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Purpose This study aims to explore the customers’ behaviour towards online shopping during COVID-19 in a Muslim country and proposes a co-creative service design for online businesses (webstore) in the post-COVID-19 era. Design/methodology/approach The study used a qualitative design for collecting the data where in-depth interviews from 18 customers were conducted following the qualitative design protocol. Due to the limitation of physical distancing, the interviews were conducted online using Microsoft teams. Findings Based on the findings, new potential services are proposed for webstores for customer engagement, the need for expansion of product lines and safety measures for customers and staff during and post-COVID-19 era. Following the findings, a co-creative service design is proposed for webstores to revamp the business during and post-COVID-19. Originality/value The study is unique because it has developed various unique strategic factors essential for revamping online businesses for better growth in post-COVID-19. The proposed new co-creative service design model for an online service provider is expected to create customers engagement and loyalty during and in post-COVID-19.

Higher education requires access to Information and communication technologies (ICT’s). This exposure and access to ICT, coupled with the excessive usage of social media, has augmented the problem of cyberbullying among university students. Previous studies have investigated cyberbullying among school students while overlooking university students, who are actually more engaged in cyberbullying perpetration. In view of the gravity of the situation and its impact on the wellbeing of the university students, this study aims to understand the role of personal and psychological factors dragging Malaysian undergraduate students of public and private universities towards cyberbullying behaviour. In order to develop the framework, the study has utilized the ‘Theory of planned behavior’ and ‘Social Cognitive Theory’. The study is based on a quantitative research approach and employs a self-administered survey to collect data. The data has been analyzed through the Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) technique using SmartPLS. The results reveal that individual factors including cyberbullying awareness and personality traits are not associated with Malaysian undergraduate students’ cyberbullying behaviour. However, psychological factors, including self-esteem, internalizing behavior, and anti-social behavior, play an instrumental role in developing Malaysian undergraduate students’ cyberbullying attitude. The study also confirms that subjective norms assert a powerful positive impact on cyberbullying attitude of Malaysian undergraduates. Lastly, the study aims to contribute to the research on cyberbullying behavior by offering a conceptual validated model that predicts Malaysian university students’ cyberbullying behavior. This study also found that social media usage plays moderating role between cyberbullying intention and cyberbullying behavior. Parents, universities, and governments will benefit from this study by understanding factors to be considered when making a policy to reduce cyberbullying among university students.

The main purpose of this study is to find the factors affecting value co-creation behavior. This study also aimed to find the mediating role of customer co-creation attitude on the relationship between factors and value co-creation behavior. The target population selected for this study was the northern areas of Pakistan. The sample size of this study was (n=480) respondents. The data were collected at three different time's intervals, i.e. at the time, 1, independent variables data were collected at time 2 mediating variable was collected, and at time 3 dependent variable data was collected. This study results revealed that all factors have a positive and significant effect on customer value co-creation behavior. The results revealed that customer co-creation attitude has a positive and significant mediating role between factors and customer value co-creation behavior. The results of this study will open a new avenue in the tourism sector and as well for scholars and practitioners.

This paper empirically investigates the impact of overall sustainability reporting as well as its components (economic, environmental, and social sustainability reporting) on the cost of debt and equity capital for Malaysian oil and gas companies. The data was collected from 41 publicly listed oil and gas companies in Malaysia for the period from 2008 to 2017. Qualitative information was gathered for sustainability reporting and then converted into quantitative form by assigning weights according to the extent of reporting. The cost of capital information was sourced through Thomson Reuters Datastream. Panel data analysis was employed using generalized least square (GLS) random effects regression to examine the relationship between sustainability reporting and cost of capital. Firm reputation, size, and profitability were included as control variables. The findings indicate that overall sustainability reporting and one component, economic sustainability reporting, reduce both cost of debt and cost of equity. However, environmental sustainability reporting reduces only the cost of debt but does not reduce the cost of equity. Social sustainability reporting shows no effect on the cost of debt or equity. The findings of this paper should be useful for regulators, legislators, shareholders, creditors, and practitioners in pursuing sustainability practices that not only improve economic and environmental performance but also enhance overall performance by reducing the cost of capital. The results of the paper highlight that companies investing in sustainability can generate positive value through the enhancement of reputational capital. This study is the first to empirically investigate the relationship between overall sustainability reporting, including its three components, and the cost of both debt and equity capital.

The increasing interest in online shopping in recent years has increased the importance of understanding customer engagement valence (CEV) in a virtual service network. There is yet a comprehensive explanation of the CEV concept, particularly its impact on multi-actor networks such as web stores. Therefore, this study aims to fill this research gap. In this study, past literature in the marketing and consumer psychology field was critically reviewed to understand the concept of CEV in online shopping, and the propositional-based style was employed to conceptualize the CEV within the online shopping (web stores) context. The outcomes demonstrate that the valence of customer engagement is dependent on the cognitive interpretation of signals that are prompted by multiple actors on a web store service network. If the signals are positively interpreted, positive outcomes such as service co-creation are expected, but if they are negatively interpreted, negative outcomes such as service co-destruction are predicted. These notions create avenues for future empirical research and practical implications.

In the context of non-fuel retailing, the goal of this study is to find out what motivates frontline employees to participate in value cocreation activities with consumers. According to this study, frontline employees participate in value cocreation activities to attain the expected or perceived value they desire. Through the conduction of six interviews in Malaysia's automotive sector, this study used an exploratory technique to investigate the underlying characteristics of frontline employees' motives. Semi structured interviews were done with the use of a topic guide, but the researchers were not confined in their frame of reference, allowing them to explore for clarification and confirmation. The results of the interviews were examined using an idiographic technique and then compared using cross-case analysis. Professional identity, financial benefits, career progression opportunities, and workplace recognition are all motivators for frontline employees to cocreate value. Due to variances in the employees' past expectations, these reasons may change across different service situations. Managers may begin measuring and managing service interactions between frontline personnel and customers by understanding their motives to cocreate value.

Reporting is a method for businesses to communicate with their various stakeholders. While the factors contributing to sustainability reporting and disclosure have been thoroughly investigated, the findings are inconclusive. Similarly, the non-financial reporting literature is disclosed of operational and non-operational activities related to ecological as well as social disclosure of firm. However, in recent years, stakeholders have increased their demand for green innovation practices (GIPs) to be included as a new component of ecological reporting. Thus, companies' proactivity in adopting green innovation reporting is reflected (GIR). This research propounds enhancing transparency in sustainability reporting by including corporations' GIPs, which will increase the transparency level of firm operations and instil greater stakeholder confidence. To accomplish this study, the legitimacy and signalling theories were used as an environmental solution. Additionally, an exhaustive assessment of the literature was conducted in order to develop a GIR framework for enterprises to use when integrating GIPs into sustainability reporting. The outcome of this study indicates that current sustainability reporting takes a minimalist approach, with GIR being presented superficially. This non-financial reporting approach does not accurately reflect a company's genuine GIPs or the environmental effect of existing business operations. As such, this study calls for the integration of GIR into firms' sustainability reporting to accurately reflect their actual firm sustainable practices.

Purpose In the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, organizations now are expected to serve customers who are highly conscious of safety and sanitation. Among others, the hospitality industry is significantly and negatively influenced by this pandemic. Given the unique characteristics of services, using advanced technology is not enough to create a memorable experience without physical interaction between service providers and customers. Thus, this study aims to define the “new normal” for service customers and to explore the “new service design” for the hotel industry. Design/methodology/approach As most of the Southeast Asian countries heavily rely on the tourism industry, this study focuses on one of the emerging tourism destinations in this region, Malaysia. The data is collected through in-depth interviews with 17 potential national and international tourists. Findings The results suggest that considering the “new normal” for customers, there is an immediate need for the hotel industry to revamp their service design by mainly practicing disinfection and sanitation activities, re-designing overall infrastructure and introducing promotional offers. Originality/value This study is novel in its kind as it provides useful guidelines for both practitioners and academicians/researchers. Under this crucial time, very few research is conducted specifically focusing on the hotel industry and tourists’ behaviors amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will provide in-depth knowledge about tourists’ expectations from the hotel services, especially in their own voices.

Software development is a cooperative process, which relies upon the integration of knowledge spread across various domains. The shift from the industrial economy toward a decentralized knowledge-based economy has given knowledge more value and importance for organizations, which operate globally. Management of knowledge sharing activities becomes challenging and complex, specifically when operating in a globally distributed organization. The impact of “personal factors” and “environmental factors” on software developers with regard to knowledge sharing behavior in global software development organizations is an important subject, which is still not well discussed. The social cognitive theory has been utilized in the formation of the conceptual model with a focus on knowledge sharing behavior. This paper examines the impact of key factors, including “time zone difference,” “geographic distance,” “linguistic distance,” “trust,” “motivation,” and “social interaction” on knowledge sharing behavior. Self-administrative postal and online questionnaire were used as the medium of data collection. It was found that “social interaction” had the strongest impact on knowledge sharing behavior.

The purpose of this research is to develop a scale for measuring customer value co-creation attitude (CVCCA).,Scale development procedures are used for item generation, item purification and validation. Two studies are conducted. In Study 1, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis is used to generate and confirm the factorial structure of the CVCCA construct. Study 2 validates the scale on a large field sample.,The study develops a new scale for measuring CVCCA. Results suggest that CVCCA is a higher-order construct comprising three dimensions: interaction attitude, knowledge sharing attitude and responsive attitude. Additionally, experiential value significantly predicts CVCCA, which subsequently leads to customer value co-creation behaviour confirming nomological validity of the scale.,The CVCCA scale should be of interest for researchers in exploring factors and outcomes of CVCCA. The scale is useful to managers who are interested in measuring their customers’ co-creation of value attitude and their willingness to engage in value co-creation behaviour.,This is the first scale using the service logic of marketing lens. The scale is found to be a valid and reliable tool to measure customer attitude to engage in value co-creation.

Despite the high relevance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in service businesses, investigations of its influence on the cruise sector are scarce. Relying on institutional theory, this study proposes a model with cruise customers’ trust and identification as the key factors between CSR reputation and customers’ loyalty. Using data from 292 cruise customers, results support the impact of customers’ perceived CSR reputation of cruise companies on two relational constructs and loyal behavior. Only customers’ identification mediates the relationships between reputation and brand loyalty. Thus, findings suggest that cruise customers likely form high-level loyal behavior when they perceive companies’ CSR activities and their similarities with such companies. From these significant findings, the authors draw several theoretical and practical implications, including the importance of enhancing the company’s focus on its CSR reputations. This study also provides directions to promote identity strengths for enhancing the impact of CSR reputation on company performance.

Value Co-Creation (VCC) is an emerging concept that has vast applications in theory and practice. Though previous research has provided enough insights on the customers' role in VCC, relatively less research exists on employee motivation to co-create value (EMCCV) with customers. Among other reasons for such less empirical investigations, one is the unavailability of measurement scale for EMCCV. Therefore, the drive of this study is to conceptualize, develop, and validate a scale to measure EMCCV. Drawing from the expectancy theory and adapting the standard scale development procedure, this study develops EMCCV as a higher-order construct that constitutes four dimensions namely professional identity, financial motives, recognition motives, and career opportunities motives measured by 17 items. The measurement scale is developed in the context of automotive service centers; however, it has a broader application on the frontliners of all service industries and can be adapted in other service-oriented contexts. The scale is tested in a theoretical framework and has provided sound reliability, convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity.

The study examines the critical role of customer experience in determining hotel brand loyalty and the moderating role of gender, loyalty card membership, age, and critical incident recovery in this relationship. Based on a sample of 408 hotel guests and employing structural equation modeling approach, dimensions that comprise ‘customer experience with hotel brands’—hotel location, hotel staff competence, hotel stay, and ambience, hotel website and social media, and guest-to-guest experience—are found to have relative effects on hotel brand loyalty. The results contribute to hospitality realm by suggesting the moderating effect of gender, loyalty card membership, age, and critical incident recovery on customer experience-loyalty relationship. Implications for managerial practice and theory are discussed together with limitations and further research directions.

This article studies the DART model and its importance in developing actors value co-creation attitude and behavior within the firms’ micro-level ecosystem. Fifteen propositions are proposed based on the literature from service-dominant logic perspective. Two major contributions are made. First, the article provides the importance and need of co-creation between the actors such as frontline employees with internal service providers in firms’ micro-level ecosystem. Second, it highlights the dialogue, access, risk and transparency as important factors that can develop actors’ attitude towards engagement in co-creation which subsequently lead to actors’ actual engagement in co-creation. The article is conceptual and needs empirical validation.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the direct and indirect influence of brand experience on a customer's brand attitude, brand credibility and customer-based brand equity. Design/methodology/approach Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected from 400 users of mobile hand sets, using convenience sampling technique. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling procedure to test the proposed relationships in the model. Findings Findings – The results indicate that the data were a good fit to the proposed model. All the paths in the model remained statistically significant. Although, Chi square test was not significant (6.10, df, 2, p Research limitations/implications – This research investigates the proposed model for a single product category. Future researchers can test the model for other product and service categories. Also, this research only explores the three most critical outcomes of brand experience; however future researchers can incorporate satisfaction, loyalty and commitment as the possible outcome of brand experience. Practical implications – This study demonstrates that brand experience can directly and indirectly influence some of the most important concepts in branding literature. This model will help managers to understand how investments in different aspects of branding process lead towards brand differentiation. Originality/value – This research is the first of its type that incorporates brand credibility, attitude and equity as the consequences of brand experience in a single causal model.

The aim this paper is to investigate the impact of customer citizenship behavior on corporate brand experience in hypermarkets. The data were collected from 711 respondents of four hypermarkets located in five different states of Malaysia. Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling was used for the data analysis. Three dimensions of customer citizenship behavior namely helping behavior, feedback and tolerance were regressed on corporate brand experience. Findings reveal that customers' helping behavior and tolerance behavior has positive impact on corporate brand experience while customers' feedback has insignificant impact on corporate brand experience. This research is unique in its investigation as corporate brand experience as consequence of customer citizenship behavior has not been investigated in the past literature.

The research on customer citizenship behavior is getting much attention in service marketing literature. However, past researches in finding antecedents of customer citizenship behavior are limited to intrinsic value while the role of extrinsic value in customer citizenship behavior is largely ignored. The aim of this study is to fill this gap by investigating the effect of extrinsic experiential value on customer citizenship behavior. The data was collected from 800 customers of four hypermarkets located in five states of Malaysia. The covariance-based structural equation modeling approach was used to analyze the data. Findings indicate that extrinsic value has significant and positive impact on all four dimensions (feedback, helping, advocacy, tolerance) of customer citizenship behavior. The findings suggest that extrinsic value, that is, customer return on investment and service excellence, are important source for developing customer citizenship behavior. Therefore, there is dire need to focus on extrinsic value to achieve customer citizenship behavior which will subsequently lead to gain competitive advantage.

The study examines the way how plant turnaround maintenance events in companies of process-based industries were organised and managed. It was envisaged that centralisation and formalisation have significant positive relationships towards the technology employed by the companies. The primary method employed in the data collection is the questionnaire-aided sample survey. The unit of analysis of the study is the organisation of the process-based companies in Malaysia. A total of 110 questionnaires were distributed to the companies. A total of 58 responded to the questionnaires, notching a 53% response rate. Factor analysis and reliability test were performed to check the consistency of the scales employed in measuring the constructs of centralisation and formalisation. Kruskal-Wallis test was employed to test the hypotheses. The analysis highlighted that centralisation in turnaround maintenance is generally high and has no significant relationship to the plant technology employed by the companies. On the contrary, formalisation that is designed and established to shape or influence the behaviour of the organisational members has significant positive relationship to the plant technology employed by the companies. Essentially, the level of formalisation established point towards the variations in the plant technologies employed by the companies.

This study is conducted to explore the impact of creativity on yield management in the hotel industry of Pakistan. Quantitative data approach was used and data was gathered through a close-ended questionnaire by using a stratified sampling technique from 128 professionals (sample size) working in five stars, four stars and three stars hotels in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Findings indicate that the overall creativity has a significant impact on yield management and creativity is likely to emerge if employees are given a tension free environment, support by the management, rewards against successive creative ideas and opportunity for ideas sharing. Since the hotel industry in Pakistan is undergoing a process of increased competition, the adoption and implementation of yield management is therefore, identified as a very essential tool for survival. It has also been observed that, for proper yield management implementation, the hotel industry needs to focus on employees' creativity.