Entrepreneurial training is one of the key elements that address poverty among the B40 (i.e., the lower-income group) in Malaysia. However, the results of accomplishing the introduced training program have not been proven empirically. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of agropreneur training in sustainable agropreneurship involvement in Malaysia. The four-level Kirkpatrick model and the self-regulation theory have been adopted in this study. A total of 200 respondents participated in a survey a year after the implementation of the program. The respondents perceived that the training program has been a success. The results showed a strong relationship between certain measures of reaction and learning regarding the respondents’ behaviour. More importantly, training has led to significant behavioural changes, which contributed to people’s continuous involvement in agropreneurship. The results have also shown that effective entrepreneurship training has created a significant, positive impact on rural agropreneur sustainability among the participants.

This paper analyses 98 articles from the 10th International Islamic Economic System Conference (I-iECONS2023) e-proceedings, covering themes, types, authorships, contributions, and keywords. Key themes include Islamic Social Finance, Zakat, Wakaf, Takaful, Business, Management, and Leadership. Most articles are extended abstracts, primarily multi-authored, with Abdul Rauf Ridzuan as the top contributor. Malaysian authors and USIM researchers dominate the contributions. Articles are short, mostly in English, with a higher proportion of female authors. Popular keywords are “Malaysia,” “Waqf,” “Environmental,” “Sustainable Development,” and “Fintech.” The paper provides valuable insights for researchers and policymakers in Islamic economics and social finance.

Training in the agricultural sector has been set as a continuing government agenda to educate people in rural areas. This study aims to identify several determinants that play a key role in developing sustainable agropreneurs in the Bottom 40 (B40) group in Perak, Malaysia. To this end, data were collected from 200 participants in the Agropreneur Community Training Program (ACTP). A quantitative research method was used for describing and analysing the collected data. The results showed that an internal factor, which was the agropreneurs’ attitudes towards behaviour, displayed a significant positive relationship with the expansion of the farm. As for the external factors, the results showed that family support and social networking have a significant positive relationship with increased income. Moreover, the results revealed that subjective norms exhibited a significant negative relationship with increasing income. Accordingly, more representative samples are required to verify the results of the postulated relationships between the internal and external factors of becoming a sustainable agropreneur in rural areas. The agricultural sector has become a pressing global concern, with issues such as natural disasters, wars, and climate change. Thus, the results of this study provide several theoretical and practical insights for government agencies, especially in developing countries, to execute more viable training programs for agropreneurs.

Muslim-friendly destination has become popular tourist attractions, providing visitors with the opportunity to explore the unique aspects of Islam. This growing interest presents an opportunity for industry players to shift the trend of tourism offerings. In this regard, homestay programme has the potential to become Muslim-friendly destinations for tourists. However, it is essential to determine to what extent Shariah-compliant practices should guide homestay operators in providing Muslim-friendly destinations. Hence, the objectiveof this study isto investigate the criteria that need to be considered to ensure Shariah compliance. Qualitative research techniques, such as in-depth interviews with coordinatorsof selected homestay programmes will be used to achieve the study objective. The results of thisinterview will be analysedusing thematic analysis techniques. The outcome of this study will serve as a benchmark for industry stakeholders in developing strategies for homestay programme development. Moreover, the criteria developed in this research will offer a shariah-compliant guide for promoting Muslim-friendly destinations in Malaysia. This is in line with the National Tourism Policy’s (DPN 2020-2030) objectives of achieving competitiveness, sustainability, inclusivity, and global recognition as a Muslim-friendly destination.

The inception of technology in the financial world has spawned many innovative financial activities, including crowdfunding. Since the emergence of crowdfunding, fundraising activities have flourished, enabling the implementation of many innovative projects and businesses, including agricultural projects. However, it is a major challenge for a crowdfunding platform to maintain the flow of donations. Most crowdfunding platforms lose half of their donors after their first donation. Therefore, this study proposes the use of gamification to increase and maintain individuals' donations on a crowdfunding platform. In addition, this study also examines the role of user experience as a mediating variable between gamification and donor intention on the crowdfunding platform. Data for this research were collected through a survey using a structured, self-administered questionnaire and involving 148 Muslim donors. Hypothesis testing revealed that gamification positively influences user experience, but not donation intention on a crowdfunding platform. Meanwhile, user experience successfully plays a mediating role. Thus, the results lead to a discussion on the justification of using gamification and suggestions for future research.

The economy of rural communities is commonly associated with agriculture. Hence, many farming initiatives are organised by government agencies to enhance the socioeconomic status of rural communities, wherein raising the income and standard of living in the Bottom 40 group (B40) is the primary objective of most programmes. This paper presents a robust framework based on the entrepreneurship training courses called the Agropreneurship Community Training Programme (ACTP) conducted by the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) and Yayasan Kemajuan Sosial Malaysia (YKSM). The study assessed the effectiveness of ACTP based on the four-level training model initiated by Kirkpatrick (1959), which is composed of reaction, learning, behaviour and result. The assessment involved 200 participants in Bagan Serai, Perak. A four-level training framework model was developed based on the categorisation derived from factor analysis. A higher mean value for each assessment level and increments to the respondent’s income indicated the effectiveness of the programme. Evidently, the model appears to be suitable for assessing rural agropreneur training, and future work may apply a similar model in the design and delivery of entrepreneurship curriculums.

Innovation is an important aspect for all sectors including the tourism sector. The challenging external environment forced businesses to innovate for continuously competitive. Accordingly, improvement and creating new product should be implemented in line with the tourist desire. The rural Homestay Program is one of the unique activities and has the potential to grow in tourism. This study intends to explore the implementation of product innovations in this program on the East Coast Federation of Malaya, Malaysia. Two Homestay programs were selected based on the high performance of tourist arrivals in 2016 and have a uniqueness of the packages offered. A qualitative approach using a face-to-face interview has been done with the Homestay’s coordinators. The findings show that the Homestay programs have implemented the product innovation in terms of accommodation, activity packages and enterprises. This result can be used by the industry to upgrade the program Homestay in Malaysia as an effort to increase competitive advantage through innovation.

Innovation is an important aspect in tourism sector. The increasingly challenging external environment is forcing businesses to innovate for continuously competitive. Homestay program is a form of rural tourism activity that has its own uniqueness and potential to contribute to the socio -economic development among local community. However, lack of awareness on the importance of innovation implementation can lead to the failure of some homestay programs. This study aims to explore the capability of product innovation implementation; and had identified determinant factors that influence innovation implementation in homestay program. In total, eight homestay programs at Peninsular Malaysia were selected based on several criteria. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the homestays’ coordinators and the collected data were analysed using content analysis technique. Results have shown that the most significant product innovation implemented are the improvement of accommodation quality, uniqueness of rural activity packages and small-medium enterprises development. There are four determinant factors were found including market orientation, entrepreneurial spirit, government supports and knowledge. This result can be used by industry players as a benchmark to upgrade the other program homestay in Malaysia to be more successful.

A lack of awareness among homestay operators regarding the significance of innovation implementation contributes to the incompetence of some homestay programmes. This study intends to investigate the types of innovative homestay programmes that were implemented to be sustainable and competitive in the advanced sector. This study applied the qualitative approach, in which in-depth interviews were conducted with the homestay coordinators focused on the impact of innovation implementation, and the collected data were analysed using the content analysis technique. There were seven registered homestay programmes with fourteen respondents on the East Coast of Malaysia which met the criteria of this study. The results indicated that the homestay programmes have adopted product innovation regarding lodging, activity packages, and businesses. According to the findings, homestay programmes have four types of innovation: (1) product and service innovation; (2) marketing innovation; (3) management innovation; and (4) process innovation. This study will aid in enhancing the quality of the accommodation experience for homestay visitors and will guide the sustainable growth of the homestay business. This research contributes to the body of knowledge through the innovation types of homestay programmes. This finding is beneficial to the industry players as a benchmark for stakeholders in planning the strategies of homestay programme development.

A Muslim-friendly destination is not only a great attraction for Muslim tourists but also a popular destination for tourists from different religions that keen to explore the uniqueness of Islam. The growing interest among tourists offered an opportunity to change the current scene of the tourism industry in Malaysia, especially for the homestay program, a door to cultural tourism products. Indeed, the Muslim-friendly destination concept has contributed to the income generation of the tourism industry in Malaysia. However, the challenging environment has forced businesses to innovate in order to remain globally competitive in line with the development of the homestay program. Interestingly, the literature review analysis revealed that innovation is pivotal in the development of homestay program. Therefore, this study highlights the innovation implementation in homestay program that directly contribute to the concept of Muslim-friendly homestay. An in-depth interview conducted with the selected homestay coordinator uncover that the innovation includes three elements, namely privacy and safety, facility and environment, and cleanliness and comfort. This outcome is beneficial to the industry stakeholders as it serves as a benchmark for them in planning the strategies for homestay program development. Moreover, the Muslim-friendly homestay concept in Malaysia has contributed greatly to the growth of cultural tourism. It can be concluded that the implementation of the innovation is mutually beneficial, i.e., for Muslim homestay operators and tourists from Malaysia and around the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a shift in payment approaches, with a preference for e-wallets. Despite their potential, Malaysians lag in adopting e-wallets. It is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the factors influencing e-wallet adoption, especially through Gen Z. Therefore, we conducted this study using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework to explore the factors influencing e-wallet adoption among Gen Z. Interviews with eight members of Gen Z reveal that advantages like time savings and the ability to manage and monitor transactions drive the adoption of the e-wallet payment method. Emergent themes, such as government incentives and the convenience of donating, further delineate the adoption of e-wallets. The adoption of e-wallets will eventually promote sustainable consumption by replacing cash transactions and reducing carbon emissions due to the reduced physical transit of financial resources. This study enhances the UTAUT and suggests prospective avenues for the growth of e-wallets in Malaysia. Practically, the findings are advantageous for financial service providers that are enhancing their e-wallets, as well as for government initiatives to transition to a cashless society and ultimately achieve sustainable development goals.