Social media and brand engagement in the age of the customer

Social media environment has tremendously changed the landscape of marketing communication.Thanks to the development of Internet that creates marketers’ opportunity to tap the potential customer–Generation C and build a meaningful brand engagement with them. This paper will highlights the special ongoing issues pertaining to the growth of social media, mobile social, brand engagement and Generation C as basing to create firms’ sustainable competitive advantage. Marketers need to understand the real behaviour of customers, especially Generation C in order to formulate marketing communication strategies that suits with their lifestyles

The bumiputera-owned small and medium enterprises’ mitigation on the deadly Covid-19

In the dawn of the coming year 2020, the world stepping gracefully into the utmost disaster and crisis that meticulously change human behaviour 360 degree on a global scale. The emerging of the deadly mysterious disease stirs peacefulness and creates the domino effect around the nations. Known as Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, this infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus that hazardous to human respiratory system, sending the borderless possibility of death wreath warrant to them. COVID-19 is not only placing health systems under unprecedented pressure in saving human life, the pandemic also caused local and international economics as well as their businesses suffered to their death. The impacts of COVID-19 are unbearable as businesses seize their operation temporarily or completely dissolve, causing people to lost their job without steady income. In addition, the developments of physical effects of infection and the mental trauma creating stress, fear, confusion, lonely and anger among people because of self-isolation or social lockdown in their own homeland. In a nutshell, the disease also squeezed small and medium enterprises (SMEs) around the world, particularly in Malaysia into a dramatic consequence of losing their business sustainability and capability of competing in the red ocean market. Bumiputera-owned SMEs for instance, facing difficulties in maintaining their business livelihood during the pandemic lockdown and movement control order (MCO). This paper will accentuate the way of mitigation among Bumiputera-owned SMEs in Malaysia in facing COVID-19 as recommendation to elevate their economic life. On the other hand, the COVID-19 should serve as a wake-up call for everyone in heightening multilateral collaboration across communal conversion of shared dilemmas without looking the pandemic as rigorously belongs to the public health domain

Foreign direct investment: is being foreign really a liability?

Liability of foreignness (LOF) is the disadvantage that firms faced when they operate in foreign countries. These foreign firms may have to incur extra costs which would make them less competitive in the host country environment. This study examines the extent to which foreign firms in Malaysia encountered LOF and the strategies they used to mitigate LOF. Potential respondents for the study were obtained from a sample of foreign-owned companies listed in the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) directory. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using self­administered questionnaires. Based on a small sample of 13 respondents, a descriptive analysis of the data was performed to obtain some preliminary findings. The results show that the LOF faced by foreign firms in Malaysia was perceived to be low. This may be due to the firm-specific advantages which the ·companies already have in the form of superior products and adaptability to the host environment. Strategies used to mitigate LOF were mainly in the form of HR-, learning-, network-, and product-related strategies. Government-related strategies were perceived to be less important in reducing LOF. Another aspect of LOF is to examine the expatriates, who are foreigners wofking in foreign countries. This study examines the extent to which being a foreigner poses a disadvantage to the expatriates working in Malaysia. Unlike their local counterparts, these expatriates face new challenges and uncertainties in their new local environments thus their ability to adjust and perform at their workplace will depend on their level of LOF. Based on a sample of 102 expatriates employed in Malaysia, the influences of expatriates' adjustment, age, gender, country of origin and length of working in Malaysia, on LOF were examined. The study findings from a multiple regression results showed that the level of LOF among expatriates tended to be influenced by their adjustment and country of origin. LOF was found to be negatively related to expatriate adjustment. The influence of gender, length of working in Malaysia and age on LOF was found to be not significant. The study on expatriates was extended further by separating the expatriates into two groups: company-assigned expatriates and self-initiated expatriates. In recent years, the trend on mobility of labor has begun to see the emergence of expatriates who, unlike the assigned expatriates, voluntarily seek jobs in foreign countries. These expatriates are known as self-initiated expatriates. Therefore, in this study, the extent to which company-assigned and self-initiated expatriates differ in terms of expatriate adjustment and their perceptions on the liabilities of being a foreigner was examined. Using a sample of 35 expatriates employed in Malaysian subsidiaries of foreign companies to represent company-assigned expatriates and a sample of 73 academic expatriates employed in Malaysian public universities to represent self-initiated expatriates, results from t-tests showed that no significant differences in terms of expatriate adjustment between the assigned expatriates and the self-initiated expatriates. However, perceptions on liability of foreignness were relatively higher among the self-initiated expatriates than the assigned expatriates. Limitations of the study are highlighted, implications of the findings are discussed, and suggestions for future research are also provided

Culture of brand origin (COBO): the impacts of language and linguistics on purchase intention of a brand

This paper provides new insights into origin effect by focusing on new significant parameters pertaining to culture namely language and linguistics factors. It is postulated that the identification of culture of brand origin (COBO) on the basis of its language, and evaluation on linguistics components in a brand name can influence consumers to purchase a brand. The study is quantitative in nature using a survey method on consumer samples on which they were asked to evaluate food products sold under four different Malaysian brand names whereby each brand name is representing four different languages (i.e., Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Tamil and English) that are used for communication within the major ethnic groups in the country. Results from a survey of 504 working adults comprised of Malay, Chinese and Indian respondents indicated that the elements in COBO have an influence on consumers’ purchase intention. The study findings imply the importance of COBO as a tool to predict consumer’s intention to purchase by using linguistic components found in product’s brand name. Managers can appreciate the usefulness of language as a strategy in brand positioning and determining the most effective linguistic pattern to be applied in a brand name. Usefulness of language as a strategy in brand positioning and determining the most effective linguistic pattern to be applied in a brand name

Thinking About Integrated Supply Chain Technology as an Enabler for Local Businesses?

Business activities were significantly hampered when the Movement Control Order (MCO) was issued in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. The ramifications of these MCO series have a direct and indirect impact on the bulk of company activities. As a result of the economic crisis, it triggered a severe depression. As a result, they looked for additional ways to maintain and extend their activities, including using the Internet as a means of conducting business. The goal of this research is to determine the value of the innovative value chain as well as the role of integrated supply chain technology in improving the efficiency of enterprises' supply chains. Standardized questionnaires were provided to local business owners in three major divisions of Sabah, namely Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, and Tawau in order to achieve this purpose. The survey got 125 usable replies from large, medium, and small enterprises that have been in existence for more than ten years. The main findings of three variables, namely idea generation, concept conversion, and diffusion of innovation, encouraged SCT adoption among Sabah's small businesses. The interaction effect revealed that Integrated SCT does, in fact, act as a mediating component in the financial performance relationship. As a result, COVID-19 is a game changer for everyone particularly local businesses and governments because the outbreak pushed the implementation of information technology, such as supply chain integration

The Perceptions of organising street dance competition in promoting domestic tourism

This article discusses the outcome of a research on tourism promotion through events where the survey was conducted at Borneo Street Dance (BSD) 2011 in Sabah, one of the states in Malaysia, which was organized by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia. The event was held to promote domestic tourism and to attract youth participation in performing arts where they can showcase their talents and creativity. The findings of this research suggested that an event such as BSD is able to attract interest and participation among youth from all over the state and this contributed to the promotion of domestic tourism. The event is able to attract the youth’s interest to fill up their free time with beneficial and favourable activities while exposing them to ethnic diversity in highly diverse Malaysian Borneo states namely Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan. This is where the event also fosters tolerance and understanding about the diversity ethnic among the youth in the said states and thought to be the beneficial to domestic tourism. The research concluded that events such as BSD should be made as an annual event to enhance the promotion of domestic tourism industry in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan among young travellers and VFR that tied up with the event, thus enhancing the sustainability of the tourism industry in Malaysian Borneo

Intrinsic Motivation that Influences the Loyalty of Hotel Employees

The tourism industry has gained prominence long ago in Malaysia and it is largely responsible in contributing to the Malaysian’s Gross Domestic Product or GDP while creating employment opportunities to the various service sectors that are assisting in the developing and modernizing the economy. The hotel sector is one of the tourism sub-sectors that have been identified as the key growth area for the service industry in Malaysia. Challenges for the hotel sector in Malaysia such as high labor turnover and the difficulty in retaining the hotel employees are the main research issues that formed the setting of this paper. This research is addressing this issue through filling in the gap of the research area by understanding and examining the motivational factors that would actually motivate the hotel employees to maintain their engagement with their employer. The specific objective of this paper is to identify if there is a significant relationship between intrinsic motivation and loyalty or not. This quantitative research was carried out among operational employees in star-rated hotels. In Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, as it is evidential that the hotel sector experiencing high turnover that increase the cost of the human resource management. Results of the paper suggested that responsibility and work itself are the two most important factors in motivating hotel employees and that employees are more likely to be committed and engaged with their employer when th

The Sustainability of Bumiputera-owned Small and Medium Enterprises Facing Covid-19: Dead or Alive!

The emerging of the deadly mysterious disease stirs peacefulness and creates the domino effect around the nations. Known as Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID19, this infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus that hazardous to human respiratory system, sending the borderless possibility of death wreath warrant to them. COVID-19 is not only placing health systems under unprecedented pressure in saving human life, the pandemic also caused local and international economics as well as their businesses suffered to their last breaths. The impacts of COVID-19 are unbearable as businesses seize their operation temporarily or completely dissolve, causing people to lost their job without steady income. In addition, the developments of physical effects of infection and the mental trauma creating stress, fear, confusion, lonely and anger among people because of self-isolation or social lockdown in their own homeland. Indeed, the disease also squeezed small and medium enterprises (SMEs) around the world, particularly in Malaysia into a dramatic consequence of losing their business sustainability and capability of competing in the red ocean market. Bumiputera-owned SMEs for instance, facing difficulties in maintaining their business livelihood during the pandemic lockdown and movement control order (MCO). This paper accentuates the sustainability and survival acts among Bumiputera-owned SMEs in Malaysia in facing COVID-19 as recommendation to elevate their economic life. Moreover, COVID-19 should serve as a wake-up call for everyone in heightening multilateral collaboration across communal conversion of shared dilemmas without looking the pandemic as rigorously belongs to the public health domain