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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.

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.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the work challenges of employees with disabilities and predict the organisational behaviours of employees and their involvement in employment.

A self-developed questionnaire was used to gather relevant information from employers, employees with disabilities and their co-workers. The questionnaires were distributed and administered by a number of trained enumerators.

Both employers and co-workers perceived that their organisations have provided conducive organisation climate, comfortable work environment and reasonable adjustment for their employees with disabilities. Employees with disabilities are found loyal and committed. They are satisfied with the job. Organisational loyalty and commitment are predicted by the organisations’ ability to restructure their job design to suit to the needs of employees with disabilities.

Initially, this study planned to use purposive sampling; however, due to poor database maintained by the relevant agency of employees with disability employment in the country, the paper was unable to identify which employers employ how many employees with disabilities. The sampling then was based on convenient sampling.

Job design, organisational climate and comfortable work environment have long been recognised for motivating employees’ performance (Hackman et al., 1975; Garg and Rastogi, 2006). The paper's findings show that these factors also motivate employees with disabilities. This is added value to the existing body of knowledge as limited is known about the motivation of employees with disabilities.

This study is unique because it gathers data from several parties: employees with disabilities, the co-workers and the employers.

This paper seeks to examine the perception of young employees on working relationships satisfaction with communicative teamwork, mutual learning, participative decision making, and communicating feedback of the older employees in higher learning institutions in Malaysia.

A specially‐constructed questionnaire was developed for data collection. A total of 575 employees in five Malaysian universities in the Klang Valley participated in the study.

Young employees have positive teamwork relationships with the older employees. They learned a lot from the older employees as the older employees are helpful in sharing their experiences in decision making. At the same time, the young employees receive positive feedback from the older employees. However, the older employees hardly compliment the young employees for their achievements.

The current findings provide implications for future organisational and intergenerational research since most communication investigations are Western‐biased.

The findings can help both the older and the young employees have a better understanding of communication at workplace. Each generation is shaped by its experiences, which brings a variety of strengths to the workforce.

This study is unique because it examines an important issue which very little study has been conducted on the issue; the intergenerational communication in organisational setting in Asian perspectives.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the competence, performance, and trainability of older workers of higher educational institutions in Malaysia.

Survey methods were used in this study. The survey measures were adopted from Rothwell (2002) and Sarmiento et al. (2007) for performance and competence, respectively, while trainability measurements were adopted from Maurer et al. (2008). The sample of 325 respondents consisted older workers in the higher education sector aged between 55 and 60 years old.

Based on the assessments made by the older workers themselves and their superiors, it is found that the older workers are competent, performing well, and are trainable. The administrative older staff, however, were rated lower by the superior as compared to the academic older staff. This may be due to the fact that most of the assessors are academicians. Regardless of the category of the staff, performance of older workers is positively related to their competence and trainability.

Competence and trainability are important factors as they are found related to performance. This study focuses on education sector. It would be interesting to include older workers from other sectors because the education sector is perceived to be less physically demanding.

This study provides valuable insights into considering of revising the retirement age of academician in higher education sector even higher. Age seems to be an advantage to this group of employees.

This study is unique and significant because it focuses on important sector, i.e. higher education. It would reduce the knowledge gap in performance management of older workers especially in higher education sector.

This article examines the experiences of women leaders and their challenges in Brunei Darussalam. Globally, women are underrepresented in leadership positions. Though the Brunei government does not discriminate against any gender in delivering free education, medical facilities and healthcare, women in leadership positions are as well underrepresented. I try to understand the factors that challenge as well as motivate women to become leaders in Brunei. For this research, I conducted qualitative interviews with some respondents selected purposively. The study results show that women leaders in Brunei face challenges in obtaining financial support and accessing resources. Despite the challenges, there are some women who have been assuming and excelling in their leadership roles. The study identified that personal strengths have also been critical in contributing to their successful leadership.

The purpose of this paper is to propose the method of measurement of competencies using exploratory factor analysis and the evaluation of the relation between competencies and economic activity of mature people.

The empirical analysis is based on the Study of Human Capital data (conducted in Poland). The study population people are aged 50+. In statistical analysis explanatory factor analysis and logistic regression were used.

Competencies are the crucial factor of professional position and career development. However, older people have often out-dated skills and it results in a higher propensity for economic deactivation. On the other hand, older people are valuable on the labour market due to their experience, knowledge and social skills. The survey results indicate that competencies, measured with using of factor analysis, similarly as health, marital status, place of residence and age are significant determinants of early employment deactivation.

Limitation in the evaluation of the risk of economic deactivation factors is the static approach of this analysis. The Study of Human Capital data are the best source of information about competencies of Poles, but its character is not longitudinal.

The analysis of mature people’s competencies is very important in the context of extending working life, but the scientific researches in this area are rare. This paper would reduce the knowledge gap on the topic of reasons for older workers’ deactivation in which competencies are included. Application of exploratory factor analysis in this area is unique.