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This paper aims to investigate the relationship between a sustainable university brand and the intention of international students to study at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), one of Malaysia’s premier universities. Moreover, the study explored the moderating effect of opinion leaders on the intention of international students to study at USM.

A survey involving 391 international students was conducted using a self-assessment questionnaire, data from which were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling.

Empirical data show that USM’s sustainability brand had a positive impact on international students’ intention to study at the university, but opinion leaders had no significant sway in influencing this decision. This finding could be attributed to USM’s established reputation as a sustainable university, which helps cement its standing as the top choice for international students.

This research only focussed on international students at one Malaysian university. Hence, the findings are not generalisable, in particular, to illuminate the experiences of students at non-Malaysian institutions, whose contexts are inevitably different than Malaysia’s.

This study offered a dimensional insight into the university management on the pivotal branding of sustainability as one of the important tools for attracting international students to study at the university. In light of the findings, it is suggested that universities magnify their efforts to support the sustainable agenda, to help create a sustainable university brand that adds value to the interests of stakeholders.

Universities are continuously faced with challenges in terms of branding. Besides, not many universities are branded as sustainable universities despite the high involvement in sustainability-focused activities. Research has scarcely focused on the influence of the “sustainable university brand” on the marketing effort of the university to international students. In studies where this topic was highlighted, they focused on the opinion leader as the moderating influence of the choice of university amongst international students.

The purpose of this paper is to test some antecedents and outcomes of human resource information system (HRIS) use in Malaysia.

A research model based on a questionnaire gleaned from the literature was used to collect data through a purposive sampling technique, whereby only those companies in Penang, Malaysia which are using HRIS were targeted. The data collected were analyzed using structural equation modelling technique with the use of partial least squares approach.

Results show that four out of the five antecedents are significant predictors of extent of use and that extent of use is significantly related to all five outcome variables. This paper provides further evidence on the appropriateness of using Roger's innovation attributes to measure different dimensions of attitude towards extent of HRIS use and Remenyi's and Zuboff's IT framework to measure the outcomes from the extent of HRIS use.

First, this study cannot be generalized to all other individuals as the respondents are confined to HR professional employees in local services companies and multinational companies. Therefore, the results cannot be generalized to individuals working in other industries. Second, the study's is carried out using a particular type of technological innovation, which is the HRIS system in this case. As such, the research needs to be replicated to examine the robustness of the findings across a wider range of technologies solution and samples.

The findings suggest that information technology (IT) appears to serve as an empowering function for HR professionals, providing a medium in which HR professionals can provide increased value in their work. The paper will help organizations in the implementation or deployment of new information technology products, systems or processes. Organization can now ensure a smoother implementation plan by addressing the attributes of the innovation that will most likely concern its employees.

This paper adds to the existing literature of HRIS antecedents and outcomes in a developing country setting. Although there has been some research on the same issue, the number is very small in comparison to the literature appearing from the developed countries.