Modelling the significance of social media marketing activities, brand equity and loyalty to predict consumers' willingness to pay premium price for portable tech gadgets.

In order to sustain business operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all industries have to adopt online technology and social media marketing activities (SMMAs). Globally, portable tech gadgets are rapidly expanding, but empirical studies on SMMAs in relation to portable tech gadgets in Malaysia have remained scarce. Therefore, this study examined the elements of SMMAs and their influence on brand equity in terms of brand awareness (BBA) and brand image (BBI) as well as brand loyalty (BRL) and willingness to pay premium price (WPP) among Malaysian consumers of portable tech gadgets users. Five components of SMMAs, namely entertainment (ENT), interactivity (INT), trendiness (TRE), customisation (CUS), and electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM), were examined to understand how SMMAs influence BBA, BBI, BRL, and WPP. An online survey was conducted with 1332 Malaysian youths who used social media platforms maintained by portable tech gadget brands as their marketing strategies. The gathered data were evaluated using structural equation modelling. The study's results indicated the significant and positive effects of TRE, CUS, and EWOM on BBA and BBI. INT was revealed to have no significant impact on BBA and BBI. Furthermore, BBI and BBA partially mediated the relationships of the components of SMMAs with WPP. As for the theoretical underpinning, this study used the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model to connect SMMAs (as stimuli), brand equity (as organism), and BRL and WPP (as responses). This study was the first to use the S-O-R model to explore the effects of SMMAs on BRL and WPP in this sector of portable tech gadgets. The study's findings can guide portable tech gadget brands in Malaysia in redesigning and developing the most efficient strategies of SMMAs, which should be tailored to maximise revenues, even during any crisis period (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) when physical marketing activities are deemed difficult.

Predicting the Intention and Adoption of Near Field Communication Mobile Payment.

With the increasing use of mobile devices and new technologies, electronic payments, such as near field communication (NFC) mobile payments, are gaining traction and gradually replacing the currency-based cash payment methods. Despite multiple initiatives by various parties to encourage mobile payments, adoption rates in developing countries have remained low. The purpose of this research is to explore the prime determinants of NFC mobile-payment adoption intention and to develop a model of mobile payment adoption that includes perceived risk (PR) as one of the major elements by extending the UTAUT2 theory components. An online survey was used to acquire data from 370 NFC mobile payments users for the current study. To validate the components and their correlations, structural equation modelling (SEM) was implemented. According to the findings, performance expectancy (PE), hedonic motivation (HM), social influence (SI), and facilitating conditions (FC) have substantial impacts on the consumers' intentions to adopt NFC mobile payments (INFC). Effort expectancy (EE) and PR were reported to have no considerable effects on the adoption intention. In addition, INFC is revealed to be a major mediator between the associations of the actual adoption of NFC mobile payment (ANFC) with PE, HM, and SI. The findings of the study would assist providers and marketers in better understanding of the consumers' behavior, designing effective marketing strategies to enhance the consumers' positive intentions, and achieving the mass adoption of NFC mobile payments in different environmental contexts.

Industry 4.0 implementation and Triple Bottom Line sustainability: An empirical study on small and medium manufacturing firms.

BACKGROUND: The current level of industrialization has generated many challenges worldwide, including ecological hazards, climate change, and the overuse of non-renewable natural resources, thereby creating an increasing demand for achieving the goal of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). In this regard, Industry 4.0 can be used as a crunch point to contribute to the production process that can help achieve sustainable development. PURPOSE: While the Malaysian government proposed the "Industry4ward" approach to enhance technological adoption, there is scarce empirical evidence in the literature that validates SMEs for Industry 4.0. Using Dynamic Capability View (DCV), this study proposes a framework that includes core determinants like top management commitment, supply chain integration, and IT infrastructure, that can significantly influence Industry 4.0 implementation toward achieving TBL sustainability. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Employing simple random sampling, the study adopted a quantitative approach based on 199 useable respondent's feedback collected through a survey questionnaire of 900 employees from Malaysian SMEs. The statistical analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling (Partial Least Square, SmartPLS 3.3.2). FINDINGS: The results show that top management and IT infrastructure significantly impact Industry 4.0 implementation and sustainability. In contrast, the analysis also demonstrates that supply chain integration is insignificant to Industry 4.0 implementation in SMEs. The findings also indicate that the relationship between the determinants of Industry 4.0 and TBL sustainability can be mediated by the "effective implementation" of Industry 4.0. RECOMMENDATIONS: The study highlights the practical consequences of the role and use of the determinants in Industry 4.0 implementation. Its findings help managers and policy-makers to optimize value creation to achieve sustainable development goals. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH: Focusing only on Malaysian manufacturing SMEs may restrict the generalization of the study; thus, a benchmarking analysis from other industrial settings is encouraged. The questionnaire-based survey is a further limitation of the study.

The implications of Industry 4.0 on supply chains amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.

Background: COVID-19 has caused significant disruptions in supply chains. It has increased the demand for products and decreased the supply of raw materials. This has interrupted many production processes. The emerging technologies of Industry 4.0 have the potential to streamline supply chains by improving time-sensitive customized solutions during this emergency. Purpose: This research examines the effects of the epidemic on supply chains and how these effects are reduced through Industry 4.0 technology. Design/methodology/approach: An extensive literature review using the "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" method was carried out on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on supply chains and Industry 4.0 technologies. The study was undertaken by selecting keywords validated by experts and a search was conducted in the Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases. Publications from the leading journals on these topics were selected. The bibliographical search resulted in 1484 articles followed by multiple layers of filtering. Finally, the most pertinent articles were selected for reviewing, and a total of 53 articles were analysed. Findings: This study discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain and how the emerging technologies of Industry 4.0 can help manufacturers to ease the impact. These technologies will enhance the production system through the automation and optimization of production flow convergence, enabling efficiencies and improvements among the suppliers, manufacturers, and consumers in the COVID-19 situation. Originality/value: The study summarizes the impact of the COVID-19 on supply chains and shows the potential of Industry 4.0 technologies to lessen the impact on manufacturing supply chains. This is valuable information for policymakers and practitioners so that they can get insights and take necessary actions.