Capability and Potentials of Responsibility Centres Under the Implementation of Decentralisation Policy

The introduction of a decentralised system In a public university In 1995 was geared for capacity· building of Responsibility Centres (RCs) In overcoming some limitations of the centralised administrative system The decentralised system did not seem to achieve Its objectives when several problems emerged. The study was an attempt to examine the capability and potentials of RCs In administering and managing academic and support functions under the decentralised system In a public university The model of public policy, administration and finance by Rondinelli et al (1989, 1984) was used to guide the study process The study adopted a quantitative and a modified qualitative approach The study population comprised administrators at the academic RCs A total of 99 respondents and 16 Informants were Involved the quantitative and qualitative approaches respectively A self-administered questionnaire was used for the quantitative approach while the semi-structured Interview was used for the qualitative approach The quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciencever 75 while the qualitative data were analysed using the Ethnograph ver 5 Under the decentralised system, the study found that the RCs encountered several constraints related to bureaucratic

In-Service Needs for Knowledge & Practice and Perceived Innovative Characteristics among Frontline Officers on Integrated Pest Management Extension Campaign in Terengganu

Terengganu has been reported to have the highest infestation of Red Palm Weevil (RPW) in Malaysia since 2007. A continuous extension campaign on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been implemented in Terengganu since early 2017 to eradicate this RPW infestation. While past studies covered the biology aspects, infestation system and damages caused by RPW as well as IPM technical approaches; none is known about the human and technology aspects of IPM such as knowledge and practice of IPM among frontline officers and their perceived innovative characteristics on IPM. These are crucial elements to facilitate effective delivery of IPM extension campaign. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the in-service needs on frontline officers’ knowledge and practice and their perceived innovative characteristics towards IPM extension program on RPW. This study employed the quantitative research design with the self-administered questionnaire as the study instrument. Data collection was performed at Agricultural Offices around Terengganu in April 2018. A total of 57 frontline officers participated in this study. Reliability analyses for the study variables ranged from 0.89 to 0.97. Descriptive Analysis and Explanatory Factor Analysis were performed to describe the trend of study variable, whereas, MANOVA was used to compare the study variables by four selected background characteristics of frontline officers, specifically, age, education level, office location and participant in IPM extension campaign. About 56% of frontline officers were 43 years old and younger with low education and mostly were located at federal and state offices. More than 50% of them participated in IPM extension program to eradicate IPM more than two times. This study found that higher percentage of frontline officers expressed high (~50%) to very high need (50%) for in-service on advanced than basic IPM knowledge. In contrast, higher percentage of them expressed need (~50%) to high need (~40%) for in-service on basic than advanced skills on IPM. These frontline officers highly characterized IPM with four main characteristics, i.e. compatibility, relative advantage, simplicity and trialability. Contradictory, they less viewed IPM possessed visible and invisible observability characteristics. This study discovered that the in-service needs for knowledge, practice and perceived innovative characteristics were undifferentiated by frontline officers’ demographic background. Finally, suggestions are made for effective IPM extension campaign that include classify the IPM training content into basic and advanced IPM knowledge and practice; repackage IPM and its extension campaign to highlight all its innovative attributes with special emphasis on observability; employ Sequential Exploratory Design research method for a follow-up study.

Benchmarking best practices in youth associations in Malaysia: a case study

Acknowledging the significance of youth associations in capacity-building of Malaysian youths, a research was conducted to identify "best practices" in youth development work among the youth associations in Malaysia. This was a case study which analyzed a particular youth association that received the Best "Youth" Association national award in 2004. The data were gathered through in-depth interviews, document reviews and analysis, and observations. The data were analyzed using qualitative statistical methods. Nine key enablers - defined best practices that facilitate the desired progress and impact accomplished by the association - were identified: (1) environment that supports youth development needs and capacities, (2) sound, integrated need-based program that attracts members and the broader community, (3) strong support of the community, (4) strong linkage and partnership/collaborative approach with government and non-governmental agencies on youth work, (5) commitment of the members through their engagement in youth work, (6) committed and competent leaders and committee members who share objectives and directions, (7) reliable administration coupled with availability of supportive infrastructure, (8) continuous monitoring and evaluation of programs and activities, and (9) sustainable funding. Implications of the findings and future challenges were discussed

Does attachment to parents and peers influence health literacy among adolescents in Malaysia?

Despite extensive research on the impact of social factors on the health literacy of adolescents, few studies have investigated how attachment to parents and peers influences adolescents’ level of health literacy. Adolescence is generally viewed as the period of life before adulthood, and during this phase, young persons are dependent on the support of their parents and peers. This study was conducted in response to the gap in the research regarding the influence of parental and peer attachment on the health literacy of adolescents. The participants in this study comprised a random sample of adolescents aged 15–17 years, who were residents of the Klang Valley, a highly urbanized region in Malaysia. The study found that the level of health literacy among these adolescents was moderate (M = 3.61, SD = 0.51 on a scale of 5). While the level of peer attachment among them was moderate (M = 3.48, SD = 0.58), the level of parental attachment was high (M = 3.73, SD = 0.83 on a scale of 5). Both parental attachment (β = 0.30, p < 0.05) and peer attachment (β = 0.37, p < 0.05) were shown to have significant independent effects on the level of adolescents’ health literacy. Together, parental attachment and peer attachment explained 30% of the variance in health literacy among adolescents

Managing productivity in Universiti Malaysia Pahang: Rethinking the whom, which, what, and whose of productivity

Drawing on reviews of scholarly literature, this study suggests rethinking productivity in Universiti Malaysis Pahang (UMP) along four dimensions: the productivity of whom, productivity for which unit of analysis, productivity according to what functions, and productivity in whose interests. It offers principles for promoting enlightened discussion and pursuit of productivity of academic staff at UMP. In contrast to the dominant discussion, which emphasises focus, centralised standard measures, and accountability, the bias unfairness in this study is toward balance, decentralised diversity, and recalibration. Academic Differentiated Career Pathways (ADCAP) suggest the ideal is not for academic staff and faculties to produce to centrally managed objectives but for all individuals and units faculties to manage individually and collectively to design their work to improve their productivity along multiple dimensions

Preliminary Investigation and Interview Guide Development for Studying how Malaysian Farmers Form their Mental Models of Farming

The development of the interview guide is an integral aspect of the process of conducting qualitative research, yet one that receives little attention in the qualitative research literature. It is often assumed that interview guides are merely a list of questions used to guide a qualitative interview. The background analysis and preparation necessary to prepare an appropriate and effective guide cannot be dismissed, however, as they are integral aspects of the interview process. The current study on mental models of Malaysian smallholder farmers employed in-depth interviews as its primary approach to data generation. This paper details the initial processes undertaken to develop the interview guide based on preliminary data generation. The results included seven main steps to interview guide development

Surface deformation on thermocapillary convection in a binary fluid with internal heat generation and temperature dependent viscosity

The effects of temperature dependent viscosity and internal heat generation on the onset of steady Bénard-Marangoni convection in a horizontal binary fluid layer heated from below is investigated theoretically. The upper free surface is assumed to be deformable and the lower boundary is considered to be rigid and perfectly insulated to temperature perturbations. The asymptotic solution of the long wavelength is obtained using regular perturbation method with wave number as a perturbation parameter. It is found that the surface deformation of a binary fluid layer enhances the onset of thermocapillary convection while increasing the value of internal heat generation and temperature dependent viscosity will destabilize the binary fluid layer system

A Review of Communication Protocols for Intelligent Remote Terminal Unit Development

This paper reviewed all the possible interfacing communication protocols for remote terminal unit (RTU). Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is a central station that can communicate with other network using the protocol. Fundamentally, the architectures of all networks are based on the seven layers of open system interconnection (OSI) and International Standard Organization (ISO). The objective of designing the protocols is to check the status of all the input and output field devices and send the report according to that status. The corresponding protocol and communication parameters between the connecting devices will be included in designing a complex SCADA system. The available protocols to develop the communication of RTU are Modbus/ASCII, distribute network protocol(DNP3), controller area network (CAN), International Electro-technical Commission (IEC 60870), and transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP)

A Review of Communication Protocols for Intelligent Remote Terminal Unit Development

This paper reviewed all the possible interfacing communication protocols for remote terminal unit (RTU). Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is a central station that can communicate with other network using the protocol. Fundamentally, the architectures of all networks are based on the seven layers of open system interconnection (OSI) and International Standard Organization (ISO). The objective of designing the protocols is to check the status of all the input and output field devices and send the report according to that status. The corresponding protocol and communication parameters between the connecting devices will be included in designing a complex SCADA system. The available protocols to develop the communication of RTU are Modbus/ASCII, distributed network protocol (DNP3), controller area network (CAN), International Electro-technical Commission (IEC 60870), and transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP)

Descriptive analysis of extra-curricular program outcome attainment: a case study of Universiti Malaysia Pahang

This study presents the descriptive analysis of students’ performance in extra-curricular activities at Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) for all bachelor degree students from year 2015 to 2018. A new reporting mechanism and formula, known as Extra-Curricular Cumulative Grade Point Average (XCGPA), is proposed for assessing the students’ involvement in extra-curricular program organised by UMP. The data analysed is merit scores obtained by students from joining the extra-curricular activities during their study period in UMP. The merit scores are categorized into involvement, role and achievement with different weightages based on students’ level of involvement. The total merit scores from each category will be mapped between the intended core values and the targeted attributes. There is a threshold merit score for each attribute to be obtained by the student per semester and for the study duration. Then, the percentage score for each attribute is calculated and classified according to six Student Personality Trait Classifications. The students’ profile is developed and the attainment for each attribute is presented by a spider web