UNIMAS Journal (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak)
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Impact of Leadership Styles toward Employee Engagement among Malaysian Civil Defence Force
Get PDFIt is a fact that organization’s success and failure heavily depend on employees and employee engagement is found as one of the important indicators to engage work force in any organization. It has been repeatedly discussed by researchers in the past years and it was established that employee engagement is affected by variation in leadership styles. Many drivers regarding employee engagement have been identified, thus making the concept of employee engagement clear and more understandable for the employer. It also impacts employee performance and wellbeing as found by the past researchers. Leadership style also play a significant role in employee engagement. Leadership style is usually associated with the engagement of an employee and became the most important driver that may create culture of employee engagement in the organization. Leadership style also helps to drive optimal level of productivity in an organization and maintain employee trust. This study aims to identify the engagement level of employees in Malaysian Civil Defense Force and its relationship with leadership style. This research used Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) as a research instrument. SPSS software package for social sciences version 22 was used to analyze the data in this study. Finding of this study shows that leadership styles have a significant impact on employee engagement especially transformational leadership has a significant relationship with employee engagement. Therefore, from the findings of this study, it is suggested for the future researchers to use the mix method in collecting data so that the findings will be more accurate and detailed and can be generalized
Cybercrime Threat Landscape amid the Movement Control Order in Malaysia
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has evolved rapidly and affected almost all the world's countries, creating unprecedented chaos on human lives, physical health, mental wellbeing, and the world economy. During this time, digital space has become an indispensable global means of communication, entertainment, and social interaction. However, high reliance on digital tools increases the risk of being prey to cyberattacks. In order to explore the cybercrime threat landscape, empirical research was conducted to examine the shared experiences related to cybercrime threats during the enforcement of the Movement Control Order in Malaysia. Data was collected using an online survey among 332 respondents across Malaysia. The finding stipulated that most of the respondents comprised females aged between 18 and 28 years old. The result also indicated that majority of female became victims of online phishing/malware distribution [(M = 0.58, SD = 0.13); t (113) = 2.24, p = 0.02] and online sexual harassment [(M = 0.56, SD = 0.11); t (107) = 2.38, p = 0.01]. The understanding of cybercrime experiences faced by the public during MCO is essential to help law enforcement agencies to stay vigilant on issues related to public safety and security during unprecedented conditions
The Condition and Challenges of Community Learning Centre in the Oil Palm Plantations of Sarawak, Malaysia
Get PDFSarawak is facing the problem of labour shortage in its oil palm plantations. It is difficult to recruit Malaysians to work in the plantations and, therefore, hiring foreign workers has become one of the solutions. Since the number of Indonesian workers and children is increasing, the Indonesian Government has requested to set up Community Learning Centre (CLC) in plantations for the Indonesian children in Sarawak. This article aims to explore the existence of CLC and the challenges faced by its teachers. A qualitative study has been employed, and data was collected using face-to-face interviews and interviews via telephone and text messages. The face-to-face interviews were conducted before and after the Movement Control Order was implemented in Sarawak. The first 16 CLCs were set up in 2016, and the number increased to 63 in 2020. CLC uses the Indonesian teaching syllabus, and the subjects are taught by Indonesian teachers (Guru Pamong and Guru Bina). Up to June 2020, there were 114 Indonesian CLC teachers in the state. The constraints of the CLC in Sarawak include limited classrooms, low motivation of the students, and lack of teaching and learning equipment which affects the effectiveness of teaching and learning. On the bright side, the CLC has given an opportunity to the Indonesian children in oil palm plantations in Sarawak to have primary education. After graduating from CLC, they can continue their studies in a secondary school in Indonesia since the teaching syllabus in CLC is similar to the one used in Indonesia
Performance Accountability in Indonesian Local Governments: Does Monitoring Really Work?
Get PDFThis study aims to empirically examine whether the monitoring activities on local government implementation really matter for local government performance accountability. Based on a sample of decentralized Indonesia during 2010-2019, we test this by measuring monitoring activities of local government at district and city levels. Using panel data set of 514 local governments, our results show that the monitoring activities, conducted by external audit and the public, positively affect local government performance accountability. In contrast, legislative monitoring negatively affects performance accountability. These findings suggest that the external audit plays a fundamental role in monitoring activities at the local governments. In addition, direct public monitoring can enhance performance accountability through intensifying human development and a greater democracy. As for legislators, the composition between government coalition and opposition should also be suitable for the effectiveness of monitoring
Species Diversity of Non-Volant Small Mammals Between Lowland and Highland of Gunung Serapi, Kubah National Park, Sarawak
Get PDFThe study of non-volant small mammals was conducted at Kubah National Park (KNP), Sarawak for eight days between November 2018 until February 2019. The objective of this study was to determine the species diversity of non-volant small mammals at the highland (>750 – 805 m a.s.l.) and lowland (<200 m a.s.l.) at KNP. The elevation of Gunung Serapi is 911 m a.s.l. but the highest accessible area is at 805 m a.s.l. The distance between two sampling sites is approximately 4.5 km. Humidity and temperature measurement were also recorded at both sites. A total of 50 cage traps were set up at the highland and 50 cage traps at the lowland. The baits that were used in this study were oil palm and banana. A total of 26 individuals from 11 species, eight genera and four families were captured. However, there is no significant difference in species diversity between low and high elevations because the elevation of KNP was not high enough to distinguish species that are highland or lowland specialist
Minimum Effective Dose of Chlorantraniliprole and Chromafenozide to Control Oil Palm Bunch Moth Tirathana mundella Walker
Get PDFThe bunch moth, Tirathaba mundella is one of the leading pests in oil palm estates established on peatland. Severely infested male inflorescences usually would fail reaching anthesis. Reduction in the number of inflorescences at anthesis stage would suggest less food source and breeding ground for oil palm pollinating weevils, Elaeidobius kamerunicus, thus, affecting the fruiting percentage of oil palm and its yield. Despite to be less detrimental to the environment, biopesticide usages in the field is losing favour due to its slower rate of kill compared with conventional chemical pesticides, shorter persistence in the environment and susceptibility to unfavourable environmental conditions. The use of high host specificity chemical pesticides, such as chlorantraniliprole and chromafenozide are gaining popularity in pest management regimes. In this study, the optimum dose for chlorantraniliprole and chromafenozide in controlling T. mundella was assessed to provide valuable information for sustainable oil palm pest management. Several dosages of pesticide were evaluated for their effectiveness against T. mundella in a 7-year-old oil palm estate for six months. Based on the results obtained, application of 30 g or 40 g active ingredient (a.i.) per ha chlorantraniliprole were recommended to provide the longest protection period. To make plan for an effective pest management that could reduce material and labour cost per ha as well as the risks in developing pesticide resistance among pest, 30 g a.i per ha of chlorantraniliprole is recommended to be rotated with 25 g a.i. per ha chromafenozide for a total of four rounds in a year
Histological Alterations in Some Organs of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Exposed to Sub-lethal Concentrations of Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine]
Get PDFThis study used a static bioassay to investigate the histological effects of glyphosate on the gill, liver and muscle of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fingerlings. This was done with a view of further characterising the effect of glyphosate on C. gariepinus fingerlings and other aquatic life forms. Six-week old C. gariepinus fingerlings with an average weight of 10.02 ± 0.2 g were stocked into three exposure sets (control, 2.75 ppm (25% of the 96 h LC50 value) and 5.50 ppm (50% of the 96 h LC50 value)) in triplicate at 30 fish per tank for 70 days. The 96 h LC50 value was 11.00 mg/L. Histological examination of the C. gariepinus exposed to various sublethal concentrations of glyphosate showed that major histological changes in their organs were concentration dependent such as gill arch vacuolation, excessive mucosal secretions, lifting of epithelial, and epithelium thickening, hyperplasia and telangiectasis in the gills, discolouration, change in form and consistent alterations involving hyperplasia, narrowing of the central nerve, necrosis, pkynosis, blood congestion and vacuolation of the liver, mild hyperplasia and inflammatory responses in the muscle of the fish. The severity of histological alteration was more pronounced in fish organs exposed to 5.50 ppm of glyphosate concentration. This study concluded that the toxicant (glyphosate) is highly toxic to C. gariepinus particularly at a concentration of 5.50 ppm, therefore its use near farm lands or adjacent water bodies should be discouraged
Royal Family Members and Financial Reporting Timeliness: Evidence from UAE
Get PDFThis study aims to examine the association between Royal family members on the board of directors and financial reporting quality in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). UAE has two markets, namely Abu Dhabi Exchange Security (ADX) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM). The data of the current study were collected from these two markets listed companies for the periods of 2011 to 2018 which resulted in 437 observations. The results of this study showed that the existence of royal family members on the board of the UAE listed companies is significantly associated with financial reporting timeliness. This study provides evidence on the role played by the elite groups (Royal Family members) in UAE in enhancing the role of the board of directors. The findings also reported that board independence, audit committee size, audit committee expert, and firm profitability are significantly associated with financial reporting timeliness. The findings of this study contribute to the existing theory and empirical evidence of how the existence of Royal family members on the board of directors adds values to the company and improves its financial reporting quality
Determinants of Sukuk Issuers’ Financial Stability: Evidence from Malaysia
Get PDFFinancial stability and Sukuk expanded swiftly into the financial industry after the 2007-2008 global financial turmoil. Malaysia's Sukuk market is arguably the most prominent in Islamic finance globally, and its inherent nature gives it a better security on the premise of guaranteed firms’ financial stability and returns to investors. This study aims to explore the extent of the Malaysian firms’ financial stability are being influenced by the characteristics of Sukuk and also the firms’ characteristics. Sixty-one listed companies that have issued Sukuk from 1997 to 2017 have been selected for this study. The nave distance to default (DD) developed by Bharath and Shumway was used as a measure of the firms’ financial stability. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) was employed in this study, and the results confirmed that Sukuk could promote the firms’ financial stability. The variables related to the characteristics of Sukuk that were found to influence financial stability were the intensity of Sukuk and the proportion of Sukuk financing. The firm size, valuation, solvency, and profitability were the firms’ characteristics that have also affected the firms’ financial stability significantly. All these provide evidences that Malaysia should play more active role in promoting the development of Sukuk market, and at the same time should be aware that financial stability is a systematic element which involved many complex factors
Organizational Citizenship Behaviour and the Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment: A Study of Private Universities
Get PDFThis study aims to perpetuate the investigation of organizational commitment and its mediating role as it is one of the most crucial components in understanding organizational behaviour. A total of 324 samples were collected from the academics of 20 private universities in Malaysia. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS3.0 was used to perform the latent variable analysis. The results indicate transformational leadership, organizational culture, and organizational justice are the significant predictors of organizational commitment, and organizational commitment, in turn, is found to be a strong predictor of organizational citizenship behaviour. Moreover, the results of mediating analysis highlight that organizational commitment significantly mediates the hypothesized relationship. The implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are proposed