Authentic leadership, trust, and employees’ work engagement: a comparative study of Islamic and conventional banks in Malaysia

The paper reports the findings of a study conducted in two types of banks in Malaysia, that is, Islamic and conventional and intended to examine differences in employees’ perception of the authenticity in managers’ leadership style, interpersonal and institutional trust and work engagement. It was expected that the faith based culture of Islamic banks will provide a strong organizational impetus to promote greater authenticity in managerial style, facilitate interpersonal and institutional trust, and together these factors should contribute to employees’ work engagement. Sample consisted of 189 employees from Islamic banks and 206 from conventional banks. Results were in the expected direction. Compared to managers of conventional banks managers from Islamic banks were rated as more authentic; hence employees had higher level of interpersonal and institutional trust, and were more engaged in their work. Results are discussed using situational strength construct

Peranan kepimpinan Melayu Brunei dalam pentadbiran BNBC di Borneo Utara

Makalah ini membincangkan tentang peranan kepimpinan Melayu Brunei dalam pentadbiran pada zaman British North Borneo Chatered Company (BNBC) di Borneo Utara dari tahun 1881 sehinggalah 1941. Makalah ini merupakan satu usaha untuk merekonstruksikan semula landasan penjelasan tentang penglibatan kepimpinan Melayu Brunei di dalam pentadbiran yang direncanakan oleh pihak BNBC. Kebanyakan sumber yang digunakan terdiri daripada sumber yang berkaitan dengan topik yang telah dibincangkan namun, telah diolah dan dinilai semula di dalam perspektif yang baharu. Makalah ini juga akan akan membincangkan peranan dan kaedah yang digunakan oleh pihak BNBC untuk menarik ketua-ketua tempatan khususnya kepimpinan Melayu Brunei untuk menyertai institusi peribumi dan seterusnya mengikat kesetiaan mereka dengan pihak syarikat. Menerusi kajian ini juga didapati bahawa pihak BNBC telah berjaya menemui formula yang berkesan bagi memastikan masyarakat peribumi khususnya masyarakat Melayu Brunei untuk mengikuti semua polisi dan dasar baharu yang ditetapkan oleh pihak BNBC sehingga akhirnya perubahan ini telah mempengaruhi keberadaan dan pengekalan kepimpinan Melayu Brunei dalam pentadbiran di Borneo Utara pada tahun-tahun berikutnya

Penglibatan Pelajar Tahun Satu Dalam Aktiviti Kolej Kediaman Di Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor Darul Takzim.

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti persepsi pelajar tahun satu terhadap kebaikan melibatkan diri dalam aktiviti kolej kediaman. Begitu juga dengan mengenalpasti faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi penglibatan pelajar tahun satu dalam aktiviti kolej kediaman. Objektif seterusnya ialah untuk mengenalpasti tahap penglibatan pelajar tahun satu dalam aktiviti kolej kediaman. Kajian yang dijalankan adalah berbentuk deskriptif iaitu dengan menggunakan soal selidik bagi mengumpul data. Responden kajian terdiri daripada 333 orang pelajar tahun satu dari enam buah kolej kediaman lingkaran dalam di Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Data maklumat yang diperolehi telah diproses dan dianalisis dengan menggunakan perisian “Stastistical Packages For The Social Sciences” versi 14.0 dan penghuraian berdasarkan frekuensi, peratus dan min. Hasil kajian yang didapati oleh pengkaji menunjukkan persepsi pelajar terhadap kebaikan melibatkan diri dalam aktiviti kolej kediaman adalah tinggi. Pengkaji juga mendapati faktor-faktor rakan sebaya, minat, ibu bapa dan kemudahan yang disediakan mempengaruhi penglibatan pelajar tahun satu dalam aktiviti kolej kediaman. Selain itu, kajian ini juga menunjukkan tahap penglibatan pelajar tahun satu dalam aktiviti kolej kediaman berada pada tahap sederhana. Disamping itu beberapa cadangan dikemukakan sebagai langkah membantu dalam meningkatkan penglibatan pelajar tahun satu dalam aktiviti kolej kediaman

Role of organizational justice in determining work outcomes of national and expatriate academic staff in Malaysia

Purpose – The study aims to analyze the differences between national and expatriate academic staff perception of organizational justice in Malaysian institutions of higher learning. It also explores the role of organizational justice in shaping teaching faculties’ attitude (job satisfaction and commitment) and behavioral intention (turnover intention). Design/methodology/approach – The sample consisted of teaching staff belonging to several faculties drawn from four public universities in Malaysia. Sample was divided into two groups – Malaysian nationals with tenure appointments and expatriates with contractual appointments. Data were collected using standardized tools to measure the study variables. Findings – Except for job satisfaction, where Malaysians recorded significantly higher endorsement compared to expatriates, no significant difference was found between the two groups on perception of distributive, procedural, and interactional aspects of organizational justice, as well as organizational commitment and turnover intention. However, Malaysians demonstrated significantly higher level of job satisfaction compared to expatriates. Different facets of organizational justice predicted work outcomes in the two groups. Whereas interactional and distributive justice promoted expatriates’ organizational commitment and/or intention to stay with the organization, it was mainly procedural justice that contributed to local employees’ job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. Distributive justice also predicted turnover intentions of locals. Practical implications – The study should add to the literature on international human resource management. Organizations that employ expatriates and knowledge workers should benefit from the findings of this study. Originality/value – Not many empirical studies have been conducted on university academic staffs’ perception of organizational justice in an Asian context, as well as how employment practices might influence justice perception and resultant work outcomes of national citizens vs expatriates. This study attempts to fulfill the gap

Authentic leadership, trust, and employees’ work engagement: a comparative study of Islamic and conventional banks in Malaysia

The paper reports the findings of a study conducted in two types of banks in Malaysia, that is, Islamic and conventional and intended to examine differences in employees’ perception of the authenticity in managers’ leadership style, interpersonal and institutional trust and work engagement. It was expected that the faith based culture of Islamic banks will provide a strong organizational impetus to promote greater authenticity in managerial style, facilitate interpersonal and institutional trust, and together these factors should contribute to employees’ work engagement. Sample consisted of 189 employees from Islamic banks and 206 from conventional banks. Results were in the expected direction. Compared to managers of conventional banks managers from Islamic banks were rated as more authentic; hence employees had higher level of interpersonal and institutional trust, and were more engaged in their work. Results are discussed using situational strength construct

Formality of HRM practices matters to employees satisfaction and commitment

This study examines the extent of formality of Human Resource Management practices among micro enterprises and their effects on employees’ satisfaction and commitment. It used a self-developed questionnaire with some adaptation to the measurement used by Kaman et al. (2001). There are 11 constructs tested which included practices such the use of job advertisement, formal selection process, written job descriptions, formal performance appraisal, training, pay slip, and provision of basic benefits. Measurement of satisfaction and commitment were adopted previous studies. The target population for this study was all for profit business enterprises that had ten or fewer employees, involving 857 employees working in micro enterprises in Kuala Lumpur. The results revealed that HRM practices in micro enterprises to some extent are formal, employees are satisfied and committed. Employees’ commitment was predicted based on two predictors; namely HRM practices and job satisfaction. Employees’ commitment variance is 68.0 percent explained by the predictors and it is significant. This is one of a few studies that provide new data on HRM practices in firms with 10 or fewer employees, and one of the first to examine empirically the relationship between specific HRM practices and employees’ behaviour in such firms

Human resource development practices as determinant of HRD climate and quality orientation

Purpose – The aim of the study was to measure employees’ perception of human resource development (HRD) practices, to explore whether ISO certification leads to any improvements in HRD system, and to examine the role of HRD practices on employees’ development climate and quality orientation in the organization. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 239 employees belonging to eight organizations (four of them ISO certified) responded to a questionnaire which measured the following variables: career system, work planning system, development system, self renewal system, and HRD system. Findings – Results indicated large inter-organizational differences in HRD practices. In general,however, employees’ ratings were moderate. ISO certified companies, compared to others, obtained higher means on some HRD variables. Organizations with better learning, training and development systems, reward and recognition, and information systems promoted human resource development climate. Quality orientation was predicted by career planning, performance guidance and development, role efficacy, and reward and recognition systems. Research limitations/implications – Comparison between ISO and non-ISO certified companies did yield some significant differences, yet it was difficult to conclude that the differences were due to ISO certification alone as organizations in the sample were not matched. Practical implications – The findings can be used by HR practitioners and scholars in building management concerns and advocacy for better HRD systems and practices. Originality/value – Very little empirical knowledge is available on this subject from transitional economies like Malaysia. The study makes a modest attempt in that direction

The role of autonomy as a predictor of entrepreneurial intention among university students in Yemen

Autonomy is one of the most valued motives by entrepreneurs. However, it has been rather less emphasised in entrepreneurship research. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to examine the role of autonomy in fostering entrepreneurial attitudes and intention. Drawing on theory of planned behaviour, the relationships between autonomy and intention directly and via mediators were examined. Data were obtained from 622 undergraduate students using standardised instruments. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised model and structural relationships. The findings emphasise the relevance and importance of autonomy. It is found that autonomy is an influential predictor of entrepreneurial intention, but not directly, rather through its proximal determinants and the autonomy-intention relationship is fully mediated by attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. The present study contributes to body of knowledge of entrepreneurial intention by extending theory of planned behaviour model and incorporating one of the most valued motivational determinants namely autonomy. Copyrigh

Safety culture level among workers in the selected manufacturing plant

Workers in the manufacturing industry face many safety risks due to the nature of the job. The state of safety and health performance determine by examining the safety climate factors which reflects workers' perception of the psychological aspect in safety culture domain. This study aimed to assess the safety culture level and its contributing factor to the safety culture in a selected chemical manufacturing plant. Survey data was collected from 309 employees in a factory located in Kuantan Pahang. They were randomly selected and represent two groups, namely executive and technician. A standardized climate questionnaire was used and answered by the respondents within 20 to 30 minutes. Sixty-five percent of the total respondents agree that the safety culture level at their workplace is high, and another 35% revealed that it is moderate. Perceived safety climate and personal attitude among two groups employee were compared using an Independent Sample t-test. Results revealed a significant difference between groups (t=7.428, P=0.007) for management commitment, (t=6.133, P=0.014) for safety rules and procedures, (t=15.823, P=0.001) for supportive environment, (t=10.949, P=0.001) and lastly for physical work environment, (t=6.067, P=0.014). A Pearson correlation coefficient was computed to assess the relationship between safety culture factors and demographic information of the respondents. There was a positive correlation between safety rules and procedures and level of education, r = 0.135, p = 0.018, and Involvement and years of working experience, r = 0.165, p = 0.004. Increases in the level of education were found correlated with increases in perceived safety rules and procedures while increases of years of working experience was directly correlated with increases in involvement to safety in the organization