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DIVIDEND POLICY IN MAINLAND CHINA AND THE US: A STUDY ON NON-FINANCIAL LISTED COMPANIES
No full textThis paper aims to assess the common characteristics of dividend payers and non-payers in both China and the US, as well as the stability of dividend policies in each respective nation. The study addresses issues related to catering theory, signal theory, smoothing assumptions, and Fama-French hypotheses. Our analysis covers 509 non-financial firms during the period 2006-2016, comprising 419 firms from the US and 90 firms from China. The multinomial regression reveals that past dividend payouts are critical in explaining dividend policy in both the US and China. Firms that have consistently paid higher dividends in the preceding year are more likely to opt for dividend increases rather than omitting dividends, thus aligning with the dividend smoothing hypothesis. Additionally, firm size and stock market performance were found to be significantly influencing dividend payouts across different categories in both the US and China. However, US firms primarily drove dividend payouts through profitability and the dividend premium, while firm size and leverage heavily influenced Chinese dividends. Interestingly, Chinese firms appear to practice a less sticky dividend policy than US firms, implying that the role played by dividend policy in signalling and catering theories in China is less significant than in the US
THE EFFECT OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AND PROJECT-BASED FLIPPED CLASSROOM ON CRITICAL THINKING AND CREATIVITY FOR BUSINESS ENGLISH COURSE AT HIGHER VOCATIONAL COLLEGES
No full textPurpose – With the evolving demands of the global and Chinese economies, cultivating critical thinking and creativity has become imperative for social and economic development. However, contemporary educational practices have not kept pace with thisessential need. This study examines the effects of project-based learning and project-based flipped classrooms on critical thinking and creativity in higher vocational colleges. Moreover, this research delves into the disparity and comparative analysis between the twoapproaches.
Methodology – A between-group quasi-experimental study was designed. Data were collected from 120 respondents from one highervocational college in Shanxi District using cluster sampling. The Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking test and District creativity test wereused to collect data for further analysis. Data were analysed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and paired-sample t-test. Pairedsample t-tests are employed to test the effects of two teaching methods, while ANCOVA is used to compare the discrepancy between the two methods. With the combination of paired sample t-test and ANCOVA, the more effective teaching method can be determined.
Findings – The results indicated that project-based learning and flipped classrooms significantly affected critical thinking and creativity. Besides, the project-based flipped classrooms had a larger effect on critical thinking and creativity, proving to be a more effective teaching approach to transform the present curriculum pedagogy.
Significance – This study theoretically integrates class activities into higher-order thinking skills and guides teachers and educators tocultivate talents in higher vocational education
TR SANDAH: WITHERING JUDICIAL ACTIVISM
No full textThis study discusses the Federal Court judgment in the case of Director of Forest, Sarawak & Anor v. TR Sandah Tabau & Ors and other appeals [2017] 3 CLJ 1. The Federal Court’s decision was said to deviate from an earlier established principle of the common law recognition of existing indigenous peoples’ land rights, the content and extent of which are determined by community customary laws. The common law acknowledgement or recognition of indigenous peoples’ pre-existing rights to their traditional and customary lands held by the Federal Court in Adong bin Kuwau v Kerajaan Negeri Johor [1997] 1 MLJ 418 and Madeli Salleh v. Superintendent of Lands & Surveys & Anor [2005] 3 CLJ 697 complimented the existing safeguards given under the Federal Constitution and statutory laws relevant to Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak. Therefore, this study aims to examine whether the Federal Court’s decision in TR Sandah FC reflects judicial conservatism by giving preference to statutory laws passed by the elected officials that resulted in the regression of the recognition of the indigenous peoples’ customary land rights. The method adopted in this study is a qualitative approach via doctrinal legal research. This is a text-based examination of legal texts and other scholarly materials. This shows judges in Malaysia are said to play a more conservative role in the interpretation of legislation. It would be fundamental to highlight the development of the judicial treatment of the indigenous peoples’ land rights in Malaysia and its implications
POLITICAL CONNECTIONS, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND INVESTMENT EFFICIENCY: EVIDENCE FROM MALAYSIAN FIRMS
No full textThis study investigates the moderating role of corporate governance in the relationship between political connections and investment efficiency. Using a sample of Malaysian publicly listed firms from 2001- 2017, we find that political connections are negatively correlated with firm investment efficiency. Moreover, the relationship is robust with the inclusion of corporate governance mechanisms, which moderated the potential consequences of agency problems in politically connected firms. The evidence suggests that corporate governance appears to be an effective mechanism to improve investment efficiency in politically connected firms. Consistent with the agency costs of free cash flow theory, we also discover that political connections have a more significant detrimental impact on overinvestment compared to their positive influence on underinvestment. Nevertheless, the interaction results in corporate governance hold regardless of overinvestment or underinvestment. Further analysis reveals that domestic institutional ownership, Big Four auditors, and audit committees are effective governance mechanisms, whereas similar observations do not hold for foreign institutional ownership, board size, board independence, and director ownership. Resultantly, high direct policy relevance is provided for governance practitioners and policymakers in monitoring the investment activities of PCFs
Multi-Class Multi-Level Classification of Mental Health Disorders Based on Textual Data from Social Media
No full textMental health disorders pose a significant global public health challenge. Social media data provides insights into these conditions.Analysing text can help identify indications of mental health disorders through text-based analysis. However, despite the largenumber of studies on the analysis of mental health disorders, the predominant algorithm in the existing literature is the Multi-ClassSingle-Level (MCSL) classification algorithm, which is often used for simple classification tasks involving a limited number of classes.Typically, these classes are binary, representing either an unhealthy or a healthy mental state. This paper uses English text data from Reddit to classify mental health disorders. The Multi-Class Multi-Level (MCML) classification algorithm was applied to perform detailedclassification and address the limitations of the research scope using several approaches, including machine learning, deep learning, and transfer learning approaches. Two different pre-processing scenarios were proposed to handle unstructured text data, one of the most challenging aspects of classifying text from social media. The results of the experiments show that the MCML classification algorithm successfully performs detailed classification and produces promising results for each classification level. The proposed pre-processing scenario influences the performance of each classifier and improves classification accuracy. The best accuracy results were obtained for the Robustly Optimised BERT Pre-training Approach (RoBERTa) classifier at level 1 and level 2 classifications, namely 0.98 and 0.85, respectively. Overall, the MCML classification algorithm is proven to be used as a benchmark for early detection of text-based mental health disorders
Revolutionising Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosis with Modified Regularisation Long Short-Term Memory Framework
No full textThe diagnosis of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) demands a paradigm shift towards more accurate and efficient solutions to overcome vision impairment. Therefore, the current study introduces a new Modified Regularisation Long Short-term Memory (MR-LSTM) framework approach for DR diagnosis. The proposed framework leverages the power of deep learning and provides a dynamic and robust solution for the early detection of DR, which in turn preserves a patient’s vision. The proposed framework uses a DR Debrecen Dataset from the UCI database with 21 distinct features relevant to retinal health, and employs a series of data preprocessing steps, including data cleaning, normalisation, and transformation, to ensure data quality and compatibility. The MR-LSTM framework excels at capturing temporal dependencies in sequential retinal images, offering a unique advantage in understanding the progression of DR. The MR-LSTM framework is implemented using Python libraries, and the results are compared with those of other popular models. It is observed that the MR-LSTM framework outperforms other models and achieves an accuracy of 97.12 percent and an F1 Score of 98.49. Furthermore, the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve reveals an area under the curve of 0.97, highlighting the exceptional ability to discriminate between positive and negative cases of the proposed framework. By revolutionising DR diagnosis with the proposed MR-LSTM framework, it can achieve accurate, timely, and accessible solutions in the fight against vision-threatening conditions.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO CHILD MARRIAGE AMONG SYRIAN REFUGEES IN DOMIZ CAMP-KURDISTAN-IRAQ
No full textChild marriage is an internationally recognised human rights issue that has been extensively studied by various Non-GovernmentalOrganisations and the United Nations. In response to this problem, many countries have implemented social policies aimed at addressing child marriage and several international treaties are dedicated to combatting it. This study focuses on examining the factors contributing to child marriage within refugee populations. The research methodology involved conducting in-depth interviews with ten young wives aged between 16 and 22, facilitating focus group discussions with their husbands and parents residing in Domiz Camps 1 and 2 in Kurdistan, as well as interviewing key informants who work in child protection services and social policy development. Thematic analysis was employed to identify prominent themes and subthemes based on the perspectives of participants. The research revealed that child marriage is driven by factors such as the need for safety, preservation of family honour, and economic challenges. Similar safety concerns were observed among Syrian refugees in this study, as well as in previous studies conducted on Jordanian refugees and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. This study takes a comprehensive approach by considering perspectives from young wives, their parents, husbands, and key informants when examining factors related to child marriage. Ultimately, the findings of this study will contribute to a deeper understanding of refugee issues and efforts towards protecting children’s rights within the refugee context
PRESCRIPTIVE MAINTENANCE SYNCHRONIZED TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INDUSTRY 5.0: A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION
No full textThis article aims to examine and understand the current scope of Prescriptive Maintenance integrated with the human-centric characteristics of Industry 5.0. Therefore, the main research question is the following: “In the view of the managers of the companies visited, located in the Southeast Region of Brazil, what are the main technical and administrative difficulties that companies encounter in successfully implementing proactive combinations on the factory floor, such as Prescriptive Maintenance integrated with the characteristics of Industry 5.0”?. The evolution of industrial processes in recent decades and the advent of Industry 4.0 integrated with human-centered characteristics have placed maintenance as one of the protagonists of industrial processes. In a scenario where automation and humans are gaining more and more space, the future of industries lies in Prescriptive Maintenance. To achieve the objective of the article, professional experiences from participation in congresses, seminars and technical visits to several factories located in the Southeast Region of Brazil are used. In data collection, we explored documentary observation and bibliographic research in the Science Direct and Web of Science databases. The study focuses on research areas related to maintenance integration, Industry 4.0 (Techno centric) and human-centric characteristics (Industry 5.0). The article brought important conclusions, as it addresses the impact and trends on the factory floor so that managers can develop competitiveness and productivity. The article highlights the role of maintenance methods in improving factory floor performance, emphasizing human knowledge and Prescriptive Maintenance practices to ensure operations within World Class standards
DEVELOPMENT AND USABILITY ANALYSIS OF EFLORACYNTOK: A DIGITAL BOTANICAL REPOSITORY FOR HERBAL PLANT CONSERVATION
No full textThe Digital Botanical Repository at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) is an initiative designed to support the conservation and study of herbal plants, reflecting the region\u27s rich biodiversity. This repository aims to bridge the gap between the physical herbal plant garden and a wider audience by providing detailed plant profiles and advanced search functions online. The problem addressed by this study is the limited accessibility and engagement with the herbal plant garden\u27s resources. Despite the garden\u27s potential as a useful educational and research tool, physical access is limited, and there is a need for a more efficient way to disseminate information about the herbal plants it houses. The objective of the repository is to improve access to and engagement with the garden\u27s resources, enhance research capabilities, and support educational initiatives. By digitizing the plant information and making it available online, the project seeks to reach a broader audience and promote the garden\u27s use in various academic and research contexts. The methodology for developing the repository involved several key phases: conducting a requirement analysis to understand user needs, designing a database to store extensive botanical data and high-resolution images, creating a user-friendly and scalable interface, integrating the database with the interface, and implementing advanced search functionality. Usability testing was conducted using the Website Analysis and Measurement Inventory (WAMMI) framework to ensure a high standard of user experience. The findings from usability testing indicated that while users generally found the repository effective and engaging, there were issues with efficiency, error tolerance, and ease of learning. For instance, 49% of users agreed that the website seemed logical, but some experienced difficulties with navigation and search functionalities. The impact of this study is significant for botanical conservation and research. By addressing the identified usability issues and implementing suggested enhancements such as interactive educational tools, user-generated content, multilingual support, and collaborations with other botanical institutions, the repository can further its role as an invaluable resource
CEO OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE, CULTURAL DISTANCE AND CORPORATE FINANCIALIZATION: THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF ESG INVESTMENT IN CHINA
No full textRecently, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) with overseas experiences show the “star effect”, according to upper echelons theory, CEOs’ overseas experiences might relate to corporate financialization, but there is little evidence of whether and how overseas CEOs affect it. Given the increasing trend of hiring overseas CEO in China, the study fills in the gap in the literature by examining the effect of CEOs with overseas experiences on corporate financialization. In sum, the study employs a two-way fixed effect model and SYS-GMM model to investigate the relationship between CEOs with overseas experiences and corporate financialization. Our findings still hold after the endogeneity disposal with a two-way fixed effect regression by lagging variables, Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS), Heckman two-stageregression, and the propensity score matching (PSM). Moreover, the cultural distance between the host countries where CEO worked or received education and China inhibits corporate financialization, especially, Individualism vs Collectivism (IC) distance makes the most significant contribution. Furthermore, overseas CEOs primarily inhibit corporate financialization by improving ESG investment