The effects of brand strategy and design innovation on the brand performance of the Malaysian furniture firms / Puteri Fadzline Muhamad Tamyez

Brand strategy and design innovation is frequently discussed as key sources of competitive advantage and subsequent brand performance, particularly in the context of SMEs and large sized firms. One of the sectors that are affected by the growth of branding and design innovation is the furniture manufacturing sector. However, there is a concern of whether the manufacturers are fully equipped with branding strategy and design innovation. This ambiguity comes largely from determinants of brand performance in the SME context that have received only limited research attention. This research addresses this issue. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to examine the effects of brand strategy and design innovation on the brand performance of the Malaysian furniture firms. More specifically, this research empirically examines (1) The influence of brand barriers on brand orientation (2) The influence of brand orientation towards brand distinctiveness (3) The relationship between brand orientation and brand performance (4) The relationship between brand distinctiveness and brand performance (5) The influence of brand distinctiveness on design innovation (6) The relationship between design innovation and its dimensions (7) The effect of design innovation on brand performance (8) brand distinctiveness as a mediator between brand orientation and brand performance (9) design innovation as a mediator between brand distinctiveness and brand performance, along with twelve hypotheses

The effects of brand strategy and design innovation on the brand performance of the Malaysian furniture firms / Puteri Fadzline Muhamad Tamyez

Brand strategy and design innovation is frequently discussed as key sources of competitive advantage and subsequent brand performance, particularly in the context of SMEs and large sized firms. One of the sectors that are affected by the growth of branding and design innovation is the furniture manufacturing sector. However, there is a concern of whether the manufacturers are fully equipped with branding strategy and design innovation. This ambiguity comes largely from determinants of brand performance in the SME context that have received only limited research attention. This research addresses this issue. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to examine the effects of brand strategy and design innovation on the brand performance of the Malaysian furniture firms. More specifically, this research empirically examines (1) The influence of brand barriers on brand orientation (2) The influence of brand orientation towards brand distinctiveness (3) The relationship between brand orientation and brand performance (4) The relationship between brand distinctiveness and brand performance (5) The influence of brand distinctiveness on design innovation (6) The relationship between design innovation and its dimensions (7) The effect of design innovation on brand performance (8) brand distinctiveness as a mediator between brand orientation and brand performance (9) design innovation as a mediator between brand distinctiveness and brand performance, along with twelve hypotheses. Primary data were collected for a sample size of 269 firms in Malaysia for empirical verification using AMOS Structural Equation Modelling. The data collection was conducted over a two-month period from CEOs and marketing managers in the furniture manufacturing companies. The survey response rate resulted to 37.5 percent. The analysis of the structural model reveals all twelve hypotheses are significant including seven positive paths, three negative paths and two mediators. Overall there are four direct paths towards brand performance which are brand barriers, design innovation, brand orientation and brand distinctiveness. Two additional paths are found significant in the SEM model along with two mediators. Academically, these empirical sights fill the gaps of literature on the relationships between these factors affecting the brand performance of the furniture industry. It also provides insights into what are the key design innovations that contribute to the brand performance of the furniture firms. This will further enable firms to self-check their branding strategy and design innovation to enhance their performance in the market. Thus, policy makers in the furniture industry should give more priority in redesigning their brand strategy and design innovation to further improve and sustain their brand performance in the furniture sector

Pengurusan efektif jamin daya tahan perniagaan era pandemik

Pandemik COVID-19 memberi cabaran lebih hebat kepada banyak organisasi dalam bentuk krisis kewangan dan ekonomi walaupun sepanjang tempoh dua dekat ini. Ia banyak terkesan dengan pelbagai pergolakan

Penerapan teori pengurusan: konteks penyelidikan Malaysia

Teori pengurusan adalah konsep yang merangkumi strategi pengurusan yang disarankan sebagai panduan untuk dilaksanakan baik dalam organisasi, mahupun dalam menjalankan penyelidikan. Ia juga menerangkan sesuatu fenomena yang kemudiannya dikembangkan untuk dijadikan perancangan yang strategik untuk menggerakkan sumber manusia dan kewangan agar mencapai objektif organisasi. Evolusi teori pengurusan bermula lebih 100 tahun yang lalu. Sejak sekian lama, ahli teori telah meneliti bentuk pengurusan yang paling sesuai untuk persekitaran kerja yang berbeza. Di sinilah teori pengurusan dimainkan. Walaupun beberapa teori ini dikembangkan sejak berabad lalu, mereka masih menyediakan kerangka kerja yang stabil untuk menjalankan perniagaan. Pengurusan juga termasuk menyimpan fakta dan maklumat untuk kegunaan kemudian atau untuk orang lain dalam organisasi. Fungsi pengurusan tidak terhad kepada pengurus dan penyelia. Tiap-tiap anggota organisasi mempunyai pengurusan dan pelaporan beberapa fungsi sebagai sebahagian daripada tugas mereka untuk memberi pengetahuan yang menyeluruh tentang falsafah pengurusan dan keusahawanan. Maka, buku ini akan mengetengahkan kajian empirikal di Malaysia yang menerapkan teori-teori dalam pengurusan. Kandungan ini sesuai untuk para pelajar prasiswazah dan pascasiswazah, serta pembaca umum yang ingin mendalami secara kritis dalam bidang pengurusan. Buku ini juga mengkhususkan kepada para pengurus. Salah satu sebab mengapa pengurus harus berminat dalam teori pengurusan pembelajaran adalah kerana ia membantu memaksimumkan produktiviti mereka. Ini dapat dimanfaatkan dengan mengaplikasi teori agar dapat mengurangkan risiko kerugian dalam pelaburan strategi pemasaran atau dalam pelaburan dalam latihan pekerjanya

Flood-Related Disaster Communication and Humanitarian Logistics

During the annual monsoon season, Malaysia is often affected severely by floods as a result of heavy rainfall and poor irrigation. Every year, thousands of people have to be relocated and be evacuated from their homes. Thus, this research is aimed to look at two central aspects of disaster management in the context of flood disaster management in Kuantan, Pahang. Using a mixed-method approach, first, the effectiveness of communication mechanisms in the case of floods is investigated with quantitative analysis using descriptive design. Secondly, this research takes a closer look at the underlying logistical framework found in flood disaster contexts and identifies its critical success factors. For this, a qualitative research approach is taken. Using thematic analysis, in-depth semi-structured interviews are analyzed to arrive at conclusions regarding the critical success factors. Investigating in the effectiveness of disaster communication, it has become apparent that communication between authorities, agencies, non-government organizations or NGOs and flood victims are still in need of improvement, as the suggestions made by participants of the study suggests, both in regard to emergency updates as well as to heightening community awareness on the right actions to take in preparation of upcoming floods. The critical success factors for humanitarian response in the case of flood management include coordination, communication, knowledge, and preparedness. In it crucial to safeguard communities, thus, the unambiguous and clear standard of procedures or SOPs need to be in place at the integrated agencies for them to be understood and known by the individuals who execute them.   Keywords: flood, disaster, flood management, disaster communication, humanitarian logistics

Kumpulan Fokus

Setiap kajian kualitatif memerlukan satu atau lebih kaedah pengumpulan data. Kaedah pengumpulan data yang paling biasa digunakan dalam kajian kualitatif adalah temu bual dan kumpulan fokus. Bab ini akan membincangkan kumpulan fokus atau focus group. Apakah kumpulan fokus? Dalam keadaan apa kaedah ini sesuai digunakan? Masalah praktikal apa yang harus dipertimbangkan sebelum dan semasa menjalankan perbincangan kumpulan? Bagaimana kaedah ini dianalisis? Maka, bab ini akan meneliti konsep kaedah Kumpulan Fokus (KF) secara terperinci, kronologi perkembangan kumpulan fokus, fungsinya dan perbandingan KF dengan kaedah kajian lain, kelebihan dan cabaran menjalankan KF, dan teknik untuk menjalankan kaedah kajian in

Managerial Solution for Hospital-Acquired Infections

Hospital-acquired infections are not only a major concern for hospitals, but also global health society. Life and cost burden of the hospital-acquired infection is very much noticeable. It is widely stated that hospital-acquired infection is not a local issue; it is a challenging global health-related issue. It results a noticeable mortality rate. Although many prevention policies and booklets were distributed by different hospital managers for staffs, visitors and patients use, the productivity of the hard-copy booklet method were not encouraging enough. Hospital-acquired infection is still a serious problem faced by the ministry of health and hospital policy makers. The main objective of this study is to provide an applicable proposal to encourage mobile application software, active in hospital sites, in order to guide hospital staffs, visitors, and patients on Hospital-acquired infections control methods. This study is with the use of qualitative approached in research. A literature review with additional site observations has been conducted by the researchers to achieve the main objective of this research. As the result of this study, we find that mobile health could be an effective method to solve the hospital-acquired infection issue. Hospital managers with the support of the ministry of health could provide a free of charge mobile application software in the area of related hospital units for the visitors, staffs, and patients. The software could be planned to show prevention techniques based on each site unit. The users will easily install the application on their smartphone, for free and start reading the prevention methods to enhance their knowledge

Hospital Waste Management Practices: Explanation from Medical Personnel

Today, the healthcare industry has become more important with the increasing number of hospitals due to the rise of patients. This signifies the world is facing more critical issues towards hospital waste due to its impact on the environment. The increase of waste generation from the hospital is not only to the environment but to an organisation such as cost of disposal. Current research fails to provide a manager behaviour view on the solution to reduce waste from their organization. Thus, this study explores the current hospital waste practices at the hospital, to examine depth understanding of recycling factor behaviour among medical personnel and the impacts from recycling hospital waste. This study used the semi-structured interview with hospital managers to address The result shows, respondents are willing to recycle hospital waste with factors such as government support, top management involvement through providing training, awareness, knowledge, facilities and incentives. This study will contribute to both bodies of knowledge and practice among hospital managers

Waqf for Higher Education Institutions: A Conceptual Review

Waqf has been an important instrument for the development of a nation, including in the higher education sector. In Malaysia, educational waqfstands as a potential tool that can help higher education institutions to reduce their dependency on government funding and improve their financial systems, infrastructure, and overall growth. Therefore, this study aims to contribute toward a better understanding of educational waqf implementation, particularly in Malaysian higher education institutions. The data were obtained using a qualitative research design through the formation of a theoretical framework via the analysis of journals, reports, and other documents. The findings are expected to provide valuable insights and suggestions on how to improve the performance and practice of waqf in Malaysian higher education institutions. It also offers several recommendations for further waqf research, particularly on its role to promote sustainability in higher education institutions

Exploring hospital waste recycling intention among hospital managers

Recently, the healthcare industry has grown in importance as the number of hospitals has increased in response to the increased number of patients. This signified that the world faced more critical issues regarding hospital waste due to the environmental impact, and managers in the hospital needed to change the current hospital waste handling to reduce environmental pollution. In this study, the researcher used Theory of Planned Behavior comprehensively to reflect the manager's intention to recycle hospital waste. The purpose of this study is to investigate managers’ intention to recycle hospital waste in their organization. Others that, moderator effect on the managers intention to recycle hospital waste. Standardized structured questionnaires are distributed through email where the targeted respondent must be ranked manager position and above with medical background. A total of 181 usable were collected and data analyses by partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM). They revealed that managers’ intention is significantly influenced by the attitudes towards recycling intention and subjective norms has no significant towards managers recycling intention. However perceived behavioral control is not moderate between attitude/subjective norm and intention to recycle hospital waste. A total of 4 hypotheses were tested and one hypothesis were accepted, and three hypotheses rejected. The findings of this study provide important theoretical and practical implications for scholars, managers, and policymakers