Survey on the satisfaction of municipal services / Zaherawati Zakaria

In Malaysia, there has been growing media attention and discussion on cases of poor service quality given by public sector including local government agencies. The agencies involved have been pushed to improve the quality of public service delivery. Realizing that some actions has taken place in responding to the public complaint, thus, this study tries to determine to what extent residents of Majlis Perbandaran Sungai Petani (MPSPK) satisfy with municipal services, such as, waste management, cleanliness, culverts and drainage in Sungai Petani. The findings in this study are derived from quantitative method and shows that households has a positive association with municipal services offered by the council. The results prove that the respondents were proud to be a Sungai Petani’s citizen. The findings also indicated that, overall, the households were satisfied with services offered even though got some department that create dissatisfaction to them. For the policy recommendations, the genuine service improvement is sought. In future research, the engagement between all parties should be concerned on local government, private and voluntary sectors, service providers and private citizens in enhancing the levels of customer’s satisfaction

Measuring local government performance in Malaysia: political indicators versus organizational theory / Zaherawati Zakaria

There are localities in Malaysia where local government performance is systematically superior and others where it is inferior. Similar institutions perform systematically better here than there always opens up queries and objection among people. Recognizing the enormous practical implications of this question for local democratic governance in Malaysia, this paper aims on the decision-makers and researchers to assess and explain local government performance. Thus, this paper try looking forward the concept of local government performance and uses a wide variety of variables to gauge its variance on the one hand, and its roots in economic, political, legal, cultural and social factors on the other

Information channel on municipal services: a perspectives from local affairs / Zaherawati Zakaria and Kamarudin Ngah

Past studies on customer satisfaction in Malaysia highlight low awareness from the public in municipal services. The previous studies mainly address the lack of efforts and initiatives of the authorities in organizing effective participation programs in waste management, cleanliness, drainage and culverts affairs. The Public Complaints Bureau stepped up efforts to promptly deal with complaints received from the public. On average, 50 per cent of complaints received were on the failure or delays in attending or responding to the needs of customers effectively. By using the quantitative methods approach, this study attempts to examine the factors that influence the community in Sungai Petani. The extent of satisfaction level in municipal services, both from internal customers and external customers attempt to establish association between customer satisfaction and social characteristics such as feedback towards complaint and information channel as resident and customer. Based on the findings, in order to make customer satisfaction increase on municipal services, future strategies need to be done by focusing on making customer satisfaction exercise more satisfactory and people more satisfy and participativ

Customer satisfaction on municipal services: A case study of Sungai Petani

Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan telah memperkenalkan “Key Performance Indicators” (KPIs) untuk meningkatkan mutu perkhidmatan awam kepada pelanggan dan pihak-pihak berkepentingan. Berdasarkan kepada pencapaian di dalam projek-projek terpilih di bawah KPIs, satu pekeliling pentadbiran telah dikeluarkan pada Mei 2005 bagi menyediakan panduan dan arahan di dalam pelaksanaan KPIs untuk mengukur kecekapan dan keberkesanan kepuasan pelanggan. Di samping itu, Biro Pengaduan Awam (BPA) telah diperkenalkan dalam usaha mengendalikan aduan yang diterima daripada orang ramai. Secara purata, 50 peratus daripada aduan yang diterima adalah melibatkan kegagalan atau kelewatan memberi maklumbalas terhadap keperluan pelanggan secara efektif. Walaubagaimanapun, di sebalik penambahbaikan yang diperkenalkan, banyak kajian dalam kepuasan pelanggan di Malaysia masih lagi di tahap rendah terutamanya dalam perkhidmatan perbandaran. Ministry of Housing and Local Government has introduced the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to as enhance the delivery of public services to customers and stakeholders. Based on the results of the pilot projects under KPIs, an administration circular was issued in May 2005 to provide guidelines on the implementation of KPIs as to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of customer satisfaction. In particular, the Public Complaints Bureau stepped up efforts to promptly deal with complaints received from the public. On average, 50 per cent of complaints received were on the failure or delays in attending or responding to the needs of customers effectively. However, despite these efforts, past studies on customer satisfaction in Malaysia highlight low awareness from the public in municipal services

Accidents at the Construction site in Northern Area: Malaysian Experienced

Recent statistic indicates that there is increasing number of accidents at the construction site which leads researcher to choose the construction site located at Kuala Sungai, Alor Star, Kedah Malaysia as place to do a study in 2006 until 2007. Due to many accidents occurs in constructions site, this study will help government to have a proper standard in supervision at the constructions site and to identify whether employers and employees comply or not with Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) made by the government. This study tries to identify whether the attitudes, training, skill and protection tools of the worker contributes to the accident happen at the contraction sites. In order to find out the reason of accident at the construction site, the researcher uses the SPSS by using the two tests on every variable which are T-test and ANOVA. As a result, all of the variables show the significant result which contributes to the reason of accidents happened at the construction site. These findings can be as a references and guidelines to workers and employers in order to prevent the accidents at the workplace, especially at the construction sites. As recommendation, all parties have to concern about what the best measurements should be practiced to prevent accidents happen again as well as to increase the level of safety and security at the workplace. In future research, government and third parties such as NGO and society should be part of awareness campaign or programme to avoid of accidents at the workplace. By this ways, it hopes can lead to a more conducive working environment. Keywords: Accident; Construction; Site; OSHA; Employee; Employer; Safety; Health

Identification of information variable toward sound decision making among local government councillors

Sound decision making is crucial in both public and private sectors because good decision able to solve problem and satisfy parties involved. As part of the government service provider, local government also expected to exercise sound decision making in their services to their community. Thus the information system plays s major role in providing good data to the decision maker. lnformation system helps to furnish local government officer and its community with proper information. Accurate information and needed when conditions become more uncertainty. This paper proposed s conceptual framework for information and system acceptance base on Delone and McLean information success model. Two variables are proposed to be studied: information quality and system quality. There variables are needed by decision maker at local government to come out with round decision making since the acceptance of information is very law. The objective of this study is to come out with some solution to "IT lag time" which refers to large gap between the adoption of new technologies such as information integration and information sharing and their acceptance and reutilization in organization

Regional development policies practiced in the rural development approach in Malaysia: A case study in Seberang Perai

The characteristics and the needs of the developing countries based on agriculture is rely on one of the integrated approaches known as the Traditional Village Development Approach is stressed for the regional development in Malaysia. This scenario occurs due to the failure of the previous regional development policies, particularly the limited spillover effects, has encouraged a more integrated approach.The objective of this approach is to lessen the disproportionate gap between the urban and rural areas, and at the same time upgrade the villagers’ standard of living.This strategy includes agricultural improvement through ownership changes and small farm consolidation into plantations, the development of non-economic activities and the changes in settlement structure and the establishment of the growth centers.The findings of the study showed that there is still some space for action that needs to be taken in order to develop the standard of living of the rural population, particularly in identifying the priorities for the development and the overall development strategy.The most important thing is to ensure that the returns and a more optimum benefit are given to the population through a more comprehensive and collective participation

Decision-Making Model at Local Government Level: A New Proposed for Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan

The subject-matter of the decision-making process is far wider than the traditional coverage of the study of local government. Internal and external factors and the complexity of the processes at various levels are recognized as significant contributors to the process of policy-making. This study attempted to understand this process, based on the conceptual and theoretical framework, and the formulation of a set of decision-guidelines under the new proposed model by interviewing a group of Councillors from Kuantan Municipality Council. Specifically, it attempts to understand the role of Councillors in the local government system and factors influence them in making the right decision. The new factors that developed from this study would contribute to the formulation of a new framework of decision-making. The findings presented are derived from those meeting and support by input from other parties such as politicians, planners and academicians. The interpretation of Councillor’s respond to certain questions was descriptively analysed. One striking conclusion that can be derived from the findings is that Councillors have no clear guidelines in order to assist them making a right decision on the council’s matter. By using the new process that based on the 13 factors as decision-guidelines, they believed and agreed that will make their decisions fundamentally more accurate and focused.  In future research, improvements that could be applied by councillors in ensuring the current process of decision-making at the local government level more inclusive and effective by enhancing the role of Councillors and strengthening strategic partnerships by collaborating with other focus groups. Keywords: Decision-making, Model, Local, Government, Councillors, Urban, Planning.

Decision-making model at local government level: a new proposed for Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan

The subject-matter of the decision-making process is far wider than the traditional coverage of the study of local government.Internal and external factors and the complexity of the processes at various levels are recognized as significant contributors to the process of policy-making. This study attempted to understand this process, based on the conceptual and theoretical framework, and the formulation of a set of decision-guidelines under the new proposed model by interviewing a group of Councillors from Kuantan Municipality Council.Specifically, it attempts to understand the role of Councillors in the local government system and factors influence them in making the right decision.The new factors that developed from this study would contribute to the formulation of a new framework of decision-making.The findings presented are derived from those meeting and support by input from other parties such as politicians, planners and academicians. The interpretation of Councillor’s respond to certain questions was descriptively analysed. One striking conclusion that can be derived from the findings is that Councillors have no clear guidelines in order to assist them making a right decision on the council’s matter.By using the new process that based on the 13 factors as decision-guidelines, they believed and agreed that will make their decisions fundamentally more accurate and focused. In future research, improvements that could be applied by Councillors in ensuring the current process of decision-making at the local government level more inclusive and effective by enhancing the role of Councillors and strengthening strategic partnerships by collaborating with other focus groups