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This study aims to bridge the gap in the literature on consumer behaviours such as image consciousness, materialism and consumer spending on credit card usage intentions among Malaysian college students.

A purposive sampling design was employed using a sample of 191 business and management students at a private higher education institution in Subang Jaya, Malaysia. An anonymous survey questionnaire was administered to the students. Structural equation modeling was then used to determine the validity of the path diagram and model fit.

The findings of the study revealed that materialism is a partial mediator in the relationship between image consciousness and compulsive spending. The study also found that compulsive spending is not a mediator in the relationship between materialism and credit card usage intentions. However, compulsive spending does exert a sizable influence.

Future research is required to investigate whether family background has an impact on youth abilities to be more responsible and rational when undertaking more lavish lifestyles and credit.

The implication of this study is that there needs to be more concerted efforts made in instilling credit card awareness and financial discipline among youth to avoid them falling into the debt trap at an early age.

This study highlighted the existence of the credit card debt problem which can inhibit Malaysia's vision to achieve a developed nation status in 2020.

Financial planning is important in promoting the social well‐being of a nation. Without proper financial planning, individuals may be ill‐prepared in coping with the escalating cost of living, medical costs as well as enjoying their desired quality of life. However, financial decision making is not always made in a rational manner. This study aims to investigate the influence of personality traits, genders and course majors on decision making dimensions of risk aversion, cognitive biases and socially responsible investing (SRI) criteria among Generation Y undergraduates.

The study utilizes a sample of undergraduates from a business school in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The study adapts the Big 5 personality scales from McCrae and Costa. The scales for the financial decision making dimensions, namely risk aversion, cognitive biases and SRI constructs, were developed for this study based on concepts developed from the extant literature. The validity and reliability of the scales were tested using exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha respectively. Hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regressions, t‐tests and ANOVA methods.

Conscientiousness, openness and agreeableness were found to have a significant influence on risk aversion, cognitive biases and SRI respectively. Gender and course majors taken were not significant in financial decision making.

Future research should extend this to different cohorts of individuals including working adults and retirees. The mediating influences of personality and moderating influences of demographic factors such as education level, age and religiousity should also be explored to better target potential investors and fulfill their financial goals.

Awareness of the influence of specific personality traits in financial decision making would help financial planners tailor products more effectively to cater for the understanding and lifestyle of the younger generation. There may also be a need in the future for business schools to introduce courses on behavioural finance in their curriculum.

Studies on financial planning have more often focused on rational aspects of financial decision making rather than on personality dimensions. This study bridges the gap by investigating the influence of the Big 5 personality traits in financial decision making. The study also posits that the influence of personality traits is more significant than demographic factors in financial decision making.

Credit card bankruptcies in Malaysia trebled from 2006 to 2007 and study loan defaults increased by 103 percent in the same period. In response to this, the paper aims to investigate the level of general financial and product awareness among young adults. The two research questions addressed are: how do demographic factors (age, gender and education level) influence the general financial awareness, and whether undertaking a business degree promotes greater financial and product awareness amongst youth today.

A survey method was employed using a sample of 280 students at a private higher education institution in Subang Jaya, Malaysia. The study also develops valid and reliable scales for general financial awareness and financial product awareness. Hypothesis testing was conducted using multivariate analysis of covariance.

The findings of the study revealed that the level of education and majors influence general and financial product awareness among youths. Also, males were found to have higher levels of financial awareness compared to females.

Future research is required to investigate whether family background has an impact on personal finance knowledge.

By identifying the specific areas where financial product awareness may be lacking, the paper may assist educators, regulators and financial institutions to design financial planning courses in helping youths to achieve greater financial freedom and be better equipped for retirement.

This paper also develops reliable and valid measurement scales for both general and financial product awareness which were not evident in previous studies. The paper's findings may prompt the educational institution and government authorities to be concerted in promoting financial planning awareness nationwide.

This study aims to bridge the research gap on the perception of accountants, intention to pursue an accounting career and the role of accountants in driving organizational change among undergraduates in Malaysia.

The study sample comprises 279 undergraduate students from a business school in Malaysia. The constructs of the study are leadership, ethical values, professionalism and role of accountants as drivers of change. Exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha are used to assess validity and reliability. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression are employed for hypotheses testing.

The study found that students perceive accountants positively in leadership, professionalism and ethical values. However, only leadership and professionalism exert a significant positive influence on the role of the accountant as a driver of change. Ethical values was not only insignificant but had a negative relationship.

The study suggests that there may be avenues for the profession to improve its branding to engage and retain future talent. It is imperative to embed greater emphasis of ethical values, as well as make business education more engaging.

The study explores the perception of the accounting profession among future business leaders in a developing nation. The findings show that students appear to perceive extrinsic characteristics (leadership and professionalism) as more important than intrinsic (ethical values) in driving organizational change.

The study examines the antecedents of responsible financial management behavior among young adults in India and explores the role of financial risk tolerance as a moderating variable.

The sample includes young adults in the age group of 18–35. The analysis uses a two-step approach via standard partial least squares structural modeling (PLS-SEM) and ordinary least square (OLS) regression.

Structural modeling results show that financial attitude fully mediates the relationship between financial knowledge and responsible financial management behavior, and locus of control influences responsible financial management behavior. Financial risk tolerance moderates the relationship. Among demographic factors, age and occupation influence responsible financial management behavior.

The financial knowledge used in the survey are based on self-reported responses. The future study can include participants from both developed and emerging countries to assess similarities and differences.

Despite the growing focus on improving financial literacy, there are growing concerns regarding responsible financial behavior. Since financial services is related to fiduciary responsibility, managers and policymakers need to ensure that financial knowledge results in improving financial attitude, which further leads to responsible financial behavior.

The present study from an emerging country will add value to the literature.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between shared prosperity and financial well-being from the individual grassroot perspective in Malaysia through the mediating influence of technological empowerment and responsible citizenship. The study also incorporates the effects of political stability on developmental policies such as shared prosperity as well as behavioural mindset change on financial well-being.

This study employed the quantitative survey method using convenience sampling selected based on ethnicity and income levels. The questionnaire was developed for this study based on extant literature and the Malaysian Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (SPV2030) policy document. The instrument was validated and data was then analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling approach.

The findings suggest that technological empowerment and responsible citizenship serve as mediators in ensuring that shared prosperity translates into financial well-being. Additionally, political stability and behavioural mindset are crucial in supporting SPV2030 and financial well-being, respectively.

The study highlights the need for political awareness and education, as well as the importance of revising legacy policies and enhancing policy feedback mechanisms to support financial well-being.

This study suggests that individuals need to shift their mindset to create opportunities and take risks to improve their financial status and in embracing shared prosperity. It also calls for the integration of more open policy feedback mechanisms and social mobility through technological empowerment.

Socially, this study underscores the importance of social cohesion and mobility, facilitated by technological empowerment, in the pursuit of shared prosperity and financial well-being. It also emphasizes the role of education in fostering political awareness necessary for sustaining these efforts.

This is a nascent study, with its focusing on individual grassroots perspectives and its identification of mediators like technological empowerment and responsible citizenship within the context of a developing, multi-ethnic nation. Methodologically, the study contributes a reliable and valid instrument for the further exploration of shared prosperity and financial well-being in literature.

The importance of early and developmentally appropriate science education is increasingly recognized. Consequently, creation of common guidelines and standards in early childhood science education has begun (National Research Council (NRC), 2012), and researchers, practitioners, and policy makers have shown great interest in aligning professional development with the new guidelines and standards. There are some important issues that need to be addressed in order to successfully implement guidelines and make progress toward accomplishing standards. Early childhood teachers have expressed a lack of confidence in teaching science and nature (Torquati, Cutler, Gilkerson, & Sarver, in press) and have limited science and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) (Appleton, 2008). These are critical issues because teachers’ subject-matter knowledge is a robust predictor of student learning outcomes (Enfield & Rogers, 2009; Kennedy, 1998; Wilson, Floden, & Ferrini-Mundy, 2002) and is seen as a critical step toward improving K-12 student achievement (National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century (NCMST), 2000; NRC, 2000). We argue that the same is true of preschool teachers.

This chapter discusses: (a) theories and practices in early childhood science education (i.e., preschool through 3rd grade) in relation to teaching for conceptual change, (b) research on methods of professional development in early childhood science education, and (c) innovative approaches to integrating scientific practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas with early childhood professional development.

Through a survey of 200 employees working in five of the thirty establishments analysed in previous research about the microeconomic effects of reducing the working time (Cahier 25), the consequences on employees of such a reduction can be assessed; and relevant attitudes and aspirations better known.

Reviewing the development of budgeting in America in the twentieth century, this article assesses where public budgeting is as it approaches the twenty-first century. Five periods are identified in American budgeting, drawing upon the work of Schick and Rubin: control, management, planning, prioritization and accountability. Budgeting in the 1990s is described as characterized by accountability and a “new” performance budgeting emphasis. The authors argue that the budget reform movement is still alive and well in American government, with local governments once more leading the way.