Dzuljastri Abdul Razak

Theory of Islamic consumer behaviour : an empirical study of consumer behaviour of Islamic mortgage in Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to propose a theory of Islamic consumer behaviour to explain the factors that influence the Islamic mortgage industry. Although previous works have shown that conventional marketing theories were, to a certain extent, able to predict factors influencing halal marketing and Islamic mortgage, these theories fail to capture or accommodate the Islamic perspectives of consumer behaviour. Conventional marketing theories have also been found to be inadequate to explain the Islamic mortgage preference among consumers. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing upon the Maqasid al-Shariah, this study develops an Maqasid al-Shariah index (MSI) and religious satisfaction (RS) for Islamic mortgage industry in Malaysia. These indexes are developed as the basis of the theory development in this setting. The model developed is later examined using survey data. Findings – This study reveals that education and RS are instrumental in determining the Islamic home financing preference. In co...

Consumer acceptance of Islamic home financing

Purpose - – This study aims to examine the factors influencing the consumer acceptance on Islamic home financing products amongst clients of Islamic banks. For the purpose, the study extends the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in explaining the Islamic home financing adoption along. Further, the study also intends to analyze the effects of “Islamicity of product” and seven demographic factors on the consumer acceptance of Islamic home financing products. Design/methodology/approach - – Using the TPB model as a baseline theory, data are collected from bank customers in East Malaysia involving two cities, namely, Kota Kinabalu and Labuan, using self-administered questionnaires. A total of 300 questionnaires are distributed; however, only 278 are found usable. We use ordered probit model to analyze the effects of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, Islamicity of product and demographic factors. Findings - – Using the ordered probit model, this study finds that attitude, subjective norm, perceived control and Islamicity of product are instrumental in determining the consumer acceptance of Islamic home financing products. Concerned with demographic items, the study finds that marital status, ethnic, occupation and religion are influential. It is also discovered, however, that gender, academic qualification and monthly income have little effects on the consumer acceptance. Research limitations/implications - – Three limitations are available for future studies. First, the current work does not include the experienced users who patronize Islamic home financing products. Second, the contribution of the present study is confined to the analyzed explanatory variables. Third, this study also has geographical constraint in which it is conducted in East Malaysia whilst samples from West-Malaysia are overlooked. These limitations, however, provide directions for further future research. Practical implications - – Essentially, this study is a pioneering effort in applying the TPB model to the new context of Islamic home financing products in Malaysia. The study integrates the effects of Islamicity of product and demographic factors on the consumer acceptance on Islamic home financing products. The TPB model is proven valid and is reliable in predicting the consumer acceptance on Islamic home financing products. Originality/value - – This study introduces Islamicity of product and demographic factors in explaining the consumer acceptance on Islamic home financing products. Most fundamentally, this study proposes a modified theoretical framework that is of paramount importance to predict the demand of Islamic home financing products in the future.

Consumer attitude and preference in the Islamic mortgage sector: a study of Malaysian consumers

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of service quality, product choice and Islamic debt policy on consumer attitude within the context of Islamic mortgage sector in Malaysia. The present study also examines the effect of attitudinal-behaviour on consumer preference towards preference of Islamic mortgage selection. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on questionnaire survey. Data are collected using sample from customers of Islamic banks in Malaysia. The study collects 351 respondents. Data are analysed using partial least squares (PLS). Findings The results indicate that service quality, product choice and Islamic debt policy significantly influence consumer attitude, in turn, affecting the Islamic home financing preference. Consumer attitude also mediates the effects of service quality, product choice and Islamic debt policy on the Islamic home financing preference. Research limitations/implications Several limitations warrant future research. First, this study considers only a specific user group in one public university. Second, this study does not consider attitude as a moderator. Third, this study suffers from the limited number of factors used. These limitations, however, provide directions for future research. Practical implications Our results will add value to the consumer preference topic for Islamic home financing literature. The present study provides bank managers with valuable insights into better planning of Islamic home financing services in Malaysia. Originality/value This study is a pioneering effort at exploring consumer attitude and preference from the context of Islamic mortgage sector in Malaysia. The use of PLS analysis provides another important contribution to the literature in this area.

Abandoned housing projects in Malaysia and the prospect of DP: an overview

Owning a house is a dream that every individual cherishes. In Malaysia, both the banking sector and the government have expended relentless efforts to ensure Malaysians have access to financing and affordable houses. These efforts are however being derailed by alarming cases of abandoned housing projects (AHPs) that have affected a substantial number of house buyers. Several reasons have been cited for the AHPs. The issues of the Islamic banking debt based home financing products have remained prominent. The literature argues that these products such as BBA and Tawarruq have embedded features of transferring risks and liabilities to home buyers. This problem becomes acute in cases of AHPs. Musharakah Mutanaqisah or Diminishing Partnership (DP) is suggested as the superior option for Islamic home financing schemes. However, there is hardly any work that has investigated the extent to which DP can provide remedy to address the problem of abandoned housing projects. The present paper adopts content analysis and it shows that DP has a bright prospect of mitigating the problem of abandoned housing projects. The paper is concluded with suggestions for future research.

Identifying the gaps between customer expectations and perceptions on service quality dimensions of Islamic banks in Malaysia

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the gaps and differences between customer expectations and perceptions on service quality of Islamic banks in Malaysia based on six dimensions of service quality, namely, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, tangibles and Islamic Shari’ah compliance. Design/methodology/approach – This study surveyed 179 customers who have first-hand experience with Islamic banking services in Malaysia. The research data were analysed using reliability analysis, independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance. Findings – The results indicated that customers’ perceptions failed to meet their expectations on the service quality of Islamic banks in Malaysia. The results also indicated that those customers (respondents) aged below 30 years have higher expectations on empathy from the Islamic banking service compared to other age groups. However, there is no significant difference between customer expectations and perceptions of Islamic banking service quality based ...

The Perception of Micro-entrepreneurs and Petty Traders on Conventional and Islamic microfinance: A Case Study of Pakistan

Microfinance is a general term that entails the provision of financial services to micro- entrepreneurs or to those who do not have access to banking facilities. The current issues faced by micro-entrepreneurs are difficulties in seeking financing from financial institutions due to lack of sufficient collateral, no credit history, irregular or uneasily verified sources of income. Consequently, they often rely on relatives or local moneylender s who charge high interest rates. Thus, on grounds of equity and justice, Islamic microfinance seems to provide an alternative needed by them. This research deals with the perceptions of micro-entrepreneurs and petty traders towards conventional and Islamic microfinance in Pakistan. It further investigates the intention to use Islamic microfinance and challenges for the micro-entrepreneurs. A total of 270 people were surveyed by means of self- administered questionnaire. The sample comprises 81 percent males and 19 percent females in three major cities; Rawalpindi, Lahore and Peshawar. Results of this study indicate that Islamic microfinance is a preferred choice as compared to conventional microfinance and best answer to poverty eradication. Although, Islamic microfinance is a new concept but majority of respondents had some understanding of this concept. However, the respondents also expressed their dissatisfaction to the management of Islamic banks.

Shariah Stock Screening Methodology: A Comparison Between Shariah Advisory Board of Securities Commission Malaysia and International Index Providers

The research emphasis on stock screening methodology is provided, and implemented by regulators and index providers. The main objective of this study is to analyze the differences in the screening process. Thirty-five top Shariah-compliant stocks listed in Bursa Malaysia were tested against four stock screening methodology providers, namely Dow Jones Islamic World Index (DJIM), Morgan Stanley Compliance Islamic Index (MSCI), Financial Times Stock Exchange Shariah Index (FTSE), and Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Shariah Index. The results from the test generally indicate that Shariah-compliant stocks listed in Bursa Malaysia are not necessarily Shariah-compliant stocks in these indices. The test also shows that high debt and low market capitalization are the main factors of inability to pass other screening methodologies provided by the indices. Apart from that, the results show that companies listed in Bursa Malaysia are not due to their attraction towards Bursa Malaysia but rather due to the inability to pass the international index screening. The research concludes three stages of screening in the most “Islamic” stock screening process which are screening on industry, income statement, and balance sheet.

Factors influencing behaviour to participate in Islamic microfinance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the factors that affect Muslim customers’ participation in using Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT). The decomposed theory of planned behaviour (DTPB) was used as the research framework. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses primary data collected by self-administered questionnaires involving a sample of 405 respondents from selected BMTs in five different regencies in East Java. Structural equation modelling was used in the analysis. Findings This study revealed that among the three main beliefs, only perceived behavioural control towards BMT was found to have positive and significant impact on clients’ participation towards BMT. With regards to antecedents’ influence on their main beliefs, only perceived compatibility, perceived complexity and uncertainty and facilitating condition were not significant. Research limitations/implications As the data collected are existing clients of BMT, behavioural intention is excluded from the study, and as a result, the study may lack comprehensive results. Therefore, future study will be very useful if it includes behavioural intention as the variables. Practical implications The finding of the present study could help BMT to better manage by focussing on relative advantage and behavioural control to build client relationships. Originality/value The paper may be first study to apply DTPB to client behaviours in the area of Islamic microfinance in Indonesia.

An Analytical Framework to Examine Shari'ah - Compliant Mortgage Financing by Financial Cooperatives in Malaysia

This paper utilises an analytical framework to explore and critically examine issues and challenges of offering Shari’ah-compliant mortgage financing by financial cooperatives in Malaysia. Concepts from five distinct theories (Theory of Credit Cooperative, Transaction Costs Theory, Agency Theory, Stakeholder Theory, and Theory of Credit Rationing) are modified and integrated to form a hybrid, layered framework. This is then used as a ‘lens’ to highlight the issues pertaining to business models and strategies, good governance, regulation and supervision, risk management, human resource management, which may influence the success of mortgage financing. This analytical framework is useful for relevant stakeholders on how to manage the issues, challenges, and harnessing the prospects of Shari’ah-compliant mortgage financing products.