Effects of the Tawhidic paradigm on resilient entrepreneurs in Malaysia

Abstract

Issues of entrepreneurial attitude and standardisation of business process have long been argued in the academic field. Although the Malaysian government, through its authorised agencies,has provided incentives and grants for the development of entrepreneurship, the progress made is still lacking and inadequate. In assisting to provide some solutions, educational institutions have incorporated teaching materials into their syllabus to enhance the entrepreneurial attitudes of students. The current study focuses on examining the extent to which the philosophy and application of the Tawhidic paradigm are part of the educational syllabus in Malaysia.Subsequently, the study attempts to identify the methods to equip entrepreneurs with resilient characters to fulfil their duties based on the core Islamic values. The quantitative method was employed to collect data using a questionnaire that contains information on the respondents’ personal profile and educational background. A total of 543 Malaysian entrepreneurs from a large number of sectors were surveyed using convenience sampling. To analyse the collected data and test the research hypotheses, the structural equation modeling was used. The current study postulates that the awareness gained from well-being (falah) in life andexcellence (itqan) at work can be derived from the pursuit of the Tawhidic principle.The results reveal that the Tawhidic paradigm is a partial mediator in the relationship between the entrepreneurship curriculum and the resilient character of entrepreneurs.The study has theoretical, methodological and practical contributions in the sense that it provides evidence and identifies relevant components to influence the existing entrepreneurshipmodules for capacity building, especially in terms of instilling integrity and ethical values while conducting business dealings. The ideasand concepts of the Tawhidic paradigm help to promote the learning outcomes of entrepreneurial behaviours, mindset, attributes, characteristics and Islamic ethics.In general, the study concludes that the Tawhidic paradigm contains the essential elements that would enhance the established knowledge and theories about entrepreneurship in an artificial setting or environment.