Search results

The purpose of this paper is to improve the socio-economic condition of low-income households in Malaysia, many products and services are available, including access to working capital and enterprise development training programs. This study examined the impact of access to working capital and micro-enterprise development training programs on household income and economic vulnerability among participants of development initiatives in the eKasih (national poverty data bank) in Peninsular Malaysia.

Adopting a cross-sectional design, the authors collected data randomly from the selected 300 micro-entrepreneurs from the list of development organizations available in the eKasih (national poverty data bank) located in four states of Peninsular Malaysia. Quantitative data were collected through structured interviews with the respondents from October to November 2017.

Both the length of participation and total amount of economic loan were found to increase the household income. However, there was no positive and significant impact of total number of training hours on household income. Interestingly, length of participation was found to reduce the level of economic vulnerability, except total amount of economic loan, and total number of training hours.

Despite the overwhelming empirical evidence, the findings indicated that the impact of enterprise development training programs was inconclusive. The effect of total amount of loan on economic vulnerability was also inconclusive. Hence, both policy makers and development organizations should understand how their programs benefit the poor households that can be improved through new implementation strategies.

Despite the extant literature on purchasing behaviour, little is known about why and how consumers purchase and use pharmaceutical products in Malaysia. This paper aims to develop a holistic model that articulates the factors underlying pharmaceutical product purchase and use and their relationships.

Drawing upon the grounded theory approach, in-depth interviews and analysis on the basis of theoretical saturation were conducted. Enumerators, trained to perform interviews, the transcription and content analysis, sampled 120 Malaysian consumers in the first phase and 40 in the second. ATLAS.ti was used to assist the coding and analytical process.

The findings largely support extant literature on purchasing decisions. Particularly, the evaluation of product attributes was found to be an immediate determinant of purchase and use. The effect, in turn, was moderated by personal factors and facilitating conditions. The need for healthcare products and the knowledge about them were constructed as antecedents in the model. The study also highlights that consumers’ purchase and use of pharmaceutical products could be better understood and managed with a holistic view of the decision-making process.

This study proposes the conbe-hepro model to explicate the antecedents and determinants of consumers’ purchase and use of pharmaceutical products in the Malaysian context. It provides a theoretical grounding that enriches our knowledge of the changing behaviour of consumers in healthcare literature. It also yields practical insights to the government bodies and the healthcare providers in Malaysia and other developing countries.

This paper aims to scrutinize the misconceptions about maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (objectives of Islamic law) that complicate its actualization, particularly in Islamic finance.

This study adopts a qualitative inductive method to identify the flaws in understanding maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah vis-à-vis Islamic finance. It uses the views of classical and modern maqāṣid scholars to critically examine the flaws.

This study concludes that the five objectives of the Sharīʿah constitute the framework of maṣlaḥah (well-being). The levels of maṣlaḥah ― namely ḍarūriyyāt (essentials), ḥājiyyāt (needs) and taḥsīniyyāt (embellishments) ― are the categories of the means to ends. The demand for financial products falls under the ḥājiyyāt and taḥsīniyyāt categories, not ḍarūriyyāt. The maqāṣid (objectives) are derived from aḥkām (provisions) being verified by the parameters, while aḥkām are guided by maqāṣid.

This study recommends further research to theorize the concepts of ḍarūriyyāt, ḥājiyyāt, taḥsīniyyat and mukammilāt (complements); to harmonize the maqāṣid with their essential elements and to formulate a conceptual framework for actualizing maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah in Islamic finance.

This paper will improve perceptions and bridge gaps between the understanding of maqāṣid theory and existing practices. It suggests that instead of ḍarūriyyāt, Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) should refer to ḥājiyyāt and taḥsīniyyāt.

This paper identifies and clarifies the misconceptions about maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah vis-à-vis Islamic finance in the existing literature. The findings align with the views of leading maqāṣid scholars in understanding the idea.

This paper aims to examine the existing practice of accepting zakat payments using cryptocurrencies and crypto assets by discussing its Shariah issues.

This is qualitative research in nature, as unstructured interviews with experts in the field were conducted to understand the existing practice regarding zakat on cryptocurrencies/crypto assets while literature on the topic was reviewed to derive conclusions.

It is found that there are divergent views among contemporary Shariah scholars on the Shariah permissibility of cryptocurrency and crypto assets. As such, by evaluating the existing practices of some companies, this study has concluded that there is room to pay zakat using cryptocurrencies and from investments made on crypto assets. As long as they have been screened and classified as Shariah-compliant, they can be qualified to be part of one’s wealth from which zakat shall be paid. However, the findings of this research shall be subject to the fatwa and rules adopted in the specific jurisdiction in which the zakat payer resides. Laws made by the ruler to benefit the public ought to be considered in upholding the masalih (public interests) of all, which is in line with the legal maxim of “tasarruf al imam manut bi al-maslahah” (the ruler’s decision is dictated in favor of the people).

It is anticipated that the findings of this research will benefit zakat organizations and zakat payers in understanding how they should deal with cryptocurrencies and crypto assets in the collection and payment of zakat.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a conceptual framework that can facilitate investigations concerning the impact of marketing communication and financial consideration on the relationship between customer attitude and purchase intention of Islamic banking products and services.

This conceptual paper is structured based on the extant literature; it provides a review of theoretical perspectives, highlights the gap and illustrates the significance for developing a framework.

The authors identify notable patterns and limitations in previous empirical studies. Specifically, despite increasing interest in Islamic banking customer behavior, prior research has not given much attention to explore moderating effects on the customer attitude–intention link. This has left researchers and bank managers with very limited information to explain the conditions that enhance customers’ attitude and intentions toward Islamic banking products. Based on this backdrop, the paper displays a viable research model with propositions that assess potential moderating effects on the domain relationship.

This paper contributes to Islamic banking and management literature because prior research has predominantly focused on variables that directly influence customers’ behavior. This novel conceptual framework enables managers to better understand their customers and has implications for emerging themes, such as formulating strategies for specific customer groups and internationalization process. In addition, this paper provides a starting point to empirically examine whether and how the proposed moderators affect the link between customer attitude and behavioral intentions to purchase Islamic banking products.

To the best of knowledge, this is the first attempt to introduce relevant moderating variables for investigating the attitude and intention nexus in an Islamic banking context. Furthermore, the authors propose a new measure, namely, profit-loss sharing proportions which could enhance customers’ intention to purchase Islamic banking products.

This study aims to extend the investigation on leader communication by assessing the usage of motivating language (ML) by leaders in Waqf institutions in Malaysia.

Data analysis was carried out using structural equation modelling via the partial least squares. The probability sampling technique was deemed more suitable for this study as the available data was definable for constructing the sampling frame.

Management effectiveness was shown to have a significant effect on direction-giving and meaning-making language (MML), but not on empathetic language (EL). The findings demonstrate that increasing use of directive and MML leads to greater management performance; however, increased use of EL has no such effect.

The findings should not be taken as a comprehensive solution for improving the management effectiveness of all Waqf institutions. As the study only focused on the aspect of leader communication in Waqf institutions, the findings cannot be generalized to other contexts. Additionally, this study had only examined religious-based non-profit organizations (NPOs) with affiliations to a religious body, mission statements that incorporate religious values, financial support from religious sources and governance structure and employee selection based on religious processes. Hence, the findings cannot be used as a reference in the context of non-religious NPOs.

This paper contributes to the theoretical enhancement of existing literature about leader communication towards improving institutional effectiveness. The current study has empirically tested the model through the integration of the ML theory. Thus, the leader’s choice of language improves employee motivation and ultimately institutional productivity and effectiveness.

There is a glaring gap in empirical studies on the relationship between ML usage by leaders and management effectiveness specifically in the context of Malaysian organizations. Based on rigorous searches using the Scopus and Web of Sciences databases, it was found that past studies investigating the said relationship had focused more on Western countries. This is a crucial gap that must be addressed to gain a deeper understanding of the effect of ML on management effectiveness, especially in the Malaysian setting.

The contemporary practice of conventional maintenance for industrialised building system (IBS) constructions suffers from poor service delivery and defect repetition. A key problem impeding the widespread adoption of emerging technologies is the lack of competent contractors to support the effectiveness of the technology implemented in conventional methods and to ensure returns on investment. The shortcomings of conventional methods are assessed from the perspective of IBS buildings. This paper aims to identify the different system approach using Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology that is equipped with decision making processes.

This paper describes the establishment of key problem areas, the elements involved in implementing good practice and the requirements for integrating maintenance management processes and information databases in the maintenance management system.

Conventional methods have little emphasis on defect diagnosis tools. They also enhance inadequate strategic decision-making in the analysis of information when attempting to improve the maintenance project outcomes for IBS construction. The characteristics identified in a case study of IBS buildings are presented and analysed.

The conclusions and recommendations drawn from the analysis of the IBS case study are discussed, synthesised and deliberated upon. The approach presented in this paper integrates various aspects of building information modelling technology to facilitate improved execution of IBS maintenance activities.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries form a unique socioeconomic environment that makes the conclusions of the prior literature not likely to be applicable. GCC countries have huge oil reserves, yet they are aiming at reducing oil dependency through enhancing transparency, increasing foreign direct investments and reforming their governance structure. Their firms are mainly family owned and have low female representation in leadership positions. The study seeks to fill a literature gap by providing a business case supporting the call for gender diverse boards for better governance.

The study examines a sample of GCC-listed firms for the years 2009–2018. Three measures are used to proxy for firm social engagement, namely, CSR strategy score, environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure score and social pillar score. To ensure whether the presence of women on board or the number of women on board is influential on social engagements, the authors use the existence of women on board and the percentage of women on board variables. Data are collected using Thomson Reuters, and generalized least squares (GLS) panel data regression is used to estimate relationships.

The authors find that female representation on GCC corporate boards is increasing, yet in a slow path. The reported results support the role of women on boards in prompting firms' social agenda and enhancing the level of sustainability reporting. The results also show that female board representation supports the implementation of climate change policy, business ethics policy and health and safety policy.

The paper evidence the add value of women participation on GCC corporate boards in enhancing boards' functionality and governance. The empirical findings encourage firms and policymakers in the GCC countries to increase the share of females on corporate boards to improve firms' citizenship and facilitate attracting foreign investors.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that influence the intention to choose family takaful in Pakistan through using theory of reasoned action (TRA) model. While family takaful is not a new financial solution in the market, the main factors that motivate customers to purchase family takaful remain unexplored. To fill this gap, this paper investigated the impact of attitude (ATT), subjective norm (SBN) with the addition of Halal certification (HCT) to predict the behavioral intention of customers in Pakistan.

The sample data of 250 respondents was drawn for this paper. The respondents were the regular visitors to the Islamic banks in Pakistan and were selected through judgmental sampling. Of 250, total 237 responses were included in the final study, after excluding the inappropriate and missing responses. For the final data, EFA, CFA and SEM were used to test the significance of relationships between the IVs (ATT, SBN and HCT) and DV (BI).

Findings from the SEM analysis suggest that ATT, SBN and HCT have positive significant relationships with BI. SBN appeared to be the most influencing factor that influences the behavioral intention to purchase family takaful.

The paper has practical implications for takaful managers and academics. Bank managers can draw marketing communication policy based on the findings of this paper. While for academics, this paper laid a foundation for future studies by integrating Halal certification in TRA as a predictor to the behavioral intention towards selecting family takaful. The empirical nature of this paper will enhance understanding of the Islamic financial market and its customers specifically.

The findings of the paper also hold significance for managers and policy-makers of Islamic financial institutes. It guides to design the marketing strategies to develop the right attitude of customers, emphasize subjective norms and Halal certification when communicating the family takaful products to customers. As such, brand managers of family takaful may leverage the role of belief in developing the right attitude and then linking it to the family takaful brand. The attitude is rooted in the belief, and for family takaful brands, it potentially be useful to allow it a broader space in the brand strategies. Likewise, subjective norms in terms of choosing family takaful comprises the perceived social pressure of customers feel towards purchasing takaful for families. It highlights the role of social contacts and effect of their behavior and choices over customers. The recommendations and positive feedback customers receive from their social contacts can be instrumental in instilling the sale of family takaful. In the context of Halal certification, the findings of this paper call takaful brand managers’ attention to the significant role Shariah compliance plays for potential customers of family takaful.

The findings of the paper also have significance for managers and policy-makers of Islamic financial institutes. The findings of this paper guide them to develop marketing strategies, develop the right attitude of customers, emphasize subjective norms and Halal certification when communicating the family Takaful products to customers.

Family takaful is relatively a new phenomenon that demands empirical evidence for academics and managers. This is one of the early studies that investigates the determinants of purchase of family takaful through extended TRA model. Therefore, this investigation will serve as a cornerstone to the scant knowledge of family takaful in Pakistan and around the globe.