28725 research outputs found
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EFL Learners’ Motivational Behavior: A Comparison across Ten Grade Levels
Get PDFPurpose – Given the research gaps identified in a literature review, this study aims to uncover how the intensity of learners’ motivational behavior and its predictors vary with grade level. Methodology – A large-scale survey was conducted to examine motivational behavior and its predictors among EFL learners across three education levels and ten grades in Taiwan: primary school (Grades 3 to 6), junior high school (Grades 7 to 9), and senior high school (Grades 10 to 12). A total of 12,441 valid cases were collected from both rural and urban areas in Taiwan. ANOVA and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings – The results showed a significant effect of grade level on the intensity of motivational behavior. Specifically, learners’ intensity of motivational behavior tended to decline with grade level (years of study). The significant predictors of motivational behavior also differed with grade level Significance – In addition to theoretical and methodological contributions to L2 motivation research, this study can enhance understanding of factors that could enhance learners’ motivational behavior and offer implications to assist EFL teachers in developing motivational teaching strategie
Strategi Mengukuhkan Jaringan Universiti-Industri: Satu Kajian Awal
Get PDFJaringan merupakan aspek penting dalam menjamin kelestarian sesuatu hubungan jangka panjang antara beberapa pihak. Jaringan Universiti-Industri merupakan satu konsep hubungan dua hala yang inovatif dan unik dalam memastikan keupayaan sesebuah institusi dapat dipertingkatkan. Kini, konsep jaringan bagi sebuah institusi pengajian tinggi harus diperluaskan dengan mengadakan hubungan kerjasama dua hala antara akademik dan industri. Kertas kerja ini akan membincangkan konsep jaringan serta strategi mengukuhkan jaringan antara pihak akademia dan industri dalam meningkatkan peluang kerjasama antara kedua pihak. Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) sangat komited dalam membangun dan mengukuhkan hubungan dua hala dengan pihak industri. Ini adalah kerana pihak industri adalah sebuah entiti yang berupaya memberikan input secara praktikaliti dalam mengukuhkan aspek pengajaran dan pembelajaran kepada mahasiswa melalui tenaga akademik ketika di univerisiti. Maka, impak yang boleh dilihat melalui jaringan ini ialah pihak industri juga dapat membantu pihak universiti untuk meningkatkan kemahiran mahasiswa agar lebih bersedia ketika memasuki alam pekerjaan sebenar, kepentingan program reka bentuk dan pembuatan, kualiti graduan yang dikehendaki oleh industri serta kesediaan universiti mengaplikasi Revolusi Industri 4.0 (IR 4.0) mengikut keperluan industri. Justeru, hubungan dua hala antara universiti dan industri berupaya meningkatkan kualiti mahasiswa dan graduan di sesebuah institusi pengajian tingg
Resources Supporting Incorporeal Assets in Continuously Traded Philippine Universal Banks
Get PDFThe Strengthening Program for Rural Banks (SPRB) in the Philippines has allowed universal banks to purchase rural banks, and this policy highlights the possible advantages of expanding business combinations for intangible assets. Considering the SPRB, this paper examines the intangible motivation behind banks’ actions to purchase capital-deficient financial institutions. This study aims to address sources of intangible assets for Philippine banks as Tobin’s q measures. Using Tobin’s q as a measure of intangible value allows for identifying contributing factors that determine it based on financial data. The study subjects are actively traded Philippine Universal Banks between 2009 and 2018. The influence of variables in the study on intangible asset value, as Tobin’s q measures, was determined using an Ordinary Least Squares model. Operational factors significantly influencing intangible value are investments in subsidiaries and associates, the return on assets, and bank deposits. Activities intended to reach target customers, such as those captured by marketing and advertising expenditures, positively influence intangible value. These findings imply that merely purchasing more assets does not improve the value of intangible resources. Instead, asset productivity, funds to make more loans, and informing the public of bank activities benefit intangible asset values. The implications of these findings offer insight into the sources of intangible assets that investors valu
Gen Z’s Loyalty Unpacked: The Interplay of Brand Image, Service Quality, and Price on Satisfaction and Trust
Get PDFThe Malaysian telecommunications market is exceptionally competitive, compelling companies to innovate, collaborate, and adapt their strategies so as to retain a competitive advantage and enhance customer loyalty. This study investigates the intricate relationships among brand image, service quality, perceived price, customer satisfaction, customer trust, and customer loyalty, with a focus on Gen Z within the Malaysian telecommunications sector. Using a self-administered questionnaire survey, 187 responses were gathered from individuals within the Gen Z cohort. The numerical data was subsequently analysed using the statistical technique of Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The empirical results highlight the significant influence of brand image, service quality, and perceived price on customer satisfaction and trust. Moreover, customer satisfaction acts as a vital mediator among these variables, effectively heightening customer loyalty. Interestingly, the impact of customer trust on loyalty, as well as its role as a mediator between brand image, perceived price, service quality, and loyalty, is not significant. This finding suggests that, within the telecommunications context, trust may not serve as a primary driver of loyalty. The study makes significant theoretical contributions to consumer behaviour models by clarifying the complex relationships among the key constructs and highlighting the importance of mediation analysis in understanding customer dynamics. Practically, it advises telecommunications companies to prioritise effective branding, enhance service quality, and implement suitable pricing strategies to boost customer satisfaction and foster loyalt
Self-Efficacy, Alertness and Work-Family Conflict Toward Women Entrepreneurial Success
Get PDFOver the last few decades, the rise in women's entrepreneurship has been influenced by greater access to education, changing societal attitudes, advancements in technology, and initiatives aimed at empowering women in the business world. The increasing number of women entrepreneurs worldwide, is attributed to technological advancements and a decrease in job opportunities in both government and private sector. As a developing country, Malaysia also has a considerable number of women entrepreneurs taking advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities due to limited prospects and desire to have more quality time with their families. This research delves into the correlation between self-efficacy, alertness, and work-family conflict toward the success of women entrepreneurs. Recognizing that women play a crucial role in family management and business, this study investigates the moderating effect of work-family conflict on the relationship between self-efficacy, alertness, and the success of 300 women entrepreneurs in Malaysia. 300 successful women entrepreneurs participated through an online survey method and the data gathered were analyzed through the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 22 and SmartPLS 3.
Does Social Capital, Financial Inclusion and Risk Behaviour Influence Trust in Takaful?
No full textPurpose - This paper examines the influence of demographics, social capital, financial inclusion, and risk behaviour on trust in Takaful using a household survey of 526 respondents. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a quantitative approach using an ordered logit model to explore the relationship between demographics, social capital, financial inclusion, and risk behaviour on trust in Takaful in Malaysia. Findings—The findings show that gender, marital and income status, and employment influence trust in Takaful. Similarly, social capital and financial inclusion positively influence trust in Takaful. At the same time, individuals have more confidence in Takaful when they use their funds rather than borrowing from friends, relatives, or informal associations (such as ROSCA). Research limitations/implications: – The findings have several implications for policymakers in strengthening the recent policy document on “professionalism in insurance and Takaful agents” in Malaysia. Meanwhile, other implications relating to Takaful operators and future studies have been identified. Originality: The study provides new evidence on trust in Takaful related to social capital, risk behaviour, inclusiveness, and demographic status in Malaysi
Revitalising Waqf Institutions Through a Co-Creation Ecosystem of Public Engagement
Get PDFThe current study aimed to evaluate the factors of public willingness to engage in a co-creation ecosystem with waqf institutions in Malaysia. The impacts of trust, reciprocity, commitment, shared social responsibility, loyalty, and satisfaction towards the willingness to co-create in waqf activities among stakeholders in Malaysia were investigated. This approach enhances social innovation to revitalise waqf institutions by fostering greater stakeholder collaboration. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research approach was employed by utilising the information-sharing theory. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to analyse the demographic factor for descriptive analysis along with hypothesis testing using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and SMART PLS4. The study was conducted between April and August 2023 involving 370 purposively sampled respondents who comprised waqif, Mawquf Alaih, or those with knowledge of waqf endowment. Additionally, the validity of factors influencing waqf stakeholders’ willingness to co-create with waqf institutions in Malaysia was also demonstrated. Findings: Reciprocity, loyalty, and satisfaction positively and significantly influenced the willingness to co-create with waqf institutions, while shared social responsibility and commitment revealed the opposite effect. Research limitations/implications: Given that the current study relied solely on questionnaires for data collection, a qualitative approach (interviews) should be incorporated to provide in-depth data. As the respondents were limited to the general public, data from waqf institutions should also be collected to gain a more comprehensive perspective and generate new ideas to increase a person’s willingness to co-create initiatives in waqf. Practical implications: Significant contributions include encouraging policymakers to develop stakeholder-oriented strategies to promote trust, reciprocity, loyalty, and satisfaction and increase the willingness of waqf stakeholders to share information. Furthermore, the current study highlighted the need for waqf institutions to improve the waqf shared social responsibility and commitment to social innovation with values. Several empirical insights were also outlined, such as bridging the gap between theory and practice in building collegiality and togetherness to enhance waqf contribution among stakeholders. Originality/value: To the best of our knowledge, the present study is among the first to examine public willingness to co-create with waqf institutions. Thus, these findings critically contribute to waqf institutions to strategising and improving waqf sustainability. Specifically of the waqf stakeholders sharing information for co-creation in Malaysia (WSIC-MY
Mutable Composite Firefly Algorithm for Microarray-Based Cancer Classification
Get PDFMicroarray-based cancer biomarker detection is one of the popular trends for cancer classification. Though existing approaches have given competing performance in terms of classification accuracy and reduced feature subsets, the classification of different cancer microarray datasets still requires improvements. Recently, the swarm-based hybrid algorithms have given significant performance in cancer classification. However, the efficiency of a swarm algorithm is dominated by certain factors such as fitness value, convergence, exploration, and exploitation capabilities. Thus, a swarm-based hybrid approach is proposed for cancer classification with a new variant of the Firefly Algorithm (FA) and Correlation-based Feature Selection (CFS) filter. The slow convergence issue in the FA is resolved by non-fixed size solutions termed as mutable size solutions and a composite position update function is designed for the mutable solutions. In addition, the local optima issue is overcome by the population reinitialisation method. The proposed algorithm, named the CFS-Mutable Composite Firefly Algorithm (CFS-MCFA), is evaluated based on two metrics, namely classification accuracy and genes subset size, using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. Results show that CFS-MCFA-SVM achieved 100% accuracy with only a few biomarkers for all four cancer microarray datasets, indicating the efficiency and the competing performance of the proposed algorithm in biomarker detection for microarray-based cancer classification. Apart from that, the proposed algorithm would also contribute to cancer-related issues upon verifying the relevancy of particular genes via technical analysis from a medical perspective and would be utilised in feature selection application
Probability of Default and Political Instability in the MENA Region
No full textThis study aims to empirically investigate the impact of political instability on the banking stability of the dual banking system in the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries. Design/methodology/approach – The study measures banking stability with probability of default (PD) and Zscore by employing the generalised method of moment (GMM) between 2007 and 2021 on the dual banking system in the region. The authors further estimate short-long-run situations coupled with a robustness test using a generalised least square (GLS) model. Findings – The authors’ findings indicate that institutional factors of political stability, crisis period, high�crisis countries, law and order and macroeconomic indicators influence the two types of banking stability in the region. The authors found the consistency of the factors explaining stability in the region in both short-and long-run situations. Consequently, the study also reveals the adverse effects of crisis periods and high-crisis countries on banking stability. Practical implications – The results of this study explicitly identify the critical need for sustaining political stability and abiding by laws and order to achieve dual banking stability in the region. Therefore, policymakers may consider allowing the region’s banks to operate beyond retail banking since diversification enhances banking stability. Originality/value – The authors’ study balances by employing dual stability measurement in predicting the impact of political instability, law and order and other indicators on the MENA region’s two banking models. This study uncovers the effect of the global crisis period on banking stability and high-crisis countries in the region and verifies the models’ robustness. Keywords Banking stability, Banks, Political stability, Probability of default, High-crisis countries, The crisis period Paper type Research pape