Purpose: The major objective of this study is to measure the impact of various attributes, such as social attraction, physical attraction, and task attraction on para-social relationships. The study also seeks to measure how the para-social relationship mediates the association between the three attributes (above-mentioned) on perceived credibility and informational influence, and consumers’ intention to purchase banking products. Study design/methodology: PLS-SEM has been used as it is believed to be most suited for the study due to the multivariate non-normality in the data, and the small sample size. Data has been collected using the 5-point Likert scale from approximately 151 respondents, who were selected using the non-random sampling method based on purposive sampling coupled with convenience-based sampling. The data was collected from January 2023 to August 2023. Findings: Largely, the findings reveal that both social and physical attractions do have a positive impact on the para-social relationship, further leading to perceived credibility and informational influence. Notably, this perceived credibility and informational influence lead to consumers’ intentions to purchase banking products, albeit with the use of artificial intelligence-based chatbots and digital assistants. Originality: This is possibly among the first-ever studies extending the para-social theory for purchasing banking products and services using artificial intelligence-based chatbots and virtual assistants.

This study aims to identify the impact of inheritance literacy, inheritance socialization, inheritance stress, and peer influence on the inheritance behaviors among FELDA communities in Malaysia. Inheritance literacy pertains to individuals’ comprehension of wealth transfer and estate planning, while peer influencer evaluates friends’ impact on inheritance attitudes; inheritance socialization explores family interactions’ role in shaping inheritance attitudes, and inheritance stress measures emotional strain in inheritance matters, with inheritance behaviors encompassing asset management and wealth transfer decisions for future generations by individuals and families. Understanding inheritance behaviors is crucial, as it helps individuals depict their inheritance knowledge and attitudes toward FELDA inheritance better, fostering a more favorable inheritance attitude. Through self-administered survey questionnaires, data related to FELDA communities are obtained using convenience sampling from 413 respondents. This study applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to test the research hypotheses. The present study’s outcome confirms that two determinants, which are inheritance literacy and inheritance socialization significantly influence the inheritance behavior of FELDA communities. However, inheritance stress and peer influence determinants have statistically insignificant influence inheritance behavior. This study’s theoretical framework enriches the discussions on wealth management and financial behavior by refining and expanding upon existing financial behavior theories to incorporate inheritance-specific behaviors. The present study is exclusive in its effort to ascertain the relative importance of both inheritance behavior and the FELDA communities. This paper will assist the government, inheritance service providers, and policymakers in offering innovative economic schemes and designing policies that may enhance the inheritance behavior wellbeing of FELDA communities. This article also provides a roadmap to guide future research in this area.

The endogenous, human, and social factors influencing the economic development of the municipalities of San Juan Cotzocón and San Pedro y San Pablo Ayutla in the Istmo de Tehuantepec region of the state of Oaxaca are analyzed. The hypothesis posits that the dimensions of endogenous development, social capital, and human capital directly impact the economic development of the respective municipalities. The study involved administering 262 questionnaires to the residents of these municipalities during the month of May 2023. The collected data were examined using exploratory factor analysis to determine the underlying structure and structural equation modeling to estimate the effects and relationships between variables. Results indicate that endogenous development, social capital, and human capital are factors in the economic development of the studied communities, with endogenous development being the most influential factor due to its statistical significance. Notably, the existence of tourist and cultural attractions in the municipalities emerges as a catalyst for local economic development in response to the establishment and operation of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Interoceanic Corridor.