Siti Hasnah Hassan

Live-streamed online knowledge payment (OKP), where creators sell expertise in real time through speech, is a major digital-service market, yet creators lack evidence on how fast to speak. Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) as an interpretive lens, we examine associations among speech rate, two behavioral engagement indices (attentional engagement, measured by viewer dwell time, and affective engagement, measured by likes and emoji), and purchase-link clicks in 526 no-presenter Douyin knowledge sessions, with speech rate measured by automated speech recognition. Two findings stand out. First, both engagement indices have an inverted-U association with speech rate, strongest at intermediate rates, and formal endpoint tests reject a uniformly positive relationship (p < 0.001), although the curvature weakens once the sparse fastest sessions are removed. Second, the affective index has a standardized association with purchase-link clicks about 2.5 times that of the attentional index (difference = 0.180, 95% CI [0.071, 0.287]), a behavioral pattern we call affective primacy. Because the design is observational, we present the ELM reading and the role of transactional time pressure as interpretation rather than tested mechanism, and we note that the turning points are imprecise and sensitive to the rare fastest sessions. The study contributes calibrated, reproducible evidence that speaking faster is not uniformly better and that real-time affective response tracks clicking more closely than sustained attention does.

The research examines the effects of the indicated appealing features of Food Delivery Applications (FDAs) on consumer attitudes and habitual engagement, thereby leading to unintended food waste. The study surveyed 412 common users of the FDA in Malaysia via Google Forms, and the analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Path Modeling. The results indicate a strong relationship between the appealing characteristics of FDA, such as qualities, visuals, the reviews and comments made by customers, and the number of choices available, which will result in an inclination to make hasty orders that may lead to food wastage. The pleasant qualities of the apps may reinforce habit formation and impulsivity, leading to overorders and, eventually, food waste. Furthermore, the findings provide information for relevant stakeholders, including academicians, policymakers, the food industry, and providers of FDA services. The study highlights the need for the FDA to include features that encourage sustainable consumption patterns and reduce food waste in Malaysia, where food waste has been increasing. Also, policymakers and industry players may collaborate to develop strategies to minimize food waste and promote responsible consumption.

As one of the fastest-growing marketing channels, live streaming uses grassroots influencers and established celebrities to drive user engagement and sales. However, the effectiveness of these two types of streamers and the reasons behind their performance difference have not been fully examined. Based on a dual-study design using 15-month panel data ( N = 1,350) and survey data ( N = 530), this research reveals that influencer streamers can achieve higher sales than celebrities. This result is mediated by higher user engagement, perceived similarity, and perceived credibility. Meanwhile, a high product variety can decrease the performance gap between the two types of streamers. This study extends Trans-Parasocial Relationship theory to TPSR-LSC framework for the first time to explore the underlying mechanism through which streamer type influences consumer behavior in the context of live streaming commerce and makes further contributions by identifying the contextual boundary of product diversity. This study contributes to both theory and practice implications in the continuously evolving field of live commerce.

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractDigital menu systems have revolutionized restaurant operations by catering to consumers’ demand for convenience and personalized dining experiences. However, the performance of the ordering system varies across restaurants, making it essential to understand how digital menu system satisfaction influences key drivers of dining experience. Cross-sectional, self-administered online survey (convenience sampling) was conducted among 448 Malaysian restaurant patrons from December 2023 to May 2025 to capture recent dining behavior. Respondents were recruited from a broad range of income groups and dining contexts across urban, suburban, and rural areas in Malaysia, encompassing experiences at low-cost casual eateries, mid-range family, chain restaurants, and upscale venues, thereby capturing socioeconomic variation. The study examines the relationship between performance expectancy, effort expectancy, visual appeal, and perceived engagement, as well as their impact on restaurant loyalty, with the moderating role of satisfaction with digital menu systems. The analysis, conducted using Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) in SmartPLS 4, assessed the relationships between variables. The results show that performance expectancy (β = 0.173, p < 0.002), effort expectancy (β = 0.208, p < 0.001), visual appeal (β = 0.262, p < .001), and perceived engagement (β = 0.189, p < 0.001) positively predict restaurant loyalty, explaining R² = 57% of variance in loyalty. Nevertheless, digital menu system satisfaction moderates only the relationship between visual appeal and restaurant loyalty (interaction β = 0.089, p = 0.042). The findings demonstrate that well-designed digital menu systems enhance order accuracy, navigation, and decision-making, highlighting the importance of functionality and visual design in fostering customer loyalty.AcknowledgmentThe authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia through the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme with Project Code: FRGS/1/2022/SS01/USM/02/11.

TikTok usage trends are continually evolving, and young Muslims’ experiences and preferences on the platform may vary across different countries, cultures, and individual contexts. This study examines the impact of TikTok gratification on the psychological well-being and life satisfaction of Malaysian Muslims aged 18-24. Utilizing survey methods and purposive snowballing, data from 350 participants were analyzed via SmartPLS 4.0. The findings indicate that socially rewarding self-presentation, trendiness, and escapist addiction significantly influenced self-gratification, positively contributing to psychological well-being and life satisfaction within this demographic. The research highlights TikTok's potential for young Muslims to express creativity, embrace cultural identity, and promote positive Islamic representations. These insights are valuable for policymakers, psychologists, NGOs, educators, and content creators seeking to enhance the well-being and empowerment of young Muslim users in the digital era. This study offers new insights into TikTok gratification and its effects on psychological well-being and life satisfaction in the Muslim-majority nations.

Purpose: Virtual influencers (VIs) are a rising force in shaping online user engagement and consumer behavior because, unlike traditional influencers, a VI offers freedom for creativity and provides unique opportunities for brands to control their messaging and advertisements meticulously. Therefore, this study investigates the influence of VI’s attributes, including interest similarity, language similarity, physical attractiveness, social attractiveness, and attitude homophily, on their credibility perception and parasocial interaction (PSI) and, subsequently, their effect on willingness to follow recommendations and intention to purchase fashion products promoted by these digital personas on Instagram. Design/methodology/approach: This study collected primary data from 332 Indian Instagram followers of virtual influencers using a structured questionnaire. Subsequently, the analysis was performed using structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings: The perceived credibility of VIs was significantly influenced by their social attractiveness, physical attractiveness, and attitude homophily, while users’ PSI with VIs was significantly influenced by interest similarity, language similarity, physical attractiveness, and attitude homophily. Furthermore, the study found that willingness to follow VI’s recommendations is influenced by credibility and parasocial interaction, while intention to purchase fashion products is influenced by credibility alone. Originality/value: There is a dearth of studies that explore the influence of VI’s attributes and characteristics on social media users’ behavioral intentions in the context of fashion products. Therefore, this study addresses this gap by exploring the persuasive power of VIs on Instagram through the lens of the CASA framework.

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is driving a technological revolution, significantly impacting education, with universities as primary beneficiaries. This study explores the varied use of GenAI among university users in Malaysia, examining its challenges and effects across different demographic groups. A mixed-methods approach, including literature review content analysis, and a survey of 290 respondents, was used, analyzed with tools such as SPSS 27, and NVivo. The findings show widespread GenAI use, particularly among younger users (under 25), as revealed by one-way ANOVA testing, which rejected the null hypothesis that age does not affect engagement. No significant gender differences were found, though users with a bachelor’s degree were more engaged than those with higher degrees. The study also found no strong link between the duration of AI experience or weekly usage hours and engagement, although a trend suggests increased usage leads to higher engagement. The study highlights six negative impacts of excessive GenAI use, including weakened interpersonal communication skills, potential declines in academic performance, increased stress from dependency on technology, the undermining of traditional educational methods, encouragement of academic dishonesty, and loss of learning motivation and engagement. To address these issues, the research introduces practical guidelines and recommendations including promoting self-regulation, establishing GenAI policy frameworks, and enhancing AI literacy and community engagement.

HRMARS is well established journal publisher based in Pakistan. It is publishing prominent journals in social sciences since 2011.

HRMARS is well established journal publisher based in Pakistan. It is publishing prominent journals in social sciences since 2011.

Purpose: Food waste, a global conundrum with adverse socioeconomic and environmental implications, occurs when more money is spent on food during occasions akin to Ramadan. This study examines the moderating role of antecedents (festive experience, nostalgic food memory, perceived scarcity, and religiosity) to understand the impacts of excessive food buying on Ramadan food waste.Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey was performed with a self-administered questionnaire using Google Forms to gather data on social media. Notably, 349 valid responses were analysed via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4 for model development and hypothesis testing.Findings: Festive experience, nostalgic memory, and perceived food scarcity could explain excessive buying behaviour. In this vein, excessive food buying contributed to Ramadan food waste. Meanwhile, religiosity was found to moderate excessive food-buying behaviour.Practical implications: The empirical findings offered useful insights for practitioners and policymakers to implement optimal marketing strategies and interventions that improve responsible consumption and minimise food waste.Originality/value: This study provided a sound understanding of consumer buying behaviour during Ramadan regarding food waste and overconsumption. The current work delineated the role of descriptive, injunctive norms and cognitive dissonance in shaping buying behaviour during Ramadan.