Managing Political Information: A Malaysian Perspective

In the development of democratization and the expression of civil and political rights of Malaysian citizens, the pattern of control developed by the regime that is currently in power (Barisan Nasional) for the last 50 years in the mass media began to reap the resistance and tend to be ineffective. Malaysian citizens began to demand the Malaysian government to change the pattern of political information management. In addition, the mass media alone is expected to play a more significant role as an intermediary agent in supporting the process of transparency and accountability of government policy. This article shows that the openness of public information is a prerequisite for political democracy in Malaysia to help the government minimize the mis-management of governance policies, especially in finance and resource management

Signs of psychological and physiological changes in individual and team sports / Jamilah Ahmad Radzi

The purpose of this study was to discover whether psychological and physiological parameters of anxiety existed between athletes who participated in individual sports versus athletes who competed in team sports. The sample comprised of Malaysian males back up athletes (N=52). State anxiety (Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (CSAI-2), heart rate and salivary cortisol samples were measured at three different times, which were one week, one day and one hour prior to the competition. In addition, trait anxiety scale was administered only to participants at one week before competition using State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Once the competition finished, performance satisfaction scale was obtained from the participants. Result of this study revealed that none of the variables, except for trait anxiety showed significant difference between individual and team sports athletes. In individual sport athletes, there was a significant difference in somatic anxiety at one week and one day prior to the competition. Unfortunately, somatic anxiety did not demonstrate any significant effect of time in team sports athletes. Trait anxiety also showed significantly moderate negative correlation with cognitive anxiety in individual sports. In team sports athletes, trait anxiety was significantly moderate positive correlation with self-confidence. Moreover, a significant strong, positive relationship between cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety was noted in both individual and team sports athletes. There was a significant strong, negative relationship between cognitive anxiety scores and self-confidence scores in individual sports. The results indicated that there was no significant correlation of CSAI-2 subscale scores with cortisol response in individual sports athletes across the three difference times. Whereas in team sports athletes, a significant moderate negative correlation was noted in self-confidence and cortisol response at one week prior to the competition and significant strong, positive relationship between somatic anxiety and cortisol response. Cortisol response was found significantly moderate negative correlation with performance satisfaction in individual sports but not in team sports. The results of this study could provide insight toward anxiety differences in athletes from different sports categories when the competition approaches. The measurement of cortisol at the same time with self-reports psychological indicators would provide an approach to examine changes in anxiety. Therefore, it is suggested that in future studies the effect of higher level of competitive situation on the anxiety related hormones should be examined

Persepsi Budaya Pembelajaran dan Penggunaan Inovasi di Institut Penilaian Negara (INSPEN)

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between organisational members’ perception of the learning culture and its influence on the use of innovation via MS IS0 9000 in INSPEN, which is the subject of the study. INSPEN has implemented MS IS0 9000 and has obtained certification from SIRIM. The Dimension of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) by Watkins and Marsicks (1993, 1996) is used to assess the learning culture. The questions in this study were based on the translation and adaptation of the questions in DLOQ and in the Level of Use by Rebecca (2000) in her study of the Malaysian public sector. The study found that a relationship is positive medium and significance in the seven dimensions in the learning culture ad the use of innovation but it was observed that there was no particular leading factor that showed strong support of such influence. The study also showed that the learning culture in INSPEN is at average level although the use of innovation is at high level. From the aspect of demography, there were no significant differences for the use of innovation and the learning culture. However, for the team learning factor, it was found that there was a difference as to the length of service in which staff with 11 to 15 years of service have a lower team learning culture compared with staff who have served between 1 to 5 years and those with more than 16 years of service. Based on this study several implications can be drawn for submission as an effort towards upgrading the level of the learning culture of the staff of the Valuation and Property Services Department

Media and the environment in Malaysia: an analysis on news coverage of landslide disaster in Kuala Lumpur

Studies done on media reporting and the environment, particularly on natural disasters area less researched topic in Malaysia. This paper examines the representation of disaster news and analyses on how disaster news reports are being covered in local newspapers by taking a landslide case occurred at Taman Puncak Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur in December, 2012. The samples were taken from two local mainstream newspapers as a comparative study. Utusan Malaysia, being the major Malay newspapers in the country targets Malay readers, while The Star, an English-language daily, targets multi-ethnic and middle-class income readers. This study used quantitative and qualitative content analysis in identifying patterns of coverage by both newspapers. The analysis revealed that despite having their own principles, guidelines and ideologies; this study concludes that both newspapers have a lot of similarities in their reporting on this particular disaster. The main similarity is local environmental news is still predominantly presented as straight news

Prestige vs. Reputation: Significance to Improve Public Perceptions towards Malaysian University

Corporate image and reputation is an essential element in any business organization. However, not many studies have been done on service-oriented organizations, especially universities. For the university that seeks to improve its reputation, creating desirable images and positioning of a university’s image are important. This study obtained some interesting discoveries as well as answering the research objectives. The results suggest that the respondents had better perception of the university’s prestige than its reputation. A comparison between the mean values across two groups that is the university’s internal public and external public shows that the university’s internal public perceptions on prestige, personality, and reputation were relatively high. Public perceptions on each of the university’s image indicators were however moderate. This study also posits that the university’s internal public perception of the university image was significantly different from the external public. The university internal public had a high or positive perception of the university image, whereas the external public’s perception was only moderate. This study draws attention to the need for improving the external public’s perception of the university. This will remove the perception that university is just an ivory tower and doing something that may not be relevant to the industries and society need

Impak pemerkasaan teknologi hijau terhadap amalan pengamal perhubungan awam hijau di Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia)

Masalah alam sekitar seperti pencemaran, perubahan iklim dan sumber bahan yang terhad merupakan isu sejagat yang membimbangkan. Menyedari hal tersebut, Dasar-dasar Teknologi Hijau telah dilancarkan di bawah Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air (KeTTHA) bagi memperkasakan penggunaan teknologi hijau di Malaysia. Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk mengetahui adakah pemerkasaan teknologi hijau dapat memberi impak dalam amalan perhubungan awam. Selain itu, kajian ini ingin mengenal pasti peranan dan strategi perhubungan awam hijau dalam usaha mempromosikan teknologi hijau. Data dikumpul menggunakan kaedah kualitatif melalui pendekatan wawancara mendalam (in-depth interview). Data dianalisis menggunakan kaedah analisis tematik. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan pengamal perhubungan awam hijau di Malaysia berperanan sebagai juruteknik komunikasi dan fasilitator komunikasi. Di samping itu, pengamal perhubungan awam hijau turut menerapkan pelbagai strategi perhubungan awam untuk mempromosi namun amalan dan strategi perhubungan awam yang digunakan masih kurang menyeluruh. Secara keseluruhan, kajian ini mendapati pemerkasaan teknologi hijau di Malaysia kurang memberi impak terhadap amalan perhubungan awam hijau

The education concept from the perspective of K.H. Muhammad Zaini bin Abdul Ghani and its relevance to contemporary islamic education

Innovation in Islamic education needs to be implemented today, considering that Islamic education is oriented to improving generations of Muslims, which will help to overcome the moral problems of the nation's declining generation. This study aims to research the concept of education from the perspective of K.H. Muhammad Zaini bin Abdul Ghani and its relevance to contemporary Islamic education. The method used by researchers in this study is descriptive qualitative, with library research that makes documents or books the primary source of research. The data were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman analysis model: data condensation, data presentation, and data verification. The results showed that the education concept from the perspective of K.H. Muhammad Zaini bin Abdul Ghani has several components: purpose, curriculum, methods, educators, and students. The results show that education concept from the perspective of K.H. Muhammad Zaini bin Abdul Ghani is relevant to contemporary Islamic education. It is hoped that this research can contribute to the education concept that can be applied in contemporary Islamic education and can be an educational concept that can answer the problems of contemporary Islam

Sensory, biochemical and microbiological changes of farmed catfish (Clarias batrachus, Linnaeus) and red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) at Ambient Storage

Farmed catfish (Clarias batrachus, Linnaeus) and red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) were stored at ambient temperature (28±2°C) for a period of 24 h. They were evaluated for acceptability, freshness deterioration, rancidity development and microbiological changes. Raw catfish was acceptable up to 20 h and that of tilapia up to 15 h. Upon rejection their KJ values were 70.0 and 42.7% for tilapia and catfish respectively. Microbiologically, catfish samples did not exceed the 107 cfu/g limit until the end of the storage period; however, tilapia was not acceptable by the 20th hour

Studying Consumers’ Ecological Consciousness – A Comparative Analysis of Romania, Malaysia and Pakistan

In the context of an increasing discourse on sustainability and environmental protection, the research on ecological consumer behavior becomes a necessity for companies. The extension in number of multinational companies determines an adaptation of their policies from one country to another. Based on a comparative approach of consumers in Romania, Malaysia and Pakistan, this paper analysis the dimensions of ecological consciousness, and highlights similarities and differences between the countries. In order to reach this objective, the research presents a structural equation model founded on primary data collected from an online survey. Religion and national culture are the main differences outlined by the analysis, in terms of ecological consciousness.ecology, ecological consciousness, consumers, consumer behavior

Women’s Menstruation is a Dirt: The Application of Ma’na-cum-Maghza Approach in Qur’an

This article aims to reveal the primary messages in the Quran (2: 222) by employing a ma’na-cum-maghza hermeneutic approach. This descriptive-analytic study inspired by a particular interpretation of the term adha in the verse; as in some classical literature, it was interpreted as something dirty, disgusting, and ill. Women seem to be seen as an item rather than people. This product of misogynistic and euphemistic interpretation is the author’s unease. Even so, in its development after going through an in-depth search using reference sources from classical and modern commentaries and studies through analysis of linguistic aspects and aspects of micro and macro historical contexts, QUR’AN (2:222) has two main messages, namely upholding the values of humanism and sex education to all married couples