Socioeconomics determinants of household carbon footprint in Iskandar Malaysia

Understanding the complex links between socioeconomic variables and carbon emissions can reveal household spending and lifestyle patterns. This study oversees those issues and examines consumption patterns and their related variables such as climate change understanding, attitudes, and knowledge, in order to better comprehend the complicated linkages. This study revealed that eight socioeconomic elements influence a household’s carbon footprint: (i) household income (β = 0.476, p < 0.05), (ii) green attitudes (β = − 0.196, p < 0.05), (iii) residential space (β = 0.157, p < 0.05), (iv), education levels (β = 0.131, p < 0.05), (v) household’s tenure status by ownership (β = 0.130, p < 0.05), (vi) household’s age (β = 0.112, p < 0.05), (vii) size of household (β = 0.101, p < 0.05), and, (viii) female-headed household (β = − 0.077, p < 0.05). Approximately 83.6% of respondents are mindful of climate change, but only 2.6% correctly define it as a long-term shift in weather patterns. The study found that 82% of households are willing to change their consumption habits and lifestyle to reduce their household’s carbon footprint. In order to achieve a low carbon society, our research advocate a multipronged approach and policy action is crucial based on the results. Further, robust climate change educational and awareness programmes is decisive at the multilevel and scale in Malaysia to achieve its carbon emissions reduction target by 2050

The challenges of sustainability in business: how governments may ensure sustainability for offshore firms

This study illustrates some of the challenges of sustainability for businesses and the probable causes of these challenges in relation to Malaysian offshore firms. This study highlights the possible links between business sustainability in the existing types of offshore outsourcing business environments and their failure to transform themselves to adopt best practices. The results of the statistical techniques used to quantify long-term business sustainability indicate that the age of firms has a weak relationship with sustainability and environmental practices (–0.075) and offshore outsourcing issues (0.074). Our study simulations suggest that government support amounting to 5% of export earnings would ensure offshore investment sustainability in the long term, compared to existing situations. The findings also highlight that this percentage could gradually be increased by 10%, 15% or even 20%, subject to different levels of offshore operations, outsourcing prospects, export earnings, performance and economic development. First published online 2 November 2015&nbsp

Safe Delivery Practices: Experience From Cross-sectional Data of Bangladeshi Women

Kabir MA, Goh K-L, Khan MH, Al-Amin AQ, Azam MN. Safe Delivery Practices: Experience From Cross-sectional Data of Bangladeshi Women. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health. 2015;27(2):NP1170-NP1181.This study examines the safe delivery practices of Bangladeshi women using data on 4905 ever-married women aged 15 to 49 years from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Variables that included age, region of origin, education level of respondent and spouse, residence, working status, religion, involvement in NGOs, mass media exposure, and wealth index were analyzed to find correlates of safe delivery practices. More than 80% of the deliveries took place at home, and only 18% were under safe and hygienic conditions. The likelihood of safe deliveries was significantly lower among younger and older mothers than middle-aged mothers and higher among educated mothers and those living in urban areas. Economically better-off mothers and those with greater exposure to mass media had a significantly higher incidence of safe delivery practices. A significant association with religion and safe delivery practices was revealed. Demographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and programmatic factors that are strongly associated with safe delivery practices should be considered in the formulation of reproductive health policy

Identifying economically potential inbound markets for Malaysian tourism industry

The key objective of this study is to determine and analyze the impacts of inbound tourism on the Malaysian economy using an input-output analysis. With the view of accomplishing the key objective, this study also explores the economic potential of inbound markets for the Malaysian tourism industry. As central to any economic impact analysis, tourism multipliers are estimated from the inverse of Leontief’s input-output matrix. The empirical results reveal two interesting observations concerning inbound tourism impacts on Malaysian economy. These are, firstly, tourism sectors that produce larger multipliers do not generate larger total economic impact, and secondly, inbound markets with highest per capita do not yield highest economic impact. Therefore, this study concludes that an economic sector with lower multipliers should not be neglected and that the contribution of inbound tourism market generating lower per capita expenditure should not be ignored when preparing appropriate tourism marketing and public policies for developing economies.Mohammad Nurul Huda Mazumder, Elsadig Musa Ahmed, Md.Wahid Murad and Abul Quasem Al-Ami