Yuhanis Abdul Aziz

The Role of Halal Awareness, Halal Certification, and Marketing Components in Determining Halal Purchase Intention Among Non-Muslims in Malaysia: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Although the important role of halal awareness, halal certification, and marketing-related components in determining purchase intention has been recognized in the marketing literature, empirical examination of this issue is limited. In order to fill this knowledge gap, this study aimed to determine the relationships between halal awareness, halal certification, food quality, marketing promotion, and brand with the intention to purchase halal product among the non-Muslim community in Malaysia. The data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire survey consisting of 226 non-Muslim consumers. Structural equation analyses indicated that the halal awareness, halal certification, marketing promotion, and brand were positively related to purchase intention, whereas food quality was negatively associated with it. Theoretically, this study is one of the first attempts to develop and to empirically test a conceptual model on halal purchase intention by integrating halal components with marketing-related components.

Institutionalizing corporate social responsibility: effects on corporate reputation, culture, and legitimacy in Malaysia

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop measures of Asian corporate social responsibility (CSR) based on Davids dual process model for Malaysian government linked corporations (GLC) and publicly listed companies (PLC). Design/methodology/approach - A survey consisting was conducted and a structural equation model was used to test the relationships among constructs. An instrument to measure CSR practices focusing on CSR relational, CSR ethical/moral, and CSR discretionary is developed to evaluate impacts on corporate reputation, culture, and legitimacy. Findings - Findings suggest CSR antecedents emerge through formalization of corporate communication management in Malaysian organizations. The structural model provides evidence that CSR initiatives impact corporate reputation directly. The study acknowledges the increase in CSR initiatives in corporate communication practices in GLCs and PLCs in the quest to gain public legitimacy and corporate governance. Originality/value - The study contributes to the corporate communication literature by linking CSR to corporate reputation and culture, and developing a CSR model that explores a critical dimension in management of corporate identity in an Asian country.

A Review on Drivers and Barriers towards Sustainable Supply Chain Practices

The rising environmental concerns are encouraging consumers to have greater awareness of their purchase decisions. Firms are implementing measures geared to offering green substitutes for traditional products and services. However, the effort towards sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) is not as straightforward since organization would face obstacles. The aim of this paper is to identify the barriers and drivers towards the implementation of the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). Through the review of the literature, it was found that there are various factors that have been documented to influence an organization in making the decision towards SSCM implementation.

Building a unique online corporate identity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of mission and vision statements on corporate websites of Malaysian and Singaporean corporations based on Aakers brand personality dimensions and analyze how the dimensions are effectively used to develop a unique corporate identity.Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis is employed to examine similarities and differences for 300 Malaysian and 214 Singaporean consumer corporations based on Aakers big five brand personality framework.Findings – Generally most companies tend to publish and communicate their mission and vision statements visibly to general stakeholders. First, both Malaysian and Singaporean companies have weak brand personality dimensions which reflect the projection of corporate identity of companies. Second, there is a significant difference in the brand personality dimensions between Malaysian and Singaporean consumer corporations. Finally, evidence showed that most Malaysian and Singaporean companies rather fai...

Total factor productivity efficiency changes in a Malaysian hotel chain

This paper investigates the changes in total factor productivity (TFP) of a Malaysian hotel chain during the period of 2002–2008. TFP change is measured by Malmquist index, using data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. The data were collected from eight hotels under the chain. Overall, the results revealed that the TFP of the hotel chain has slightly increased by 0.8% over the time period. Within the chain, four of the hotels experienced positive TFP change while the others experienced TFP decline. The hotels were segregated into quadrant of efficiency which give a two dimensional view of the hotel efficiency. Technological change is found to be more important factor of TFP growth as compared to technical efficiency change. As such, it is recommended that hotels which experienced negative growths of technological change improve their efficiency through investment in new technology or upgrading the necessary skills.

Explaining and predicting online tourists’ behavioural intention in accepting consumer generated contents

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the factors influencing Iranian tourists’ behavioural intention to use consumer-generated contents (CGC) websites whilst browsing the web when it comes to travel planning, based upon the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) extension. Design/methodology/approach The total of 211 valid responses were collected through an online questionnaire survey. Data collected from Iranian online tourists were used to test the proposed research model by using the partial least squares structural equation modeling method of analysis. Findings The results of the study indicate that perceived source credibility is the strongest predictor for behavioural intention. Furthermore, in this study, the most significant relationship is between perceived enjoyment and perceived ease of use. However, the findings of this study show that perceived ease of use is unable to predict behavioural intention of Iranian tourists while using CGC websites. Research limitations/implications This study provides clear evidence for the importance of additional key variables in improving the authors’ understanding of the Iranian adoption behaviour concerning CGC websites for travel planning purposes. Implications of this research can aid both academicians and practitioners towards a better understanding of tourists’ adoption behaviour when associated with the social media. Originality/value This paper adopts TAM and extends it with other variables, namely, perceived enjoyment, perceived source credibility and perceived risk. It examines their influence in the behavioural intention of using CGC for travel planning in the context of Iran for the first time.

The Relationship between Service Guarantees, Empowerment, Employee Satisfaction and Service Quality in Four and Five Star Hotels in Malaysia

Despite the numerous benefits of the implementation of service guarantees in service organizations, there is a dearth of studies that explore the relationship between service guarantees, empowerment, employee satisfaction and service quality, particularly in the hotel industry. The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between service guarantees and employee empowerment and to investigate the correlation between empowerment and employee satisfaction and establish its links to service quality. This study employed the quantitative methodology based on survey questionnaires distributed to frontline employees in various four and five star hotels in Malaysia. The empirical findings provide evidence that service guarantees have a positive relationship with empowerment. However, the study found that empowerment has an insignificant relationship with employee satisfaction. Notably, it was found that employee satisfaction has a significant relationship with service quality. The study’s limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.