Affordable and quality housing through the low cost housing provision in Malaysia

Housing is a major concern for all people in every corner of the world as the wellbeing of a country is reflected in its people enjoying a certain standard of living. Residential and neighbourhood satisfaction is an important indicator of housing quality and condition, which affects individuals quality of life. The factors, which determine their satisfaction, are essential inputs in monitoring the success of housing policies. Housing provision for all in any country is very crucial in order to ensure socialeconomic stability and to promote national development. Therefore the Malaysian government under its 5 year National Plan has introduced the low, medium and high cost housing categories. The housing policy in Malaysia is to provide Malaysians of all income levels, particularly the low-income groups, accessibility to adequate, affordable and quality shelter. It provides direction to housing development in the country which should emphasis human settlement of better quality of life, national integration and unity. This paper will discuss the general scenario of housing in Malaysia particularly the low cost housing

Incorporating inter-cultural awareness in the teaching of business communication: The IIUM experience

Students of The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) come from many Islamic countries around the world. They are enrolled in different faculties including the Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences. One of the compulsory courses for these students is The English for Occupational Purposes (EOP). It is meant for final year students (3 credit bearing) to equip them with the necessary skills before joining the workforce. Over the years, various approaches have been introduced and applied in ensuring that the best method is applied so that this course will be more meaningful and effective to the students. However, the course content only focuses on the communication skills in Business English without taking into account the different cultures of students who may have different business cultures back home. This study hence will look into the possibility of incorporating cultural awareness across context in the teaching and learning of English for Occupational Purposes and answering research questions related to culture, communication, teaching and learning. The qualitative methodology employing the interpretive analytical framework and case study are used in the 2-semester observations and interviews of the EOP students and lecturers. Findings are discussed with regard to the developmental theories of intercultural communication and the business communication aspects

Returns to Education between the Self-employed and Employed Sectors: Evidence from Malaysia

Investment in human capital in terms of returns to education is considered a crucial factor that contributes to the remarkable economic growth especially in the rapidly developing countries. Since poverty and education are closely related, this paper attempts to examine whether returns to education differ between the self-employed and employed sectors in the rural Malay area in Rantau, Malaysia. Using the adjusted Mincerian Earnings function and the dummy variables approach, the empirical finding shows that returns to education do not differ between the self-employed and employed sectors in the rural Malay society. Thus, it can be deduced that there is no significant difference between the self-employed and employed sectors in those two sectors. Interestingly, it also reveals that private rates of return (ROR) increase by the level of schooling and they are the highest at the Secondary level. Finally, appropriate strategies are further suggested to alleviate poverty in the case study area.

Globalization, Re-Discovery of the Malay ‘Local,' and Popular TV Fiction through Audience Narratives

The proliferation of TV fiction can be partly explained by TV producers attuning their products to draw audience’s attention. Narratives of love dominate the plots and almost always the good is pitted against the evil, rich against the poor - ultimately the good always wins. The formula may be clichéd, but in places where news of war, terrorism, diseases, violence, and conflicts usually prevail, respite from tumultuous realities of the world can often be found in popular TV fiction. Here, we study three popular Malay TV fiction, Julia, On Dhia, and Adam & Hawa to examine how TV fiction viewers relate to them through personal narratives and focus group interviews. Through their voices, we reveal that despite TV fiction viewers’ constant preoccupation with Western-imposed globalization, the TV fiction set against the backdrop of globalization can encourage the viewers to re-route their ways to re-discover their imaginary ‘good old days’ that are often dismissed, neglected or forgotten

Upaya peningkatan kemampuan berbicara pada pembelajaran bahasa Inggris melalui penggunaan multimedia berbasis komputer program Microsoft Power Point siswa kelas 8 A SMP negeri 10 Samarinda tahun pembelajaran 2012/2013

Latar belakang penelitian tindakan kelas ini adalah rendahnya kemampuan berbicara siswa pada pembelajaran bahasa Inggris. Hal ini terjadi karena kurangnya menariknya kegiatan pembelajaran yang diberikan oleh guru bahasa Inggris sehingga minat dan motivasi siswa dalam mengikuti pembelajaran sangat rendah dan berimbas pada rendahnya pretasi belajar siswa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan berbicara siswa dengan menggunakan multimedia berbasis komputer program Microsoft Office Power Point. Subjek pada penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas 8 A SMP Negeri 10 Samarinda pada tahun pembelajaran 2012/2013. Sebelum siklus pertama dilaksanakan terlebih dulu diberikan pre test untuk mengetahui data awal dan pada setiap akhir siklus diberikan post test untuk mengetahui perkembangan prestasi kemampuan berbicara siswa. Hasil pre test menunjukkan bahwa rata-rata kemampuan berbicara siswa adalah 5.8. Post test pada siklus pertama menunjukkan nilai rata-rata kemampuan berbicara siswa adalah 6,1. Post test pada siklus kedua menunjukkan nilai rata-rata kemampuan berbicara siswa adalah 6,5. Post test pada siklus ketiga menunjukkan nilai rata-rata kemampuan berbicara siswa adalah 6,9. Berdasarkan data tersebut dapat disimpulkan penggunaan multimedia berbasis komputer program Microsoft Office Power Point dapat meningkatkan kemampuan berbicara siswa kelas 8 A SMP Negeri 10 Samarinda tahun pembelajaran 2012/2013

PENGARUH KOMPETENSI, SISTEM PENGENDALIAN, REKONSILIASI TERHADAP KUALITAS LAPORAN KEUANGAN DAERAH : TEKNOLOGI INFORMASI SEBAGAI VARIABEL MODERASI (Studi Empiris Pada Organisasi Perangkat Daerah Pemerintah Kabupaten Alor NTT)

Penelitian ini bertujuan menguji dan menganalisis pengaruh Kompetensi Sumber Daya Manusia (SDM), Penerapan Sistem Pengendalian Intern Pemerintah (SPIP), Intensitas Rekonsiliasi terhadap Kualitas Laporan Keuangan Daerah (LKD) dimoderasi oleh Pemanfaatan Teknologi Informasi (TI), Jenis data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data primer yang diperoleh dari kuesioner yang disebarkan langsung kepada responden yaitu Pejabat Penatausaaan Keuangan (PPK) dan staf bagian akuntansi pada Organisasi Perangkat Daerah di Lingkup Pemerintah Daerah Kabupaten Alor. Penentuan sampel melalui purposive sampling dan diperoleh sampel sebanyak 82 responden. Analisis data diolah dengan menggunakan SPSS melalui metode statistik regresi berganda dan pendekatan Moderasi yaitu Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa Kompetensi Sumber Daya Manusia (SDM), Penerapan Sistem Pengendalian Intern Pemerintah (SPIP) dan Intensitas Rekonsiliasi berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kualitas Laporan Keuangan Daerah. Pemanfaatan Teknologi Informasi memoderasi positif dan signifikan pengaruh kompetensi SDM terhadap kualitas laporan keuangan daerah sedangkan pemanfaatan Teknologi Informasi memoderasi negatif dan signifikan pengaruh penerapan SPIP dan Intensitas Rekonsiliasi terhadap kualitas laporan keuangan daerah

PENINGKATAN KEMAMPUAN KOMUNIKASI DAN PEMECAHAN MASALAH MATEMATIS SERTA SELF-REGULATED LEARNING MAHASISWA MELALUI PEMBELAJARAN MODEL TREFFINGER

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menjawab pertanyaan apakah pembelajaran dengan model Treffinger dapat meningkatkan kemampuan komunikasi dan pemecahan masalah matematis serta self-regulated learning mahasiswa. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian quasi eksperimen. Desain dalam penelitian ini adalah desain kelompok kontrol pretes-postes. Kelas eksperimen diberi perlakuan berupa pembelajaran model Treffinger dan kelas kontrol pembelajarannya secara konvensional. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa program studi pendidikan matematika pada salah satu Universitas di kota Ternate. Analisis statistik yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah uji-t dan uji Mann-Whitney. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) pencapaian dan peningkatan kemampuan komunikasi dan pemecahan masalah matematis serta self-regulated learning mahasiswa yang mendapatkan pembelajaran model Treffinger lebih tinggi daripada mahasiswa yang mendapatkan pembelajaran konvensional; (2) Terdapat perbedaan pencapaian dan peningkatan kemampuan komunikasi dan pemecahan masalah matematis serta self-regulated learning mahasiswa yang mendapatkan pembelajaran model Treffinger lebih tinggi daripada mahasiswa yang mendapatkan pembelajaran konvensional ditinjau berdasarkan kategori kemampuan awal matematis (tinggi, sedang, dan rendah); (3) tidak terdapat interaksi antara pembelajaran dan kategori KAM mahasiswa terhadap kemampuan komunikasi dan pemecahan masalah matematis serta self-regulated learning mahasiswa; dan (4) terdapat korelasi antara kemampuan komunikasi dan pemecahan masalah matematis, antara kemampuan komunikasi dan self-regulated learning matematis, serta antara kemampuan pemecahan masalah dan self-regulated learning matematis mahasiswa. Kata Kunci: kemampuan komunikasi matematis, kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematis, self-regulated learning matematis, model Treffinger. The aim of this research was to find out whether Treffinger model learning approach can enhance students’ mathematical communication and problem solving skill, and self-regulated learning. This research was quasi experimental study. The design of this study was pretest-posttest control group design. There were two groups of sample used in the study. The experimental group was given Treffinger model, while the control group was given conventional model. The population of this studi was the student of mathematics education program in one university in Ternate. The statistical analysis used to test the hypothesis of this study were t-test and mann-whitney U. The result of this study show that: (1) The students’ achievement and enhancement of mathematical communication and problem solving skill and self-regulated learning who obtained Treffinger model are higher than the students who obtained conventional model; (2) There are differences in the students’ achievement and enhancement of mathematical communication and problem solving skill and self-regulated learning based on students’ prior knowledge in mathematics (PKM) category (high, middle, and low); (3) There are no interaction between the student learning and PKM category on the students’ achievement and enhancement of in mathematical communication and problem solving skill and self-regulated learning; and (4) there are correlation between the students` mathematical of communication and problem solving skill, the students` mathematical communication skill and self-regulated learning, and the students’ problem solving skill and self-regulated learning in mathematics. Keywords: Mathematical Communication skills, mathematical problem solving skills, self-regulated learning and Treffinger mode

Heterophil / lymphocyte response and performance of feed and water restricted broiler chickens under tropical conditions

The effects of restricting feed [60% of ad libitum (AL) intake] (FR) or water provided from 0900 h to 1600 h, daily) (WR) or both (FWR) from 14 to 42 days of age on heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) response and performance in broiler chickens under the hot humid tropical conditions were determined. Feed and/or water limitation retarded growth, but had no adverse effect on overall feed conversion ratio and survivability. The trend for total feed and water consumption was similar to body weight pattern with AL>WR>FR>FWR. The nutritional regimens had significant effect on overall water:feed ratios with FR>(AL=WR)>FWR. Restriction of feed and/or water resulted in marked elevation of H/L ratios. As measured by H/L ratios, the effect of adapting to FR dissipated between 16 to 21 days after the onset of feed restriction, The H/L ratios of WR and FWR birds remained elevated throughout the duration of the experiment

3G telecommunication technology in Malaysia

3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology, after 2G. It is based on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) family of standards under the International Mobile Telecommunications programme, "IMT- 2000". 3G technologies enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephony and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment. Typically, they provide service at 5-10 Mb per second