Critical Success Factors for Adopting Corporate Social Responsibility in the Malaysian Hotel Industry

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming more highly regarded in the hotel sector as a strong weapon in promoting sustainable economic development and addressing ethical concerns. Nevertheless, there is a limited knowledge of the notion of CSR in the hotel business, as well as how to effectively implement it. This study seeks to understand the views and recommendations of experts regarding the key elements of that are essential for the effective implementation of CSR in the hotel industry. This study uses the NGT method as the main method of the study. A panel of ten highly skilled Malaysian industry practitioners and academics was convened. The data were descriptively collected and analyzed, and they were weighted according to ranking (1-3, lowest to highest priority) of domain.  The rationale for the choices were analyzed thematically. The domain of "financial resources," "top management support," "employees’ education and training on CSR," and " managerial or internal skills on CSR” was recommended as the preferred measure of time period over which the domains were rated.  The adoption of these recommendations will help standardize approaches to improving the CSR practices particularly in the Malaysian hotels

Evaluating the Quality of Training Programs for Pre-Service Music Teachers in Chinese Higher Education Institutions

This research utilized an explanatory sequential design within a mixed-methods framework to assess the effectiveness of three pre-service music teacher programs aimed at Grades 1-12 in China. First, a group of four evaluators was asked to holistically assess the overall quality of these programs on a scale ranging from 1 to 10. Second, the evaluators were invited answer four open-ended questions about the areas for improvement in terms of program goals and objectives, program curricula, instructional methods, and learning assessments, respectively. The generalizability (G-) theory framework was employed to analyze the quantitative data, particularly to examine the variability in ratings and the reliability of the program evaluations. The qualitative data underwent coding, categorization, and organization according to recurring themes. The results indicated that the rating of the quality of these programs by the four program evaluators was extremely consistent and unbelievably reliable. Furthermore, major areas for improvement are identified in program objectives and curricula as well as instructional methods and learning assessments. Implications for pre-service music teacher training program developers in Chinese colleges and universities are discussed

The Maldives Criminal Court's Approach in Engaging the Parties in First-degree Felony Murder: A Content Analysis

The laws concerning first-degree felony murder in the Maldives allow mitigating the punishment if the victim pardons the offender. However, many offenders do not receive a pardon from their victims. Relevant literature suggests that a successful reconciliation would occur in an environment that fosters the expression of remorse and forgiveness. The contrasting outcome indicates a need to understand if the court procedures promote an empathetic outcome. The present analysis aims to address the gap by establishing the approach of the Criminal Court to engaging the parties in cases involving first-degree felony murder, identifying if the court encourages the expression of remorse and forgiveness and establishing how the current approach affects the outcome of the cases. By employing a content analysis method driven by the literature on restorative justice theory, the present study analysed seven different court cases concluded between 2020 and 2023 September that involved first-degree felony murder. The analysis showed that the approach of the Criminal Court to engaging the parties in a first-degree felony murder may include explaining the rights of a victim in the legal system of the Maldives, attempting to humanise the offender or the victim or simply seeking the opinion of the victim concerning the punishment. The case analysis also demonstrated that offenders were less remorseful and victims were less forgiving. The analysis showed that the current procedures are inadequate to foster remorse and forgiveness and recommended employing restorative justice processes to engage the parties

The Impact of Art College Students’ Innovation Learning Ability Under STEAM Education

STEAM education, as an education model to train future comprehensive talents, not only challenges the traditional education, but also puts forward on the new requirements for students’ learning ability. As it empowers people to create and solve issues in their daily lives, the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education has a significant influence on generating creative students. Problem-solving ability, innovation ability, cooperation ability and autonomous learning ability are the popular student’s learning ability to discussed emphatically by educators. Among these abilities, innovation ability is the most topical, and it is more in line with the development of society. Under the theory of Self-efficacy, Learning Engagement, and Creative Performance, this study aims to investigate the impacted elements of the art college students’ innovation learning ability under STEAM education system; and to analyze the art college students’ perspectives of innovation learning ability under STEAM education system at a university in China. It adopts interview method with 6 samples at Shenyang Normal University in Liaoning Province, China. Through the systematic study of STEAM education concept, the findings indicated that creative self-efficacy, learning engagement and creative performance are the related elements with innovation learning ability. The more cognitive, emotional, and behavioral inputs students get and the more demanding efforts they put into creative activities, the greater the influence on students’ creative performance. In addition, the art college students’ perspectives of innovation learning ability under STEAM education system are positive

Comparative Analysis of Qualifications and Disqualifications of Directors: Commercial Act of Iran and Common Law Countries

The directors of companies oversee almost all business operations and are the most important figures in corporate governance. Every company relies on its directors and board to succeed. Directors are crucial to a company since it is the work of directors to supervise and manage its operations.  Director duties must be understood and executed responsibly. A person can be a director if meets legal conditions. This study meticulously compares the director's qualification and disqualification under the Commercial Act of Iran to common law countries including Australia, the UK, Malaysia, and Singapore.  Such a comparison would reveal whether parts of the Iranian Commercial Act needed change or improvement

Amalan Kepimpinan Transformasional Guru Besar dan Hubungannya Terhadap Kualiti Guru Berdasarkan Standard 4 SKPMg2

Tujuan penyelidikan ini adalah untuk menganalisis perkaitan antara kaedah kepimpinan transformasi pengetua sekolah dengan kualiti guru SKPMg2 darjah empat mereka di Daerah Segamat. Seratus dua puluh guru sekolah kebangsaan dari kawasan Segamat merupakan subjek kajian deskriptif ini yang menggunakan kaedah tinjauan. Penulis menggunakan kedua-dua statistik deskriptif dan inferensi untuk meneliti data yang datang daripada tinjauan yang telah ditadbir. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa pengetua di daerah Segamat terlibat dalam kaedah kepimpinan transformasi yang sangat berkesan. Menurut SKPMg2 standard 4, kualiti guru juga baik. Kualiti pendidik sesebuah sekolah berkorelasi positif dengan kehadiran kepimpinan transformasi. Komponen utama yang mempengaruhi kaliber pendidik ialah salah satu ciri kepimpinan transformatif—pengaruh ideal. Hasil penyelidikan ini menunjukkan bahawa kepimpinan transformatif adalah penting untuk meningkatkan tahap pendidik dan taraf pendidikan di seluruh Daerah Segamat

International Student Adjustment Scale (ISAS): Toward a Holistic Understanding of Adjustment Experience

Previous research has established that how students feel and make practical adjustments in international education settings is pivotal to their educational and personal progress. This study introduces the International Student Adjustment Scale (ISAS), a novel instrument designed to capture the multifaceted adjustment experience of international students abroad. Qualitative analysis of interviews and diaries (n=26) underscored the need for a more nuanced understanding of adjustment as a dynamic process encompassing academic, sociocultural, and psychological domains. Informed by existing adjustment theories and validated measures, we crafted a comprehensive 30-item scale – the ISAS. To assess its efficacy, the ISAS was administered to a cohort of Malaysian students studying in Australia (N=371). Exploratory Factor Analysis confirmed the presence of three distinct sub-scales: academic adjustment, sociocultural adjustment, and psychological adjustment, each containing two to three further factors. Additionally, the scale demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = .72 to .87). These results are encouraging for future research endeavours that delve deeper into the concept of international student adjustment. With further validation across diverse student populations, the ISAS holds significant potential as a tool for developing optimal learning environments and experiences that support successful student adjustment within the international higher education landscape

Examining Malaysian Chinese Lexical Variations in Newspaper Discourse: A Standard Chinese in China Perspective

This study aims to examine Malaysian Chinese (MC) lexical variations in newspaper discourse from a Standard Chinese in China (SCC) perspective. Through qualitative content analysis, the research explores the reasons behind the formation of MC lexical variations, providing insights into the dynamic evolution of the Chinese language within diverse cultural and geographical contexts. Data for this research were collected from “Sin Chew Daily” (Online) during October to December 2023 in Malaysia. Microsoft Excel software facilitated data processing, aiding the researcher in analysis and interpretation. The theoretical framework guiding this study is grounded in the theory of language contact, seeking to understand how linguistic interactions and influences contribute to the divergence in MC lexical variations. The findings illustrate that the primary drivers for the emergence of MC lexical variations are the influences of Malay, English, Hokkien, and Cantonese. The study also acknowledges potential limitations and challenges in the analysis process, such as data availability and subjectivity in word classification. Through this comprehensive analysis, the study aims to enrich academic discussions on language dynamics in multicultural societies and provide insights for language planning and policymaking in diverse linguistic contexts

The Main Factors Impacting on The Success of Higher Education Internationalisation in Modern China

Higher education internationalisation has become a widespread phenomenon, but the route choice constitutes an important issue. This research intends to evaluate how higher education internalisation is influenced by several factors: the leveraging of globalisation and localisation, inflow and outflow of education resources. After reviewing the theories on the patterns of internationalisation and education flows, telephone interview is conducted with six participants from several universities of Xi'an China, include Xi’an University, Northwest University, Xi’an Jiaotong University. Indicated by interview data, universities show strong inclinations of globalising, because the education shall be oriented towards the future career of the students in a globalised business world. However, the globalisation level is not satisfactory for some students. For example, the international branch campuses could be built to a higher level. This means that the campuses could be funded by the local and foreign universities. In addition, the challenges of leveraging globalisation and localisation include vague standards for leveraging the extents of being localised and globalised, cultural barriers and the conflicting ideas among relevant stakeholders such as the education ministry officials, the principal, professors and students. Demonstrated by interview data, outward flows are exemplified by exchange learning. In order to facilitate inward resource flows, universities in modern China tend to attract international students in various ways: travels to some foreign countries to capture the attention of the audiences there; hire some dealers in foreign countries to seek international students; deliver the most recent documents to some foreign agencies that help students apply for studying abroad

Sentiment Analysis of Chinese Tourists to Marine Tourism Resource in Sabah

With the tourism industry's recovery, there is an increased demand for outbound Chinese tourists. With Chinese tourists as an important submarket in Sabah, a better understanding of Chinese tourists' perceptions of destination tourism is crucial for development. In this study, the representative Tanjung Aru Beach in Sabah was selected as the study case, and the review content was selected through the travellers’ reviews on China's largest travel online platform - Ctrip.com, as the study sample. Through Octopus Collector 8, the text data was analyzed for word frequency, web semantics, and sentiment using the ROST CM6 tool. The results of the study found that most of the Chinese tourists at Tanjung Aru Beach gave satisfactory comments. These positive comments focused mainly on the natural landscape and resources of the beach, the services of the Shangri-La Hotel, the ease of language communication, and the local cuisine. More often than not, Chinese tourists mentioned the beach's sunsets, evening sunsets, flaming clouds, sand, cloud formations, and sea breezes. The study also found that “beach” and “sunset” were the resources that Chinese tourists recognized for the attraction, with the majority of reviews revolving around these two themes. It should be noted that Chinese tourists showed dissatisfaction with the sanitary environment and facilities at Tanjung Aru Beach. The study concludes with recommendations for management