ICAM-2021

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Real Scenario of CSR Status in Era of Covid-19: Revealing the Truth of Indian Corporate Sector
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2019) Bhargava, Akshay
The major contribution of the present study is to streamline the various discourses and the representation of CSR status during the times of corona pandemic. Besides, it also focuses on examining the scope of CSR instrumentalities in India over the last decade. Furthermore, the paper also attempts to explore the scale of ethics, legality and corporate responsibility under the guise of CSR practices undertaken by the companies. Crosssectional is the structure of present research which involves the analytical study of CSR norms and patterns followed by the corporate entities functional in India. The major findings of the present research are that the notion of Corporate Social Responsibility has deepen its very roots in a way that it's extent is limited to the business strategy to make the latter a flourished one and it's been actualized on papers owing to the stakeholders pressures. But apart from this, there has also been a slight shift in corona pandemic era which lifts the veil of the pre- strategized framework of corporate social responsibility. The traditional trend has shifted towards imbibing the spirit of doing good for the community by collectively launching their fight against corona virus. The foremost significance of the present study lies in deeply grasping the fallibility (of) and the novel occasions on the part of corporate sector during the pathetic times of Coronavirus pandemic.
Migration Rate and Housing Prices: Empirical Evidence from East Asia and Southeast Asia Countries
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Yii, Kwang-Jing; Kwan, Yu-Tian; Chung, Wai-Mun; Chia, Lee-Fang; Chong, Siew-Looi; Chai, Wan-Jing
International migration has a long history in Asia, but in recent years it has reached unprecedented levels of magnitude, diversity, and significance. Migration has had a significant impact on the economic, social, and demographic growth of Asian countries. Evaluating migration is more difficult than fertility or humanity, and it is exacerbated in the case of international migration by the prevalence of undocumented migration. This is especially true in China, where a large number of floating populations migrate to locations with higher level of economic development. Massive migration to cities would result in a surge in demand for urban housing, driving up housing prices. This has exacerbated Asia's housing affordability crisis. Increases in housing prices have also resulted in a host of social and economic issues in a country, including the financial system collapsing and household wealth being harmed. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of migration on housing prices, as well as unemployment rate, lending rate, and gross national income in East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan) and Southeast Asia countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore). The panel data is used, which spans the period of 2000 to 2017 with a total of 144 observations. The panel autoregressive distributed lag is employed to examine the relationship between variables and housing prices, while the causality between variables is determined by panel vector error correction model. The findings show that migration rate is negatively related to housing prices. This might be owing to a rise in the number of immigrants, which would lead housing developers to anticipate increased housing demand and boost housing supply. As a result, there is a reduction of upward pressure on housing prices. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate and gross national income possess a positive effect on housing prices. Interestingly, a bidirectional causality is found between migration rate and housing prices. This indicates that migration is an important indicator in influencing housing prices, and that changes in housing prices also result in net migration. With this, policymakers should consider social security as well as wages and employment conditions to regulate the migration and stabilize the housing prices.
A Bibliometric Analysis on Sustainability in Business Ethics: The Global Trend in Scopus Database (2004-2020)
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Jambulingam, Manimekalai; Jen Ling, Gan
In this century, the word "sustainability" and "Business Ethics" have been spoken widely in business ethics field. Business ethics comprises two words: "business" and "ethics", which cover the areas of moral principles, beliefs, values, culture, governance issues and a code of conduct for business. Over the decades, researchers have been conducted to various studies on business ethics, as well as to investigate the importance of business ethics. However, the global trend of this area received limited attention, particularly through the method of bibliometric analysis. Hence, the purpose of the study is to evaluate global research in form of bibliometric analysis of business ethics and its growth of publications from 2004 to 2020 from Scopus database. Bibliometric analysis is believed that it can contribute in the way of suggesting future directions for the scholars in the particular discipline. This study used VOS Viewer to analyze and visualize the global research trend on 'Sustainability in Business Ethics' in analyzing the bibliographic data. Bibliometric maps were retrieved from VOS Viewer. In this study, the research details such as coauthorship, leading countries in the research, top scholars and leading key words of business ethics related studies are analyzed and included. The number of publications has been escalating steadily since 2011. The United States and United Kingdom were the leading countries among the affiliated countries. Two of the leading universities were from the world's top 100 universities, which calling for more attention from the universities to study or explore about Sustainability in business ethics context. The study contributed insights of business ethics related areas to the academics for further research This paper can be beneficial for academicians, organizations, and business policymakers in understanding the global trend of 'Sustainability in Business Ethics' besides discovering the future directions and opportunities for future studies.
Detecting Fraudulent Financial Reporting and Predicting Business Failure Using Probabilistic Neural Network: Malaysia Chapter
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Wen, Chue Kar; Sin, Tiong Jia; Shan, Lom Hui; Dyana, Chang Mui Ling
Methodologies with the integration of machine learning (ML) into fraudulent financial reporting (FFR) and business failure detection have been researched popularly globally however these ML methodologies were not popular researched in Malaysia Specifically. Studies showed that Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) yielded highest fraudulent detection rate about 98%; and Neural Network achieved overall accuracy of 84% of business failure detection rate. It was also found that there was no specific method mentioned in Malaysia Securities Commission Act 1993 in assessing the financial statements of public listed companies (PLCs), and low expenditure of PLCs in audit functions. Due to the huge impacts resulted from FFR and business failure of public listed companies, there is a need to minimise FFR and business failure incidents with high accuracy detection and prediction tools, which are ML techniques. The applications of ML technique (i.e., PNN) into the research would shorten the analysis time compared to other statistical methods; yield higher accuracy rate that becomes effective layer of screening financial statements; is able to optimise or minimise the loss functions if discrepancies occur in data sets. On the other hand, although the relationship between FFR and business failure has been linked, the two topics have been studied separately in the past. Financially distressed companies may have a higher probability to commit fraudulent financial reporting, and less research that link the two topics although the methodologies and models were found effective in research the two topics. This study aims to firstly determine the accuracy of ML technique, i.e. PNN in the detection of FFR and detection of business failures among the public listed companies in Malaysia. The relationship between business failure and FFR among the PLCs in Malaysia would be identified. This study applies two stage PNN procedures: first stage is to detect FFR among the companies; second stage is to predict business failure of the companies prior to the conduct of FFR. The accuracy of PNN in the applications and the relationship between FFR and business failure will be discovered. Secondary data is to be collected through financial reports from the PLCs that have been identified fraudulent by the Securities Commission Malaysia in the past. A set of identical non-fraudulent and non-failed companies (similar size in same industries) would be as pairs to the fraudulent companies in the study. PNN is expected to yield high accuracy rates in detecting fraudulent companies and predicting business failures. The ML methodology would also be expected to detect the relationship between FFR and business failure (as supported by fraud triangle theory that financial distress is one of the elements in committing frauds). The research should enhance the detectability of frauds and business failures among the PLCs, improves overall corporate governance of the companies and increase public confidences onto PLCs; furthermore, this would also enhance the knowledge of forensic accounting in Malaysia.
Social Media Usage and its Influence on Consumer Purchase Behavior During Covid-19 Pandemic
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Ganesan, Geetha Krishnan P.; Moovendhan, V.
As the world begins its slow turn from managing the COVID-19 crisis to recovering and reopening economies, it is clear that the lockdown has had a profound impact on people's way of life. New consumer behaviours span all areas of life, from how we work to how we shop to how we entertain ourselves. Previous literature shows an extensive number of studies attempt to reveal the role and impact of social media on aspects of consumer purchase behaviour under normal circumstances. The use of social media and the exchange of information have increased during Covid-19 pandemic because people are secluded. The present study attempts to analyse the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic and consumer purchase behaviour and to determine the impact of frequency of media usage and Media pattern usage on consumer purchase intention across age, gender and income during COVID-19. A survey will be conducted using questionnaire from X and Y generation from the selected cities of using convenience sampling method to know their purchase intention during pandemic crisis in relation to social media usage.
Good Village Governance: Evidence in Indonesia
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Sumarmi, Saptaningsih
Government good governance is the most essentials performance measure that must be achieved. This is critical because, as a public servant, the government must hold itself accountable to the public. In a village government setting in the Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia, this study attempts to investigate the relationship between community culture and the implementation of good governance at the village level. As a mediation variable, the performance of the village apparatus is used. Not many researchers have used village governance as an object of research, even though the village is also the smallest government unit in Indonesia. The data for this study were collected through a questionnaire (five-point Likert Scale), using 269 village apparatus in the province of DIY as the research sample. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that there is a direct positive relationship between community culture and the implementation of good governance, but the performance of the village apparatus cannot be a mediating variable. The main purpose of the government in providing public services to the community is to realize good governance.
A Review of Various Psychological and Non-Pharmacological Interventions at High-Risk Pregnancies (Miscarriage and Stillbirth): A Narrative Review
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Mohammadi, Kosar Miraei
Background and the objectives of the study: A review of the evidence concerning the types of psychological and non-pharmaceutical interventions to prevent or reduce complications in women undergoing miscarriage and stillbirthMethods of the study: The search in this comprehensive narrative review was conducted in electronic databases, such as the Cochrane Library, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Tripdatabase, SID. After the screening, 23 articles were selected.Findings of the study if applicable: Evidence was presented in two general categories. which includes, psychological interventions based on counseling and education (9 studies), 1 Systematic review, 5 RCT, 2 Quasi-experimental, 1 Prospective. Also Variables such as anxiety, grief, depression, and contraception use were evaluated. And, psychological interventions based on therapy (14 studies), 2 Systematic review, 6 RCT, 3 Quasi-experimental, 2 single-case experimental, 1 mixed method. Interventions include cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, hypnosis, interpersonal psychotherapy, supportive psychotherapy, group therapy, and yoga. Variables such as worry, grief, anxiety, depression, distress, post-traumatic stress and stigma were examined. Interventions in this group, especially Internet-based interventions, were effective in most cases.Conclusions: Despite the different design of interventions, the results showed the effectiveness of psychological and non-pharmacological interventions in most cases, but judging the definite effect of interventions requires further research and larger sample size. It was reported that psychotherapy-based interventions were effective in post-abortion grief treatment, especially in long-term grief, mindfulness intervention in improving mental health, and support group intervention in improving physical health after stillbirth.
Designing Social Media Brand Communication Strategies to Enhance Brand Equity of an Electronic Components Retailer
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Chin, Thoo Ai; Syapri, Fitri Nurliza; Sulaiman, Zuraidah; Shan, Lom Hui
Social media is booming massively, and it has become part of billions of people's daily live around the world. Hence, many firm use social media platform to reach out to bigger audience and increase brand equity. In Malaysia, many companies take the opportunities of leveraging social media communication into their business model. However, some businesses like electronics component retailers rarely use social media for marketing. For instance, a small company selling electronics parts is facing a problem to promote their brand to local and online community. Thus, this study aims to investigate factors to increase its brand equity (brand awareness and perceived quality) via social media brand communication, then design marketing strategies for the company. The quantitative method is used in this research, and a questionnaire instrument is used to gather primary data from respondents online using Google Forms. The target population for this study is 150. This study is expected to be a guideline for the company to use firm and user generated content communication on social media to improve the brand equity.
Covid-19 and Waste Management: A Critical Review and Research Agenda
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Shakil, Mohammad Hassan; Kabir, Mohammad Rokibul; Lepee, Nusrat Jahan; Kawser, Sakia; Mostafiz, Md. Imtiaz
Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has caused severe challenges to achieve sustainable development goals in waste management. Several countries have proposed and implemented new policies to encourage the waste-to-energy (WTE) and waste-to-material (WTM) industry, which was affected highly due to COVID-19. Although a number of studies have been published on the topic already, there has not been a critical review of studies on the impacts of COVID-19 and waste management. This study will explore the current research of CO VID-19 and waste management and identify the issues and challenges faced by the waste management industry. This study systematically reviews 97 studies on COVID-19 and waste management published in ten journals up to March 2021 and identify five research clusters based on systematic content analysis: (1) COVID-19 and food waste, (2) COVID-19 and medical waste, (3) COVID-19 and waste-to-energy, (4) COVID-19 and waste-to-material and (5) COVID-19 and recycling. Besides a critical analysis of the studies in each cluster, we propose research questions to guide future research on the relationship between COVID-19 and waste management.
The Effect of Acupressure on Intestinal Function in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction under Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Kamali, Mahsa; Bagheri-Nesami, Masoumeh; Ghaemian, Ali; Moosazadeh, Mahmood; Esmaeili-Ahangarkelai, Nadali; Ghasemi, Fahimeh; Haghighat, Sahar
Background and the objectives: Acute Myocardial Infarction patients are at risk for constipation, following the admission to intensive care units due to inactivity, use of drugs such as calcium channel blockers, diuretics and narcotics. So, the purpose of the study was to determine the effect of acupressure on intestinal function in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction under Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. Methods: The present randomized clinical trial was conducted in heart center affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. 90 Acute Myocardial Infarction patients (30 patients in each group) were random allocated based on inclusion criteria. The data collection tools used included a socio-demographic questionnaire, Rome IV scale, Bristol stool scale and patient control checklist. Intervention was carried out among the Acute Myocardial Infarction patients two times a day (10 am and 6pm) for three sequences days. In the intervention group, the intervention was conducted on the acupressure points SJ6, LI4, ST25 and SP6 in both parts of body symmetrically, so that 1 minute vertical pressure with the thumb, then 5 seconds stop to rest and after that 1 minute rotational massage had been applied. Each session lasted for 9 min approximately. In the sham group, the intervention was carried out with 1.5 cm distance from the above-mentioned acupressure points. All three groups received 30 cc magnesium hydroxide a day. Results: The mean (SD) of the participants' age in the intervention, sham and control groups were 49.90 (10.26), 51.47 (10.19) and 52.53 (10.84) years, respectively. On the first and second days of the study, all of the Acute Myocardial Infarction patients had no defecation. In the intervention group 93.3% and 96.7% had normal defecation on the third and fourth days of the study, respectively. In the sham group 46.7% participants had normal defecation on the both third and fourth of the study. In the control group 50.0% and 63.3% had normal defecation on the third and fourth days of the study, respectively. The results of chi-square test revealed significant different among three groups (P-value<0.001). Conclusion: The results of present study showed normal defecation based on Bristol scale was significant different among three groups, so that the frequency of normal defecation in the interventional group was higher than sham and control groups. So, an acupressure as noninvasive and safe procedure can be used in clinical setting as nursing intervention.
The Need for Enhanced Coverage of Sustainability Reporting in Tertiary Education: Perceptions of Accounting Students from Private Universities in Malaysia
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Dhifallah, Alaa Nabil Abdulatif
In the traditional system of reporting, only the financial results are discussed without focusing on the environmental and social impacts of organizational practices. However, this stance is changing with climate change and sustainability key themes in society and finance which in turn fuel the need for financial reporting to cover the environmental, societal, and economic impacts of a business. Several organizations tend to implement sustainability reporting (SR) due to the reason that those kinds of reports are expected to improve the perceptions of their stakeholders as they provide information about an organization's performance together with its sustainability efforts. This results in increasing the customers' and the employees' loyalty, as well as enhancing the investors' goodwill and their readiness in providing funds. Based on previous research, it is observed that the level of the corporate sustainability disclosures differs significantly across countries in the AsiaPacific region, with some countries having the highest rates of sustainability disclosures while others remain in their infancy. One of the Asian countries which has limited observed uses of corporate sustainability disclosures is Malaysia, which combined with a lack of research in the area. This has highlighted the need for research to explore how accountant students perceive sustainability reporting. As future accountants, their understanding of these issues will impact the implementation and the development of SR. This research aims to explore accounting students' perspectives of SR and investigate the role of tertiary education providers in developing graduates' attitudes and knowledge regarding SR. Using semi-structured interviews with 20 final year undergraduate and postgraduate accounting students from three different private universities, the research revealed that accounting students lacked the knowledge regarding sustainable development (SD) and SR, and that the accountants' role in SR was dependent on the decisions of organization's management and/or the pressure from stakeholders. A majority of the respondents were aware of the importance of SR with the universities identified as not necessarily embedding sufficient coverage of sustainability issues in the curriculum, which in turn affected the students' knowledge of SR. The accounting students believed that universities, industry, and the government have individual and collective responsibility to ensure students had a deeper and more fundamental knowledge base of SD and SR. Based on the findings, this research suggests that more effort should be placed to focus on increasing the awareness regarding SR in order to ensure that graduate accountants have the knowledge necessary to compete in the labour market, a market which is increasingly emphasizing the importance of the environment and sustainability when they graduate. The research contributes to the existing literature in the field of accounting, and it takes research forward with regards a better understanding of accounting students' perceptions of sustainability, SD and SR in Malaysia.
Exploring the Impact of Social Media Marketing on Tourism Destination Marketing and Revisit Intention: An Empirical Study of Rural Tourism Sectors
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Hua, Chin Chee; Ming, Winnie Wong Poh
Tourism is widely regarded as one of the largest and fastest growing industries on the world. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on international visitor arrivals and receipts for countries worldwide. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increasing trend toward rural tourism, owing to the attractive natural and cultural components. The pandemic's impact on tourism sectors has been severe, with travel restrictions imposed. In this regard, Tourism Malaysia encouraged tourism industry players to transition from a physical to a virtual mode of operation by marketing their products and services online. Recognizing the need for tourism destinations to develop entirely new marketing strategies in the post-COVID-19 era, the establishment of travel brands for tourism destinations is critical to facilitating more effective marketing campaigns. As a result, social media marketing has been recognized as a viable marketing technique for promoting products, services, and information via social networking sites (SNSs). This study aims to fill gaps in the literature and theory by examining the impact of social media marketing activities (SMMA) on tourism destination marketing in the context of rural tourism in Asia, specifically Sarawak, Malaysia. This is perhaps the first study to use the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model to examine how SMMA affect tourism destination marketing and, subsequently, revisit intention for rural tourism destinations in Sarawak, Malaysia.The two-step procedure of partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) estimation was carried out using the WarpPLS software. A total of 239 valid questionnaires were used to assess the fitness of the measurement (inner) and structural (outer) models. Interestingly, the empirical findings indicate that SMMA (i.e., entertainment, interaction, trendiness, customization, and word-of-mouth) all contribute significantly to the success of rural tourism destination marketing efforts. Additionally, it was discovered that a well-developed tourism destination marketing strategy is critical for increasing tourists' intention to revisit, particularly to rural tourism destinations in Sarawak. In conclusion, this empirical study demonstrated that SMMA do contribute to the development of a successful rural tourism destination marketing strategy from a tourist perspective. Eventually, the research provided some useful guidelines for scholars and practitioners (e.g., destination marketing organizations, local communities, industry stakeholders, and tourism-related government departments) interested in rural tourism destination marketing.
Development of Augmented Reality Application for Mute and Deaf Children Based on Sign Language
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Azman, Nur Atifah
There are deaf and mute disabilities not only in adults, but also in children between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Most of them have hearing issues. Hearing loss in children can be divided into two groups, where it occurs before language is developed and post-lingual after language is developed, which are prelingual. The aim of sign language is to provide a brief and thorough understanding of sign language linguistics. The existence of sign language has made it possible for deaf and mute individuals to use their environment in spoken languages. To provide some context, it uses a hand gesture with facial expression and body language. Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology which makes it possible to combine digital content with real-world information in real time. With the help of Augmented Reality application for Mute and Deaf Children with Virtual Reality Learning Experience is used as a teaching aid to enhance communication between deaf and mute children. It will view 3D animation from the sign language pattern and become a more interesting interactive learning device for mute and deaf children to learn sign language. It also improves the understanding of the natural world. The goal of this project was to build an AR framework based on sign language in mobile applications. The pattern of the hand gesture will be spotted by the application when the camera is fixed on a sign language pattern flashcard and an animated 3D of animals will be shown in real time. This project is also intended to test the usability of AR in hand gesture learning. The approach used in this project is to use not only a psychomotor but also a cognitive domain. The outcome shows that the best ways for mute and deaf children to learn and understand the hand gesture better are through the combination of picture and movement.
The Impact of Regulated Cryptocurrency Exchange on Islamic Investments: An Empirical Investigation on Capital Market in Malaysia
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Izadin, Ahmad Al Izham; Khalid, Airil; Zainuddin, Zaemah; Yusof, Rosylin Mohd
The significant increase of cryptocurrency values has led to an urgent need for a regulated exchange platform especially with the rise of cryptocurrency-related scam that targets nonsophisticated investors with enticing returns. The regulatory gap in the distribution and trading of Bitcoin led to increasing cases of illicit payments, fraud, and financial scams, which can be hazardous to the financial systems. From the Islamic perspective, the debates on the permissibility and shariah issues on cryptocurrency are still ongoing. One of the main issues highlighted is the nature of the framework which is independent of regulatory bodies such as the central bank, absence of intrinsic value and others. However, Malaysia's Shariah Advisory Council under the capital market regulator resolved in 2020 that in principle, it is permissible to invest and trade in digital currencies and tokens on registered cryptocurrency exchanges which make it the first regulator Shariah Advisory Council in the world to officially recognize crypto asset trading as halal. Against this backdrop, this study seeks to unravel the dynamic impact of the regulated cryptocurrency exchange platform by empirically examining the conditional correlation of Bitcoin, Islamic stock, Sukuk and Gold during pre-and post-regulation periods by employing the Dynamic Conditional Correlation Multivariate Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic (DCC-MGRACH) model. Moreover, to examine how much fluctuations in Bitcoin prices are affecting the performance of Islamic stocks and Sukuk volatilities between pre-and post-regulation, this study will implement Variance Decomposition analysis. The analysis found significant changes in comovement between Islamic stock price and Bitcoin price from almost no comovement during the pre-regulation period to significant positive comovement after the establishment of regulation. These findings suggest that after regulation, the link between Bitcoin and Islamic stock price increases. Meanwhile, there are no significant changes in the comovement between Bitcoin price and Sukuk yield pre-and post-regulation periods. This may be due to the Sukuk structure being more asset-based contracts protecting its yield movement against Bitcoin price volatility and risky nature. In addition, the study finds that regulating the cryptocurrency exchange causes changes in Bitcoin prices to influence the Islamic stock price more than the Sukuk yield. Meanwhile, gold price plays the most significant role in affecting changes in Islamic stock and Sukuk yield in both periods of analysis. This study is among the few that contributes to the existing literature in terms of examining the impact of a regulated cryptocurrency exchange on faith-based investments measured by the dynamic comovement between Bitcoin, Islamic stock, Sukuk and Gold in an emerging market such as Malaysia. These findings aim to provide empirical evidence for policymakers that regulated halal cryptocurrency exchange can impact faith-based investments and thus provide a greater spectrum of investment mix for investors.
The Impact of Scarcity on Impulse Buying from the Perspective of Chinese Consumers
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Jing, Zhang Jing; Jiang, Nan; Jamesturner, Jason; Sharif, Saeed Pahlevan
The global COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global healthcare system, instilling dread and anxiety among billions of people (Jackson et al., 2020). With the high mortality and infectiousness, medical protective products became scarce, especially at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in China (Wu et al., 2020). The scarcity of medical protective products leads to consumers' impulse buying. Consumer’s impulse buying resulted in stockpiling and the increase of prices by the shopkeepers and insufficient frontline workers, which in turn, affects epidemic control work and market order. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the effect of scarcity on consumers' impulse buying during the epidemic in China. In this study, under the theoretical guidelines of S-O-R and bandwagon effect, the researcher will identify how scarcity of medical protective products affects consumers' impulse buying by the fear of missing out and the bandwagon effect on the relationship between scarcity of the medical protective products and Chinese consumers' impulse buying. Based on these aims, the quantitative method was used in this study to better explain the relationship between scarcity on impulsive purchase. This study developed a self-reported questionnaire and targeted Chinese consumers in China. Due to the largest population, time limitation and the lockdown in China, convenience sampling was adopted for this study and 488 data was collected from Chinese consumers through online social media WeChat and QQ during the peak period of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Besides, to ensure the reliability of the results, the measurement and structural model were evaluated by using the Smart-Pls 3 software. The empirical results show that the scarcity makes consumers fearful of missing the chance to get the medical protective products, leading ultimately to impulse buying. While the scarcity effect on consumers' impulsive purchase depends on the other consumers' follow up behavior (bandwagon) under such an emergency. The result will extend the current research on scarcity, impulsive purchase, fear of missing out and bandwagon. It also provides practical recommendations. Firstly, the result would help the marketer effectively use the scarcity strategy in the general environment (without public emergency affairs). They may increase the effect of fear of missing out and bandwagon effect to enhance the scarcity effect and attract more consumers' attention. Secondly, the results provide valuable information for the government. They can adopt measures to control the consumers' bandwagon consumption to decrease the scarcity effect. Moreover, the government can claim that the medical organization makes an effort to produce medical protective products to diminish consumers' impulse buying, as the claim may let consumers believe that they will get the medical protective products in the future.
A Study on Factors Affecting Online Buying Behavior of Consumers- A Factor Analysis Approach
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Choudhury, Tapati Sarmah
The third Industrial revolution of the late 20th century witnessed rapid advancements in information and communication technology and with this dawned the era of E-commerce. The beginning of the new century manifested Industry 4.0, a century that revolutionized all areas of online business by introducing a plethora of new opportunities and possibilities. The rapid development in online business resulted in a radical change in the society and economy. This has changed the way how marketing is done today. The impact of the growing rage of the World Wide Web has created a wave of speculation among marketers and researchers. There has been a rapid growth in the number of consumers who shop online to purchase goods and services, perform search and gather product information or even browse online leisurely, for fun. As a result, online shopping environments are playing a vital role in building the relationship between the marketers and consumers. Although there have been a number of studies done in and around online consumer behaviour but the speculations still continue as there has been little empirical evidence underlying all the speculations. This study is an attempt to provide one such data set that would help investigate and understand the factors that consumers considered significant as they browsed through e-retailing sites on the Internet. The paper aims to identify the factors that influence online consumer buying behavior through an exploratory factor analysis approach. A primary survey was conducted and 500 samples were used to analyze data and come at a logical conclusion. This study identifies, measures and classifies consumer perception regarding online shopping experience into 16 factors which could be used to influence consumer buying behavior and prospective purchase decisions in an online shopping environment.
The Relationship between Physical Activity and Anxiety and Depression Symptoms among Undergraduate Students During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Malaysia
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Mun, Sam Jeng; Ee-Vern, Yvern Ng
The COVID-19 outbreak has affected many major life structures among Malaysians. Studies have shown that the depressive and anxiety states of university students have been increased due to the differing changes in their daily functioning that are linked to the pandemic. Physical activity as one of the behavioral techniques in Cognitive Behavior Therapy has been known to be able to alleviate common mental disorders which are the symptoms of mild to moderate levels of anxiety and depression. The study examined the relationship between physical activity and the level of anxiety and depression symptoms among undergraduate students in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The crosssectional study employed a correlational research design. The study recruited 203 Malaysian undergraduate students who study in Malaysia. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were administered to the students through an online platform. Data analysis using the Pearson's Correlation Coefficient showed that there is a significant negative relationship between physical activity and the level of anxiety and depression (p<0.05). The study indicated that physical activity is one of the important strategies to be practiced to improve the mental health condition among undergraduate students. Recommendations to further study other behavioral activation strategies are crucial in improving the mental health of the students.
Are Commercial Agent Banking Services Worthwhile for Financial Inclusion?
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Al-Amin, Md.; Hossain, Md. Imran; Toha, Md. Abu
In recent times, commercial agent banking services has got considerable attention from academia and banking industry for accelerating financial inclusion in emerging economics. However, it's incomprehensible to accelerate the economic progression through financial inclusion while ignoring a huge segment of the nonbank people from unprivileged areas. A very few studies have conducted on the association between agent banking services and financial inclusion in emerging economics such as Bangladesh. The present study aims to investigate the impact of agent banking services provided by the commercial banks on financial inclusion. To begin with the investigation, this study was based on agency theory considering purposive sampling technique. This quantitative study was conducted on 19 commercial banks which are currently providing agent banking services in Bangladesh. An econometric model was proposed whereas dependent construct has one specific dimension named as financial inclusion proxy by number of accounts as a percentage of adult population, in contrast, independent construct had three dimensions named as deposited amount, credited amount, and inward remittance of agent bank. In addition to that, this econometric model was based on secondary data whereas data analysis was conducted by considering time series statistical method using GRETL (2019) software. This statistical analysis revealed that currently both deposited amount and credited amount does have significant impact on financial inclusion. It has also inferred that using agent banking for in-warding remittance and new account open by clients have positive significant relationship with financial inclusion. It is argued that agent banking services by comprising unbanked people in financial inclusion which will ultimately prompt the opportunity for proper mobilization of resources and funds while maintaining safety and security. Further, it is also claimed that this study would assist to illustrate the present performance of agent banking services in financial inclusion from multidimensional perspective which will contribute to provide some more innovative and sustainable products and services towards the unbanked people. Finally, this study recommends that commercial bank through agent banking should include maximum number of nonbank populations into the financial inclusion by ensuring sustainable agent banking services which will accelerate the emerging economics Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) performance.
A Study on the Macroeconomic Variables and Government Debt in Malaysia
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Choon Wei, Low; Jen Ee, Ling
Government debt is an issue that is concerning by all nations. The Institute of International Finance found the government debt has risen to the highest record at $281 trillion by the end of 2020. It was mainly due to the risen debts in the government, companies, and households. There was even more borrowing as the world has never been more indebted after a year facing the Covid-19. Government debt in Malaysia increased rapidly in the mid of 1980 which rose from 43 percent to 101.7 percent in only 7 years. It cannot be denied that the pandemic is one of the rationales that caused the Malaysian government debt to increase. Different types of fiscal stimulus packages have been implemented by the Malaysian government to boost the economy and so to help the people and the businesses in Malaysia. It was expected that Malaysia's 2021 statutory debt would reach 58.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). This study examined annual data from 1990 to 2019, with 30 observations. Johansen cointegration test and Vector Error Correction Method (VECM) were used in the study to examine the long run and short-run relationships among the variables including government debt (DEBT), GDP Growth, foreign direct investment (FDI), trade openness (TO), real interest rate (IR), inflation rate (INF), and government expenditure (G). The analyses result showed that INF, G, and GDP growth have a negative relationship with DEBT. FDI, IR, and TO have a positive relationship with DEBT. Results from the Johansen Cointegration Test indicated that 12 cointegrating equations were significant at the 5 percent level, which meant that the long-term equilibrium between the variables was met. There was also a long-term relationship between DEBTt-2 and FDIt-2, INFt-2, IRt-2, and TOt-2 variables statistically significant at the 1 percent level. Granger causality test showed DEBT and FDI, DEBT and GDP Growth are the cointegrated and long-term relationships between the variables and showed a bi-directional. DEBT and INF, IR, and DEBT, TO and DEBT are the cointegrated and long-term relationship between the variables and showed a uni-directional. On the contrary, DEBT and G are not cointegrated and not a long-term equilibrium relationship between the variables. DEBT, FDI, GDP Growth, INF, G, IR, and TO are stationary at statistical significance at the 1 percent level in both the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test and Phillip-Perron (PP) test. Residuals are normally distributed; residuals had no autocorrelation and there is no multicollinearity in this study. In a nutshell, this research provides some insights for policymakers in policy formulation. Raising taxes may help the government to stabilise the money. Besides, the government may issue bonds to the public and so borrow money from the public to pay the expenditure in Malaysia.
Malaysia Private Higher Learning Institutions' Graduate Employability: An Analysis of the First-Degree Graduate Tracer Study Reports
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2021) Seng, Law Chong
The graduate employability issues have given rise to many policy implications in many developing countries' higher learning institutions, such as Malaysia. Among the graduates, the percentage of unemployed is higher as compared to the ones without tertiary education. In 2020, of the 5.36 million graduates with tertiary education, 3.78% were unemployed. The number of unemployed graduates rose by 22.5% in 2020 to 202,400 from 165,200 in 2019. In the context of first-degree graduates of private higher learning institutions in Malaysia, there was an average of 20.6% unemployed in 2020 and 21% in 2019. However, 17.3% of graduates preferred further study because the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in challenging job market conditions. The Graduate Tracer Study reports from 2011 to 2020 were the primary source of this study. This study used frequency, percentage, and ranking to describe the data. This study made some recommendations to the private higher learning institutions and the Malaysian government to improve graduates' employability. There are also factors examined and discussed before recommendations put up from employers as industry players to provide jobs and opportunities to graduates. The literature on graduates' employability integrated into a conceptual model: (1) graduates' factors, (2) demandsupply factors, and (3) employer factors. Based on literature review on the incident, duration and determinants and discussion on some yearly statistics of graduates' unemployment problems in Malaysia, there are some recommendations as the suitable policies to address the graduate unemployment, in the short run and long run: (A) For government policies, (1) Launch a particular financing call to kick-begin activities, (2) Share best practice and standards resources, (3) Position employability skills as a driver of quality, (4) Standardize the process for placements and work experience, and (5) Support the transition between second level and third level. (B) From employers to support government policies, (1) Provide work placements and work-related projects, (2) Advise on curriculum design and delivery, and (3) Contribute the business perspective in career clinics to help and nurture graduate employability.