The Relationships Among Entrepreneurial Training Factors, Succession Planning, Social Capital, Entrepreneurial Leadership And Performance In Family Business

Family business played a role in the national economic development. However, those in small and medium category (SME) has low survival rate. Less than two-third of the family business survived beyond the first generation. While, entrepreneurial training conducted by the government is rather generic with minimal emphasis given to addressing family-related issues in family business. This study aims to examine the relationship among entrepreneurial training factors, succession planning, social capital, entrepreneurial leadership and performance in family business. Using a convenience sampling technique, this cross-sectional study used questionnaires. A total of 396 usable responses were received from family business owners who attended the training provided by the government agencies. The hypothesized relationships among entrepreneurial training factors, succession planning, social capital, entrepreneurial leadership and performance were based on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and the Absorptive Capacity theory. This study employed Partial Least Square of Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that both family-orientation training design and family-centric trainer attributes have significant effects on the performance of family business

Critical factors on knowledge transfer and family business performance

Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that comprise 645,136 establishments contributed about 32 percent to GDP for Malaysia in 2016.Sole proprietors, also categories as family business, ratio at 71% of total SME in Malaysia.However, approximately 50 percent SMEs closed within 5 years of establishments due to lack of financial resources, poor marketing implementation, operational inefficiencies as well as poor cash flow management.Various training programs for businesses failed to set any mechanisms in evaluating progress of the training participants as they lack in business performance indicators. Besides, it allows critical roles of trainers slips under the radar as well as trainee’s learning absorption are rather low, which is at 40 percent resulted from lack of knowledge transfer.These issue indicate that knowledge transfers weakness which impacting business performance subsequently.Thus, study aims to examine the relationship between knowledge transfer factors and family business performance. Explanatory research is exploited using mixed mode approach where family business SMEs is set to be the unit of analysis.The study using Smart-PLS for regression and SPSS to correlate the studied factors.The impact of the results is expected to show critical variables relevant to knowledge transfer process that has an impact on family business performance

The Challenges and Issues Faced by the New Appointed Academic Staffs of the University in the Emerging Market

Purpose: The aim of this research is to explore the issues and challenges faced by the new appointed academic staffs of a public university in Malaysia.   Theoretical framework: The appointment of the new academic staffs in the university offers a whole new paradigm and dynamic while could be beneficial for the universities’ ecosystem entirely. Among the benefits are contributing new ideas and implementation for improvement as well as fostering positive attitude within the environment. However, the staffs could encounter with various issues and challenges at the entry stage which could deter his or her development further.   Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach is employed in this research where the academic staffs with less than 3 years’ working experience were interviewed in order to understanding the obstacles faced. The data gathered is analyzed using NVivo12 software.   Findings: The findings of this research revealed that issues pertaining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), teaching and learning which involved unfamiliar subjects and issue surrounding online classes, difficulties in publication and research component due to lack in knowledge, skills and experience, allyship in academic working environment as well as juggling between the demanding workload of teaching and administrative works with completion of the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education Learning and Teaching (PGDHELT) course.   Research, Practical & Social implications: This research offers some practical significances particularly to the university’s management and the newly appointed academic staffs on board. The identification of issue and challenges among newly appointed staffs is significant in finding solutions.   Originality/value: As a practical implication, this research paper sheds new light for both the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia and the university’s management to formulate a handful and effective training and development program to smoothen the transition process of the new appointed academic staffs into the academic world in the university

Auto 365, Aesthetic Blue Wave and X50: The Steps of Diversification Strategy Implementation of Kental Bina Sdn. Bhd.

Business diversification, a strategy for expanding business through new units or subsidiaries, requires careful planning. It can boost a firm’s growth, leading towards wealth maximization; however, without thorough analysis and planning, it can also lead to costly failures. This case study focuses on Kental Bina Sdn. Bhd. (KBSB) and their strategic move to diversify their business. KBSB, like many Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), understood the need for a well-versed and clear plan to ensure business success. Their decision to diversify was the result of a comprehensive process, analyzing potential opportunities and threats in their industry as well as evaluating their own strengths and weaknesses. Understanding KBSB's diversification strategy is crucial for making informed decisions and learning from their successful expansion. Therefore, this case study provides a comprehensive understanding of the process and implications of business diversification, making it a valuable resource for businesses considering a similar path

Diversification Strategies Among Small-Medium Enterprises: Embracing Practical Solutions in the Implementation of Indah Teraju Sdn. Bhd.

Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) known as the driver for both developing and developed economics including Malaysia. This category of business faced various challenges internally and externally which refrain them from growing and sustaining. From there, SME businesses initiate various initiative to overcome those challenges and one of the initiatives is through diversification strategy. However, implementing the strategy is not a guarantee success for SME entrepreneurs where various hurdles and challenges were faced. Practical intervention deemed as the key to successfully implement, subsequently lead towards favourable results for the business. Therefore, this study aims to understand the practical intervention took placed by one of the steadily-growing diversified SME in Malaysia namely, Indah Teraju Sdn. Bhd. (ITSB). The proposed model of intervention strategy in diversification implementation among SMEs is conceptualized based on the Resource-Based View and the absorptive capacity theory. It is employed an in-depth one-on-one interview with ITSB’s business owner and the data is analyzed through thematic analysis using NVivo12 software. Findings of this study revealed that ITSB implemented practical solution in terms of exploiting its’ existing networking while leveraging its’ interpersonal strengths. Also, the business adapting the current promotional strategies using social media for their marketing strategy. This study offers practical implication to the relevant stakeholders namely government agencies whom conducting entrepreneurial training and development program for SMEs as well as SME entrepreneurs themselves to focus on practical solution on diversification strategy implementation. While from the policymaker perspective, the design of training and development program should consider soft skills acquisition such as competitiveness, resilient, creativity and innovation among SMEs

The Issues and Challenges of Diversification Strategy: The Case of Sutera Sanjung Sdn. Bhd.

Diversification strategy is one of the means to expand business among Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The success of the strategy allows the business to develop not only locally, but also venture into international market. However, various issues and challenges could be associated with diversification strategy implementation particularly among SMEs. Therefore, this study aims to discover the issues and challenges faced by Sutera Sanjung Sdn. Bhd. (SSSB), one of the steadilygrowing diversified business in Northern Peninsular Malaysia. This study employed a few rounds of one-on-one interview with the business owner as the key informant to meet the study objective. The recorded interview sessions are then transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis through the Nvivo12 software. The findings revealed that issues pertaining to competition, damaging rumours and different nature of diversified business are among the challenges faced by SSSB. From the policy standpoint, this study sheds the light on the development of entrepreneurial training program. The program conducted by the relevant ministries and government agencies including Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development (MECD), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) and, SME Corporation (SME Corp.) needs to be specifically designed to address the issues and challenges of business diversification. While for practical implication, this study helps to provide vital information among other businesses particularly SMEs on what to expect when starting their diversification planning and strategy

Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital with and without respiratory symptoms

Background: COVID-19 is primarily known as a respiratory illness; however, many patients present to hospital without respiratory symptoms. The association between non-respiratory presentations of COVID-19 and outcomes remains unclear. We investigated risk factors and clinical outcomes in patients with no respiratory symptoms (NRS) and respiratory symptoms (RS) at hospital admission. Methods: This study describes clinical features, physiological parameters, and outcomes of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, stratified by the presence or absence of respiratory symptoms at hospital admission. RS patients had one or more of: cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose or wheezing; while NRS patients did not. Results: Of 178,640 patients in the study, 86.4 % presented with RS, while 13.6 % had NRS. NRS patients were older (median age: NRS: 74 vs RS: 65) and less likely to be admitted to the ICU (NRS: 36.7 % vs RS: 37.5 %). NRS patients had a higher crude in-hospital case-fatality ratio (NRS 41.1 % vs. RS 32.0 %), but a lower risk of death after adjusting for confounders (HR 0.88 [0.83-0.93]). Conclusion: Approximately one in seven COVID-19 patients presented at hospital admission without respiratory symptoms. These patients were older, had lower ICU admission rates, and had a lower risk of in-hospital mortality after adjusting for confounders

Characteristics and outcomes of an international cohort of 600 000 hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Background: We describe demographic features, treatments and clinical outcomes in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) COVID-19 cohort, one of the world's largest international, standardized data sets concerning hospitalized patients. Methods: The data set analysed includes COVID-19 patients hospitalized between January 2020 and January 2022 in 52 countries. We investigated how symptoms on admission, co-morbidities, risk factors and treatments varied by age, sex and other characteristics. We used Cox regression models to investigate associations between demographics, symptoms, co-morbidities and other factors with risk of death, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Results: Data were available for 689 572 patients with laboratory-confirmed (91.1%) or clinically diagnosed (8.9%) SARS-CoV-2 infection from 52 countries. Age [adjusted hazard ratio per 10 years 1.49 (95% CI 1.48, 1.49)] and male sex [1.23 (1.21, 1.24)] were associated with a higher risk of death. Rates of admission to an ICU and use of IMV increased with age up to age 60 years then dropped. Symptoms, co-morbidities and treatments varied by age and had varied associations with clinical outcomes. The case-fatality ratio varied by country partly due to differences in the clinical characteristics of recruited patients and was on average 21.5%. Conclusions: Age was the strongest determinant of risk of death, with a ∼30-fold difference between the oldest and youngest groups; each of the co-morbidities included was associated with up to an almost 2-fold increase in risk. Smoking and obesity were also associated with a higher risk of death. The size of our international database and the standardized data collection method make this study a comprehensive international description of COVID-19 clinical features. Our findings may inform strategies that involve prioritization of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who have a higher risk of death

The value of open-source clinical science in pandemic response: lessons from ISARIC

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