Review of waqf blockchain for Islamic finance education: a case of Universiti Malaysia Sabah

The main objective of the study is to provide a platform for financial assistance to Islamic finance students to enrol for a professional certificate from selected Islamic finance institutions, and in addition, highlight the gaps that exist in academic literature on the role of waqf, the challenges in distributing waqf education to graduate students. The study also provides an illustration of a prototype of waqf blockchain for Islamic finance education. Particularly, the implementation of waqf for higher education is to give a value added to the students by giving them a financial aid to enrol for the professional certificate. Moreover, the effectiveness of providing waqf education depends on methods, acts and regulations, management structures and stakeholders or investors that invest in waqf education. This is a conceptual paper that highlights the discussions on waqf blockchain for Islamic finance education. The outcome of this study is a proposed prototype for waqf blockchain for Islamic finance education. This study provides a better understanding on waqf for higher education among academicians, regulators and practitioners. Limitations and recommendations for future research are also discussed

Factors influencing the investment decision behaviour among young Muslim adults in Malaysia

The main objective of the study is to explore the factors influencing the investment decision behaviour among young Muslim adults in Malaysia, and in turn highlight gaps that exist in the academic literature on the variables. Particularly, the study employs the Theory of Planned Behaviour as the main framework with additional variables, namely financial literacy, herding behaviour, and perceived taqwa. This paper highlights the discussion on TPB factors and their relationship with investment decision behaviour among young Muslim adults. The outcome of this study shows that almost all variables are deemed to be associated with investment decision behaviour. This study provides a better understanding of young Muslim adults’ investment decision behaviour among academicians, regulators and practitioners. The paper extends the understanding of TPB to newly emerging contexts such as financial literacy, herding behaviour, and perceived taqwa in understanding factors influencing the investment decision behaviour among young Muslim adults

Brand image benefits and halal destination loyalty: Are they truly linked?

The HALAL tourism is flourishing in its own right as an industry, where Malaysia is the world's leading Halal industry with Halal tourism destination making a significant contribution to overall economic growth. However, to secure this reputable image Malaysia has to build a strong brand image groundwork for future sustainability. By obtaining a combination of brand image benefits and destination loyalty model, this study, therefore, aims to examine whether there is a significant relationship between brand image benefits (i.e. symbolic, functional, social, and experiential benefits) and destination loyalty among tourists visiting Malaysia as a brand of Halal tourism destination. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather information from 300 selected respondents and analyzed it using Smart PLS. Results revealed that symbolic, functional, and experiential benefits have a significant relationship with destination loyalty among tourists visiting Malaysia. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed and the future improvement of the research is suggested

Konvergenz zum Durchschnittsniveau im Falle von Gewinndynamik der maltesischen Unternehmen

Vykazované účetní proměnné se v dlouhodobém horizontu vracejí směrem k průměru. Tato skutečnost se projevuje zejména u proměnných růstu jako např. tempa růstu tržeb nebo růstu ukazatele zisku na akcii (EPS). Jestliže účetní jednotka v daném období vykázala nadprůměrné/podprůměrné tempo růstu zisku, lze v dalších obdobích očekávat významně pomalejší/rychlejší tempo růstu. Tento článek zkoumá fenomén návratu k průměru u ukazatele růstu zisku na akcii u společností obchodovaných na burze cenných papírů v Kuala Lumpur za období 2001-2011. Výzkum potvrzuje, že ukazatel růstu EPS Se významně navrací k průměru. Extrémně rychlému růstu ukazatele EPS předchází podprůměrný růst a podprůměrný růst současně následuje i v dalších obdobích. Obdobně prudký propad ukazatele je doprovázen předchozím i následným nadprůměrným růstem.Wyniki finansowe firm wykazują tendencję do długoterminowej rewersji do średniej. Zjawisko to jest szczególnie wyraźne w przypadku wskaźników dynamiki, takich jak dynamika przychodów czy dynamika zysku na akcję (EPS). Rewersja dynamiki zysków oznacza, iż spółki, które w danym okresie raportują ponadprzeciętnie wysokie / niskie tempo wzrostu, w kolejnych okresach wykazują zwykle znacznie wolniejszą / szybszą dynamikę. W niniejszym artykule zbadano zjawisko rewersji do średniej w przypadku dynamiki zysków spółek notowanych na giełdzie w Kuala Lumpur w latach 2001-2011. Badanie potwierdziło silną tendencję dynamiki zysków do rewersji do średniej. „Super-szybkiej” dynamice zysku na akcję w danym okresie towarzyszy zwykle ponadprzeciętnie niskie tempo wzrostu w okresach wcześniejszych i późniejszych, natomiast głębokie spadki zysków na akcję poprzedzają zwykle oraz są poprzedzone ponadprzeciętnie wysokim tempem wzrostu.Corporate accounting-based variables tend to mean-revert in the long run. This is particularly visible in the case of growth variables, such as sales growth or earnings-per-share (EPS) growth. Mean-reversion of earnings growth means that companies which in a given period report above-average / below-average growth tend to show significantly slower / faster pace of this growth in the following periods. In this paper we explore the phenomenon of reversion toward the mean of earnings-per-share growth of companies listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in the period of 2001-2011. The research confirmed the strong tendency of EPS growth to revert toward the mean. The “super-fast” EPS growth tends to be both preceded and followed by below-average growth and the deep declines of earnings tend to be preceded and followed by above-average EPS growth.Die finanziellen Jahresergebnisse der Unternehmen haben eine Tendenz zur langfristigen Konvergenz zum Durchschnittsniveau. Diese Erscheinung ist besonders für die Kennziffern der Dynamik wie Einkommensdynamik oder Gewinndynamik pro Aktie (EPS) charakteristisch. Die Konvergenz der Gewinndynamik bedeutet, dass die Gesellschaften, die in einer bestimmten Periode eine überdurchschnittlich hohe/niedrige Wachstumsrate zeigen, in den folgenden Perioden bedeutend langsamere/ schnellere Dynamik erzielen. Im Rahmen dieses Artikels wurde die Konvergenz zum Durchschnittniveau im Falle von Gewinndynamik der auf der Börse Kuala Lumpur in den Jahren 2001-2011 notierten Unternehmen, untersucht. Die starke Tendenz der Gewinndynamik zum Durchschnittkonvergenz wurde im Rahmen dieser Studie bestätigt. Die „super-schnelle“ Gewinndynamik pro Aktie ist gewöhnlich durch die überdurchschnittlich niedrige Wachstumsrate in den früheren oder späteren Perioden begleitet. Die bedeutenden Gewinnverluste pro Aktie sind dagegen durch die überdurchschnittlich hohe Wachstumsrate vorangegangen, oder sie die hohe Wachstumsrate vorangehen

Růst zisků a jeho zpětný návrat k průměru na příkladu malajských společností

Vykazované účetní proměnné se v dlouhodobém horizontu vracejí směrem k průměru. Tato skutečnost se projevuje zejména u proměnných růstu jako např. tempa růstu tržeb nebo růstu ukazatele zisku na akcii (EPS). Jestliže účetní jednotka v daném období vykázala nadprůměrné/podprůměrné tempo růstu zisku, lze v dalších obdobích očekávat významně pomalejší/rychlejší tempo růstu. Tento článek zkoumá fenomén návratu k průměru u ukazatele růstu zisku na akcii u společností obchodovaných na burze cenných papírů v Kuala Lumpur za období 2001-2011. Výzkum potvrzuje, že ukazatel růstu EPS Se významně navrací k průměru. Extrémně rychlému růstu ukazatele EPS předchází podprůměrný růst a podprůměrný růst současně následuje i v dalších obdobích. Obdobně prudký propad ukazatele je doprovázen předchozím i následným nadprůměrným růstem

MyAgriShop: Linking Rural Farmers with Consumers to Increase Vegetable Sale and Improve Food Distribution During Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Throughout the history of the vegetable industry in Sabah, farmers in rural areas, especially in Kundasang, have faced intermittent a problem to market the vegetables and fruits from their farms. This problem has intensified during this Covid-19 pandemic and probably beyond this period, as consumers and middle persons are limited due to the movement control order (MCO) to curb the disease but also because of the self-imposed discipline by households to travel less frequently to avoid being contracted with the disease. Farmers who usually sell their produce wholesale to hotels and restaurants directly or through distributors have an excess of highly perishable produce. Established vegetable supply chains, whether direct wholesale in contract farming, government agency intermediaries, or private intermediaries, are not active during the MCO. The MCO does not restrict the Inter-district movement of vegetables; however, farmers, particularly smallholders, do not have enough appropriate paperwork, networking, communications, assets, pricing strategy know-how, and financial resources to move their vegetables in high demand, i.e., households. These farmers also lack technological knowledge to extend the shelf life of their produce. To date, on-site scaled-up industrial factory to process their vegetables and fruit harvests is not economically sustainable. It is expected that the loss of income during the MCO will jeopardize smallholder farmers’ ability to make a comeback after the MCO and Covid-19 are over. Because of the same MCO, households, on the other hand, could not purchase vegetables and fruits, as supermarkets and fresh markets have limited operating hours, while night markets, Tamu, and roadside vendors are all closed. This unexpected poor supply of vegetables could lead to a bigger health issue since, as a whole, Sabahan and the larger Malaysian society consume fewer vegetables and fruits than recommended for optimum health. Considering these problems, MyAgriShop was invented as an App to link rural vegetable farmers directly with consumers, specifically households, to increase vegetable sales and improve food distribution during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. This app could offer a better bargain between smallholder farmers and households, as the negotiation is direct and without the involvement of a third party

Establishing zakat on oil and gas in Malaysia: a new insight

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to deliberate on the establishment of zakat (Islamic alms) on oil and gas in Malaysia. Being one of the five Islamic pillars, zakat contributes significantly to the country’s socio-economic development and prosperity. However, in Malaysia and other Islamic countries, there is not yet a proper mechanism for calculating zakat on extracted minerals. Similar to gold and silver, oil and gas are valuable minerals, which, upon extraction, are subject to zakat payment. In Malaysia, however, this is not the case. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses a qualitative method. It presents a thorough review on the stipulation for paying zakat on minerals, specifically oil and gas. The deliberation is based on secondary data entailing a comprehensive content analysis of prominent books on the subject, current zakat rulings and legal acts on oil and gas. Findings – Oil and gas are subject to zakat payment, as indicated in several Qurʾanic verses and based on the academic reasoning of Muslim scholars. The zakat calculation for oil and gas entails the nisab (minimum threshold value of the assets) but not the h. awl (the requirement for one full Islamic year of ownership for the assets), by analogy with zakat on agricultural produce. Despite the obligation to pay zakat on minerals under the zakat al-mal (alms due on wealth) category, oil and gas is yet to be fully subject to this practice in Malaysia, although the country is known as an oil-producing Muslim country. Several legislative acts covering the managerial and business side of oil and gas operations have long been established, but the provision on zakat remains unclear. Hence, comprehensive legislation is needed to fine-tune the Malaysian oil and gas system, particularly with regard to zakat. Research limitations/implications – This study relies mainly on secondary data and literature without performing any empirical investigations. Practical implications – In terms of academic implication, this study enriches the existing body of knowledge on zakat. Practical implications would include enhanced decision-making concerning zakat on oil and gas on the part of zakat institutions, policymakers and the government of Malaysia. Originality/value – This study provides practical and academic contributions to the deep understanding of zakat on oil and gas, which has received very little attention in the existing body of literature. Despite being limited in literature, this is a breakthrough study that sheds light on zakat on oil and gas

Big Five Personality Traits and Motivation in Learning Mandarin as Foreign Language

The present study aims to develop a model illuminating the relationship between student personality traits and motivation towards learning Mandarin as a foreign language. A model framework consisting of five exogenous variables and one endogenous variable of motivation are examined in the present study. Sample of 260 undergraduates taking Mandarin language at public university in East Malaysia was used as respondents for the present work. The path analysis revealed that the big five personality traits significantly influence and explained 52% of the variance in students' motivation. The analysis further indicates that extraversion and conscientiousness produce the strongest correlation with students' motivation. The results inferred that student who enjoy social visibility and self-discipline are also who will be motivated to learn the Mandarin language. Findings also demonstrated that agreeableness positively influence motivation, and neuroticism, as expected, produce negative direct relations with motivation towards learning Mandarin as a foreign language. On the contrary, the present study did not find any correlation between openness and motivation. The implications of this study are also discussed and interpreted within the context of what educators could do to encourage students' motivation