Strategy In Malaysia Research Articles

Microwave Thermal Conversion of Oil Palm and Related Biomass for Biofuels and Biochars

Energy crisis and continuously fluctuating cost of petroleum have move attention of researchers toward renewable and sustainable energy sources and materials. Biomass or bioresources is one of the abundant and cheap renewable energy sources and materials that is environment friendly in Malaysia and other tropical countries in the world. It has been identified as one of the main sources of the sustainable energy in the fifth fuel strategy in Malaysia. This paper describes several possible routes to provide energy as well as potential value-added products from bioresources. The future trend in thermo-conversion processing of the biomass is the utilization of microwave energy into renewable bio-fuels, materials and chemicals. The potential of uses of bio-oils and bio-chars from oil palm solid wastes for biofuels, materials and chemicals are given. The applications of these renewable sources to produce biofuels, materials and chemicals have been applied in some countries around the world. The implementation of the biomass technology will be best utilized and feasible when the technology is developed locally, fabricated and commission with the utilization of locally produced biomass. With the research and development efforts developed locally towards local expertise will help to produce indigenous technologies, thus reducing the high cost of import technology.

Controlling Cyberspace in Malaysia

This paper examines how Internet control strategy in Malaysia was shaped by particular forms of online political contention and by a well-coordinated online civil society. It also traces the shift of this strategy to more covert means in the 2011 Sarawak State election.

HR OUTSOURCING SUCCESS: DOES PARTNERSHIP QUALITY VARIABLES MATTER?

Recently, increased attention has been paid to partnership quality in outsourcing strategy. However, research of partnership quality on the outsourcing of human resources (HR) is very limited. Therefore, this research aims at examining the relationship between partnership quality variables (business understanding, trust, commitment, communication and top management) and the success of HR outsourcing. The sample is obtained from a cross sectional survey and the sample studied are 96 manufacturing organizations in Penang, Malaysia. Results indicate that most of the organizations that outsourced HR functions were from electronic and electrical industry. The analyses also show that partnership quality variables such as trust, business understanding and communication have significant positive impact on HR outsourcing success. The study concluded that HR outsourcing as a competitive strategy in Malaysia is still relatively new and probably many of its potential benefits are not fully understood. Therefore, by understanding the relationship with the service providers, the organizations are able to achieve outsourcing success by identifying areas of expected benefits and improvements.

Pro-environmental behavior and public understanding of climate change

The aim of this article is to examine whether awareness, knowledge and risk perception of climate change have significant influence on attitudes and pro-environmental behaviour. The study found that awareness, knowledge and risk perception of climate change positively influence the formation of favourable attitudes future action climate change. In addition, this paper also found mediated relationship through attitudes between awareness, knowledge, risk perception and pro-environmental behaviour. The paper argues that people are more likely to accept pro-environmental behaviours only if they have sufficient understanding of the adverse impacts of no action. This study offers decision makers field data to formulate relevant environmental policies and strategies in Malaysia.

Practice of Breast Self-Examination Among Women in Malaysia

The objective of this study was to examine the practice and associated factors of breast self- examination (BSE) among Malaysian women. For this cross-sectional study 250 women were selected by a simple random sampling technique. The questionnaire was consisted of three parts: socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge about BSE, and practice of BSE. Obtained data was analyzed using SPSS version 13. T-test and ANOVA test were used to explore the relation between socio-demographic characteristics and the practice of BSE. About 32% of the participants reported that they have had family history of cancer and about 20% of the participants reported that they have had family history of breast cancer. The majority of the participants (88.8%) have heard about breast cancer and 78.4% of the participants have heard about BSE. Race, marital status, residency, regular exercise, awareness about breast cancer, belief that breast cancer can be detected early, belief that early detection improves the chance of survival, family history of cancer, family history of breast cancer, awareness about BSE, and belief that BSE is necessary, significantly influenced the practice of BSE among women. Practice of BSE on monthly basis was found to be 47.2% among the study participants. The socio-demographic characteristics significantly influence the practice of BSA among women in Malaysia. The findings of this study might not only influence the planning of specific screening interventions and strategies in Malaysia but might also be important for the relevant international communities, interested in the peculiarities of BSE incidence in different countries.

Low carbon urban development strategy in Malaysia – The case of Iskandar Malaysia development corridor

Sustainability policies that have quantitative emission or carbon footprint measurements are important in view of climate change and current rapid urbanization in developing countries like Malaysia. Although sustainability policies are mentioned in national development plan as early as in the 1990s, many of these policies are piecemeal and expressed qualitatively. In achieving environmental sustainability, planning of city or a region can be more functional and implementable by using low carbon city concept. Planning a low carbon city uses sustainable development principles; this demonstrates a high level of energy efficiency using low carbon energy sources and production technologies. It also adopts patterns of consumption and behavior that are consistent with low levels of greenhouse gas emissions in the urban areas. The planning of the fast developing region of Iskandar Malaysia, which is located in southern part of Peninsular Malaysia, provides a good opportunity for urban managers to incorporate the ideas of low carbon cities in this proposed high growth urban conurbation. This paper aims to explore implementation of the concept and vision of low carbon scenarios and examine the strategies toward the reduction of CO2 emission. This study also prepares a quantitative scenario study on the establishment of low carbon urban development in Iskandar Malaysia.

Stereotyping in Graduate Education: An Insight of Women’s Participation in Malaysia

An equal access to the higher education in terms of gender has been successfully promoted in Malaysia. An increasing number of women succeeded in having secured places and graduating from local private and public universities in this country. This shows that more and more women have gone through higher education, and a significant number of them are now holding high posts both in the private and the public sectors. This is the result of various government policies n human capital development. Consequently, the previously ‘denied’ right of women to higher education because of gender is now a history in this country and more women are pursuing graduate education. This paper attempts to analyze an involvement of women in higher education in Malaysia with particular reference to graduate study in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The study shows an increasing interest and access to programs related to sciences and technical field by women, as opposed to the art and education which were previously associated with women. This trend signals a positive development of women’s involvement in higher education in preparing knowledgeable human resources to the nation, and thus provides a strong support to the women empowering strategy in Malaysia.

The involvement of accountants in corporate strategy in Malaysia: a stewardship theory perspective

The purpose of the research is to ascertain the extent and nature of accountants’ involvement in the formulation phase of corporate strategy in Malaysian public listed companies (PLCs). This is achieved using the triangulation approach consisting of survey questionnaires and interviews. The findings reveal that accountants in Malaysia are involved in the formulation phase of corporate strategy. At this stage, accountants appear to be discharging their stewardship role, and are involved even in the very initial stage of advising management with strategic proposals, directly helping to formulate proposals and even shaping the strategic framework, which ensure that only strategic proposals that lie within the current concept of strategy is submitted and deliberated.

Internationalization of Higher Education: A Case Study of Policy Adjustment Strategy in Malaysia

At the beginning of the new millennium, Malaysia aspires to become a regional hub for education. Therefore, there is an adjustment strategy in Malaysian higher education policy. Among other elements are and the liberalization of the higher education sector in 1997, which led to the development of language-in-education policy; and the formation of the Ministry of Higher Education in 2004. This policy encompasses the economic, political and socio-cultural domains. Instead of only analyzing economic, political and socio-cultural viewpoints, we analyze this policy from the knowledge perspective. We review the literature on the link between knowledge and policy-making. Then, with emphasis on English language usage, we review language policy in general, and in Malaysia. Case study approach is used; because this gives an in-depth understanding of the policy-making process in Malaysia. The Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, policy-making process is the case study. Prior to the case study analysis, we also review the general policy-making process in Malaysia. The findings show that first; the Ministry of Higher Education of the Malaysian Federal Government is generally responsible for most of the policy-making process. And second, benchmarking with international best practices is one of the bases for the development of higher education policy in Malaysia.

Protection of Marine Biodiversity from Pollution: Legal Strategies in Malaysia

This paper discusses sources of marine pollution in Malaysia and examines existing provisions under the law relevant to the control of such pollution. Being a maritime nation as well as one of the top biodiversity-rich countries in the world, it is important for Malaysia to give its full commitment in conserving her mega-diverse ecosystems, including that of the richly endowed seas. At present, the well being of Malaysia’s marine biodiversity is facing increasing threat from various sources, notably that of land-based and vessel-based pollution. Malaysia takes pollution issue seriously, and joins other key maritime nations in enhancing her legal regime in dealing with marine pollution. This paper seeks to highlight Malaysia’s continuous effort towards marine pollution control through the application of both domestic and international law. Significantly, such effort can be used as a reference by other maritime nations for the purpose of collective marine environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.

Hazardous waste management: current status and future strategies in Malaysia

Although Malaysia is a model for economic success amongst Southeast Asian countries with its impressive development over the last 36 years, it has not been without its detrimental effects on the natural environment. The most apparent effect is the drastic increase in the generation of hazardous wastes. This paper highlights Malaysia's current status in hazardous waste management and the potential major difficulties. The principles, objectives and the remedial plans for hazardous waste control are also explained in detail and have been stipulated in the environmental policies as issued by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Ministry, Malaysia.

Combating Corruption and Managing Integrity in Malaysia: A Critical Overview of Recent Strategies and Initiatives

The Government of Malaysia has made continuous efforts and put in place an elaborate set of strategies and institutions aimed at combating corruption and promoting integrity in the society. The nation’s anti-corruption drive has lately received a major boost. The Badawi government that came to power in 2003 following 22 years of the Mahathir era declared containing corruption as its main priority which was followed by a series of concrete measures. However, the governmental attempts and strategies in Malaysia appear to have met with little success, as evidenced by the current data that suggests entrenched corruption in the society. Evidence shows that despite governmental campaigns and initiatives, corruption has remained acute, widespread and, in fact, worsened in recent years. This paper presents a critical overview of the anti-corruption strategies being followed in Malaysia and explores the problems and limitations of the current approach to fighting corruption and managing integrity in the society.

Keris Mas's Critique of Islamic Rituals in Malay Life

Keris Mas’s final two novels present a severe critique of secular devel opment strategies in Malaysia. He uses a multiple perspective ethnographic approach that is a metaphor for his rejection of colonial global economic development engineering that takes little account of moral consequences or the poverty of Malay villagers. In the first, he attacks amoral international capitalism by following a Malay entrepreneur and his entourage. The second novel shows how elite groups in the late colonial period approved Islamic practices that supported hegemonic colonial business ideologies. All Keris’s characters present distinctive ways of looking at events as they unfold.

The Production and Characterisation of Trichotoxin Peptaibols, by Trichoderma asperellum

Trichoderma spp. are regularly found as a constituent of the mycoflora of many soils and are noted for their antagonistic activity against bacteria and other fungi. This latter property is the basis for the widespread interest in their use in the biological control of soil-borne fungal plant pathogens. This antagonism is partly based on their ability to produce an impressive inventory of secondary metabolites. An important group of bioactive metabolites produced by Trichoderma spp. are the non-ribosomal peptides (NRPs), especially the peptaibols. A virulent antagonistic strain, T. asperellum, which had been used in biological control strategies in Malaysia and previously examined for mycolytic enzyme production, has been studied for its potential for peptaibol production. The present research demonstrated the ability of T. asperellum to produce at least two metabolites which were identified as acid trichotoxin 1704E (Ac-Aib-Gly-Aib-Leu-Aib-Gln-Aib-Aib-Aib-Ala-Ala-Aib-Pro-Leu-Aib-Iva-Glu-Vol) and neutral trichotoxin 1717A (Ac-Aib-Gly-Aib-Leu-Aib-Gln-Aib-Aib-Aib-Ala-Aib-Aib-Pro-Leu-Aib-Iva-Gln-Vol). Addition of free Aib to the culture medium enhanced the production of trichotoxins. Biological activity of these substances was investigated against Bacillus stearothermophilus. The general characteristics of peptaibols, also found in the trichotoxins, include the presence of high proportions of the uncommon amino acid Aib, the protection of the N- and C-termini by an acetyl group and reduction of the C-terminus to 2-amino alcohols, respectively, amphipathy and microheterogeneity.

Business services and the knowledge economy in Malaysia

PurposeThis paper aims to argue that the World Bank‐sanctioned strategy of investing in knowledge economy infrastructure will not make a developing country competitive in the highest value activities such as research, design and innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines Malaysia's efforts to increase its national income and change its position from a “middle‐income” country to one with a standard of living equivalent to a developed country by 2020. Specifically, it analyses Malaysia's strategy of constructing a multimedia super corridor, a multibillion‐dollar state‐led project to attract knowledge‐intensive operations to Malaysia.FindingsDespite the creation of a world‐class infrastructure, the Malaysian government has not been successful in realising its original aim of creating a cutting‐edge multimedia research and development hub. Instead a thriving business support services sector has developed. Therefore, it is by no means a guaranteed way to close the gap between rich and poor nations.Research limitations/implicationsOfficial data relating to the activities of firms not only are limited but also have been made problematic by changes in categorisation over the relevant years. Analysis that is more conclusive requires the publication of official data with greater detail about firm activities and a standardised reporting format over time.Originality/valueThis is one of the first academic studies discussing the rise of the business services industry in Malaysia and its relationship with the MSC infrastructure development project.

Hawker food industry: food safety/public health strategies in Malaysia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the socio‐demographic factors affecting food safety knowledge/practice and the effectiveness of food safety strategies of hawkers in an urban and less urban setting of Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachA total of 50 hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Taiping were given a questionnaire and observed in their food safety practice (FSP). In‐depth interviews were performed on four hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Taiping.Practical implicationsOf all hawker types, Muslim/Malay hawkers, hawkers with higher educational levels, hawkers in designated sites and hawkers in an urban setting scored the highest on food safety knowledge and/or practice. This study found inadequate distribution/impracticality of regulations/guidelines for hawkers, ambiguities with licensing procedures, weaknesses in training programmes and significant complaints of designated sites by hawkers.Originality/valueEthnicity, religion, education and type of premise are socio‐demographic factors that may affect food safety knowledge/practices of hawkers. An urban/less urban setting may also affect hawkers' food safety knowledge/practice. Ineffectiveness of food safety strategies of the Control Authority may exist and may vary across different regions of Malaysia. Thus, food safety strategies must be regulated/reinforced and adapted to hawkers' socio‐demographic status, to ensure the safety of hawker foods in Malaysia.

Do the Macroeconomic Effects of Capital Controls Vary by Type? : Evidence from Malaysia

I. Introduction Malaysia's experience with temporary controls on short-term capital flows are germane to the contemporary debate on how developing countries can manage integration with world financial markets. In 1994, Malaysia resorted to controls on inflows of short-term capital to re-establish monetary control amid rising inflationary pressures. Several years later, during the Asian crisis, Malaysia restricted outflows of short-term portfolio capital and deinternationalized the use of its domestic currency, in a bid to contain speculation against the ringgit, stabilize short-term capital flows, and regain monetary policy independence. How successful was Malaysia's strategy of using temporary controls to manage short-term capital flows? A consensus view on this issue has yet to be reached. The literature on Malaysia's 1994 controls is scarce and largely limited to descriptive analyses, while the controversial role of capital controls in Malaysia's recovery from the Asian crisis has come under intense scrutiny in both academic and policy-making circles. (1) The authorities consider that capital controls were a critical component of the policy response to the 1997-98 crisis. By eliminating offshore trading of the ringgit, and thus curtailing the speculative pressures on the exchange rate, controls enabled them to ease monetary and fiscal policies and rehabilitate the banking and corporate sectors. However, analytically, it is difficult to differentiate the effects of capital controls from other contemporaneous factors. As Rudiger Dornbusch summed up in 2001: The costs or benefits of capital controls remain ambiguous. Malaysia had more favorable preconditions, it did not do appreciably better, and the timing of controls coincided with the reversal of the yen appreciation, the end of the crisis elsewhere, and Fed rate cuts that put an end to the crisis atmosphere in world markets. However, because the costs are ambiguous, there is no evidence that the institution of capital controls or the failure to apply an explicit IMF program has yet resulted in any obvious detrimental effects. (2) In tandem with imposing capital controls, Malaysia pegged the ringgit to the U.S. dollar at a rate that many analysts believed undervalued the domestic currency. (3) The undervaluation made capital controls largely redundant: they became necessary neither for sustaining the exchange rate regime, despite an aggressive monetary and fiscal expansion, nor for engineering a recovery, which was largely led by exports. And since they were imposed after a substantial amount of capital had already left Malaysia, the controls were also not tested by any significant pressures for capital outflows. The costs of the 1998 controls are also not obvious. Beyond the immediate but short-lived deterioration in credit ratings and spreads, it would seem far-fetched to attribute the post-crisis decline in foreign investment and activity in financial markets exclusively to capital controls. Moreover, the Malaysian authorities took steps to minimize the costs of controls, relaxing them shortly after introduction, so that in their strongest form capital controls were effectively in place for less than six months. Given the difficulty of disentangling the effects of the 1998 capital controls from other policies, it is not surprising that existing empirical studies tend to attribute Malaysia's successful recovery to these controls. Kaplan and Rodrik (2001), for example, find that Malaysia's recovery was faster and less painful when they compare Malaysia's performance in the year after the introduction of capital controls with Korea's and Thailand's performance in the year after the start of their IMF-supported programmes. This analysis, of course, assumes that the economic situation in Malaysia in September 1998, when the country introduced capital controls, was similar to that in those other crisis countries when they adopted IMF-supported programmes. …

Sustainable Development—An Institutional Enclave (with Special Reference to the Bakun Dam–Induced Development Strategy in Malaysia)

Sustainable Development—An Institutional Enclave (with Special Reference to the Bakun Dam–Induced Development Strategy in Malaysia)

Sustainable Energy Strategy for the New Millennium—The Bakun's Dam Strategy Versus Photovoltaic Technology

“Mega dam-induced development” represents one of the most critical causes of irreversible disappearance of geomorphic wonders or extinction of many rare plants and animal species in the world. Taking this as a point of departure, this article investigates the general thrusts of the Malaysian Bakun's dam technology in harnessing its national development policy under the litancy of sustainable development. It also explores the relevant of Photovoltaic technology vis-à-vis Bakun's technology as a long-term development strategy in Malaysia.

WAP as Marketing Strategy in Malaysia - An Assessment

WAP as Marketing Strategy in Malaysia - An Assessment