Fraud Risk Factors of Fraud Triangle and the Likelihood of Fraud Occurrence: Evidence from Malaysia

The current research studies the usefulness of Cressey’s fraud risk factor framework adopted from SAS No. 99 to prevent fraud from occurring. In accordance with Cressey’s theory, pressure, opportunity and rationalization are existing when fraud occurs. The study suggests variables as proxy measures for pressure and opportunity, and test these variables using publicly available information relating to a set of fraud firms and a sample of no-fraud firms. Two pressure proxies and two opportunity proxies are identified and suggested to be significantly related to financial statement fraud. We find that leverage and sale to account receivable are positively related to the likelihood of fraud. Audit committee size and board of directors’ size are also linked to decrease the level of financial statement fraud. A binary logistic model based on examples of fraud risk factors of fraud triangle model measures the likelihood of financial statement fraud and can assist experts

Level of services (Los) for public bus and passengers aspiration in Kerian district, Malaysia

Public transportation facilitates the mobility of activities and goods from all sustainable development key dimensions. Over the past decades, more trips of public transportation move people towards a more sustainable future, by reducing congestion on the roads and increasing the efficiency of the road system. The research aims at analysing the passenger’s aspiration and perspective of sustainable public transport measure and evaluating Malaysian rural bus services, using the case study of Kerian District in the state of Perak. On-board intercept passenger survey and adoption of Geographical Information System (GIS) / Global Positioning System (GPS) were used to collect the primary data. The research suggested that whilst the services levels are less than those aspired by the passengers, there are many improvement areas to be prioritised in the near future. Keywords: Sustainable transportation; sustainable transport indicator; transport planning; sustainable transportation dimension; passenger’s aspiration. eISSN 2398-4279 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA 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), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

Preference for locally grown or imported fruit among the millennial generation in Johor, Malaysia

This study attempts to explore factors influencing the choice of locally grown or imported fruits among young Malaysians. It investigates how consumer preference, socioeconomics, and demographic profiles can affect their choice of which fruit category they pick. Five hundred respondents were interviewed by using a structured questionnaire to collect information related to their fruit preferences and choices. The millennium generation in Malaysia, especially the Malay living in Johor, were surveyed as a representation of future consumers of fruit and their subsequent choices and demand. Factor analysis was carried out on statements regarding consumer preferences on choices of local or imported fruit. Five factors were identified as the outstanding consumer preferences for fruits. Demographic profiles of the respondents such as family size, and dimension of fruit preferences, including country of origin, perceived quality, and environmental concerns, were important factors that affect consumers’ purchasing behavior in choosing locally grown or imported fruits. Logit regression indicated that family size, country of origin product quality, perceived quality, and variety of fruits will likely influence the preferences for fruit among the younger generation

Detecting financial statement frauds in Malaysia: comparing the abilities of Beneish and Dechow models

Financial statement frauds (FSF) are becoming rampant phenomena in current economic and financial landscapes. One of the ways to curb FSF is to detect them early so that preventive measures can be applied. This study aims to empirically investigate the abilities of two financial-based models namely the Beneish’s M-score and Dechow’s F-score, to detect and predict FSF for Malaysian companies. In addition, this study compares the accuracy including the error rates between the two models. Financial data of Malaysian listed companies from 2001 to 2014 are used using a matched pair in this study. The findings reveal that both Beneish and Dechow models are effective in predicting both the fraudulent and non-fraudulent companies with average accuracy at 73.17% and 76.22%, respectively. The results also indicate that Dechow F-score model outperforms the Beneish M-score model in the sensitivity of predicting fraud cases with 73.17% compared to 69.51%. On the efficiency aspect, the Dechow F Score model is found to have lower type II error (26.83%) than Beneish M Score model (30.49%). This finding suggests that Dechow F Score model is a better model that can be used by the regulators to detect FSF among companies in Malaysia

Regenerating Ipoh city mobility through high level of service (LOS) of public bus service

Environmental setting in regeneration of Ipoh city mobility relates to how the public transport enhancements are undertaken. The history behind Ipoh city existence from mining-activities accessibility pattern creates a unique environment within the city. New technology, initiative and strategies targeted as creating sustainable transport system will increase the level of service (LOS) of public transport services. This research aims to evaluate the services of bus as a mode of accessing the destination such as residential, commercial and workplaces in Ipoh city. The data was collected through a series of on-board survey. The results on level of services of public bus in Ipoh shows that the regeneration initiatives and programmes in transportation system are vital and important factor in revitalize the dwindling city growth. It will increase the mobility within the city and encourage the economic and social activities

An assessment of public transport features in urban and rural settlements in Malaysia

This paper focuses on assessing the features of bus services offered in selected urban and rural settlements in Malaysia. Five definitions of public transport level of services (LOS) according to Transportation Research Board are adopted. Assessment of the LOS has been conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods of primary and secondary data capture. With a sample of more than 1000 passengers surveyed, the demand side’s perception and aspiration have been collected and analyzed based on the classification of LOS. The overall performance measured in urban and rural were LOS E, which is below the tolerable standard of LOS D. In analyzing the satisfaction levels among the urban and rural passengers, it was found that the majority of the respondents (60.4%) were dissatisfied with the services in both urban and rural areas. Further recommendations are to bridge these gaps by increasing headways, locating designated bus stops or halts at strategic catchment points of alighting and dropping off as well as revised maintenance scheduling and consistent repair of the existing fleet. Finally, operators may also improve on-board comfort and convenient levels as aspired by the passengers. This can be commensurate by the willingness of passengers to pay higher fare rates for the increased quality of such services

Board of Directors and ownership structure: a study on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) do not gain sufficient economic returns despite their significant economic contributions. A possible cause of poor SME performance is weak corporate governance. However, the corporate governance of SMEs is rarely investigated. Ownership structure provides SMEs with a monitoring mechanism that enhances performance. This study examines the relationships between board characteristics (including size, composition boards, CEO duality, expertise, and ethnicity) and SME performance in Malaysia. This study also explores how such relationships can be moderated by monitoring ownership structure. Survey results on SMEs in Klang Valley and Selangor areas show that non-executive boards and CEO duality are significantly and positively related to firm performance. In comparison, management ownership is significantly and negatively related to performance. Board size, expertise, ethnicity, and family ownership are not significantly related to SME performance. Findings indicate that good corporate governance improves decision making and firm performance. Furthermore, agency theory can explain conflict of interest in SMEs and the importance of corporate governance in enhancing their performance

Potential Dermal Exposure Assessment of Farmers to Herbicide Imazapic in an Agriculture Area

For decades, the percentage of pesticide usage has steadily increased in order to meet the demands of food production. The aim of this study is to estimate the risk posed towards farmers through exposure to surface water containing imazapic herbicide using dermal exposure assessment (DEA). For this purpose, hazard index (HI) value was calculated to estimate the risk posed towards the farmers. Although calculated HI showed a minimum level of risk, there are concerns toward the danger of long-term exposure to the farmers of an agricultural system that could affect their quality of life.Keywords: Dermal exposure assessment; farmers; imazapic; hazard indexeISSN 2398-4279 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA 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), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. https://doi.org/10.21834/ajqol.v3i11.127

Perceived Islamic work ethics and organisational commitment among Muslim engineers in Perak Tengah and Manjung district

Many have argued that the productivity and quality of work of Muslim engineers are lower than their non-Muslim counterparts. Islamic Work Ethics is argued as the main barrier for higher productivity. The study aims to obtain the views of Muslim engineers in Perak Tengah and Manjung Districts whether Islamic Work Ethics (IWE) contributes to lower productivity and quality of work by Muslim professionals. The study distributed questionnaires to the 50 Muslim engineers. The preliminary findings show IWE enhances Muslim engineers’ commitment towards their organisations and also work productivity and quality. Thus, the findings rejected the claim that IWE is the barrier for productivity and work quality. Nevertheless, the study found that the “theomorphic potential” of most Muslim engineers in Perak Tengah and Manjung are not fully realized. Such weakness reduces the conscious to be more careful and thoughtful in producing quality work. The study suggests that Muslim engineers should enhance the cognitive (aql’), affective (nafs’) and normative (syariat) aspects of work with Qur’anic-based Islamic values as demonstrated by Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. Future studies should cross examine professionals from other sectors with larger sample size

Pengubahan wang haram di Malaysia: analisis kes mahkamah

Pengubahan wang haram merupakan satu jenayah yang semakin berleluasa di Malaysia. Ini berlaku disebabkan oleh peningkatan dalam aktiviti jenayah pada masa ini. Banyak negara di dunia telah membentuk satu rejim undang-undang berhubung pengubahan wang haram bagi menyekat dan membendung jenayah ini. Matlamat asal usaha untuk menyekataktiviti wang haram adalah untuk menutup peluang penjenayah untuk menggunakan hasil jenayah mereka, terutamanya untuk membiaya jenayah terancang yang lain. Walau bagaimanapun, buat masa ini terdapat persoalan sama adamatlamat asal akta ini akan tercapai ataupun tidak. Kajian ini bertujuan menganalisa kes-kes yang telah didakwa di bawah Akta Pencegahan Pengubahan Wang Haram, Pencegahan Pembiayaan Keganasan dan Hasil daripada Aktiviti Haram (AMLATFPUAA) 2001 dan melihat bagaimana penyelesaian kes-kes ini di mahkamah Malaysia. Menggunakan kaedah analisis kandungan, kajian ini telah meneliti keputusan mahkamah bagi 15 kes di bawah AMLATFPUAA dan mendapati terdapat beberapa jenayah predikat yang telah dikenalpasti. Dari aspek hukuman, mahkamah didapati lebih cenderung memberi hukuman penjara dan denda yang mana denda yang dikenakan bagi hampir keseluruhan kes adalahbersamaan jumlah wang haram yang terlibat dalam kes tersebut