Naail Mohammed Kamil

Factors Influencing the Choice of Takaful Over Conventional Insurance: The Case of Malaysia

The present research attempts to study the factors that influence Malaysians to choose Takaful over conventional insurance. The study employs a qualitative research approach, conducting four intensive interviews with customers and Takaful Operators, who were selected from Klang Valley area in Malaysia. The respondents represent prominent Takaful Operators and their customers. The findings from the in-depth interviews led to the following major propositions; that Takaful customers have a clear concept of Takaful and the requirement of Shariah compliance; takaful is necessary for Muslims as a replacement of conventional insurance; takaful customers have awareness on the relationship between insurance and religion in contemporary business; the roles of Takaful agents in explaining the concept of Takaful and its benefits as acts of worship ( Ibadah ); the obligation by Takaful agents in promoting Takaful products to Muslims as acts of ( dak’wah ); and the growth of Takaful business remains slow compared to conventional insurance in the Klang valley area in Malaysia. Several implications of the research were further discussed.

Organisational climate as a predictor of workforce performance in the Malaysian higher education institutions

Purpose This study aims to investigate whether organisational climate (OC) predicts academic staff performance at Malaysian higher education institutions (HEIs). The study equally aims at validating the psychometric properties of OC and workforce performance (WFP) constructs. Design/methodology/approach Survey questionnaires were administered to 800 academic staff of eight selected HEIs. Principal component analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, full-fledged structural equation modelling and multiple regression analysis were performed to explore the underlying factors and test the factorial validity of the constructs. Findings The analysis yielded a five-factor index for the OC construct, whereas the WFP construct comprised two factors. The findings reveal a strong predictive causal effect between OC and WFP. These results suggest that establishing a positive OC enhances academic staff performance. Furthermore, the hypothesised model adds new knowledge to the literature of OC, from the Malaysian context, which could be used to predict WFP at the tertiary level. Practical implications The study concludes by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of the findings for HEIs. Originality/value This paper makes a significant contribution to the understanding of how OC could be used as an effective instrument in improving academic staff performance in the context of Malaysian HEIs.