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The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of human resource management (HRM) practices that facilitate innovation in the public sector in a developing country.

Qualitative method was engaged whereby a semi-structured interview was conducted to get the responses of two groups of employees which are top management and executive in two types of public organizations which are awarded and non-awarded. The collected data was later analyzed thematically.

The results show that there are differences and similarities among the public agencies in terms of their implementation of HRM practices that facilitate innovation. Apparently, the awarded public agencies do follow HRM practices that really facilitate innovation such as local training, provide more types of rewards to their employees and set a higher minimum level of innovation in their performance evaluation.

This research confines only 10 public agencies in Malaysia. Future studies might want to include a larger sample size to make the findings more extensive. It also would be interesting to know different approaches in HRM implemented in the private organizations as well as to examine their influences on performance and other organizational factors.

Good and fair HRM practices such as training, reward and performance appraisal practices that focus on innovation facilitate and produce more innovative employees and organization innovation. Thus, public managers should implement them to a higher extent.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that aims to engage the qualitative method in understanding how HRM practices can facilitate innovation in a developing country.

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not performance of employees is determined by merit of their academic excellence, which is measured by cumulative grade point average (CGPA). This paper thus attempts to measure the variables that could possibly influence employees’ performance, such as job satisfaction, motivation and involvement in co‐curriculum activities.

An adapted version of the questionnaire used by Sarmiento et al. was utilised to assess the perceived performance of employees. Ability construct was measured in terms of employee academic qualification and skills. A 13‐item scale based on Porter was used to measure motivation. A 14‐item scale based on Hackman and Oldham's Job Diagnostic Survey was used to measure job satisfaction. In total, 340 respondents from 87 companies participated in this study.

The findings revealed that there is a weak relationship between employees’ performance with CGPA. The findings also revealed that there is a weak relationship between employees’ performance and their job satisfaction, motivation and ability.

It would be meaningful for future research if actual performance appraisal report could be obtained.

Company policy makers need to provide a wider employment opportunity to everyone and not merely to candidates based on merit of their academic excellence. Many graduates may be missing out on employment opportunities while they may be the right candidates.

This paper illustrates that academic excellence, which is the main selection criterion used by most employers, is not a determinant of employees’ performance.

This study aims to measure the effectiveness of training schemes and levy utilization in terms of cognitive gain and skills changes through increased knowledge and skills intensity to improve job performance among large companies and SMEs in Malaysia.

The study employed questionnaires as the instrument for data collection. The questionnaire was used to gather relevant information on the effectiveness of training schemes and levy utilization among companies registered under Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF).

The result of this study illustrates that the training schemes have been found to be effective in increasing the employees' knowledge and skills, as well as improving the companies' performance. SMEs' performance was better off than the large companies' after receiving the training scheme.

Encouraging SMEs to provide training has been problematic owing to the absence of empirical data to support a causal relationship between training and business success. The present study reduces this knowledge by providing empirical data on the positive outcomes experienced by SMEs participated in various training schemes.

This study was conducted on prominent government‐funded training schemes in Malaysia. No previous study has been conducted on these government‐funded training schemes.

The study aims to analyze the differences between national and expatriate academic staff perception of organizational justice in Malaysian institutions of higher learning. It also explores the role of organizational justice in shaping teaching faculties' attitude (job satisfaction and commitment) and behavioral intention (turnover intention).

The sample consisted of teaching staff belonging to several faculties drawn from four public universities in Malaysia. Sample was divided into two groups – Malaysian nationals with tenure appointments and expatriates with contractual appointments. Data were collected using standardized tools to measure the study variables.

Except for job satisfaction, where Malaysians recorded significantly higher endorsement compared to expatriates, no significant difference was found between the two groups on perception of distributive, procedural, and interactional aspects of organizational justice, as well as organizational commitment and turnover intention. However, Malaysians demonstrated significantly higher level of job satisfaction compared to expatriates. Different facets of organizational justice predicted work outcomes in the two groups. Whereas interactional and distributive justice promoted expatriates' organizational commitment and/or intention to stay with the organization, it was mainly procedural justice that contributed to local employees' job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. Distributive justice also predicted turnover intentions of locals.

The study should add to the literature on international human resource management. Organizations that employ expatriates and knowledge workers should benefit from the findings of this study.

Not many empirical studies have been conducted on university academic staffs' perception of organizational justice in an Asian context, as well as how employment practices might influence justice perception and resultant work outcomes of national citizens vs expatriates. This study attempts to fulfill the gap.

Islam urges all Muslims to perform their utmost best when they work. Giving the best requires full commitment. Employees' commitment is influenced by many factors, including the management styles within the organisation. This paper aims to examine the management of human resources from the Islamic perspective and its effects on organisational commitment among selected employees in Islamic organisations in Malaysia.

The study employed a self‐developed questionnaire that was personally distributed to employees. In total, 121 Muslim employees who work in various positions in eight Islamic organisations participated as respondents of this study.

The findings revealed that the selected organisations frequently practise the Islamic approach in all its human resource management (HRM) functions. The results of correlation and regression analysis show that the Islamic approach in HRM was highly and significantly correlated to organisational commitment. About 45 per cent of the organisational commitment variance was explained by the Islamic approach in HRM.

An introduction to the Islamic approach in HRM practices is an initial attempt to provide managers with an effective way of managing and understanding the people they work with. This knowledge would be useful to even non‐Muslim managers. For Muslim human resource managers, it is essential for them to not only know but also to apply the Islamic approach in managing employees. Non‐Muslim managers will have a better understanding of the expected behaviours of their Muslim employees. Muslim employees regardless for who they work are expected to be honest, trustworthy, and determined to continuously strive for the best.

This study is unique from other previous studies. Instead of discussing Islamic management in general, this study explores in‐depth every function of HRM based on authentic Islamic sources, as well as providing empirical evidence.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how Malaysian managers acquire job competencies through self‐directed learning activities at their workplace. Specifically it aims to investigate what types of job competencies are required for the managers, how they learn to acquire those competencies, and whether the managers have the self‐directed learning attributes and capability to acquire job competencies by self‐directed learning activities.

The data were collected through survey. The survey adapted the Self‐Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) developed by Guglielmino. In total 238 respondents participated in this study.

The findings show that the respondents have identified communication, managerial, and job knowledge as the main competencies required for their jobs. Most of these competencies are acquired through on‐the‐job training, working as part of a team and self‐education. The findings also reveal that the respondents do possess the attributes of self‐directed learners.

The findings support previous research. Given the different cultural background of the Malaysian managers, their ways of learning are similar to those of Western managers. Future research can investigate how employees in other professions learn on their jobs and what other factors may influence self‐directed learning.

Given the emphasis being placed on the importance of work place learning, it is timely to advance a workplace curriculum by integrating the everyday learning experiences and guided learning strategy in the organisation, so that the employees' learning can be facilitated more effectively.

The paper includes the different cultural context of how Malaysian managers learn.

This paper aims to examine organisational behaviour as a result of emotional contagion experienced by selected members in direct selling companies. Specifically, it seeks to investigate how members in a group are affected by the happiness of their high achievers, what factors influence the emotional contagion to occur, and what are the effects of emotional contagion on individual, group and organisation work outcomes.

The variables studied were emotional contagion, personal characteristics, group outcomes and organisational outcomes. Emotional contagion was measured by self‐report of impulsive acts; while personal characteristics were measured in terms of social desirability, extraversion, locus of control, live accomplishment, materialistic world, susceptibility to interpersonal influence, and self‐esteem. Organisational outcome variables were measured in terms of organisational commitment and organisational culture. Other variables studied were group behaviour, team player, demographic characteristics, and business organisational characteristics. A total of 276 respondents participated in this study.

It is found that emotional contagion is positively related with personal outcomes. Further findings reveal that emotional contagion has an impact on both the group and the team. The team, as a whole, is influenced not only by the emotional contagion but also by the personal characteristics of the respondents. Emotional contagion is also related to organisational outcomes. Both the group characteristics are positively related with organisational commitment. Emotional contagion is also positively related to organisational culture. Group characteristics are also positively related with organisational culture. It can be postulated that the following relationships exist between emotional contagion, personal outcomes, group outcomes, and organisational outcomes. It is also found that emotional contagion is a very important variable in the light of personal characteristics, group characteristics and organisational characteristics.

The paper focuses on a specific industry in Malaysia – direct selling – where no such study has been conducted in the past.

Training evaluation is an elusive concept, especially when it comes to practice. The practice of evaluation in training has received a lot of criticism. This criticism is largely explained by the unsystematic, informal, and ad hoc evaluation that has been conducted by training institutions. In Malaysia, training activities are monitored by the government. Organisations are required to obtain training services from approved training providers registered with the government. Examines the clients’ demand toward evaluation, the commitment given by training providers, and the overall practice of evaluation by the training providers in Malaysia. Finds that the government, client and economic situations have influenced the evaluation practice in a positive direction.

The aim of the study was to measure employees' perception of human resource development (HRD) practices, to explore whether ISO certification leads to any improvements in HRD system, and to examine the role of HRD practices on employees' development climate and quality orientation in the organization.

A total of 239 employees belonging to eight organizations (four of them ISO certified) responded to a questionnaire which measured the following variables: career system, work planning system, development system, self renewal system, and HRD system.

Results indicated large inter‐organizational differences in HRD practices. In general, however, employees' ratings were moderate. ISO certified companies, compared to others, obtained higher means on some HRD variables. Organizations with better learning, training and development systems, reward and recognition, and information systems promoted human resource development climate. Quality orientation was predicted by career planning, performance guidance and development, role efficacy, and reward and recognition systems.

Comparison between ISO and non‐ISO certified companies did yield some significant differences, yet it was difficult to conclude that the differences were due to ISO certification alone as organizations in the sample were not matched.

The findings can be used by HR practitioners and scholars in building management concerns and advocacy for better HRD systems and practices.

Very little empirical knowledge is available on this subject from transitional economies like Malaysia. The study makes a modest attempt in that direction.

In an era where religion predominantly presents an integral influence on the way most people live and work, an Islamic approach in managing human resources in Malaysia is apt. This is due to the fact that Muslim employees represent the largest percentage of the workforce in Malaysia and the Malaysian government is implementing an Islamization process in the country. The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which Muslim employees are aware of Islamic human resource management (HRM) practices and the extent to which Islamic organisations in Malaysia practice HRM based upon the Islamic approaches as outlined by the sacred Islamic texts.

This is a survey‐based research. It uses a self‐developed questionnaire for data collection. A total of 121 Muslim employees who work in Islamic organisations participate as respondents in this paper. Factor analysis is used for data analysis.

The results show that the selected Muslim employees in Islamic organisations in Malaysia are aware of the Islamic HRM practices which they practice frequently.

Religious foundations of HRM strategies are important but are rarely highlighted in the literature. This paper would become an important reference for future studies pertaining to HRM practices in the Islamic context. An introduction to Islamic human resource practices is an initial attempt to provide managers with an additional way of managing people. For Muslim human resource managers who work in Islamic organisations, i.e. those Muslim‐owned or dealing with Islamic teachings, it is an obligation for them to not only know but also to apply the Islamic approach in managing employees. Non‐Muslim managers would have a better understanding of the expected and acceptable behaviours of their Muslim employees at the workplace. Among the behaviours expected of true Muslim employees; regardless of whom they work for, are honesty, trustworthiness, and continuous determination to work for the best.

This paper is unique from other previous studies for instead of discussing Islamic management in general, this paper explores in depth every function of HRM based on authentic Islamic sources, as well as providing empirical evidence.