Factors influencing Malaysian consumers’ intention to use Quick Response (QR) mobile payment

In the past decade, conventional payment methods of using cash is progressively replaced with electronic payments. Recently, QR mobile payment begins to receive more attention from many countries including Malaysia. Nevertheless, QR mobile payment is a relatively green area in which very limited literature exists on this subject matter pertaining to consumer acceptance and characteristics of adopter segments of this technology. Therefore, by applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the main theoretical framework, the aim of the present study is to investigate the factors influencing intention to use QR mobile payment in Malaysia. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed which resulted in 485 complete responses. Perceived usefulness, personal innovativeness, perceived ease of use, subjective norm, and perceived security were found to be significant in determining intention to use QR mobile payment among Malaysian consumers

Speaking in English: Oral Communication Apprehension and Self-Perceived Communication Competence among Marketing UndergraduatesinMalaysia

In this study perceptions of final year marketing undergraduateswere investigatedat Universiti Malaysia Sarawak towards the feeling of anxiety they experienced when speaking in English. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to determine (a) the level of oral communication apprehension; (b) the level of self–perceived communication competence; and (c) to identify the relationship between the students’ English oral communication apprehension and self-perceived communication competence. A quantitative research design was adopted and McCroskey’s well-known questionnairewas used to measure communication apprehension levels in four communication contexts (groupdiscussion, meeting, interpersonal and public speaking).TheSelf-Perceived Communication Competencequestionnaire by the McCroskeys’ was used to measure communication in various contexts(public, meeting, group, and dyad) and from different receivers (stranger, acquaintance and friend). The results showed that the final year marketing undergraduateshad moderate levels of oral communication apprehension. Their level of self-perceived communication competence was also at the moderate level. Results also indicated a significant correlation between communication apprehension and self-perceived communication competence among the students. Keywords:Oral communication apprehension, self-perceived competence, marketing undergraduate

Factors Influencing Malaysian Consumers’ Intention to Use Quick Response (QR) Mobile Payment

In the past decade, conventional payment methods of using cash is progressively replaced with electronic payments. Recently, QR mobile payment begins to receive more attention from many countries including Malaysia. Nevertheless, QR mobile payment is a relatively green area in which very limited literature exists on this subject matter pertaining to consumer acceptance and characteristics of adopter segments of this technology. Therefore, by applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the main theoretical framework, the aim of the present study is to investigate the factors influencing intention to use QR mobile payment in Malaysia. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed which resulted in 485 complete responses. Perceived usefulness, personal innovativeness, perceived ease of use, subjective norm, and perceived security were found to be significant in determining intention to use QR mobile payment among Malaysian consumers

LONELINESS, COPING STRATEGIES AND PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG STUDENTS OF PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN MALAYSIA DURING THE COVID-19 MCO

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic had prompted many governments to enforce lockdown to prevent the virus from spreading. In Malaysia, a series of Movement Control Orders (MCO) were introduced starting March 18, 2020. As a result, many people’s lives were affected, including university students. These affected students had to stay in their campus residential facilities, isolated from family, relatives and friends, which could lead to the feeling of loneliness. This study aims to explore the phenomenon among students stranded on campus during MCO periods. Approximately 243 students from several public universities were surveyed using Google form. Results from the 210 usable responses showed that most of these students experienced moderate loneliness and often used coping approaches like acceptance, positive interpretation, active coping, and active solitude. Friends seemed to be a more immediate source to seek for support in times of isolation. Correlation results suggested that social support availability is negatively associated with student loneliness experience, and positively related with student coping strategies. Specifically, the availability of support from friends and significant others may minimize loneliness experience. Keywords: Loneliness, Coping Strategies, Social Support, Malaysia, COVID-1

THE 12TH SARAWAK STATE ELECTION: A STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF BANNERS & POSTERS OF THE RULING AND OPPOSITION PARTIES

This study analysed selected election banners and posters in Kuching and Kota Samarahan areas during the 2021 Sarawak State Election. Crystal and Davy’s framework was used to analyse the graphetic, typographical, and textual features of the election poster and banners. A total of 20 posters and 12 banners were photographed, studied, and analysed. The results show that at the graphetic level, the ruling party used new colour and logo as a new identity. Whereas the opposition parties use many colours which confused the electorate. The ruling and opposition parties similarly utilize photos of the candidates and the logo of the party. Typographically, the opposition parties use more capital letters in their messages. The syntactic features of the ruling party are clear, precise, factual, and mostly in declarative moods. The stylistic analysis shows there are similarities in the strategies used in the election banners by the ruling and opposition parties. Nevertheless, they share differences in the strategies for election banners. Keywords: stylistic analysis, election posters, election banners, Sarawak, Malaysi

Beyond Rational Choice Theory: Multifaceted Determinants of Participation in Palm Oil Sustainable Certification Amongst Smallholders in Malaysia

The demand for palm oil is steadily increasing where global consumption in 2020 has reached 77 million metric tons or equivalent to 7 kg of palm per capita usage. However, the industry is under critics for unsustainable production practice and environmental degradation due to unscrupulous deforestation. One of the measures taken to ensure sustainability practices in the industry in Malaysia includes certifications such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO). These certifications are offered to industry players/plantation giants in which all stakeholders/members need to fulfill stringent requirements in order to obtain the certification. Efforts are now being taken to ensure that every stakeholder in the palm oil industry obtain sustainable certification, and this includes effort to enable smallholders to also follow the guidelines and fulfill the certification requirements. However, as of 2021, only 30% smallholders were certified despite the rigorous efforts made. Several factors may have hindered the participation of these smallholders. Hence, it is crucial that the agencies involved in managing this industry identify the factors influencing the certification of smallholders. The identification of these determinants will help policymakers to strengthen policy in disseminating sustainability practices in the palm oil industry. The objective of the current study is to identify factors influencing smallholders' participation in palm oil certification in Malaysia. This study looks beyond rational choice theory and develops a model based on elements of social structure and interaction. Quantitative approaches through questionnaire survey were used in this study. Purposive sampling was used, and data collections involved 200 oil palm smallholders in Malaysia. Four elements, namely, “Perceived Economic Benefit,” “Social Interaction,” “Shared Identity,” and “Communication Discourse,” were found to have significant influences on smallholders' participation in palm oil sustainable certification. Implication and future recommendation were included in the concluding remar

GE 13: The Influence of Ethnic Newspapers in Shaping the Opinion of Indian and Chinese Voters

This paper attempts to assess the role of Tamil and Chinese newspapers in exerting influence on Indian and Chinese voters, before and after Malaysia’s 2013 General Election (GE13). This study employs both content analysis and survey to examine media agenda and public agenda specifically the Chinese and Indian ethnic groups. In total, 4,951 news items were obtained from two major language newspapers comprising Sin Chew, Nanyang Siang Pau, Tamil Nesan and Malaysia Nanban, during the election campaign period. These news items have been coded according to seventeen categories. A total of 754 Chinese and 183 Indians had participated in the public opinion survey conducted before the general election, and a total of 618 Chinese and 122 Indians responded after the general election. This study found that both Tamil and Chinese newspapers did not influence the agenda of the Chinese and Indian respondents nationwide. Politics appeared as the top issue reported in both ethnic newspapers while crime appeared as the most important issue of concern to both Chinese and Indian respondents

A Quick Guide to Aligning Assessment

Nurturing high-quality students is a top priority for institutions of higher education. The success of such an endeavour largely depends on the consistency between student assessments, programme goals, and the intended learning outcomes. To ensure that these aspects are appropriately aligned, the right knowledge and information must be made accessible to academics who are involved in the assessment of students’ learning. This handbook, aptly named A Quick Guide to Aligning Assessment with Learning Domains aims to provide easy access to fundamentals of outcome-based assessment alongside discipline-specific examples to be adapted in line with a programme’s needs. It is hoped that by understanding the concepts of assessment and learning domains, academics will be better equipped to plan and manage their teaching and learning activities to meet the demands of quality assessment. This handbook is an outcome of a project initiated by the Centre for Applied Learning and Multimedia (CALM) of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) under the Fellowship of Teaching and Learning (FoTL) initiative

Measuring Deliberative Attitude and Attributes in Political Corporate Social Responsibility: Instrument Development and Validation

There are numerous calls for more empirical research in the study of political corporate social responsibility (PCSR). One of the important avenues in the process of deliberation in PCSR. Hence, this study aims to conceptualize, develop, and validate a scale that will be able to measure a person’s deliberative attitude. The overall study has been divided into three studies. The first study aims to develop and assess the content validity of the measurement. The second study aims to purify the instrument through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). It is in this study that 14 indicators measuring three different constructs were identified. Besides the deliberative attitude, the indicators for measuring motivation and support on deliberation were also identified. The three constructs were then put through a construct and predictive validity assessment in study three. Findings from this study allowed researchers to explore a more complex model related to a person’s or corporation’s decision to participate in a deliberation