Journal of Business and Economic Analysis

This study aims to investigate elements associated with consumer behavior towards the demand for halal logistics, namely concern about halal (COHA), knowledge of halal (KNHA), awareness of halal logistics (AWHL), and perceptions of halal logistics (PEHL). This research applied a quantitative methodology that gathered primary data from Muslim consumers residing in Brunei Darussalam. Data were collected using an online self-administrated survey questionnaire, and regression and correlation analyses were tested to investigate the proposed hypotheses. The result demonstrates that COHA, KNHA, AWHL, and PEHL constructs significantly influence demand for halal logistics (DEHL). All four elements show a medium to strong positive correlation with the dependent variable, inferring that the independent variables and the DEHL construct are closely related or associated — suggesting that an increase in the independent variables will increase DEHL and vice versa. This research does not fully represent the general consumers in Brunei markets as this research solely focuses on Muslims. Future research on non-Muslim consumers might be an option to give a bigger picture of the need for halal logistics in Brunei Darussalam. This study is beneficial to relevant stakeholders such as halal businesses, logistics service providers (LSP), policymakers, and consumers to reconsider the extent of halal logistics in not only safeguarding halal integrity across the logistics chain but also its significance in shaping continuous and viable demands in the pursuit of competitive advantage. This paper is among the first attempts to investigate Muslim consumer demand for halal logistics in Brunei, considering that past research focused heavily on Malaysian and Indonesian markets. This paper could contribute to future theoretical and empirical studies and suggest practical initiatives towards relevant stakeholders.

This study delves into the intricate web of variables influencing entrepreneurial intentions among graduate students at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). Despite a decline in Malaysia’s overall unemployment rate, the employability of graduates has emerged as a pressing concern. Ministry of Education reported in The Graduate Tracer Malaysia 2019 that a substantial 60% of Malaysian graduates remain unemployed a year post-graduation. In light of this context, the research identifies and examines five crucial antecedents that shape entrepreneurial intentions. Employing a comprehensive survey, each variable — knowledge, environment, subjective norm, attitude, perceived behavioral control, and entrepreneurial intention — is meticulously gauged using a 7-point interval scale. Employing the drop-off/pick-up method, 250 questionnaires were disseminated, yielding 206 completed responses. The collected data underwent rigorous analysis employing structural equation modeling (SEM) thru the application of AMOS 20 software. This paper not only presents the empirical findings but also engenders a nuanced discussion around them, thus paving the way for prospective directions of future study.

The rise of central bank independence (CBI) raises questions regarding the importance of CBI for economic growth. Where conventional theory focuses on the link between CBI and inflation as the common primary objective of any central bank is price stability, this paper explores the theoretical framework of CBI while making the connections to the potential impact it could have on economic growth especially in the context of the ASEAN region. Hence, the aim of this paper is to investigate the relevance of the CBI in the ASEAN region in comparison to the existing literature. Observing nine countries in the ASEAN region across 1996 to 2017, and using the Feasible Generalized Least Squares Method, the study found that the legal CBI has positive impact on economic growth, while the de facto CBI is not significant. The finding raises questions regarding how the economic agents perceive aspects of the CBI.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. However, urbanization and energy supply are essential to the ASEAN economy. This study examines the effects of CO₂ emissions and urban population on GDP per capita in 10 ASEAN countries from 1995 to 2021. Furthermore, ASEAN countries are divided into three income groups. According to the results of this study’s panel data analysis, urban population, and CO₂ emissions per capita have a positive effect on GDP per capita, respectively. However, both urban population and CO₂ emissions per capita reduce GDP per capita. While CO₂ emissions per capita and GDP per capita have a negative relationship in low- and high-income countries, the urban population positively impacts GDP per capita across the ASEAN region’s income levels. In low- and high-income countries, urban population, and CO₂ emissions per capita have a positive impact on GDP per capita.

The aim of this research is to examine how the daily growth in COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths in 15 African nations affects stock market returns, employing both time series and panel methods. This study uses robust ordinary least squares (ROLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) for time series. It uses Pooled OLS, Fixed Effects, Feasible Generalized Least Squares, Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS), and panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) with respect to panel data. These methodologies help in addressing some econometric issues regarding the relationship between COVID-19 confirmed cases, deaths and stock returns in the panel of 15 African nations, which enhances our research and findings. The effects of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths on stock returns are not uniform among countries, according to the results of a time series analysis. Precisely, the rise of COVID-19 confirmed cases has had a detrimental impact on stock returns in nations including Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco, Uganda, and Zambia. Similarly, COVID-19 confirmed deaths have a detrimental impact on the stock returns of nations like Botswana, Morocco, and Zambia. Even though COVID-19 confirmed cases have a negative impact on stock returns in the 15 African countries that make up the panel study, this effect is not statistically significant except when FGLS is applied. In a similar vein, stock returns in African nations are not significantly impacted by COVID-19 confirmed deaths. The results of FEVD support these findings. According to IRF findings, stock returns respond unfavorably to the shock of COVID-19 confirmed cases. The negative, nevertheless, quickly subsided as stock returns bounced back to positive returns until eventually reaching equilibrium. The stock returns, on the other hand, initially respond favorably to the shock of the COVID-19 confirmed deaths, then take a negative turn before returning to normal returns. Our study emphasizes the significance of examining each country’s socioeconomic response to the COVID-19 epidemic rather than grouping countries together.