Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine potential determinants of halal perception and to validate the mediating model of halal perception on purchasing decision of Malaysian consumers. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a survey to obtain the relevant data. The survey involved self-administration of questionnaires to 420 consumers and 96 per cent responded. The questionnaire consists of four sections designed to obtain information on demography, halal perception, determinants of halal perception and purchase decision. Findings The main finding reiterates the role of credible signals in credence items purchased as suggested by the signaling theory. Halal perception has association with respondents’ purchase decision. Thus, it highlights that halal perception is the mediating variable that intervenes in the relationship of a few independent variables and the purchase decision trends. The independent variables such as manufacturer identity, product label, physical product and packaging as well country of origin are considered to be important extrinsic cues that deliver messages regarding the halal of certain food products. The association of the four variables with halal perception is also found to be significant. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in its attempt to explore the role of halal perception in the marketing of food products especially within the scope of a Muslim’s market. Besides, this study attempts to investigate the halal issue based on a specific model that includes potential variables and the intervening role of halal perception.

Environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) is corporate business sustainability for the future and a noble ethical that fosters social, economic and environmental well‐being (EWB) of the community. Based on environmental protection and management, the Indonesian mining company is obliged to mitigate and conserve the surrounding environmental ecosystem. The mining company invested IDR17.35 billion on ECSR since 2006. This study examines the effects of ECSR on EWB of the community by mediating community resilience. The subjects were family household leaders in 12 villages who were direct and indirect recipients of ECSR. Partial least squares‐based structural equation modelling analysis was used to determine the effects of ECSR on the community EWB. In addition, were analysed mediated effects by community resilience (CR). The findings of this study confirmed that ECSR practices had positive and significant effects on CR and EWB. As a mediator, CR significantly contributed to the sustainable EWB of the community.

No abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the usefulness of two family financial ratio guidelines in assessing the financial well-being of married public sector workers in Malaysia. The ratios examined were savings and debt-payment. Data on 415 workers were gathered from the Financial Well-being of Workers of Dual-earner Family survey report in 2008. The findings showed most of the workers had a savings ratio of less than 10 percent. Meanwhile, more than half of the workers had debt-payments ratio of more than or equal to 20 percent. In addition, the workers fall into four categories, namely are A, B, C and D, of which level A is the best and level D the worst. Typically, most of the workers are in level D (42.2%) and level B (30.1%). In summary, the study revealed that the culture of saving among the workers was still at the unsatisfactorily level.

Dual-career families in Malaysia began with the influx of women into the workplace. The involvement of women in the labor market became more apparent after independence. In 1985, the Government of Malaysia formulated the National Policy on Women as a guide for women's participation in the development process. The stature of women became a primary objective of the 6th Malaysia Plan (1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995), where a special fund for the development of women became a significant and integral step towards empowering women in Malaysia. In fact, the number of dual-career families in Malaysia is expected to rise due to the increase in female labor force participation rate. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to understand the phenomenon of dual-career families in Malaysia. This paper will focus on the participation of women in the labor force before independence, after independence and an update of its current situation.

Sustainability certification schemes were introduced to the palm oil industry as a response to address the negative environmental and social impacts associated with the development of this industry. The first certification scheme for palm oil, the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), was established in 2004, followed by other non-governmental initiatives to ensure the sustainable production of palm oil. Indonesia and Malaysia, the two largest palm oil producers in the world, established Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and Malaysia Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) in 2011 and 2015, respectively. This article aims to analyze the existing literature related to studies on the RSPO, MSPO and ISPO on the basis of articles identified from the SCOPUS (scopus.com) and Web of Science (clavirate.com) databases. Results showed that research on the RSPO has been widely conducted compared with that on MSPO and ISPO. Thus, further research on MSPO and ISPO is needed to understand the dynamics of the implementation of sustainability certification. This article also provides an insight on how sustainable certification in the palm oil industry, particularly MSPO, could contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, companies are expected to contribute towards community development, particularly in enhancing the economic well being of the local community. This paper will discuss on the experience of local farmers community that has been involved in a CSR project by a multinasional company in collaboration will local farmers association to have an understanding on the extend of the project's contribution towards the community . A total of 45 farmers were interviewed for this purpose. The interview data is transcribed and coded into themes that reflect the experiences of the farmers' involvement with the CSR project. The study identifies 15 basic themes (BT) from the thematic analysis. These basic themes are clustered into three categories of main themes (MT) that are employment opportunity, sources of income and asset generation. The three themes reflect the contribution of the CSR project on the economic wellbeing of the community from the perspective of the community that involved with the project.

Financial fragility is an important issue in the well-being of individuals. Previous studies have shown that many young people are vulnerable to financial fragility. To add value to previous findings, the issue of financial fragility was focused on single youths in the middle-income group (M40) in urban areas. The objective of the study was to determine the factors influencing the financial fragility of single youth (M40) in urban areas. A quantitative approach using a survey method was applied. The study’s sample consisted of 25–34-year-old single urban youths. Questionnaires were used as research instruments and were distributed online. A total of 374 samples were analyzed using multilevel regression. The results of the analysis show that spending knowledge, financial behavior, saving behavior, and financial shock are the determining factors of financial fragility among M40 single youth in urban areas.