FASHION: MALAYSIAN MUSLIM WOMEN PERSPECTIVE

This paper introduces an in-depth discussion of the various interpretations of what fashion is, and the items considered as part and parcel of fashion. Generally fashion is seen as an object of beautification for women, yet it brings new meanings to their lives when it enhances selfconfidence, facilitates the communication of their self-identity and selfesteem, besides depicting their culture or society. A discussion of the purposes of fashion items such as shoes, makeup/cosmetics, apparel and accessories is discussed. A section of the paper is devoted to a discussion of the Muslim scarves (hijab), as the focus of this paper is on the perception of what fashion means to Muslim women. This paper serves as a fruitful insight into the minds of the Muslim women consumers and provides impetus for the marketing of fashion-related items to serve this segment of the market. A conceptual framework developed for this study would be the initial attempt at developing a more comprehensive study into the related moderating and mediating variables that has an effect on fashion. This study also suggests that future researchers may consider testing the proposed model empirically, not only in Malaysia but also in other countries. Lastly, a promising attempt would be to test for invariance among different countries on the same model

Social media influence on Malay family resilience towards challenges of the internet

In this modern and technological era, the social media can become a threat to the family. This study applies the Dependency Theory for users who actively seeking information at the expense of their own family resilience towards challenges of the Internet. As such, this study tries to explore the differences between the social media influence on the rural and urban Malay families. The objectives of the study are (1) to compare the social media used for communicating with family members and friends between the rural and urban families; (2) to compare the influence of social media on the rural and urban families; and (3) to differentiate the influence of social media on the rural and urban families on family resilience towards challenges of the Internet. A total of 800 respondents, representing families were surveyed, using the questionnaire for data collection. The results indicate a marked digital divide between the rural and urban families where the rural families use it for e-commerce while the urban families use more of the Internet for chatting, reading online newspaper and other materials while. The rural families use fewer types of the social media than the urban families. The social media influence the rural families positively while the urban families are affected both positively and negatively. As a whole, the rural families are more resilient than the urban families. Nonetheless, the Dependency Theory holds true for the social media influence on individualistic and antagonistic urban families

The perceptions of women’s roles and progress: a study of Malay women

This study examines the general perceptions of women towards their roles, their interpretation of progress, as well as the facilitating factors and barriers to their progress. Questionnaires were distributed to 1,000 Malay women in Malaysia from rural and urban areas, from various age and income groups. Interviews were also carried out on the selected sample. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods of analyses, the results showed that women were perceived to play a strong, influential, and supportive role in their families. The results also showed how women perceive progress. These findings are discussed in relation to culture, socialization, values and norms of the Malay society

A study on the benefits of practical training for undergraduate students

The purpose ofthis study is to find out the students' opinion regarding the benefits ojpractical training If the students find that practical training is beneficial to them, the researchers would like to find Olit in what ways they are beneficial, and ifnot, what are the alternative

Measuring consumers' understanding of green marketing objective and concept in relation to environmental protection

Green marketing has been an increasingly important element toward the practice of environmental protection. A term coined by marketing gurus, it is a structured topic, essentially offered in academic institutions. However, not every consumer enrols in such courses during their academic years. While some may gain their knowledge academically, others may acquire it through daily interactions with family members, friends, colleagues, business associations, or through the mass or social media. It is believed that the meaning and purpose of green marketing did not reach the general public, questioning the capability of green marketing in becoming a key factor in encouraging consumers to protect the environment. The lack of understanding the objective and concept of green marketing among consumers clearly reflect the unfavourable behaviour and support towards environmental protection. Due to this limitation, the intent of this study is to investigate the level of consumers’ understanding of green marketing objective and concepts through green marketing tools, as well as identify the common medium that contribute to their understanding. This study is also conducted to confirm the measurement items used to examine consumers’ understanding of green marketing particularly its objective and concepts, and tools. Self-constructed survey questionnaire was distributed to consumers, and analysed using a descriptive statistical and factor analysis. As expected, results indicated that consumers’ understanding about protecting the environment is not driven by green marketing objective and concept, but rather from daily interactions with their family members and within the society they are in

The impact of technology CSFs on customer satisfaction and the role of trust: an empirical study of the banks in Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and test technology-related critical success factors (CSFs) and its impact on trust and customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyses the causal relationship that exists between technology CSFs and customer satisfaction. It also investigates the mediating role of trust between these two. For this purpose data were collected quantitatively from 349 employees working in different banks, through self-administered questionnaire. The data analysis was conducted using SPSS and AMOS software. Factor analysis was performed to extract and decide on the number of factors underlying the measured variables of interest. Structural equation modelling was then used to examine the variables and the fitness of proposed model. Findings – The result revealed that technology CSFs positively affect customer satisfaction. Also, trust partially mediates the relationship between technology CSFs and customer satisfaction. A significant positive impact of technology CSFs on trust, and trust on customer satisfaction have also been obtained. Practical implications – The significant influence that technology CSFs have on customer satisfaction and trust shows that technology-related CSFs are inevitable for the success of customer relationship management (CRM) in financial services industry, particularly banks. Policy makers of service industry in general and financial service industry in particular may benefit from the findings of this study. Originality/value – Despite the plethora of research on CSFs for CRM, very limited attention has been given to testing and validating the identified CSFs. Negligible research has been conducted to investigate trust as a mediating variable in the relationship between technology CSFs and customer satisfaction. This paper, therefore, offers valuable insight into technology-related CSFs and trust with their impact on customer satisfaction

Liberalization of retail sector and the economic impact of the entry of foreign hypermarkets on local retailers in Klang Valley, Malaysia

The primary purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of liberalization of retail sector via the presence of foreign hypermarkets in Malaysia on local retailers. Both quantitative and qualitative methods (survey and interviews) were used to collect and analyze the data. A total of 135 questionnaires were completed. The findings from the survey reveal that the entry of foreign hypermarkets in a town often affects the business environment of the local retail businesses. It is found that the newly established foreign hypermarkets tend to acquire much larger market share from the existing local businesses. The survey found that some businesses benefited from the presence of foreign hypermarkets (especially complementary type of retail businesses) while others do not (specifically those retail businesses that are related to groceries)

Measuring the service quality of airline services in Malaysia

The perception of Malaysian consumers of the quality of airline services was examined in this study using the SERVQUAL measurement. The results of the study indicate that the most significant factors in Malaysian customers’ perception of service quality are Empathy, Tangibles and Assurance. In addition, the respondents indicated that the airlines surveyed performed better than expected on the Responsiveness dimension of service quality. There is also a strong indication that satisfaction with service quality results in future use and the likelihood of recommending the airline to others