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Fulltext What matters to infrequent customers: a pragmatic approach to understanding perceived value and intention to revisit trendy coffee café

Ting H, Thurasamy R

Springerplus, 2016;5:651.
PMID: 27330917 DOI: 10.1186/s40064-016-2259-5

Notwithstanding the rise of trendy coffee café, little is done to investigate revisit intention towards the café in the context of developing markets. In particular, there is a lack of study which provides theoretical and practical explanation to the perceptions and behaviours of infrequent customers. Hence, the study aims to look into the subject matter by using the theory of reasoned action and social exchange theory as the underpinning basis. The framework proposed by Pine and Gilmore (Strat Leadersh 28:18-23, 2000), which asserts the importance of product quality, service quality and experience quality in a progressive manner, is used to decompose perceived value in the model so as to determine their effects on intention to revisit the café. Given the importance to gain practical insights into revisit intention of infrequent customers, pragmatism stance is assumed. Explanatory sequential mixed-method design is thus adopted whereby qualitative approach is used to confirm and complement quantitative findings. Self-administered questionnaire-based survey is first administered before personal interview is carried out at various cafés. Partial least squares structural equation modelling and content analysis are appropriated successively. In the quantitative findings, although product quality, service quality and experience quality are found to have positive effect on perceived value and revisit intention towards trendy coffee café, experience quality is found to have the greater effect than the others among the infrequent customers. The qualitative findings not only confirm their importance, but most importantly explain the favourable impressions they have at trendy coffee café based on their last in-store experience. While product and service quality might not necessary stimulate them to revisit trendy coffee café, experience quality driven by purposes of visit would likely affect their intention to revisit. As retaining customers is of utmost importance to businesses, and infrequent customers more than often make up the majority of the customers, the study provides meaningful and practical understanding of revisit intention.
Fulltext Relationship between bases of power and job stresses: role of mentoring

Lo MC, Thurasamy R, Liew WT

Springerplus, 2014;3:432.
PMID: 25157334 DOI: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-432

Building upon the social exchange theory, this paper hypothesized the direct effect of bases of power on job stress with mentoring as moderator. Power bases and job stresses were conceptualized as 7- and 3- dimensional constructs, respectively. One hundred and ninety-five Malaysian managers and executives working in large-scale multinational companies participated in this study. The results have indicated that bases of power as possessed by supervisors have strong effect on employees' job stress and mentoring was found to have moderated the relationship between power bases and job stress. Implications of the findings, potential limitations of the study, and directions for future research were discussed further.
Fulltext Questionnaire development and validity to measure sexual intention among youth in Malaysia

Muhammad NA, Shamsuddin K, Mohd Amin R, Omar K, Thurasamy R

BMC Public Health, 2017 02 02;17(1):157.
PMID: 28152993 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3949-1

BACKGROUND: From the Theory of Planned Behaviour perspective, sexual intention is determined by a permissive attitude, perception of social norms and perceived self-efficacy in performing sexual activity. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Youth Sexual Intention Questionnaire (YSI-Q), which was designed to measure sexual intention among youths in Malaysia.
METHODS: A total of 25 items were developed based on literature reviews encompassing four main constructs: sexual intention, attitude, social norms and self-efficacy. The YSI-Q then underwent a validation process that included content and face validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), reliability analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). This study was conducted on unmarried youths aged 18 to 22 years who were studying in colleges around Klang Valley, Malaysia.
RESULTS: EFA supported the four factor structure, but five items were removed due to incorrect placement or low factor loading (<0.60). Internal reliability using Cronbach's alpha ranged between 0.89 and 0.94. The CFA further confirmed the construct, convergent and discriminant validity of the YSI-Q with χ 2 = 392.43, df = 164, p
Doctors' Interactions with Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives: Modelling Doctors Prescription Behaviour

Faisal A, Ahmad MS, Thurasamy R, Ahmed R

Community Ment Health J, 2020 Apr;56(3):456-463.
PMID: 31728716 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-019-00501-w

Using theory of planned behaviour, this study seeks to examine the effect of health practitioner's interaction with pharmaceutical sales representatives on their prescription behaviour. Data was collected from 248 health practitioners working in the city of Attock and from five Tehsils of Attock District through questionnaires with a net response rate of 82%. The hypothesis was tested by PLS Path Modelling. The major findings of the study were that physicians' interactions with pharmaceutical sales representatives in terms of market knowledge, product knowledge, corporate reputation and tangible rewards affect the prescription behaviour of physicians directly as well as through the mediating effect of the attitudinal component. The findings of the study would be helpful for the pharmaceutical industry as well as for drug regulatory authorities and health policy makers towards unethical practices in the medical field. Study provided practical implications for policy makers and health practitioners. Moreover, future directions for research were also provided.
Impact of COVID-19 on psychological distress among SME owners in Ghana: Partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach

Uzir MUH, Bukari Z, Jerin I, Hasan N, Abdul Hamid AB, Thurasamy Ramayah

J Community Psychol, 2021 Sep 29.
PMID: 34590326 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22716

A critical part of the national economy is small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SME owners are vital contributors to the overall economy. Due to their limited capital and assets, they are more vulnerable. In comparison to their contribution, the value of assessing SME owner's depression, anxiety, and mental stress has been very minimal during the COVID-19 outbreak. Firms were forced to close due to lockdown, and they faced substantial business losses. Thus, this study aims to investigate SME owners' psychological distress due to business losses during this pandemic. The study used psychological parameters: Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) to examine SME owners' psychological distress. A total number of 217 owners were surveyed through a judgmental sampling technique using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed employing partial least square-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings showed that DASS-21 parameters and fear of business loss affected psychological distress. Besides, fear of business loss increases psychological distress, whereas government support lessens the distress. Theoretically, this study extended the scope of DASS-21 scale and contributed to the literature of psychology. In terms of policy implications, this study provides useful information for government, policymakers, and SME owners about the effects mentioned above.
Fulltext The adoption of cryptocurrency as a disruptive force: Deep learning-based dual stage structural equation modelling and artificial neural network analysis

Abbasi GA, Tiew LY, Tang J, Goh YN, Thurasamy R

PLoS One, 2021;16(3):e0247582.
PMID: 33684120 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247582

In recent years, the growth of cryptocurrency has undergone an enormous increase in cryptocurrency markets all around the world. Sadly, only insignificant heed has been paid to the unveiling of determinants of cryptocurrency adoption globally, particularly in emerging markets like Malaysia. The purpose of the study is to examine whether the application of deep learning-based dual-stage Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) & Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis enable better in-depth research results as compared to single-step PLS-SEM approach and to excavate factors which can predict behavioural intention to adopt cryptocurrency. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model were extended with the inclusion of trust and personnel innovativeness. The model was further validated by introducing a new path model compared to the original UTAUT2 model and the moderating role of personal innovativeness between performance expectancy and price value, with a sample of 314 respondents. Contrary to previous technology adoption studies that used PLS-SEM & ANN as single-stage analysis, this study further enhanced the analysis by applying a deep learning-based dual-stage PLS-SEM and ANN method. The application of deep learning-based dual-stage PLS-SEM & ANN analysis is a novel methodological approach, detecting both linear and non-linear associations among constructs. At the same time, it is regarded as a superior statistical approach as compared to traditional hybrid shallow SEM & ANN single-stage analysis. Also, sensitivity analysis provides normalised importance using multi-layer perceptron with the feed-forward-back-propagation algorithm. Furthermore, the deep learning-based dual-stage PLS-SEM & ANN revealed that trust proved to be the strongest predictor in driving user intention. The introduction of this new methodology and the theoretical contribution opens the vistas of the extant body of knowledge in technology-adoption related literature. This study also provides theoretical, practical and methodological contributions.
Prevalence and factors associated with burnout among healthcare providers in Malaysia: a web-based cross-sectional study

Ching SM, Cheong AT, Yee A, Thurasamy R, Lim PY, Zarina II, et al.

Ir J Med Sci, 2024 Apr;193(2):851-863.
PMID: 37556104 DOI: 10.1007/s11845-023-03483-7

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the determinants of burnout among healthcare providers in the primary care setting.
METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1280 healthcare providers aged 18 years and older from 30 primary care clinics in Selangor, Malaysia. In this study, the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was used to assess burnout. The results were analyzed using multiple logistic regression.
RESULTS: The prevalence of personal burnout was 41.7%, followed by work-related burnout (32.2%) and client-related burnout (14.5%). The determinants for personal burnout in this study were younger age, being a doctor, higher COVID-19 exposure risk, do not know where to seek help, inability to handle stress, poorer sleep quality score, higher total COVID-19 fear score, higher total stress score, and lower total BRS score. The determinants of work-related burnout were younger age, being a doctor, longer years of working, higher COVID-19 exposure risk, do not know where to seek help, lower altruistic score, poorer sleep quality score, higher total stress score, and lower total brief resilience score (BRS) score. The determinants of client-related burnout were doctor, single/divorced, more than one attachment site, and higher satisfaction toward the infection control, inability to handle stress, higher total depression score, and lower total BRS score.
CONCLUSION: Every fourth out of ten suffered from personal burnout, one-third from work-related burnout, and one-seventh from client-related burnout among healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare systems must take care of healthcare workers' physical and emotional depletion, reducing the risk of burnout.
Fulltext Level of fear towards COVID-19 and its determinants among healthcare providers in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study

Ching SM, Cheong AT, Yee A, Thurasamy R, Lim PY, Ismail IZ, et al.

Malays Fam Physician, 2023;18:56.
PMID: 37814673 DOI: 10.51866/oa.238

INTRODUCTION: Malaysia is one of the hardest-hit countries by COVID-19 in Asia. The rapidly rising number of cases had sparked fear among healthcare providers. This study aimed to assess the determinants of fear towards COVID-19 among healthcare providers in primary care settings.
METHOD: This online-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1280 healthcare providers aged ≥18 years from 30 primary care clinics in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used to assess the level of fear, and the results were analysed using multiple linear regression.
RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 36 years, and the mean working experience was 11 years. The majority of the respondents were women (82.4%) and Malays (82.3%). The factors that were significantly correlated with higher levels of fear were underlying chronic disease (ß=1.12, P=0.002, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.08, 3.15), concern about mortality from COVID-19 (ß=3.3, P<0.001, 95% CI=0.19, 7.22), higher risk of exposure (ß=0.8, P<0.001, 95% CI=0.14, 5.91), concern for self at work (ß=2.8, P=0.002, 95% CI=0.08, 3.10) and work as a nurse (ß=3.6, P<0.001, 95% CI=0.30, 7.52), medical laboratory worker (ß=3.0, P<0.001, 95% CI=0.12, 4.27) and healthcare assistant (ß=3.9, P<0.001, 95% CI=0.17, 5.73). The level of fear was inversely correlated with a higher work-related stress management score (ß=-0.9, P<0.001, 95% CI=-0.14, -5.07) and a higher sleep quality score (ß=-1.8, P<0.001, 95% CI=-0.28, -10.41).
CONCLUSION: Family physicians should be vigilant and identify healthcare providers at risk of developing COVID-19-related fear to initiate early mental health intervention.
Fulltext Applied artificial intelligence: Acceptance-intention-purchase and satisfaction on smartwatch usage in a Ghanaian context

Uzir MUH, Bukari Z, Al Halbusi H, Lim R, Wahab SN, Rasul T, et al.

Heliyon, 2023 Aug;9(8):e18666.
PMID: 37560680 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18666

Technology and its continuous advancement facilitate human beings to get rid of their criticality and limitation. Applied artificial intelligence (AAI) is one of the latest forms that delimited the limitation of human beings. Smartwatch acts as an applied artificial intelligence to assist various patients to check medical care without going to hospital and physicians. This (three) multiple-study research focused on the intention to use, purchase, and their satisfaction and spread positive word of mouth among others in the Ghanaian. To investigate these issues two renowned theories were underpinned- TAM theory and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R). Total 550, 320, and 170 respondents were interviewed with Google forms due to COVID-19 using social media. AI-enabled smartwatch considering Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Credibility (PC), Perceived Self-Efficacy (PSE), and Perceived Financial Cost (PFC) were significant on intention to adoption and adoption intention on actual purchase. The final study showed device quality, its service level, their usage experience, perceived value, and the extent to which the satisfied customers made positive word of mouth to their friends and family, colleagues and followers. This research is significant in understanding the usage of AI-enabled smartwatches as a device doctor or electronic doctor (e-doctor).