Information system structure and the demand for monitoring costs

It is claimed that information system structure can affect the coordination, monitoring and controlling of organisational activities, and in turn reduce the costs involved. This paper aims to investigate how the information system structure of an organisation affects its demand and preference for monitoring costs in Malaysian business environment. About 867 questionnaires were distributed to public listed companies in Malaysia, however, only 235 questionnaires were completed and usable for the purpose of the study. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were carried out to analyze the data. The findings indicate that companies using centralised information system structure have negative and significant relationship with total monitoring costs, this result may be explained by the fact that the agents’ self interest behaviour can be monitored by the centralised system. However the information system structure is not significant when the cost of directorship and auditing are compared. But when internal auditing and external auditing costs are compared, the result indicates that companies with centralised information system structure have significantly more internal auditing costs. This paper contributes to the literature relating to the relationship between information system structures and monitoring costs, especially in Malaysian business settings

Experiential contacts with green infrastructure’s diversity and well-being of urban community

The study explores the significance of residents’ experience with an array of green infrastructure in Taiping, a small town in central Peninsular Malaysia. It argues that the existence of a composite of greenery and open spaces in a town that has diversity contributes to sense of well-being of residents. Green infrastructure network is a composite of various types of greenery and open spaces linked by streets, waterways and drainages encircling and connecting urban areas, at all spatial scales. In Taiping, the green infrastructure network consists of a town park, street planting, open spaces of public buildings, pocket spaces between shop-houses, school playfields, neighbourhood open space, home gardens, and river corridors. Questionnaires (n=335) and semi-structured interviews (n=33) explored the diversity of the green infrastructure in the town and the causal relationship to well-being—physical, cognitive and social. The data suggested that green infrastructure afford residents diversity of experience. Diverse experiences of green infrastructure network, physically and visually attract residents to participate in active activities, to socialize and to perform other transactional activities outside their homes. Therefore, the effects from the participation trigger many positive moods such as serenity, relaxation, comfort and satisfaction. Moreover, in physical and social terms, experiencing urban green spaces such as parks and gardens afford town residents active living, and community participation and harmony. There were modest relationships between the dimensions of diversity with the well-being dimensions, suggesting that residents felt diversity affect their sense of well-being. Hence, the results implicate that urban green spaces are essential amenity for towns and cities that afford an individual and a community physical, cognitive and social well-being

Auditing the auditors: the audit oversight board and regulating audit quality in Malaysia

The setting-up of the Malaysian Audit Oversight Board (AOB) in 2010 under the Securities Commission Amendment Act 2010 has extended the role of regulators into the statutory audit domain for public listed companies. Although the auditing profession in Malaysia has International Auditing Standards as prescribed minimum level of quality in the delivery of audit assurance services, self-regulation by the profession alone appears inadequate to ensure the delivery of quality audit services. With co-regulation, auditors now are monitored not just by the profession but also by a new statutory body with considerable regulatory powers to sanction auditors where quality of the audit process has been found wanting. This study solicits the opinions of auditors on their expectations of what the new regulator can achieve. Based on interviews with a sample of 30 auditors, the study finds that the majority believe that audit quality will be taken to a new level following AOB’s remit of registration of auditors, compliance inspection with International Standard on Quality Control (ISQC), monitoring of financial statement quality, and its power of sanctions. A review of AOB’s early years’ inspection confirms these expectations

Green infrastructure as green health promotion agenda for urban community

The study investigates how the presence of green infrastructure network enhances urban residents’ physical health. The study reviews the literature related to green infrastructure benefits to physical health of urban individuals. In addition, it investigates the relationships of green infrastructure experience to physical health and well-being via a case study exploration on residents in Taiping, a small town in Central Peninsular Malaysia. Green infrastructure network is a composite of open space and greenery that is linked by walkways, streets and waterways around and between urban areas at all spatial scales. It is found that an accumulated literature review especially from the western world has produced a considerable amount of evidences on benefits of greenery and nature to health. Hence, this paper discusses the findings from various researches on the benefits of green infrastructure to physical health of urban residents. The paper also elaborates the results on green infrastructure experience and interaction derived from a survey (n=335) of residents in Taiping. Findings show that, regardless of ages, residents frequently visited the green infrastructure in the town. Effects from the existence of various types of green infrastructure in the town promote frequent visitation and participation in active recreation. The relationship suggests that the green spaces allow residents to experience active and leisure activities, which in turn afforded healthy feeling and wellness for residents. The findings implicates that the existence of green infrastructure network are essential in an urban fabric that may foster active living. Thus, as aspired by the Malaysian government, green infrastructure is a significant health promotion agenda that is seen as a way to improve healthy living in a communit

Green infrastructure in cities and towns in Southeast Asian countries: quest for research

The cities in Southeast Asia are rapidly urbanised. Urbanisation in the region causes urban residents to live in a city with less balanced ecological system. Green infrastructure is known to be a vital indicator for urban environmental sustainability. The green infrastructure is all landscape types comprise of greenery and open spaces. Its network of park, playing field, pocket and incidental green space and neighbourhood space that is linked by tree-lined streets and waterways around and between urban areas provides green lung for cities, hence promotes healthy society through spaces for recreational, social and leisure activities. These are the places where urban residents have access and contact with nature, and interactions with other individuals. This paper explores the roles of green infrastructure in the Southeast Asian cities and towns, and its implications to urban residents‟ well-being. The green infrastructure acts as an important countermeasure to alleviate negative effects of urbanisation to residents and urban ecological system. A multidisciplinary literature review on urban open space, greenery and urban natural ecosystem was conducted to assess the body of research that highlights green infrastructure in Southeast Asia cities which include Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Bangkok. The major themes derived from the findings were categorised into three: (i) quantity of existing green infrastructure, (ii) studies on green infrastructure contributions to well-being of urban residents, and (iii) significant attribute parameters that emerged from the studies. The review has found that even though the concept of green infrastructure may be new for many countries in the region, the areas of research have gained recognition in the urban public health dimension. In other words, the governments of the region must consider urban residents‟ health derived from green infrastructure to be of important resources for future urban sustainability. There are also challenges especially on green infrastructure‟s implementation that need to be addressed in city planning and urban design. The findings implicates that accumulation of research can promote public health of Southeast Asian cities that ultimately lead to environmental sustainability

Audit reports of financially distressed companies: emphasis of matter (EOM) versus disclaimers

This paper examines audit reports issued to 39 Malaysian listed companies in financial distress categorized as Practice Note 17 (PN17) companies by Bursa Malaysia. The study finds that for companies which experienced financial distress, the audit reports are not similar, despite all companies are similarly troubled financially. Companies receive either a disclaimer or an emphasis of matter (EOM) report. The study finds that which of the two reports is given is associated with three variables: current-year operating loss, shareholders’ deficit, and default status, implying that audit reports do convey information that financial distress is not of the same level and severity among PN17 companies

Innovation and productivity: evidence from firms level data on Malaysian manufacturing sector

This study aims to investigate the impact of innovative activities related to productivity among firms in Malaysian manufacturing sector, using cross section data in 2008 with the total number of observations is 7222 firms from 36 manufacturing sub-sectors. The link between R&D, innovation and productivity has been examined through a complex interaction via the structural model. The results reveal that, exportoriented firms, size of firm, type of industry and market size heavily influence the decision to engage in R&D and at the same time firm allocates some significant amount of expenditure for R&D. The result also support that exporting firms tend to innovate to enhance their product competitiveness globally and patent their products worldwide as a form of protection from imitation. In addition, the innovation activities with the support of quality labor and technology are able to trigger firm’s productivity

Produk lilin uniscent pelajar UPM menang tempat ketiga pertandingan National Micro Enterprise Pitching 2022

MELAKA, 14 Mei – Produk lilin Unicent hasil produk dua pelajar tahun satu, Bacelor Perakaunan, Sekolah Perniagaan dan Ekonomi (SPE), UPM, Mohamad Azeem Mohamad Isa dan Wilson Pang Khong You berjaya mendapat dua anugerah dalam Pertandingan National Micro Enterprise Pitching (NMEPC) 2022

Halal food certification: case of Malaysian SME entrepreneurs

This paper reports on 108 Malaysian SME entrepreneurs’ perceptions towards Halal Food Certification (HFC) in Malaysia along four dimensions of market share and market competitiveness, government support and monitoring, information dissemination and rigor of certification process using a structured questionnaires distributed during MIHAS 2011. Based on their responses, the study finds that HFC is important to promote customers’ confidence, trust, and satisfaction but they were of the opinion that the contents of information were insufficient. Respondents ranked certification process as tedious and stringent hence needs to be improved. They were dissatisfied with the information dissemination on halal hub. Hence the government needs to improve its support and monitoring system. The study also indicates that respondents who have attended entrepreneurship courses, have ventured into international markets, have obtained Halal Certification for their food products and attained at least a bachelor degree level of education have significant different responses towards the HFCs

The Significance of Green Infrastructure Experience to Cognitive Well-Being of Residents in Small Town

The paper explored the significance of residents’ experience with an array of green infrastructure in Taiping, a small town in central Peninsular Malaysia. It argued that the existence of a composite of greenery and open spaces in a town with pleasing qualities contributes to cognitive performance, through contact and participation. In particular, it examined the relationship of participation in the green spaces to residents’ cognitive well-being. Green infrastructure network is greenery and open spaces linked by walkways, streets, waterways and drainage ways around and between urban areas, at all spatial scales. In Taiping, the green infrastructure network consists of the Lake Gardens (town park), river corridors, street plantings, school playfields, neighbourhood open spaces, home gardens and loose-fit spaces such as pocket spaces in between buildings and shop-houses. Ease of access to green infrastructure network, physically and visually facilitates residents to participate in active activities, to socialize and to perform other transactional activities outside their homes. Therefore, the effects from the participation trigger many positive moods such as serenity, cheerfulness, relaxation, calmness, comfort and satisfaction. Questionnaires (n=335) were used to explore frequency of residents’ visits to the green infrastructure and the causal relationship to cognitive performances that lead to their well-being. The data showed, regardless of ages, residents frequently visited the green spaces. Results also suggested that there was a modest relationship between frequent visits and cognitive wellbeing of residents. Hence, they implied the benefits of access to green spaces and implicated that the existence of green infrastructure network such as parks and neighbourhood open spaces are essential land use in an urban fabric that foster sense of well-being to its inhabitants