UNIMAS Journal (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak)
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Sustainability Perspectives of Market-Pulled and Crisis-Pushed Corporate Spin-Offs
Get PDFAre there different wealth effects for Corporate Spin-offs (CSOs) during economic crisis viz non-crisis and do their performance matter? The answer is crucial for market players investment decisions and CSOs research underpinning impact on sustainability. Reviewing predominantly three papers on Malaysian CSOs, inter-alia, other papers globally, there was an explanation gap on the magnitude, speed, significance, and sustainability of CSO wealth in terms of financial market conditions at the timing of CSOs and CSOs’ performance. After remedying event-induced volatility and cross-sectional correlations, wealth effects were analysed using ninety Malaysian CSOs from 1987 to 2019. We found Crisis-pushed CSOs during weak market conditions had dwindling short-term gains implying weak sustainability contrary to Market-pulled CSOs that demonstrated strong sustainable long-term gains. Pushed CSOs achieved adversely -0.81%, and, Positive performance CSOs have earning potential 14.12% compared to Negative performance CSOs with losing potential -16.08%. CSOs' determinants changed when subjected to market-based criteria and performance-based criteria suggested CSOs' wealth effect oblivious to market conditions and performance were not reliable for gauging CSO expectations. Performance-based criteria subsampling revealed that the composition of generalized CSOs return is not positively dominant and have equal potential to gain and risk of loss
The Influence of Extrinsic Motivating Factors on Employees’ Work Performance at Banking Sectors in Malaysia: The Mediating Effect of Psychological Ownership
Get PDFThis study investigates the influences of extrinsic motivating factors on employees' work performance in banking sectors in Malaysia when the psychological ownership act as mediating effect existed. Generally, this study analyses three independent variables, categorized as extrinsic (working condition, job security, and company policy) motivating factors on the dependent variable of employees' work performance when psychological ownership acts as a mediating effect in banking sectors in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine employee work performance issues, namely, poor service quality, poor communication, high employee turnover, and work-related stress in Malaysian banking sectors. The research tools used in this study were personal distribution and online mail questionnaires. A total of 3700 frontline employees were selected for the questionnaire, but only 370 respondents are fit for further analysis. The survey data was gathered within a one-month duration. The findings revealed that work conditions and company policy have a significant favourable influence on psychological ownership. The following results show that psychological ownership positively mediates the relationship between company policy and work conditions with work performance. A theoretical framework has been constructed based on Herzberg's Theory of hygiene factors used in this research. The outcome of this study would help bank management introduce practical strategies for improving the employees' work performance which leads to business growth
Probability of Corporate Bankruptcy: Application to Portuguese Manufacturing Industry SMEs
Get PDFThis paper aims to develop a model for predicting corporate bankruptcy for SMEs in the Portuguese manufacturing industry where this question remains rather unaddressed. Using profitability, activity, liquidity, leverage, and solvency ratios, it was added the size and age variables, for a group of 208 firms, including 49 bankrupt firms and 159 active firms, during the years 2011 to 2015. The logit model allowed us to estimate a model with 82.3% of predictive capacity. The most important variables identified were profitability, solvency, and size. Estimations only with the data closest to the bankruptcy date improved predictive capacity. It is evidenced that financial and non-financial variables can predict bankruptcy probability. A possible future approach would be to analyze a larger sample. Also, a larger period could be considered, allowing to test either the effects of the 2007/8 crisis or the effects of the recent economic turmoil related to Covid-19. Important for both corporate managers and investors. Conclusions may be disclosed regarding the influence that economic turmoil certainly has on corporate defaults and bankruptcies allowing its extension to other countries. The contribution of this paper is to find the best specification for a bankruptcy prediction model applied to the Portuguese manufacturing industry SMEs. This paper also contributes to the existing literature by using non-financial variables and analyzing a sector still unexplored in Portugal, albeit its conclusions can be extended to other countries
Marketing and Its Impact on Service Quality in the Healthcare Industry of Pakistan
Get PDFThe quality of healthcare services in every society has been a dire need across each era. The effective implementation of which is only possible if the healthcare workers get provided with a suitable environment to perform their duties in. Considering this, the current study determines the impact of internal marketing on the quality of external services delivered to the patients in the labor-intensive healthcare industry of Pakistan. Further, the mediatory role of internal service quality between the said variables is taken into account. The survey-based study was conducted in the twin metropolitans of Pakistan (Islamabad & Rawalpindi). The collected data from 500 individuals comprised of internal customers i.e. doctors, staff members, and external customers i.e. patients, of the public sector as well as private sector hospitals. The study conclusively suggested a significantly positive impact of internal marketing over the external service quality; in both service sectors. Though the public-sector healthcare organizations were found to be comparatively more effective in the implementation of service quality delivered to its customers, in contrast to the private sector healthcare institutions
The Role of Relational Trust During Covid-19 Pandemic among University Students
Get PDFIn response to the Corona Virus diseases 2019 (Covid-19) crisis, the university students became as one of the Malaysian concern especially when they are stranded while the MCO has been exposed by the government. To reduce the impact on psychological pressure, the university via health center and student accommodation center were instructed to function as social support units. Besides food and other necessaries, the information regarding to Covid-19 and crisis management needs to be disseminated. We sampled stranded university students from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) using simple random sampling. With 275 responses, results of multiple mediation regression analysis indicated that the role of relational trust mediates the relationship between crisis responsibility and willingness to seek information. However, gender differences were not influence the behavior and willingness towards seeking the information. It is suggested that the relational trust among UiTM students were influenced by the service quality offered by the centers, thus inculcate them to discover more information with regards to Covid-19 outbreak
Does Gender Differences Matter! Investigating the Prejudiced Practices and Gender-Role Conflict Among Female Professionals Working in Male-Dominated Professions
Get PDFThis study investigates the perceptions of gender role conflict, prejudice practices, office stress, and their impact on female professionals working in male-dominated professions. The paper's concepts and contexts are grounded on the role of congruity theory and transactional theories of stress. A survey was conducted in different institutions of Pakistan and Malaysia. A conceptual model was then developed on five crucial hypotheses on broad-ranging literature analyses using statistical analyses and structural equation modeling with Smart-Partial Least Square (PLS). The findings reveal that females find it difficult to seek the top executive positions as assertive and decisive behaviors in them are seen as obligatory traits. Moreover, the personal experiences of females working in different male-dominant professions in both countries related to discriminatory practices, office stress, role, work-family conflicts are somewhat similar. However, the ways, approaches, and intensity of those experiences are different. Therefore, it is recommended that radical changes be required in terms of stereotypical behavior, psychological and social belief systems for genders to mitigate and replace the old thumb rule concepts
Resources Fungibility as a Moderator in the Relationship between Dynamic Capabilities and Innovation Capability
Get PDFManagerial cognition of resources fungibility is an important dimension that shapes organizational responses. However, the role of managerial cognition of resources fungibility has been empirically overlooked by scholars. Furthermore, extant literature lacks a model to enable a systematic measurement and evaluation of managerial cognition of resources fungibility, which has yet to be developed. This study empirically examines the moderating role of resources fungibility in the relationship between dynamic capabilities and innovation capability. To operationalize managerial cognition to enable the development of a measurable model for resources fungibility, 209 large Malaysian manufacturing firms were selected as sample to study the relationship between resources fungibility and firm's capabilities. The Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique was applied. This study finds that resources fungibility moderates the relationship between integrating capability and coordinating capability and innovation capability. Meanwhile, resources fungibility does not moderates the relationship between learning capability and innovation capability
Fostering Mobile Payment Adoption: A Case of Near Field Communication (NFC)
Get PDFThis study aims to investigate the adoption intention of NFC mobile payment services among consumers in Malaysia. Data collected from 218 respondents were analysed using Partial-Least-Square. The results reveal that consumers’ technology readiness is positively related with perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and intention to adopt NFC. Technology availability has also provided similar results regarding its relationship with perceived ease of use and intention to adopt NFC. The results also show the mediation effects of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the technology in the relationship between technology availability and perceived usefulness, as well as between perceived ease of use and intention to adopt NFC, respectively. The findings of this study suggest the need for the industrial player to target the group of consumers who are innovative. It is also important for banking institutions to reinvent the card system to support NFC infrastructure, so that mass adoption could be created. This study fills the research voids by integrating the established mobile technology acceptance model with two constructs – consumers’ technology readiness and technology availability
Arthropod Communities on Sonneratia caseolaris along Selangor River, Kampung Kuantan, Kuala Selangor, Malaysia
Get PDFSonneratia caseolaris commonly known as mangrove apple or Berembang in the Malay language, is a species of plant in the family Lythraceae. Area of S. caseolaris along Selangor River in Kampung Kuantan has become a natural habitat for a variety of arthropods. This study aimed to identify the species variations in arthropod communities at different selected stations along Selangor River at two different sampling times. Present study was conducted for six consecutive months (August 2010 until January 2011) at 19 selected stations along the Selangor River. Sampling was conducted once per day and night. Sweeping method by using sweep nets were used as the arthropod sampling method. Data analysis was done quantitatively to determine the composition of arthropod community. A total of 7,707 individual arthropods collected belonging to 10 different orders consisting of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Neuroptera, Orthoptera, Odonata, Lepidoptera, Blattodea, Mantodea and Araneae. A total of 4,563 arthropod individuals were sampled at night, which was more than the daytime (3,144 individuals), with Station 17 recorded the highest arthropod individual out of the 19 sampling sites. During the night, the firefly, that belongs to the Lampyridae family showed the highest arthropod composition. The presence of arthropod biodiversity along the Selangor River reveals that the S. caseolaris area is important in maintaining a diverse community of fireflies and other arthropods for conservation purposes
Banana (Musa acuminata), Orange (Citrus reticulata), and Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Peels as Prebiotic
Get PDFFruit waste is being studied as a non-conventional alternative source of nutritional and mineral content that might be employed as functional food ingredients. This study aims to identify the 1) proximate and mineral composition of banana, orange and watermelon waste powder subjected to different drying methods; 2) prebiotic potential of the fruit waste powder (FWP) in growth enhancement of the probiotic Lactobacillus casei. The fruit peels were processed by two methods: freeze-dried and oven-dried. All FWP was sterilised and milled into particle size <180μm. The proximate (total ash, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre), mineral (Ca, Zn, Na, K, Mg, Cu) profiling was analysed in triplicate according to standard. Prebiotic activities of FWP were determined through the growth of L. casei analysed. Significant differences (p<0.05) result was observed between the proximate and mineral parameters in all FWP. Watermelon FWP had the highest moisture, ash, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc content, while banana FWP contained the highest crude protein, crude fat, and magnesium content. Both banana and watermelon FWP were found to exhibit high crude fibre content. The orange WP was reported with the highest carbohydrate, calcium, and copper content. Although significant differences (p<0.05) in composition were noted, the oven and freeze-drying methods employed showed no pronounced effect. Calcium, copper content (all FWP), sodium and phosphorus (watermelon FWP), phosphorus (banana FWP) examined highly exceeded the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) limit. Banana FWP showed the highest L. casei net growth of log10 8.28±0.02– 8.36±0.01 CFU/mL and 91.61–98.66% of survival rate, thus showing its potential as prebiotic agents among other FWP. All types of FWP showed significant difference (p<0.05) in bacterial growth except for oven-dried orange FWP. Overall, the results revealed that all these fruit wastes could be exploited for the nutrient and value-added potential in food formulations due to their inexpensiveness, natural, safe, and environmental friendliness