Attitude for inclusive finance: influence of owner-managers’ and firms’ characteristics on SMEs financial decision making

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabia Rasheed ◽  
Sulaman Hafeez Siddiqui
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Firm Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Decision Making ◽  
Financial Decision ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The adoption and use of financial services by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are pivotal in the development of inclusive financial markets. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of attitude on financial decision making of SMEs owner-manager. The attitude of SMEs owner-manager comprises of several factors; however, current study identifies few critical factors such as motivation, awareness and risk in the context of Pakistan. The study also includes the personal and firm characteristics as moderating variables to examine their effect on the relationship between attitude and financial decision making of owner-managers. Design/methodology/approach With the help of a structured questionnaire, total 285 valid responses are analyzed to accomplish the research objectives. The study uses SPSS and partial least square-structural equation modeling techniques in order to conduct analysis. The results of study highlight the importance of attitudinal factors such as awareness and risk. Moreover, the moderating effect of personal characteristics on the relationship between attitude and financial decision making has been found strong instead of firm characteristics. Findings The results show that the low awareness level of owner-managers regarding financial products and procedures significantly affects their attitude. Moreover, the less knowledge of financing terms as well as dominant role of owner-managers in taking firm decisions also increase the negative effect of risk factor on SMEs owner-manager attitude. Research limitations/implications The study suggested that policy makers should focus on the financial awareness of SMEs owner-manager to reduce the negativity of risk factor. Originality/value The study contributes toward the literature of inclusive finance and sustainability studies through better understanding of financial decision making of SMEs in emerging economies.

Forecasting the schedule performance resulting from the adoption of social distancing in construction projects

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Omatule Onubi ◽  
Nor'Aini Yusof ◽  
Ahmad Sanusi Hassan ◽  
Ali Ahmed Salem Bahdad
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Schedule Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had major impacts on the performance of construction projects that have adopted social distancing measures. This study examines the effect of social distancing measures on project schedule performance through job reorganization on construction project sites.Design/methodology/approachResponses were obtained through a survey of 154 construction projects and analysed using the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique.FindingsThe findings established that social distancing has a negative effect on schedule performance, social distancing has a positive effect on job re-organization and job re-organization has a positive effect on schedule performance. Additionally, the results indicate that job re-organization partially mediates the relationship between social distancing and schedule performance, while social distancing moderates the relationship between job re-organization and schedule performance with low social distancing having the stronger positive effect.Originality/valueThis study contributes theoretically to a greater understanding of the impact of adopting COVID-19 safety measures such as social distancing on the schedule performance of construction projects. The study also shows how social distancing could lead to schedule performance through job reorganization.

Emanating the key factors of innovation performance: leveraging on the innovation culture among SMEs in Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haniruzila Hanifah ◽  
Hasliza Abdul Halim ◽  
Noor Hazlina Ahmad ◽  
Ali Vafaei-Zadeh
Keyword(s):  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Innovation Strategy ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Culture ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Innovation has become an approach to create value for the customer to remain competitive in the market. However, previous research on innovation performance particularly among Bumiputera small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) had received little intention. Hence, Bumiputera SMEs need to inculcate the innovation culture to generate innovation performance. As such, the purpose of this study is to examine the ambidextrous orientation and innovation strategy on innovation culture, and how innovation culture could mediate the relationship between ambidextrous orientation and innovation strategy and innovation performance. In addition, this study also examines the role of government support as the moderator between innovation culture and innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 140 Bumiputera SMEs and analyzed using partial least square-structural equation modeling via Smart PLS. Findings Findings indicated that ambidextrous orientation (alignment and adaptability) and innovation strategy (proactive creativity strategy and growth risk orientation strategy) had a significant impact on innovation culture. Besides, innovation culture mediated the relationship between alignment, proactive creativity strategy, growth risk orientation strategy and innovation performance. Surprisingly, innovation culture does not significantly mediate the relationship between adaptability and innovation performance. However, government support plays an important role to support innovation culture and innovation performance in Bumiputera SMEs. Originality/value This study makes both theoretical and practical contributions, especially in identifying the significant role of Bumiputera SMEs in creating an innovation culture. Besides, it explained government support as an important role in strengthening the relationship between innovation culture and innovation performance. The findings of the study will provide great help to Bumiputera entrepreneurs in formulating innovation culture in Malaysian SMEs.

scholarly journals Residents’ perceptions of environmental certification, environmental impacts and support for the world expo 2015: the moderating effect of place attachment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Girish Prayag ◽  
Mesbahuddin Chowdhury ◽  
Daniel Prajogo ◽  
Marcello Mariani ◽  
Andrea Guizzardi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Place Attachment ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Environmental Certification ◽  
Content Type ◽  
World Expo ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Based on social exchange theory (SET) and signaling theory (ST), this study aims to evaluate how an event’s perceived environmental certification (PEC) by residents, affect their evaluations of environmental impacts and subsequent event support (ES). The moderating role of place attachment (PA) on some of these relationships is also evaluated. Design/methodology/approach Using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), a theoretical model is tested on a sample of 450 residents who attended the 2015 Milan World Expo. Findings PEC positively affects evaluations of positive environmental impacts (PEI) but negatively affects evaluations of negative environmental impacts (NEI). PEC positively affects ES while the relationship between PEC and NEI is moderated by PA. Research limitations/implications Items used to measure PEC, PEI and NEI are not exhaustive. SET has its own limitations in explaining residents’ ES, which the authors have attempted to attenuate by using ST. Practical implications Using environmental certification as a communication tool must demonstrate to residents how it reduces negative externalities, rather than focusing only on its positive community benefits. Less well-educated residents had the lowest ES, suggesting the need to use social media to increase ES. Originality/value This study contributes to understandings of the perceptions of the benefits of event certification by residents, and how this affects their ES. PA moderates the relationship between PEC and NEI.

Brand hate and retaliation in Muslim consumers: does offensive advertising matter?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uzma Noor ◽  
Mahnaz Mansoor ◽  
Sajeela Rabbani
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
The Body ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Brand Hate

Purpose This study aims to investigate the generation of negative emotions and behavior in Muslim consumers from their attitude toward offensive advertising. Mediation of brand hate between attitude toward offensive advertising and brand retaliation was examined. The conditional indirect impact of religiosity on attitude toward offensive advertising and brand retaliation through brand hate was also realized. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional research design was used using the mall intercept survey technique. Data were collected from 380 respondents visiting the malls in the areas of Pakistan’s twin cities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) after ensuring appropriateness for the study. Partial least square–structural equation modeling through SmartPLS software was used as a statistical technique to test the hypotheses. Findings The findings confirm that attitude toward offensive advertising affects brand hate and brand retaliation positively. The conditional indirect effect of religiosity on the relationship of attitude toward offensive advertising and brand retaliation has also proved significant. Originality/value The present study has filled a significant gap in the literature of brand hate by introducing brand hate as a mediator in the relationship of attitude toward offensive advertising and brand retaliation. It further added in the body of knowledge of brand hate by a moderated mediation mechanism of religiosity on the relationship of attitude toward offensive advertising and brand retaliation through brand hate. The present study has considered the non-offensive product being promoted through offensive advertising and explored the impact of attitude toward offensive advertising on brand hate and brand retaliation in Muslim consumers.

Is knowledge alone enough for socially responsible investing? A moderation of religiosity and serial mediation analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Mehta ◽  
Manjit Singh ◽  
Manju Mittal ◽  
Himanshu Singla
Keyword(s):  
Socially Responsible Investing ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Responsible Investing ◽  
Serial Mediation ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to test the serial mediation effect of attitude toward socially responsible investing (SRI) and social investing efficacy (SIE) on the relationship of knowledge about SRI with the intention to invest in SRI along with moderating effect of religiosity. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a quantitative analysis approach, wherein the data has been collected from 569 north Indian retail investors. Partial least square (PLS)-structural equation modeling has been applied in this study using the latest version of SmartPLS (v. 3.2.8) software to examine the complex model of serial and moderated mediation. Findings Attitude toward SRI and SIE significantly and serially mediate the relationship between knowledge about SRI and intention to invest in SRI. Also, the interaction effect of religiosity with knowledge about SRI is significant only for SIE and not for attitude toward SRI. Research limitations/implications The study is cross-sectional in nature conducted only on the north Indian investors. Besides knowledge, there can be many other personal or social aspects that might affect SRI intention that have not been taken into the study. Practical implications The results suggested that the companies, financial advisors and governmental bodies can improvise upon social and environmental performance reporting so that investment in SRI can be promulgated. Social implications The paper concludes that religious-minded people are more open to the idea of investing in SRI. India, being is a religious-minded country, the results of this study suggest that there is good potential for the development of SRI in India. Originality/value Empirical evidence regarding the relationship of SRI intention with its determinants is limited in Asian countries. Prior literature mainly provides evidence from developed countries where social and governance systems are comparatively stronger. The study provides evidence for the bright future of SRI in India, where investor’s beliefs are dominated by their religious values.

Integrating affect, cognition, and culture in Hispanic financial planning

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 726-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suri Weisfeld-Spolter ◽  
Fiona Sussan ◽  
Cindy Rippé ◽  
Stephen Gould
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Financial Planning ◽  
Financial Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Decision Making ◽  
Financial Decision

PurposeDebt is at a peak and consumers purport needing help with financial planning. To better understand the antecedents of financial planning behavior, the purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of cultural values in financial decision making within the context of Hispanic American consumers. A new conceptual model is proposed to integrate affect (cultural value) and cognition (financial knowledge) in financial planning.Design/methodology/approachTo uncover respondents’ views on cultural values, financial knowledge, financial attitude, and financial planning behavior, an online survey hosted on a business school’s website was distributed to members of two Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. The survey consisted of five parts, and took each respondent an average of 15 minutes to complete. The final data set has 158 observations.FindingsResults analyzed using structural equation modeling confirmed the hypotheses that financial knowledge, attitude, and perceived control simultaneously influence Hispanic consumers’ intentions to purchase financial planning products or services. More interestingly, these results confirm that multiple different routes coexist in the decision-making process, especially within the Hispanic financial planning context.Originality/valueKey contributions of this paper include the conceptualization of cultural value as an antecedent to Hispanic financial behavior; detailing the different routes to financial decision making for US Hispanic consumers; and informing financial service managers on marketing strategies toward Hispanic consumers.

Positioning ethics and social responsibility as a strategic tool in employees’ affective commitment

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Peng Low ◽  
Seng Fook Ong ◽  
Pei Meng Tan
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Business World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of ethics and social responsibility on employees’ affective commitment in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach This is a quantitative research. The authors employ multistage sampling technique, non-probability and judgmental sampling method. Data were collected through questionnaire survey to measure the respondents’ perceptions of the ethics and social responsibility, as well as internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. The data obtained were analyzed through variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM), i.e., partial least square SEM. Findings The findings reveal that perceived role of ethics and social responsibility (PRESOR) and internal CSR are positively related to employees’ affective commitment. Job satisfaction is found to be mediating the relationship between PRESOR and affective commitment. The result also showed that internal CSR practices mediate the relationship between PRESOR and affective commitment. Research limitations/implications There are few limitations in the present research. First, present research merely investigates the practices of ethics and social responsibility by SMEs and did not perform a comparison with larger organizations. Second, the use of non-probability sampling method is unable to generalize results for the entire population. Future research could address the shortcoming of present research in order to further contribute to the academic and business world. Practical implications The findings provide insights to entrepreneurs and SMEs on the manifestation of ethics and social responsibility in enhancing employees’ affective commitment. In turn, it reduces employees’ turnover intention and enhances SMEs sustainability to strive in the competitive environment. Social implications These findings highlight the positive chain effects of enterprises in discharging their moral obligation as well as their social responsibility. The enterprises are benefited from the good reputation which may act as a magnet to attract talent-employees and also sustaining their enterprises through employees’ retention. Originality/value This research paper contributes to current knowledge by painting a better picture on the importance of ethics and social responsibility and internal CSR from the employees’ perception. As to date, employees’ perception of ethics and social responsibility and internal CSR practices are still under-investigated. Moreover, past research often focuses the impact of ethics and social responsibility in the larger corporation but scant research is conducted in the smaller organization such as SMEs.

Validating the usability attributes of AHP-software risk prioritization model using partial least square-structural equation modeling

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 404-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bokolo Anthony Jnr.
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Risk Prioritization ◽  
Software Risk ◽  
Software Practitioners

PurposeThis study aims to develop a software risk prioritization model using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and further validate the usability attributes of the model in prioritizing operational, technical, technological, strategic and environmental software risks.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaire was used to collect data from software practitioners to evaluate the usability attributes of the AHP-software risk prioritization model. Accordingly, partial least square-structural equation modeling was used to analyze the collected data.FindingsResults reveal that the developed AHP-software risk prioritization model is efficient and effective in facilitating software risk factor prioritization. In addition, results suggest that the experts are satisfied with the learnability, accessibility and navigation capability of the model. Besides, results indicate that the model provides a useable interface and system design for content availability of information needed by software practitioners in evaluating and prioritizing operational, technical, technological, strategic and environmental risk. Furthermore, results show that the experts intend to adopt the model to prioritize identified software risk in their firm.Research limitations/implicationsMethodologically, the developed AHP-software risk prioritization model is faced with issues such as inconsistency in judgments, weakness of confronting ambiguities and uncertainties of high complexity. Empirically, data were collected from software practitioners in Malaysia to validate the AHP-software risk prioritization model. Hence, results from this study cannot be generalized to other software practitioners in different countries.Practical implicationsThis study developed a software risk prioritization model to evaluate and prioritize software risks that occur in software organizations by deploying AHP to carryout risk factor priority selection. Moreover, the model provides risk knowledge as guidelines for evaluating software risks in software organizations.Social implicationsThe developed AHP-software risk prioritization model computes risk prioritization factor priority selection and further supports software practitioners and evaluates risks and associated risk factors. Besides, this study develops an instrument that can be used in project risk management to validate the usability attributes of software risk approaches.Originality/valueThis research designs use case and class diagram to show how the AHP-software risk prioritization model evaluates and prioritizes software risks factors by using risk evaluation questions. Additionally, the AHP-software risk prioritization model computes, evaluates and prioritizes software risk factors using risk factor priority selection for software project management.

Antecedents of perceived beneficial destination image: a study on Middle-Eastern medical tourists visit Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shankar Chelliah ◽  
Mohammad Jamal Khan ◽  
Amir Bahador Atabakhshi Kashi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Travel Behavior ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Destination Image ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Travel Motivation ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between travel motivation, perceived risks, travel constraints and perceived beneficial destination image that leads to visit intention among Middle-Eastern medical tourists. Some previous studies have explained these factors in detail, however, studies that explore the relationship between these factors in the Iranian context is scarce. Moreover, there are relatively very few studies, which focused on actual medical tourists in empirical investigation, therefore, there is still a lack of clarity in the literature regarding travel behavior and travel decision-making of medical tourists. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study was performed on 161 Middle-Eastern medical tourists who visited Iran in early months of 2018. Purposive sampling method was used to collect the data from two private hospitals. Structural equation modeling with partial least square (PLS) approach was used and PLS 3.2.8 data analysis tool was used to test the hypotheses. Findings The data analysis results have found that perceived destination image was the strongest predictor of visit intention among medical tourists. The results have also found a positive effect of travel motivation and negative effect of perceived travel risks on perceived beneficial destination image. Originality/value This study aims to enrich the body of knowledge by investigating the relationship between the factors, which have important roles in travel behavior and decision-making of medical tourists. The study also bridges the gap in the literature by explaining the behavior of actual medical tourists. The findings of the study provide the much needed insight on the behavioral intention of medical tourists, which will help the service providers and policymakers to reform their strategies and policies accordingly.

The effect of relational selling on life insurance decision making in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 1505-1524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shetty Ankitha ◽  
Savitha Basri
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Insurance ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Information

Purpose The biggest challenge in the Indian life insurance industry is mis-selling and unfair business practices. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of relational selling behaviour on investor decision making in life insurance market in India. This study also aims to elucidate the mediating role of trust in predicting the purchase of life insurance policies by investors. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey was carried out to collect quantitative data using a validated structured questionnaire. A total of 813 policyholders of life insurance companies operating in Karnataka, South India, were chosen. The data were analysed using the partial least square method of structural equation modeling. Findings The process of investors’ life insurance buying decision is directly influenced by interaction intensity, co-operative intentions of agents, sharing of overt and covert policy information, and indirectly through the partial mediation of trust. Also, trust fully mediates the effect of agent disclosure and personal rapport on decision making by investors. The importance‒performance map analysis highlights the pivotal role of overt policy information in investors’ decision making. Practical implications The financial mis-selling in India can be curtailed significantly if the insurance companies insist on responsible and relational selling by their sales agents. The companies would also strategically gain by investing in trust-building programs that enhance quality interactions and honest disclosure of overt and covert policy information, unpretentious intention to co-operate in the policy selection, and emphasize emotional connection and personal rapport with customers. These genuine actions and behavioural manifestations would certainly facilitate appropriate decision making by the investors. Originality/value There is a paucity of research in India which explicates the role of relational selling behaviour in insurers’ decision making. As such, this article expands the scope of relational marketing research in insurance by assessing the relational determinants of investor decisions as well as the role of trust as the mediator in influencing insurance decision making.

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