Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of workplace happiness, coworker support and job stress on employee innovative behavior. The mediating effects of coworker support and job stress are also explored. Design/methodology/approach The study uses survey data from 328 employees from different departments in four- and five-star hotels in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Based on an extensive literature review, five main hypotheses were formulated and explored. These were tested through multiple regression analysis using the SPSS Process Macro plugin. Findings Workplace happiness is the most significant determinant of employees’ innovative behavior, while coworker support plays a significant mediating role. Contrary to the study hypothesis and assumption, job stress alone is not a significant mediator; it only plays a mediating role when combined with coworker support. Research limitations/implications The sample is from a single sector (hotels) in a single country. Future research would benefit from examining the above relationships in other sectors (such as health and education) in the UAE. It could also explore the validity of these relationships in the tourism/hotels sector of other countries in the Middle East and Gulf regions. Originality/value Few studies have attempted to investigate factors that may promote or impede innovative behavior among employees in the hotels sector, particularly in the UAE. The data, model and findings of this study address this gap and add to the current state of knowledge.

Purpose Several research models have been proposed in the existing literature to understand the intention to use Islamic banking where conventional bank customers are not primarily addressed. Upon measuring the level of Islamic financial literacy (IFL) among the customers of conventional banks in the UAE, the purpose of this paper is to examine the direct and indirect effects of IFL, awareness, cost and benefit, reputation and attitude towards Islamic banking on the intention of potential customers to use Islamic banking. Design/methodology/approach Using judgmental sampling techniques, questionnaires were distributed to working individuals who did not have accounts with Islamic banks. A total of 350 completed and usable questionnaires were received and used for further analysis. The SmartPLS 3.0 software was used to analyse the data. Findings The results revealed that the level of IFL was high across the respondents and differed significantly as a function of gender, income level and years of work experience. The findings showed that IFL, awareness, reputation and attitude towards Islamic banking significantly influenced the intention to use Islamic banking, while cost and benefit appear not to. Interestingly, IFL was negatively correlated with the intention to use Islamic banking, but when the attitude towards Islamic banking mediated the relationship between IFL and the intention to use Islamic banking it then became positive. Research limitations/implications Future research should consider looking at non-Muslim economies, which might be more vulnerable to IFL. In addition, a comparison between the current customers of Islamic banks and potential customers might be relevant to see whether the IFL of the current customers differs from the new customers. Practical implications The implications of the research are twofold. First the study suggests that IFL is crucial for an Islamic bank’s potential new customers. Islamic bank managers should design and focus their policies toward enriching the knowledge of the public about Islamic banks and their products. Second, IFL alone does not lead to a higher level of intention to use Islamic banks unless there is a positive attitude towards such banks. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to consider the IFL measure used in this paper. Therefore, this study will be the foundation for future research on IFL.

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