Does work environment impact fertility rate? A comparison between formal and informal sectors in Malaysia / Geetha Subramaniam, Nurfarahain Mohd Saleh

The fertility rate of Malaysian women has shown a declining trend from having 3 children per woman in 2000 to 1.98 children per woman in 2015. This is an issue of concern for the labour market because declining fertility rates may lead to a stagnant population with other issues such as an ageing population and declining labour force due to low replacement levels. The main purpose of this study is to examine to what extent work environment has an impact on fertility rates in the formal and informal sectors in Malaysia. The study firstly reviews the current trend of women’s fertility rate in Malaysia. It then further examines the working environment of married women in the formal and informal work environment by comparing two different states in Malaysia. Using self-administered questionnaires, 200 married women from the formal sector of Penang and the informal sector of Kelantan were identified through purposive sampling. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and cross tabulation. The trend review shows an alarming decline in fertility rates in the last ten years. The empirical findings reveal that younger women, with higher educational level, earning a higher income and living in urban areas are more likely to have less number of children.In terms of working environment, women in the informal working sectors tend to have more children. Policy implications in terms of awareness and better work-environment in terms of family friendly policies are recommendations to encourage women to consider having more than one child because if this trend continues, it will have a serious implication on the quantity and quality of the labour force

Entrepreneurial efforts by Bangladeshi immigrant women in New Zealand: a preliminary analysis / Rubaiyet Hasan Khan, Saida Parvin, Geetha Subramaniam

This exploratory research investigates the entrepreneurial orientation among migrant Bangladeshi women in New Zealand. There have been many studies of higher degrees of entrepreneurship among the migrant communities in the western world but this research studies the role and trends among the Bangladeshi migrant women using a mixed method of study. The descriptive statistics show unique trends among this group of women entrepreneurs. The women face various challenges but they also deal with these challenges in their unique ways. The striking trend that was established was that the limited expectations are limiting the growth of the businesses among these group of entrepreneurs in New Zealand. The findings of this research may be of interest among various policy makers both at the national and international levels. This may also be of interest for researchers who study women empowerment concepts around the world

Export of Education from New Zealand to Bangladesh:Issues and Opportunities

The internationalisation of education is the key to the globalisation of knowledge for the development of human societies that incorporate equal opportunities. The gap between the developed and developing societies in terms of knowledge and technological know-how can be minimised by opening up education at every level by the advanced societies for the not-so-advanced nations. This paper identifies the opportunities created by the internationalisation of New Zealand education and raises relevant issues for further development for countries like Bangladesh, a poor country. The paper concludes that Bangladesh, having traditional aspirations towards educational excellence and yet is unable to provide adequate facilities due to resource constraint will benefit from destinations such as New Zealand for world class education. Key words: International education; Export; Opportunities; New Zealand; BangladeshRésumé: L'internationalisation de l'éducation est la clé de la mondialisation des connaissances pour le développement des sociétés humaines qui intègrent l'égalité des chances. L'écart entre des pays développés et des sociétés en voie de développement en termes de connaissances et de savoir-faire technologique peut être minimisé en offrant l'éducation à tous les niveaux par les sociétés avancées pour les sociétés moins avancées. Cet article identifie les opportunités créées par l'internationalisation de l'éducation de la Nouvelle-Zélande et soulève des questions pertinentes pour le développement ultérieur pour des pays comme le Bangladesh, un pays pauvre. L’article conclut que le Bangladesh, ayant des aspirations traditionnelles envers une bonne éducation et n’étant pas capable de fournir des installations adéquates en raison de contraintes liées aux ressources, bénéficiera des pays de destination comme la Nouvelle-Zélande, pour avoir une éducation de classe mondiale.Mots-Clés: éducation internationale; exportation; opportunités; Nouvelle-Z élande; Banglades

Flexible Working Arrangements in Malaysia and the Participation of Women in the Labour Force

The aim of this thesis is to shed light on possible reasons for the stagnation in the participation rate of women in the Malaysian workforce by focusing on the phenomenon of flexible working arrangements. This is researched in the context of the possibility of flexible working arrangements helping women achieve work-life balance and how such work affects their well-being. Using a mixed method approach, the study addresses three main questions:- are Malaysian women interested in flexible working arrangements? would flexible working arrangements be useful in bringing more women into the labour force? and what impacts do flexible working arrangements have on their well-being? The study was conducted in the Klang Valley, which has a total population of over seven million people and is the heartland of Malaysia's industry and commerce. It employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative approach, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to women employees working in seven organisations which have flexible working arrangements and seven organisations with fixed working arrangements. A random sample of 415 female employees from 14 selected organisations in the services sector were identified. To complement the statistical data, 30 women were interviewed. Findings from the logistic regression analysis revealed that flexible working arrangements at the workplace are preferred by women who are more educated, earning a higher income and are at the higher end of the occupational status. It further revealed that flexible working arrangements will encourage more women to work in paid labour since they have a better work-life balance and more empowerment. The information gathered from the qualitative interviews concerned women’s wellbeing in terms of work-life balance, empowerment and lifestyles. While most of the women experienced work-life balance barriers, some common threads and themes revealed that flexible working arrangements will be a good option towards achieving work-life balance and had a positive effect on women’s well-being in terms of work-life balance and household empowerment. The qualitative interviews showed that workplace flexibility can improve the working women’s work-life balance, especially among married women with young children and hence, encourage women to participate in paid labour. In adopting a combination of theoretical approaches, it is argued that there is a greater tendency for Malaysian married women to exit the labour force after having children compared to most other countries and this is primarily due to their caring responsibilities, lack of an enabling environment and the cultural and social factors particular to Malaysia. The study found that flexible working arrangements are very varied in type and cannot be treated as a single, comprehensive package which might be suitable for all women. Further, the implementation of flexible working arrangements at the workplace would not be alone sufficient to bring in more women into the labour force

Using the P-O Fit Theory to Examine Work Attitudes of Employees in Shanghai, China

This study investigates factors which transform work attitudes among Chinese employees. Using purposive sampling, a survey questionnaire was distributed to employees in Shanghai, where 479 were usable. Firstly, the study examines the relationship between demographic factors and employees' work attitudes. Secondly, the Person-Organisation Fit theory is used to examine the relationship between generational differences, personality traits, organisational culture and work attitudes. PLS-SEM results show that all three factors are positively related to work attitudes. This study is unique as it uses the P-O fit theory to understand work attitudes, which is essential for employees' well-being and quality of life

The Euro And The European Debt Crisis

This paper studies the history of the Euro leading up to its inception, what happened after the Euro was introduced into circulation and implications for its future.  The Euro was set up to accommodate a unified currency while preserving sovereignty among nations who, less than a century ago, were mortal enemies.  Preserving sovereignty weakened the ability to respond to crisis by design, and it wasn’t long before the limits of the European Monetary Union were tested after a series of financial crisis threatened the very existence of the Euro.  The Euro held together, yet the inability of the European Central Bank to assist member nations control subsequent debt following the financial crisis may wound the ability of the Euro to replace the dollar as the dominant world currency or even prove fatal.  Greece is on the verge of collapse, and is so entangled with other Euro nations; a systemic “domino effect” will occur should any of the troubled member Eurozone nations collapse uncontrollably.  Three options remain for the European Monetary Union, banding together and preserving the currency, grossly indebted countries exiting to preserve the health of countries which are more fiscally responsible, or the Euro may land inconsequentially between success and failure, never challenging the power of the dollar as the dominant world currency

U.S. Energy Independence With Lower Emissions

Energy Independence as well as concern for carbon emissions are policy topics that have been frequently discussed on the public stage. This paper analyzes the possibility of creating an energy portfolio that will achieve energy independence while reducing carbon emissions and how that portfolio is likely to change over time. Domestic oil, hydrogen fuels, domestic natural gas, hydropower, wind power, solar power, and nuclear power are the fuels discussed to make up the energy portfolio that will eliminate the United States dependence on foreign oil while reducing the carbon emissions generated during the production of energy

Trends in the Global Petroleum Industry

The petroleum industry provides the largest source of energy needs across the global world. As a result many economies are heavily influenced by the petroleum industry. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has a significant market share and strives to influence crude oil pricing to help support their interests. Recent trends in the petroleum industry have seen the influence of OPEC diminish. The extent to which OPEC can influence the crude oil market as well as the motivations behind their decisions are explored in this research. Evidence is presented that OPEC does not meet the strict definition of a cartel but they still have an impact on the market. Their actions have components of profit maximization and political motivations. When OPEC makes a decision to alter production levels, particularly with a cut or maintain position, it has an overall impact on crude oil pricing. Dramatic swings in crude oil pricing, referred to as oil price shocks, have macroeconomic impacts on stock markets and other economic measures both domestically as well as globally. Predicting future oil prices is challenging. This paper looks at various methodologies used in trying to explain and forecast future crude oil prices

Quality of Teacher’s Life: Why do teachers leave the profession?

In China, the number of private higher education institutions (HEIs) has been increasing rapidly in recent times. However, an upward trend is noticed among teachers leaving the HEIs.  As teachers’ life constitutes both personal and work life, this micro-level study paper examines 100 teacher turnover decisions by examining personal and institution factors based on the Two-Factor Theory. Using ANOVA and independent-t-test, it examines how teacher’s demographic factors affect their decision to leave the institution. The study hopes to contribute to policymakers understanding on teacher turnover so as to mitigate this phenomenon by improving their job satisfaction and quality of life. Keywords: Teacher Turnover; Private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs); Two-Factor Theory; Job Satisfaction, Quality of Life eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2023. The Authors. Published for AMER & cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v8i24.464

Housing affordability among generation Y in Malaysia a conceptual analysis / Amira Aishah Mohd Shoed and Geetha Subramaniam.

Over the past few years, the house prices in Malaysia have experienced a huge value development and turned into a stress pattern for those who want to own a house, especially first time home buyers. This conceptual paper will examine issues of housing affordability among young Malaysians who have intentions of buying a house. The persistent increment of house prices have influenced the capability and ability of individuals to buy houses. The issue is extremely serious among the first time home purchaser, particularly the Generation Y. Thus, this paper will discuss some of the reasons behind this issue and also examine the current government housing policies which are in place to help home buyers. This conceptual study would form a theoretical framework for further empirical work to be done by future researchers and which can be used by policy makers and stakeholders in designing affordable housing for Generation Y in Malaysia