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Occupational stress and its influence on employee performance and health outcomes: An empirical analysis across institutional sectors in Islamabad
Full text linkThis study examined the psychological, physiological, and performance-related impacts of occupational stress on human resources across various sectors, with a particular focus on employees in institutions at Islamabad. Prior research has highlighted stress as a significant issue driven by changing social dynamics and lifestyle adjustments, contributing to an understanding of its adverse effects. However, stress does not universally yield negative outcomes; eustress, or "positive stress," has been shown to encourage individuals to confront challenges and reach optimal performance. While much of the existing research has concentrated on the Information Technology and Banking sectors, occupational stress affects employees across all fields. This study aimed to shed light on stress as a widespread and often underappreciated issue and to recommend relevant coping strategies. A survey involving 200 employees was conducted to evaluate job-related, organizational, individual, and physiological reactions to stress and their influence on performance. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were applied, providing a comprehensive understanding of occupational stress effects on employee performance. Cronbach’s alpha was utilized to confirm the survey scale's reliability. The findings suggested that occupational stress moderately impacted employee performance, with job-related stressors, particularly job security, playing a significant role. Physiological reactions to stress, including chronic neck and back pain, fatigue, headaches, and migraines, were also observed to moderately impact performance. These health issues, likely due to prolonged sedentary work hours and negative stress effects, underscored the importance of implementing effective stress management strategies in organizational settings
Gamification and Customer Churn among Millennials in Klang Valley: The Mediating Role of Loyalty and Brand Attractiveness
Full text linkIn the competitive and increasingly digitalised business environment today, customer retention has become a critical concern, particularly among Millennials who demonstrate high churn tendencies and strong digital expectations. This study investigates the impact of gamification elements on customer churn, with loyalty and brand attractiveness as mediators, among Millennials in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, Customer Engagement Theory, Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and gamification frameworks such as Bartle’s Player Types and Yee’s Player Motivation Model, the research examines how specific gamification strategies influence consumer behaviour. Based on a quantitative research design, a structured questionnaire was administered to 180 millennial respondents. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the structural relationships among variables, given its suitability for predictive modelling and small-to-medium sample sizes. The gamification elements evaluated include membership programmes, discounts, contest rewards, and digitalised content. The findings showed that digitalised content significantly influences both customer loyalty and brand attractiveness. However, membership programmes exhibited no significant direct effect, while discounts and contest rewards showed limited influence. Among the mediators, brand attractiveness demonstrated a stronger effect in reducing customer churn compared to loyalty. The model exhibited good predictive accuracy, with Q² values exceeding the accepted thresholds for all key constructs. These results have highlighted the importance of personalised and interactive gamification strategies in retaining Millennial customers. Businesses are advised to prioritise digital content and contest-based engagement to enhance brand attractiveness and loyalty. Future research is recommended to investigate the long term effectiveness of gamification and explore emerging technologies such as augmented and virtual reality for customer engagement
Teachers Role in Preschoolers' Development
Full text linkTeaching children from being nascent to eight years old is of paramount emphasis in the field of early childhood education. Preparing these young fellows for kindergarten and developing their personality is one aspect of early childhood education. It seeks to offer a strong and comprehensive foundation for learning and wellbeing throughout life by attending to each child's physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic requirements. Teachers are crucial to a child's formal educational development hereby, play a critical role in a child's formal educational development. One facet of early childhood education is preparing children for primary school; it aims to provide a solid and all-encompassing foundation for learning and wellbeing throughout life by attending to each child's physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic needs
Digital Transformation and Schumpeterian Growth: Inter-Rationality in Open Innovation Dynamics and Finance
Full text linkThe ability to innovate is one of the most important factors causing economic progress, managing to improve competitive advantage for organizations, and helping to grow the GDP in general. This particular study analyzes the effects of digital transformation in conjunction with the theory of Schumpeterian, growth, and open innovation patterns regarding the innovation output, while paying special attention to inter-rationality as a moderator. However, although their importance is given fore, these factors especially from the empirical perspective have not been explored much in this specific combination. Primary data was collected from n = 300 respondents who were innovation managers, R&D and product development directors, chief technology officers, and other senior executives, respectively. The data was then analyzed using SEM-PLS technique. The results validate the assertion that digital transformation Schumpeterian growth and open innovation dynamics are strong predictors of innovation output. In particular, it is observed that transformation in the use of digital technology contributes to the impacts estimation of output innovations (β = 0.371, p < 0.001) and thus, an organization that integrates advanced forms of digital technology, is likely to achieve high levels of innovation. It is found that Schumpeterian growth has a positive effect on the innovation output as well (β = 0.395, p < 0.001), another entrepreneurial activity encompassed in this theory being unceasing development. Open innovation dynamics also increase the innovation output (β = 0.409, p < 0.001), which emphasizes the strategy of internal and external cooperation. Furthermore, inter-rationality acts as a significant moderator in the relations of these variables with innovation output, high interdisciplinary and cross-functional teamwork increasing these interactions. This study gives useful information to managers, researchers and policy makers regarding the need to encourage the use of digital technologies for enhancing entrepreneurial, efforts and enabling external collaborations. These results underscore the critical role of integrating advanced digital tranformation, fostering entrepreneurial activity, and leveraging external collaborations to enhance innovation capabilities. Managers are encouraged to invest in digital tools, nurture a culture of cross-functional collaboration, and adopt open innovation strategies to maximize organizational performance. Policymakers can use these insights to design frameworks that support innovation-driven economic development
Employees’ Perception on Lifelong Learning and Job Performance: A Case of Oil Palm Estates in Bintulu, Sarawak
Full text linkA descriptive study has been conducted amongst oil palm plantations employees’ feedback on distance learning for furthering study while working as plantation workers. The intention was to investigate career development and training provided by HRD and HRM of the oil palm estates. Based on the research problems, three study objectives were formulated and to be answered based on respondent’s feedback. Since the targeted respondents for this academic exercise were employees at oil palm estates in Bintulu Division only, a self-administered questionnaire was designated to collect the primary data from the respective respondents. The questionnaire comprised of Socio-demographic characteristics, funding and perks for distance learning, retention rate, participation and progress tracking, specialized performance appraisal tools, knowledge transfer motivation, professional development for career progression and job performance. The result presented in Chapter 4, about 75 respondents gave feedback and analyzed to answer the study objectives. The study findings show that most of the respondents claim that they faced difficulties to furthering their study via distance learning while engaged as plantations workers. The entire study constructs recorded significant relationship with job performance. During the study period, the researcher found that the limitations of the study could probably due to the very limited time frame to undergo detail research. Short period for this study to explore on many factors influenced relationship between independents and dependent while working at the oil palm estates. Fortunately, replication study could help to reduce the burden of not meeting targeted specific time given. This study could be more efficient if the timeframe is set longer with in-depth analysis. From the study findings, a number of recommendations to suggest to be adopted inline to uplifting career development in HRD and HRM which contributed to better job performance
Factors Affecting Holistic Development of Preschoolers in Islamabad, Pakistan
Full text linkThis study explores the factors that affect young children's overall development—such as thinking, speaking, and social skills—in a village near Islamabad, Pakistan. It highlights the importance of early childhood education in shaping a child’s future. The research focused on whether children had any learning experience before preschool, how much parents know about education, the role of the community and politics, and how well school lessons support a child’s full growth. To gather information, the researcher used forms, interviews, and classroom observations with 25 participants, including parents, teachers, and school leaders. The study also looked at parental involvement, teacher training, cultural influences, and efforts by the Pakistani government and organizations like UNICEF to improve early education Early Childhood Education (ECE) supports children’s growth from birth to age 8 in areas like thinking, emotions, movement, language, and social skills. It plays a vital role in preparing children for school and life. While Pakistan’s National Education Policy (2009) recognizes the value of ECE, rural areas near Islamabad still face major challenges such as untrained teachers, poor facilities, and cultural barriers
Financial Literacy and Retirement Preparedness among Generation Y Employees: A Case Study of Maybank Branches in Klang Valley, Malaysia
Full text linkThis study explores the relationship between financial literacy and retirement preparedness among Generation Y employees, with a specific focus on Maybank branches in Klang Valley, Malaysia. It addresses a significant gap in understanding how demographic factors, such as age, gender, marital status, education, and financial literacy—impact retirement planning behaviors within this cohort. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Life-Cycle Hypothesis (LCH), the research aims to develop a comprehensive framework for analyzing the determinants of retirement preparedness in a dynamic financial environment. Data were collected from 357 employees using a quantitative approach, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between the independent variables and retirement preparedness. The findings reveal valuable insights: while age and gender were expected to influence retirement preparedness, no significant linear relationship was observed between these factors. In contrast, marital status showed a modest but significant negative correlation, indicating that certain marital statuses face unique challenges in retirement planning. Furthermore, strong positive correlations were identified between both higher educational attainment and financial literacy with retirement preparedness, underscoring the critical role of education and financial knowledge in shaping retirement outcomes. Most notably, financial literacy emerged as a key factor, demonstrating a strong positive relationship with retirement preparedness, emphasizing the importance of financial education in enabling informed retirement decisions. The study contributes to the theoretical discourse by integrating TPB and LCH, offering a strong framework for understanding how attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control influence retirement planning. Practical implications highlight the need for targeted financial education programs within Malaysia’s banking sector to enhance long-term financial security for Generation Y employees
Digitalisation Practices in Supply Chain Management among Chemical Companies in Malaysia
Full text linkChemical players who face challenges on digitalisation practices of supply chains should implement their best practices to manage digitalisation activities. It is crucial to comprehend implementation strategies to achieve steady growth and sustainability in the long run for their businesses. This exploratory study has been undertaken to explore the best practices, challenges and digitalisation measurements among chemical players in Malaysia in order to remain sustainable in the operation and to make it feasible in the long run while fulfilling obligations related to social responsibility. The study is of a qualitative nature using homogeneous purpose sampling, the 9 participants are involved in the chemical industry, which is similar in characteristic and operates in Malaysia, have participated in semi-structured face-to-face interviews where their digitalisation in supply chain activities were shared. A thematic analysis of interview data thorough hand-coding identified eleven (11) fundamental themes of digitalisation in supply chain practices: Process Advantages, Green Sustainability, Intellectual Property (IP) protection & Cyber-attack monitor, Accuracy of Data and Security, Leadership Implementation in Digital, Human touch & Behavior, Budget expenses, Direct customer and Specialty & commodity. The core findings may influence towards significant positive industry changes by implementing improvements with other chemical players’ digitalisation best practices and business sustainability, will help to raise higher business income and provide a better quality of life to their employees in Malaysia. In addition, the proposed research framework, recommendation and contribution from this study may be also utilized by other chemical players in general from other developing countries within the region. Adding to that, the study found further evidence that good digitalisation practices and compliance by chemical players enable their business to sustain in their operations for years and continue to contribute to people and the earth, as the practice of continuous learning culture is cultivated within the players in the said organization. The result of the study may be useful to various stake holders such as chemical producers, distributors and the government, among others, it provides for future research to be conducted in the same field as well as on the business sectors that could help to increase the performance of Malaysia be sustained as one of the key chemical players in the field globally
The Future Digitalisation of the Malaysian Employers Federation
Full text linkTechnological changes have significantly become crucial for an organisation to remain relevant and competitive in the progressing world. This study investigates the future usage of technology and digitalisation of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF). The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) is a non-profit organisation practising harmonious Industrial Relations (IR) or Human Resources (HR) audit that represents the interests of employers in Malaysia. In recent years, the MEF has acknowledged the importance of technology in enhancing productivity and competitiveness. Despite this, MEF needs to remain relevant, visible, progressing and maintain its future existence by engaging with the digital world competitively. 8 informants from stakeholders were selected, which involved MEF director, and stake holders were selected as informants including government officials. Based on the literature review this organization faces various challenges and obstacles such as communication, efficiency, and training effectiveness. In recent years, the MEF has acknowledged the importance of technology in enhancing productivity and competitiveness. Despite this, MEF needs to remain relevant, visible, progressing and maintain its future existence by engaging with the digital world competitively. It is necessary for MEF to create or upgrade an effective management technology system (MTS) that could assist its members by timely supplying them with updated information, expertise, research, guidance, and other pertinent activities. This study has also discovered obstacles relating to the growth of the industry. Unstructured and semi-structured questions were asked of the informants who participated in these in-depth interviews. Information collected from interviews and in-depth observations was taken through mnemonic writing and analysed. The results of the study have been organized according to basic themes, organizational themes and global themes. In conclusion, this study has summarized a qualitative phenomenon about the MEF and its contribution to the country's economic growth. The analysis's findings indicate that the respondents have shown positive feedback with an attitude that leads to higher intentions to utilise digital technology on the current system
Determinants of Hand Hygiene Compliance and Practice Among Nurses from West-coast Malaysia
Full text linkIntroduction: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes hand hygiene as crucial for reducing infection transmission in healthcare, yet its importance is underrecognized, and compliance rates are low. Objective: The study was conducted to assess self-reported hand hygiene compliance and practice among nurses in Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 388 nurses randomly selected in four Malaysian hospitals using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Measures were taken for convergent validity, concept, reliability, and content. The study used numerical data analysis to assess nurses’ self-reported hand-hygiene compliance and practices. Histograms were used to examine data normality, and post-hoc tests were conducted using the Games-Howell test after confirming the assumptions. Simple and multiple linear regression was used to identify associated factors with self-reported hand-hygiene compliance and practice. Results: The study found male nurses outperformed female nurses in terms of hand-hygiene practice and compliance scores, with the former having a nursing degree or diploma qualification. The hand-hygiene compliance score of male Indian nurses with degrees was the highest; however, Chinese nurses with degrees had a 12.36 times higher likelihood of scoring on the hand-hygiene practice scale. Conclusion: Male nurses with degrees and diplomas outperformed females in self-reported hand-hygiene compliance and practice scores, with both male and female Indian and Chinese nurses scoring higher than Malay and ‘other race’ nurses. A quality improvement project is needed to identify the root causes of hand hygiene compliance issues and identify areas for improvement