Job satisfaction of secondary school teachers in Tawau, Sabah

In order for the teachers to function effectively in a school system, it is important that teachers need to seek satisfaction and happiness not only in the intrinsic aspects of teaching job but also in other dimensions related to the teacher work experience in the wider social environment. This paper examines the level and differences in the job satisfaction of 200 Sabah secondary school teachers with respect to the various teachers characteristics identified as gender, service category, job title, tenure and place of origin. Data was collected through survey questionnaire. The finding reveals that secondary school teachers in Tawau, Sabah are generally satisfied with their job. There is significant relationship between job satisfaction and gender, whereby the male teachers are generally more satisfied than female teachers. The graduate teachers are more satisfied than non-graduate teachers. The higher ranking teachers are more satisfied than the ordinary teachers. Also, older teachers are more satisfied than younger teachers. However, there is no significant relationship between places of origin of teachers with job satisfaction. Based on the findings, several recommendations are proposed

Training and education program as a major determinant of quality improvement in Malaysian electrical and electronics industry

Organizations that are committed to quality improvement invest heavily in training and education (T&Ed) program of their employees. T&Ed program is therefore becomes an important aspect in the human resource management. The aim of the paper is to examine the influence of training and education program on quality improvement in 255 Electrical and Electronics (E&E) firms in Malaysia. The findings reveal that quality improvement in the Malaysian electrical and electronics industries are significantly influenced by training and education. Thus, this study has empirically shown that quality improvement will increase when the firms implement more training and educational programs

Penyesuaian dalam kalangan pelajar baharu di Universiti.

Penyesuaian dalam kalangan pelajar baharu di universiti memainkan peranan yang penting dalam menentukan kejayaan mereka di universiti. Kajian lalu menunjukkan salah satu punca pelajar gagal menyempurnakan pengajian mereka adalah disebabkan oleh masalah penyesuaian. Pelajar ini didapati tidak dapat menangani pelbagai cabaran dan tuntutan di kampus lalu mengalami pelbagai masalah penyesuaian sehingga ada di antara mereka yang gagal meneruskan pengajian ke semester yang seterusnya. Penyesuaian di universiti merangkumi empat dimensi iaitu: penyesuaian akademik, penyesuaian sosial, penyesuaian peribadi-emosi, dan dimensi komitmen matlamat/perapatan institusi. Keempat-empat dimensi penyesuaian ini dapat diukur dengan menggunakan Soal Selidik Penyesuaian Pelajar di Universiti yang dibina oleh Baker dan Siryk (1999). Keupayaan menyesuaiankan diri di kampus mempunyai hubungan dengan keupayaan psikososial yang dimiliki oleh pelajar. Antara keupayaan psikososial yang mempunyai impak yang positif dan penting ke atas penyesuaian pelajar ialah kecerdasan emosi, daya tindak, dan sokongan sosial. Ketiga-tiga keupayaan psikososial ini didapati memainkan peranan yang penting dalam membantu pelajar melaksanakan penyesuaian di universiti. Justeru, pihak universiti harus mengambil langkah yang proaktif untuk memupuk keupayaan kecerdasan emosi, daya tindak, dan sokongan sosial dalam kalangan pelajar baharu untuk meningkatkan tahap penyesuaian mereka

The relationship between organisational competitive advantage and performance moderated by the age and size of firms

It has been argued that achieving a position of competitive advantage is a necessary precursor to a firm's significant performance. This paper will empirically examine the potential moderating variables that could affect the relationship between a firm's competitive advantage and performance, namely the firms' age and size. By examining the relative moderating effects of these variables, this paper delivers valuable information to firms, specifically with regard to strategic management directed toward performance and attaining a competitive advantage. This research was conducted among 127 manufacturers listed in the 2008 Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers Directory. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire to obtain responses from the manufacturers. A two-way ANOVA shows that only the age of firms is a significant moderator in the relationship between competitive advantage and performance, and that this relationship is stronger for older firms. The size of firms does not significantly moderate the relationship between competitive advantage and performance. Despite the non-significant moderating effect of firms' size, overall, this study provides empirical support for the Resource-Based View (RBV) of Malaysian manufacturers regarding the issue of competitive advantage

Effects of inter-firm technology transfer characteristics on degree of inter-firm technology transfer in International Joint Ventures

The inter-firm technology transfers (TT) in collaborative joint ventures (JVs) often involve tradeoffs between the willingness of technology supplier to transfer a considerable amount of technologies to technology recipient and degree of protection of the proprietary technology, knowledge and competencies as the source of the supplier’s competitive advantage. Thus, technology transfers through JVs, although have been acknowledged in many studies as the most efficient mechanism in internalizing the partner’s technology,knowledge and skill, have frequently involved various facilitators, actors and complicated relationship between partners that have direct impact on the degree or amount of technology transferred in JVs. Building on the integrated knowledge-based view and organizational learning perspectives, and previous TT models, this study proposes a holistic TT model in providing explanations on the relative and simultaneous effects of technology transfer characteristics (TTCHARS) on degree of technology transfer (TTDEG). Subsequently, the holistic TT model also conceptualizes the effect of TTDEG on local firms’ performance dimensions namely corporate and human resource performance, and the moderating effects of MNCs’ firm size, age of JV, MNCs’ country of origin, and types of industries in the TTCHARS-TTDEG relationship

A review on the technology transfer models, knowledge-based and organizational Learning Models on Technology Transfer

The main objective of this paper is to contribute to the existing Technology Transfer (TT)literature by reviewing the evolution and development of the previous TT models which include the traditional TT model, models developed after 1990s, other related theoretical foundations underlying TT models, and the current TT models which have strong influence of knowledge-based view (KBV) and organizational learning (OL) perspectives. Since the current management researchers have a strong focus on TT within strategic alliance and other collaborative ventures, this review highlights the significant influence of KBV and OL perspectives on inter-firm TT models. This review attempts to help stimulate the direction of both future theoretical and empirical studies on inter-firm technology transfer specifically 1) on how KBV and OL perspectives could play significant role in explaining the complex relationships between the supplier and recipient in inter-firm technology transfer 2) the tradeoffs that involve between properties of technology, protecting proprietary technologies, competitiveness of the supplier, willingness to transfer technology, and learning attitudes of the recipient in strategic alliances and JVs, and 3) on how KVB and OL perspectives could be integrated in a holistic model to explain the relationships between knowledge transferred, the recipient, the supplier, relationship characteristics and degree of technology transfer

The effects of partner protectiveness and transfer capacity on degree of inter-firm technology transfer in international joint ventures

Based on the underlying knowledge-based view (KBV) and organizational learning (OL) perspectives, the main objective of this paper is to empirically examine the effects of two critical elements of technology supplier characteristics: partner protectiveness and transfer capacity on two dimensions of degree of technology transfer: degree of tacit and explicit knowledge. Using the quantitative analytical approach, the theoretical model and hypotheses in this study were tested based on empirical data gathered from 128 joint venture companies registered with the Registrar of Companies of Malaysia (ROC). Data obtained from the survey questionnaires were analyzed using the correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression analyses. The results revealed that partner protectiveness, as the critical element of technology recipient characteristics, has 1) a low significant effect on degrees of tacit knowledge, and 2) no significant effect on degree of explicit knowledge. Nonetheless, transfer capacity showed strong significant effects on both degrees of tacit and explicit knowledge; where the effect on degree of explicit knowledge is slightly stronger that its effect on degree of tacit knowledge. The study has bridged the literature gaps in such that it offers empirical evidence on the effects of two generic technology supplier attributes: partner protectiveness and transfer capacity on degree of inter-firm technology transfer: degree of tacit and explicit knowledge in IJVs

The importance of critical soft factors for quality improvement and organizational performance

The aim of this paper is, firstly, to examine the relationships between the soft factors, quality improvement and organisational performance and secondly, advanced the study by examining quality improvement as an organisational development practice in mediating the relationship between soft factors and organisational performance in 255 Malaysia's electrical and electronics (E&E) firms. Structural equation modelling statistical technique was used to test the theoretical model. The findings showed that the quality improvement variable did mediate the relationships between all the six soft factors and organisational performance in the sampled E&E firms. Findings also highlight the relationship between soft factors, quality improvement and organisational performance

Konsumsi Energi Olahraga Bersepeda Menggunakan Masker pada Masa Pandemi

Gaya hidup sehat dengan berolahraga salah satunya adalah bersepeda. Olahraga bersepeda sangat mudah dan aman dilakukan dimasa pandemi COVID-19. Dimasa pandemi mewajibkan kita semua menggunakan masker ketika bepergian keluar rumah termasuk berolahraga. Hal ini menyebabkan ketidaknyamanan yang dirasakan ketika olahraga bersepeda sebagai efek respon fisiologis dan kardio respirasi. Banyak orang mulai mempertanyakan keamanan bersepeda menggunakan masker karena saat bersepeda kita membutuhkan asupan oksigen yang cukup kedalam tubuh, sedangkan masker dapat mengurangi jumlah oksigen yang masuk. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis konsumsi energi olahraga bersepeda menggunakan masker pada masa pandemic. Metode yang digunakan adalah Cardiovascular Load (%CVL) dan konsumsi energi dari responden sebelum dan sesudah menggunakan masker ketika olahraga bersepeda. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa nilai rata - rata %CVL sebesar 30,23%. Dari hasil pengukuran terlihat bahwa perlunya perbaikan dalam melakukan olahraga bersepeda menggunakan masker. Nilai rata - rata konsumsi energi sebesar 2,18 Kkal/menit dan termasuk kategori sangat ringan. Hal ini dipengaruhi lamanya olahraga bersepeda sehingga mempengaruhi beban kerja fisik responden

The influence of soft factors on quality improvement and performance: perceptions from managers

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to investigate the influence of soft factors on quality improvement and performance and also to examine the link between quality improvement and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses data from perceptions from managers in 255 electrical and electronics (E&E) firms in Malaysia and it develops regression and correlation analysis to test the relationships between soft factors, quality improvement and organizational performance. Findings: The following soft factors were found to have significant influence on quality improvement: management commitment; customer focus; employee involvement; training and education; and reward and recognition. Organizational performance was significantly influenced by the following soft factors: management commitment; customer focus; and employee involvement. Finally, this paper empirically shows that firm performance will increase when the organizations implement more quality improvement practices. Practical implications: The results of this paper can be used by managers to prioritize the implementation of the soft factors. For instance, those factors that are found to have a positive impact on quality improvement practice and performance can be recommended to managers so that they can allocate resources to improve these factors to achieve higher organizational performance. Originality/value: This paper identifies the soft factors that can influence the quality improvement practice and organizational performance in E&E Malaysian firms