Innovation Factors Influencing Performance Of Manufacturing SMEs In Malaysia

Innovation is a catalyst for the growth and development a country’s economy. The ever changing and uncertainty of the global economy has demanded Malaysia to emphasis on innovation and creativity as the key factors for a sustainable growth in the world of business. In this respect, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which are recognized as the backbone of the nation’s economic growth need to be innovative and creative in order to be sustainable. However, some SMEs in Malaysia do not recognize change and reform as an innovation, and they do not consider innovation as part of their manufacturing activities. Further, despite their significant contributions to the Malaysian economy, the SMEs have not been given adequate attention in comparison to the larger size companies and public-listed enterprises in Malaysia. Hence, this study aims to investigate the innovation factors that influence the performance of Manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia. This study is an exploratory descriptive study that utilizes questionnaire as its main instrument for data collection. It was designed to identify and explore the influence of innovation factors in optimizing the business performance of the SMEs in Malaysia. 180 respondents representing the SMEs manufacturing sector in the Klang Valley and Southern Region Malaysia (Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, and Johor Bahru) were involved in this study. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0. The overall findings showed that all of the factors that contribute to the encouragement of innovation influence the business performance of the SMEs. Therefore, efforts towards imparting innovation should be prioritized in the SMEs in order to enhance their business operation. By doing so, they can be more effective and efficient so that they can contribute significantly towards the development of the national economy

Penerokaan bentuk keterikatan Melayu melalui ragam bahasa: perbandingan fonologi Melayu Sadong Sarawak dengan Melayu Semenanjung

Makalah ini bertujuan menyerlahkan keterikatan ragam bahasa antara Dialek Melayu Sarawak dengan dialek Melayu di semenanjung Malaysia, khususnya dari aspek fonologi. Keterikatan ini seterusnya dinilai berasaskan konsep kesepaduan dan keharmonisan ragam bahasa Melayu di Malaysia. Kaedah lapangan dan kepustakaan telah diaplikasikan bagi memperoleh data dan maklumat berkaitan ragam bahasa Melayu yang dituturkan di kawasan lembangan Sungai Sadong Sarawak serta Semenanjung Malaysia. Kajian ini berbentuk kualitatif dan data telah dihuraikan secara kaedah Linguistik Deskriptif. Kawasan penelitian merangkumi kampung-kampung Melayu di sepanjang lembangan Sungai Batang Sadong di Sarawak. Penelitian ke atas kosa ilmu kajian lepas menunjukkan bahawa fokus kajian terdahulu lebih tertumpu kepada Dialek Melayu Kuching, Dialek Melayu Saribas, dan Dialek Melayu Sibu. Varian dialek Melayu di lembangan Sadong dianggap sebagai cebisan Dialek Melayu Kuching. Terdapat juga pengkaji lepas (misalnya, Saidatul 2013, Madzhi 1988) yang menganggap bahawa Dialek Melayu Kuchinglah yang lebih dekat dan terikat dengan Bahasa Melayu. Namun demikian, dapatan awal pengkaji menunjukkan bahawa dialek Melayu di lembangan Sadong memiliki ciri linguistik yang tersendiri yang berbeza dengan Dialek Melayu Kuching, Melayu Saribas, mahupun Melayu Sibu. Selain itu, dialek Melayu Sadong menyerlahkan beberapa bentuk bukti kesejajaran fonologinya dengan beberapa dialek Melayu di Semenanjung Malaysia. Antara lain, kewujudan bentuk kelainan [], [] dan [] di akhir kata (masing-masing mirip kepada dialek Melayu Kelantan, Johor dan Negeri Sembilan), penggunaan nasal alveolar menggantikan nasal velar di akhir kata yang mirip dialek Melayu Kedah, di samping elemen monoftongisasi. Justeru, di sebalik kewujudan unsur inovasi, ciri retensi bersama yang diperlihatkan antara dua varian dialek Melayu yang terpisah jauh oleh Laut Cina Selatan ini sangat mengagumkan. Unsur pengekalan ini menyerlahkan keutuhan perpaduan Melayu melalui bahasa. Kajian ini mampu memberi implikasi penting kepada pemetaan landskap dialek Melayu, di samping menyerlahkan indikasi signifikan kepada khazanah kosa ilmu budaya Melayu

Kajian keatas kelembapan kalangan pegawai sains memohon geran penyelidikan serta menjalankan penyelidikan sendiri

Bidang penyelidikan adalah penting untuk mencapai kemajuan terutama aspek pengeluaran barangan dan perkhidmatan kebanyakan penyelidik berkomunikasi dan bertukar pengetahuan melalui penulisan dan pembentangan hasil penyelidikan.Di kalangan profesyen Pegawai Sains tidak ramai yang menghasilkan penyelidikan sendiri dan sebagai penyelidik utama dalam penyelidikan berasaskan perubatan. Kajian melalui soal selidik keatas sebilangan besar kumpulan Pegawai Sains, Kampus Kesihatan, Universiti Sains Malaysia menunjukkan mereka masih kurang berupaya menjalankan penyelidikan sendiri (81.8%) dan mereka mengesyorkan supaya di adakan kursus dan latihan yang khusus kepada mereka (100%). Cadangan juga di terima agar kajian semula bentuk insentif terutama mengambil kira peluang kenaikan pangkat kepada mereka yang aktif menjalankan penyelidikan serta mengkaji untuk pemberian cuti kerana menjalankan penyelidikan juga perlu di pertimbangkan secara serious oleh badan yang bertanggungjawab agar aktiviti penyelidikan dapat di majukan untuk pembangunan negara

The Correlation between Surface Tracking and Partial Discharge Characteristics on Pressboard Surface Immersed in MIDEL eN

This paper presents the investigation of the surface tracking on pressboard surface immersed in MIDEL eN oil.  In this work, the development of surface discharge was analyzed by correlating the visual records of surface tracking on impregnated pressboard and the partial discharge (PD) activities.  The PD activities during the surface tracking process were analyzed in terms of Phase Resolved Partial Discharge (PRPD) patterns.  Throughout the experiment, surface discharge is found as the development of tree-like patterns in the form of white marks occurring on the oil-pressboard interface.  This phenomenon is generally accepted as the drying out process that involves evaporation and decomposition of the oil molecules in the pressboard pores due to the surface discharge activities on the pressboard surface layer.  The development of surface discharge on the pressboard surface can continue from minutes to months or even years until failure.  Thus, condition monitoring system is important to characterize this type of faulty condition.  The experimental results show that there is the decreasing trend of PD magnitude during the development of white mark hallway of a gap distance which is eventually suffered from an unexpected fault

Viewing Islamic Art Museum Exhibits on the SmartPhone: Re-examining Visitors’ Experiences

Mobile Guide technologies in public spaces, particularly museum are not new and have changed the way visitors’ access information during their visit. Smartphone applications (apps) are increasingly popular because it can be accessed before, during and after the museum visits. This has impacted the way exhibitions are designed and the resulting visitor experience. Therefore, it is important to measure what effect the use of smartphone technology has on visitor experience. An “in the wild” study was conducted to investigate visitor experience in Islamic Art museum, both with and without Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) Mobile Guide (smartphone apps). A total of 55 participants took part in the study. The Museum Experience Scale (MES) was used to measure visitor experience, whilst the Multimedia Guide Scale (MMGS) was used to measure visitors’ experiences with the IAMM Mobile Guide. Results showed that scores on all components of MES suggested a positive experience at the IAMM with the component of meaningful experience being the highest score, followed by the component of knowledge and learning. Scores on the MMGS also showed a positive experience in using the mobile guide with learnability and control scored the highest, followed by general usability

Sarawak's Claim on the State's Jurisdiction over Oil and Gas on the Continental Shelf: A Legal Historical Perspective

This paper aims to conduct a preliminary re-evaluation of the claim made by the Government of Sarawak regarding its jurisdiction over oil and gas on the continental shelf. The basis of Sarawak’s claim is rooted in the pre-Malaysia status quo of state territory, which was established through the Alteration of Boundaries of 1954. This proclamation extended the borders of the state to include the continental shelf adjacent to its coast, ensuring the state’s rights to natural resources, including oil and natural gas. However, this research questions the legality of the 1954 law based on the context of legal history. It appears to be incompatible with the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. These conventions provide the statutory basis for incorporating sea territorial waters beyond three nautical miles and designating Exclusive Economic Zones for specific nations. As such, obtaining jurisdiction over sea territorial waters was the responsibility of the federal government of Malaysia, which acted as the deemed signatory. The research will employ content analysis of relevant secondary sources, as well as selected historical and legal documents. By doing so, it hopes to bring clarity to the legal complexities in the historical context surrounding Sarawak’s claim. The ultimate goal is to redefine the current dimension of the issue and seek an amicable solution to address the jurisdictional matter. Keywords: Sarawak’s claim, state jurisdiction, state autonomy, oil and gas, continental shel

Heuristic Evaluation : Comparing Generic and Specific Usability Heuristics for Identification of Usability Problems in a Living Museum Mobile Guide App

This paper reports on an empirical study that compares two sets of heuristics, Nielsen’s heuristics and the SMART heuristics in the identification of usability problems in a mobile guide smartphone app for a living museum. Five experts used the severity rating scales to identify and determine the severity of the usability issues based on the two sets of usability heuristics. The study found that Nielsen’s heuristics set is too general to detect usability problems in a mobile application compared to SMART heuristics which focuses on the smartphone application in the product development lifecycle instead of the generic Nielsen’s heuristics which focuses on a wide range of interactive system. The study highlights the importance of utilizing domain specific usability heuristics in the evaluation process. This ensures that relevant usability issues were successfully identified which could then be given immediate attention to ensure optimal user experience

Program Pembangunan Usahawan Bumiputera Dan Pembasmian Kemiskinan : Kajian Di Negeri Melaka

Program pembangunan usahawan yang dijalankan kerajaan diakui menggalakkan perkembangan usahawan Bumiputera dan juga adalah kaedah terbaik untuk mengurangkan kadar kemiskinan. Sehubungan itu, kertas kerja ini membincangkan kepentingan ciri-ciri keusahawanan bagi memastikan program pembangunan usahawan yang telah dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan adalah tidak sia-sia. Kertas kerja ini juga melihat penekanan kerajaan terhadap keusahawanan sebagai mekanisma bagi membasmi kemiskinan. Dirumuskan penekanan terhadap pembangunan diri perlu diberikan perhatian serius dalam program pembangunan usahawan Bumiputera kerana kemahuan keusahawananlah yang mendorong kepada kejayaan usahawan seterusnya mengurangkan tahap kemiskinan di kalangan masyarakat

REKONSTRUKSI DALAMAN VARIAN BANJAR BERIAH PURBA[INTERNAL RECONSTRUCTION OF BANJAR BERIAH PROTO VARIANTS]

This study describes the phonological system of Banjar Kuala (BK), Banjar Hulu (BJ) and Banjar Alai (BA) dialect variants. The phonological description is used to reconstruct the ancient dialect form Banjar Beriah Proto Variant (BBPV). The attempt to reconstruct this ancient dialect was carried out using qualitative comparative methods through the verification of sound correspondences. The findings confirm that the BK and BA variants have a five-vocal system and the BH variant has a three-vocal system. In addition, these three variants, BK, BH and BA have 18 consonant system. This paper concludes that the Banjar Beriah Purba variant has an ancient three vocal system, namely * i, * a and * u and three ancient dialects, namely * aw, * aj, and * uj. BBPV also has 18 ancient consonants, i.e * p, * b, * t, * d, * k, * g, * s, * h, * tS, * dZ, * m, * n, * ø, * N, * r, * l, * w, and * j. This study is hoped to expand the limited knowledge related to Ancient Malay Language.Keywords: Banjar Beriah Proto variant; reconstruction; proto dialect; variant; sound correspondences.Cite as: Aman, R.,  Othman, N.N., Shahidi, A. H., Iswary, E., & Anwar, O.D. (2018). Rekonstruksi dalaman Varian Banjar Beriah Purba [Internal reconstruction of Banjar Beriah Proto Variants]. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 3(2), 92-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol3iss2pp92-106 ABSTRAKKajian ini mendeskripsikan sistem fonologi varian dialek Banjar Kuala (BK), Banjar Hulu (BH) dan Banjar Alai (BA). Deskripsi fonologi ini digunakan untuk merekonstruksi bentuk dialek purba yang diandaikan wujud pada suatu ketika dulu, iaitu Varian Banjar Beriah Purba (VBBP). Usaha merekonstruksi dialek purba ini dijalankan dengan menggunakan kaedah perbandingan kualitatif melalui pencerakinan perangkat kesepadanan bunyi. Hasil dapatan fonologi mengesahkan bahawa varian BK dan BA memiliki sistem lima vokal dan varian BH memiliki sistem tiga vokal. Selain itu, ketiga-tiga varian ini, iaitu BK, BH dan BA memiliki sistem 18 buah konsonan. Berdasarkan dapatan rekonstruksi pula, varian Banjar Beriah Purba memiliki sistem tiga vokal purba, iaitu *i, *a dan *u dan tiga buah diftong purba, iaitu *aw, *aj, dan *uj. Selanjutnya, VBBP juga memiliki 18 buah konsonan purba, iaitu *p, *b, *t, *d, *k, *g, *s, *h, *tS, *dZ, *m, *n, *ø, *N, *r, *l, *w, dan *j. Kajian ini diharapkan dapat mengembangkan lagi pengetahuan berkaitan bahasa Melayik Purba.Kata kunci: Varian Banjar Beriah Purba; Rekonstruksi; Dialek Purba; Varian; Perangkat kesepadanan