The energy sector is one of the main sources of carbon emissions and the most significant global polluter. Women’s concerns and the climate crisis were strongly associated when issues about climate change were first articulated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals stressing gender equality and climate mitigation actions have received very little attention in the last decade. Consequently, the primary issues raised by this study are the energy industry, and women and climate change. This study examined the effect of women’s leadership on carbon disclosure among the top 100 global energy leaders from 2018 to 2020. This study unequivocally recognizes the effect of women’s leadership as assessed by the number of female board members who are industry experts, serve as advisors, and pose as proxy community leaders for global energy leaders. This study’s sample consisted of 291 observations of global energy leaders sourced from Thomson Reuters’ database. For the panel data analysis, STATA 14 (Version 14.) software was applied as the empirical methodology. The empirical findings showed that among the top energy leaders globally, women leaders increased the degree of carbon disclosure. The findings of this study provide novel insights into the importance of women’s leadership in the energy sector for enhancing and promoting carbon disclosure. The validity of hypothesized links in the findings lends support to the resource dependence theory from the viewpoint of the energy leaders. This study also provides guidance for practitioners, governments, and policymakers on how to combat climate change, encourage the inclusion of as many women as feasible on boards, the promotion of gender parity, and support efforts to achieve the net zero carbon target.

Malaysia was ranked 32nd on the Global Competitiveness Index in 2022, which denotes that the level of R&D and productivity in SMEs in Malaysia needs to be improved. Therefore, more research is needed to ensure it remains competitive in the global halal marketplace by using innovative concepts as a culture to promote energy-intensive halal SMEs. This study examines the sequential influence of an innovative mindset, behavior, and performance on competitive advantage among SME owner-managers embarking on halal businesses. Data were gathered from SME owner-managers from the halal energy-intensive industry by conducting a self-administered and online-based survey involving 140 respondents. Data were analyzed with the partial least squares technique (SmartPLS 3.0). The results of this study show that innovative behavior was a direct result of an innovative mindset. On the other hand, innovative behavior produced innovation performance, which in turn produced a competitive advantage. This study shows that SMEs owner-managers of halal energy-intensive industries need possess both innovative behavior and innovative attitude as valuable assets. Moreover, a key component in their ability to gain a competitive advantage is their performance in innovation.

In a developing country such as Malaysia, studies of determinants which influence residential consumers of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) are limited. This paucity of studies was the catalyst for this study and its aim to investigate the factors affecting acceptance by Malaysian residential consumers of BESS as it relates to the Technology Acceptance Model Theory. A sample of 331 residential consumers indicated that consumer attitudes, social norms and self-efficacy, or the perception of behavioral control, had a positive and significant relationship with the intention to use BESS. Additionally, trust was a factor that had a significant effect on the consumers’ perceptions of cost, benefits and anticipated effects. All these variables significantly affect consumer attitudes. These findings provide important insights into BESS and facilitate the development of policies and practices relating to BESS in developing countries such as Malaysia.

Global leaders in the energy sector have significantly improved their environmental governance practices by incorporating women into their management teams to enhance carbon reporting practices. Based on a content analysis of annual reports, sustainability reports, and websites of the top 100 global energy leaders, we describe the trend of women of the board member who are industry experts, act as advisors, and pose as community leaders as well as the level of their carbon disclosure (CD) performances over the three years from 2018 to 2020. The results show that the number of women on the boards of the top global energy leaders is increasing in line with the level of carbon disclosure over three years. This development exemplifies the significance of women in leadership roles in the top global energy leader's journey to achieve net zero carbon emissions. Women in managerial positions are therefore crucial, and their presence will be one of the most critical influences in the energy sector's potential to enhance firm carbon performance and draw in more sustainable economic growth.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of technical skills, soft skills and social mobility skills on the perceived employability of Malaysian undergraduates in energy-focused universities. This study also aims to investigate the moderating effects of academic performance on such relationships.Design/methodology/approach: To accomplish these objectives, this study employed partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse data obtained from 247 Malaysian undergraduates from public and private energy-focused universities across Malaysia. The Human Capital Theory served as the overarching theoretical framework for the study.Findings: The study reveals that even if an undergraduate has stellar grades, they will not help him/her to land a job if they lack basic technical and computing skills. This study also indicates that undergraduates’ current academic performance affects their perceived employability despite already possessing the necessary soft skills. Along with academic performance, social mobility skills can be a determining factor in how graduates see their own employability. This is because social mobility has a significant impact on graduates’ chances of finding gainful employment.Research limitations/implications: This study provides insights into how technical skills, soft skills and social mobility skills influence the perceived employability of Malaysian undergraduates, especially in energy-focused universities, and the role of various parties involved. These parties, such as higher education institutions, are the key players that can initiate strategies to enhance specific skills and steer a public conversation towards a more methodical strategy for boosting graduates’ employability for future employment. This research also sheds light on how to better prepare for emerging job opportunities in the energy sector.Originality/value: The study examines the effect of technical skills, soft skills and social mobility skills on the perceived employability of Malaysian undergraduates in energy-focused universities for future employment among Malaysia’s universities’ graduates. By providing a multidisciplinary viewpoint, this study paves the way for future research partnerships among experts in higher education, researchers in related fields and career researchers.

Purpose: This study examines the gap between residential customers' expected and real experiences with self-service kiosks from the perspective of a major Malaysian electrical service provider. Theoretical framework: The comparative study of customers’ expectations and real experiences using the self-service kiosk is excessive in various sectors like banking and transportation but limited in the energy sector in boosting customer engagement and leading to customer satisfaction. Design/Methodology/Approach: Using a stratified sample approach based on a sampling frame given by a Malaysian utility provider, survey questions were disseminated online to residential customers who have used self-service kiosks. Findings: The findings demonstrate that customers' expectations and real experiences significantly differ with a few variables, such as secure/privacy, design, and convenience. However, the effect sizes were small. Moreover, some individual items in several factors like enjoyment, secure/privacy, design, convenience, and customization also showed significant differences. Practical implications: The findings shed light on the energy sector and give Malaysian power providers, in particular, identifying the gap between customer expectations and actual self-service kiosk experiences. With this information, the firm can close the gap and manage customer experience to increase customer satisfaction. Originality/Value: This study expands the investigation of self-service technology (SST) service quality by analysing the gap between the expectations and actual experiences of residential consumers utilising the SST self-service kiosk offered by Malaysia's major energy service provider. This study assists the company in closing the gap and enhancing the offerings of self-service kiosks to boost customer satisfaction and manage customer experience.