New public management in Malaysia: In search of an efficient and effective service delivery

The Malaysian public sector has undergone various transformations since the Independence. From its custodial role in the newly independent country, the public sector had changed and taken an active role in the country’s economic development. However, since 1980s onwards, the philosophy and techniques of New Public Management (NPM) have been implemented in Malaysia.This again transformed the public sector from being an engine of economic growth to become a facilitator to the private sector and service provider to the public. In line with NPM’s underlying belief of the superiority of business like practices, various contemporary management practices and philosophy were implemented in the Malaysian public sector. The implantation of private sector practices in the public sector was enhanced with the introduction a performance measurement system which utilises the use of key performance indicators in 2005. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine and analyse the current improvement programme within the wider public sector reform programmes in Malaysia. The issues and consequences of using key performance indicators in the public sector are discussed. To understand further the reasons and the push for reform, contextual descriptions of the various phases of public sector reform in Malaysia are also discussed in this paper

Trends of Radicalization among the Ranks of the Afghan National Police

This study examines and compares trends of radicalization among the ranks of Afghan National Police (ANP) force across eleven provinces in Afghanistan. This is the first part of an ongoing series of papers dedicated to examining the evolving trends in radicalization among the Afghan National Defense and Security Force (ANDSF). Since the formation of the defense and security in 2002, various potential manifestations of radicalization, including insider attacks, dereliction of duty, and desertion have plagued its ranks. Radicalization is broadly defined as constraints on both the perspective of individuals and their tolerance to ideology and practices which diverge and differentiate from their own political, religious and social beliefs. Making the distinction between political deviance (PD), religious extremism (RE), and social intolerance (SI), 1498 uniformed rank and file personnel, 151 commissioned officers, and 8 uniformed religious leaders from among the ANP were surveyed on their views toward the political system in Afghanistan, anti-government elements including the Taliban, democracy in light of Islamic values, and women and human rights

Environmental regulation: the welfare cost of BOD limitations in the palm oil industry

The Malaysian palm oil industry is on the chief contributor to the nation's economy. Despite all the successes the palm oil industry has achieved in the international arena, domestic problems arising from the rapid development of the industry has had serious consequences on the natural environment. It has been singled out as the most polluting agro-based industry and thus, environmental regulation governing its effluent discharge in processing has been enforced. The impacts of this regulation on the welfare of the polluter, the consumer and the resource owner in terms of changes in economic surpluses are evaluated using a vertically integrated market model. Results support the hypotheses about the direction of the effects of this regulation, but these effects have been rather small for the crude palm oil producers who are directly regulated. The impacts are passed on to refiners and the suppliers of raw materials

United Kingdom and United States Tourism Demand for Malaysia:A Cointegration Analysis

Tourism industry has been an important contributor to the Malaysia economy. In this paper we inspect variations in the long run demand for tourism from United Kingdom and United States to Malaysia. The demand for tourism has been explained by macroeconomic variables, including income in origin countries, tourism prices in Malaysia, and travel cost between the two countries. Annual data from 1972 to 2006 are used for the analysis. Augmented Dickey-Fuller and Johansen’s maximum likelihood tests are used to test for unit root and cointegration. An error correction model (ECM) are estimated to a explain United Kingdom and United States demand for tourism to Malaysia. The results show that the long run equilibrium exists among variables, and the United Kingdom and United States tourists seem to be highly sensitive to the price variable.Tourism demand, cointegration analysis, Error Correction Model

Perancangan smart masjid di Kota Malang: Tema smart building

INDONESIA: Indonesia merupakan negara dengan penduduk muslim terbanyak di dunia. Walaupun demikian, di balik jumlahnya yang banyak, sering dijumpai permasalahan menyangkut efisiensi dalam pengelolaaan sumber daya sebuah masjid. Perancangan smart masjid ini bermula dari sebuah gagasan untuk merancang sebuah masjid yang tidak hanya dapat berfungsi sebagai tempat ibadah semata, tetapi juga dapat berfungsi sebagai tempat pengembangan masyarakat, khususnya masyarakat di sekitar masjid ini berada. Hal ini dituangkan dalam konsep dasar smart masjid yang menekankan pentingnya program masjid sebagai landasan dalam merancang, ditopang teknologi smart building sebagai basis pengelolaannya, yang pada akhirnya akan menghasilkan sebuah smart masjid sebagai tujuan akhir perancangannya. Metode yang digunakan adalah perancangan yang disertai studi literatur dan analisis, serta komparasi dengan nilai-nilai perancangan dalam al-Qur’an untuk menentukan tingkat kesesuaian penerapan teknologi smart building dalam perancangan sebuah masjid. Hasilnya adalah smart masjid dengan smart building sebagai basis utama pengelolaannya. ENGLISH: Indonesia is a country which has the biggest Moslem society in the world. However, despite the big number of its Moslem society, the problem about efficiency in a mosque resource management is often seen in this country. The design of this smart mosque starts from a concept of building a mosque which does not merely function as a place of worshipping, but also has a function as a place of community development especially for the people surrounding the mosque. This basic concept of smart mosque stressed on the importance of the mosque program as its design base, supported by smart building technology as its management base, which eventually will produce a smart mosque as the final goal of its design. The method used is a design that is supplemented by literature study and analysis, as well as comparison with the design values in Al-Qur’an to decide the level of suitability of smart building technology application in designing a mosque. The result is a smart mosque with smart building as the main basis of its management

Impact of Working Capital Management on Firm’s Profitability: Evidence from Cement Sector of Pakistan

Finance is a great need in the establishment of businesses either it is a small business unit or a vast assembling concern. Money is the main regular component in all little and substantial specialties units.  Along these lines cash administration is must that is by and large known as money related administration. Financial management can only be possible if one can put proper administration of money that business brings about compelling monetary administration. There are two basic purposes of having monetary funds(I) for foundation and (II) to meetsits everyday expenses. As we all know that for the purchase of capital asset huge amount of finance is required in order to increase production, for example, plant and apparatus, land and building, furniture and so forth furthermore for extension of business, remodel or redesigning of plant and apparatus and innovative work. The part of association's capital which is obstructed on a perpetual premise is called altered capital. In the same way funds are required for transient purposes e.g., for the buy of crude materials, installment of wages and for gathering ordinary costs. All the merchandise which are delivered in a given time period may not be sold in that period. Subsequently, a few products stay in stock, e.g. crude material; semi completed merchandise and completed products, management of these assets is called working capital management. In straightforward words working capital administration alludes to all parts of current assets and current liabilities. The administration of a working capital is of incredible essentialness at least the vitality of administration of altered capital

Medical Treatment of Alopecia

Alopecia means partial or complete loss of hair from a part of the body where it exists naturally. It affects both men and women, and its treatment depends upon its cause, age of onset, and clinical presentation. It is divided into scarring and non-scarring alopecia. Scarring alopecia includes pseudopelade of Brocq, central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, folliculitis decalvans, acne keloidalis nuchae, lichen planopilaris, frontal fibrosing alopecia and discoid lupus erythematosus, traumatic i.e., injury, radiation and post-operative scarring alopecia and certain neoplasms. Common causes of non-scarring alopecia are androgenic alopecia, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, anagen effluvium, trichotillomania, traction alopecia, pressure-induced alopecia, alopecia due to iron deficiency, thyroid disease, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Topical remedies available are minoxidil 2 and 5%, topical & intralesional steroids, topical sensitization, anthralin, retinoids, tacrolimus, garlic, ketoconazole and prostaglandin analogs. Among systemic treatments, finasteride, steroids, immunosuppressant like azathioprine, methotrexate, sulfasalazine, zinc sulfate and iron are widely accepted. The phototherapies, photo-chemotherapies, platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy, pharmacogenetics and hair transplant are new remedies for alopecia. It is concluded that minoxidil, finasteride, PRP, and hair transplant are the most widely being used modalities for alopecia

The Effect of Cash Flows on Investment Evidence from Textile Sector of Pakistan

The objective the study is to analyze the impact of cash flows on investment decision in textile sector of Pakistan. The study utilizes sample data of fifty companies in textile companies and annual data for variables is collected from 1999 to 2014. Multiple linear regression method is used to test the hypothesis. Two models are tested with dependent variables of Inventory and Fixed Assets. In both models the independent variables are Free Cash Flow and Market to Book Ratio. The results of both models are significant except the impact of Market to Book Ratio on Fixed Assets. The results of study show that Free Cash flows has significant positive impact on Inventory whereas MBR shows negative impact on inventory. The results show that investment and cash flow are strongly linked after controlling for a firm’s investment opportunities. Keywords; Fixed assets, Inventory, Market to book ratio, Free cash flow