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This study aims to investigate the potential positive correlation between inclusive leadership and hotel frontline employees’ (FLEs) customer stewardship (CS) behavior, using the conservation of resource theory as its foundation. It hypothesizes that role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) acts as a mediating factor in this relationship, with employee conscientiousness serving as a significant moderating variable.

A time-lagged survey design was used, spanning over three rounds to collect data from 348 hotel FLEs and 42 managers. The analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling in Mplus version 8.6.

The study revealed a positive association between inclusive leadership and FLE CS, both directly and indirectly through RBSE. The results also showed that FLE conscientiousness moderated the direct link between inclusive leadership and RBSE, as well as the indirect link between inclusive leadership and FLE CS.

The evidence suggests that inclusive leadership behaviors among hospitality managers may elevate FLE CS behaviors, implying significant benefits for the success of hospitality organizations. Managers should focus on enhancing FLEs’ RBSE to further improve CS behaviors. In addition, by considering FLE conscientiousness, managers can craft targeted strategies to maximize the impact of inclusive leadership on CS behaviors.

This research contributes to the limited body of knowledge on the precursors of CS behavior by explaining both direct and indirect connections with inclusive leadership. Furthermore, it broadens the understanding of the conditions under which leadership most effectively shapes such behaviors.

This study broadly intends to explore the impact of perceived consumer experience in branchless Islamic banking on consumer satisfaction, which may enhance financial inclusion of rural people in Islamic banking activities. Specifically, this study sets three objectives: first, to explore the effects of Islamic bank consumers’ experience on disconfirmation and satisfaction; second, to investigate the impact of expectations on service performance, disconfirmation and consumer-perceived experience; and third, to examine consumer satisfaction in Islamic branchless banking to broadly examine the status of overall financial inclusion.

Data were collected from selected consumers of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) using a random sampling procedure. The selected consumers of eight remote branchless locations of the Islamic bank were interviewed face-to-face. Data were processed using PLS-SEM.

The results of the study show that all hypotheses were supported, indicating consumers’ experience, expectations and performance significantly influence their branchless Islamic banking satisfaction. This indicates that branchless Islamic banking can enhance consumer satisfaction and ensure the wider financial inclusion of remotely located rural people in banking activities.

From a theoretical perspective, the study findings show the robustness of the expectancy disconfirmation theory (EDT) for aiding to predict customer satisfaction in branchless Islamic banking activities. Other studies have also fruitfully used EDT as a theoretical framework from which to explain citizenship satisfaction in local governments of the public domain (Van Ryzen, 2004, 2006, 2013) or to explain customer satisfaction in variety of programs (Oliver, 1980, 1997, 2014). From the same perspective, the model implies that the important role of perceived consumer expectation significantly determines consumer satisfaction in the branchless Islamic banking initiative.

From a practical perspective, it is implied that digitally operated branchless Islamic banking is the most convenient banking process. On the one hand, it entails extensive financial inclusion of rural and remote areas of the country and minimizes operating costs of banking operations; on the other hand, it is opening the door to profit maximization for the banking industry. The findings from this research will practically imply the way for new horizons in the application of branchless banking within the Islamic banking and finance sector. In this regard, policy planners ought to be more careful in formulating banking and financial outlays by which digital or branchless banking facilities may be extensively spread to reach the unbanked populace across the nation within a short-possible time frame.

The findings from this research will pave the way for new horizons in the application FinTech within the Islamic banking and finance sector. Such studies should also take into account the emerging phenomenon of combining Shari’ah and FinTech, referred to as Shari’ah FinTech, to fully explore its potential and implications for the industry. Thus, the banking industry as a whole ought to be attentive to extending this type of digital transformation in the banking industry to provide win-win situations for both the client and agent in the financial and banking operations in the country.

This research is based on primary data and provides significant results in terms of digital customer satisfaction.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical appraisal of the theme of zulm (injustice/exploitation) in light of the Islamic finance literature and the general attitude and approach of the Islamic finance industry and its advocates.

Based on an expanding theoretical and empirical knowledge base about Islamic finance and banking movement, and the emerging understanding about the role of profit and corporate behavior, a critical analysis of the role of riba, interest and profit in widespread injustice and exploitation is presented.

On the basis of the behavior of the Islamic finance industry, it seems that the industry's current practices are either neutral to the issue of injustice/exploitation or mirrors the tendencies of the conventional finance. Furthermore, when comparing the exploitative role of interest and profit, the latter seems to be more consequential than generally understood and acknowledged.

Islamic economics/finance literature should have more empirical research in identifying and understanding the nature of exploitation in the contemporary world and in how the current practices or tendencies are minimizing or abetting the challenge of exploitation.

The larger goal of the Islamic finance and banking movement should be to be in harmony with the maqasid of Islam to minimize zulm (injustice/exploitation) in the society.

The larger goal of the Islamic finance and banking movement should be to be in harmony with the maqasid of Islam to minimize zulm (injustice/exploitation) in the society.

While the literature of Islamic economics and finance is rather robust, this might be the first work that critically examines the riba‐interest reductionism, especially to focus on its implication for attention of the industry being away from exploitation in general and the relationship between profit and exploitation in particular.

The purpose of this study is to explore the comparative effects of mainstream celebrities and social media influencers on consumer advocacy and relationship intentions. The study also examines the direct and serial mediation effects on those relationships.

The survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 718 respondents throughout Malaysia, with convenience and snowball sampling techniques employed. The data were analyzed based on the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach through the AMOS version 24. The PROCESS MACRO v-4.20 was applied to evaluate mediating effects in the model.

The results reveal that celebrity endorsers' involvement in social media significantly influences the uses of social media, which also impacts the attitudes and, subsequently, consumer relationship and advocacy intentions. The study found that mainstream celebrities and social media influencers effectively promote brands, and it discovered insignificant differences in their effects on the analyzed relationships.

This study has been conducted on consumers in Malaysia; it may have different effects on consumers in other countries.

Brand managers and policymakers may benefit from following the study's guidelines for making consumer relationship and advocacy intentions by celebrity endorsers and uses of social media.

The brand community can benefit from tightening their social bondage by sharing and managing crucial information from celebrities and using social media.

The study explores the effects of mainstream celebrities on consumer relationship and advocacy intentions using social media networks and managing consumer attitudes.

This study aims to reveal how consumers and shoppers are negative toward alcohol, animal fat, producers and certification issues concerned with halal cosmetics products.

In total, 527 students of 4 public universities and a medical college across Bangladesh took part in a survey and 150 shoppers from 2 cities participated in the face to face interview with the structured questionnaires. Frequency distribution was used for categorical and numerical data, and the chi-square test with a binary logistic regression model has tested the association between gender and attitudes toward halal cosmetics. Besides, narratives of Sharīʿah regarding alcohol, meat, fat and halal certification have helped understand the halal issue.

In total, 83% of the respondents perceived negative attitudes against haram animal fat followed by alcohol (74%) and animal fat (64%). The chi-square test shows that consumers held a significant association toward haram animal fat, (p-value 0.000) alcohol, (p-value 0.000) non-Muslim producers (p-value 0.000) and non-Muslim countries (p-value 0.026). Imperatively, the binary logistic regression model has found a significant negative association to haram animal fat (ß2 −0.295) and alcohol (ß1 −0.200).

Marketers ought to avoid haram animal fat in halal cosmetics besides focusing on alcohol freeness. Also, non-Muslim marketers need to be extra cautious in showcasing their identities. However, Islamic marketers will enjoy a competitive advantage in the halal market because of their demographic factors.

Islamic principles on alcohol, meat, fat and certification potentially can help other stakeholders sense the halal norms.

This study has blended the elements of Sharīʿah with empirical evidence to shed light on the fundamental and trust factors for the marketing of halal cosmetics products.