Developing a Survey Instrument to Study Asset Misappropriation in the Malaysian Public Sector

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This article discusses the development of a survey instrument used to study asset misappropriation (AM) in the Malaysian public sector. The paper provides a detailed explanation of the procedures involved in performing the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to the survey questionnaire for the purpose of confirming the validity and reliability of the instrument. The research differs from prior studies in that it employs Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) as a moderator in assessing the relationship between fraud risk factors and AM. A cross-sectional study was utilised and data was collected using a proportional stratified sampling. A total of 104 questionnaires were distributed to public sector employees of the Accountant General's Department of Malaysia. The respondents represent the top management, professional and managers of the department. Each construct is represented by six to ten items, chosen from related studies. Cronbach’s Alpha was calculated to verify the internal validity and reliability of the instrument. The results confirm that the survey questionnaire was appropriate for the intended purpose. The findings of this study benefit future research related to asset misappropriation in the public sector.