This study intends to investigate the role of social financing in supporting sustainable development and fostering entrepreneurship within small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and its future directions and opportunities in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. SMEs are increasingly implementing sustainable business models to tackle resource constraints and environmental issues to foster long-term social and environmental impact. A quantitative research design was employed, with data collected through questionnaires distributed to SME owners using purposive sampling. A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed, with 106 valid responses analyzed. The study employed descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS 4.0 to assess the framework. The findings reveal significant positive effects of financial institutions, globalization impact, and access to finance on the role of waqf in SME development, while business obstacles and government support showed no significant influence. According to this study, open innovation is crucial to fostering collaboration between small- and medium-sized enterprises, Islamic endowments, and external stakeholders such as non-profits, government agencies, and community groups. This research adds to the expanding body of knowledge regarding the efficacy of social entrepreneurship and inclusive business models in addressing environmental challenges and assisting SMEs in their long-term growth by facilitating the creation of shared value and the dissemination of sustainable business solutions.
Issues pertaining to food sustainability have long been debated in developing countries. Food sustainability practices benefit the environment, societies and economies, yet in Malaysia food production and management are still lagging in sustainability practices. The food industry needs to explore new methods in food production because of population increase, peoples’ lifestyle, demand for healthy foods, and environmental concerns. For this reason, this review paper discussed technological achievements in the food industry to help food producers improve production. It is crucial for Malaysia to ensure sustainability in food production technology in the 12th Economic Planning Unit (EPU) projection for 2021-2025. The EPU aims to restructure and empower the existing industry. This paper discussed the food technology sub-sector focusing on agriculture and livestock in Malaysia. This focus hopes to boost existing government strategies and improve food producers’ business performance following the EPU. Here, this paper highlights the government’s involvement in technology application to help farmers’ access affordable technology via research assistance from the government.
26 December 2023 in Information Management and Business Review
Due to its substantial contributions to the economy, society, environment, and other sectors, tourism is vital. To keep the tourism business sustainable, the government and other relevant stakeholders must allocate a sizable budget. Consequently, waqf is one way to lessen reliance on government funding. Waqf, in general, refers to assets that Muslims willingly donate and plan to use or grow for the good of the community. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the tourism industry and the economic, social-cultural, environmental, and transversal pillars are significantly correlated. It also looks at how waqf moderates the relationship between the tourism sector's sustainability and the economic pillar. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used in this methodology. Quantitative data were obtained from 150 respondents, and qualitative data were collected through interviews to verify the quantitative findings. The results show significant positive relationships between economic, social-cultural, environmental, and transversal pillars with tourism industry sustainability. The result also demonstrates that waqf moderates the relationship between the economic pillar and tourism industry sustainability. The implications of waqf would contribute to essential services to the community. This had many significant impacts on the economy as a whole and the sustainability of the tourism industry itself. Waqf can reduce the budget deficit, decrease the need for government borrowing, and decrease the interest rate, thereby removing a significant impediment to private and investment growth.
31 July 2021 in Journal of Sustainability Science and Management