Syed Shah Alam, Ali Khatibi, Mohd. Ismail Sayyed Ahmad and Hishamuddin Bin Ismail
This paper sets out to examine the factors influencing internet‐based e‐commerce in the electronic manufacturing companies in Malaysia.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper sets out to examine the factors influencing internet‐based e‐commerce in the electronic manufacturing companies in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample data are derived from a questionnaire survey of 194 companies selected from the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturer lists to investigate the study hypotheses. Roger's five innovation diffusion characteristics were considered as factors that affect EC adoption and security/confidentiality was taken as an additional factor for this study.
Findings
The multiple regression analysis results indicate that relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability and security appear significant. Relative advantage and compatibility have positive and significant influence on EC adoption whereas complexity and security have negative effects. This study also revealed a non‐significant relationship between trialability and e‐commerce adoption.
Research limitations/implications
The results are limited within the sample of electronic manufacturing companies in Malaysia, so the results cannot be generalized.
Originality/value
This study provides a greater understanding of managers' perception of e‐commerce adoption in their manufacturing companies. Those interested in promoting their business online may find these results helpful in guiding their efforts.
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Sharimllah Devi Ramachandran, Siong Choy Chong and Hishamuddin Ismail
The main objective of this paper to study the organisational culture (OC) in private and public higher education institutions (HEIs) from the perspective of faculty members in…
Abstract
Purpose
The main objective of this paper to study the organisational culture (OC) in private and public higher education institutions (HEIs) from the perspective of faculty members in order to provide empirical insights on the differences and consequently pave an avenue for cross‐learning.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 594 faculty members (33.9 per cent from public HEIs and 52.8 per cent from private HEIs) using the competing values framework (CVF).
Findings
The factor analysis results reveal an important confirmation of the theoretical findings in the literature with respect to the four OC types (i.e. clan, adhocracy, hierarchical, and market) that were originally developed for use in the corporate sector. The independent sample t‐test results suggest that the faculty members perceive all the four OC types as being significantly different between public and private HEIs.
Practical implications
This paper raises awareness and provides initial guidelines to both public and private HEIs in formulating strategies on how to deal properly with their OC from the perspective of their faculty members for the attainment of organisational goals and vision.
Originality/value
This article extends knowledge on OC differences between the public and private higher education – an enabler for change management of sorts. Being among the first of its kind, it further opens up new lines of future research possibilities.
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Zauwiyah Ahmad, Hishamuddin Ismail and R. N. Anantharaman
The purpose of this paper is to study accounting students’ intentions to pursue their careers as accountants and modelling this within the context of Malaysian accounting…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study accounting students’ intentions to pursue their careers as accountants and modelling this within the context of Malaysian accounting education.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered via a questionnaire survey involving undergraduate accounting students. Factor analysis, independent sample t-tests, and multiple regressions were employed.
Findings
In total, four findings were derived from this study. First, within the undergraduate accounting programmes, non-commitment towards the accounting profession can still exist. Second, intrinsic interest is a significant predictor of career intentions. Third, the influence of anticipated conflict provides a new finding in relation to accounting students’ career intentions. The last finding is concerned with the influence of internship experience on students’ career intentions.
Research limitations/implications
It was assumed that differences detected between the accounting student cohorts reflect changes over time in students’ intentions.
Practical implications
Suggestions that have been previously put forward in efforts to market the accounting profession were mainly focused on promoting the extrinsic rewards. However, findings from this study suggested that sole focus on extrinsic rewards is not enough to warrant commitment towards the profession. Instead, marketing efforts should also focus on intrinsic values of the profession.
Originality/value
The study has provided evidence that anticipated conflict should be given more attention by accounting researchers. Although students’ career intentions seemed to become clearer and more uniform as they progressed with their studies, two issues remain to be addressed by education institutions and accounting professional bodies, namely anticipated conflict and the conduct of internship programme.
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Sharimllah Devi Ramachandran, Siong Choy Chong and Hishamuddin Ismail
The objective of this paper is to investigate and compare the practices of knowledge management (KM) processes, which have been grounded in the KM literature, between public and…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper is to investigate and compare the practices of knowledge management (KM) processes, which have been grounded in the KM literature, between public and private higher education institutions (HEIs).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 594 academics from three public and three private HEIs in Malaysia.
Findings
The analyses suggest that all the six KM processes (knowledge creation, capture, organisation, storage, dissemination, and application) are moderately practiced by the institutions surveyed and that there are significant differences in the overall practices of KM processes between the public and private HEIs.
Practical implications
This paper raises awareness and provides initial guidelines to the HEIs as knowledge‐intensive organisations in formulating strategies on how to properly implement and manage their KM processes.
Originality/value
This study has extended knowledge in KM for it is probably the first to provide a comparative analysis between public and private HEIs. It further opens up new lines of future research possibilities.
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Tuan‐Hock Ng, Lee‐Lee Chong and Hishamuddin Ismail
The purpose of this paper is to identify the relationships between risk management committee characteristics and risk taking of the Malaysia's insurance companies, from 2003‐2011…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the relationships between risk management committee characteristics and risk taking of the Malaysia's insurance companies, from 2003‐2011. The paper aims to examine three identified characteristics of a risk management committee, namely, size, independence, and number of meetings.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample comprises 329 observations throughout the nine years' time frame until 2011. Pearson's correlation, pooled ordinary least squares regression, and panel regression model are used in this study. Sensitivity testing with an alternative measure of underwriting risk is also performed.
Findings
Out of the three characteristics, size and committee independence appear to be negatively associated with underwriting risk. Meanwhile, the frequency of risk management committee meetings is insignificant in this study.
Research limitations/implications
The sample of this study is limited to the Malaysia's insurance sector only.
Originality/value
A risk management committee is an influencing force for risk oversight and the internal control system. The empirical evidence enriches the understanding of corporate governance in the context of the role of a risk management committee.
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Tuan Hock Ng, Lee Lee Chong and Hishamuddin Ismail
The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on how a firm's size is related to risk taking of Malaysia's insurance companies, from 2000‐2010.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on how a firm's size is related to risk taking of Malaysia's insurance companies, from 2000‐2010.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample used for empirical testing in this study comprised direct insurance firms licensed under Malaysia's Insurance Act 1996, for the time frame between 2000 and 2010. Pearson's correlation, fixed and random effects models, and the system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) method were used in this study.
Findings
Both the fixed effects and the system GMM panel data regression models suggested a positive link between the insurance firm size and underwriting risk. For the robustness test, the results of the analysis using changes in data broadly resemble the outputs of the levels estimation.
Research limitations/implications
The sample of this study is limited to Malaysia's insurance sector only.
Originality/value
Advocates of the too‐big‐to‐fail (TBTF) theory believe that government support and the guarantee of a financial bailout are warranted for large financial institutions facing crises, for the main purpose of avoiding disruptions within a country's economy. The drawback, however, may be that the TBTF doctrine is the culprit behind excessive risk taking by insurance firms of large proportions. A number of regulatory concerns have been raised and addressed from this study.
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Mohammed Abdulai Mahmoud and Baba Yusif
Nonprofit organisations (NPOs) are challenged with continuous change, which provides the impetus for adopting organisational change models. The purpose of this paper is to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
Nonprofit organisations (NPOs) are challenged with continuous change, which provides the impetus for adopting organisational change models. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the adoption of market and learning orientations on NPO performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors draw on extant management literature to theorise the interrelationship between market orientation, learning orientation, and economic and non‐economic NPO performance. Using a survey design, the authors draw a convenience sample of 118 NPOs in Ghana to test their theoretisation.
Findings
Evidence is found that although the relationship between market orientation and NPO performance is significant (on both economic and non‐economic indicators), what best accounts for enhanced performance is learning orientation. Additionally, non‐economic performance mediates the relationship between learning orientation and economic performance.
Research limitations/implications
Replicating the study with larger samples, using objective performance data, and applying more rigorous approach to data analysis, among other things, could significantly improve the generalisability of the results.
Practical implications
NPO managers are reminded that non‐economic performance (e.g. service or program effectiveness) represents part of the underlying mechanism through which the financial assurances of market and learning orientations can be exploited.
Originality/value
The paper builds on the market orientation literature by theorising and demonstrating empirically a route through which market orientation is related to the firm's financial performance.
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Su Peng Loh, Hishamuddin Omar, Abdul Salam Abdullahl and Maznah Ismail
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of calcium supplementation on the iron bioavailability from spirulina (SP) and ferrous sulphate (FE) as reference in iron…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of calcium supplementation on the iron bioavailability from spirulina (SP) and ferrous sulphate (FE) as reference in iron deficient rats.
Design/methodology/approach
Sixty‐four weanling male Sprague‐Dawley rats were first depleted of iron by giving low iron diet for a period of 28 days. The anaemic rats were repleted with iron sources from SP, spirulina+CaCO3 (SPC), FE, FeSO4+CaCO3 (FEC), normal diet (ND), normal diet+CaCO3 (NDC) for 21 days. Iron level of FE supplementation was twice the level of that in SP supplementation. Haematological variables were measured on the last day of preexperimental period and at the end of the repletion period.
Findings
Paired samples t‐test at P<0.05 showed that haemoglobin (Hb) and haematocrit (Ht) was increased in all the groups. The diet with added calcium did not significantly inhibit haemoglobin repletion after 21 days in SP and FE. The haemoglobin repletion efficiency (HRE) was significantly higher in rats fed with SP compared to FE (P>0.05). The presence of calcium did not significantly reduce the HRE of these groups.
Originality/value
This paper provides information on effects of additional calcium on iron bioavailability from SP as the intake of dietary supplementation is increasing worldwide.
AbdurRaheem A. Yakub, Kamalahasan Achu, Hishamuddin Mohd Ali and Rohaya Abdul Jalil
There are a plethora of putative influencing variables available in the literature for modelling real estate prices using AI. Their choice tends to differ from one researcher to…
Abstract
Purpose
There are a plethora of putative influencing variables available in the literature for modelling real estate prices using AI. Their choice tends to differ from one researcher to the other, consequently leading to subjectivity in the selection process. Thus, there is a need to seek the viewpoint of practitioners on the applicability and level of significance of these academically established variables.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the Delphi technique, this study collated and structured the 35 underlying micro- and macroeconomic parameters derived from literature and eight variables suggested by 11 selected real estate experts. The experts ranked these variables in order of influence using a seven-point Likert scale with a reasonable consensus during the fourth round (Kendall's W = 0.7418).
Findings
The study discovered that 16 variables are very influential with seven being extremely influential. These extremely influential variables include flexibility, adaptability of design, accessibility to the building, the size of office spaces, quality of construction, state of repairs, expected capital growth and proximity to volatile areas.
Practical implications
The results of this study improve the quality of data available to valuers towards a fortified price prediction for investors, and thereby, restoring the valuers' credibility and integrity.
Originality/value
The “volatility level of an area”, which was revealed as a distinct factor in the survey is used to add to current knowledge concerning office price. Hence, this study offers real estate practitioners and researchers valuable knowledge on the critical variables that must be considered in AI-based price modelling.