Oussama Saoula, Muhammad Farrukh Abid, Munawar Javed Ahmad and Amjad Shamim
This study aims to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial education (EE), financial support (FS) and role models (RMs) on one’s attitude towards entrepreneurship (ATE) and on…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial education (EE), financial support (FS) and role models (RMs) on one’s attitude towards entrepreneurship (ATE) and on entrepreneurial intention (EI) based on the theory of planned behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, quantitative research design, a deductive approach and purposive sampling have been used to collect data from 352 individuals from various Malaysian higher education institutions. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling.
Findings
The findings have provided interesting insights into how EE, FS and RMs have a significant impact on one’s ATE and their EI. Surprisingly, RMs did not emerge as a significant predictor of EI. However, it is worth noting that mediating relationships were of significance, indicating that one’s ATE plays a substantial mediating role between EE, FS, RMs and EIs.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the few that investigate the relationships between RMs, FS and EE in relation to enhancing EIs through the mediating role of one’s ATE in Malaysia. Based on the findings of this study, stakeholders in Malaysia’s education sector are being urged to develop policy guidelines for the designing and teaching of entrepreneurship education as well as to develop FS mechanisms for business start-ups. They are also being encouraged to expose students to entrepreneurial RMs to improve their ATE and their EIs.
Details
Keywords
Oussama Saoula, Amjad Shamim, Norazah Mohd Suki, Munawar Javed Ahmad, Muhammad Farrukh Abid, Ataul Karim Patwary and Amir Zaib Abbasi
This study aims to examine the impact of website design, reliability and perceived ease of use as an engagement motivational factors on customer e-trust and e-retention in online…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the impact of website design, reliability and perceived ease of use as an engagement motivational factors on customer e-trust and e-retention in online shopping.
Design/methodology/approach
By using deductive approach, quantitative methods and purposive sampling technique, this study has collected the data from 295 young online customers to enhance an understanding of website design, reliability and perceived ease of use in an online shopping context.
Findings
The findings revealed interesting insights where reliability is the most significant predictor of customer e-trust in online shopping, followed by perceived ease of use and website design. In addition, a significant mediating effect of e-trust is found between customer e-retention, website design, reliability and perceived ease of use.
Research limitations/implications
Future research is recommended to predict the antecedents of online engagement motivational factors with value co-creation and co-creation experience in online shopping context.
Originality/value
This study offers fresh insights about driving elements and impediments of online customer retention. Customer engagement comprising of website design, reliability and perceived ease of use appear to influence the online customer retention through direct and indirect effect.
Details
Keywords
Oussama Saoula, Muhammad Farrukh Abid, Munawar Javed Ahmad, Amjad Shamim, Ataul Karim Patwary and Maha Mohammed Yusr
It is widely evident that trust and commitment are important pillars for strengthening the relationship between financial service firms and their customers. However, it has not…
Abstract
Purpose
It is widely evident that trust and commitment are important pillars for strengthening the relationship between financial service firms and their customers. However, it has not been explored how the service quality, perceived cost and role of agents are important for financial service firms. To overcome this gap, this study aims to investigate the role of service quality, perceived cost and the role of agents as the commitment–trust factors in the financial insurance service (Takaful) in Malaysia, enhancing customer satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The study follows a quantitative design in which primary data was collected using a survey instrument. The measurement instrument was adapted from the previous research, and data were collected from 264 customers of the Takaful financial service organizations in Malaysia. The data were analyzed using variance-based structural equational modeling in Smart-PLS software.
Findings
This research has revealed several useful insights that demonstrate a significant impact on service quality, perceived cost and the agents’ role in forging close relationships with their customers. Corporate image has a moderating role in relationships and has significantly impacted takaful insurance companies. The results imply that regardless of the corporate image of the financial service organizations, customers are concerned about the prices and the quality of the agents’ services.
Research limitations/implications
In this study, only the predictors such as service quality, perceived costs and agents’ roles as trust–commitment factors were examined to determine customer satisfaction. Other investigations are highly recommended, such as value co-creation in takaful, takaful customer experience and takaful trust. This study offers insights to takaful insurance companies on how to keep up a positive corporate image, which will boost their trust–commitment factors and ultimately increase customer satisfaction.
Originality/value
By presenting commitment–trust factors and company image in an identifiable framework, the current study has expanded the discussion on takaful financial insurance services. The methodology is developed and rigorously tested to gauge customer satisfaction in takaful financial service organizations’ context.
Details
Keywords
Abderrahmane Benlahcene, Oussama Saoula and Abbas Ramdani
Unethical leadership represents one of the most serious obstacles to the development of organizations and societies. Although a range of empirical studies have investigated…
Abstract
Purpose
Unethical leadership represents one of the most serious obstacles to the development of organizations and societies. Although a range of empirical studies have investigated unethical leadership behaviour in different contexts, studies on this issue are almost non-existent within the Algerian context. This study aims to explore the role of social and organizational factors in shaping unethical leadership behaviour within Algerian public organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
A series of in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 leaders from public organizations. The collected data were analysed using a thematic approach with ATLAS.ti 8 software.
Findings
The reported social and organizational factors fall into five themes: social values, organizational culture, corruption, peer influence and political environment.
Originality/value
Given the grave consequences of unethical leadership behaviour, this study contributes to our understanding of the role of social and organizational factors in shaping unethical leadership behaviour in an understudied context. This can help in mitigating the factors that lay the ground for these destructive and unethical behaviours in public organizations.
Details
Keywords
Oussama Saoula, Amjad Shamim, Munawar Javed Ahmad and Muhammad Farrukh Abid
Entrepreneurship is an important paradigm for enhancing the economic well-being of nations. However, despite heated debate about the significant role of entrepreneurial education…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurship is an important paradigm for enhancing the economic well-being of nations. However, despite heated debate about the significant role of entrepreneurial education (EE) in developing favourable entrepreneurial intention (EI), little is known about the role of individuals’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ES), entrepreneurial motivation (EM) and family support (FS), which the authors investigated in this study.
Design/methodology/approach
This study has used a quantitative research design to collect data from 334 young people from various Malaysian higher education institutes using a purposive sampling technique and a deductive approach based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB).
Findings
The findings revealed interesting insights into the criticality of young people’s ES, EM and FS in learning methods, techniques and skills to start new enterprises. Moreover, EE was a significant mediator of the relationship between individual self-efficacy, FS, EM and EI.
Originality/value
This study is among the few to contribute to strategic management scholarship by designing a framework based on the idea that EE relies on diverse factors, particularly ES, EM and FS. These factors encourage Malaysian young people to seek the necessary education to develop favourable EI and launch successful businesses.