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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.Keywords: Supply Chain; Information Sharing; Development Programme; Outsourcing; Performance; Micro and Small Enterprise.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the antecedents and consequences of corporate brand image in the context of Islamic banks in Malaysia. The antecedents of corporate brand image are divided into three categories which are functional brand attribute, emotional brand attribute and spiritual brand attribute. The consequence of corporate brand image on the other hand is loyalty. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered survey was used to collect data from experienced Islamic banking customers. A total of 281 questionnaires were analysed using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling. Findings This study found a significant relationship between some aspects of the brand attributes and corporate brand image. Corporate brand image, in turn, influences customer loyalty. Research limitations/implications These findings contribute to the understanding that in the context of Islamic banks, the corporate brand image is not only influenced by the functional and emotional aspects, but also the spiritual aspect especially factors related to beliefs. Practically, this study provides insight to the management on the aspects valued by customers in regards to their bank, which could be used to guide Islamic bank positioning strategy. Originality/value The concept of corporate brand image has been explored from the perspective of functional and emotional aspects only. This study offers a new attribute influencing corporate brand image in the Islamic banking context, which is the spiritual brand attribute.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between perceived quality association and purchase intention to re-patronise Shariah-compliant brand restaurants among Muslims in Malaysia, particularly in the Klang Valley. Design/methodology/approach By purposive sampling, the researcher focused on particular characteristics of a population that are of interest that are best to answer the questionnaires and have a specific type of people who can provide the coveted information. By using a self-reporting questionnaire, data from 531 respondents were obtained and analysed using structural equation modelling-partial least square. Findings The results showed that perceived quality association has significant and positive influences on intention to re-patronise Shariah-compliant brand restaurants. Atmospheric ambience, food taste, value for money and service personnel were indicators of perceived quality rather than characterising the content of perceived quality. Amongst the four indicators, service personnel were the most important elements for the perceived quality association and were followed by food taste. Delicious food at a reasonable price was the third criterion that is prioritised by consumers in choosing restaurants. Moreover, the atmospheric factor loading showed the lowest among the three dimensions because atmospheric ambience was the last choice when consumers re-patronise Shariah-compliant brand restaurants. Therefore, it is important for Shariah-compliant brand restaurants to concentrate on service personnel aspect and food taste in formulating their marketing strategies to sustain their competitive advantage. These insights could be used to overcome the challenges of purchase intention of Shariah-compliant brand restaurants. Research limitations/implications The first limitation is that the data for this paper were gathered from casual dining sit-down restaurants in Malaysia, especially in the Klang Valley. Thus, the findings may not be generalised to other types of restaurants. There are various types of restaurants in Malaysia; thus, the outcomes might be not similar to this research. Second, it was found that several respondents asserted that the topic of this paper is sensitive in nature, even for Muslim consumers. Thus, the researcher had to clarify the reasoning of the paper and the definition of Shariah-compliant brand restaurants despite the definition has been written on the first page of the questionnaire. Originality/value Measuring service quality by making comparisons between the customers’ expectations and the perceived performance has received much attention from both researchers and marketers. The importance of perceived quality originates from its beneficial impact on purchase intentions. This paper represents the perceived quality association as a second-order reflective model consisting of four dimensions: atmospheric ambience, food taste, value for money and service personnel, and these dimensions must be highly correlated. Buying patterns of food consumption vary between individual, from culture to culture, society to society and country to country. In managing Shariah-compliant brand restaurants, the production and food process should be governed by specific rules in Shariah. By giving real information and no false promise, the Shariah-compliant brand restaurants will gain welfare and consumers’ trust to purchase.