Reinforcing the performance of signalized intersection on the border of Malang and Batu city

The intersection of Sengkaling street and Sidomakmur is a signalized intersection with three arms that connects Sengkaling street towards Malang, Sengkaling street in the direction of Batu and Sidomakmur street. This area is occupied by shops, offices, and street vendors selling activities on the shoulder of the road and cafes where visitors park their vehicles on the shoulder of the road. This study aims to improve the quality of the performance of signalized intersections on Sengkaling street and Sidomakmur, Malang City, with the method of calculating traffic flows or traffic counting and providing alternative solutions to problems encountered at the intersection. Based on the results of the study, it is apparent that the intersection is not close to saturation, presenting the degree of saturation of 0.64674 or categorized as service level B and for Sidomakmur Street with the total value of the degree of saturation of 0.711059, categorized as service level C. However, the results of the questionnaire indicate that 45% of the community is categorized as disturbed by the activities of street vendors, 20% of the community is disturbed by illegal parking, 15% of the community is disturbed by the presence of stopped vehicles, encouraging the installation of signs to avoid vehicle delays, experiencing a decrease in the degree of saturation from 0.646 to 0.632 which means the level of service has increased

A conceptual paper for development of halal food service system in Thailand

Halal certification for food service establishments is crucial when marketing them to the global travelers since the demand for Halal establishments is increasing every day. Many food service establishments are trying to be Halal certified because stringent Halal certification processes could give these establishments a competitive advantage which will result in higher revenue. Thailand has been receiving a high revenue from tourism industry. Meanwhile the food and beverage were the top five sectors that contributed 448 billion baht to the GDP in 2015. By having Halal certification, restaurants will be ensured Food Quality Standards that will guarantee the hygienic condition through implementation of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and Halal certification. Nevertheless, currently the numbers of Halal restaurants in some areas are less than 20 establishments. This is not enough for visitors who wanted to consume Muslim foods. The main aim of this paper is to provide a literature review on Halal certification, thus proposing the conceptual framework on the opportunities of developing Halal Food Service system in Thailand. Finally, the findings will also provide recommendations on how restaurants? operators should strategize their business and focus towards acquiring Halal certification. These efforts could also help to better understand the current situations and efforts that could be carried out by tourism promotions bodies to promote these Muslim friendly locations to Muslim tourists around the world

Demanded competencies of the entry-level position in the restaurant industry: employers’ perspectives

Researchers advocated that there are many issues of fresh graduates' competencies, including insufficient skills to meet the requirement as expected by the industry. The purpose of this study was to discover the entry-level competencies demanded by the restaurant employers towards fresh graduates. The dynamic workforce and the mismatch competencies claimed by employers are the issues that trigger education stakeholders, particularly in Malaysia. Responses were obtained from eight restaurant managers in Klang Valley, through a semi-structured interview. The data were then analyzed using thematic analysis. There were nine competencies emerged from this study, which reflect the entry-level competencies demanded by restaurant managers towards fresh graduates, namely: 1) attitude and behavior, 2) cognitive skill, 3) communication skill, 4) knowledge in the discipline area, 5) professionalism and work ethics, 6) technical skill, 7) teamwork, 8) leadership and 9) experience. It is anticipated that the findings will be able to fulfill the restaurant's needs by giving a clear picture of the essential competencies that need to be infused in the university's curriculum. Besides, both educators and fresh graduates will have an insight into the preparation for working in the restaurant industry

Exploring the issues and challenges in managing themed restaurant in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Themed restaurant emphasizes the staging of the dining experience to attract its patrons. Its unique concept and décor excite patrons to explore new food consumption experience and make them a popular choice in the market. However, it appears that restaurants in this niche have shorter ‘shelf life’ due to various managerial issues that force them to close. These restaurants are also too dependent on trends and would slowly vanish when it is over. Therefore, themed restaurants are seen to have more potential problems and have a high risk of sustaining in the industry. Thus, this research aims to identify the internal issues in managing themed restaurants and explore the business operation's external challenges. A qualitative research approach was implemented through semi-structured interviews with ten managers of themed restaurants across the Klang Valley area. The interview sessions were recorded and then transcribed, coded, themed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results concluded that the managers' internal issues are financial, sales and marketing, design and layout, location, and staff. On the other hand, customers, competitors, price of good fluctuation, and suppliers are the external challenges in managing themed restaurants. The findings of this study contributed to the theoretical knowledge of themed restaurants within the Malaysia context and benefited the restaurant owners. It may assist the existing restaurants in improving the business strategy to overcome the challenges and maneuver the new entry owners in the beginning stage of their entrepreneurial journey

Sosialisasi Pembuatan Jamu Seruang Khas Desa Selaparang

Jamu merupakan salah satu representasi kearifan lokal yang berkembang di masyarakat karena memiliki manfaat yang masih dipercaya oleh masyarakat dapat menyembuhkan berbagai macam penyakit tanpa menimbulkan efek samping. Salah satu jamu tradisional yang masih dikonsumsi oleh masyarakat di Desa Selaparang, Kecamatan Suwela, Lombok Timur yaitu jamu seruang. Tujuan dilakukan sosialisasi ini adalah untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan masyarakat terkait obat tradisional dan meningkatkan kemampuan produksi jamu secara  mandiri  dari  TOGA sebagai  peluang penjualan produk obat tradisional. Metode yang dilakukan yaitu demonstrasi secara langsung pembuatan jamu seruang dan penyuluhan oleh kepala bidang Dinas koperasi dan UKM Lombok Timur terkait cara pemasaran obat tradisional yang baik dan benar. Berdasarkan kegiatan sosialisasi yang telah dilakukan, masyarakat memiliki ketertarikan untuk meneruskan resep jamu seruang khas Desa Selaparang dan seluruh peserta sosialisasi dapat memahami cara pemasaran obat tradisional yang baik dan benar. &nbsp

Hubungan Tingkah Laku Kesediaan Pensyarah Dengan Tahap Motivasi Pelajar

Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk mengkaji perhubungan di antara tingkah laku kesediaan pensyarah secara lisan atau bukan lisan dan tahap motivasi pelajar. Kajian ini juga dijalankan bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti perbezaan tahap motivasi pelajar merentas jantina. Instrumen kajian yang digunakan dalam kajian ini ialah soal selidik. Satu set soal selidik yang mengandungi 50 item soalan dibina dan diambil daripada kajian yang terdahulu, telah digunakan untuk mengukur perhubungan tersebut. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dalam bentuk tinjauan yang melibatkan 81 orang pelajar tahun dua dan tahun tiga bagi kursus Sarjana Muda Teknologi serta Pendidikan Kejuruteraan Awam, Kejuruteraan Elektrik dan Kejuruteraan Jentera (SPA, SPE dan SPJ), Fakulti Pendidikan, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Nilai pekali kebolehpercayaan Cronbach Alpha bagi instrumen kajian ini adalah 0.94. Data telah dianalisis dengan menggunakan perisian komputer melalui program Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) for Windows version 16.0. Pengujian bagi hipotesis kajian telah dilakukan dengan menggunakan kaedah pengujian korelasi Pearson dan pengujian-t. Keputusan kajian mendapati terdapat perhubungan yang signifikan di antara tingkah laku kesediaan pensyarah secara bukan lisan dan tahap motivasi pelajar. Dapatan kajian juga menunjukkan tidak terdapat perhubungan yang signifikan di antara tingkah laku kesediaan pensyarah secara lisan dan tahap motivasi pelajar. Seterusnya, dapatan kajian ini menunjukkan tidak terdapat perbezaan tahap motivasi yang signifikan di antara pelajar lelaki dan pelajar perempuan. Katakunci: tingkah laku kesediaan pensyarah, tahap motivasi pelaja

The readiness theme development from a case study in Thailand halal restaurants / Wannasiri Wannasupchue … [et al.]

Tourism industry in Thailand had generated a significant amount of the country’s revenue, with approximately USD54 billion in 2017. The number of tourist arrival is expected to continue to increase by 10 percent annually, which in turn would increase the revenue of the food and beverage sector. The northeastern area in Thailand is becoming popular among Muslim travelers and the demand of halal food is increasing. Nevertheless, the number of halal certified restaurants in the northeastern region is meagre to match the influx of Muslim tourists into the area. A number of restaurants in northeastern area provide halal food without a halal certificate. Restaurants with a halal logo displayed can facilitate tourists’ selection of an eating outlet. Hence, the purpose of this study is to identify, by means of a qualitative approach, the readiness of the noncertified halal restaurant towards obtaining halal certification. Semi-structure interviews were conducted with informants comprising (1) operators of halal certified restaurants (HCRs) and non-certified halal restaurants (NCHRs) and (2) the halal authority. The data was analysed using ATLAS where six themes emerged from the thematic analysis. Appropriateness, management support, change efficacy, discrepancy, personally beneficial, and perception towards change efforts were the readiness dimensions developed from this study. This study also mapped the readiness of the restaurants into six readiness stages. NCHRs were identified to be at the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages. Meanwhile, HCRs were classified to be at the maintenance and terminate stages. In addition, the findings could facilitate better understanding of the current situations and efforts that should be carried out by the authorised bodies to promote halal food in Thailand

Challenges to obtain halal certification among restaurants in northeast Thailand

Purpose: This study aims to explore the challenges of getting halal certification for restaurants in north-eastern Thailand. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative research approach was adopted to analyse the collected data. The research procedures and the interview questions were examined by the Ethics Committee for Research involving human subjects. In total, 10 restaurant owners were interviewed. Then, the interviews were transcribed, coded and grouped by using thematic analysis while the ATLAS ti. software was used for qualitative data analysis. The theme was finalised by three intercoder agreements. Findings: The three challenges of obtaining halal certification among restaurants in north-eastern Thailand were the complicated process of getting halal certification, lack of restaurant owner commitment and high halal certification fee. Research limitations/implications: The number of halal-certified restaurants are limited. Some restaurants refused to renew halal status but their information is still displayed on the halal authority website. Not only the number of restaurants but also time-limited. Further, a quantitative phase for prioritising was suggested. Practical implications: The study can be beneficial to the halal authority and business holders as the two main stakeholders. The findings can be used to plan or develop halal strategies to increase the quality of halal restaurants. As informants mentioned common challenges, the findings could be applied as guidelines for a new business holder keen on halal implementation. Originality/value: This research demonstrated the challenges of halal certification in a non-Muslim country, focussing on the north-eastern region of Thailand. The findings will add value to a potential business area. Therefore, the highlighted challenges could provide a novelty and be useful for Muslim marketing

Exploring the competencies perceived by the hospitality undergraduates in public and private universities

Excellent academic performance does not ensure a job offer to the fresh graduates. Employers are now looking at the graduates’ competencies. There is a tense among undergraduates to compete in the battle of competencies, which are demanded by the industry. This study aimed to explore the competencies perceived by hospitality undergraduates in both public and private universities in Malaysia. The sample was selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods, where semi-structured interviews were conducted to the respondents. The findings of this study reveal eight core competencies perceived by the respondents: communication skill, lifelong learning and information management, teamwork skill, technical skill, moral and professional ethics, critical thinking and problem solving, leadership skill, and entrepreneurial skill. The most common skill delineated by the respondents was the communication skill, while the least was the entrepreneurial skill. This study is anticipated to give an understanding about the competencies obtained and possessed by the undergraduates, although there are various competencies infused in the curriculum. It is also expected by exploring the components of the skill, the effort to bridge the skill gap between university and industry will be less severe, which later enhance the quality of the fresh hospitality graduates

Reduced reproductive capacity in Moina micrura Kurz, 1875 exposed to toxic Microcystis spp.

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are considered harmful to all consuming organisms along the aquatic food chain and top consumers, including humans. Hence this study was conducted to assess the impacts of two toxic Microcystis spp. on a tropical cladoceran, Moina micrura Kurz, 1875. Population growth studies and chronic bioassays were conducted using Microcystis aeruginosa (Kützing) Kützing, 1846, Microcystis viridis f. viridis (A. Braun) Elenkin, 1938, and a green alga, Chlorella vulgaris f. tertia Fott et Novakova, 1972 (as the control). Both Microcystis spp. negatively affected M. micrura. The population growth rate of M. micrura fed with C. vulgaris was 0.51 day-1 , while growth rates were negative when fed with M. aeruginosa (- 0.33 day-1 ) and M. viridis (- 0.13 day-1 ). In the chronic bioassay, the exposure of M. micrura to M. aeruginosa resulted in delayed production of M. micrura’s first batch of offsprings, which only occurred on day 6 compared to M. micrura fed with C. vulgaris which produced their first batch of offsprings earlier on day 3. This study showed that exposure of M. micrura to both toxic Microcystis spp. reduced the population density, fecundity, total offspring production and longevity of M. micrura compared to those fed with C. vulgaris