Purpose The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the determinants of purchase intention of Halal vaccination and compare the results between Muslim consumers in Malaysia and Pakistan. It focuses on analyzing the influence of various factors on the purchase intention of Halal vaccination and determining whether the relationships are significantly different in the two Muslim-majority countries. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on the extended theory of planned behavior and self-congruity theory. The variable of religiosity was added with the three variables of the theory of planned behavior, i.e. attitude toward Halal vaccinations, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. It shows the congruity between Muslim consumer and Islamic brands and proposes a wider range of determinants in the framework. The study’s sample size was 378, and the respondents were Muslim consumers in Malaysia and Pakistan. Purposive sampling technique was used to extract the sample from three cities in each country. Partial least square (PLS) was used to statistically analyze the data using PLS–structural equation modeling approach. The measurement model was analyzed, and invariance of the measurement model was established. Afterward, the hypotheses were tested, and multi-group analysis was performed through Henseler’s multi-group analysis (MGA) and Permutation test. Findings The results indicate a lack of significant relationships between the independent variables and the purchase intention of Halal vaccination except in the case of subjective norms. This construct has a significant but inverse relationship in the case of Pakistan’s Muslim consumers, which can be attributed to the presence of consumer skepticism regarding the issue of Halal vaccination. The MGA results reveal a statistically significant difference in the influence of religiosity on purchase intention between the two countries, depicting differences in the brand–self congruity perceptions of consumers in the two countries. Research limitations/implications The sample size was relatively small due to the limited time duration. Originality/value The area of Halal vaccination has been given limited attention in academic literature. This study addresses this area that has limited research and is greatly attractive to a large number of brands targeting the Muslim consumer market. The results of the study can form a foundation for creating the branding strategy of this product category and assessing its demand in various Muslim markets.

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Purpose Physician satisfaction (PHS) in the pharmaceutical business is a major issue that has created serious concerns for pharmaceutical companies and medical practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediation effect of physician perceived value (PPV) on the relationship between marketing mix strategy (MMS) and PHS in the pharmaceutical industry in Yemen. Design/methodology/approach A non-probability purposive sample of 500 physicians was surveyed by using a self-administered questionnaire. Out of the 500 questionnaires, only 192 surveys were returned. Consequently, only 170 questionnaires were usable for the final analysis, with a 34 percent usable response rate. Several statistical techniques were performed including reliability, factor analysis, multiple regressions analysis, and hierarchical regressions to examine the mediation effect of the PPV. Findings The results showed that MMS elements, namely, product, price, promotion, and place, significantly contributed to PHS. The results also indicated that MMS elements, namely, price, place, and promotion, significantly contributed to PPV, whereas product showed an insignificant contribution. The PPV significantly contributed to PHS. Hierarchical regression results indicated that PPV partially mediated the relationship among MMS elements, namely, price, place, promotion, and PHS. Product variable was excluded in hierarchical analyses because the variable was insignificant to PPV. Originality/value This paper is the first to deal with perceived value as a mediating variable between elements of MMS (4Ps) for drug product and PHS in the context pharmaceutical business.

Purpose The role of patient’s characteristics in the prescribing decision of physicians comprises two major constructs: drug request and expectations. The purpose of this paper was to examine the existing literature on patient characteristics and then explore the circumstances that reinforce the connection between patient characteristics (drug requests and expectations) and physician prescribing decision. Design/methodology/approach A survey of the literature was carried out across online databases from 1994 to 2015, and 25 reviewed articles were identified. The influence of patient factors on physician prescribing decisions was identified in the articles. A conceptual model to investigate the patient characteristics that influence physicians’ prescribing decision was the developed. Findings There have been numerous studies on the effect of patient characteristics on physician prescription decision. Some studies discovered patient’s request for drug and expectations strongly influence physicians’ prescribing decision, whereas others found only minor or no relation. To resolve this ambiguity, there is a need to precisely understand how patient factors affect prescribing decisions of physicians, under different contexts and conditions. This review contends that contextual variables – drug characteristics, drug cost/benefits ratio and physician habit persistence – are determining factors in this debate. Research limitations/implications The study recommends further studies on the influence of each factor on physician prescribing behaviour and an evaluation of the proposed model and moderating variables. Originality/value This paper is the first significant step towards recognizing contextual variables that may moderate the relationship between a patient’s drug request and expectations and prescribing behaviour. This research contributes to resolving the debate on the ways patient factors affect prescribing behaviour.

Despite the growing interest in examining ISO 14001 EMS implementation and firm's performance, little attention has been devoted especially among the SMEs in Malaysia. Based upon 61 responses questionnaire survey, this study examines the relationship of ISO 14001 EMS implementation to Malaysian SMEs performances. The findings of this study confirm that ISO 14001 EMS implementation has a positive and significant relationship with SMEs's performance. This finding is consistent with the environmental management literature mostly published in the developed countries. This study is important as the empirical results provide an indicator to encourage other SMEs which has no EMS in place to consider joining the bandwagon. Since the ISO 14001 standard is still on a voluntary basis in Malaysia, this study able to give empirical evidence on SMEs performance appears to be critical at this juncture noting the fact that SMEs contributes to the largest business establishments in Malaysia.

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