ABSTRACT
One of the most pressing issues affecting people worldwide is the accessibility of financial services in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. While peoples' adoption of technological advancements has spiraled over time, the acceptance of Fintech services edged up for instilling resilience during the pandemic. Hence, the study aims at exhuming the Fintech adoption for sustainable financial inclusion among young undergraduate users through the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. To test the model, the researchers obtained data from 375 undergrads. The study adopted the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach in AMOS software to examine the determinants that affect the users to embrace Fintech services. The findings revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions significantly influence the students' intention to use Fintech, whereas, the users' facilitating condition and behavioral purposes positively influence them to use the financial technology. Interestingly, the social influence and personal innovativeness did not affect their intention to accept and adopt Fintech. Therefore, the study results will help explore the expectations, preferences, and actual level of use of Fintech among undergraduates and contribute to the escalation of Fintech use, leading to sustainable financial inclusion.
ABSTRACT
Medical tourism, a thriving industry encompassing both healthcare and tourism sectors, has experienced exponential growth over the past decades. The intensifying competition within the global market necessitates a closer examination of the pivotal role played by the perceptions of medical tourists in their decision-making process regarding health destination visits. Thus, this study aims to explore the interplay between international medical tourists' perceptions of health resort attractions and their expectations, while also investigating the mediating effect (expectations) of these perceptions on their behavioral intentions to seek medical and healthcare treatments in a Malaysian health resort. Drawing on the Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this research employed a quantitative research method, surveying 386 international medical tourists. The distribution of the survey questionnaire utilized the online internet email method. The study employed the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method to examine the hypothesized relationships. The results conclusively support the positive influence of health resort attractions on international medical tourists' expectations and behavioral intentions. Consequently, this study provides valuable implications for the future growth and development of the health resort and medical tourism industry in Malaysia.
