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In a dual financial system where both conventional and Islamic financial institutions co-exist, the motives behind customers’ choices of financial products remain a crucial factor to comprehend. Thus, this paper aims to examine the influence of Islamic financial literacy (IFL) and motives (religious, ethical and economic) on the holdings of Islamic financial products (IFPs).

The sample consists of 234 bank customers in Klang Valley, Malaysia, with data obtained through a convenience sampling method. The instrument used was a digital survey that was electronically sent to respondents.

Findings reveal that IFL and religious motives positively influence IFPs, whereas economic motives negatively influence IFPs. Ethical motives have no significant impact on IFPs.

The findings imply that IFPs attract customers due to their adherence to Islamic teachings, indicating strong religious motives. However, the negative leanings of the economic motive suggest that customers may perceive IFPs as less favourable due to higher costs and risks relative to conventional products. Islamic financial institutions must widen their efforts in educating the public regarding IFPs on the benefits of adherence to Shariah principles and at the same time improve their products’ cost-benefits.

This study contributes to the literature by comprehensively examining IFPs in terms of both assets and financing products. In addition, IFL is measured in an all-inclusive way, covering different dimensions of knowledge related to Islamic savings, investments, protection and financing.

This study aims to examine the direct effects of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices on employee green behavior (EGB) in the university setting in Bangladesh and to find the indirect effects of how GHRM promotes EGB through sequentially mediating employee environmental knowledge management (EEKM) (environmental knowledge and knowledge sharing) and green self-efficacy (GSE).

For the empirical study, the researcher uses partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the proposed conceptual model built on existing literature for greening workplaces in the university in Bangladesh. The study has collected data from 288 Bangladeshi university employees using convenient sampling.

The findings that GHRM practices positively and significantly promote EGB, which captures the employee's tendencies to exercise green behavior in daily routine activities such as turning off lights, air conditioning, computers and equipment after working hours, printing on both sides, recycling (reducing, repair, reuse), disseminating good green ideas, concepts, digital skills and knowledge to peers and champion green initiatives at work. Moreover, the findings also revealed the sequential mediation of EEKM (environmental knowledge and knowledge sharing) and GSE of employees between the link GHRM and EGB. At last, the findings suggested that HR managers can implement the GHRM practices to promote green behaviors among the academic and non-academic staff of the university.

This study contributes to the field by extending knowledge of Social Cognition Theory and Social Learning Theory for greening workplaces in Bangladesh, particularly universities. Specifically, this empirical study is unique to the best of our knowledge and highlights the role of EEKM and GSE as mediation between GHRM and EGB association.

The purpose of this paper is to extend the Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) theory to identify the factors influencing Muslim customers’ switching intention to halal-certified cosmetics.

A snowballing sampling method was used to distribute an online questionnaire via social media platforms. Of 403 questionnaires, only 363 were usable. SmartPLS 4 was used to analyse the data using a structural equation modelling approach.

The findings of this paper confirmed that social influence and scepticism have a positive effect on the switching intention to halal cosmetics. However, compatibility with current cosmetic products has a negative effect on the switching intention to halal cosmetics. On the other hand, negative side effects and negative past experiences have a positive effect on scepticism. Scepticism was also found to mediate the relationship between negative side effects and negative past experiences toward the switching intention to halal cosmetics.

The findings of this study primarily benefit cosmetics manufacturers, whether halal-certified or otherwise.

This study extends the PPM theory with negative side effects and negative past experiences. Moreover, this study also introduces new relationships and untested relationships between scepticism and switching intention. This study shows the mediating effects of scepticism on the relationship between negative side effects and negative past experiences toward switching intention.

The role played by corporate governance mechanisms on corporate deleveraging policies has not been clarified. Empirical evidence is confined to developed economies, even with conflicting and inconclusive results. This paper aims to examine the role of corporate governance mechanisms, such as ownership structure, board composition and CEO dominance, in explaining corporate deleveraging policies.

Using a sample of listed Pakistani firms between 2010 and 2022, this study resorts to binary response models to examine the effects of governance mechanisms on firms’ decision to go debt-free.

A greater ownership concentration, institutional ownership and family ownership increase the propensity for zero leverage. Board gender diversity decreases the propensity for deleveraging policies, which seems to indicate that the presence of females reinforces the monitoring function of the board. Finally, lower managerial ownership or CEO dominance decreases the propensity toward zero leverage (interest convergence hypothesis), but higher managerial ownership or CEO dominance increases the propensity toward zero leverage (managerial entrenchment hypothesis).

Risk-averse managers who prefer to control a firm using little or no debt will find it easier to implement these financing policies in firms with greater ownership concentration and where institutional holders have a substantial stake. For shareholders, this study suggests that investing in firms with females on board reduces the risk of corporate deleveraging policies being adopted for entrenched reasons.

The presence of females on board seems to decrease the propensity of managers to adopt opportunistic actions and may also contribute to enhancing human welfare and society in developing countries.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study considering the effect of board diversity on zero leverage. Another singularity is that this study exhibits a nonlinear relationship between managerial ownership and corporate deleveraging policy.