Pos Malaysia Berhad a case study: absenteeism among postman in Negeri Sembilan / Nur Syahirah Mansor

This purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of absenteeism among the postman at Pos Malaysia Berhad in Negeri Sembilan. Researcher was interviewed four respondent who are directly involved in resolving the problem of absenteeism in Pos Malaysia Berhad especially in Negeri Sembilan. From the study, researcher found that absenteeism may lead to a few problems such as carryover of mails and dissatisfaction of customers. After some discussion and meeting with the interviewee, researcher may conclude that factor that persuade to absenteeism is personal factor by the postman himself. There are various solution might be used by Pos Malaysia Berhad to solve the problem of absenteeism like improve the environment of workplace and effective communication between top management and postman

Predictors of muslim’s intention to participate in takaful protection in Kedah

The Malaysian Takaful industry showed a positive growth in these recent years. More people have knowledge and more understand toward the Takaful protection. Nevertheless, there are few studies conducted specifically on the factors that influence Muslim’s intention to participate in Takaful protection in Kedah. The purpose to choose this study is to indicate the predictors that influence Muslim’s intention in order to participate in Takaful protection in Kedah. Three independent variables that used in this study to investigate the Muslim’s intention to participate in Takaful protection included product understanding, religious factor and attracting skills of Takaful agents. 385 set of questionnaires were distributed randomly in Kedah and the targeted Muslim respondents are household population. The obtained data were analyzed by using Pearson-correlation and Multiple Regressions. The finding was showing the independent variables are positively correlated with the Muslim’s intention to participate in Takaful protection. Product understanding of independent variable was the strongest predictor of Muslim’s intention to participate in Takaful protection. This considered to be as the contribution of this study. The findings were very useful for future researchers

Sustainability of chicken meat production in achieving food security in Malaysia

Background:Chicken meat is vital in Malaysia since protein-based food is needed in human’s diet and the meat is socially and religiously acceptable by Malaysian. Hence, in order to ensure sufficient supply of chicken meat at affordable price either for present or future consumption, sustainable chicken meat production is needed. Objectives: The aim of this paper is to discuss the framework of sustainable chicken production in ensuring food security. Results: Chicken production industries in Malaysia had rapidly increase due to the increase in demand for consumption. Demand of halal food and increase in cost of living is a main issue of food security in Malaysia Conclusion: Thus, the sustainable production framework in poultry production had been importance in combating the food security issues in Malaysia

Sustainable Urban Bus Service Assessment and Tourists’ Satisfaction

This paper evaluates sustainable urban bus service quality based on passenger perception and expectation in local tourism destinations in order to attain a comprehension of tourists’ attitudes towards local public transport. The study focuses on the combination of route 101 and 102 by Rapid Penang bus to investigate passenger satisfaction because the bus is the main public transport used by most tourist who use both routes. Data collection by questionnaire survey from 201 valid questionnaires was analysed using sustainable assessment model for both routes. The focus groups of this study are local and foreign tourist as the perceived service quality has a significant positive influence on tourist satisfaction. Moreover, previous experience moderates the relationship between perceived service quality and satisfaction. Results obtained indicate 28 indicators in measuring performance of service quality offered, and 6 vital attributes are identified including; reliability, understanding, accessibility, physical facilities, environment and safety. Gap value obtained are sorted according to worst factor ranking wherein reliability (-1.094), safety (-1.076), physical facility (-1.029), understanding (-1.023), accessibility (-0.792) and environment (-0.772) respectively. This factors have significant effect on overall tourist satisfaction assessment. The findings of this study aims to suggest some interesting implications for practitioners and researchers based on factors that considered important by tourists

Profitability of broiler contract farming: a case study in Johor and Sabah

The study evaluated the profitability of small scale broiler production in Sabah and Johor with emphasis on contract farming. Cost benefit analysis and financial appraisal were carried out and the net return, value of input and output indicated broiler contract farming in Johor was more viable and profitable compared to Sabah. There were two obstacles limiting sustainable broiler contract farming in Sabah: 1) higher feed cost, and 2) low profit due to low gross margin between production cost and the ex-farm selling price. Therefore, in this study, the financial performance was evaluated, and sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the effect of changes in feed cost and selling price. The results concluded that Sabah broiler contract farming was more sensitive to changes in feed cost and selling price while the implementation of a zero tax incentive to small scale broiler contract farmers especially in Sabah would help the industry remained sustainable

Knowledge, attitude and perception regarding antimicrobial resistance and usage among ruminant farmers in Selangor, Malaysia

The increasing public health problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been linked to the extensive antimicrobial use (AMU) in food animals. We conducted a survey among ruminant farmers in Selangor, Malaysia to assess their level of awareness on AMR, attitudes towards AMU, and determinants that influence their practices. The survey was developed in English and Malay, validated, and administered to ruminant farmers in Selangor. A total of 84 farmers (response rate of 55%) completed the structured questionnaire. They appeared to be little aware of AMR and the impact on animals and public health. Indications of inappropriate AMU include their misconception on conditions requiring antibiotic therapy and easy accessibility to antibiotics. More than 70% (60/84) of the respondents believed that all sick animals need to be given antimicrobials. Half of the farmers especially those involved in the production of small and large ruminants; namely mixed ruminant farmers (MRF) (63%, 31/49) indicated that antimicrobials do not have any side effects in animals. Sixty-four percent (54/84) of the farmers have stored antimicrobials in their farms of which the practice was more common (P = 0.02) among the MRF compared to the single ruminant farmers (SRF). Although most of the farmers felt good farm biosecurity will help reduce AMU, they were indifferent regarding using antimicrobials only when prescribed by a veterinarian and non-storage of antimicrobials for later uses. Farmers with larger herd size (>100 animals/herd) and few years of farming experience agreed more to the suggestions about their role and that of veterinarians respectively in reducing the drivers of AMR. These areas might need to be considered by advisors to inform ruminant farmers on AMR and to encourage them for prudent AMU in food-producing animals

Quality approach on strengthening Rapid Penang services in Penang tourism sites

The effectiveness and efficiency of the public transport system is fundamental to the sustainable development of the country. In Malaysia, Penang is an example of a tourist destination with many attractions, particularly cultural attractions and heritage sites. Nowadays, most people refuse to use public transport because of the inefficient service performance and low quality of existing services that can contribute to traffic congestion and pollution. The main objective of this study was to identify Rapid Penang service performance. Two different routes had been selected, namely U101 and U104. In this study, 100 respondents among Rapid Penang users for each route were involved in the survey questionnaire. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to measure the performance of Rapid Penang buses on the routes chosen. The initial finding from the observation shows that the respondents’ contribution is significant and more than half of the respondents are school or university students. In terms of ..

Economic efficiency of stingless bee farms in Peninsular Malaysia estimated by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

The commercial stingless beekeeping industry has good economic growth potential in Malaysia, which is a tropical country rich in flora that serves as food sources for stingless bees. Local consumption of honey is increasing and its production locally can be raised to meet the demand by sustainable stingless beekeeping. An important indicator that measures the success of the industry is the economic efficiency of the farm. This study hence examined the cost efficiency (CE), technical efficiency (TE), and allocative efficiency (AE) of commercial stingless beekeeping farms in the East Coast and Northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia using Cost Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) under the assumption of Constant Return to Scale (CRS). Interviews with 47 respondents in the East Coast region and 28 respondents in the Northern region showed that the average CE scores for the two regions were 0.291 and 0.172, respectively. TE for the East Coast region and Northern region were 0.656 and 0.385 while mean AE scores of 0.445 and 0.404 were obtained. Factors that influenced the efficiency of the farms included farmers’ years of schooling and extension officer visits. In conclusion, CE, TE, and AE of commercial stingless bee honey production in Peninsular Malaysia were fairly low, and the determinants responsible for this low efficiency is of concern. Economic efficiency in stingless beekeeping needs to be further elevated to optimise productivity

An investigation into the behavior of disposable face masks in modified bitumen for sustainable transportation pathways

Since December 2019, COVID-19 infection rates have risen considerably, and the virus is currently widespread around the world. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the production of medical waste has skyrocketed. Disposable face masks are considered medical waste. Alternative measures must be implemented to assist in reducing medical waste disposal, which can result in serious public health problems and have a negative influence on the environment. In this regard, this research was conducted to investigate the effect of disposable face mask (DFM) ash with varied rates ranging from 5% to 20% by weight on bitumen with a 5% increment to be utilised as an alternative material in asphalt pavement. A series of physical and rheological tests were conducted on the bitumen samples to study the behavior of the DFM ash in bituminous material. Overall, the physical and rheological test results revealed that introducing 20% DFM ash to the modified bitumen was unable to achieve the same properties as with the conventional SMA14 asphalt binder. However, the modified bitumen penetration grade PEN 60/70 has improved the properties and quality of the asphalt in the flexible pavement. In addition, utilising the DFM waste in road construction would be a sustainable technique for protecting the environment by minimising face mask waste caused by the COVID-19 epidemic while lowering the pavement’s construction cost. These research findings may be commercialised to generate revenue in the construction industry for sustainable transportation pathways

Preliminary study using on-field methods for ketosis detection in goats

Ketosis is a common metabolic problem that occurs as a result of negative energy balance due to inadequate feeding. Early detection is important to prevent losses from treatment cost and death of the dam and fetus. Little information is available on the diagnosis of ketosis in goats and in Malaysia, no studies have been conducted to date. A preliminary study was conducted among goat populations in two adopted farms of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia located in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia to investigate the presence of ketone bodies in goats at risk. Based on the observation (n=10), most of the does were thin with body condition score 2.5 out of 5. None of the does showed any clinical signs of ketosis except for depression. The human hand-held ketometer, Freestyle™ Precision Xtra (FSPX; Abbot Germany, Wiesbaden, Germany) and a cow-side ketone powder, KetoCheck™ powder (KCP; Ceva Animal Health, USA) were used on-field. FSPX produces a quantitative result of the blood β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) concentration while KCP is a qualitative method to detect ketone bodies (e.g acetoacetate acid (AceAc) in the plasma, urine or milk sample. In this study, 2/10 and 1/10 animals were found positive for ketosis with detection using FSPX and KCP respectively