UPTM Journal (Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia)
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BARRIER HINDERING THE APPLICATION OF VALUE CHAIN IN MALAYSIA SME
Get PDFThis article explores the significant barriers hindering the effective application of the value chain framework in rural small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. Rural businesses face unique challenges, including limited access to financial resources, inadequate infrastructure, and technological gaps, which prevent them from fully participating in broader value chains. These barriers are compounded by a lack of skilled labor, bureaucratic hurdles, and limited market access, which collectively limit the growth potential and competitiveness of rural SMEs. The inability to integrate into supply chains reduces their productivity, market reach, and overall sustainability. Moreover, the digital divide between rural and urban businesses exacerbates the challenges, particularly with the rise of e-commerce and digital tools. Despite these obstacles, overcoming these barriers is essential for fostering inclusive economic development. The article highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions, including improved financing options, better infrastructure, and enhanced digital support for rural entrepreneurs. Additionally, addressing the skills gap through training and educational initiatives is crucial for empowering rural SMEs to innovate and compete. Collaboration between government agencies, private sector partners, and rural businesses is vital to creating a supportive ecosystem for rural entrepreneurship. Ultimately, addressing these challenges will contribute to a more equitable distribution of economic benefits, bridge regional disparities, and foster sustainable growth, helping rural SMEs integrate more effectively into the value chain and enhancing their role in Malaysia’s digital econom
Understanding Online Shopping Experience with Augmented Reality (AR) Mobile Apps. A Grounded Theory Approach
Get PDFFollowing In the post-pandemic landscape, the resurgence of in-store shopping has caused a decline in online purchases. However, the retail industry has witnessed a surge in the adoption of augmented reality (AR) technology as businesses seek innovative ways to revitalize the online shopping experience and maintain a competitive edge. This study delves into the realm of customer experience with augmented reality, specifically focusing on mobile apps tailored for cosmetic products. The research methodology employed in-depth interviews to gather qualitative data, allowing for a nuanced exploration of consumer perceptions and preferences. The analysis reveals three pivotal dimensions crucial for the success and acceptance of AR mobile apps among online shoppers: hedonic experience, utilitarian experience, and immersive experience. The hedonic experience emphasizes the emotional and sensory gratification derived from using AR apps, providing customers with an enjoyable and engaging shopping journey. Simultaneously, the utilitarian experience underscores the practical benefits and functionality that AR technology brings, enabling users to make informed decisions about cosmetic products. Lastly, the immersive experience immerses customers in a digitally enhanced shopping environment, blurring the lines between the virtual and physical realms. For retailers to harness the full potential of AR in the cosmetic retail sector, a strategic fusion of these three experiential dimensions is imperative. This study contributes valuable insights for businesses aiming to leverage AR technology effectively, ensuring a compelling and satisfying online shopping encounter for consumers in the ever-evolving retail landscape
The Factors Influencing the Actual Use of Mobile Learning among Students in Malaysia Public Universities
Get PDFThe education system has experienced major change since COVID-19, moving away from traditional learning methods and toward non-traditional solutions. Mobile learning is one of the most innovative methods of education that has emerged as a result of the widespread accessibility of information networks and ongoing technological advancement. This denotes the launch of an unconventional educational platform that makes use of mobile technologies to promote thorough knowledge gain and interactive learning. Students may show resistance to adopting mobile learning despite governmental efforts through its policy and benefits linked with educational technologies in learning. This hesitance is indicated by the conflicting findings present in the existing literature. The question of whether students possess favourable attitudes towards mobile learning remains an ongoing challenge to study. Hence, to illustrate thorough explanations regarding challenges related to the actual usage of mobile learning, the study intends to investigate the influence of perceived trust, perceived usefulness, perceived usability, perceived facilities, and perceived social influence of mobile learning. The study adopts these five (5) independent variables to test the dependent variable namely the actual use of mobile learning and treatment of the behaviour intention derived from the aforementioned five (5) independent variables. To fully illustrate, the study proposes a comprehensive framework for implementing mobile learning in public universities. The findings of the research offer practical advice on how to evaluate and improve the quality of mobile learning platforms and comprehend diverse factors for the effective use of mobile learning platforms
An Analysis of Directive Speech Act Utilized in Contemporary Islamic Sermons: A Case Study of Dr. Haifaa Younis’s Sermons
Get PDFContemporary Islamic sermons are religious speeches or lectures delivered by Muslim scholars, imams, or knowledgeable individuals in the present time. These sermons cover various aspects of the Islamic faith, teachings, ethics, and practical guidance while also addressing contemporary issues and challenges faced by Muslims and society. The objective of contemporary Islamic sermons is to bridge the gap between traditional Islamic teachings and the modern context by providing relevant insights and perspectives that resonate with the current generation. These sermons often touch on topics such as spirituality, moral values, social justice, family life, personal development, community engagement, and addressing contemporary societal challenges. The present study aims to analyze the selected Islamic sermons delivered by Dr. Haifaa Younis which examines the use of directive speech acts within the speeches. Directive speech acts, according to Searle, occur when the speaker expects the listener to take a specific action. These can take various forms, such as advice, commands, orders, questions, or requests. The research data for this study were obtained from Dr. Haifaa Younis's YouTube channel, specifically from the sermons, which were transcribed verbatim for analysis purposes. The study adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing descriptive interpretative techniques to analyze the data. The researcher examined the verbatim transcripts of the selected sermons, identified the instances of directive speech acts, and explained the phenomena using pragmatic theories
Exploring the Specific Nuances of Multilingual Proficiency and its Impact on Social Skills and Employability
Get PDFThis study investigates the effectiveness of multilingualism in a globalized world, examining its impact on social skills and career prospects. In an increasingly interconnected world, learning multiple languages beyond English is considered a necessity for global competency and addressing complex global issues. The research aimed to determine if there are differences in multilingualism based on gender and age, and to identify the relationships between social skills and job prospects with multilingualism. A quantitative survey was administered to 170 Bachelor of Counselling (Honours) students at Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah (USAS), utilizing simple random sampling and analyzed with SPSS. Results indicated no significant difference in multilingualism based on gender or age, suggesting similar potential across these demographics. Crucially, a significant positive relationship was found between social skills and multilingualism (r = .534, p < 0.01), and between job prospects and multilingualism (r = .565, p < 0.01). These findings support Affordance Theory, positing that individuals pursue multilingualism for enhanced social interaction and career advancement. The study underscores that multilingualism provides significant benefits in the job market and travel, highlighting the need for educational institutions and governments to bolster language education to foster global competitiveness
Evaluating the Digital Literacy of E-Government Services Usage in Urban Malaysian Communities
Get PDFThis journal article presents a comprehensive assessment of digital literacy levels in metropolitan Malaysian populations as they engage with e-government services. In an increasingly digitalized world, e-government services play a critical role in providing key public services to residents, making it critical to measure end-user digital literacy. This study adopts a quantitative survey to examine the digital literacy of urban Malaysians and its influence on their use of e-government services. The findings of the study demonstrate diverse levels of digital literacy within Malaysian urban groups, which are impacted by characteristics such as age, education, and socioeconomic position. The study reveals the unique digital skills and knowledge gaps that impede successful participation in e-government services, giving insight into the difficulties that users encounter. Furthermore, the study discusses the significance of these findings for government policies and programs targeted at boosting digital literacy and e-government service accessibility. The study's findings are significant for policymakers and e-government service providers seeking to bridge the digital gap and provide fair access to public services. This research leads to the development of more user-friendly and inclusive e-government services, eventually enhancing public engagement, trust, and involvement in Malaysia's digital governance environment by solving the identified digital literacy difficulties
The Relationship between Macroeconomic Variable in Indonesia: Study of Economic Growth, Export, Import, Labor and Inflation
Get PDFThe objective of this study is to assess the potential for mutual relationships and co-integration among variables such as economic growth, exports, imports, labor, and inflation in Indonesia, using secondary time series data covering the period from 1985 to 2022. The approach applied in this research involves the use of Vector Autoregression (VAR), encompassing Granger Causality and Johansen Co-Integration Test. Subsequently, Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) estimation and forecast analysis are conducted using Impulse Response Function, Variance Error Decomposition, and Forecasting. The results of the Granger Causality test indicate that there is only a unidirectional relationship between economic growth to imports, while there is no significant unidirectional relationship from other variables. The results of the Johansen Co-Integration test suggest that these variables have long-term relationships or are co-integrated. Based on the forecasting results, the research can be applied over the period from 1985 to 2037
A Conceptual Framework for Studying Technology Adoption of Malaysian SME Retailers.
Get PDFThis paper is fundamentally a conceptual paper, the purpose of which is to propose a framework for researchers to study technology adoption of small and medium enterprise retailers (SMERs) in Malaysia by combining the dimensions of system-specific approach and latent personality dimensions. which focuses on existing theoretical frameworks and paradigms in the study of technology adoption of SMERs. However, the paper also draws on the database of reviews of past studies conducted in the field of technology adoption and identifies two fundamental paradigms- the system-specific approach and the latent personality dimensions approach. The paper also draws upon the empirical findings of these studies to determine and define the elements of the proposed conceptual framework. The available empirical data from the conclusions of the existing research studies, therefore, are bound by the limits of these two paradigms. This paper proposes a conceptual framework and a language which scholars can utilize to take a more holistic approach, which bridges the gap between the two existing paradigms. The study has a theoretical contribution as it aims to propose a new model for the technology adoption of SMERs by incorporating the system-specific paradigm and the latent personality behavior paradigm. The second theoretical contribution of this framework is that it can test the moderating effect of latent personality dimensions. Furthermore, the paper is also in alignment with the Government of Malaysia’s National 4IR Policy. This paper modifies three existing theoretical frameworks- TAM, TOE, and TRI, thereby, proposing a new conceptual model for technology adoption of SMER
Strategy for The Growth of Leading Processing Industry Subsectors Based on The Commodity of The Agro Industry Region of Jambi Province
Get PDFThis study investigates the growth potential of the Food and Beverage Industry, Paper Goods Industry, and Rubber and Plastic Goods Industry in Jambi Province as promising sectors for processing industries. It identifies challenges in expanding and leveraging the processing industry to benefit the regional economy. Urgent strategies and policies are proposed to overcome these obstacles, focusing on the agro-industrial commodity-based processing industry in Jambi. Using the Simultaneous Equation Model (SEM) and the Analytical Network Process (ANP), the study identifies key factors influencing the growth of each subsector. The results highlight the significant impact of variables such as Industrial Investment, Production Value, Labour Productivity, Industrial Raw Materials, Budget Allocation, and Manpower. By employing the ANP method, the study determines the most influential strategy for the development of the leading processing industry. The optimization of the government's role in policies and funding emerges as the key factor for successful strategy selection. Implementing the recommended strategies and policies will foster growth, maximize the industry's contribution, and strengthen the regional economy in Jambi Province
Empowering Future Professionals: Unveiling Shariah Audit Awareness, Competency, and Career Intentions Among Accounting Undergraduates in Malaysia
Get PDFThe rise of Islamic finance highlights the crucial role of Shariah auditors in ensuring ethical adherence in financial systems. Focusing on Malaysia, a key player in Islamic finance, this study aims to clarify Shariah audit awareness, competence, and career intentions among accounting students. By understanding factors influencing their aspirations, the research aims to cultivate capable future Shariah auditors for Islamic Financial Institutions. The study has four main goals: measuring awareness of Shariah audit functions, evaluating accounting graduates' knowledge in Shariah auditing, assessing students' interest in Shariah audits, and examining factors influencing accounting students' desire to become Shariah auditors. The study's findings are significant for educational institutions and professional bodies. The insights into Shariah audit awareness, competence, and career intentions could reshape education, leading to improved curricula for Islamic finance. Universities and professional bodies can use these insights to create programs that nurture skilled Shariah auditors, blending tradition and innovation in Islamic finance. In essence, this topic calls for action, urging academics, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss and shape a group of proficient professionals who can confidently navigate Shariah auditing. This effort aims to strengthen the foundations of Islamic Financial Institutions in Malaysia