Siti Salwa Alias, Zawati Harun and Salina Abu Mansor
The purpose of this study is to investigate the using of rice husk (RH) which is a green material derived from agricultural waste with the ability to absorb heavy metal. It has…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the using of rice husk (RH) which is a green material derived from agricultural waste with the ability to absorb heavy metal. It has been used in wastewater treatment. In this research, a kaolin-based green ceramic water filter (CWF) incorporated with two different additives (RH and zeolite-based RH ash [RHA]) was successfully fabricated.
Design/methodology/approach
The weight ratio of kaolin:additive was varied (90:10, 80:20 and 70:30) and fabricated via the slip-casting technique. The green CWFs were dried (60°C for 1 h), followed by sintering (1,200°C).
Findings
The green CWF of kaolin:RH with a weight ratio of 70:30 showed the best properties and satisfactory performance with a porous cross-section microstructure, highest porous area (4.58 µm2), good structure, lowest shrinkage (8.00%), highest porosity (45.10%), lowest density (1.79 g cm−3), highest water absorption (55.50%) and hardness (241.40 Hv). This green CWF has also achieved good permeability (42.00 L m−2h−1) and removal of the textile dye (27.88%). The satisfactory characterization and good textile dye removal performance (75.47%) were also achieved from green CWF with kaolin:zeolite at a weight ratio of 80:20.
Research limitations/implications
This research is focused on green CWF and zeolite at a certain amount with the specific characterization analysis methods.
Practical implications
The use of low-cost waste materials to treat dye wastewater from agricultural by-products/wastes sources in treating the dye will enhance the using of green material.
Social implications
Avoiding the waste sludge that can pollute the environment can create a health issue. The use of low-cost waste materials to treat dye wastewater from agricultural by-products/wastes sources in treating the dye can avoid the waste sludge that can pollute the environment and create serious health issue.
Originality/value
All the kaolin-based green CWFs incorporated with two different additives (RH and zeolite-based RHA) fabricated using a simple slip-casting technique have shown the potential to be used as a filter in wastewater treatment applications.
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Norma, Saad, M. Shabri Abd. Majid, Salina Kassim, Zarinah Hamid and Rosylin Mohd. Yusof
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the efficiency of selected conventional and Islamic unit trust companies in Malaysia during the period 2002 to 2005.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the efficiency of selected conventional and Islamic unit trust companies in Malaysia during the period 2002 to 2005.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to investigate efficiency, as measured by the Malmquist index, which is decomposed into two components: efficiency change and technical change indexes.
Findings
The study indicates that technical efficiency is the main contributor to enhancing the efficiency of the Malaysian unit trust industry. In addition, the larger the size of the unit trust companies, the more inefficient the performance. In comparing the efficiency of unit trust companies, the study finds that some of the Islamic unit trust companies perform better than their conventional counterparts.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to five Islamic unit trust companies. Thus, the findings of this study are indicative, but inconclusive for the unit trust industry as a whole.
Practical implications
The results have two important implications for both conventional and Islamic unit trust companies in Malaysia. First, the deterioration of total factor productivity (TFP) in the unit trust industry in Malaysia is due to the deficiency of innovation in technical components. Second, the size of the unit trust companies has an adverse effect on the TFP performance.
Originality/value
The contribution of this study is that it analyzes the efficiency of the two types of unit trust industry which are important and relevant for Malaysia. This significance arises from the dual financial system, in which the Islamic unit trust companies operate in parallel with their conventional counterparts. The comparison sheds some light on the performance of the Islamic unit trust companies, whose operations are based on profit‐sharing, in contrast to the conventional unit trust companies.
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Ainatul Aqilah Kamarudin and Salina Kassim
This paper aims to make a comparative analysis about the level of customer satisfaction on employee professionalism between Islamic and conventional banks in Malaysia. It also…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to make a comparative analysis about the level of customer satisfaction on employee professionalism between Islamic and conventional banks in Malaysia. It also explores the important factors that attract customers to banks and identifies the strategies to improve customer satisfaction on employee professionalism.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a quantitative approach, where questionnaires are distributed to a total of 312 respondents.
Findings
The results show that customers are more satisfied with the conventional banks’ employees in terms of their reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy, except for tangibility, where they are more satisfied with the Islamic banks’ employees. It is also found that customers who have been engaging with the bank for more than one year consider each dimension of employee professionalism as important in ensuring their satisfaction with the bank.
Research limitations/implications
This study is conducted in Malaysia and the respondents of this study are limited to 312 respondents only.
Originality/value
This study provides some insights on the area of service quality and customer satisfaction from a developing country’s environment (Malaysia) using the modified SERVQUAL model to perceive professionalism. This paper also explores a more specific area by highlighting the significance of service quality towards customer satisfaction from the perspective of gender, religion and respondents’ period of being a customer to the bank.
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Afzaal Ali, Mehkar Sherwani, Adnan Ali, Zeeshan Ali and Mariam Sherwani
This paper aims to apply the concept of traditional branding constructs, i.e. brand image, brand perceived quality, brand satisfaction, brand trust and brand loyalty to a less…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to apply the concept of traditional branding constructs, i.e. brand image, brand perceived quality, brand satisfaction, brand trust and brand loyalty to a less explored field of halal brand products – halal brand image, halal brand perceived quality, halal brand satisfaction, halal brand trust and halal brand loyalty. Second, the present research is an effort to empirically validate the interrelationships among branding constructs such as brand image, brand perceived quality, brand satisfaction, brand trust and brand loyalty in a holistic framework to confirm whether these branding constructs also work for the halal brand in the same way to gauge Chinese Muslims consumers’ purchasing intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
This research used cross-sectional data from 481 Chinese Muslim students at 9 universities located in 3 cities of China through face-to-face and online survey methods. Data were collected from the consumers of halal milk brand. A theoretical model with the hypothesized relationships was tested with the help of the structural equation modelling procedure.
Findings
The results suggest that halal brand image has a significant and positive influence on the halal brand perceived quality, halal brand satisfaction, halal brand trust and halal brand loyalty. Similarly, the halal brand perceived quality, halal brand satisfaction, halal brand trust and halal brand loyalty significantly influence consumer halal brand purchase intention.
Research limitations/implications
This study is conducted in the halal food sector of China and specific religious and migration contexts. Further investigations of the halal food purchasing behaviour of local Muslims, as well as international Muslim students in those Western countries which are famous destinations for international students for education, could yield varying results.
Practical implications
The outcomes achieved are helpful for commerce and government organizations for policy development to better meet the burgeoning demand for halal products by Chinese Muslims. These are also very helpful for producers and exporters who intend to penetrate the halal market in non-Muslim-dominant countries such as China.
Originality/value
Studies on understanding Muslim consumers’ purchasing behaviours in non-Muslim countries are limited. Given the fact, numbers of Muslims seem a smaller amount of China’s total population, but their total numbers are large compared with total numbers in many Muslim countries. Therefore, understanding their purchasing behaviours for halal products and influential determinants concerning such purchasing behaviours adds to the literature and helps the industry to better serve and capitalise on the growing market.