The rapid development of digital technology has made the ability to utilize digital tools in managing business and marketing processes increasingly critical for the growth and survival of asnaf entrepreneurs. Therefore, asnaf entrepreneurs must develop the readiness to adopt digital technology in their increasingly competitive and dynamic business operations. This study aims to explore the level of digital technology adoption and the readiness to use such technologies among asnaf entrepreneurs, guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework. This study employed a survey-based data collection method, whereby questionnaires were distributed to asnaf entrepreneurs classified under the poor and needy categories who had received business capital assistance from the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Religious Council (MAINS) through the Asnaf Entrepreneurship Programme. Descriptive statistical analysis and One-Way ANOVA were utilized to analyze the collected data. The findings indicate that both the usage of digital technology and the readiness to adopt it are at moderate levels. ANOVA analysis reveals that both skills readiness and cognitive readiness are significantly related to the level of digital technology usage. These results highlight the need for targeted training programs to enhance the digital competencies of asnaf entrepreneurs. Strengthening these capabilities will enable them to better leverage digital tools for business sustainability and expansion. The study also supports the first goal of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of poverty elimination through optimization of zakat resources in the form of productive distribution and recent technology.

Social enterprises play a vital role in addressing social challenges by combining commercial operations with social value creation. In Malaysia, cooperatives are key actors within this sector but face persistent challenges in obtaining Social Enterprise (SE) accreditation. This study explores the institutional misalignment between cooperative organizational logic and existing SE accreditation frameworks. Drawing on qualitative interviews with six cooperative representatives, the analysis identifies five core barriers: fundamental misalignment, cooperative leadership and governance, application technicalities, accreditation system, and managerial capability. Across these categories, eleven specific thematic barriers highlight how accreditation criteria grounded in business-oriented social enterprise logics may insufficiently account for cooperative organizational principles, governance structures, and operational realities. The study contributes to cooperative organization and management literature by empirically demonstrating that accreditation challenges faced by cooperatives stem less from organizational incapacity and more from structural misalignment between cooperative institutional logics and standardized social enterprise frameworks. By positioning cooperatives as historically distinct yet socially driven organizational forms, the findings underscore the need for more context-sensitive accreditation approaches that recognise cooperative identity while maintaining accountability and legitimacy within the social enterprise ecosystem. While grounded in the Malaysian context, the findings offer analytically generalisable insights into institutional tensions between cooperative organisational logics and standardised social enterprise frameworks in emerging economies.

Digital innovation is progressively transforming the way organizations handle supply chain operations, especially with the use of technologies like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Specifically, the objectives of this study are to identify the factors shaping digital innovation adoption in inventory management and analyse how inventory visibility conditions the sustainability value of such innovation. A qualitative basic inquiry design was employed, using semi-structured interviews with twelve managers directly involved in inventory-related decision-making, including retail, warehouse, finance, and transportation managers. Data were analysed thematically through manual coding. The results indicate that the adoption of digital innovation for some organizations depends on the economic performance of their business. The research also reveals that digital innovation can improve supply chain sustainability through waste reduction, cost efficiency, and supply stability, but only when supported by organizational readiness and transparent information sharing. This result reinforces the holistic view that digital transformation is a socio-organizational process and is not subject to technical considerations alone. Inventory management is not merely an internal technical activity but also a practical mechanism, namely the ability to implement digital innovation, which demonstrates effectiveness in supporting sustainable supply chain outcomes.

Social businesses provide market-based mechanisms to address social challenges, particularly in developing economies where entrepreneurship is promoted as a tool for poverty alleviation. Type II social businesses operate by optimising available resources to enable marginalised individuals to run micro-scale enterprises that fulfil their socially defined needs. This study examines how internal resources at the individual level namely entrepreneurial competencies, digital technology application, attitudes, religiosity, and capital availability influence the performance of Type II social businesses through organisational-level internal resources that are appropriate to micro-scale enterprises, specifically Individual Entrepreneurial Orientation (IEO) and entrepreneurial behaviours (EB). Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV), the study conceptualises IEO and EB as organisational mechanisms through which individual-level resources are transformed into financial and nonfinancial performance outcomes within the context of Type II social businesses. Data were collected through surveys from participants in one of the zakat-based entrepreneurship programmes in Malaysia and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that IEO and EB significantly enhance non-financial performance, while financial performance is only weakly influenced. Entrepreneurial competencies indirectly affect non-financial outcomes through IEO, whereas religiosity shapes non-financial performance through EB. These results highlight that marginalised entrepreneurs leverage individual-level intangible resources through simple yet effective organisational practices to achieve meaningful socio-economic outcomes, prioritising nonfinancial indicators such as self-esteem and self-actualisation over financial gains. This study contributes to the social entrepreneurship literature by extending the RBV to account for multi-level internal resources in marginalised micro-enterprise and poverty alleviation contexts.

Malaysia’s introduction of a Social Enterprise (SE) accreditation framework represents a significant step toward institutionalizing the SE sector. While cooperatives, given their long-standing commitment to member welfare, collective action, and community development, appear conceptually aligned with SE principles, many remain unable to obtain Basic Social Enterprise (SE.Basic) or Accredited Social Enterprise (SE.AC) recognition. This study explores the underlying factors that limit Malaysian cooperatives from achieving SE accreditation. Adopting a qualitative research design, structured interviews were conducted with key policymakers and cooperative leaders directly involved in accreditation procedures. Thematic analysis identified five principal categories of constraints: fundamental structural limitations, leadership challenges, procedural and technical complexities, misalignment within the standardized accreditation model, and deficiencies in managerial competencies. A total of eleven specific thematic barriers were identified across these categories. The study advances scholarly understanding of the positioning of cooperatives within the SE landscape. It highlights the need to recalibrate accreditation criteria so that they more accurately reflect cooperative organizational logics and operational realities, thereby improving coherence between cooperative practice and SE classification. This study also contributes to the broader discourse on SE accreditation by illustrating how standardized frameworks may inadequately capture organizational diversity, particularly in emerging institutional contexts where formal legal recognition remains underdeveloped.

Entrepreneurial intention (EI) is a critical psychological construct for understanding the precursors of entrepreneurial behavior. Despite a surge in empirical research over the past decade, the literature on EI remains fragmented across theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches, and contextual applications. This study systematically reviews 53 peer-reviewed articles on entrepreneurial intention published between 2018 and 2025 to synthesize theoretical frameworks, methodological patterns, key findings, and future research directions. Guided by the PRISMA approach, the review reveals the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as the predominant model, frequently integrated with constructs from Social Cognitive Theory, Technology Acceptance Model, and moral or contextual frameworks. Quantitative cross-sectional designs dominate the methodological landscape, often involving university student samples and the use of structural equation modelling techniques for hypothesis testing. Findings consistently confirm the central role of attitude, perceived behavioral control, and self-efficacy in predicting EI, while more recent studies highlight the growing significance of emotional intelligence, cultural influences, institutional support, and entrepreneurship education. However, the review identifies key limitations, including the overreliance on student-based samples, a lack of longitudinal and experimental designs, and limited generalizability to actual entrepreneurial behavior in real-world settings. Additionally, contextual diversity across emerging and developed economies remains underexplored. In response, the study proposes five future research trajectories: theoretical expansion beyond dominant models, increased adoption of behavioral and longitudinal approaches, broader contextual and demographic inclusion, pedagogical innovation in entrepreneurship education, and stronger interdisciplinary collaboration. By mapping evolving trends and gaps in EI research, this review provides a foundation for more dynamic, inclusive, and practically relevant scholarship in entrepreneurship studies.

The rapid advancement of digital technology has significantly increased the importance of using digital tools in business management and marketing practices. To remain competitive in a dynamic market environment, it is essential for today's entrepreneurs to develop readiness in terms of skills, cognitive capacity, and technological tools to adopt digital technologies. This assumption is equally relevant to the growth and sustainability of micro-entrepreneurs from low-income backgrounds, particularly those receiving business assistance. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study assesses the level of adoption of digital technology and readiness among micro-entrepreneurs from this group. TAM is a widely used model for how users come to accept and use new technology, focusing on individual internal motivational factors, such as perceived usefulness and ease of use. A survey methodology was employed to collect the necessary data. The participants were micro-entrepreneurs classified as poor and needy who had received business capital support from the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Religious Council, funded through zakat-based resources. The findings indicate that the usage of digital technology is at a moderate level, while the readiness to adopt it is relatively high, with mean values of 3.578 and 4.023, respectively. ANOVA analysis reveals that skills readiness (p = 0.022, p < 0.05) and cognitive readiness (p = 0.04, p < 0.05) are significantly associated with the extent of digital technology utilization. The results indicate that the possession of relevant skills and a positive mindset regarding the benefits of digital technology play a key role in determining its usage in business operations. These results highlight the need for targeted training programs aimed at enhancing digital competencies among low-income entrepreneurs. Strengthening these capacities is essential to support business sustainability and growth. This study aligns with the first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on poverty eradication, emphasizing the role of zakat optimization through productive distribution and the integration of modern technologies.

Koperasi merupakan entiti yang ditubuhkan oleh sekumpulan individu yang memiliki ciri yang sama bagi mencapai objektif bersama melalui penggembelingan sumber dan usaha kolektif dengan penjanaan hasil melalui aktiviti perniagaan. Makalah konseptual ini bertujuan menghasilkan satu kerangka konseptual yang menjajarkan semula kedudukan koperasi dalam paradigma perusahaan sosial berdasarkan sorotan karya naratif. Hasil kajian mendapati, koperasi adalah entiti unik yang ditubuhkan di bawah Akta Koperasi 1993 dan beroperasi berdasarkan prinsip-prinsip koperasi. Dalam skop penyertaan dalam aktiviti keusahawanan sosial, penglibatan koperasi adalah dalam kategori Enterprising Non-Profit. Bilangan jumlah koperasi yang kurang mendapat pengiktirafan perusahaan sosial (SE) telah berpunca daripada isu epistimologi dalam memperletakkan konsep keusahawanan sosial, perusahaan sosial dan koperasi dalam satu kerangka konseptual secara tepat. Penjajaran kerangka konseptual penting bagi memberi garis panduan pemikiran yang jelas tentang kedudukan koperasi sebagai bentuk perusahaan sosial yang berwibawa. Implikasinya, sebarang usaha memberi akreditasi perusahaan sosial kepada koperasi harus dibuat berasaskan kerangka penilaian penglibatan keusahawanan sosial di bawah skop enterprising nonprofit. Seterusnya, pihak pemberi penarafan akreditasi SE disaran mewujudkan kriteria khusus bagi penarafan SE untuk kategori koperasi dengan mengambil kira hakikat sejarah kewujudannya yang berasaskan konsep entiti hibrid yang unik semenjak era Revolusi Perindustrian.

Zakat merupakan satu daripada lima rukun Islam yang yang wajib dilaksanakan oleh setiap individu Muslim yang memenuhi syarat tertentu. Agihan zakat telah diperluaskan dalam bentuk produktif iaitu skim bantuan modal perniagaan bagi membina potensi asnaf fakir dan miskin yang berkelayakan bagi meningkatkan taraf ekonomi mereka secara mampan. Objektif kajian adalah untuk mengenal pasti dan mendeskripsi bentuk nilai tambah program Usahawan Asnaf terhadap pemerkasaan potensi ekonomi serta mengukur tahap peningkatan taraf ekonomi usahawan asnaf terlibat berasaskan Teori Modal Insan. Pengumpulan data telah dilakukan melalui edaran soal selidik melibatkan 40 orang usahawan asnaf yang dipilih melalui teknik persampelan bukan kebarangkalian jenis teknik persampelan bertujuan. Data kajian dianalisis secara deskriptif melalui nilai kecenderungan terpusat iaitu min dan sisihan piawai. Hasil kajian mendapati nilai tambah program Usahawan Asnaf terhadap pemerkasaan potensi ekonomi usahawan anaf, berlaku dalam bentuk peningkatan kemahiran keusahawanan, ketersediaan sumber modal perniagaan dan peluang pemasaran produk. Tahap peningkatan taraf ekonomi usahawan asnaf menunjukkan tahap pencapaian yang tinggi. Dapatan ini membuktikan pelaksanaan agihan zakat dalam bentuk program keusahawanan asnaf dapat mengurangkan kemiskinan jangka masa panjang bagi kelompok asnaf yang mempunyai kemampuan berniaga selari dengan Teori Modal Insan.

Zakat merupakan rukun Islam yang menjadi kewajipan individu Muslim yang memenuhi syarat tertentu. Kini agihan zakat telah diperluaskan dalam bentuk bantuan modal perniagaan bagi membina potensi asnaf yang memiliki keupayaan berusaha dan meningkatkan taraf ekonomi mereka secara mampan. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengenal pasti dan menghurai bentuk nilai tambah program Usahawan Asnaf terhadap pemerkasaan potensi ekonomi serta mengukur tahap peningkatan taraf ekonomi usahawan asnaf terlibat berasaskan Teori Modal Insan. Pengumpulan data telah dilakukan melalui edaran soalselidik melibatkan 40 orang usahawan asnaf yang dipilih melalui teknik persampelan bukan kebarangkalian jenis teknik persampelan bertujuan. Data kajian dianalisis secara deskriptif melalui nilai kecenderungan terpusat iaitu min dan sisihan piawai. Hasil kajian mendapati nilai tambah program Usahawan Asnaf terhadap pemerkasaan potensi ekonomi usahawan anaf, berlaku dalam bentuk peningkatan kemahiran keusahawanan, ketersediaan sumber modal perniagaan dan peluang pemasaran produk. Tahap peningkatan taraf ekonomi usahawan asnaf menunjukkan tahap pencapaian yang tinggi. Dapatan ini membuktikan pelaksanaan agihan zakat berbentuk program keusahawanan asnaf dapat mengurangkan kemiskinan jangka masa panjang bagi kelompok asnaf yang memiliki kemampuan berniaga selari dengan Teori Modal Insan. Implikasinya, program keusahawanan asnaf wajar diperluaskan skopnya supaya sumber zakat turut membina potensi sosio-ekonomi asnaf dalam jangka masa panjang. Keaslian kajian ini terletak pada inisiatif mengkaji nilai tambah dan mengukur peningkatan taraf ekonomi daripada program secara empirikal.

Background: The unique characteristics of blockchain technology, such as decentralization, transparency, traceability, verifiability, and immutability, have been proven to address challenges in agricultural supply chains such as low transparency, inefficiency, high dependency, financing difficulties, and information asymmetry. In reality, though, the adoption of blockchain technology in agricultural development has not met expectations. Most blockchain projects in agriculture are still in the pilot phase, with few actual applications implemented. Therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly investigate the factors influencing the adoption of blockchain technology in agricultural supply chains to promote its widespread application in this field. Methods: Based on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and the Diffusion of Innovations Theory (DOI), this study collected primary data through a questionnaire survey and employed Confirmatory Composite Analysis (CCA) using SmartPLS 4 to test the integrated model. The study examines the impact of technological, organizational, and environmental contexts on blockchain adoption intention in agricultural supply chains. In addition, the moderating role of perceived cost on these relationships is also explored. Results: The results indicate that technological, organizational, and environmental contexts significantly influence blockchain adoption intention, but the direct impact of perceived cost on adoption intention was non-significant. Notably, perceived cost had a crucial moderating effect on the relationship between organizational context and blockchain adoption intention. Conclusion: This study aims to explore the factors influencing blockchain adoption intentions in agricultural supply chains from an organizational perspective, innovatively applies CCA analysis within the TOE-DOI framework and adopts perceived cost as the moderating variable. These findings underscore the importance of internal evaluations of costeffectiveness and strategic cost management for practitioners, highlighting the necessity of internal advocacy to enhance technology acceptance. Future research should diversify the sample or conduct longitudinal studies to further validate the moderating effects of perceived cost.

Kerajaan telah memberi banyak inisiatif kepada peniaga kecil supaya dapat meningkatkan prestasi perniagaan. Walaubagaimanapun, prestasi perniagaan peniaga kecil masih kurang menggalakkan di Malaysia. Kita dapat lihat bahawa peniaga kecil selalu cenderung untuk mendapatkan kegagalan di sebab oleh kurang faktor dalaman iaitu prestasi kewangan dan prestasi bukan kewangan. Kajian ini dilaksanakan adalah untuk melihat prestasi perniagaan dalam kalangan perniaga kecil di bawah bimbingan agensi. Terdapat 3 buah agensi yang terlibat dalam kajian ini iaitu agensi Institut Keusahawanan Negara (INSKEN), Perbadanan Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana (SME Corp.) dan Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA). Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif iaitu dengan menggunakan soal selidik. Seramai 60 orang responden usahawan kecil yang terdiri daripada 20 responden agensi Insken, 20 responden daripada agensi Sme Corp. dan 20 responden lagi daripada agensi Mara telah menjawab soal selidik ini. Data yang diperolehi dalam kajian ini dianalisis menggunakan perisian Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS). Analisis kajian adalah menggunakan analisis deskriptif iaitu purata min dan ANOVA Satu Hala. Kajian mendapati bahawa ketiga-tiga agensi mempunyai signifikan positif. Hasil kajian menunjukkan SME Corp dan INSKEN mempunyai hubungan signifikan yang tinggi dalam prestasi kewangan dan MARA dan SME Corp mempunyai hubungan signifikan paling tinggi dalam prestasi bukan kewangan. Justeru tu, dapat dilihat bahawa prestasi perniagaan kecil mempunyai prestasi yang lebih baik dengan adanya agensi pembimbing berbanding dengan peniaga kecil yang tidak mempunyai bimbingan agensi.

Purpose This paper aims to contribute significantly to the empirical investigations on adopting Industry 4.0–circular economy in the Malaysian palm oil industry. The paper also aims to theorise and empirically assess a comprehensive model incorporating three aspects and 51 criteria. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage methodology is proposed using the fuzzy Delphi method and the fuzzy-based analytical network process. Twenty-seven criteria on adoptability of industry 4.0–circular economy were selected for the first-stage methodology, followed by identifying each criteria's intersection with the overall objectives. Findings The findings indicate that financial constraints, the lack of a collaborative I4.0–CE model, laws and policy, low management support and the training of dedicated employers in I4.0–CE-application are the top five criteria requiring critical attention from the POI. Practical implications The overall sustainability advantages of the POI are identified and discussed in depth to establish criteria for industry 4.0–circular economy applications. Originality/value This study fills the previous research gap by theoretically explaining POI's industry 4.0 adoption–circular economy from the perspective of two underpinning theories. Due to the pressure towards sustainability, the industry must be ready to adopt industry 4.0–circular economy applications, and resources must be managed appropriately and effectively by sharing and integrating. Advanced industry 4.0 technologies and pragmatic practices such as a circular economy are needed to achieve optimal sustainable development while retaining commercial success.

The purpose of this study is to explore factors influencing the blockchain adoption in agricultural supply chains, to make a particular focus on how security and privacy considerations, policy support, and management support impact the blockchain adoption intention. it further investigates perceived usefulness as a mediating variable that potentially amplifies the effects of these factors on blockchain adoption intention, and sets perceived cost as a moderating variable to test its influence on the strength and direction of the relationship between perceived usefulness and adoption intention. through embedding the cost-benefit theory into the integrated tam-toe framework and utilizing the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method, this study identifies the pivotal factors that drive or impede blockchain adoption in the agricultural supply chains, which fills the gap of the relatively insufficient research on the blockchain adoption in agriculture field. the results further provide empirical evidence and strategic insights that can guide practical implementations, to equip stakeholders or practitioners with the necessary knowledge to navigate the complexities of integrating cutting-edge technologies into traditional agricultural operations, thereby promoting more efficient, transparent, and resilient agricultural supply chains.

Daya saing dan prestasi perniagaan mikro dijangka dapat memperolehi manafaat daripada pembinaan aset strategik yang unggul berbanding pergantungan kepada aset nyata yang tipikal. Modal intelektual, kepimpinan keusahawanan dan kebolehan organisasi adalah faktor berpotensi yang dapat memberi kesan terhadap prestasi perniagaan mikro berdasarkan perspektif Pandangan Berasaskan Sumber (RBV). Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk menguji pengaruh kebolehan organsasi, modal intelektual dan kepimpinan keusahawanan terhadap prestasi perniagaan mikro. Kajian ini telah menggunakan survei bagi mengutip data kajian daripada rangka persampelan seramai 118 usahawan yang mengikuti program bimbingan di bawah tiga (3) agensi terpilih. Soal selidik telah diedar kepada semua usahawan dalam rangka persampelan dan 100 daripadanya telah memberikan maklumbalas. Data kajian telah dianalisis menggunakan Partial Least Squares (PLS). Hasil kajian mendapati kebolehan organisasi mempunyai pengaruh positif pada tahap yang lemah dengan prestasi perniagaan. Pengaruh kebolehan organisasi telah disumbang oleh dimensi kebolehan operasional. Kebolehan operasional adalah kebolehan entiti perniagaan mengurus dan menangani skop situasi sedia ada secara berkesan. Walau bagaimanapun, kepimpinan keusahawanan dan modal intelektual didapati tidak mempunyai pengaruh signifikan terhadap prestasi perniagaan mikro terlibat. Implikasi teoretikal ialah penemuan telah membuktikan aset tidak nyata yang strategik menurut perspektif RBV boleh wujud dalam konteks organisasi perniagaan skala mikro, iaitu kebolehan organisasi di bawah dimensi kebolehan operasional. Namun demikian, kesan pengaruh modal intelektual dan kepimpinan keusahawanan masih lemah dan tidak signifikan kerana elemen tersebut masih belum unik dan tidak menyerlah sehingga mampu menyokong prestasi perniagaan mikro. Kata kunci: Aset tidak nyata, kebolehan organisasi, kepimpinan keusahawanan, modal intelektual, Pandangan Berasaskan Sumber (RBV), prestasi The competitiveness and performance of micro-businesses are expected to benefit from the construction of superior strategic assets over reliance on typical tangible assets. Intellectual capital, entrepreneurial leadership and organizational capabilities are potential factors that can impact the performance of micro-businesses based on the perspective of the Resource-Based View (RBV). The objective of this study is to test the influence of organisation capabilities, intellectual capital and entrepreneurial leadership on the micro-business performance. This study used survey to collect research data from the sampling frame of 118 entrepreneurs who participated in the guidance program under 3 selected agencies. The survey was distributed to all entrepreneurs in the sampling frame and 100 of them responded. The data was analysed using the Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results of the study found that organizational capabilities have a positive influence at a weak level with business performance. The influence of organizational capabilities has been contributed by the operational capability dimension. Operational capability is the ability of a business entity to effectively manage and handle an existing scope of situations. However, entrepreneurial leadership and intellectual capital were found to have no significant influence on the performance of micro-businesses. The theoretical implication is that the findings have proved that strategic intangible assets according to the RBV perspective can exist in the context of micro-scale business organizations, namely the organizational capabilities under the operational capability dimension. However, the influence of intellectual capital and entrepreneurial leadership is still weak and insignificant because these elements are not unique and credible enough support the micro-business performance. Keywords: Intangible assets, organizational capabilities, entrepreneurial leadership, intellectual capital, Resource Based View (RBV), performance

Innovation performance (IP) is currently crucial for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Entrepreneurial leadership (EL) ensures competitive advantages and sustainability in the contemporary global landscape. Previous studies have observed and evaluated this field’s trends and focal points. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic literature review of previous studies on the effect of EL on IP in SMEs. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement was used to evaluate the systematic literature in the study. Articles from the years 2000 to 2023 were searched in the Scopus and Web of Science databases (WoS). Fourteen articles were included in the final process. There have been limited studies undertaken on this topic in recent decades, and fresh findings are involved with this topic after 2012. As a new paradigm to enhance innovation and sustainability, EL has become increasingly crucial in SMEs. The present study utilizes the PRISMA approach to summarize the effect of EL on IP in SMEs, acting as one reference point for ongoing research. The study also discusses the limitations and provides recommendations for subsequent analysis.