Purpose: Using the theory of Planned Behaviour as the basis, the study investigates the impact of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control on rehiring intention. The predictors of attitude (i.e. organisational culture, risk and government incentives) and perceived behavioural control (i.e. skills and supporting documents) were examined by expanding the TPB model.Design/methodology/approach: A self-administered survey was used to gather data from Malaysian firms hiring ex-offenders. Partial Least Squares (PLS) structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to verify the study's proposed research model's hypothesis.Findings: The SEM analysis showed attitude and subjective norm as solid predictors of rehiring intention. For attitude, organisational culture and government incentives were proven to have an impact. Besides perceived behavioural control, the skill set was a significant predictor.Practical implications: This study suggests that active involvement of the government to engage employers with ex-offenders through incentives (tax deductions and wage and training subsidies) and prison job fairs can increase their employment opportunities. There is also a need for formal guidelines and practices on hiring ex-offenders in organisations to promote a positive hiring culture. Establishing an employment-based re-entry unit that provides ex-offenders with various transition skill programs, such as technical skills, job search skills and life skills, is crucial for their employment prospects.Originality/value: This study is among the pioneers in investigating ex-offenders’ rehiring agenda, specifically examining factors that influence employers' decision making. The results are relevant to managers, regulators, institutions and NGOs to structure the right interventions to ensure ex-offenders are successfully hired. It is found that Interventions aiming to increase job opportunities for ex-offenders require activities that expand community and ex-offender engagement since it reduces the social stigma and promotes more ex-offenders accepting behaviour.

In the digital era, marketing trends have undergone a significant transformation. A brand-new marketing channel that businesses are using to reach out to customers is social media. In this study, the effect of social media marketing methods on customers' desire to buy cosmetics is investigated. Entertainment, engagement, trendiness, personalization, and eWOM are the five social media marketing strategy dimensions that were examined in the study. Data were obtained using the convenience sample approach, and 260 valid questionnaires were gathered. Data analysis using the SEM-PLS method. The findings show that each of the five social media marketing strategy elements had a statistically significant impact on consumers' intention to make a purchase. Users' participation in online cosmetics purchases was found to be strongly influenced by entertainment.

The digital economy is a key driver of industrial upgrading and regional growth. Focusing on Gansu Province—an under-represented, less-developed region in northwest China—this study constructs a multidimensional digital economy index (DEI) for 2009–2023 under a unified normalisation and weighting scheme. Two complementary MCDA approaches—entropy-weighted TOPSIS and SESP-SPOTIS—are implemented on the same 0–1 normalised indicators. Robustness is assessed using COMSAM sensitivity analysis and is benchmarked against a PCA reference. The empirical analysis then estimates log-elasticity models linking modern logistics production (MLP) and the DEI to the provincial GDP and sectoral value added, with inferences based on White heteroskedasticity–robust standard errors and bootstrap confidence intervals. Results show a steady rise in the DEI with a temporary dip in 2021 and recovery thereafter. MLP is positively and significantly associated with GDP and value added in the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. The DEI is positively and significantly associated with GDP, the primary sector, and the tertiary sector, but its effect is not statistically significant for the secondary sector, indicating a manufacturing digitalisation gap relative to services. Cross-method agreement and narrow sensitivity bands support the stability of these findings. Policy implications include continued investment in digital infrastructure and accessibility, targeted acceleration of manufacturing digitalisation, and the development of a “digital agriculture–smart logistics–green development” pathway to foster high-quality, sustainable regional growth.

The market value of a brand is reflected by brand equity. It signals consumers' recognition and preferability toward certain brands. In a highly competitive market, brand equity becomes crucial as it can lead to customer loyalty and product resilience. Strong brand equity helps a company to stand out among competitors and can significantly influence financial performance by driving higher sales volume and profitability. As more Malaysians shift their lifestyles and become more health-conscious after the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand in the healthcare market has expanded massively. By focusing on the healthcare market, especially on dietetics and nutrition consultation services, this paper seeks to evaluate how brand equity influences consumers’ intention in making purchases. Four dimensions of brand equity will be investigated, consisting of perceived quality, brand awareness, brand association and brand image. A total of 194 data were collected using the convenience sampling method in the Subang Jaya region, Malaysia. The findings of this study showed that perceived quality, brand awareness, and brand association have a positive significant impact on purchase intention for dietetics and nutrition consultation services while brand image was found to be insignificantly influencing purchase intention. This provides insight and implications for the dietetics and nutrition consultation services market and practitioners, especially in formulating their marketing strategies.

Philanthropy is the desire to promote the well-being of others. It is about looking for and helping the welfare of others, particularly by giving them money for good reasons. Philanthropy is not only confined to the contribution of money, but it involves making efforts for religious purposes and self-satisfaction towards others. The level of charity among Malaysian citizens is alarming in 2015, Malaysia ranked 10th in the World Giving Index but in 2021 the ranking has dropped tremendously to 29th place. This has shown that Malaysians are getting less interested in participating in charitable activities and doing general good deeds. Therefore, there is an urgent need to look broadly at the philanthropic behavior of Malaysians. This research aims to determine the factors influencing philanthropic behavior among youth in Malaysia. For this study, a survey was conducted to the target population which is youth. Data was collected by distributing questionnaires via emails and WhatsApp groups and data was analyzed using SPSS and PLS-SEM. Findings show that religion and altruism are significant to the philanthropic behavior of Malaysian youth. This study has provided valuable insights into youth philanthropy by identifying solutions to further create awareness of philanthropy.

This study focuses on the socioeconomic aspects of household income among students in Malaysian Public Higher Learning Institutions. This study employs a survey research design with 30,527 respondents from 14 states in Malaysia. The findings reveal various income brackets and shed light on the financial challenges students face while pursuing higher education. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding socioeconomic dynamics within higher education institutions to address equity gaps and enhance support for students from diverse economic backgrounds. It provides a framework for targeted interventions and policies to promote equal opportunities and inclusive learning environments in Malaysia's public higher education institutions.