The consumption of staple products of fixed income earners in Sabah during the economic downturn

This research paper aims to identify the shift in the purchase of types and brand names of three categories of staples, namely food-at-home, household detergents and personal care products, of fixed income households in Sabah during the economic downturn. Secondly, this paper hopes to distinguish the correlation between factors such as income group, family size, location and the shift in households purchasing pattern for the different categories of staples. The survey instrument is a questionnaire. Respondents from Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, and Kudat are drawn using simple random sample within each stratum. Research findings indicate that there is a remarkable shift in the consumption of rice, chicken and fruits between the year 1997 and 1998. Other foodstuff like pork, beef, mutton, condensed milk and cooking oil do not record a significant shift in quantities and brand names. As for household detergents and personal care products except for shampoo and toothpaste, there is no notable change in the purchase of brand names. In relation to the research findings, household purchase of food is found most influenced by income, family size and location. Whereas, the purchase of household detergents and personal care products are affected by income and family size. Therefore, this research shows that the economic downturn has affected the purchasing pattern of certain segments of fixed income households

Assistance needed by small and medium-sized industries to adopt electronic commerce in Sabah

The total population in Sabah, that is, 2.9 million (Source: Department of Statistics, Sabah branch, Malaysia) is not able to accommodate full capacity production or product diversification of any small and medium-sized industries (SMls) due to the constraint of market size and demand. Therefore, borderless marketing via electronic commerce is crucial to increase the sales volume of the SMIs in Sabah in order to achieve economies of scales and to support new product development and expansion. Many of the mediumsized manufacturers in Sabah are interested in new market development but they neither have the marketing knowledge nor business contacts to do so. Electronic commerce can be a very useful marketing tool to these small and medium-sized manufacturers. They can take control of the type of message they want to convey to their prospective customers and to source for overseas buyers via their personal computer in their own office. Thus, simplify the whole process of marketing communication and customer sourcing. This research explores the level of understanding of electronic commerce among members of the Federation of Sabah Manufacturers and discusses the factors that will encourage them from implementing electronic commerce and the types of assistance needed from the government to adopt electronic commerce. It is found that 82 per cent of the respondents are aware of the existence of Internet and acquired some brief understanding on the meaning electronic commerce. Research findings indicated that factors that will encourage SMIs to adopt electronic commerce include if e-commerce can proven to be more cost-effective; business transaction can be performed faster in comparison to other conventional methods; enhanced security feature and reliability; and as a marketing communication tool. The types of government assistance needed are set-up grant, expertise and training, stricter cyberlaw enforcement and more roadshows to promote the awareness of present e-commerce facilities. Jumlah penduduk di Sabah iaitu 2.9 juta orang (Sumber: Jabatan Statistik, cawangan Sabah, Malaysia) tidak berupaya menawarkan kapasiti pengeluaran yang sepenuhnya atau kepelbagaian produk kepada industri keeil dan sederhana (IKS) kerana kekangan dari segi saiz pasaran dan permintaan. Oleh itu, pemasaran tanpa sempadan melalui edagang adalah penting demi meningkatkan volum jualan untuk meneapai skala ekonomi dan menyokong pembentukan produk baru dan perkembangan perniagaan IKS di Sabah. Kebanyakan pengilang yang berskala sederhana di Sabah berminat untuk memasuki pasaran baru di luar negara akan tetapi mereka tidak mempunyai pengetahuan pemasaran serta pertalian perniagaan untuk berbuat sedemikian. E-dagang boleh merupakan alat pemasaran yang berguna kepada pengilang yang berskala keeil dan sederhana ini. Mereka berupaya mengawal jenis mesej yang mereka ingin sampaikan kepada pelanggan prospektif dan meneari pembeli di luar negara melalui komputer personal yang berada dalam pejabat mereka. Justeru itu, meringkaskan keseluruhan proses komunikasi pemasaran dan penearian pelanggan. Penyelidikan ini meninjau tahap pemahaman edagang di kalangan ahli Kesatuan Pengilang-Pengilang di Sabah dan membincangkan faktor-faktor yang akan mendorong mereka mengimplementasikan e-dagang dan jenis bantuan yang diperlukan daripada kerajaan untuk menggunakan e-dagang. Adalah didapati bahawa 82 peratus daripada responden sedar akan kewujudan Internet dan mempunyal sedikit sebanyak pemahaman berkenaan dengan e-dagang. Hasil penyelidikan menunjukkan bahawa faktor-faktor yang akan mengalakkan IKS untuk menggunakan e-dagang termasuklah jika e-dagang boleh dibuktikan bahawa ia adalah lebih berkos efektif; urusniaga boleh dilaksanakan dengan lebih pantas berbanding dengan urusniaga konventional; mempunyai eiri keselamatan yang kukuh dan kebolehbergantungan; dan sebagai alat komunikasi pemasaran. Jenis bantuan kerajaan yang diperlukan adalah geran, kepakaran dan latihan, penguatkuasaan undang-undang siber dan memperbanyakkan "roadshow" untuk mempromosikan kesedaran kemudahan e-dagang yang sedia wujud

Pemasaran keusahawanan: pengalaman pengusaha hotel yang berskala kecil dan sederhana

Kajian menunjukkan bahawa hotel yang tidak berbintang, hotel yang berbintang satu, dua dan tiga di Sabah terutarnanya hotel yang dimiliki oleh seorang pemilik individu atau beberapa orang pemilik secara bersendirian tidak berupaya bertahan terhadap perubahan persekitaran seperti kegawatan ekonomi dan ancarnan persaingan. Penyelidikan lepas mengenalpasti bahawa pemasaran merupakan satu fungsi yang penting kepada pengusaha hotel yang bersaiz keeil dan sederhana untuk terns kekal dalarn industri penginapan di Sabah. Kebanyakan pengusaha hotel yang bersaiz keeil dan sederhana bersetuju bahawa untuk berkembang dan terns kekal dalarn industri penginapan di Sabah yang semakin kompetitif dengan persaingan harga yang sengit disebabkan saiz pasaran yang tcrhad, mereka perIu sarna ada menembusi pasaran yang sedia wujud atau memasuki pasaran yang baru. Akan tetapi, mereka tidak tahu bagaimana untuk berbuat sedemikian. Tujuan penyelidikan ini adalah untuk mengkaji strategi pemasaran yang telah dirancangkan dan diimplimentasikan oleh pengusaha hotel yang bersaiz keeil dan sederhana dalam bersaing untuk memperolehi syer pasaran, iaitu, penjualan bilik dalarn industri penginapan. Sehubungan ini, penyelidikan ini meninjau sarna ada pengusaha hotel yang bersaiz keeil dan sederhana hanya menjalankan aktiviti pemasaran yang umum yang dianggap sebagai aktiviti sampingan sahaja. Penyelidikan ini juga berharap dapat mengkaji bagaimana pemasaran boleh membantu pengendali hotel yang tidak berbintang, hotel yang berbintang satu dan dua untuk kekal secara kompetitif dalam pasaran. Penyelidikan ini adalah berbentuk kualitati£ Pengumpulan data adalah melalui temuduga mendalam dengan pengusaha hotel. Laporan hasil penyelidikan akan berdasarkan konsistensi dalam data yang dikumpulkan melalui temuduga mendalam tersebut

A study on Manukan Island

No Abstrac

Current challenges faced by the lodging operators in Sabah and Labuan

In the recent three years, the lodging industry in Sabah and Labuan has undergone rapid development with an estimated increase of more than 50 per cent in room inventory. Coincidentally, most of the up-market lodging properties in Sabah were completed in the period of the economic downturn in East Asia in general and Malaysia, in particular. The purpose of our research is to study the possible forces which shaped the lodging industry and the major challenges faced by the lodging operators in Sabah and Labuan. This research is also to highlight the intensity of the identified challenges according to the different categories of lodging properties. A comparison will be made between the challenges encountered by the lodging operators in Sabah and Labuan and other countries. For the purpose of this research,the lodging properties are divided into three broad categories; the budget accommodations; the one, two and three-star hotels and the four and five-star hotels. Our research findings indicated that the current economic situation, the intensity of rivalry between the lodging operators, the increased in operation costs especially in cleaning chemicals, food and beverages, the reduction in consumer spending and the lack of skilled human resources are the major forces which challenge the lodging industry. In the early 1990s, countries like the United States of America faced similar severe competition. Before the currency and stock market crisis in East Asia, Hong Kong and Thailand encountered the lack of skilled manpower owing to their robust expansion in the hotel industry

Kes perniagaan Sabah : kajian intensification of research in priority areas (lRPA)

No. abstrac

Price, perceived value, customer satisfaction and favourable repeat purchase intention of malaysian low cost airlines

Before the emergence of the low cost airlines, air travel is a luxury that only the corporate, business and upper-middle income segments could afford. The most significant change brought by the Malaysian low cost airlines is the creation of new market segments. The Malaysian low cost airlines have converted the previously non user groups including segments of individuals who could not afford air travel before into existing customers. Hence, the existing domestic customers of the Malaysian low cost airlines are presumed to be different from the leisure air travellers on full service airlines. The research objective of this study is to explain low price, perceived value, satisfaction and favourable repeat purchase intention of the Malaysian low cost airlines resulting from the existing domestic customers' experiences. Qualitative research approach was chosen as the research methodology. This study employed purposive sampling in order to obtain rich information cases. Data were collected from 22 semi-structured interview sessions and 11 complete observer observations. This research has found that lower airfare means low level of service and a mode of transport. An notable finding is that the airfare means "value-for-money", only if the amount paid is either zero or extremely low during the airlines' price promotional period. Findings indicated that the existing domestic customers of Malaysian low cost airlines weighed perceived benefits against perceived costs of travelling on low cost airlines simultaneously they also perceived functional value, relative value and social value. Interestingly, findings revealed that customer satisfaction is low expectation towards service performance and dissatisfaction is non durable. This research also found that favourable repeat purchase intention of air travel on the low cost airlines are due to several key influential factors including price, price and flight destination, price and perceived value, satisfaction, price and satisfaction, and price, perceived value and satisfaction