UNIMAS Journal (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak)
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The Relationship between Financial Risks and Commercial Banks' Performance in Malaysia
Get PDFThis research examines the relationship between financial risks and the performance of commercial banks in Malaysia from 2018 to 2022. Financial risks considered include operational risk, credit risk, and liquidity risk. The study aims to identify how these risks impact the efficiency and stability of commercial banks, and how such risks influence investor confidence and capital inflows. Using data from various Malaysian commercial banks, this study employs regression analysis and diagnostic tests to assess the significance and strength of the relationships between different types of financial risks and bank performance. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the financial dynamics within the Malaysian banking sector, providing valuable insights for investors and financial analysts to make informed decisions. This research is crucial given the increased financial uncertainties and economic challenges in the post-COVID-19 era
UNDERLYING SCHOOL DROPOUTS ISSUES IN SARAWAK
Get PDFStudents who leave school without completing formal education still remain an issue in Malaysia. This study is based on the research tracing the journey of school dropouts in Sarawak, Malaysia and the focus of this paper is identify the issues behind it. A cross-sectional survey was used to complete the data collection process among 120 school dropouts selected through purposive sampling. The obtained data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), described in frequency and cross-tabulated. The study discloses that most of the school dropouts come from the suburban areas (69.2%) compared to urban areas (30.8%). More males (54.2%) than females (45.8%) dropped out of school and most dropped out at secondary (77.5%) compared to primary (22.5%) school level. Interestingly, the number of students who dropped out from the academic schools (96.7%) is higher than those from the technical school (3.3%). More females than males got married at the schooling age of 18 years old and below. What is thought-provoking on these findings are issues underlying the school dropouts such as the lack of opportunity and social inequality, quality of education, inadequate facilities and infrastructures to facilitate students to continue and complete their education. These issues should be taken into seriously. It is not just the economic concerns of poverty and unemployment but there is also a need to include structural and social concerns such as inequality and violation of children’s right. The underlying background of those who are still in school need to be addressed and studied by all the stakeholders involved and they should be sensitive to their backgrounds in order to identify relevant measures to prevent those who are at risk from further dropping out of school
ADOPTION OF PEER-TO-PEER (P2P) FINTECH LENDING: A STUDY OF SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS
Get PDFThis research examines the socio-demographic factors of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) fintech lending within the Indonesian context. This research takes three different P2P Fintech lending measures: total fintech accounts, total fintech transactions, and total fintech loan disbursement. Using provincial data from 2019 to 2022, our robust panel regression found that education, internet literacy, poverty, and gender play important roles in P2P Fintech lending, specifically the total accounts and transactions. However, the total fintech loans were only determined by education and Gender. This study contributes significantly to the digital economy literature, specifically within the fintech domain, offering valuable insights for policymakers and financial authorities in Indonesia to enhance regulatory frameworks and foster a more inclusive P2P Fintech landscape
FACTORS INFLUENCING INTERACTION INTENTION BEHAVIOR ON INSTAGRAM: A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON LOCAL CLOTHING BRAND
Get PDFInstagram is mainly used by brand owners in various sectors as a marketing channel, with users’ engagement being one of the aims to increase sales. Several investigations have struggled to identify the major predictor that may influence users’ engagement, particularly their interaction intention with brand accounts. Therefore, this research aimed to determine the effect of perceived creativity, positive emotions, and affective commitment on interaction intention of users with brand accounts. By constructing Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) conceptual model, using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), 459 valid questionnaires from two different local brands were analyzed using purposive sampling with Smart PLS. The results showed that perceived creativity could influence users’ positive emotions and affective commitment to Three Second and Starcross brands. However, creative content failed to significantly contribute to interaction intention unless it was related to users’ value. It was also found that brand owners must provide essential features or stimuli such as ‘give comments and get something’ in order to trigger users to interact with brand. These results provided assistance to brand owners or social media marketers in the fashion business to develop not only creative marketing campaigns but also create strong relationships with their followers
MODELLING THE SUSTAINABLE CHOICES: THE INFLUENCE OF LABELS AND ATTITUDES ON CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTIONS OF ORGANIC FOOD
Get PDFExamining the influence of labelling on organic food purchase intention is essential, as labelling plays a critical role in shaping consumer perceptions and influencing purchasing decisions. This study specifically investigates the effect of labelling on organic food packaging and its influence on purchase intention. To achieve this, a non-contrived, cross-sectional correlational study was conducted, yielding 415 valid responses. The findings indicate that personal attitudes strongly influence purchase intention. Satisfaction with existing labelling positively impacts both personal attitudes and purchase intention, while a desire for more labelling negatively affects personal attitudes and purchase intention. Additionally, personal attitude mediates the relationship between satisfaction with labelling, the desire for more labelling, and purchase intention. These results provide valuable insights for marketers, organic food retailers, and producers to refine labelling strategies and develop more effective marketing communication plans to better influence consumer behaviour toward organic food products
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE ON ENGAGEMENT IN IOT SPORTS TECHNOLOGY: A MEDIATION ANALYSIS
Get PDFThe Internet of Things (IoT) is a major revolution that is transforming the world of sports and enabling athletes to improve their physical performance. The use of IoT devices for sports is based primarily on the sharing of athletes' achievements online and the interaction between them, which allows them to motivate and encourage each other to improve their physical performance. Our research analyzes the influence of family and friends (INF_SOC) on engagement (ENGAG) in the ongoing and long-term use of these IoT devices and studies the mediating effect of perceived control (CP), perceived provider credibility (CRD), and trust (CONF) in this relationship. The population is the athletes who use IoT to measure their performance. Convenience sampling was deployed to collect the data using a questionnaire. 313 respondents participated in this study. To analyze our theoretical model, we used the method of partial least squares under SmartPls. The results confirmed all the theoretical hypotheses introduced and validated the mediating effects. They allowed us to generate interesting recommendations for IoT providers and users to reinforce engagement in the use of the Internet of Things for sports
A Brief Review of the Nutritive Value and Chemical Components of Bat Guano and Its Potential Use as a Natural Fertiliser in Agriculture: Bat guano as a natural fertiliser in agriculture
No full textNew and improved fertilisers are constantly being introduced to the market to help increase crop yields. However, the common usage of chemical fertilisers had brought upon negative impacts to the environment and the study for sustainable fertiliser is still ongoing. This review will highlight the usage of bat guano as a valuable fertiliser which has a potential to diminish the effects of chemical fertiliser usage, increase yield and is cost effective. Its role as a fertiliser can support the agricultural growth and in turn provides additional care for plants. The chemical compositions of guano which was found to be subpar with other fertilisers support its usage of guano as an alternative for crop yield enhancement. Plant growth performance that shows a significant positive impact of guano on crops, further demonstrates its usage as organic fertilisers. In-depth study of the chemical composition of guano should be pursued as the fertiliser has high beneficial value to the ecology and economy
The Relationship between Odorrana hosii Skin Histology and Habitat Water Quality in Different Locations of Sarawak: Relationship between O. hosii skin histology and habitat water quality
No full textRecent study has revealed that the poison gland in Odorrana hosii skin act as defensive mechanism and can help in wound healing management of a frog species. Since skin is the first organ that come into contact with the surrounding, the habitat of the species should be related to the properties of the frogs’ skin. Thus, we investigated the O. hosii skin histology in relation to water quality parameters at different localities in Sarawak. The goal of study is to uncover a link between O. hosii habitat and its skin histology at four different locations: Ranchan Recreational Park (RRP), Matang Wildlife Centre (MWC), Borneo Highlands (BH), and Santubong National Park (SNP). The water quality criteria for each area were pH, turbidity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen (DO). The results showed that DO concentration of the habitat is the most essential element in affecting the health of the amphibian skin, as well as the forested areas (MWC, SNP, and BH) that protect the skin from direct sunlight. The DO of the habitat differed significantly for the mean number of mucous and seromucous glands at 0.01 (α = 0.05) and 0.03 (α = 0.05), respectively. The number of mucous glands and DO were found to have a strong positive correlation at 0.701. However, the number of seromucous glands showed a strong negative correlation with DO at -0.623. O. hosii skin from the four different localities was found to have cutaneous gland variations that reflect the environment in the number of glands. Mucous glands play an important role in indicating the localities’ water quality, which reflects adaptation of O. hosii to its habitat. This highlights the importance of preserving natural habitats for this sensitive species
New Record of Edible Chicken of the Wood Mushroom, Laetiporus versisporus (Lloyd) Imazeki (Fomitopsidaceae, Polyporales) from Sabah (Northern Borneo), Malaysia: Laetiporus versisporus of Sabah
No full textThe genus Laetiporus has been previously reported from Mesilau in Sabah, Northern Borneo in 1964. To date, no further documentation of the Laetiporus genus has been reported in Sabah, Malaysia. This study provides an overview of recent literature on taxonomic updates, distribution and sequence data of Laetiporus in Malaysia. During the period March – June 2020, two Laetiporus specimens were collected in Maliau Basin Conservation Area and Sipitang. These two specimens were identified as L. versisporus based on morphological characteristics and molecular methods. Interestingly, no sequence data for this particular species have been documented for Malaysian Borneo. This study represents the initial documentation of L. versisporus in Sabah (Northern Borneo) that have potential applications in medicine and food industry and provide insights into its phylogenetic relationship within the genus Laetiporus
UNEMPLOYMENT BEHAVIOUR IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: EVIDENCE FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Get PDFThis paper explores the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, corruption and other determinants on unemployment in developing countries using panel dataset for 89 developing countries from January to December 2020. The proposed unemployment model is estimated utilising a newly formulated conceptual framework to examine whether COVID-19 pandemic, corruption, and human capital, play a moderating role on unemployment determination in our selected developing countries. The model is estimated using the dynamic panel system generalised method of moments (GMM) estimator. Apart from output, inflation and human capital, our results show that the COVID-19 pandemic and corruption are major variables in explaining the unemployment rate for our sampled countries. Furthermore, and more notably, we find evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic and corruption appear to significantly restrain and alter the role of outputs and human capital in impacting unemployment. Therefore, the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and corruption on the economies and labour markets of countries examined should not be under-estimated. Additionally, findings show that, while policy initiatives to combat the COVID-19 pandemic are critical, strengthening anti-corruption regulations would further improve the efficiency of any attempt to reduce unemployment rates associated with the COVID-19 period