Millions of Muslims from all over the world perform Umrah and Hajj every year. There were 250,000 pilgrims from Malaysia in 2017, and the number is expected to grow by 20 percent in 2018. This projected increase will create a huge demand for Umrah and Hajj travel agencies’ services in Malaysia. At present, there are 328 Umrah and Hajj travel agencies registered under Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC). However, the supposedly bright outlook maybe marred by undesirable consequences. Along with the increase in the number of Umrah and Hajj travel agencies, there also tends to be an increase in fraud Umrah packages offered by fake agents in Malaysia. Such incidents will cause sadness and anger in the victims and other involved parties. Umrah package fraud involving fake agents in Malaysia has attracted the attention of many including the public, the government, the private sector, even the media. Nevertheless, studies on correlation between Muslim travellers’ perception of the quality of service by Umrah travel agencies and their decision to purchase the Umrah package are scarce in Malaysia. Hence, this study investigated Muslim travellers’ perception of Umrah and Hajj travel agencies’ service quality and its influence on their decision to purchase the Umrah package, in an attempt to discover why some Muslim travellers fell into fake agents’ trap in Malaysia. A total of 319 Muslim respondents completed the questionnaire on service quality perception, specifically service quality elements and loyalty. The data obtained was examined using SPSS version 25 for descriptive and regression analysis. Umrah and Hajj travel agencies as well as relevant government agencies could use the findings of the study to assist with formulating plans and policies to improve the quality of service by Umrah and Hajj industry players and awareness among Muslim travellers on the importance of being able to identify bogus agencies. The limitations, implications andsuggestions for future research are also discussed.
This study was aimed at exploring the impact of religiosity on purchase intention towards counterfeit products by investigating the mediating role of consumer attitude. This study investigated religiosity as an independent variable, attitude towards counterfeit as a mediator while predicting the purchase intentions of the consumers. A self-administered questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale was used to collect data from the sample of 420 respondents who were from twin cities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad) of Pakistan. Structural equation modeling technique was used to achieve the set objectives. The results reveal a statistically significant effect of religiosity along with the significant mediating role of consumer attitude and the significant moderating role of hedonic benefits while predicting the purchase intentions of the consumers. This study also provides important insights for the researchers and the practitioners.
Technology and its continuous advancement facilitate human beings to get rid of their criticality and limitation. Applied artificial intelligence (AAI) is one of the latest forms that delimited the limitation of human beings. Smartwatch acts as an applied artificial intelligence to assist various patients to check medical care without going to hospital and physicians. This (three) multiple-study research focused on the intention to use, purchase, and their satisfaction and spread positive word of mouth among others in the Ghanaian. To investigate these issues two renowned theories were underpinned- TAM theory and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R). Total 550, 320, and 170 respondents were interviewed with Google forms due to COVID-19 using social media. AI-enabled smartwatch considering Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Credibility (PC), Perceived Self-Efficacy (PSE), and Perceived Financial Cost (PFC) were significant on intention to adoption and adoption intention on actual purchase. The final study showed device quality, its service level, their usage experience, perceived value, and the extent to which the satisfied customers made positive word of mouth to their friends and family, colleagues and followers. This research is significant in understanding the usage of AI-enabled smartwatches as a device doctor or electronic doctor (e-doctor).
The broader objective of this study is to identify natural materials that might inhibit the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We have focused on stingless bee honey, which has a unique taste that is both sweet and sour and sometimes bitter. We screened 12 samples of honey from 11 species of stingless bees using an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-spike protein-binding assay and phytochemical analysis. Ten of the samples showed inhibition above 50% in this assay system. Most of the honey contained tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, carotenoids and carbohydrates. Our findings in this in vitro study showed that honey from stingless bees may have a potent effect against SARS-CoV-2 infection by inhibiting the ACE2-spike protein-binding.