This study critically examines the relationship between Total Quality Management (TQM) and Service Quality (SQ) within Dubai’s housing sector, with a specific focus on the moderating influence of blockchain technology (BT) in this relationship. Employing a quantitative approach grounded in a deductive research strategy and positivist epistemology, data were gathered from a sample of industry professionals and subjected to rigorous analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that the deliberate deployment of TQM methodologies leads to significant improvements in SQ metrics, and the catalytic role of BT further enhances these service quality improvements. The study highlights the transformative potential of BT in recalibrating conventional paradigms of service delivery within the housing sector. Specifically, the analysis reveals that BT plays a pivotal moderating role in the relationship between TQM practices and SQ outcomes, thereby enriching our comprehension of the intricate interplay between these constructs. The study concludes by furnishing nuanced insights into the multifaceted dynamics shaping SQ within the housing sector, while also delineating avenues for future inquiry.

The purpose of the current study is to raise the question about making a comparison between international legislation in the United States, European Union, and legislation of Saudi Arabia derived from Islamic law regarding the poultry slaughtering process and the relationship of that to achieving safe and healthy food for humans. In addition, the study utilized the Holy Qur’an and the texts of the Prophet’s hadith as primary sources. Additionally, various national and international laws, reports, and legislations were referenced as secondary sources for the review. Moreover, this study addresses a research gap by providing a comparative analysis that links Islamic and international legislation regarding poultry slaughter and examines its impact on food quality and safety. The study’s findings indicate that Islamic Sharia provisions are in harmony with the regulations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia related to poultry slaughtering process. This alignment ensures the primary goal of the slaughter process, which is to quickly get rid of the blood and achieve the well-being of the poultry. Consequently, this results in high quality meat with low microbial content that can be preserved for a longer period compared to regulations in other global markets such as the USA and the European Union.

The connection between the gendered division of housework and intimate partner violence (IPV) is a complex reality and context-dependent. In this article, I explore the perceptions of gender norms among African men and how these perceptions intersect with their experiences of housework and IPV. Employing a qualitative approach, the article examines the viewpoints of 25 African men who have encountered IPV in Johannesburg, South Africa. The findings reveal a spectrum of attitudes towards gender norms among these men, ranging from more traditional patriarchal views to less patriarchal and egalitarian perspectives. The analysis indicates that men who adhere to both more and less patriarchal expressions of gender norms tend to view being forced to perform housework as a form of abuse within the context of controlling behaviour in intimate partner relationships. Conversely, men who lean towards egalitarianism perceive the expectation of women to solely manage housework as a form of abuse. However, many of the men express resistance towards gender equality discourses in South Africa, perceiving them as disruptors of traditional gender roles and enablers of women’s refusal to solely perform domestic housework. These findings deepen our understanding of the complexities and tensions within intimate relationships amidst evolving gender norms in South Africa.

The bubble milk tea industry in Malaysia which was thought to have slowed down in the recent years since its first appearance in 2010 has made a comeback. At the point of conducting this research, there are almost 100 brands of bubble milk tea in Malaysia and it is not surprising that some of these shops are selling more than a thousand cups a day. However, there has been limited research conducted on factors influencing brand equity on bubble milk tea brands in Johor Bahru. This study is to investigate whether brand loyalty, perceived quality, brand awareness and brand association influence brand equity on bubble milk tea brands in Johor Bahru through distribution of online questionnaires. This study novelty is at the examining the factors influencing brand equity in the context of bubble milk tea in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Data derived from responses of 400 respondents through sampling were analysed using SPSS v29. Hypotheses testing performed through simple linear regression revealed that brand loyalty, perceived quality, brand awareness and brand association have significant effect on brand equity of bubble milk tea brands in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It was also demonstrated that perceived quality has the most significance influence on brand equity. Organizations in the bubble milk tea industries are able to benefit from these findings by prioritizing their marketing strategies to gain competitive edge over their competitors. With findings that perceived quality having the most significance influence, marketers with limited resources can narrow down their options and focus on this specific dimension to increase their brand value.

This study examines the relationship between board diversity (in term of percentage of female board members, educational qualification, independent directors, interlocking directorship, and financial literacy) and earnings quality of listed insurance companies in Nigeria. The study used secondary data from the stock exchange fact books and audited financial statements of the selected companies. We adopted a quantitative research design in which data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Three variants of regression model, namely pooled ordinary least square, fixed effects and random effects models were estimated. Results revealed that significant differences exist in board diversity and earnings quality across the listed insurance companies in Nigeria. Also, the impact of board diversity on earnings quality is positive and strong. That is, the higher the company’s board diversity the better the ability to generate quality earnings. The results suggest than insurance companies with large number of women on the board are more likely to generate higher quality earning than those dominated by men. The paper draws the attention of management of listed insurance companies to the need to comply with the code of corporate governance on board diversity to increase the number of women on the board and ensure that the board consists of educationally qualified members, and financial literate members. The study also draws the attention of Nigeria Stock Exchange Group (NSGG) and other regulatory authorities to the need for regulation that will make disclosure of directors’ personal information a regulatory disclosure.

The healthcare sector is progressively modest and patients expect higher service quality; therefore, healthcare practitioners’ and academic researchers’ attention upsurges in exploring service quality, intensifying satisfaction and generating behavioral intention. Despite the significance of the healthcare sector and the importance of quality-related matters, there is a paucity of research and publications dealing with healthcare service quality. This conceptual review evaluates the service quality in Pakistani healthcare sector rendering patients’ perspective. The proposed model emphasizes patients’ switching intention caused by poor or inadequate service quality through intervening constructs of satisfaction and alternative attractiveness. Additionally, current review explored the alternative attractiveness as mediator which was neglected in healthcare context. The model also attempts to propose the association between alternative attractiveness and outcome variable by switching costs regarding patients’ perspectives. The conceptual framework enables hospital managers to comprehend how patients assess healthcare quality provided in the presence of alternatives. The perception of patients would assist them in allocating healthcare resources and hospital management attain performance feedback through service quality parameters. Present review developed an inclusive framework as a novel injector in healthcare sector for patients’ perceived service quality.