Religiosity as a mediator in the relationship between perceived behavioural control and intention in patronising halal food premises

Food with a halal logo should turn out as an advantage to premises that have proactively adapted to halal business ideas. As Islam teaches its followers on what food is good (halal) and bad (haram) for consumption, the attachment of Islamic decency and goodness to foodservice is expected to spur food premise Halal patronage. The objective of this paper was to investigate the role of religiosity as a mediator in the relationship between perceived behavioural control and intention on patronising at food premise with halal logo. Survey data were collected from supermarket shoppers in all four states in Malaysia such as Selangor, Johor, Kelantan and Pulau Pinang and analysed using partial least squares structural equations modelling (PLS - SEM) technique. The key findings were religiosity as an important part in an indirect positive relationship between perceived behavioural control and intention on patronising at food premise with halal logo, thus giving support to the mediating effect of religiosity. An explanation for this mediating effect was probably due to the high degree of dependency on religiosity among Muslim consumers.


Introduction
Retailers who have proactively adapted to the halal business concept should benefit from having a halal logo at their premises. A study by  for example, disclosed that a favourable logo influence repeats patronage. This is further supported by Islam et al. (2021) who revealed that there is a tendency for a higher degree of consumer loyalty as favourable consumer perceptions towards an organisation are wellpreserved. As it is now, Muslims are eager to associate themselves with the halal logo while avoiding the nonhalal logo.
The significance of the halal logo to marketers should not be taken for granted. Halal foods and other halal products are not only in high demand in Muslim countries but also in non-Muslim countries where Muslim populations are becoming more visible. Most Muslim countries are quite well-advanced in ensuring more halal foods and products are circulating in their markets. Halal certification seems to be the most demanding instrument being applied to guarantee that food and non-food products are prepared according to the law of Syariah (Zin et al., 2021). Halal logo is not only restricted to the conformed halal-certified products laid on the retail shelves but more than that, the logo is seen on the external as well as the internal part of the premises. Apart from halal certification, the halal logo may also pop up from various identifications such as Muslim premises' owners, Muslim staff, the composition of Muslim consumers patronising the premises, and hygienic handling.
Numerous scholars have primarily discussed the following halal concerns in the literature of several fields where studies emphasising halal characteristics are abundant: halal brand (Wilson and Liu, 2010), halal meat consumption (Nor Shahrul Nizam and Norzaidi, 2012), halal brand association (Suharni et al., 2016), halal brand personality (Muhamad Fazil, 2015), halal food consumption (Mutsikiwa and Basera, 2012), and halal certification (Hasnah, 2011). According to Suki and Salleh (2016), the halal logo is positively connected with Muslims' inclination to patronise halal premises. Unfortunately, only a few of these research studies focused on the intention of Muslim consumers to patronise food premises with halal logos. There is some evidence in Islamic marketing literature that Muslims use signs such as the halal logo in deciding if food premises are safe for consumption in the absence of the halal logo (Jamal and Sharifuddin, 2015). As a result, the aim of this study was to see how Muslim consumers' perceived behavioural control, and religiosity influences their intention to patronise food premises with halal logo. The theory of expected actions is the inspiration behind the creation of the proposed theoretical structure. Ajzen (1991) proposed the Theory Planned Behaviour (TPB), which indicates a link between beliefs and behaviour (Ajzen, 1991). TPB has been shown to be the most effective method for forecasting individual consumption intention (Ajzen, 1991), and it has been used to investigate the relationships between perceived behaviour control, subjective norms and attitudes, in order to predict individual intents and behaviours (Ajzen, 2005). TPB model was used to determine how attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behaviour control influence intention. Based on previous studies, TPB is seen as significant in analysing consumer preferences in purchasing food goods because it has been successfully implemented (Latiff and Ayob, 2014). It is a simple model that can be used to forecast customer purchase behaviour. This model is effective in measuring halal logo intention and has been supported by a number of authors (Afendi et al., 2014;Zulariff and Mohamad, 2014;Khalek and Ismail, 2015).
The relevance of behavioural intention is also emphasised in Islamic teaching. In fact, a strong 'niyat' should precede every human action, whether it is 'ibadah' or ordinary duties (intention). This viewpoint was backed by a few ulama, such as Ibnu Qayyim and Imam al-Ghazzali. Islam, as a way of life, includes detailed recommendations for daily activities such as drinking, eating, sleeping, and exercising. This viewpoint is directly linked to food consumption, which is a daily activity that can be transformed into good deeds if accompanied by a niyat (intention) for Allah SWT. In the perspective of halal food intake, however, it is a must for Muslims to choose halal food and avoid eating haram food. The importance of behavioural intention is emphasised throughout the Quran. It should be remembered that human behaviour depends on their intentions. In the Quran, Allah SWT mentioned in surah al-Zumar, verse 11: Therefore, it is clear that behavioural purpose is significant in human action, as described by contemporary social scientists, in TPB theory by Ajzen (1991) and it is not new in Islamic teaching. Al-Quran and the Sunnah are Islam's main sources for the notion and use of behavioural intention. In conducting 'ibadah' and daily tasks, the relevance of behavioural purpose is certainly emphasised. Furthermore, TPB is not in conflict with Islamic teaching, and it has supported the Islamic idea of niyat (intention). The Theory of Planned Behavioural (TPB), created by Fishbein and Ajzen, was used in this study (Ajzen, 1991). TPB method was used to investigate how perceived behaviour control, subjective norm and attitude influence intention. In this study, the focus was not only on how perceived behavioural control influences intention. In fact, this study extended on mediator variables such as religiosity to be measured simultaneously with the TPB.
Perceived behavioural control (PBC) refers to "people's perception of the ease or difficulty of performing the behaviour of interest" (Ajzen, 1991). It refers to a person's ability to carry out a specific action (Ajzen, 2005). PBC, on the other hand, has a direct and indirect influence on intention and behaviour through behavioural intention (Noar and Zimmerman, 2005). The link between perceived behavioural control and intention suggests that consumers who believe they have some control over their behaviour are more likely to engage in it. Those who believe they have no control, on the other hand, will try to ignore the behaviour. For example, the perceived availability of halal foods may make it easier to buy halal while avoiding non-halal. Research by Suki and Salleh (2016) found that perceived behavioural control significantly influences the intention to patronise halal premises. In 2018, Suki and Salleh used the halal image as the mediating variable and still found the important role of perceived behavioural control on intention. Nursalwani and Zulariff (2017) even further put in the evidence of the strong relationship between perceived behavioural control and intention. In their research, the intention to consume halal logo is influenced by perceived behavioural control as one of the variables in TPB. Earlier studies found that perceived behavioural regulation influences, customers, to repatronise at food premises with halal logo (Al-Nahdi, 2008;Alam and Nazura, 2011 People's perceptions of how easy or difficult it is to do the desired behaviour are referred to as perceived behavioural control (Alam and Sayuti, 2011). Numerous studies have shown that people who have a positive attitude towards a particular activity will not be able to carry it out since it is tough to achieve (Alam and Sayuti, 2011; Afendi et al., 2015). According to Kim and Chung (2011), perceived behaviour control has a positive association, implying that a stronger effect of control in explaining behaviour variability is not rare. The religious connection has been proven to be a primary driver of both Muslim and non-Muslim consumers' attitudes, behaviour, lifestyle, and consumption habits, according to Salman and Siddiqui (2011) and Mukhtar and Butt (2012). They also stated that adhering to religious values aids consumers in making great life decisions. As a result, religious beliefs and ideals play an important role in consumer behaviour (Sun et al., 2012). The degree to which a person is dedicated to his or her faith is referred to as religiosity (Ramly et al., 2008). Hence, the following hypothesis was proposed: H2: Perceived behavioural control significantly influences religiosity According to a previous study, Muslim customers' religiosity has a significant role in the formulation of their buying intent (Borzooei and Asgari, 2013;Jamal and Sharifuddin, 2015). Similarly, Shaari and Arifin (2009) found that Muslim customers' purchase intentions and religious values have strong correlations. Said et al. (2014) discovered that Muslim consumers' religiosity is related to their consumption in a meaningful way. Awan et al. (2015) reported its impact will depend on consumers' religiosity. A high positive attitude seems to have a greater effect on the purchase of halal products, which is a significant factor in influencing customers' intention to buy halal products (Ya et al., 2017). Faith plays a part in the decision to eat at food premises with a halal logo. People rely on halal logos and halal certificates in the expectation that they can include reliable details on whether food items are acceptable. Where such knowledge is unclear or inaccessible, the person must make a buying decision based on their faith. Religious adherence or devotion is measured by religiosity, which helps in the integration of halal goods into buying decisions. This implies that if two individuals are aware of halal food products at the same level, then it is predictable that the person with a higher level of religiosity would be more likely to patronise food premises with a halal logo.
Numerous scholars, such as Ambali and Bakar (2013) and Khan et al. (2017), reported that religiosity is a strong factor in the decision to buy halal food. In addition, Muslim consumers are more likely to select a food premise based on the taste and price rather than halal logo and certification (Ahmad et al., 2013). Ahmad et al., (2015) discovered that, relative to information concerning halal, religiosity was more influential in actions. Suki and Salleh (2018) conducted empirical research in Malaysia and discovered that food premises labelled with halal logos can patronise their customers having Islamic religiosity. Many researchers proved that consumer buying motives will be affected by the religious affiliation of the retailer and its congruence with the values of customers (Mathras et al., 2016;Kashif et al., 2017;Sunaryo and Sudiro, 2018). Therefore, it is hypothesized: H3: Religiosity significantly influences consumer intention in patronising food premises with a halal logo Religiosity is one of the most researched aspects in an individual's process of help in the integration of halal goods into buying decisions. Rehman and Shabbir (2010), Soesilowati (2010) Ambali and Bakar (2013) and Khan et al. (2017), found that religiosity is, as expected, a key factor of halal food purchasing decision among Muslims in Muslim-majority nations. Many previous studies have analysed the relationship between independent variables such as motivation (Rostiani et al., 2021), food waste intention (Elshaer et al., 2021) and knowledge-sharing behaviour (Rahman et al., 2015), while religiosity is the dependent variable. Besides that, some researchers have studied the relationship between independent variables such as religiosity and dependent variables such as purchase intention (Newaz et al., 2016), and halal awareness (Astuti and Asih, 2021).
Besides, recent studies have focused on investigating the role religiosity plays as a mediator variable. Religiosity has been identified as a mediator in several different relationships such as customer relationship management and patronage intention (Deb et al., 2021), forgiveness and gratitude (Lee and Kim, 2021) and parenting and agreeableness (Diana et al., 2021). Customers seek assurance with respect to the halalness of the business premise, the halalness of the product, and assurance from environmental aspects such as the halal mark (Abdul et al., 2009). They also discovered a link between respondents' religious affiliation and their attitudes towards the halal logo and ingredients. Non-Muslim customers, on the other hand, have a good attitude and impression of the halal concept (Mathew et al., 2014), which translate into a positive intention to purchase halal food products (Haque et al., 2015).
The objective of this paper to investigate the role of religiosity as a mediator in the relationship between eISSN: 2550-2166 © 2022 The Authors. Published by Rynnye Lyan Resources FULL PAPER perceived behavioural control and intention on patronising at food premise with halal logo. Therefore, this study provides an additional perspective on understanding the role religiosity plays as a mediator in the relationship between perceived behavioural control and consumer intention in patronising at food premises with halal logos. Moreover, there is a need to examine the mediating effect of religiosity on the relationship between other variables. In line with the need, this study examined the mediating effect of religiosity on the relationship between perceived behavioural control and consumer intention in patronising food premises with halal logo as this relationship has yet to be tested in the literature. Therefore, it is hypothesized: H4: Religiosity as a mediator in the relationship between perceived behavioural control and consumer intention in patronising food premises with halal logo.
The framework has introduced religiosity as an integration to the Theory of Planned Behaviour ( Figure  1) in this study is to facilitate the author's attempt to answer some doubts about the roles of food premises' halal logo in promoting premise patronage among Muslim consumers. Figure 1 shows the research framework of the study on how religiosity mediates in the relationship between perceived behavioural control and intention in patronising at food premises with halal logo among Muslim consumers.
Based on Figure 1 framework, this research, therefore, derived four hypotheses that are constructed as follows: -H1: Perceived behavioural control significantly influences consumers' intention in patronising food premises with halal logos.
H3: Religiosity significantly influences consumer intention in patronising food premises with halal logos.
H4: Religiosity as a mediator in the relationship between perceived behavioural control and consumer intention in patronising food premises with halal logo.

Methodology
A quantitative research design was used in this analysis. This research used a questionnaire as the method for instrumentation and data collection. A random sample of data was obtained from supermarket shoppers across four states such as Selangor, Johor, Kelantan and Pulau Pinang. Samples had to be among those who met the experience of retail shopping, as this could be proven as a powerful foundation in assessing the halal logo of food premises. A total of 450 questionnaires were distributed in the present report. After that, the answers were screened and checked for contradictions and credibility. In this study, Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. The PLS-SEM is a secondgeneration multivariate data analysis technique that examines the structural model with the primary goal of explaining variance independent variables and is thus primarily used in exploratory research. The Smart PLS 3.3 application of PLS-SEM was used in this study to evaluate the hypothesised relationships among the latent constructs within the structural model and to assess the measurement model in terms of reliability and validity (Hair et al., 2017).

Descriptive statistics
Regarding the structure of the sample, 33.3% of the respondents were from Selangor, while 22.2% of them were from Johor, Kelantan dan Penang. Regarding the study cycle in which the respondents are involved, 64.4% of the gender were female and 35.6% of them were male. In terms of age, 68.9% of the respondents were 15 to 27 years old, 16.7% were 28 to 40 years, 12.0% were 41 -60 years and only 2.4% were 61 years and above. In terms of the education of the respondents surveyed, most of the education in university (67.1%), followed by secondary school (22.4%), pre-university (8.7%), and others (0.9%), not school (0.4%) and primary school (0.4%). Regarding status's respondents, 69.8% of them were single and 28.0% were married. Most of the employment's respondents are students (46.4%) followed by 19.6% were government sector (19.6), and private sector (18.2%). Lastly, the respondents' income 93.1% were below RM3000, 15.8% were RM3001-RM8000 and 1.1% were RM8001 and above in Table 1.

Measurement and structural model assessment
Convergent and discriminant validity, as well as composite reliability, were used to evaluate the measurement model. All the quality criteria were met for this measurement model, as shown in Table 2 (Hair et al., 2017). The outer loading matrix was examined, and the discriminant validity was tested using Fornell and Larcker's (1981) criterion. All square roots of AVE had greater values than the inter-construct correlations for the examined constructs, and all indicators loaded higher on their construct than all others, ensuring the model's external coherence, as shown in Table 3. The structural model was analysed in terms of the collinearity diagnostic, coefficients of determination (R2), effect size (f2), and relevance and importance of the model paths after the basic quality criteria for the measurement model were met. Figure 2 displays the appropriate outcomes.
The R squared (R2) coefficients of endogenous constructs were assessed to determine the structural model's predictive value. As seen in Figure 2, all the considered Intention of Patronising at Food Premise halal logo were able to explain the variance in the perceived behavioural control and religiosity (R2 Comp = 0.191), while perceived behavioural control of the religiosity can be explained (R2 Emp = 0.015). In terms of effect size (f2), the difference in the R2 of the interest variable related to endogenous constructs when it is removed from the model (Hair et al., 2017) was found to represent a small effect of the perceived behavioural control and religiosity on Intention of Patronising at Food Premise halal logo, and small effects of religiosity on Intention of Patronising at Food Premise halal logo.

Testing research hypotheses
The path coefficients, t-statistics, and their biascorrected confidence intervals, computed by a bootstrapping process with 5000 resamples, were examined within the structural model to assess the relevance and significance of all of the interest direct and indirect effects. The results of the SEM as shown in Table 3 provide support for Hypotheses 1, 2 and 3. According to Hair et al. (2017), the significant level is when the p-value is below 0.05 and the t-value of more than 1.64. From the result (Table 5), it was found that perceived behavioural control has a significant influence on the intention of patronising at food premise halal logo (t value = 9.267, p = 0.00), perceived behavioural control has a significant influence on the intention of patronising at food premise halal logo (t value = 2.474, p = 0.00), meanwhile, religiosity has a significant influence on the intention of patronising at food premise halal logo (t value = 3.7335, p = 0.00). Thus, H1, H2 and H3 hypotheses are supported.

Mediation analysis
The result shows that religiosity acts as a mediator on the effect of perceived behavioural control and intention of patronising at food premise halal logo. Table  4 presents the results of hypothesis testing for the indirect path. The findings in Table 4 concluded a significant indirect effect of religiosity on the relationship between perceived behavioural control and intention of patronising at food premise halal logo (β = 0.019, p < 0.05). The results confirmed that religiosity is a mediator that partial mediates the effects of perceived behavioural control and intention of patronising at food premise halal logo, thus it supports H4. Furthermore, religiosity may also act as an indirect predictor of perceived behavioural control via intention of patronising at food premise halal logo.

Discussion
This research examined the idea of TPB to evaluate religiosity as a mediator of the relationship between perceived behavioural control and the intention of Muslim consumers to patronise food premises with halal  logos. The first hypothesis, that perceived behavioural control has an influence on consumer's intention in patronising food premises with halal logo, is supported by the studies such as Suki and Salleh (2016) and Nursalwani and Zulariff (2017). Besides, earlier studies found that perceived behavioural regulation influences, customers, to re-patronise at food premises with halal logo (Al-Nahdi, 2008;Alam and Nazura, 2011). The link between perceived behavioural control and intention suggests that consumers who believe they have some control over their behaviour are more likely to engage in it. The correlation between perceived behavioural control and intention in patronising at food premises with halal logo purpose indicates that consumers who are in control of their actions are more likely to participate in it.
The second hypothesis is that perceived behavioural control has a substantial effect on religiosity which is confirmed by the results of this research. This is supported by Salman and Siddiqui (2011) and Mukhtar and Butt (2012). Scholars recognised that consumers' perceived behavioural control towards halal food is affected by their religious values once the food establishment shows the halal logo. It is endorsed by Al-Nahdi (2008) that the approach has an essential relationship with the behavioural intention of consumers to patronise food premises with halal logos. Religious teachings and decisions influence people's views and attitudes towards the specific aspect. The intentions of Malaysian customers towards halal food items are highly affected by optimistic views generated after referring to the halal logo.
For the third hypothesis, it was predicted that religiosity greatly affects the intention of consumers to patronise food premises with halal logos and the outcome supported that. This is supported by Borzooei and Asgari (2013), Jamal and Sharifuddin (2015). This finding was also backed up by a study by Elseidi (2018), who discovered that religiosity influences behavioural purpose. An individual's religious level determines whether the individual would be aware of the purchase of halal products at food premises with a halal logo. Previous studies have shown that religion can influence the decision to purchase goods (Dindyal and Dindyal, 2003). Religion's effect on the purchase of halal food depends on the degree to which Islamic rule is practised by Muslims. Consumers who consider themselves as individuals who are obedient to the Islamic religion would prefer the consumption of halal food products (Arsil et al., 2018). According to Noor et al. (2014), a high positive attitude seems to have a greater effect on the purchase of halal products, which is a significant factor in influencing customers' intention to buy halal products at premises with halal logo.
Lastly, the fourth hypothesis, the result found in relation to perceived behavioural control and intention of consumers to patronise at the food premise with halal logo demonstrates that the mediation of religiosity exists between the independent and dependent variables. This suggests that perceived behavioural control does have an indirect positive relationship with the intention of consumers to patronise food premises with the halal logo when it is mediated by religiosity. This is supported by Deb et al. (2021), a person's religious degree impacts whether or not they will purchase a product. This research indicates that students with a higher religious level are more sensitive to the perceived interest based on their Islamic religion. Previous research has indicated that religion has an impact on purchasing decisions (Dindyal and Dindyal, 2003). The impact of religion on halal food purchases at premise halal logo is determined by how strictly Muslims adhere to Islamic law. Consumers who identify themselves as the followers of the Islamic religion will prefer to consume halal food products. (Arsil et al., 2018). With religiosity, consumers' perceived behavioural control towards their intention to patronise at food premise with halal logo can be further enhanced. Consumers with high attentiveness of premises with halal logo may possibly hold a positive impression towards the premises, a high motivation to patronage, and without any conditions, may follow through their intention to patronage the premises.
According to the results, Muslim consumers' intention to patronise food establishments with halal logos is affected by their perceived behavioural control and religiosity. They become very selective on where they consume and which food establishments they go to. Therefore, to attract customers, the halal logo must be presented, and the main idea of the halal logo is to reassure them that the food premises comply with the halal requirements of the consumers. The findings of this research study provide a better understanding for managers and authorities in dealing with the intention of Muslim consumers to patronise food premises with halal logos, particularly the significant impact of perceived behavioural control and religiosity. Muslim consumers' views and expectations should be prioritised by marketing managers when determining whether to patronise at their food establishment retail. The aggressively driven retailers can play foul after realising the power of the halal logo in attracting Muslim consumer markets. For instance, retailers may publicly show videos concerning premises safety, hygienic practice, food preparation process, halal certification, and the premises' halal policy. The halal logo can also be presented in the form of graphic works such as a gigantic poster of chicken with a valid halal logo. Managers must ensure that the practice of halal is gazetted in the eISSN: 2550-2166 © 2022 The Authors. Published by Rynnye Lyan Resources FULL PAPER company's standard operating procedure that it will become a business and work culture. Educating consumers about the halal principle means to fine-tune their attitudes towards supporting the premises. Consumers with the right halal attitude are expected to spread this idea to family members, colleagues, and friends. As their perceived control in purchasing halal goods is better, their intention to patronise the premises is expected to be higher. Bodies of authority such as Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM), local governments, and other supporting agencies should work very closely with retailers to ensure that the premises' halal practices or policies do not mislead consumers and other stakeholders. Realising the power of the halal logo in attracting Muslim consumers, aggressively driven retailers may play foul. For example, some retail premises might be hiring Muslim workers to engage with non-halal foods. The research study can also add to the body of knowledge by filling in the gaps left by a halal logo in the literature on consumer behaviour and the food premise logo.

Conclusion
The present findings have demonstrated that religiosity is a mediator in the relationship between perceived behavioural control and intention on patronising at food premise with halal logo. The halal logo shown by food premises tends to work significantly in encouraging Muslim consumers to patronise at the food premises. Muslim consumers must be nurtured with proper Islamic instruction and thoroughly integrated with a clear understanding of halal values for this to be realised. Since they have a high level of halal awareness, the role of the halal logo at premises should be emphasised in attracting consumers.