Study of socio economic status impact and success factors of 1 Azam Niaga participants of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation / Andy Drahman, Mohd Uzairi Ahmad Hajazi

This paper aims to evaluate and assess the impact of 1AZAM Niaga, one of initiatives under Government Tranformation Programme (GTP) that is being carried out by Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). As there is no research yet to study the impact and success factor of participants of this program, we attempt to provide academically sound analysis on the impact of 1AZAM Niaga towards the low income households target group, determine the factor behind the success of its participants, and also to give recommendation for further improvement. Using input gathered from the participant of the programme and data from SEDC, improvements of livelihood of participants and factors contributing to the success of participants is analyzed. Through descriptive analysis, it is found that the programme has improved income of the participant and it is significantly correlated with perception towards their improvement. Furthermore, through principal component analysis and binary logistic regression analysis, it is found that "Entrepreneurial Characteristic" and "Entrepreneurial Environment" are significantly contributing to the possibility of participant in agreeing that the programme has improved their livelihood, i.e. increasing the possibility of success of 1AZAM Niaga participant. However, it also found that none of demographic characteristic of participants have significant contribution to their success in this programme

The Scratching Problem

This case illustrates several dilemmas faced by a founder of a new clothing start-up, Joan. The idea of starting a clothing venture specializing in comfort apparel was born due to a frequent problem encountered by her when buying clothes for her skin sensitive son. Despite having some working experience as marketing manager and research analyst, Joan found herself grappling with a number of key decision-making problems in her business venture – ranging from financing, vendor and material selection as well as human resources. This case describes challenges and problems of a business start-up at the inception or infancy stage of the business. Therefore, it is designed to provide understanding of the process of starting a business start-up and stimulate critical thinking and problem-solving skills related to entrepreneurial activities

Service Quality of Private Nurseris in Kuching City : Perception of Parents

The spring-up of private nurseries in this era has triggered the trend for working parents to send their kids to private nurseries. This phenomenon has led to an increasing interest in assessing the service quality provided by nurseries. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between service quality and parents’ satisfaction towards the private nursery. A total of 399 samples were obtained in this study through the distribution of questionnaires in Kuching city, Sarawak. Pearson’s correlation is used to examine the direction of the relationship between independent variables (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) and dependent variable (parent satisfaction); while multiple regression analysis had also been used to determine the most dominant dimension that contributes to parents’ satisfaction. The findings of this study revealed that the majority of the respondents have a high level of satisfaction towards the service offered by the private nursery in Kuching. Meanwhile, there is a significant relationship between SERVQUAL dimensions and parents’ satisfaction except for the reliability dimension. In addition, findings also found out that the tangibility of the service is the most dominant dimension in enhancing parent satisfaction. The results suggest the service providers in nursery place should emphasize more on physical facilities of the nursery as well as maintaining hygiene to leverage parents’ satisfaction

Determination of Destination Competitiveness: A Qualitative Analysis on Malaysiain Convention Torist

Despite extensive empirical research linking organizational capability and competitiveness in the context of manufacturing companies, little attention has focused on the service sector, particularly the convention tourism sector. Convention tourism represents a growing and most desirable segment in Asia’s tourism industry. Many host destinations recognize this high-yield market, thus making the competition in the segment greater. Foresee new opportunities for Malaysia to tap into the convention tourism sector, the identification of the industry’s competitive advantages becomes an important step towards successful development in Malaysia. Based on Porter’s Diamond model, this paper makes an assessment on the competitive advantages that affect the convention tourism sector. Using qualitative approach, the components are analyzed carefully, comparing the competition among the four key markets in Malaysia namely Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Sarawak, and Sabah. Through in-depth interviews with focal industry participants, the responses then have been analyzed using cross-case analysis and develop causal network modeling to visualize the linkages between the elements of convention tourism competitiveness. The results indicate that firm strategy, structure and rivalry; demand conditions; and related and supporting industries contribute to the competitiveness of convention tourism industry. The results also highlighted that factors related to qualified, well-trained human resources and locality access should be considered critically in order to boost the performance of the secto

Smart Parking System (SPARKS)

Public parking facilities is a crucial component of transportation system as it provides site accessibility to other public areas and facilities such as banks, shops, restaurants and other activity centers. Even more so in Malaysia, where an efficient public transportation system is lacking, thus making usage of private vehicle a necessity in reaching destinations. Issues relating to parking facilities therefore is a matter of public importance, not only due to its importance to transportation system, but also its wider implication towards land use and economic development. With the number of private vehicles continue to grow, it is expected that issues such as insufficient parking spaces among others, will become worse in the future. In addition, through interviews with parking operator and observation, it is found that the current operation is heavily reliant on manual processes, especially during vehicle parking inspection and back-end operation (data entry etc.)

Booming of Online Shopping in Malaysia : Do Customers Satisfy with Parcel Delivery Service?

Fuelled by rapid growth of online shopping, third-party service provider such as courier service company has become an increasingly important and crucial element in facilitating seamless movement of goods within the supply chain network. Nevertheless, courier service companies also faced operational challenges as they need to cope with the ever increasing demand from the ecommerce industry, with their customer satisfaction is at the stake. The objective of this research, therefore, is to measure the customer satisfaction towards parcel delivery service by a leading courier service company in Malaysia. In this research, customer satisfaction is observed through five independent variables, namely reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and price. 400 set of questionnaires was distributed to the targeted respondents, and the data collected was analysed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. The result showed that reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and price positively affect customer satisfaction towards parcel delivery service of courier company. The impact of each variable towards customer satisfaction level is also discussed

Service Quality of Private Nurseris in Kuching City: Perception of Parents

The spring-up of private nurseries in this era has triggered the trend for working parents to send their kids to private nurseries. This phenomenon has led to an increasing interest in assessing the service quality provided by nurseries. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between service quality and parents’ satisfaction towards the private nursery. A total of 399 samples were obtained in this study through the distribution of questionnaires in Kuching city, Sarawak. Pearson’s correlation is used to examine the direction of the relationship between independent variables (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) and dependent variable (parent satisfaction); while multiple regression analysis had also been used to determine the most dominant dimension that contributes to parents’ satisfaction. The findings of this study revealed that the majority of the respondents have a high level of satisfaction towards the service offered by the private nursery in Kuching. Meanwhile, there is a significant relationship between SERVQUAL dimensions and parents’ satisfaction except for the reliability dimension. In addition, findings also found out that the tangibility of the service is the most dominant dimension in enhancing parent satisfaction. The results suggest the service providers in nursery place should emphasize more on physical facilities of the nursery as well as maintaining hygiene to leverage parents’ satisfaction

Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Cost Equity Capital in Industrial Product Industry

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure is now becoming an increasingly popular topic of discussion. Through a strategic approach to CSR, companies are able to boost its competitiveness while gaining other benefits from risk management, reducing cost, and better access to capital, innovation and development. The main objective of the study is to investigate the CSR disclosure by companies listed under industrial product industry toward cost of equity capital. The CSR disclosure score is measured by the extent of CSR disclosure in the annual report. A total of 59 samples of annual reports of listed companies for the periods 2012 to 2014 were obtained and examined. After accounting for control variables such as company size, liquidity, and board independence, the regression results showed CSR disclosure, and other control variables such as liquidity, and board independence had negative relationship with cost of equity capital. However, only company size has positive relationship with the cost of equity capital. The results revealed that the CSR disclosure in the annual reports reduces the cost of equity capital by reducing the information asymmetry and thereby reducing the companies’ risk. For future research, this paper recommends the study be expanded by using other CSR index and measurement of cost of equity

Usage Intention of QR Mobile Payment System Among Millennials in Malaysia

In line with the growth of smartphone and internet penetration, there is a growing trend of cashless payment made via smartphone, or mobile payment system, especially among millennials in Malaysia. Despite its advantages - which includes convenience, fast, and efficient among others – the adoption of the mobile payment system is still low. In this research, the usage intention of QR mobile payment system is observed through seven dimensions, namely perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived security, perceived compatibility, social influence, rewards, and personal innovativeness. 300 set of questionnaires was distributed among millennials as target respondents, and the data was analyzed using Pearson Correlation Analysis. The result showed that except social influence, all six other dimensions showed a significant and positive relationship with usage intention of QR mobile payment system