Vol. 16 No. 3S(I)a (2024)

This study explores the couple's role in managing finances and marital satisfaction from the perspective of newly married couples. By delving into individual demographic and behavioral segments, we reveal how couples manage and plan finances to achieve financial well-being and marital satisfaction, further identifying the role of gender in household financial management. Through a phenomenological method, we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven middle-income newly married couples residing in Klang Valley. Interviews with informants took 6 months between February 2022 and July 2022. The duration of the interview is between sixty and ninety minutes. The interpretation of qualitative data was analyzed thematically using N-Vivo 13 software. The results of the study shed light on the couple's financial management practices to achieve financial well-being and marital satisfaction. The husband is the main pillar in the household's financial affairs. This study offers value in the enrichment of data that reveals couples' understanding of managing finances and plans for their future. By focusing on newly married Malay couples, we gained a deeper insight into simple strategies implemented by household financial managers, division of financial responsibilities, and course of action. Findings that reveal the understanding and behavior of middle-income newlyweds in the Klang Valley towards financial well-being can be used by policymakers, governments, and non-governmental organizations to formulate financial health policies, programs, and campaigns to educate the public about early planning towards financial well-being and enjoying marital satisfaction.

Palm oil is a key income source in Malaysia, with the industry heavily reliant on foreign workers. This reliance necessitates a focus on their welfare to address workforce shortages. This study examines the relationship between extrinsic motivation and organizational commitment, mediated by cross-cultural adjustment and moderated by employer trust among foreign workers. This study employed a quantitative research design, using SPSS for data analysis, and surveyed 242 foreign workers from companies listed on the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) website in 2022, achieving a 100% response rate. The key findings show that organizational commitment positively influences extrinsic motivation, with cross-cultural adjustment significantly enhancing both. Employer trust moderates the relationship between organizational commitment and cross-cultural adjustment, underscoring its importance in cultural adaptation and motivation. These insights highlight the need for targeted strategies to improve job satisfaction and retention among foreign workers by addressing extrinsic motivational factors and cultural adaptation challenges. The research contributes to the literature by detailing the interplay of organizational factors and cultural adaptation in shaping motivational outcomes, suggesting future research to explore longitudinal studies and other moderating variables. These findings offer valuable implications for improving workforce performance and retention strategies in the palm oil industry.

The purpose of this article is to cover the themes central to psychological contract theory as well as its impact on student retention. While psychological contract theory has been extensively studied and applied in work-related settings, its influence in educational settings has not been fully explored. To address this gap, this study collected and analyzed data following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data was collected from studies published between 2013 and 2023, resulting in the analysis of 24 eligible papers from various academic databases in the review. Based on the number of eligible papers within a ten-year timeframe indicates a scarcity of research on psychological contracts in educational contexts, particularly concerning student retention. The findings from the 24 eligible papers were synthesized and reported using descriptive analysis and tabulation, thus shedding light on how psychological contract theory influences student retention. The analysis suggests that unfulfilled psychological contracts between students and academic staff can contribute to student attrition, especially when students' expectations, formed during earlier educational experiences, are not met. T his systematic literature review emphasizes the importance of the psychological contract in educational settings particularly in managing the dynamic student and academic relationship. The review made suggestions for practical implications for academic leaders, policymakers, and education administrators, stressing the need for adaptive, inclusive, and forward-looking approaches in education, and recommendations for future studies.

According to the Insolvency Department of Malaysia, as of December 2023, 233,483 Malaysians are currently involved in bankruptcy cases due to their defaults on hire purchase loans, credit card loans, personal loans, housing loans, and business loans. This is indeed a critical issue because the growing number of personal bankruptcy cases will hurt the Malaysian economy as well as society. From an individual's economic perspective, bankruptcy minimizes their chances of getting a job. Apart from that, their accounts will be frozen, they will lose control of their properties and assets, and they will not be allowed to start any business or be a part of any company's Board of Directors. Bankrupts also will be rejected from any loan application. This paper examines this problem by developing a personal bankruptcy prediction model using the logistic regression technique. This paper defines "bankrupt" as terminated members who failed to settle their loans. The sample comprised 24,546 cases with 17% settled cases and 83% terminated cases. The data included a dependent variable, i.e., bankruptcy status (Y=1(bankrupt), Y=0(non-bankrupt)), and 12 predictors. Upon completion, this paper succeeds in coming out with a reliable personal bankruptcy prediction model and significant variables of personal bankruptcy. The findings of this paper are very beneficial and significant to creditors, banks, the Malaysia Department of Insolvency, potential borrowers, members of AKPK, and society in general in raising awareness of personal bankruptcy risks and such information may help them to take preventive measures in minimizing the number of personal bankruptcy cases.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the primary force behind the organization's continued sustainability and competitiveness. The rise of AI software, cloud computing-based software and blockchain apps and services, together with the use of accounting information outcomes indicate that computerized accounting has become available to accountants. Even if there are great hopes for the application of AI in the accounting industry, numerous nations with little infrastructure are still lagging in using this type of technology. 88.89% of the 80 questionnaires that were initially issued were returned within a week. As a result, of the 80 questionnaires issued, 75 responses were received in one week, yielding a response return rate of 93.75 percent. Managerial and non-managerial staff members from American Express (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd, Selangor, Malaysia were chosen as research participants. By employing a sample random sampling approach, a total of 75 legitimate surveys were gathered. The results of the study have shown a positive strong relationship between the level of readiness (AI Software, Cloud technology and Blockchain) and level of adoption (AI Software, Cloud technology and Blockchain) in the accounting industry toward employees’ job efficiency. All eight hypotheses (H1 to H8) showed a significant relationship and were all accepted. The outcome of the moderating effect between working tenure and level of readiness presents a direct impact. However, the level of adoption shows an indirect impact on job efficiency whereas job efficiency shows a direct impact.

Malaysian banking users have encountered negative experiences while adopting traditional bank services. Several customers and businesses face limited access to traditional banking products and services due to factors such as low or irregular income, bad credit, or a lack of conveniently located banks. The acceptability of digital banking products and services in Malaysia is currently unknown and inadequate due to the general lack of familiarity among Malaysians with the notion of digital banking. Conventional methods of analyzing consumer behavior, which primarily consider historical data and current resources, will not result in the achievement of branchless banking in the future. This paper presents a framework that examines how various factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating condition, hedonic motivation, price value, and habit may influence behavioral intention. Additionally, the framework considers gender as a moderator variable. The results of this study are anticipated to expand the existing body of knowledge on behavioral intention and bring advantages to marketers and digital banking providers.

Today’s digital-centric world has spawned a new phenomenon called ‘technostress’, a stress condition due to constant changes, advancements and reliance on technology. Technostress is a rising issue in terms of its influence on employee well-being as technostress has been causing the deterioration of employee well-being. There is an urgency to understand and study the influence of technostress on employee well-being so that measures can be taken to rectify the matter and improve employee well-being. This study aims to examine which technostress creators have the most influence on employee well-being among Generation Z employees in Malaysia. Past literature to understand employee well-being, technostress and the relationship between the two were studied. Technostress creators were identified as techno-overload, techno-complexity, techno-uncertainty, and techno-insecurity. The study found that techno-uncertainty is the technostress creator that has the most influence on Generation Z employees’ well-being in Malaysia. Data collection was conducted by using a virtual questionnaire. 135 respondents among Generation Z employees in Malaysia participated in this study.

In today's dynamic work environment, understanding the impact of hybrid working on job performance is crucial. Many organizations, including FELCRA Berhad, adopted hybrid working during the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance employee efficiency and flexibility. This study explores FELCRA Berhad's job performance and satisfaction during the pandemic and evaluates the potential success of hybrid working postpandemic. Using a quantitative research design and purposive sampling, data were collected from FELCRA Berhad employees through online and physical questionnaires. The data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Version 28 to examine the relationship between hybrid working (working conditions, work-life balance, and recognition) and job performance, with job satisfaction as a moderating factor. The results indicated a significant positive relationship between working conditions and job performance. While work-life balance and recognition showed moderate positive relationships with job performance, they were not statistically significant. Job satisfaction did not significantly moderate these relationships. However, the group effect for hybrid working remained significant across all dimensions. In conclusion, the study confirms a significant positive relationship between hybrid work conditions and job performance, providing a foundation for FELCRA Berhad to consider implementing hybrid work practices based on their direct effects on job performance.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool, enabling online retailers to offer highly personalized shopping experiences tailored to individual preferences and behaviors. As e-commerce continues to grow in Malaysia, understanding the influence of AI and personalization marketing on consumer purchase intentions has become increasingly important for businesses seeking to remain competitive. However, the rapid adoption of AI also raises concerns about data privacy, ethical AI usage, and compliance with emerging data protection regulations, such as Malaysia’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). This study aims to explore the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and personalization marketing on consumer purchase intention within the Malaysian e-commerce market. By reviewing previous literature and theoretical frameworks, the study explores how the use of AI tools including predictive analytics automation, and personalization experiences might influence consumer behavior in online shopping environments. The study adopts a quantitative approach, in which quota sampling will be used for the participant selection. A selfadministered questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale will be employed to gather data from e-commerce users in Malaysia. Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) is proposed as the method for analyzing the anticipated relationships between predictive analytics, automation, personalization, and purchase intention. The findings from this study have important implications for both e-commerce businesses and policymakers in Malaysia. For businesses, understanding which aspects of AI and personalization most influence consumer purchase intentions can help them strategically implement these technologies to enhance customer engagement and drive sales. For policymakers, the study highlights the need to consider ethical and legal issues, such as data privacy and policy issues, in the growing use of AI in the e-commerce market.

Nowadays, Indigenous tourism contributes to the conservation of cultural heritage and further supports sustainable development for Indigenous communities, which ultimately increases socio-economic well-being. By providing unique cultural experiences, Indigenous tourism gives greater recognition and respect for the culture while also economically benefiting. This paper aims to examine how such dynamics operate in the context of Indigenous tourism from the viewpoint and experiences of Indigenous community members who participated in tourism initiatives. Identifying culture as one of the crucial parameters that determine successful outcomes in this field, this study intends to explore how people participate in sustainable development through tourism and close important gaps using a cultural lens. Numerous databases containing scholarly research, including the Emerald Insights, Science Direct, and Web of Science, have been used in this study. As a response to the ever-growing call for inclusive and respectful tourism, this study aims to contribute valuable insights and geographical relevance to defining policy change, practice modifications, or academic pursuits of Indigenous tourism. The result of this study will fill crucial empirical research gaps in terms of how cultural restoration, tourism management, and community participation can be optimized for sustainable development with nuanced voices that are necessary to drive policy change as well as practice modifications.