NETWORK CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT OF BUMIPUTERA ENTREPRENEURS: THE STUDY OF MULTIPLE-CASES OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE SOUTHERN REGION OF MALAYSIA

This paper seeks to empirically explore the dynamics of change and development of network ties of Bumiputera entrepreneurs during the firms’ tipping points. Literature review shows that many studies have explored the mix of strong and weak ties in small businesses linking them to stages of business development. More recent literature, however, has conceptualised firm growth through the notion of critical problems or ‘tipping points’ that must be successfully tackled in order to continue on a development path. While the importance of network ties has been well documented in relation to growth stages, limited work has investigated the contribution that strong and weak ties make as a firm faces specific tipping points, thus showing a call for further investigation. This is a qualitative study involving eight cases of small-sized food manufacturing firms in the Southern region of Malaysia. The main data collection method is an in-depth interview with the owner-managers using Critical Incident Interview Technique.  The triangulation of data has been carried out by interviewing individuals who are seen as strong and weak ties of the network. This study explores 10 themes of tipping points that trigger network change and development; these are financial problem, new market entry, strategic orientation, people management, competition, external events and/or environmental factor, trust breaking, network broker, multidimensionality of entrepreneurial-level context and multidimensionality of dyadic-level context. This study adds value to the network change literature and provide managerial and policy implications.Â

Human Resource Management Practices and Innovation In Network Collaboration of SMEs Food Manufacturing Sector

The purpose of this study is to identify the network collaborators and network activities that are involved in the innovation of a company. This study also examines the HRM practices in enhancing innovative network collaboration amongst food manufacturing companies. This research was guided by a qualitative method that employs face to face interview technique. It was conducted in the southern region of Malaysia, the state of Johor. Three companies were chosen which involved three different personnel; the owner, the executive officers and the clerk from each respective company. This sample was selected using purposive sampling based on certain criteria; they are a food manufacturing company, categorized as small, medium-sized enterprise (SME) companies, and has operated for more than five years. The results were evaluated by using Miles and Huberman (1994) techniques which include data display, data reduction and drawing conclusion. In addition, content analysis and thematic analysis were also used to evaluate the findings. In conclusion, overall networking can have a positive impact on innovation in all organizational setups, for example in large organizations, small businesses and new entrepreneurial start-up business. The research reveals that effective HRM practices enhance innovation network collaboration in food manufacturing companies of Malaysia. Finally, this study contributes to the new field of HRM practices towards innovative networks in SMEs food manufacturing companies

Revitalising organisations’ emergency succession planning in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak

The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the need for emergency succession planning during the current covid-19 pandemic. Today, organizations cannot ignore the fact that their employees are their most valuable capital. The pandemic has spread like wildfire with serious consequences on multiple sectors, with most experts postulating that the world is facing the worst recession ever experienced. This pandemic has seriously impacted all businesses, with some permanently shut down like food and beverage, hotels and airlines leaving millions of people jobless on temporary or permanent layoffs. Some, on the other hand, are benefiting from this grim situation such as healthcare products like mask and glove manufacturing, and remote-conferencing services such as Zoom. In this situation, organizations must focus on key changes that can sustain business continuity. This pandemic has forced all organizations to relook and revitalise their emergency succession plan. This study is a review paper which will highlight the difference between long-term and emergency succession planning, the major challenges faced by all organizations and, suggests best options for preparing emergency succession planning during the pandemic crises. This study applies to all sectors of business

Fatty acid composition of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus X Oreochromis niloticus) reared in intensive and extensive systems

Fish and marine mammals are among the richest sources of long–chain n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in nature. As farmed fish becomes a major contributor to world fish supplies, hence it is important to maintain the high lipid nutritional quality of the product and to continue to provide large amounts of the health-promoting n-3 and n-6 PUFA to the consumers. Therefore, a study was conducted to examine the nutritional content, mainly fatty acid composition, of Nile (Oreochromis niloticus and Red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus x Oreochromis niloticus), derived from intensive and extensive culture systems. Twenty-two samples of Nile tilapia and 16 samples of Red tilapia cultured intensively and 10 samples of extensively cultured Nile tilapia were used in this study. All samples were subjected to total fatty acids extraction and their fatty acid compositions were determined using gas liquid chromatography. Results showed no significant differences in the concentration of saturated fatty acids (SFA) between intensively and extensively cultured Nile tilapia. For monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), the concentration was higher (p<0.05) in the intensively cultured Nile tilapia compared to the extensively cultured Nile tilapia. For n-3 PUFA, the concentration was higher (p<0.05) in Nile tilapia from the extensive system compared to Nile tilapia from the intensive system. But for n-6 PUFA, the intensively cultured Nile tilapia had a higher (p<0.05) concentration compared to the extensively cultured Nile tilapia. For n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio the intensively cultured Nile tilapia had a higher ratio (p<0.05) than the extensively cultured Nile tilapia. The different fatty acid composition of Nile tilapia cultured in different systems could be due to the different types of feed consumed by the fish. Future research could be directed at increasing the PUFA level in tilapia through the manipulation of the PUFA level in the fish diet

Financial well-being among Malaysian manufacturing employees

Employees and financial well-being are two aspects that are closely related to each other, and have been deeply studied by researchers. Not only can financial well-being directly affect an individual, but it can also indirectly affect his/her organization as well as employer. Any level of financial employees’ well-being, either low or high, will change their job performance. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine the level of financial well-being among manufacturing employees in Batu Pahat, as well as to test the relationships between determinants and financial well-being among manufacturing employees in Batu Pahat. In this study, seven research hypotheses were developed to examine seven determinants, including age, income, gender, education, current job position, income, and marital status which influence employees‘ financial well-being. In this study, 220 employees at the production level were selected randomly from a manufacturing company in Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia. Then, a questionnaire was distributed to the employees. The data obtained were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS version 22.0. The results of this study revealed that the level of financial well-being was moderate and all of the determinants were positively related to financial well-being among the manufacturing employees. This quantitative study is important to the manufacturing industry in Malaysia in order to gain insight on the correlation between financial well-being and its determinants

A Systematic Review on Human Capital: A View From Human Resource Development

With rising globalisation and the overcrowding of the employment market because of recent crises in numerous economies throughout the world, human capital is receiving more attention. Both developed and developing countries place a greater emphasis on human capital development to accelerate economic growth by dedicating the required time and effort. As a result, one of the most important means of accessing the global stage is to build human capital. Firms must devote the required resources to building human capital, which has a significant influence on performance. From several critical viewpoints, this research investigates the extent to which human capital has direct implications on corporate performance. This survey also intends to review 42 human capital related papers. Additionally, this paper provides a comprehensive study concerning the chronological review based on each publication, while also focusing on and reviewing the topic knowledge utilizing a systematic literature review. Finally, this paper develops a model that explains the relationship between human capital and firm performance. Keywords: HRM practices, organization performance, human resource capital, human capital investment, employee engagemen

A review of leadership approaches in the industrial revolution of 4.0 era

This research paper was conducted to review the leadership approaches being utilized by leaders in maneuvering the digital era during Industrial Revolution 4.0. The information was retrieved by reviewing journal articles from various sources in the range of year 2015 until 2020. The study found that there are eight leadership approaches in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and these are traditional leadership, agile leadership, diversity leadership, ethical responsibility, system leadership, technology leadership, entrepreneurial leadership and adaptive leadership. This paper also emphasized the challenges of leadership faced by the leaders in this IR 4.0 era such as innovation, talent acquisition and development and leading change that have to be encountered by leaders. Finally, the findings of the paper would provide managerial contributions to leaders in facing those challenges of Industrial Revolution 4.0 and at the same time manage to lead effectively during this new digitalization era

In vitro treatment of lipopolysaccharide increases invasion of Pasteurella multocida serotype B:2 into bovine aortic endothelial cells

Pasteurella multocida serotype B:2 causes hemorrhagic septicemia in cattle and buffalo. The invasion mechanism of the bacterium when invading the bloodstream is unclear. This study aimed to characterize the effects of immunomodulatory molecules, namely dexamethasone and lipopolysaccharide, on the invasion efficiency of P. multocida serotype B:2 toward bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) and the involvement of actin microfilaments in the invasion mechanism. The results imply that treatment of BAECs with lipopolysaccharide at 100 ng/mL for 24 h significantly increases the intracellular bacteria number per cell (p < 0.01) compared with those in untreated and dexamethasone-treated cells. The lipopolysaccharide-treated cells showed a significant decrease in F-actin expression and an increase in G-actin expression (p < 0.001), indicating actin depolymerization of BAECs. However, no significant differences were detected in the invasion efficiency and actin filament reorganization between the dexamethasone-treated and untreated cells. Transmission electron microscopy showed that P. multocida B:2 resided in a vacuolar compartment of dexamethasone-treated and untreated cells, whereas the bacteria resided in cellular membrane of lipopolysaccharide-treated cells. The results suggest that lipopolysaccharide destabilizes the actin filaments of BAECs, which could facilitate the invasion of P. multocida B:2 into BAECs

Review of hierarchy-of-effects (HOE) models and higher education advertising in Malaysia

The most enduring and controversial models of advertising effectiveness are the Hierarchy-of-effects (HOE) models, which are of particular interest to researchers in marketing and advertising. This paper gives emphasis on the selection of these hierarchical models in the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia. The notion of raising awareness and interest, followed by desire and action is very seductive in its simplicity, and provides a clear focus for Higher Education advertising. In light of the criticisms of these models, this conceptual paper compares and contrasts the more important advertising models and reflects on the relevance of these simple models in relations to the advertising focus in HEIs.The authors conclude that HOE models fail to adequately represent the impact of the advertising process on the complex emotional/rational decision-making that takes place when choosing HEIs. Advertising's impact on the choice process is far more complex: developing brand desire through brand image is an important purpose of advertising. The authors are also in agreement with the notion of an essential understanding of other marketing areas such as brand identity, meaning and reputation of higher education institutions through a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods to communicate effectively with the stakeholders

Talent Development Practises at Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of a Public University in the Southern Region

Talent Development (TD) is important for every institution, including higher education. However, few institutions regard TD as one of their most crucial elements. During Covid-19, academics experienced stress and faced challenges when they had to alter their regular teaching and learning activities, such as switching to an online learning platform during the pandemic. This study, therefore, examined how the pandemic has affected TD practises in higher education institutions as human capital is the most important resource to an organisation. The research objective was to examine TD practises at a public Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Malaysia during the pandemic. This study employed a qualitative research methodology, namely phenomenological interviews, which enabled the researcher to capture the respondents’ actual experiences. In this study, two HR representatives and two academics from the same university participated as interviewees. Performance management, coaching, leadership development, and talent acquisition were themes that emerged from the interviews, along with several subthemes like hybrid, webinar courses, talent pool, and requirements. This study is significant in that it highlighted the value of TD practises in the higher education sector, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, as a guide for HEI administrators, this study helps in the revision of their existing strategies and understanding of the capacity gaps between the current academic skill level and the changing employment requirements to ultimately establish a coordinated TD