The empirical evidence of value innovation through the impelementation of national blue ocean strategy (NBOS) in the Malaysian public sector / Anis Safwan Ramli

The purpose of this study is to provide insights and empirical evidence of value innovation through the implementation of the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) in the Malaysian public sector. The focus of this study is to examine the usage of NBOS tools and framework. Four objectives of the research are, to examine the application of the four action framework (eliminate, reduce, raised and create); to identify the value innovation created through the implementation of NBOS; to investigate the relationship between value innovation and the four action framework and finally to identify the role of knowledge in moderating the relationship between the four action framework and the value innovation. The conceptual framework is depicted by having the four action framework as the independent variables (eliminate, reduce, raised and create), value innovation as the dependent variable and knowledge as the moderating variable. Self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 210 respondents (NBOS key informant) to 13 leading Ministries with 79% (166 respondents) rate of response. Data cleaning, normality, factor analysis and reliability test was conducted. The result of the factor analysis collapses the variable of eliminate and reduce to become one, resulting into the change of the conceptual framework, from 4 independent variables to three independent variables (eliminate-reduce, raised and create). Frequency count was utilised to analyse the tools used in implementing NBOS and it was found that the four action framework and strategy canvas was used by all Ministries in this study. Next, the level of value innovation was analysed using mean, giving a mean value of 3.70 on the scale of 5, which means value innovation is between above moderate to high. Value innovation created was also assessed through the thematic analysis and the findings showed 6 dominant elements, namely, creativity and innovation, public appreciation, reduce in silo mentality, fast service delivery, less cost and continuity and cooperation. Multiple Regression analysis was then applied to gauge the relationship between the four action framework and value innovation. The results supported all the three hypotheses with significant level of 0.01. The moderation effect was tested by using Process by Hayes, indicating that knowledge does not moderate the relationship between the four action framework and value innovation, therefore not supporting the hypotheses. The application of NBOS tools exemplified the principles of low cost, high impact and rapid execution. It is concluded that NBOS tools played a very important role in value creation

The readiness of Malaysian companies in the compliance of shariah requirements: Implication from the revised screening methodology

This study attempts to examine whether the board facets could influence the Shariah-approved companies (ShACs)’ readiness in sustaining their Shariah status through the compliance of the Shariah requirements, following the Securities Commission (SC)’s revised screening methodology, and also to test whether there are significant differences in the Shariah compliance practices implication from the revised assessment. The data is gathered through a content analysis method which is taken from the corporate annual reports of the largest companies.On average, majority of the studied companies are competent to prevent themselves from being removed in the list of Shariah classification.Even though the minimum threshold of the SC’s revised screening assessments have been satisfied, however the companies’ Shariah compliance practices do not form any remarkable improvement especially after the revised takes place.The results seem to suggest that none the presence of majority Muslim directors, Muslim CEO and Muslim INEDs are able to exert significant influences on the readiness of ShACs in the compliance of Shariah through the quantitative assessments.However, the company size and industry type (control variables) have positive associations with the debt ratio benchmark.It is evident that different sector of industries has different inclination to adhere Shariah compliance through the SC’s debt ratio assessment

Flexible and stretchable circuits for smart wearables

—Flexible and stretchable circuits have recently gained traction in the market due to the popularity of wearables and the rapid advancement in microsensors, big data and the Internet of Everything. For devices to be truly wearable, they need to conform to the shape of the human body, allowing ease of use, with sensors being pervasive but not intrusive. To allow this, electronics engineers need to shift their mindsets of manufacturing transistors, circuits and sensors on rigid planar surfaces to flexible, multidimensional and free-form substrates. This review manuscript describes the motivation for designing such circuits, its fabrication techniques, design considerations, performance evaluation and applications. It is expected that stretchable circuits will be a new way forward for integrated circuit technology and will continue to push the boundaries of manufacturing processes in the years to come

Amanah Pelaburan Hartanah Islam (I-REIT) di Malaysia: analisis hubungan keseimbangan dengan pemboleh ubah makroekonomi

Malaysia kini dianggap sebagai pemimpin dalam pembiayaan Islam sehingga pengalamannya merintis pelbagai cabang pembiayaan Islam dapat menjadi petunjuk kepada mereka yang sedang atau merancang untuk menurut jejak langkah Malaysia dalam bidang ini. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti kewujudan hubungan jangka panjang dan pendek antara pemboleh ubah Amanah Pelaburan Hartanah Islam (Islamic Real Estate Investment Trust) dengan pemboleh ubah makroekonomi di Malaysia. Data yang digunakan dalam kajian ini adalah data bulanan dari Disember 2008 hingga Disember 2013 dan dianalisis menggunakan model Vektor Autoregresif (VAR) yang piawai. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan wujudnya hubungan jangka panjang antara Amanah Pelaburan Hartanah Islam dengan Indeks Harga Pengguna, Indeks Pengeluaran Industri, Kadar Pelaburan antara Bank secara Islam, Kadar Tukaran Asing dan FTSE Bursa Malaysia Emas Syariah Indeks. Berdasarkan kepada hasil ujian VECM, didapati bahawa IREIT bukan penyebab Granger jangka pendek kepada semua pemboleh ubah makroekonomi, tetapi pemboleh ubah Indeks Pengeluar Industri, Indeks Harga Pengguna dan Penawaran Wang merupakan penyebab Granger jangka pendek kepada pemboleh ubah I-REIT. Oleh itu, didapati prestasi I-REIT banyak dipengaruhi oleh pemboleh ubah makroekonomi di Malaysia

Flexible and Stretchable Circuits for Smart Wearables

Flexible and stretchable circuits have recently gained traction in the market due to the popularity of wearables and the rapid advancement in microsensors, big data and the Internet of Everything. For devices to be truly wearable, they need to conform to the shape of the human body, allowing ease of use, with sensors being pervasive but not intrusive. To allow this, electronics engineers need to shift their mindsets of manufacturing transistors, circuits and sensors on rigid planar surfaces to flexible, multidimensional and free-form substrates. This review manuscript describes the motivation for designing such circuits, its fabrication techniques, design considerations, performance evaluation and applications. It is expected that stretchable circuits will be a new way forward for integrated circuit technology and will continue to push the boundaries of manufacturing processes in the years to come

Regenerating Muslim inventors – the present future

Much discussion has been done about the golden era of Muslim civilization and its decline over the past centuries. Recent downturn of events in the Middle East has given birth to the Muslim refugee crisis, coupled with terrorist attacks have fueled the growth. Now more than ever, Muslim need inspirational role models, to survive this crisis and backlash. This paper intends to highlight the achievements of Muslim scientists, engineers and innovators, dating from the early 9th century to the more recent 21st century. Some of the works discussed in this paper are not so commonly discussed, such as the work of Banu Musa on control theory and mechanical pumps by Al-Jazari. Next special highlight is done on the works of Muslim Nobel Prize winners as well as their attempts to encourage other Muslims to be involved in science and technology. Finally, we discuss the successful Muslim inventors of the 21st century, both who created modern devices for communications and lasers. The paper concludes with a critical discussion on what are the qualities that these Muslim technologists had to succeed and how the modern generation can emulate them

A preliminary study of job satisfaction and motivation among the Malaysian primary healthcare professionals

Aim: This study aimed to examine the relationship between personal or work-based characteristics and job satisfaction and motivation in Malaysian primary healthcare professionals. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted during the 15th Family Medicine Scientific Conference in June 2011 using the Warr-Cook-Wall scales. The questionnaires included demography and work-related items and were self-distributed and returned at the end of the conference. Independent risk factors were identified using multiple linear regressions. Results: A total of 149 conference participants completed the survey, with a response rate of 33.1%. They were mainly females (85.2%), Malay (83.2%), and married (83.9%) in almost equal proportions of practice location (urban 57.8% and rural 42.2%). Majority of them were working at community-based health clinics (74.0%) and in public sectors (94.4%). The respondents were mainly doctors (91.4%). The mean age of the participants was 39.1 years (SD 8.0), with a mean duration of service of 9 years (SD 6.9). Family medicine specialty (FMSt) residents had lower job satisfaction (B = -8.0, 95% CI -14.61 to -1.40, p = 0.02). Family medicine specialists (FMSs) had higher satisfaction with working conditions (B = 1.95, 95% CI 0.50 to 3.41, p = 0.01). A male worker had on average 2.8 (95% CI -4.7 to -0.9, p = 0.005) lower points in the total intrinsic job motivation scale. There was a positive relationship between the duration of working and job motivation (B = 0.10, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.2, p = 0.04). Conclusion: FMSt residents might have the least job satisfaction, but FMSs were generally satisfied with their working conditions regardless of the location of their clinics. Men and those who were novice in primary healthcare may need more support for motivation

MORFOLOGI VISUAL DALAM KESENIAN BADOGAR SANGGAR GENTRA SAWARGI KABUPATEN GARUT

Badogar is an acronym for Barong Domba Garut (Barong of Garut Sheep). It is a new art in Garut Regency resulted from creativities of its creators, namely Cecep Surachman and artists of Sanggar Gentra Sawargi. This study aims to describe the visual morphology in the art of Badogar that underwent changes in visual forms of the sheep’s head and the barong’s head. The approaches used in the study were aesthetic morphology and synchronous history. Results of the study focusing on visual morphology in Badogar art by Cecep Surachman and Sanggar Gentra Sawargi artists show two visual form structures of the Sheep’s head and the Barong’s head. Visual morphology in Badogar art is said to have gone through modification of forms in which its newly-created forms do not change the characterization of its original forms. Basically, the modification of these forms took place without any rules or standards so that changes and evelopment could be done according to the wishes of its creator and its artists.Keywords: Morphology, Visual, Badogar Art________________________________________________________________ Kesenian Badogar merupakan singkatan dari Barong Domba Garut. Kesenian Badogar merupakan kesenian baru di Kabupaten Garut yang merupakan hasil pemikiran kreator penciptanya yaitu Cecep Surachman dan seniman Sanggar Gentra Sawargi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan morfologi visual dalam kesenian Badogar yang mengalami perubahan bentuk visual pada Kepala Domba dan Kepala Barong. Pendekatan penelitian yang dilakukan adalah pendekatan morfologi estetik dan sejarah sinkronik. Hasil penelitian terhadap morfologi visual dalam kesenian Badogar karya Cecep Surachman dan seniman Sanggar Gentra Sawargi ini menunjukkan dua struktur bentuk visual Kepala Domba dan Kepala Barong. Morfologi visual dalam kesenian Badogar dikatakan mengalami modifikasi bentuk dimana bentuknya diciptakan terjadi tidak merubah perwatakan bentuk asal. Pada dasarnya modifikasi bentuk ini terjadi tanpa adanya pakem atau aturan, menjadikan perubahan dan untuk pengembangan dilakukan kebebasam sesuai keinginan pencipta dan senimannya sendiri.Kata Kunci: Morfologi, Visual, Kesenian Badoga

Septic arthritis of the knee and necrotizing fasciitis in a young immunocompetent adult: a case report / Hayatul Najaa Miptah … [et al.]

Septic arthritis is uncommon in immunocompetent young adults. It typically presents in individuals with underlying risk factors. Isolation of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) as the causative agent of septic arthritis is usually associated with autoimmune diseases, chronic skin infections or trauma. Here we report a case of a young lady who is immunocompetent without any prior history of trauma, who presented with an abrupt onset of left knee pain and swelling to the emergency department. An initial diagnosis of acute gout was made and she was treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). She presented again two days later to a primary care clinic with worsening knee pain and severe left calf pain. A clinical diagnosis of septic arthritis was suspected and the patient was urgently referred to the Orthopaedic team. Synovial fluid from the knee joint aspiration showed growth of GAS. A diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis was also made as the culture taken from the left calf during incision and drainage (I&D) procedure showed a mixed growth. She eventually underwent surgical debridement twice, together with the administration of several courses of intravenous antibiotics leading to her full recovery after 45 days. This case demonstrates the challenge in making a prompt diagnosis of septic arthritis and probable Type II necrotizing fasciitis in an immunocompetent adult without underlying risk factors. Any delay in diagnosis and treatment would have increased the risk of damage to her knee joint and this may be fatal even in a previously healthy young adult

SIMBOL VISUAL PADA GUNUNGAN SUNDA SAWAWA DALAM MENCIPTAKAN IDENTITAS KASUNDAAN

Visual Symbols in the Sunda Sawawa’s Gunungan in Creating Sundanese’s Identity. The purpose of this discussion is to find out how a cultural work is created by not removing standards in the process. The object of research in this study is a wayang golek’s gunungan that began processing it in 2011 and was completed in 2013. The limitations of the problem in the discussion are the meanings and meanings that exist in the object of research. The research method used is the method of description using a theoretical emic approach in anthropological studies to describe the object of research while analyzing the object of research. The result of the research is sunda sawawa’s gunungan is a transformation work from classical gunungan. Signs and meanings in it change according to the meaning and meaning of the meaning given by the conceptor in an effort to give the identity of the Sundanese’s gunungan.Keywords: Gunungan, Symbol, Sign, Meaning________________________________________________________________ Tujuan dari diskusi ini adalah untuk mengetahui bagaimana sebuah karya budaya tradisi tercipta dengan tidak meninggalkan pakem didalam proses penciptaannya. Objek tulisan pada kajian ini adalah sebuah gunungan wayang golek yang mulai diproses penciptaannya sejak tahun 2011 dan selesai pada tahun 2013. Batasan masalah pada diskusi yaitu mengenai tanda dan makna yang ada pada objek kajian. Metode kajian yang digunakan adalah metode deskripsi analisis dengan menggunakan pendekatan teori emik dalam studi antropologi untuk mendeskripsikan objek penelitian sekaligus menganalisa objek diskusi. Hasil kajian adalah gunungan sunda sawawa merupakan karya transformasi dari gunungan klasik. Tanda dan makna di dalamnya berubah sesuai dengan kebutuhan tanda dan makna kebudayaan sunda yang diberikan oleh konseptor sebagai upaya untuk memberikan identitas gunungan sunda. Kata Kunci: Gunungan, Simbol, Tanda, Makn