficiency. The business network can help SMEs, with fewer resources to remain competitive. By having a secure business network, the performance of SMEs in Malaysia can be further improved. A business network can facilitate swift coordination amongst distant geographies to create new competitive advantages by accessing market segments, resources as well as building strategic business alliances.

A total of 404 sets of data collected by using stratified random sampling and structured questionnaire as an instrument. The list of SMEs collected from the Malaysia Foreign Trade Growth Corporate Directory (MATRADE) directories. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilised to analyse the data.

The findings show that the business network plays a role in the balanced scorecard (BSC) outcomes of Malaysian SMEs.

This article provides the owners and managers with an awareness to rapidly achieve the company's efficiency. Finally, the new article often has some consequences for decision-makers and regulators.

This paper examines Malaysia's perception of China following the Asian Financial Crisis. The Asian Financial Crisis, which occurred in 1997, resulted in a contraction in Malaysia's GDP, which resulted in increased unemployment in Malaysia. China is a rising economy. Several bilateral visits and trade missions meet both states to achieve an advantageous economic position. Malaysia's decision to rely on China despite historical events that had sparked tensions between the two countries. Despite Malaysia's economic downturn, the country is taking swift action to address the issue. During the crisis, Malaysia viewed Western countries as irresponsible and allowed the situation to deteriorate, which later became the reason for Malaysia's relationship with China. The crisis, however, has influenced Malaysian Chinese businesses to improve their foreign policy and bilateral relations. This paper contends that Malaysia recognizes the importance of its bilateral relationship with China in stabilizing its economic development and social activity following the crisis.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the optimal inflation targets for an appropriate exchange rate policy in 15 major oil exporting countries in Sub-Saharan African (SSA).

Dynamic heterogeneous panel threshold techniques are used via threshold-effect test and threshold regression. This procedure is achieved through a grid search and bootstrapping replications method to stimulate the asymptotic distribution of the likelihood ratio test of the null hypothesis on no-threshold as against the alternative hypothesis. The p-values validate the threshold estimates.

Findings revealed that the optimal inflation target has a turning point and its impact on the real exchange rate is up to a threshold level of 14.47 per cent. Furthermore, the inflation rate above the threshold level overwhelmingly revealed its effect on real exchange regimes.

It would have been a good idea to investigate optimal inflation targets for all African countries but due to inadequate data the selection criteria was narrowed to oil-exporting countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Inflation targeting beyond the threshold level would have serious implications on the monetary policy.

To the best of the knowledge, this is the first study to look at optimal inflation targets for 15 major oil exporting countries in general and SSA countries in particular. The findings provide a critical analysis of an inflation regime for a typical oil-producing country that oil exports being their source of revenue.

This study aims to offer a new area of discourse by investigating the factors determining the usage of the Islamic non-bank financing product ar-rahnu (Islamic pawnbroking) among women micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia within the framework of the informal credit market theory.

The study is based on primary data obtained by using self-administered questionnaires distributed in three states in Malaysia: Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. The questionnaires were distributed to a total of 750 participants, with each state contributing 250 respondents. Total number of respondents valid for data analysis was however 600.

Based on descriptive and inferential statistics by using the IBM statistical package for the social sciences and structural equation modelling analysis of moment structures, the results show that the main factor influencing women micro-entrepreneurs to use ar-rahnu is the service charge.

This study only covers three states in Malaysia and is limited to examining the use of ar-rahnu by women micro-entrepreneurs in those states.

As micro-entrepreneur s often face constraints to obtaining financial access in the formal credit market, ar-rahnu provides an alternative mode of obtaining business financing to female micro-entrepreneurs, so they can sustain their operations and even expand their businesses. The significance of such factors like service fee, as revealed in this study, indicates that managers should focus on this element when offering Islamic financial products, especially to women micro-entrepreneurs.

The informal credit market theory is frequently used in conventional studies. This paper adds Sharīʿah compliance in the context of this theory as a new area to be considered when discussing Islamic financial products.

The aim of the paper is to analyse the prevalence of corruption in Malaysia since 2004 in relation to political leadership, implementation of anti-corruption measures and the political and business culture based on money politics.

The paper draws from the information and data provided by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Malaysian government, international organisations, media reports, and academic papers.

The paper analyses the perceived extent of corruption in Malaysia by examining how successive governments have dealt with the problem through a wide range of measures. Corruption remains widespread because of ineffective implementation, a culture of money politics based on mutually beneficial crony associations between political actors and business leaders, political interference to frustrate enforcement against corruption offenders, especially prominent personalities, and the mixed impact of corruption prevention measures. The paper concludes that the political and business culture and the nature of political leadership have eroded the political will to combat grand corruption in Malaysia.

This paper builds on previous research on corruption in Malaysia and highlights the combined negative impact of political leadership and a business and political culture that tolerates and espouses corruption, especially through money politics, and the consequent weak political will for tackling grand corruption.

The study aims to analyze the influence of hedonic, utilitarian, and self-esteem motivations on online shopping behavior. Likewise, the mediating role of impulsive shopping and shopping intentions is also analyzed.

The study was carried out with the results of a survey in which 450 respondents participated, and the data was analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SmartPLS 3.0 software).

All the hypothesized links were significant and positive except for the relationship of self-esteem motive with impulsive shopping tendency, which was negative as hypothesized. Moreover, hedonic motive had a strong positive impact on impulsive shopping tendency, whereas, in contrast, utilitarian motive had a strong positive impact on shopping intentions.

Managers should focus on functional value rather than emotional value to attract customers who tend to be utilitarian. In contrast, for customers who tend to be hedonic, the product offerings should be visually appealing, stimulating and inspiring, as well as have emotional value.

This study investigates the roles of self-esteem and hedonic motives in impulsive shopping behavior. Moreover, by using the theory of planned behavior, this study highlights the roles of hedonic and utilitarian motives in attitude toward engaging in online shopping.

El estudio pretende analizar la influencia de las motivaciones hedónicas y utilitarias y la autoestima en el comportamiento de compra online. Asimismo, se analiza el papel mediador de la compra impulsiva y la intención de compra.

El estudio se realizó con los resultados de una encuesta en la que participaron 450 encuestados y los datos se analizaron mediante el modelo de ecuaciones estructurales (software Smart PLS 3.0).

Todos los vínculos planteados como hipótesis fueron significativos y positivos, excepto la relación del motivo autoestima con la tendencia a la compra impulsiva, que fue negativa según la hipótesis. Además, el motivo hedónico tuvo un fuerte impacto positivo en la tendencia de compra impulsiva, mientras que, por el contrario, el motivo utilitario tuvo un fuerte impacto positivo en las intenciones de compra.

Este estudio investiga el papel de la autoestima y los motivos hedónicos en la conducta de compra impulsiva. Además, al emplear la teoría del comportamiento planificado, este estudio pone de relieve el papel de los motivos hedónicos y utilitarios en la actitud hacia la realización de compras en línea.

Los directivos deberían centrarse en el valor funcional más que en el valor emocional para atraer a los clientes que tienden a ser utilitarios. En cambio, para los clientes que tienden a ser hedónicos, las ofertas de productos deben ser visualmente atractivas, estimulantes e inspiradoras, además de tener valor emocional.

本研究旨在分析享乐动机和功利动机以及自尊心对网上购物行为的影响。 而且, 本文也分析了冲动性购物和购物意向在其中的中介作用。

本研究采用了由450名受访者参与的调查结果, 并使用结构方程模型（Smart PLS 3.0软件）对数据进行了分析。

除自尊动机与冲动性购物符合假设所提议的负相关倾向外, 其他所有关系均为显著正相关。此外, 享乐动机对冲动性购物倾向有较强的正向影响, 而功利动机则对购物意向有较强的正向影响。

本研究调查了自尊和享乐动机在冲动性购物行为中的作用。此外, 通过采用计划行为理论, 本研究强调了享乐和功利动机在对参与网上购物态度中的作用。

管理者应该关注功能价值而不是情感价值, 以吸引那些倾向于功利主义的顾客。相反, 对于倾向于享乐主义的顾客, 产品应该具有视觉吸引力、刺激性和启发性, 并具有情感价值。

The paper aims to study Macau’s brand and destination personality. The data are derived from 91 semi-structured interviews with visitors to Macau at points of departure such as the airport and ferry terminals. Macau is perceived as hospitable and friendly, but complexities and ambiguities exist as the city is a fusion of Western and Asian cultures and locates gaming with a Portuguese heritage. Indeed one informant described the city as an “old person with a young spirit”. Given this, the final discussion is concerned with the concepts of anthropomorphic attributes associated with destination personality when applied to a destination, whereas managerial implications are identified with reference to a need to overcome some deficiencies in a perceived coldness in interactions with industry personnel.