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This paper aims to examine how board composition, political connections and sustainability practices affect risk-taking and performance of firms.

This paper used secondary data and regression technique to analyse the relationship. A sample consisting of 290 firm-year observations was applied in the analysis.

The findings show that a larger board size contributes to greater financial risk; however, this risk can be reduced with more independent directors in the boardroom. An optimal board size with appropriate number of independent directors is desired, as a large board size can be harmful to firm performance. Politically connected firms also generate lower risk-taking and performance, and the double-edged sword effect of political connections needs to be considered. In terms of sustainability practices, firms have to engage in sustainable development to maximise the firms’ value, not ignoring the vital role of women in strategising business performance. However, the effect of sustainability practices on firms’ risk-taking is still not noticeable.

Even though the sample size is not large because of the limited availability of data, the findings, to a certain extent, could be generalised to emerging markets, as most emerging markets do have similar financial and economic developments.

The findings from this paper can be used to support the implementation of sustainability practices, especially in those countries where sustainability initiatives are yet to be widely accepted.

This is one of the first few studies that examined the effect of non-financial information on risk-taking and performance of firms. This study concludes the positive effect of sustainability practices on firm performance.

This study aims to investigate the influence of various risk factors, specifically investment risk, legal risk and technology risk, on the decision of investors to invest in equity crowdfunding ventures in Malaysia.

A total of 169 valid responses out of a total of 195 questionnaires were distributed to individuals with prior knowledge of equity crowdfunding. The data from the responses are used to test the relationships using structural equation modeling partial least squares (SEM-PLS).

Investigation into the influence of risk factors on the willingness to support equity crowdfunding shows that investment risk and legal risk significantly influence the decision to support equity crowdfunding ventures, but technology risk does not. However, while the influence of investment risk is negative, legal risk is found to have a positive influence.

This study is important as, to the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to empirically test the relationship between the various risks inherent in equity crowdfunding investments and the decision to invest. The study is also important to entrepreneurs and start-ups as it provides evidence that while the equity crowdfunding investment community follows the norms of investment, i.e. lower risk is preferred, stricter laws and regulations governing equity crowdfunding may not be needed or may only be relevant in countries where there are more retail, unsophisticated investors.

The purpose of this paper is to study how the foreign currency account (FCA) is affected by the domestic fixed deposit (FD) rate, the FCA rate, the expected exchange rate and exchange rate risk.

This paper analyses the causal relationship between the domestic FD rate, the FCA rate, the expected exchange rate on a set of foreign currency deposits and exchange rate volatility, based on the theory of portfolio choice. Based on the theory, the panel vector autoregressive regression of fully modified ordinary least squares and dynamic ordinary least squares are modelled.

There is no cointegrating relationship for the three-month FCA deposits, the domestic FD rate, the FCA rate and the expected exchange rate. Only the six-month FCA business deposits are affected by the domestic FD rate, the FCA rate and the expected exchange rate. The FCA depositors are not affected by exchange rate volatility.

This study is conducted based on the FCA rate quoted by the leading commercial banks in Malaysia, Maybank. Thus, the FCA rate is used as a proxy for the FCA rate of commercial banks in Malaysia.

Individual depositors have to save in more than the three-month FCA to realise their expected return. For individuals, the FCA deposit is not an alternative choice to domestic FD. Exporters may use the FCA deposit to finance their foreign purchases to save the cost of foreign exchange conversion but it is still not an appropriate hedging tool against foreign exchange fluctuations as compared to the existing forward foreign exchange facility.

By 2040, 14.5% of Malaysia’s population will consist of those aged 65 years and above. The purpose of this paper is to examine the time-varying impact of an ageing population on the economy of Malaysia.

The relationship between the ageing population and economic performance was examined from the period 1971–2019. The time-varying rolling convergence estimation of 40 + k observations sample frame of the trace statistics was analysed.

The ageing population had affected the economic activities in Malaysia over all sampling time frame from 1971 to 2010, 1972–2011, …to 1980–2019. The growth in total population and economic activities also caused a significant increase in the ageing population in the long run. An improved economic performance signifies the affordability for better healthcare services and improvement in medical science technology to treat diseases.

Its ageing population has gradually slow down economic activities in Malaysia. Now is the time to be prepared and address an ageing workforce issues such as productivity, retirement policy, savings behaviour and life-long learning capabilities.

The peer review history for this article is available at https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-04-2021-0234.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how urban dwellers engage on an environmentally friendly lifestyle. A survey was conducted in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, to establish the sustainable lifestyle intentions of urban dwellers.

A survey was conducted to establish the sustainable lifestyle intentions of urban dwellers of the Klang Valley in Malaysia. Data collected were analysed using the Cronbach’s α reliability test, the factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis.

A sustainable lifestyle has to be environmentally friendly and conforms to the community’s livelihood. Attitude towards participation of environmentally friendly lifestyle, awareness towards preservation of resources, subjective norms to engage in an environmentally friendly lifestyle, perceived environmental control and government support were the key intentions of a sustainable lifestyle of urban dwellers.

The current lifestyle intentions of urban dwellers in the Klang Valley have yet to be fully transformed into lifestyle behaviours that are sustainable. The local government is not strict in implementing and enforcing an environmentally friendly lifestyle that is practical and sustainable. Other than relying on the existing non-profit organisation’s fortnightly collection of recyclables, the local government can refer to the UNEP’s four E’s to initiate an efficient and sustainable production behaviour that leads to a sustainable and healthy lifestyle.

The purpose of this paper to examine if there is continuous macroeconomic compatibility between ASEAN‐5 and China. Thus, in addition to the typical VECM test of the long run macroeconomic cointegration test, this paper examines the existence of an ongoing cointegration analysis.

The degree of convergence during different sub‐sample period of the full sample is employed, via Johansen cointegration rank tests, to examine if there is evidence of ongoing and improved cointegrating relationship among the economies.

A successful ASEAN‐China economic cooperation would only work if there is continuous macroeconomic interdependence between the partnership. Since a smooth transition of ACFTA will complement AFTA, the effective ASEAN‐China coordination plan is essential to endorse a successful ASEAN‐China coalition.

This paper suggests a quick yet effective verification on the continuous compatibility of economies intended to have a long‐term economic coordination.

One of the most significant implications of technological advances in the banking sector is the possibility of delivering banking services through electronic channels (e‐channels). E‐channels provide alternatives for faster delivery of banking services to a wider scope of customers. Nowadays, e‐channels have gained increasing popularity in delivering banking services. However, prior to the implementation of e‐channels, several factors and investment costs must be identified to ensure a more cost effective and efficient execution of e‐channel services. A survey is thus conducted to determine factors that are essential for the successful implementation of e‐channels by domestic commercial banks in Malaysia. Data were collected from primary sources and were analysed via frequency analysis and factor analysis. The results of the survey suggested that banks’ operation management is the main factor affecting the success of ATMs, PC and branch banking, while product innovation and knowledge development factors are found to have the most significant effect on the success of banking kiosks and phone banking respectively.

Banks are important sources of external credit but they are reluctant to lend to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) due to the high credit risk involved. Therefore, Credit Guarantee Corporation (Malaysia) Limited (CGC) was set up to assist SMEs to secure loans from financial institutions in Malaysia. Being the sole issuer of credit guarantees to SMEs, the performance of CGC directly reflects the availability of credit guarantees to SMEs. Hence, to ascertain the accessibility of credit guarantees, this study evaluates the efficiency of credit guarantee schemes provided by CGC. From a non‐parametric analysis, CGC is found to be operating at a relatively low level of overall technical efficiency. Therefore, CGC should consider reallocating its existing inputs as well as increase the amount of credit guarantees granted to SMEs in order to achieve a reasonable level of efficiency.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a consumer-based virtual brand personality (CBVBP) concept by examining its sub-dimensions in the context of online banking, thus extending existing brand personality research. In addition, it examines the relationship between CBVBP with customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

A survey method was employed and data were collected from 219 online banking users in Malaysia. A series of hypotheses were tested using both multiple and hierarchical regression analyses to determine the direct and mediating effects of CBVBP, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

The dimensions that comprise CBVBP are found to include Excitement, Sophistication and Competence. These dimensions help online bankers to strategise, communicate and position their online banking sites better in order to compete against other online banking services. The study confirmed positive relationships between CBVBP, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Specifically, in the online banking context, customer satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between CBVBP and brand loyalty, extending the current understanding of online branding, consumer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

The major contribution of this study lies in the development of the CBVBP concept and to study its direct and mediating effects with customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. The study emphasises the importance of measuring the virtual brand personality traits as part of an overall online banking brand strategy in the virtual environment in order to better understand how to position against competitors.