The global COVID-19 mass vaccination program has created a polemic amongst pro- and anti-vaccination groups on social media. However, the working mechanism on how the shared information might influence an individual decision to be vaccinated is still limited. This study embarks on adopting the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) framework. We examined the function of central route factors (information completeness and information accuracy) as well as peripheral route factors (experience sharing and social pressure) in influencing attitudes towards vaccination and the intention to obtain the vaccine. We use a factorial design to create eight different scenarios in the form of Twitter posts to test the interaction and emulate the situation on social media. In total, 528 respondents were involved in this study. Findings from this study indicated that both the central route and peripheral route significantly influence individually perceived informativeness and perceived persuasiveness. Consequently, these two factors significantly influence attitude towards vaccination and intention to obtain the vaccine. According to the findings, it is suggested that, apart from evidence-based communication, the government or any interested parties can utilize both experience sharing and social pressure elements to increase engagement related to COVID-19 vaccines on social media, such as Twitter.

Global palm oil consumption, registering at 77 million metric tons annually, presents a significant ecological challenge. The importance of fostering sustainable production is paramount. Yet, issues of deforestation and other unsustainable practices cast doubt over this objective. Sustainable certification schemes such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) aim to improve sustainable practices among stakeholders, including smallholders. A low achievement rate of only 30% certified smallholders suggests impediments beyond financial constraints. This study investigates the impact of social structure, specifically communication elements like social interaction ties and shared identity, on smallholders’ adoption of sustainable certification—a viewpoint aligned with innovation diffusion theory. Employing a quantitative design and a questionnaire survey, data was collected from 300 independent smallholders and analyzed via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings illuminate that communication through social interaction ties and shared identity significantly influences the adoption of sustainable-certified schemes by smallholders. This suggests that innovation diffusion within this sector is socially motivated, emphasizing the influential role of communication in facilitating adoption of sustainable practices among small farmers. This novel understanding offers valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in utilizing social dynamics to endorse sustainable practices within the palm oil industry. Keywords: Sustainable certification, communication, smallholders, innovation diffusion, social structure. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2023-3902-13

The initiative to ensure oil-palm smallholders around the world participate in sustainable certification is increasing. Different efforts were strategised including increasing awareness and providing financial support. Despite that, the number of smallholders’ participation in sustainable certification is relatively low. This study embarked on the objective to identify the role of social structure, namely social interaction ties in affecting smallholders’ participative behaviours. Moreover, this study is also looking on the mediating impact of deliberative communication and responsible leadership in explaining the relationship between the two previously stated constructs. Using a quantitative research design, this study collected data from 440 smallholders as its respondents. Samples were randomly selected, and questionnaires were distributed to obtain their responses. Data collected were then analysed using PLS-SEM to test the developed hypothesis. Accordingly, the findings indicate that social interaction ties have a significant impact on smallholders’ decisions to participate in sustainable certification. Furthermore, both deliberative communication and responsible leadership were proven to be significant mediators. This study provides insights on how smallholders’ participation in sustainable certification can be improved by tapping on the social structure elements as well as adopting deliberative communication and responsible leadership as a method to communicate and lead with the smallholders. This shall expand literature related to organisation psychology in rural areas and sustainability.

The oil and gas industry is classified as a high carbon footprint and high-risk sector from the sustainable development perspective. Its operational activities risk potential threats to the environment and the local community. Globally, there are multiple cases of local community discontent towards oil and gas operations in their area. Consequently, the oil and gas industry shifted into corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to indicate their dedication to sustainability. Studies have been conducted to investigate the impact of CSR activities on the oil industry. However, there is still limited research looking into sustainable brand positioning, which might be affected by the execution of multiple CSR programs by the industry. Looking into the oil and gas industry in Malaysia and Indonesia, this study compared the industry’s sustainable brand positioning amongst the local community. By adopting Aakker’s brand equity model, this study investigated the effect of sustainable brand awareness, the perceived quality of sustainable initiatives, brand association, and brand loyalty on sustainable initiatives towards sustainable brand equity. There are 448 respondents involved from both Malaysia and Indonesia. Using PLS-MGA, this study identified that brand loyalty on sustainable initiatives and brand association are significant predictors of sustainable brand equity. Findings from this study also indicate that no group (i.e., Indonesia and Malaysia) is significantly larger than one other in the path coefficient score. However, using an independent sample t-test, the study indicates that the oil and gas industry has better sustainable brand positioning amongst Malaysia’s local community than Indonesia.