Optimisation of Organisational Performance via I-Top Strategic Agility Model

Organisational sustainability has become a major issue as organisations are struggling to achieve their targeted performance due to a dynamic business environment driven towards Industry 4.0 via technological advancement. Under such circumstances, it is a challenge for organisations to achieve the strategic agility needed for a fluid corporate strategy to manage the current disruptive business environment. To achieve optimal organisational performance, organisations must be efficient in managing time, money, and energy. The I-TOP Strategic Agility model is a very fluid model that helps organisations achieve strategic agility which is needed to manage the environmental dynamism. Optimising the return on investment (ROI) is crucial for organisational performance and sustainability. This can be achieved through the dimensions of the I-TOP Strategic Agility model called Technology Infinite Possibilities, Outright Environmental Scanning, and People-Human Capital Development. Organisations that utilise this model would be able to attain the strategic agility needed as the trendsetter and achieve business sustainability. Research paper Keywords: Organisational Performance; Strategic Agility; Technology Infinite Possibilities; Outright Environmental Scanning; Human Capital Development Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Muthuveloo, R., & Teoh, A. P. (2020). Optimisation of Organisational Performance via I-Top Strategic Agility Model, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 8(2), 154–174

Factors Affecting Students’ Satisfaction with a Course: Does Physical Environment Matters?

This study intends to examine factors that influence students’ satisfaction with a course and how this satisfaction with a course affects course recommendation. Furthermore, the moderating effects of the physical classroom environment were examined in the relationship between the factors and students’ satisfaction with a course. Data were collected from students in private universities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was analyzed using Partial Least Squared Method (PLS). The results showed that course evaluation, instructional support, students self-efficacy all have a significant positive effect on students’ satisfaction with a course, and students’ satisfaction with a course positively influences course recommendation. However, our results did not find a significant relationship between the student-teacher relationship and students’ satisfaction with a course. Moreover, our findings confirmed the moderating role of the physical classroom environment on the relationship between course evaluation, instructional support, students’ self-efficacy, student-teacher relationship and course satisfaction. Research paper Keywords: Course Evaluation; Instructional Support; Self-Efficacy; Physical Classroom Environment; Student Satisfaction; Course Recommendation; Higher Education; Malaysia Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Batouei, A., & Teoh, A. P. (2021). Factors Affecting Students’ Satisfaction with a Course: Does Physical Environment Matters?. Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 9(2), 132–173

Optimisation of Organisational Performance via I-Top Strategic Agility Model

Organisational sustainability has become a major issue as organisations are struggling to achieve their targeted performance due to a dynamic business environment driven towards Industry 4.0 via technological advancement. Under such circumstances, it is a challenge for organisations to achieve the strategic agility needed for a fluid corporate strategy to manage the current disruptive business environment. To achieve optimal organisational performance, organisations must be efficient in managing time, money, and energy. The I-TOP Strategic Agility model is a very fluid model that helps organisations achieve strategic agility which is needed to manage the environmental dynamism. Optimising the return on investment (ROI) is crucial for organisational performance and sustainability. This can be achieved through the dimensions of the I-TOP Strategic Agility model called Technology Infinite Possibilities, Outright Environmental Scanning, and People-Human Capital Development. Organisations that utilise this model would be able to attain the strategic agility needed as the trendsetter and achieve business sustainability. Research paper Keywords: Organisational Performance; Strategic Agility; Technology Infinite Possibilities; Outright Environmental Scanning; Human Capital Development Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Muthuveloo, R., & Teoh, A. P. (2020). Optimisation of Organisational Performance via I-Top Strategic Agility Model, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 8(2), 154–174

Predicting the Influence of Digital Leadership on Performance of Private Higher Education Institutions: Evidence from Malaysia

This paper aims to investigate the impact of digital leadership on the institutional performance of private higher education institutions (PHEIs) in the digital era. Supported by the Resource-Based View Theory and the digital leadership dimensions based on the International Society for Technology in Education-Administrators (ISTE-A) standards, the study examined the roles of visionary leadership, digital-age learning culture, professional excellence, systemic improvement, and digital citizenship influencing the performance of PHEIs in Malaysia. An online questionnaire survey was adopted, and a non-probability sampling method utilizing purposive sampling was applied.  A total of 121 usable responses were collected from leaders in Malaysia PHEIs and analyzed based on structural equation modelling via the SmartPLS 3.3. The results showed that digital-age learning culture, professional excellence, and digital citizenship positively affect the PHEIs performance. However, visionary leadership and systemic improvement do not have a significant positive relationship with performance. The findings provide information to future researchers and leaders in PHEIs on the vital roles of a digital-age learning culture, professional excellence and digital citizenship in today’s institutions. The novelty of this study contributed to the body of knowledge in digital leadership and performance in the context of PHEIs in an emerging market. Research paper Keywords: Digital Leadership; Learning Culture; Professional Excellence; Digital Citizenship; Higher Education Institutions; Performance Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Lim, C. H., & Teoh, A. P. (2022). Predicting the Influence of Digital Leadership on Performance of Private Higher Education Institutions: Evidence from Malaysia. Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 10(1), 1–38

Students' Interaction in the Online Learning Management Systems: A Comparative Study of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses

The quality of interaction between learners and online content is one of the imperative factors in determining the efficacy of web-based teaching-learning towards the creation and maintenance of sustainable learning communities. Interaction with content is an internal dialogue of reflective thought that occurs between learner and the substance. Interaction is often triggered and supported by events in the learning environment – focusing on how the learner interacts with what is to be learned. This paper looks at the difference in learners' interaction on the online Learning Management System (LMS) of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Based on a framework developed for investigating learners' interaction with online content in Wawasan Open University, data from the LMS log and activity database was extracted. The data is then analyzed based on the pattern and behavior of learners' interaction with the online content of the courses. Further analysis is done by transcribing the discussions and exchanges of teacher and learners within the online forums, specifically investigating the dimension, depth and category of exchanges that occurred. Based on the findings, several recommendations are made to enhance the design and delivery of web-based content, aiming at maximizing the efficacy of the online learning environment of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in open distance learning (ODL)

Editorial: Digital leadership: Competencies, business models, systems, strategies and platforms

As many organizations are now encountering the changes and transformations related to industrial revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0), they need to have a better view about their vision, and they do not need to limit this transformation to only technological changes such as application of artificial intelligence, big data, business intelligence, analytics tools, internet of things and so on (Vardarlier and Ozsahin, 2021). There are some other aspects of the organizations that are transforming as well and in many cases their impact is even more critical on them. Digital leadership is one of these emerging organizational concepts (Jagadisen et al., 2022).İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi ; Universiti Sains Malaysi

The Effect of Subsidiary Characteristics on Efficiency in Knowledge Transfer between Multinational Companies

This paper aims to establish a comprehensive framework for relationships between parent and subsidiary (subsidiary autonomy, subsidiary position, organizational trust) on knowledge transfer efficiency. Then shed light on how the long-ignored characteristics of the subsidiary (characteristics of the knowledge transfer participant) play a role in the knowledge transfer of MNCs. The study highlights and tests the influence of two parts by subjecting a dataset of 212 Chinese MNCs to a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analysis: one is the impact of relationships between parent-subsidiary (subsidiary autonomy, subsidiary position, organizational trust) on the knowledge transfer efficiency. The other is the subsidiary characteristics (subsidiary age, subsidiary size) moderates the relationship between them. The robust results indicate that subsidiary autonomy, subsidiary position, organizational trust have a significant positive influence on the knowledge transfer efficiency of Chinese MNCs. As well as one of the subsidiary characteristics (subsidiary age) only moderates the relationship between subsidiary autonomy, organizational trust and knowledge transfer efficiency. While the other characteristic (subsidiary size) has no moderation. The findings indicate that the ignored subsidiary characteristics (subsidiary age, subsidiary size) have some moderations in the knowledge transfer efficiency, and it is useful to help MNCs improve knowledge transfer efficiency by copying and creating the implicit meaning of characteristic. Research paper Keywords: Knowledge transfer efficiency; MNCs; Subsidiary characteristics; Subsidiary autonomy;  Subsidiary position; Organizational trust Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Cheng, J., Chelliah, S., & Teoh A. P. (2021). The Effect of Subsidiary Characteristics on Efficiency in Knowledge Transfer between Multinational Companies. Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 9(1), 230–274.          &nbsp

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LEARNERS INTERACTION IN THE ONLINE LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: DOES NATIONAL CULTURE MATTER?

Open and distance learning (ODL) connects learners across geographical boundaries. Through the support of the Internet and Learning Management Systems (LMS), learners nowadays are conveniently learning and communicating via the online mode. Nevertheless, will the cultural diversity of learners affect their learning and interaction behavior in the web-based environment? This is viewed as one of the relatively unexplored scope of research areas worthy investigating via a comparative analysis of two countries from Asia but with different contexts of society. This article investigates the learners' online interaction of two open universities, namely Shanghai TV University in China and Wawasan Open University in Malaysia. Based on the findings of this comparative study, the authors are of the opinion that national cultural diversity of learners affects and influences their learning and interaction behavior in the online platform. The effect of cultural diversity of learners is in fact prominent in several aspects in their online learning and interaction behavior as observed in the synchronous chat sessions and asynchronous forum board discussions. In order to better guide the learners as well as to eliminate the negative impact of national cultural diversity on learning outcome, several suggestions and recommendations are proposed

The Passage of Time to Develop Ethical Business Environment Through Malaysia’s Competition Act 2010 and Competition Agenda: Post World War II to Present Days

This article seeks to reflect on the background of Competition Act 2010 of Malaysia by taking a step by step view on the many initiatives undertaken by various world bodies from post-World War II era in reviving and rebuilding the world economy to present days involving the competition agenda of the nation. In doing so, this article intends to emphasize on the perseverance and continuous efforts made over the decades in ensuring the nation finally had established the Act and the unceasing continuous efforts in forming ethical business environment with healthy competition stay as part Government of Malaysia’s initiatives

Editorial: Digital leadership: Competencies, business models, systems, strategies and platforms

As many organizations are now encountering the changes and transformations related to industrial revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0), they need to have a better view about their vision, and they do not need to limit this transformation to only technological changes such as application of artificial intelligence, big data, business intelligence, analytics tools, internet of things and so on (Vardarlier and Ozsahin, 2021). There are some other aspects of the organizations that are transforming as well and in many cases their impact is even more critical on them. Digital leadership is one of these emerging organizational concepts (Jagadisen et al., 2022). After a decade of rapid technological growth, it has lately been discovered that many of these technologies have failed to take the human spirit into account to the extent that it deserves. As a result, a new movement has emerged to emphasize the role and significance of humans, as well as their sentiments and emotions. As a result, numerous practitioners and academics have launched new projects and efforts in this area, and the human-centric digital transformation is becoming more daring by the day (Khaw et al., 2022). We've recently heard a lot about the intersection between IR 4.0 and society 5.0, which is another new trend that emphasizes the influence of digital transformation on societies and people (Salamzadeh, 2022). While studying, analyzing and designing policies for digital leadership, one of the initial steps is to know more about the digital competencies needed by the managers and their employees (Maruthuvellu et al., 2022). These digital leadership competencies facilitate the process of leadership from different stakeholders' perspective while organizations either use digital technologies or working in a digital business ecosystem. Having the wide range of skills and competencies under the big umbrella of digital leadership competencies, is a survival factor for businesses in IR 4.0 era (Cheng Soon and Salamzadeh, 2020). In some cases, the business models and the processes used for daily management of the organizations need a revision. In today's businesses, it is clear that traditional approaches for managing business processes are no longer adequate. Only with the use of technology have intricate business procedures in organizations become manageable (Karaboga and Vardarlier, 2020). Rapid developments in technology have also broadened our understanding and use of human resource management. In a digital world, organizational data and resource management is more systematic and easily accessible (Vardarlier, 2020). These changes in business models and business practices, result in huge changes in not only the organizational life of the employees and managers but also their social life. This is another consideration point about the importance of the digital transformation in business models and functional processes of the businesses (Zafer and Vardarlier, 2021). In line with what shared above, the main goal of this Research Topic is to shed some light to different aspects of digital leadership as one of the main challenges about this concept is the high diversity in the perspectives related to digital leadership. Only by putting all different components of digital leadership such as digital transformation and digital platforms and business models together, we can reach to a better understanding about the digital journey of organizations, and we can use this knowledge to design new jobs, new systems, and new organizations for the emerging digital world/s. Same as other types of changes, if we do not ride the wave of digital transformation correctly, we will find ourselves beneath it and knowing how to manage this change, is not an option anymore. The main question is how fast and with which quality we plan to be there