Corporate image of zakat institutions in Malaysia

The privatization of several zakat institutions in Malaysia has opened a new phase in zakat administration with the aim of improving institutional image, especially through the introduction and implementation of corporate values. Various activities and promotional efforts were undertaken to achieve this objective incurring significant expenditures which would be wasted if they fail to achieve the intended goals. In this light, this study was conducted to identify factors that shape and determine the image of zakat institutions among zakat contributors and noncontributors. Based on the two basic components of corporate image which consisted of emotional and functional components, four factors were proposed – reputation, corporate communication, access to service and contact personnel. A total of 225 questionnaires were administered and analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that reputation and contact personnel had a significant relationship with image. These findings have broadened understanding of the concept of image and its antecedents in the context of zakat institutions in Malaysia

Shari’A Compliance by Malaysian Muslim Businesses with Respect to Guidelines Given in Islamic Marketing

This research aims to investigate the perceptions of Muslim businessman regarding the extent to which Malaysian  businesses comply with the Shari’a  rules and regulations given in Islamic Marketing.. Information on perceptions of Muslim businessman were obtained by administering a structured survey questionnaire, by trained enumerators, in various States of Peninsular Malaysia. A total o0f 150 completed questionnaires were used in the research analysis.  The components of the questionnaire were statements derived from the Quran and the Sunnah, and also those reported in the Islamic literature. The findings from this research indicate that businesses generally felt that for most of the statements presented to them on Islamic marketing, only up to 50% of business respondents adhered to Islamic Marketing guidelines. These were some differences though. The responses were more positive with respect to Halal products, in which a higher percentage of businesses were perceived to follow this Islamic guideline. Keywords ---- Muslim Business Perspectives, Islamic Marketing guidelines , Shari’a  Compliance by Businesses in Malaysia

The Effect Of Supply Chain Linkage On Micro And Small Enterprises’ Performance

The practice of linking the enterprises with their channel members through supply chain activities is meant to achieve better performance and to create a win-win situation for both sides. A study on supply chain linkages is necessary in order to observe the effect of the linkages on firms’ performance. Therefore, this study is conducted to examine the factors of supply chain linkages that affect the business performance among micro and small enterprises. Three factors were proposed, which are information sharing, development programme and outsourcing. A total of 214 sets of questionnaires was completed by owners and firm’s personnel from 13 industrial sectors. The findings from this study revealed that information sharing and development programme have a significant and positive relationship with firms’ performance. Even though outsourcing shows a positive relationship with firms’ performance, but the relationship was not statistically significant. The results provide a better understanding of information sharing, development programme and outsourcing from micro and small enterprise perspective in Sarawak

The effect of supply chain linkage on micro and small enterprises’ performance

The practice of linking the enterprises with their channel members through supply chain activities is meant to achieve better performance and to create a win-win situation for both sides. A study on supply chain linkages is necessary in order to observe the effect of the linkages on firms’ performance. Therefore, this study is conducted to examine the factors of supply chain linkages that affect the business performance among micro and small enterprises. Three factors were proposed, which are information sharing, development programme and outsourcing. A total of 214 sets of questionnaires was completed by owners and firm’s personnel from 13 industrial sectors. The findings from this study revealed that information sharing and development programme have a significant and positive relationship with firms’ performance. Even though outsourcing shows a positive relationship with firms’ performance, but the elationship was not statistically significant. The results provide a better understanding of information sharing, development programme and outsourcing from micro and small enterprise perspective in Sarawak

Management development programs and the readiness for changes: a study in Malaysia

The objective of the study is to test the relationship between management development programs and the readiness for changes among young managers in Malaysia. Four development programs were examined namely on-the-job programs, off-the-job programs, assessment and mentoring. The respondents were all below 45 years old and they are either performing professional occupations or in low to middle level positions and must have participated in development programs. 399 employees participated in the study. The Pearson’s correlation test showed that assessment program was not significantly correlated to readiness for changes (r = .035, p > .01). On the other hand, readiness for changes was significantly correlated with the other three MDPs

The impact of customer satisfaction on purchase intention in Malaysian takaful industry

To date the study of customer satisfaction and purchase intention have dominated the services literature. This study is aimed to investigate the impact of customer satisfaction on purchase intention among Takaful participants in Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire is distributed to eight Takaful companies in Malaysia as a study setting for this study. Out of the total 600 distributed questionnaires 390 were finally selected for data analyses. It is expected that findings from this study will contribute to the existing literature to both theoretical and managerial approaches in order to better understand the pattern of customer satisfaction and purchase intention in Takaful industry settings

Management development programs and the aspired management style: a study in Malaysia

Purpose - The study was to examine the relationship between management development programs (formal education, mentoring, on-the-job experience and assessment) and the aspired management styles (namely altruistic, goal-oriented, innovative, consultative, practical, delegating and moral-based) to be adopted by the respondents. Design/methodology/approach (mandatory) - Data was collected using survey forms that contained items that measured studied variables. The respondents were below 45 years old and performing professional occupations or in middle to higher level positions (lowest position was administrative executive). The items were adopted and adapted from Juhdi et al. (2012), Dreher and Ash (1990), Culpan and Kucukemuroglu (1993), Selvarajah and Meyer (2005) and Khaliq and Ogunsola (2011). All the items were measured on a 5-point scale, which ranged from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Findings – 399 employees participated in the study. The findings suggested that the respondents were given “moderate” amount of support in building their managerial talents. The significant correlations indicated weak-to moderate relationships between the seven types of aspired management style and the four management development programs. Specifically, the findings indicated that only mentoring had significant relationships with all the seven aspired management styles. As for formal education, it also had significant relationships with all the aspired management styles, except for moral-based style. Assessment was found having significant relationship with consultative style with negative relationship. On-the-job experience was only significantly related to two aspired management styles (which were altruistic and delegating). Delegating style was significantly related to all the management development programs. Moral-based management style was only significant to mentoring. As for the other seven types of aspired management styles, they were significantly related to at least two management development programs. Research implications – The HR practitioners should emphasize the use of mentoring, given its consistent significant relationship with all the aspired managerial styles. Mentoring program should start with careful selection of mentors who are matched with the right protégés and must be coupled with systematic mentoring programs. Regardless of the insignificant relationships between on-the-job experience and five types of managerial styles, it should never be underestimated because it is very crucial in providing employees the skills of doing and managing business. Assessment might not be related to management style but it does contribute in giving feedbacks to employees. Research limitations – First, the correlation which ranged from .10 and .32 indicate weak-to-moderate relationships between the management programs and the aspired management styles. Second, the study only measured the first and second level of training outcomes, which are reaction and learning. It would be better if the outcomes are extended to transfer of training (which are behavior and results) which are more meaningful for evaluation

Using expectation and confirmation theory to determine customer loyalty among postpaid users

In developing countries, the rate of mobile network subscription is slowing down due to market saturation. Thus, acquiring new customers is a challenge for the service provider. Hence, it is vital to raise customer loyalty in mobile service providers for the purpose of maintaining customers. This paper aims to determine the factors which explain customer loyalty and satisfaction among users of mobile postpaid services. Building from the expectations and confirmation theory using the survey method of positivist research, data was collected from 338 subscribers of Digi, Maxis and Celcom located in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The data was analysed using SEM_PLS Version 3 and the result has generally revealed the significant relationship between all variables. Further analysis revealed that service expectation and performance, for example network quality (i.e. first time dial, no cut on line, etc.) were significant customer expectations when subscribing to a service provider. The finding provides further input and understanding for service providers to offer better services to their subscribers in order to satisfy and retain customers longer

Measuring the Spiritual Brand Attribute of Islamic Banks

Islamic banking institutions are different from their conventional counterparts as they incorporate religious and spiritual values in their operations. Despite this significant difference, few studies have investigated this spiritual aspect especially from the perspective of the brand. The main purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure the spiritual brand attribute of Islamic banks. Based on the result of the interviews and review of literature, 28 items were proposed and analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A total of 14 items remain on the final scale classified in three dimensions which are beliefs, ethics, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The new brand attribute scale is different from the existing scale as it focuses mainly on the spiritual and religious aspect incorporated into the Islamic banking brand