The increasingly competitive retail industry demands the ability of retailers to use appropriate marketing strategies to build customer loyalty and dominate the targeted market. This research aims to examine the relationship between strategic variables and the influence of these variables on the loyalty of boutique customers in Tarakan City. The research model tests the direct effect of store atmosphere on perceived quality, direct and indirect effects of store atmosphere on satisfaction, direct and indirect effects of store atmosphere on loyalty, direct effects of perceived quality on satisfaction, the direct effect and indirect effect of perceived quality on loyalty, and the direct effect of satisfaction on customer loyalty. One hundred seventy-six (176) respondents were used as samples and drawn by the accidental sampling method. The test results with SmartPLS show that this study's measurement model meets the convergent and discriminant validity. The results of the path analysis indicated that the nine hypotheses study are supported by the data. The store atmosphere positively affects perceived quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. The perceived quality has a positive effect on satisfaction, and loyalty. Furthermore, satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on loyalty. The role of perceived quality mediates the effect of store atmosphere on satisfaction, and satisfaction mediates the impact of store atmosphere on loyalty. The results of this study also reveal that the effect of store atmosphere on loyalty is not mediated by service quality. Thus, the results of this study are one of the empirical evidence that contributes to the development of customer loyalty theory and is useful as a basis for developing marketing strategies to increase boutique customer loyalty.

Since the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Sabah has accomplished many things in terms of economic development. Infrastructure has improved. Per capita income has increased by many folds. Poverty rate has also been reduced significantly. In addition, Sabah has become one of the biggest producers of petroleum, rubber and cocoa in Malaysia and palm oil in the world. The trade performance is no exception. Sabah's trade was recorded to be US$154.4 million in 1962 (R. Idris, 2015) while in 2011 the trade value was reported to worth approximately US$27.3 billion (R. Idris, 2015). Despite all these, some argue that Sabah should and could have done better. Some even claim that Sabah is still backward compared to many other states in Malaysia. In this regard, some view that Sabah's economic performance is 'underperforming' due to inadequate allocation from the federal government, lack of autonomy in decision-making and infrastructure, among other things. this study proposes a general economic model that should be looked into when discussing the factors that influence Sabah's economy. In addition, a business model is being proposed for the economy of Sabah. It hopes to guide stakeholders to look at the economy from a broader perspective. Here are some recommendations for various stakeholders to consider.

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Diplomacy has always been seen as a state-centric matter that views state as the only actor in international relations. Nevertheless, since the end of the Cold War, this belief has been challenged with the growing role of multinational as well as sub-state entities in international political arena. Malaysia-Australia relations have been shaped with numerous issues and challenges. Despite their bumpy political ties in the past (especially during the prime ministership of dr. Mahathir Mohamad) other spheres of the relationship remained unaffected. As such, a case study is conducted by looking at Sabah-Australia relations in terms of paradiplomatic practices.This research is qualitative in nature. Initial findings indicate that historical imperatives as well as trading interactions are two forms paradiplomatic practice that has contributed to strengthening of Malaysia-Australia relations.

For countries that are geographically blessed with islands, island tourism is a potential segment that can be exploited, especially in view of the intense competition in attracting tourists to the Southeast Asian region. Layang-Layang Island, Malaysia, which is located in the middle of the South China Sea is a renowned diving destination known for its hammerhead sharks and other pelagic marine life. Despite having hosted tourists (particularly divers) for nearly two decades, Layang-Layang Island is much under-researched. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the tourist experience in Layang-Layang Island by utilising online reviews extracted from the TripAdvisor website. Leximancer software was utilised to analyse the data and generate concepts out of words. Five themes were derived from the data analysis which flight, resort, diving, day and reef. The findings provide insights into the positioning of Layang-Layang Island from the tourists’ perspectives and maybe a useful reference for its future development.