106 research outputs found
A Mixed-Method Study on the Perceptions of Quality Management and Sustainability in Malaysian Hotel Industry
No full textRising trend of sustainability within tourism especially hotel industries remain ambiguous in many different areas of academic research and business. Nonetheless, contemporary relevance of quality practices and sustainability in the hotel industries has increased lately. This paper examined hotel quality managers (HQMs) perceptions of quality management and sustainability via the sequential-mixed methods approach, to bridge the gaps in the existing literature on the connection between pertinent variables. Therefore, in Phase 1 ten HQMs were deliberately selected and interviewed to perceive their views on quality management and the relationship between various quality management constructs towards sustainable performance. Phase 1 revealed that business ethics emerged as a new dimension, which needed to be emphasised. Subsequently, the qualitative results were utilised to design the hypotheses for 300 HQMs’ quantitative surveys in Phase 2. The obtained survey data was analysed via the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Models (PLS-SEM) to determine a list of hypotheses related to the impacts of key constructs. The present study depicted a significant and positive mediating connection between the HQMs perspective of quality management, business principles, and sustainable performance
Distinguished identification of halal and non-halal animal-fat gelatin by using microwave dielectric sensing system
No full textHalal has been a long-disputed issue due to the reason of its complexity consequently of swift advancement in innovation and technology. Gelatin plays a vital role in modern food processing as it has been used in many food preparations and is commonly used to make the pharmaceuticals capsule these days. In this work, various types of animal fat will measure dielectrically to distinguish them for the development of the detection system. This project applied the measurement of reflection coefficient by using the high-temperature probes. These probes use the principle of microwave method and allow the measurement to be made in a fast and non-destructive way. For this project, the high-temperature probe is used to measure the sample of animal fat for instance chicken, beef and pork fat. The fresh animal fat was used and the moisture content of the animal fat was manipulated by using the oven-drying technique. The different levels of moisture content inside the fat will affect the measurement value of reflection coefficient as the moisture content will change the dielectric properties of the animal fat. The measurement of reflection coefficient was made with a network analyzer in the frequency range of 0.2 GHz to 20 GHz. From the experimental result, it can be concluded that pork fat shows distinguishable trend compared with chicken and beef fat which perform similar trend in variation of reflection coefficient (|S11|), dielectric constant (έ) and dielectric loss (ἔ) throughout the frequency range from 0.2 GHz to 20 GHz
FACTORS INFLUENCING E-COMMERCE ADOPTION:EVALUATION USING STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING (SEM)
No full textElectronic commerce (e-commerce) has become a rapidly growing phenomenon to date. A peep into the exponential growth of the main players in this industry reveals a large reservoir of market potential for ecommerce. Nevertheless, the prevalence of e-commerce adoption has attracted attention from the government, retailers, and academicians to place specific focus on this area. As such, this study determined the correlation between Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO’s) technology knowledge, relative advantages, and competitive pressure through the lens of Tornatzky and Fleischer’s (1990) Organisational, Technological, and Environmental (OTE) model in order to probe into the adoption of e-commerce. CEOs and managers of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) established in the Northern states of Malaysia were selected as the subject of analysis. A total of 283 out of 364 questionnaires distributed were valid for analysing and testing the hypotheses. Next, the gathered data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18.0 and Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS) version 16.0. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to assess model fit and to test hypotheses. As a conclusion, CEO’s technology knowledge and relative advantage displayed significantly positive influence upon adoption of ecommerce, whereas competitive pressure exhibited insignificant impact upon adoption of e-commerce. In precise, the insignificant influence of competitive pressure on e-commerce implementation appeared to be driven by other unseen variables worthy to be discovered. For future research, a comparison study can be conducted by selecting samples both from employers and employees, as well as other multiple variables associated with e-commerce adoption, so as to keep sampling bias at a minimum level
Factors Influencing E-Commerce Adoption: Evaluation Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)
No full textElectronic commerce (e-commerce) has become a rapidly growing phenomenon to date. A peep into the exponential growth of the main players in this industry reveals a large reservoir of market potential for ecommerce. Nevertheless, the prevalence of e-commerce adoption has attracted attention from the government, retailers, and academicians to place specific focus on this area. As such, this study determined the correlation between Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO’s) technology knowledge, relative advantages, and competitive pressure through the lens of Tornatzky and Fleischer’s (1990) Organisational, Technological, and Environmental (OTE) model in order to probe into the adoption of e-commerce. CEOs and managers of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) established in the Northern states of Malaysia were selected as the subject of analysis. A total of 283 out of 364 questionnaires distributed were valid for analysing and testing the hypotheses. Next, the gathered data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18.0 and Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS) version 16.0. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to assess model fit and to test hypotheses. As a conclusion, CEO’s technology knowledge and relative advantage displayed significantly positive influence upon adoption of ecommerce, whereas competitive pressure exhibited insignificant impact upon adoption of e-commerce. In precise, the insignificant influence of competitive pressure on e-commerce implementation appeared to be driven by other unseen variables worthy to be discovered. For future research, a comparison study can be conducted by selecting samples both from employers and employees, as well as other multiple variables associated with e-commerce adoption, so as to keep sampling bias at a minimum level
Applying Multi-Criteria Decision Making Technique in Hospitality Quality Management System
No full textThis study evaluates the importance of quality management (QM) critical success factors (CSFs) within the context of Malaysian hotel firms. Primary criteria to evaluate QM CSFs were determined through literature survey and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique assisted by Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL)-based analytical network process (ANP) (D-ANP). D-ANP is integrated to allow the calculation of importance level, weights of all dimensions and indicators, as well as significances. The findings
demonstrated the way hotels can be evaluated and ranked, based on the relationships between and among the contexts and variables. The research findings will assist the
policymakers (Ministry of Tourism) to formulate policies and data of QM best practices that will ensure the success of hotel firms
The moderating role of Lean Six Sigma practices on quality management practices and quality performance in medical device manufacturing industry
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the moderating role of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) practices in
explaining the relationship between quality management practices (QMPs) and quality performance.
Design/methodology/approach – Partial least square-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was
used to empirically examine the moderating effect of LSS practices on QMPs and quality performance in
Malaysian medical device manufacturing companies.
Findings – Findings revealed that both QMPs and LSS practices have a significant and positive effect on
quality performance. Furthermore, LSS practices served as a substitute for moderating the positive
relationship between QMPs and quality performance in such a way that the relationship becomes weaker as
LSS practices increase.
Originality/value – LSS is acknowledged as the most well-known hybrid methodology; however, due to its
relative newness, it has not been studied in great detail. Unlike previous studies, this paper argued that Lean
and Six Sigma practices are distinct from its predecessor TQM practices; moreover, both Lean and Six Sigma
practices do not need to substitute QM/TQM practices instead of complimenting the QMPs. In addition, this
study adds to the growing body of QM literature by empirically examine the effect of LSS practices in
moderating the relationship between QMPs and quality performance
Identifying and Prioritizing Research Gaps in Studies related to Total Quality Management on Competitive Advantage in Malaysian Hotel Industries
No full textDetermining research gaps is a cardinal goal in literature review. While it has been diffusely conceded
that literature reviews should determine research gaps, no methodological orientation is available
on how to pinpoint research gaps amidst review of literature or to assure rigor and replicability.
Hence, this study addresses this gap and puts forward a simple prototype that should assist scholars
in this endeavour without suppressing creativity. Based on the study outcomes, a technique has been
generated to identify research gaps, so as to enable scholars to conduct a more rigorous, effective,
and efficient literature reviews henceforth
MODELLING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GLOBAL MIND-SET AND HALAL BRAND TRUST TO DETERMINE THE PERFORMANCE OF HALAL SMES
No full textThis study investigated the impact of global mind-set (GM) and halal brand trust (HBT) on halal entrepreneurial performance (HEP). This study extends the entrepreneurship literature by adopting the dynamic capability theory (DCT) to assess HEP. Data were collected from 311 SMEs established in Indonesia using the simple random sampling method, whereas the variance-based partial least-square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach was used for test the proposed conceptual model. This study revealed the significant effect of GM and HBT upon HEP. Additionally, entrepreneurial competency (EC) and effectual logic (EL) displayed partially mediating effects. This study found that online food delivery (OFD) had strengthened the relationship between EC and HEP. Nevertheless, EC had no statistical impact on EL, while OFD negatively affected the GM-HEP link. Due to the limited scope of this study, the cross-sectional approach adopted in this study is viewed as a limitation. Besides, constriction in time had led this study to be conducted within a specified time-frame. As such, future studies may adopt the longitudinal approach over a period of three to five years in order to overcome the listed limitations. This study assessed the effect of GM and HBT on HEP as fresh insight to better comprehend the determinants of HEP in uncertain condition. This study has extended the theory of Teece et al. (1997) DCT within the context of HEP. Upon determining the effect of two new constructs (GM and HBT) through the lens of DCT and validating the proposed model, this study offers theoretical and contextual contributions to the overall body of knowledge with PLS-SEM
Teaching Approaches and Methodologies : A Review of Post COVID-19
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic is shining a severe light on the exposures and challenges faced by humans. The pandemic transformed education systems around the world, causing the greatest disruption to the education system, especially teaching and learning more specifically in the approaches and methodologies. The COVID-19 pandemic created movement restrictions and social distancing measures, besides this situation leading to a severe impact on traditional educational practices. This article aims to explore a literature review of the educational system that has been forced to adjust its approaches and methods to e-learning in line with the era of COVID-19. Methodology: This article focuses on the theoretical aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which poses significant challenges to education worldwide, forcing a major shift away from learning and teaching face to face interactive environments. It is presented in five mutually inclusive sections as follows; (a) Teaching Approaches and Methodologies During Pandemic; (b) Adaptations of Post COVID-19 Online Teaching and Learning: Methods and Approaches in Higher Education; (c) Challenges On Post-COVID-19 Online Teaching and Learning Method and Approaches; (d) Strategies to overcome the Challenges on post-covid-19 online teaching and learning method and approaches and (e) Theory of Transactional Distance in Post COVID-19 Online Teaching and Learning Method and Approaches. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many educational institutions to adapt their teaching approaches and methodologies to remote and hybrid learning models. In the post-COVID-19 era, these new teaching approaches and methodologies may continue to be applied and refined to improve student learning outcomes. The key to promoting novelty and originality in teaching approaches and methodologies post-COVID-19 is to prioritize flexibility, creativity, and student-centered learning. By empowering students to take ownership of their learning and encouraging them to be innovative and creative, educators can help prepare them for a rapidly changing and unpredictable world
International Students’ Satisfaction Level towards Service Quality in Academic Aspect and Loyalty to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
No full textIn recent years, the number of international students has increased greatly in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Despite the international dimension of higher education gaining more importance nowadays, there have been limited studies exploring the satisfaction of the international students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the international students’ satisfaction level towards the service quality in UTM. In addition, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the students’ satisfaction level and their loyalty. A quantitative research methodology was adopted whereby a questionnaire consisting of three parts was utilized: Part A described the demographic data of the samples; Part B (44 items) investigated the international students’ satisfaction level which was adopted from the Parasuraman’s SERVQUAL model and; Part C (10 items) identified the students’ loyalty. A total of 334 international studentsstudying in UTM, Johor Bahru Campus participated in the questionnaire and the results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The findings showed that international students were not satisfied with the service quality provided in UTM. The expectation score was greater than the perception score in five dimensions of SERVQUAL model, namely tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis results showed that responsiveness, assurance, and empathy were the three dimensions which had significant relationship with the students’ loyalty. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggested that the administrators of UTM should improve the service quality in UTM to increase the students’ satisfaction
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