The World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed the contagious COVID-19 disease brought on by the coronavirus to be a pandemic on March 11, 2020. In Brunei Darussalam, the Omicron variant has replaced the Delta variant as the predominant variant since 2021, leading to a weekly case count of 29,402 cases with 156 deaths in the week ending March 6, 2022. As a result, Brunei has started the COVID-19 National Vaccination Program (NVP), which was conducted in three phases based on different demographic groups. Brunei Darussalam believes that these vaccines will protect the priority groups that it has identified. The government has made numerous attempts to stop COVID-19 from spreading by adopting a "herd immunity" strategy, in which at least 70-75% of the population gets immunized. The main objective of this study is to learn about the Brunei population’s perceptions and understanding of the necessity and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. A cross-sectional online questionnaire was distributed to 250 local Muslim respondents using Google Forms. SPSS was used to conduct descriptive statistical analyses [frequency (%)] to represent the characteristics of respondents as well as their perceptions of the necessity and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination. Based on the data analysis, the majority of the respondents (61.6%) agree on the necessity of taking COVID-19 vaccination will indirectly inhibit viral spread, while 62.4% have neutral views on the vaccine’s efficacy. Therefore, the relevant parties should play a role in building trust in vaccine safety and boosting understanding of the vaccine’s necessity and efficacy.

Purpose of the study: The first objective of this research is to evaluate the overall situation of business excellence (BE) in Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia. The second objective is to assess the factors influencing business excellence among halal industry organizations in those two countries. The significance of this study is to identify the challenges faced by SMEs in achieving continuous improvement and performance excellence. Methodology: The population of this study is organizations providing halal products and services in Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia. A total of 100 questionnaires inquiring the seven criteria of BE have been distributed to SME owners, regardless of their positions in the industry. Based on the responses received by the researchers, only 25 organizations in Brunei Darussalam and 41 in Malaysia offer a variety of products and services in the market. The collected data were analysed using situation analysis and multiple regressions to accomplish the research objectives. Main Findings: The research found that two companies were in the Intermediate Stage of Good Practice Achiever. However, both countries are still a long way from achieving BE, and even a longer way from reaching a mature stage. The research also found that BE practice was more prevalent in the halal industry of Malaysia than that in Brunei Darussalam. In Malaysia, ‘process’ had a positive and significant effect on competitive advantage, while Brunei Darussalam's strengths came from ‘information’ and ‘people’. Novelty of the study: This paper highlights the strengths of Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia in promoting BE in the halal industry. Through the measures, business excellence could potentially create greater added value and impact. The challenges are to increase the business capacity with significant collaboration between agencies, industries and universities in both countries.

Purpose of the study: The first objective of this research is to evaluate the overall situation of business excellence (BE) in Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia. The second objective is to assess the factors influencing business excellence among halal industry organizations in those two countries. The significance of this study is to identify the challenges faced by SMEs in achieving continuous improvement and performance excellence. Methodology: The population of this study is organizations providing halal products and services in Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia. A total of 100 questionnaires inquiring the seven criteria of BE have been distributed to SME owners, regardless of their positions in the industry. Based on the responses received by the researchers, only 25 organizations in Brunei Darussalam and 41 in Malaysia offer a variety of products and services in the market. The collected data were analysed using situation analysis and multiple regressions to accomplish the research objectives. Main Findings: The research found that two companies were in the Intermediate Stage of Good Practice Achiever. However, both countries are still a long way from achieving BE, and even a longer way from reaching a mature stage. The research also found that BE practice was more prevalent in the halal industry of Malaysia than that in Brunei Darussalam. In Malaysia, ‘process’ had a positive and significant effect on competitive advantage, while Brunei Darussalam's strengths came from ‘information’ and ‘people’. Novelty of the study: This paper highlights the strengths of Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia in promoting BE in the halal industry. Through the measures, business excellence could potentially create greater added value and impact. The in both countries.