Determinants of cryptocurrency adoption behavior in Malaysia

Cryptocurrency has proven to be an enabling force for financial service transformation. It allows users to perform transactions via blockchain technology that bypasses the involvement of conventional financial intermediaries. In local context, the acceptance of cryptocurrency is rather low as compared with other developed countries. The requirement of large consumer market base is the main challenges for cryptocurrency’s adoption. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the relationship between output quality, perceived accessibility, result demonstrability and perceived security and adoption behavior of cryptocurrency as an additional mode of internet/online transaction methods. The data was collected from a sample of 553 respondents from different age groups ranging from under 21 to over 60 years old. The PLS-SEM results demonstrated that there are significant positive relationships between output quality, result demonstrability and perceived security and the users’ adoption behavior to use cryptocurrency. The paper provides an insight for explaining the adoption behavior of cryptocurrency. The findings are insightful to develop effective financial management mechanisms and interventions, which is important to enhance the confidence and understanding level toward the adoption of cryptocurrencies among existing and potential users

Evaluating the Quality of Delivery Service from the Customer's Point of View Using the Importance-Performance Matrix

Purpose: Delivery services are widely used in all aspects of purchasing, but the positive and negative effects they generate for the customer influence his behavior towards repeating this method of purchase. The study aims to find out the extent of customer satisfaction with the delivery services provided to them in the city of Baghdad.   Theoretical framework: Delivery services of all kinds (delivery of food, household items, or any other materials) by direct telephone contact or using social media are among the modern services in Iraq, as this service has entered on a large scale after 2010, which requires preparation Studies and Research In order to improve these services, relevant previous research and studies have been objectively collected and reviewed to understand recent trends reached by the literature.   Design/Methodology/Approach: The analytical descriptive approach was used, and data was collected through a two-part questionnaire. The first part included the quality of delivery services provided, while the second part (performance) included customer satisfaction with the services provided. The study sample consisted of 260 beneficiaries who use delivery services continuously in the city of Baghdad. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software and through an analytical approach based on significance performance analysis (IPA).   Findings: The results of the research determined the extent of customer satisfaction with delivery services through 5 characteristics of service quality and customer satisfaction with the services provided, as the results showed that delivery services in the city of Baghdad have not yet reached a high performance. This requires the departments that provide that service to pay more attention and focus on achieving the highest points in the first and second quarters of the matrix (management focus) (keeping up with the good work).   Research, practical and social implications: Research, practical and social implications: The modernity of delivery services in the Iraqi environment is a fertile field for providing more research and studies because this contributes greatly to increasing people’s awareness and understanding of this type of important service and at the same time contributes to raising the efficiency of operating companies and offices. for this type of service.   Originality / Value: Delivery services are a new concept in Iraq, and there is no literature at the level of Iraq to assess the quality of this service and the extent of customer satisfaction with this service through the use of the importance-performance matrix. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to make up for this void

Interactivity and Trust as Antecedents of E-Training Use Intention in Nigeria: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Background: The last few decades saw an intense development in information technology (IT) and it has affected the ways organisations achieve their goals. Training, in every organisation is an ongoing process that aims to update employees' knowledge and skills towards goals attainment. Through adequate deployment of IT, organisations can effectively meet their training needs. However, for successful IT integration in training, the employees who will use the system should be positively disposed towards it. This study predicts employees' intention to use the e-training system by extending the technology acceptance model (TAM) using interactivity and trust. Methods: Two hundred and fourteen employees participated in the study and structural equation modelling was used in the analysis. Results: The findings of the structural equation modelling reveal that interactivity, trust, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have direct and positive effects on employees' intention to use e-training. It was also shown that perceived ease of use had no effects on perceived usefulness, while trust has the strongest indirect effects on employees' intention. In addition, the results of Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA), which compares the contributions of each construct to the importance and performance of the model, indicate that to predict intention to use e-training, priorities should be accorded to trust and perceived usefulness

Communication, trust, commitment, satisfaction and cooperation on buyer-supplier relationship

Relationship marketing is essential for success in businesses. It provides sustainable competitive advantage along the marketing channel supply chain. Communication, trust, commitment, satisfaction and cooperation have received the highest level of scholarly attention in this field. These constructs are recognized as the buyer-seller relationship qualities success factors. However, previous studies have focused on these five constructs specifically communication, trust, satisfaction, commitment and cooperation separately or partially rather than studying them collectively. Thus, the present study fills literature gap by introducing a more comprehensive and holistic model on the inter-relationship of success factors and their mediation effect. Additionally, most of the previous studies in relationship marketing focuses on manufacturing industry and service sector on western marketing channel setting from the sellers’ perspectives. Consequently, the present study provides a better understanding of social exchange antecedent and consequences of Malaysian business-to-business retailing context from the buyers’ (retailer) perspectives. The current study also examines the decomposition of trust construct from the typology in psychology inclusive of earned trust, verifiable trust, calculative trust, reciprocal trust and blind trust. The study assists managerial decision in determining the priority construct for relationship performance improvement. Through a multi-stage sampling, the study was conducted on Malaysian merchandise retailers by evaluating relationship qualities with their key suppliers. 284 structured questionnaires were analyzed through Structural Equation Modelling-Partial Least Square with eleven of the fifteen hypotheses were supported. A key finding of the current study is that these five constructs are inter-related. Formal communication, which is regarded as the antecedent has a significant effect on crucial construct for relationship maintenance namely satisfaction and trust. Informal communication is a significant predictor for relationship continuity construct comprising of commitment and cooperation. Moreover, trust is an independent variable that significantly affects satisfaction, commitment and cooperation; while satisfaction has significantly influenced commitment and cooperation. Cooperation is significantly the outcomes of trust, satisfaction, and commitment. Also, out of five types of trust, only earned trust, reciprocal trust and blind trust are the precursors of overall trust with blind trust has the highest significant value. The results of the study also specify that satisfaction and commitment partially mediate the relationship between industrial buyer and seller. The key target construct for relationship performance improvement for commitment and cooperation is trust. Interestingly, blind trust is the essential constructs for trust, indicating the major potential for improvement. Hence, it becomes evident that another valuable finding of the current study is that trust is the utmost important consideration in the survival of strategic alliance. The results also suggest that although decision within a retailer-supplier relationship is made with profit in mind, the elements of culture pervade most dealings within Malaysian context; enabling the decision to be made on an interpersonal basis. Therefore, managers dealing with Malaysian retailers need to focus on the main objective of creating long-term cooperation through relational exchange apart from merely economic exchange. Future research should focus on other context such as different geographic location, industry and sectors, perspectives of business to consumer setting or the ideal circumstances of obtaining information from both sides of the inter-firm dyad

An adoption model of cloud enterprise resources planning for Malaysian small and medium enterprises

The Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system offers promising benefits for the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It helps to address many of the challenges faced by SMEs and significantly promotes them in terms of business operations and use of resource. Despite its benefits, the research on cloud ERP adoption among SMEs in developing countries has not been fully explored, leading to a low rate of cloud ERP adoption among SMEs. Furthermore, the factors which influence SMEs to adopt the cloud ERP system are still unclear. In an attempt to tackle the aforementioned situation, this research investigated the influencing factors that have determined and enhanced cloud ERP adoption rates. To identify factors and develop the model used in this research, the researcher conducted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). The model was proposed based on three integrated Information System (IS) predominant theories, namely, Technology- Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and Fit-Viability Model (FVM) with extension of Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory to scrutinize the influential factors leading towards Cloud ERP Adoption. Thirteen hypotheses were developed to test and validate the model based on the decision to adopt cloud ERP. A positivism paradigm with quantitative approach was applied to conduct this research. Purposive sampling technique and a survey method were applied and data were collected from SMEs who have already adopted cloud ERP that provided 174 usable responses. The analysis was conducted by using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique through Partial Least Squares (SmartPLS 3.2.7) software to determine the significant relationships of the independent factors to Cloud ERP Adoption. The results showed that Task- Technology Fit, Task Interdependence, Relative Advantage, Compatibility, System Trust, Security, Top Management Support, Employee Cloud ERP Knowledge, Cost Saving, and Competitive Pressure were significantly related to Cloud ERP Adoption. On the other hand, Security was found to have no relationship (p > 0.05) with Task- Technology Fit. Similarly, Government Support and Vendor Support were found to have no relationship (p > 0.05) with Cloud ERP Adoption. In line with this, the research model can be explained as 65.2% of variance from all the independent variables. This implies that the model has substantial predictive power to explain cloud ERP adoption. Finally, this model can be used to guide cloud ERP ecosystems to enhance their knowledge so as to successfully evaluate and adopt the cloud ERP system

Mediating effects of perceived usefulness and trust between individual factors and intention to use E-training in Nigerian Technological Universities

Developments in information technology (IT) have offered universities some sophisticated technological tools and innovative training contents that can be used in delivering training to their employees. However, for successful IT integration in training, employees’ positive disposition towards the new system is vital. Although factors, including computer/Internet self-efficacy, interactivity, organisational support, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and trust have been used in most studies that investigated technology acceptance, little is known about the effects of interactivity and trust on intention to use e-training. Therefore, this study empirically examines the roles of these factors in determining intention to use e-training within the context of Nigerian technological universities using the technology acceptance model (TAM). Data were collected from 301 employees of five technological universities in Nigeria and partial least squares - structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used in the analysis. Findings of the study reveal that interactivity and trust constructs have positively and significantly influenced employees’ intention to use e-training systems. Additionally, perceived usefulness and trust are found to have mediated the relationship between individual factors and intention to use e-training. The Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) result shows that to predict intention to use e-training in Nigerian technological universities, priorities should be accorded to trust and organisational support. Theoretically, the study has contributed to the understanding of factors affecting intention to use e-training demonstrating the applicability as well as effectiveness of interactivity and trust in predicting intention to use e-training. Methodologically, the study has established the relevance of conducting Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) in examining intention to use e-training. Practically, the study provides new inputs for successful implementation of e-training systems in universities. It is recommended that future studies investigate the influence of other factors such as subjective norm, enjoyment, and appeal on the intention to use e-training

The competitiveness study on Kelantan paddy industry using porter's diamond model / Azmahani Yaacob@Othman , Prof Dr Zulkornain Yusop and Syazwani A Malek @ Abdul Malek

This study used the Porter’s Diamond Model as the theoretical underpinning to examine the competitiveness of Kelantan paddy industry. The model examined six (6) factors that were factor conditions, demand conditions, farmers’ strategies and supporting industries, chances and government’s roles. A total of 344 farmers were involved in this study. The farmers were required to answer a set of questionnaires which were adopted and customized from previous study. Partial least Square (PLS) SmartPLS M2 Version 3.0 was used for data analysis. The result showed that only four variables were significant and able to explain the competitiveness of paddy industry in Kelantan. They were factor conditions, demand conditions supporting industries and chances

Computer based assessment acceptance model for secondary school students in Saudi Arabia

Computer-based assessment (CBA) has significantly remodelled educational evaluation processes and allowed teachers to better manage growing number of students especially in secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. However, secondary school students are showing resistance to accept CBA systems, and the factors causing this resistance to CBA systems have remained matters of speculation. Using a modified empirically validated model, the present study systematically established major determinants of this resistance by drawing on the well-known Computer-Based Assessment Acceptance Model (CBAAM). The CBAAM model is an efficient model but fails to consider some other factors that will maj orly affect the acceptance and use of CBA systems. The researcher carried out a systematic literature review for the period of 2007-2018, followed by a field assessment from 10 secondary schools in Saudi Arabia, where three major factors (computer attitude, computer anxiety and computer literacy) affecting CBA system acceptance were extracted from the researcher’s interaction with the students. Drawing from the field assessment, the existing CBAAM model is extended resulting in a comprehensive model with 22 hypotheses. Thereafter, a questionnaire was developed and the content is validated using 15 experts comprising of 9 academics and 6 practitioners. The model was evaluated with 565 responses which comprises of 274 males and 289 females. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was used in the evaluation. The result showed that 17 out of the 22 hypotheses were found to be significant and explained 74% of the variance. The most important factors from the significant relationships are ‘perceived usefulness’, ‘perceived playfulness’, ‘content’ and ‘ computer attitude’ which were identified using the Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). Furthermore, results confirmed that secondary school student’s ‘behavioural intention’ towards CBA acceptance is directly influenced by ‘computer anxiety’, ‘content’, ‘perceived playfulness’ and ‘perceived usefulness’. While, ‘facilitating conditions’, ‘goal expectancy’, ‘computer attitude’ and ‘perceived ease of use’ showed indirect influence. This study’s results can effectively guide educationists and decision makers to better manage CBA resistance and improve its acceptance by secondary school students in Saudi Arabia

Opinion of residents about the freight transport and its influence on the quality of life : an analysis for Brasília (Brazil)

Urban Freight Transport (UFT) is responsible for moving goods in urban areas to meet citizens’ demands, which makes it essential for economic development. Simultaneously, UFT contributes to adverse impacts on society and the environment, including congestion and pollution. This paper assesses how the urban infrastructure and UFT externalities influence the residents’ quality of life. Three major assumptions were considered: (i) Public managers are responsible for the urban infrastructure, which is also influenced by businesses; (ii) UFT leads to negative externalities, which are influenced by government actions; and (iii) both infrastructure and externalities influence the residents’ quality of life. The analysis is based on a web-based survey conducted with residents of Brasília, Brazil. Structural Equation Modelling with Partial Least Squares was used to analyze the data. Findings showed that the residents’ quality of life is negatively influenced by UFT externalities and positively influenced by the urban infrastructure. Furthermore, both public and private management have more influence on externalities when compared to urban infrastructure. Finally, road capacity, proper loading and unloading, and supervision should be prioritized to improve citizens’ quality of life in Brasília