Board effectiveness of Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

Over the past three decades, there has been a considerable number of corporate governance research. Most researchers found that SMEs are marginalised, and without clear guidelines, unscrupulous directors are most likely to breach trust. The primary objective of this study is to develop a new framework of board effectiveness for Malaysian SME boards. The current study employs a qualitative design to investigate the research objectives through the lens of a phenomenological approach. The information was gathered through eighteen semi-structured interviews. In addition, secondary data from a hundred E50 award recipients were analysed to support the findings. The data was analysed using thematic analysis, which was carried out using NVivo 12 plus. As a result, the key findings of the studies are that for the SME board to function effectively, (1) Directors must have a broad range of knowledge and skills in various areas, including business management, finance, basic legal corporations, firm-specific knowledge, and others. (2) The board should comprise the optimal number of directors. (3). The board’s behaviour debate, teamwork, leadership, commitment, involvement, integrity, employee engagement, openness, and wisdom are essential. (4) Furthermore, the decision of the meeting must consider the opinions of the majority of the attendees. Lastly (5), it is also important to consider the tasks and roles of the board, which include the following: vision and mission; finance; human resource management; management; marketing; production and operation; strategic planning; fiduciary responsibilities; succession planning; and separation of powers. To sum up, Malaysian SMEs require a comprehensive, and integrated corporate governance policy or guidelines that reflect a holistic board effectiveness mechanism. The study also recommends that policymakers carefully consider the specific fundamental roles that directors must play to carry out their responsibilities

Higher education grant system and challenges in Pakistan: a brief review

This paper discusses about the background of higher education system, grant distribution system and its related issues and challenges at higher education institutions in Pakistan. Accordingly, higher education is considered as a broad horizon of vision which explores the possibilities and offers awareness to new doors for development. In this study, briefed literature based on recently published work by higher education commission of Pakistan has been and concluded. As per overall results, the government of Pakistan does not give preference for the increment of education budged due to national security and terrorism in the country. While, higher education commission of Pakistan has taken sufficient and effective measures for the enhancement of the system of higher education institutions in Pakistan. Moreover, higher education commission of Pakistan also focused for the development of research culture in public privet universities. In, conclusion, this research paper provides the detailed indication of grant distribution system and education policies along with associated issues in Islamic republic of Pakistan

Ownership structure trend among Malaysian listed companies

Over the past two decades, the issues of ownership structure and corporate governance have been extensively addressed in previous research. In emerging markets including Malaysia, these issues have attracted the public attention since the Asian financial crisis in 1997/1998. It was argued that a weak corporate governance in Malaysia during the crisis was due to the ownerships structured which too much on concentrated ownership, extensive involvement of owners in management, cross holdings, and pyramidal structure. This study therefore aims to measure corporate ownership structure among listed companies in Malaysia by drawing on the three substantial ownership structures i.e., government and nominee ownership plus foreign ownership. The study relied entirely on secondary data of 341 Malaysian listed companies that exist for throughout the periods of 2003 to 2013. The data was then analyzed using descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation. The study discovered that ownership structure showed a general downward trend in government ownership from the year 2006. Similarly, the general trend of the mean average percentage of local nominee ownership over the 11-year period %. However, it was not a consistent decline; the local nominee ownership mean average fluctuated slightly throughout the years. Foreign nominee ownership mean average percentage of total ownership, however, increased steadily from 4.6% in 2003 to 6% in 2013, a rise by about 30.4%. The findings imply that the corporate ownerships structures trend in Malaysia become more diverse especially by the declining of government ownerships

Fostering innovative workforce behavior through transformation leadership: a case study among enterprise 50 award companies

Innovative and creative capacities are essential determinants of economic prosperity in globalized knowledgebased economy. This helps to transform the SMEs and country economy, in stimulating stabilize, growth and competition among SMEs. The question is how these SMEs E50s survive and sustain their existence in market through leadership and encouraging innovative workforce. The objectives of the study is to determine the relationship between transformational leadership practices in encouraging innovative workforce behaviours among the E50s. The research involved Top Ten E50s award winners from the year 2011–2013, in the position of middle management level at the operation site. A quantitative was later employed to analyse the data which comprises of the four dimension of transformational leadership towards encouraging innovative workforce behaviours. The results showed that the four dimension of transformational leadership practices has a strong relationship with innovative workforce bahaviours with overall r > 0.631. It is proof that transformational leadership practices will be a good guideline for other SMEs to adapt this dimension of leadership practices in encouraging innovative workforce behavior among their workers as to be competitive and listed among the E50s Award winning SMEs

Assessing Forced Labor and Standards in Malaysian Palm Oil Industry

The Malaysian palm oil industry has been subject to criticism for its unsustainable practices and the prevalence of forced labour. To address these concerns, Malaysia has implemented the National Action Plan on Forced Labour (NAPFL) in accordance with international standards. This study evaluates the implementation of NAPFL and international standards in the Malaysian palm oil industry through a literature review. The findings suggest that although progress has been made, there are still gaps in compliance within the industry. In particular, the issue of labour in smallholder palm oil plantations requires a community-based management approach, whereby smallholders can work together to enhance efficiency, productivity, and resource utilization while addressing common challenges. This approach may be supported by training and education, infrastructure development, financial and credit support, technology adoption, and cooperative farming. To comply with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) labour requirements and attract workers, this study recommends offering competitive wages, providing decent working conditions, implementing fair labour policies, investing in worker training, engaging with the local community, promoting sustainability, and collaborating with local employment agencies. These measures can help address the challenges of recruitment and retention of labour in the industry. The study underscores the significance of addressing these gaps in order to promote sustainable practices and prevent forced labour in the Malaysian palm oil industry

Promoting Compliance with Sustainability Standards in Malaysian Palm Oil Industry through a Collection Centre Model

This paper examines the development of a collection centre model for smallholders in the Malaysian palm oil industry. The model aims to ensure compliance with sustainability standards and improve the quality of palm oil production. The model involves several parties, including smallholders, contractors, collection centres, and mills. The requirements for compliance with the model are outlined, with an emphasis on labour regulations, traceability, and pre-grading of fresh fruit bunches. The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) plays a crucial role in regulating the industry and issuing licenses for various activities. Several studies have been conducted on the environmental, financial, and innovative aspects of implementing no-deforestation, no-peat, and no-exploitation (NDPE) policies in the industry. The findings suggest that environmental performance and innovation are key drivers of economic value creation that promote NDPE policies. Attitude and awareness also play a significant role in supporting NDPE and engaging with ecopreneurial businesses. Increased awareness of sustainability has a positive effect on NDPE implementation but may also increase costs. Finally, the impact of palm oil on health, social and economic aspects, environment, and biodiversity has been reviewed in the Malaysian context. The collection centre model is a crucial step in ensuring compliance with sustainability standards and improving the quality of palm oil production. Further research is needed to explore the potential of this model for enhancing the sustainability of the palm oil industry

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AimThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery.MethodsThis was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin.ResultsOverall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P ConclusionOne in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery