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The Malaysian Malay Communication Style (MMCS) formulated by Che Su and Hassan (2010) was developed to measure specific Malay communication characteristics in the workplace. We extended this work by using structural equation modelling to determine the factor structure of the 60-item version of the MMCS. Based on a sample of 320 employees, we found eight stable dimensions which measure communication style among Malay employees in Malaysian contexts. Moreover, scores on the scale developed to measure the MMCS criteria yielded excellent validity and reliability estimates. This study provided and presented insights and further understanding of communication style from the indigenous perspective, which allows practitioners to gain in-depth knowledge about the implementation of organizational communication in an organization. The implications of this research were discussed.

The issue of health is one of the problems that not only involves science, but its intervention is rooted in society. The World Health Organization (WHO) in one of its reports acknowledged that cultural factors play a role in health behaviours. Generally, the study of the relationship between religion and behaviour has long been established. However, looking at that aspect from the point of view of health communication is considered relatively new. The extent to which aspects of religious values such as Islam influenced health promotion efforts should be identified in line with the development of Islam as one the most growing religions. Using the focus group method, this paper explores Islamic values and elements in health promotion to eight Muslim youth groups in Malaysia. Focused group interviews of eight groups with a total of 40 participants were analysed using thematic analysis methods with the support of NVivo software. This finding first elaborates on the conceptualisation of Islamic health communication. The concept of divinity has a great influence in promoting health. In addition, elements such as religious references, goals and the role of life in Islam also contribute to the formation of a health communication framework based on Islamic values. Secondly, the findings of the study also explain how these religious elements contribute to the changes in health behaviour. Through these findings, an Islamic health communication model has been proposed. The results of this study have developed an empirical understanding of cultural sensitivity in health communication practices. Keywords: Health promotion, health education, religion-based communication, cultural sensitivity, Islamic communication.

Abstract. The purpose of this paper is to explore the attributes (basis and values) of faith-based communication strategy on health communication. Eight series of focus group studies on Muslim community were conducted to gather the data. The finding makes abundantly clear that the tawhidic (the belief in Oneness of God) conception significantly determine the effectiveness of Islamic communication message. In addition, there were another six themes that contributes to Islamic health communication attributes which may influence the receiver's attitudes and behaviours. The insights of this paper may contribute to the further development of health promotion strategies for Muslims community.