2023 I-iECONS

As Malaysia now facing many problems like high living cost, unemployment, natural disaster, corruption and high crime rate, adopting Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) standards and practices is a must by every business entity. For large company like public listed companies (PLCs), complying with ESG not a huge problem due to their size and nature of business that directly impact the ESG elements. However, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) find difficulties to meet ESG rigorous standards due to lack of fund, expertise, and knowledge. Besides, it is not feasible for them to meet all the requirements due to their small size and narrow nature of business. Thus, the objective of this paper is to discuss the problems and challenges faced by MSMEs to adopt ESG at every level of their business operations.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the leaders’ work ethics from Islamic perspectives towards sustaining the performance of the business organisations. A conceptual discussion based on the character of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) which sourced mainly from Quran and Sunnah was provided, particularly from the prophetic character namely Siddiq (truthfulness). In addition, this paper also examines and reviews prior studies on directors’ work ethics and ethics from various religious viewpoints. Based on Quran and Sunnah, this paper suggest that the current corporate governance and integrity problems among the directors of the corporate company can be resolved by focusing on the characters and virtues as guided by the Quran and shown by the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The outcome of this paper contributes in way of it can be used and applied by the firm and policy makers to construct a comprehensive ethical guideline that based on the prophethood virtues and values.

The recent pandemic crisis that occurred across the globe has changed the way human lives including the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). However, the adoption of technology due to the crisis in financial function is still under research, knowing that Malaysia is an emerging country that still lag behind in responding to Industrial Revolution 4.0. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the current state of technology adoption by the finance professional and their determinants to adopt technology, specifically financial technology (Fintech) in the workplace. To achieve these purposes, questionnaires were distributed online to collect the information. It comprises three sections namely demographic information, information on respondents’ experience and knowledge on Fintech and finally the factors that affect users’ intention to use Fintech. This research adopted the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) theoretical framework as a theoretical foundation of the study. The findings showed that while the respondents are considered as highly experienced and heavy technology users, they have a moderate knowledge of technology. In addition, performance expectancy, behavioral intention and attitude are the biggest influence for them to adopt Fintech in the workplace. This finding shows that many finance professionals in Malaysia do not refuse to revolutionize their work process by transforming their job tools from manual-based to computerized operation and use more sophisticated devices.