Entrepreneurial opportunity recognition among Bumiputera SMEs entrepreneurs in Malaysia: The influential factors of social network, entrepreneurial alertness and creativity

The main purpose of this study is to investigate factors that influence entrepreneur in recognizing entrepreneurial opportunities. Specifically, it aims at investigating the influence of social network, entrepreneurial alertness and creativity towards entrepreneurial opportunity recognition and the moderating effect of prior knowledge of procedural and customer and prior knowledge of business operation on the relationship between social network, entrepreneurial alertness and creativity among the Bumiputera entrepreneurs in Malaysia.The motivation of this study is driven by the fact that Bumiputeras' achievement and performance in business is low and far below the target. Although Malaysian Government has implemented various initiatives and programs to fully develop Bumiputera in business, the achievement has not truly to be proud of. The overall framework for this study is theoretically underpinned by Resource-based View Theory.The study utilized a survey questionnaire which was distributed to 500 Bumiputera entrepreneurs from five states in the Peninsular Malaysia. Out of the 232 returned questionnaires, 204 were usable for further analysis. Correlation and hierarchical regression analysis were used to analyse the direct and indirect relationship between the related variables in the study. The results reveal that entrepreneurial alertness and creativity are positive determinants of the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. However, there is no significant relationship found between the social network and the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. This study also found that there is no moderating effect of prior knowledge of procedural and customer and prior knowledge of business operation on the relationship between the social network, entrepreneurial alertness, creativity and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications as well as directions for future research are discussed

Examining the Role of Social Network on Opportunity Recognition: A Propose Framework

The fundamental activity of entrepreneurship is new venture creation.Therefore, one of the major components of any entrepreneurial venture is the recognition of the opportunity by the entrepreneur.Identifying and selecting the right opportunities for new venture are among the most significant abilities of successful entrepreneur. Hence, explaining the discovery and development of opportunities per se is a key part of entrepreneurship research.This paper builds on the existing theoretical background of opportunity recognition and aimed at investigating the role of entrepreneur’s prior social network towards bridging to information sources that would help entrepreneurs recognizing opportunity

Inap desa sebagai satu agen pembangunan sosioekonomi komuniti: Menelusuri perspektif pelajar-pelajar Pengurusan Pelancongan UUM

Tourism industry has proven to be one of the national major income contributors over the last decade. Efforts and planning considerations have been undertaking mainly by various government agencies to further develop this industry, particularly to enhance its contribution towards socioeconomic development of Malaysian society."Inap desa" or popularly known as homestay is one of the rural tourism products in Malaysia and has emerged as a program that often gets the attention of government and its related agencies in recent years.As the number of participants, as well as number of rooms of offered is on the rise, the country's homestay sector that generated revenues close to RM10.9 million in 2009 has great potentials to become an agent for socioeconomic development, particularly for rural communities. Based on reports of coursework by students of Tourism Management Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) on the development of homestay for several states in Peninsular Malaysia, aspects such as definition and concept of homestay, growth and development of homestay tourism, SWOT analysis and impacts of homestay development will be discussed and further clarified

Kuala Kedah towards a heritage tourism destination: A preliminary perspective

At present heritage is generally an important aspect for many tourists.In many parts of the world, heritage is categorized and recognized as one of the vital components of tourism development especially when it is linked to tourism and recreational activities.Nowadays, there is increasing evidence that traveling to a destination rich- in- heritage is gaining more popularity and becoming a growing trend. Due to greater potential of heritage-based tourism all over the world Kuala Kedah, which is known as a fishermen village and very synonymous to the history of Kedah's Sultanate, should take the opportunity to be developed as a destination for heritage tourism.Therefore, this conceptual paper will unwrap and explain aspects such as definition and concept of heritage, heritage tourism, dynamic interaction between tourism and sustainability and threat of tourism to cultural heritage before discussing some potentials and opportunities in developing Kuala Kedah as an attractive and successful destination for heritage tourism.At the end of this paper, some recommendations will be proposed to help Kuala Kedah plan and develop a more efficient and ideal tourism

Green Initiatives Adoption: Perspective of E&E Manufacturing SMEs Sustainability

In recent years, the importance of the environmental agenda for the industry has been rising exponentially at the international level. Additionally, increasing consumers' awareness on the environmental impact of their consumption choices and their willingness to reduce their ecological footprint has created new market opportunities for manufacturers. Sustainable green practices have become the conscientious imperative expected from all manufacturing industries due to rising environmental awareness among today's society. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to determine the extent of green initiatives implementation in Electrical and Electronics (E&E) manufacturing SMEs as well as to examine the relationship between those practices and sustainable green practices. The quantitative data was obtained through a survey of 260 E&E manufacturing SMEs located throughout Malaysia. Analysis of the findings showed that there is an encouraging level of sustainable green practice implementation among the SMEs, with optimization of water conservation initiative as being the top priority and followed by energy efficiency. The result also revealed that waste management initiative not significantly affected sustainable green practices. The findings of this research provide new directions for future research and key implications concern the importance for firms and policymakers to work with sustainability issues using both internal and external perspectives

Entrepreneurial Leadership and Entrepreneurial Success: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition and Innovation Capability

Micro-, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) play a crucial role in the economic growth of emerging markets. This study examines the effect of entrepreneurial leadership (EL) on the entrepreneurial success (ES) of MSMEs in Malaysia through the mediating effect of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition (EOR) and innovation capability (IC). To examine the proposed mediation model, we utilized a structured questionnaire to collect data for this quantitative research. Partial least square-structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesis on a sample of 401 micro-business owners/managers in Malaysia. The findings reveal that an EL has a significant positive effect on ES but is conditional on the mediating role of EOR and IC. However, the results show that EOR and IC partially mediate the link between EL and ES. Additionally, EOR and IC serially mediated the relationship between EL and ES. This research has valuable contributions to MSMEs by explaining EL, EOR, and IC’s critical role in gaining competitive advantage and achieving success. This research develops a theory-based mediation model to demonstrate how the EL and ES of MSMEs are related. Further, the model in this study adds to the body of knowledge by examining whether or not serial mediation occurs through EOR and IC. Hence, this research sheds new light on the relationship between EL and ES

Tahap penglibatan mahasiawa Universiti Utara Malaysia dalam politik kampus

Politik kampus seringkali dirujuk sebagai penglibatan mahasiswa dalam pilihan raya kampus (PRK) yang diadakan pada setiap tahun. Pilihan raya karnpus boleh dikatakan seperti satu perayaan universiti dimana semua pihak (pelajar dun pentadbiran universiti) sibuk dengan persedian menghadapi hari penamaan calon dan pembuangan undi. Calon-calon dilihat mula berkempen kepada mahasiswa mengenai aspirasi dan janji yang akan dilakukan jika terpilih menganggotai Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar. Terdapat tiga komponen utama yang terlibat dalam pilihan raya kumpw iaih mahasiswa, calm barisan kepimpinan dan sistem pilihan raya yang dilaksanakan. Kesemua komponen ini mesti bergabung dun dipantau perjalanannya supaya mewujudkan pilihan raya yang adil serta telus sekalips rnendidik mahasiswa ke arah pendidikan politik yang betul.Pemain-pernain dalum politik kampus terdiri daripada mahasiswa, Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar dan pihak pentadbiran universiti. Mahasiswa mempunyai idealisme dan aspirasi bukan sekadar memperjuangkan kebajikan mereka di kampus tetapi mereka peka dengan sitiuasi semasa dan berperanan dalam pembentukan negara. Majlis perwakilan Pelajar pula merupakan plaform rasmi untuk menyuarakan pandungan da memperjuangkan kebajikan pelajar di universiti tetapi tugas mereka kini lebih daripada itu. Pihak pentadbiran universiti perlu bersedia mendengar pandangan melalui Majlis Penwakilan Pelajar dan melakukan penambahbaikan terhadap perkhidmatan universiti. Kertas persidangan ini akm membincangkan mengenai penglibatan mahasiswa dalam politik kampus, pandungun mahasiswa terhadap ketiga-tiga komponen yung digariskan dan hasrat mereka terhadup penfadbiran Universiti Utara Malaysia

Kelangsungan sumberjaya pelancongan negara melalui penerapan konsep pelancongan lestari: aspek untuk pertimbangan

Perkembangan industri pelancongan yang amat besar saban tahun memberikan indikasi bahawa pelancongan selayaknya menerima pengiktirafan sehagai antara penyumbang terbesar ekonomi sejagat. Pelhagai impak yang tercetus sebelum, semasa dan selepas aktiviti berkaitan pelancongan ini dijalankan menunjukkan bahawa industri manusia (people indushy) ini adalah bersifat dinamik dan mampu rnensejahterakan urnat manusia sekiranya dibangunkan dalam konteks dan mang lingkup yang memberikan penekanan terhadap pembangunan sahsiah insan dan manusia sejagat. Keupayaan pelancongan yang berpotensi menyumbang kepada impak negatifjuga perlu diberi tumpuan dan dipertimbangkan sewajamya oleh pihak hetkepentingan. Kenyataannya, kebanyakan tarikan utama pelancongan adalah berkaitan dengan elemen alam semulajadi dan warisan yang sememangnya tidak dapat diperbaharui; justeru, usaba pemeliharaan dan pemuliharaan sumberjaya yang berkenaan adalah amat diperlukan dan perlu dilaksanakan secara hertemsan. Pendekatan pembangunan pelancongan lestari bagi setiap perancangan pelancongan adalah amat diperlukan kerana sekiranya sumberjaya pelancongan dimusnah atau dimansuhkan, maka sesebuah kawasan atau destinasi pelancongan itu tidak lagi dapat menarik pelanwng dan akhimya pelancongan di kawasan berkenaan akan gagal. Justem, kertas konseptual ini membincangkan beberapa aspek berkenaan pelancongan lestari dalam membantu usaha kelangsungan sumberjaya pelancongan negara untuk terus dinikmati oleh generasi hari ini dan masa hadapan

Hikmah melancong: mendidik masyarakat untuk menghargai, memelihara dan memulihara anugerah Ilahi (Sumberjaya) melalui pelancongan lestari

Mutakhir ini pelancongan selayaknya menerima pengiktuafan sebagai antara penyumbang terbesar ekonomi sejagat memandangkan perkembangan industri yang lebii sinonim dengan gelaran 'industri manusia' (people industry) ini, yang amat memberangsangkan saban tahun. Pelbagai faedah (hikmah) tercetus sebelum, semasa dan selepas aktiviti berkaitan pelancongan ini dijalankan sekaligus menunjukkan bahawa industri manusia ini adalah bersifat diiamik dan mampu mensejahterakan umat manusia sekiranya dibangunkan dalam konteks dan ruang lingkup yang memberikan penekanan terhadap pembangunan sahsiah insan dan manusia sejagat. Malahan, bukan hanya pelancong (tetamu) yang mendapat manfaat daripada aktiviti yang berkaitan, malahan impak yang tercipta daripada pembangunan pelancongan turut sama diiongsi oleh masyarakat hos (tuan rumah) di sesebuah destinasi dan tumt mampu menyumbang manfaat dan faedah yang dapat membantu penduduk temtamanya dalam meningkatkan taraf sosioekonomi mereka. Keupayaan pelancongan yang berpotensi menyumbang kepada impak negatif juga perlu diberi tumpuan dan dipertirnbangkan sewajamya oleh pihak berkepentingan. Hakikatnya, kebanyakan tarikan m a pelancongan adalah berkaitan dengan elemen alam semulajadi dan warisan yang sememangnya tidak dapat diperbahami; justem, usaha penjagaan dan pemuliharaan sumberjaya yang berkenaan adalah amat diperlukan dan perlu dilaksanakan secara konsisten Maka, sewajamya masyarakat perlu dididik bagi menghargai, memelihara dan seterusnya memulihara anugerah Ilahi yang berkenaan bagi memastikan kelangsungan dan survival sumberjaya untuk terus sama-sama dinikmati oleh generasi hari ini dan masa hadapa

Asas keusahawanan: Ke arah pengukuhan minda dan kemahiran keusahawanan

Keusahawanan merupakan asas kepada pembangunan ekonomi masyarakat dan negara. Kepentingan bidang keusahawanan merangkumi pelbagai faedah sosial dan ekonomi kepada individu, masyarakat dan negara. Bidang keusahawanan telah membantu penjanaan peluang pekerjaan dan penghasilan pelbagai produk menerusi inovasi dan kreativiti usahawan. Impak yang diberikan ini telah meletakkan bidang keusahawanan sebagai teras dalam agenda negara menerusi Model Ekonomi Baharu dalam mentransformasikan pertumbuhan ekonomi negara ke tahap yang lebih tinggi.Pembangunan keusahawanan bermula dengan pembentukan budaya keusahawanan di peringkat awal sehinggalah ke peringkat pengajian tinggi. Berdasarkan kepada Lonjakan 1 Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia (Pengajian Tinggi) 2015- 2025, pihak Kementerian Pendidikan telah memberi penekanan kepada usaha membangunkan graduan holistik, seimbang serta bercirikan keusahawanan.Sehubungan itu, modul ini telah direka bentuk dengan mengambil kira Kerangka Kelayakan Malaysia (KKM) 8 iaitu kemahiran mengurus dan keusahawanan. Kemahiran Keusahawanan di bawah domain ini merangkumi pembangunan minda keusahawanan dan kemahiran keusahawanan. Minda keusahawanan merujuk kepada pemikiran yang mempengaruhi perlakuan pelajar ke arah hasil dan aktiviti keusahawanan, di mana pelajar yang berminda keusahawanan akan mempunyai kecenderungan ke arah inovasi, peluang dan hasil reka cipta baharu.Sementara itu, kemahiran keusahawanan pula meliputi sub-atribut seperti pengalaman keusahawanan, pengenalpastian peluang keusahawanan, toleransi risiko, lokus kawalan dalaman, pencapaian dan ketabahan, serta pengurusan kewangan. Modul ini bukan sahaja sesuai diguna dan dimanfaatkan oleh pelajar dalam jurusan perniagaan dan keusahawanan, malah turut sesuai bagi pelajar dalam lain-lain bidang bagi menjana budaya dan kemahiran keusahawanan. Dengan liputan yang komprehensif dalam pelbagai aspek keusahawanan, modul ini turut sesuai dijadikan rujukan oleh para usahawan terutamanya yang baru mula menceburi perniagaan