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This study aimed at exploring the differential effects of different corporate governance (CG) indicators on risk management practices in Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) and conventional financial institutions (CFIs) of Pakistan. It also investigated the moderating role of institutional quality (IQ) in shaping the effects of CG practices on financial institutions of Pakistan.

A sample of 57 financial institutions including commercial banks, insurance companies and Modarba companies over the period 2006–2017 is used to carry out the empirical analysis. The authors applied the robust two-step system-generalized method of moments estimator, which is also called the dynamic panel data estimator. They also built the PCA-based composite index of CG and IQ by using different indicators to investigate the moderating role of IQ. They used three proxies for risk taking, five for CG and one for Shari’ah governance. To test the validity of the instruments, they applied the Arellano and Bond’s (1991) AR (1) and AR (2) tests and the J-statistic of Hansen (1982).

The results provided strong evidence that several individual characteristics of CG and the composite index are significantly related to the operational risk, the liquidity risk and the Z-score (a proxy for solvency risk). The results also revealed that IQ significantly and substantially contributes in reducing the level of risks. Finally, the estimation results indicated that the effects of CG on risk management are significantly different at IFIs and CFIs. This differential impact is mainly attributed to the fundamental differences in business models, operational strategies and contractual obligations of both types of institutions.

The findings of this study are important for enhancing our understanding of how CG relates to risk taking in Islamic and conventional financial services industries and how good quality institutions are important for formulating the governance effects on the risk-taking behavior of financial institutions. The findings suggest that a suitable size of board should be chosen to manage the risk effectively. As the findings show that the risk-taking behavior of IFIs differs from that of CFIs, the regulators and international standard setting bodies should tailor the regulatory frameworks accordingly.

This paper is different from the existing studies in four aspects. First, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical investigation in Pakistan, which does the comparison of IFIs and CFIs while examining the impacts of CG on risk management. Second, the paper constructs the composite index of CG by considering several different indicators of governance and examines the combined effect of governance indicators on risk management process. Third, this paper adds to the growing literature on the role of IQ by investigating whether it acts as a moderator between CG structures and risk management and if yes, then whether this moderating role is different for IFIs and CFIs. Finally, the paper builds upon the existing research work on the CG effects for different types of financial institutions by proposing a single regression based analytical framework for comparing the effects across two different types of institutions, harvesting the benefits of higher degrees of freedom and avoiding/minimizing the measurement error.

The purpose of this paper is to validate the Press Ganey Questionnaire (PGQ) (Bahasa Melayu version) using Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) patients.

This cross-sectional study comprised 252 patients visiting HUSM. Patients were selected using the convenience sampling method. The PGQ (Bahasa Melayu version) had three main factors: during your visit; your care provider and overall assessment. Data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling.

The exploratory factor analysis resulted in item reduction from 21 to 17, which contained four factors with eigenvalues greater than 1. Meanwhile, confirmatory factor analysis results showed that data fitted the model: χ²/df at 1.764, comparative fit index at 0.952, Tucker–Lewis index at 0.941 and root mean square error of approximation at 0.073. The average variance extracted value for the four factors was greater than 0.50, which indicated that PGQ convergent validity was met. Overall, PGQ produced good reliability with composite reliability score equals to 0.966. Four factors were reclassified as “during your registration,” “hospital staff attitude,” “doctor’s attitude” and “overall assessment.”

Patient satisfaction is an important and frequently used indicator for measuring healthcare quality; hence, a validated and reliable instrument is important for measuring patient satisfaction that leads to healthcare service quality assessment.

Validated PGQ provides some useful information for doctors, medical assistants, nurses and staff in the emergency department to help them become more prominent and efficient in their role as healthcare providers.

Validated PGQ will help healthcare providers to deliver the best and exceptional care toward emergency patient, and thus improve their quality of work life. The findings in this study can be used as a guide or as baseline data for further research in this area.

The PQG (Bahasa Melayu version) was confirmed as a reliable and valid instrument for measuring patient satisfaction. This research is the first PGQ validation study in Southeast Asia, specifically focusing on Malaysian respondents.

The various quality improvement (QI) frameworks and maturity models described in the health services literature consider some aspects of QI while excluding others. This paper aims to present a concerted attempt to create a quality improvement maturity model (QIMM) derived from holistic principles underlying the successful implementation of system-wide QI programmes.

A hybrid methodology involving a systematic review (Phase 1) of over 270 empirical research articles and books developed the basis for the proposed QIMM. It was followed by expert interviews to refine the core constructs and ground the proposed QIMM in contemporary QI practice (Phase 2). The experts included academics in two academic conferences and 59 QI managers from the New Zealand health-care system. In-depth interviews were conducted with QI managers to ascertain their views on the QIMM and its applicability in their respective health organisations (HOs).

The QIMM consists of four dimensions of organisational maturity, namely, strategic, process, supply chain and philosophical maturity. These dimensions progress through six stages, namely, identification, ad-hoc, formal, process-driven, optimised enterprise and finally a way of life. The application of the QIMM by the QI managers revealed that the scope of QI and the breadth of the principles adopted by the QI managers and their HOs in New Zealand is limited.

The importance of QI in health systems cannot be overstated. The proposed QIMM can help HOs diagnose their current state and provide a guide to action achieving a desirable state of quality improvement maturity. This QIMM avoids reliance on any single QI methodology. HOs – using the QIMM – should retain full control over the process of selecting any QI methodology or may even cherry-pick principles to suit their needs as long as they understand and appreciate the true nature and scope of quality overstated. The proposed QIMM can help HOs diagnose their current state and provide a guide to action achieving a desirable state of quality improvement maturity. This QIMM avoids reliance on any single QI methodology. HOs – using the QIMM – should retain full control over the process of selecting any QI methodology or may even cherry-pick principles to suit their needs as long as they understand and appreciate the true nature and scope of quality.

This paper contributes new knowledge by presenting a maturity model with an integrated set of quality principles for HOs and their extended supply networks.

Extant research documents the importance of lean thinking for organizations, however, as prior research has largely focused on hard lean practices, but little is known about the effects or the significance of soft lean practices. This research attempts to address this issue by examining how soft lean practices enhance organizational lean readiness, and in turn increase the success of lean implementation.

This research adopts a single case study design in a small-medium enterprise livestock feed manufacturing organization, and investigates the period from late 2011 through the end of 2019 covering two attempts at lean implementation – an initial failed attempt followed by a successful introduction of lean within the case organization. The research analyzes interviews with 29 managers and employees from all organizational levels and departments within the case organization. Secondary data including organizational documents and performance measures and metrics were also incorporated into the research design.

Drawing on agency theory, the authors advance a principal-agent interaction perspective to conceptualize organizational lean readiness – specifically, the authors consider the “state or condition” of four agency factors (goal conflict, information asymmetry, risk aversion and length of relationship), and explore if these four agency factors can be utilized as proxies for organizational readiness for lean implementation. The authors identify the formation of a shared vision and identity within the organization as an effective mechanism through which soft lean practices enhance organizational lean readiness. Finally, the analysis offers an understanding of how the long-term success of lean implementation is improved by the introduction of soft lean practices as a prerequisite to create organizational readiness for the implementation of hard lean practices.

The study is unique in the sense that it empirically links agency theory and the role of soft lean practices in developing organizational lean readiness in a small-medium enterprise context by defining the ideal state of four agency factors as proxies for organizational readiness.

The purpose of the proposed model is to assist the e-business to predict the churned users using machine learning. This paper aims to monitor the customer behavior and to perform decision-making accordingly.

The proposed model uses the 2-D convolutional neural network (CNN; a technique of deep learning). The proposed model is a layered architecture that comprises two different phases that are data load and preprocessing layer and 2-D CNN layer. In addition, the Apache Spark parallel and distributed framework is used to process the data in a parallel environment. Training data is captured from Kaggle by using Telco Customer Churn.

The proposed model is accurate and has an accuracy score of 0.963 out of 1. In addition, the training and validation loss is extremely less, which is 0.004. The confusion matric results show the true-positive values are 95% and the true-negative values are 94%. However, the false-negative is only 5% and the false-positive is only 6%, which is effective.

This paper highlights an inclusive description of preprocessing required for the CNN model. The data set is addressed more carefully for the successful customer churn prediction.

This paper aims to present simulation studies on voltage and electric field characteristics for imperfect ceramic insulators using QuickField^TM software. Based on previous studies, it is accepted that string insulator can still serve the transmission line although imperfect of certain insulator exist in a string. However, different materials of porcelain and glass type had made these insulators own different abilities to carry electricity to be transferred to the consumers.

Cap and pin type of porcelain and glass insulators are used as the main subject for comparison. The simulation works begins with modeling a single insulator, followed by string of ten insulators with their respective applied voltage, that is, 11 and 132 kV. The insulator was modeled in alternate current conduction analysis problem type using QuickField Professional Software. Technical parameters for porcelain and glass insulator were manually inserted in the modeling.

This paper presents an investigation on the influence of broken porcelain and glass insulators in string for voltage and electric field characteristics. For single insulator, the voltage distribution may literally reduce when experiencing external damages; whereby the broken porcelain insulator condition is worse than the glass insulator. In terms of electric field distribution, the glass insulator is badly affected compared with the porcelain insulator, as it is pulverized comprehensively.

Further work needs to be done to establish whether the experiments of these simulations study will present coequal outcomes. This study endeavors in promoting a good example of voltage and electric field characteristics across high voltage (HV) insulator with the presence of broken insulator in the string.

This study is beneficial to future researchers and manufacturing companies in strategic management and research planning when they involve in the field of HV insulators. It will also serve as a future reference for academic and study purposes. This research will also educate many people on how HV insulators work.

This study will be helpful to the industry and business practitioners in training for the additional results and knowledge to be updated in the area of HV insulators.

This paper presents the analysis of porcelain and glass insulators according to their respective logic conditions when broken. Consequently, the existence of a damage insulator in a string may alter the distribution of voltage and electric field which may ultimately lead to the insulation breakdown after some time. This is because the broken insulator may cause other insulators to withstand the remaining voltage allocated for that particular insulator and may affect the insulators in terms of the life span. Therefore, the distribution of voltage and electrical field characteristics in the presence of broken insulators had been studied in this project.

This study aims to evaluate the knowledge structure of knowledge management (KM) applications within small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In pursuit of excellence, SMEs must adopt KM like large corporations, even with limited resources.

Through a bibliometric approach, this study evaluates current themes based on bibliographic coupling analysis and predicts future trends based on coword analysis. A total of 726 documents and 2,658 keywords were derived from the Web of Science database.

Findings show four clusters in bibliographic coupling and three in coword analysis. A common theme discovered converged on digital technology to ensure SMEs follow current market trends.

Advanced application of Industry 4.0 requires digital transformation for SMEs’ pursuit of excellence. Implications include sustaining SMEs through a considerable KM system integrated with digital technology for sustainable business activities.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to provide a science mapping analysis on KM in SMEs by applying a bibliometric analysis.

The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive examination of the concept of green human resources management (GHRM) within the context of higher education institutions (HEIs). The GHRM concept has emerged from the broader environmental management concept in the last decade. Its adoption has diffused in many sectors, particularly manufacturing, but empirical studies in HEIs are lacking. HEIs, as the epitome of knowledge creation and dissemination, should lead the GHRM initiative as an example to the corporate world and the public.

The approach applied is based on the systematic literature review approach to draw inferences, analyze and summarize past studies based on the PRISMA method. Several research streams were identified: (1) academic and non-academic GHRM, (2) theoretical foundation, (3) qualitative and quantitative studies, and (4) green training and development.

This review discovered that GHRM implementation in HEIs leads to better sustainability efforts within academic institutions. It is relevant to stakeholders, policymakers, and HEIs’ top management to strategize in making the academic institution the torchbearer of sustainable practice and a role model for other sectors and communities.

This study provides implications towards the application of GHRM in HEIs to elevate academic institutions as the torchbearers for sustainability development. The implicit findings based on the research streams produced can benefit future studies in HEIs to adopt best practices in green activities, particularly GHRM. The implication of GHRM in HEIs would impart individual green, cautious, and sustainability practices holistically and comprehensively, improving behavior towards overall higher education activities involving academics, students, administrative staff, and the overall community ecosystem.

This study makes a significant contribution to the existing literature by systematically elucidating the role of GHRM in HEIs, providing insights for academics and policymakers seeking to promote sustainable practices.

The study aims to explore factors that influence students’ academic performance in the context of physical ergonomics and assess the mediating effect of motivation between lighting, noise, temperature, chair design and students’ performance from the student’s perspective.

The research was categorised as a correlational study and employed non-contrived and cross-sectional methods to achieve its objectives. The target population was university students aged 18 years old and above enrolled in Malaysia’s higher education institutions. Due to the inaccessibility of the sample frame, convenience sampling, a type of non-probability sampling, was utilised. Data collection was conducted through an online survey primarily distributed among student groups.

The study’s findings reveal that only two exogenous variables, lighting and noise, directly influence students' performance. Additionally, motivation is a potent and significant factor in shaping students' performance. Motivation is also identified as a mediator in the complex relationship between lighting, noise, temperature and student performance. Surprisingly, although temperature does not directly influence student performance, it indirectly influences performance through motivation.

This study is an original exploration into the intricate factors shaping students' academic performance within the domain of physical ergonomics from a student perspective. The research uniquely investigates the mediating impact of motivation on the relationships between lighting, noise, temperature, seating arrangements and academic outcomes. The findings will contribute novel insights to the existing body of knowledge, offering a distinct perspective on the complex dynamics that influence student learning experiences and performance in educational settings.

This study aims to examine how muzakki (zakat donator) and mustahik (zakat recipients) collaborated to strengthen the fundraising capability in Islamic social finance institutions (ISFIs) during the COVID-19.

This study uses a descriptive qualitative method in conjunction with interview techniques. Interviews with muzakki of various professions were conducted, as well as data from field documentation, to develop a collaborative model of muzakki and mustahik in strengthening the fundraising capacity of ISFIs.

The findings indicate that muzakki employed as civil servants, BUMN (state-owned enterprises) employees and entrepreneurs continue to pay zakat through ISFIs and support mustahik, whereas muzakki affected by the COVID-19 pandemic reduce their zakat spending. Consequently, with the collaboration of mustahik and muzakki, a framework can be developed to strengthen the strategy for raising funds for ISFIs. By empowering mustahik with businesses, ISFIs can increase the collection of zakat funds.

The collaboration model would strengthen ISFI's ability to raise Islamic philanthropic funds and optimize their management. The basis for the regulation is contained in Law No. 23 of 2011 which allows collaboration between institutions and other stakeholders. In addition, the role of ISFIs does not end with the collection and distribution of funds, they also maintain the muzakki and mustahik's cooperation, so a significant role is required in involving muzakki and mustahik for them to collaborate and synergize, as well as improving the quality of human resource from Amil (zakat collector) to implement the strategy.

Few studies have been conducted in collaboration with Muzakki and Mustahik to develop models or frameworks for strengthening fundraising capabilities in ISFIs. Most of these studies are illustrative. Through collaboration between Muzakki and Mustahik, this research establishes a new model for enhancing the strategy of Islamic social finance fund raising to establish a sustainable system for ISFIs.