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1 – 4 of 4Bonhee Chung, Fatimah Mohamed Arshad, Kusairi Mohd Noh and Shaufique Fahmi Sidique
The purpose of this paper is to examine the long-run profitability of rice milling operation in Malaysia and see how sensitive it is to changes in paddy purchases, rice recovery…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the long-run profitability of rice milling operation in Malaysia and see how sensitive it is to changes in paddy purchases, rice recovery ratio and paddy price.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a purposive sampling technique and semi-structured interviews, seven rice mills in Malaysia were selected to obtain data on operational details and business accounts. The paper provides a qualitative and descriptive account of the rice mill’s profitability by using cost curves, a simple linear regression and the Monte Carlo simulation.
Findings
The rice milling operation in Malaysia is profitable in the long run, provided that there is a market for by-products. Large private mills have lower average costs, helping them obtain higher profit margins. Public mills that receive a rice miller subsidy are more protected than small private mills that operate without the rice miller subsidy and under price controls. Changes in paddy purchases, paddy price and recovery ratio affect the profitability to varying degrees.
Research limitations/implications
Incomplete information provided by the interviewees. The analysis result is only a rough estimate. However, it may provide a useful insight into the Malaysian rice milling sector and its competitiveness.
Originality/value
There are few economic studies of the rice milling sector in Malaysia. However, it plays an important role along the rice supply chain. There is a need for better understanding of the industry in order to obtain economic sustainability and effective policies. This paper provides the gap by providing an insight into the long-run profitability of rice milling operation in Malaysia.
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Precious Makhosazana Tshabalala and Shaufique Fahmi Sidique
This study aims to analyze the factors that determine non-farm enterprise diversification among farm households in Ethiopia. It extends the analysis by examining enterprises and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze the factors that determine non-farm enterprise diversification among farm households in Ethiopia. It extends the analysis by examining enterprises and using pooled data, which has the capacity to generate more accurate outcomes. The existing empirical evidence has focused on all non-farm activities, based on single period, single region data. Much of the existing empirical evidence is based on small-scale and location-specific sample surveys that do not demonstrate the characteristics of aggregate populations.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical analysis was conducted using a quantitative method. To cater to the censoring nature of participating in non-farm enterprise activities, a panel data double-hurdle model is used to a representative sample of 3,594 Ethiopian rural households.
Findings
The study finds that the age of household head, household size, distance to the market, social capital and access to credit, are determinants for owning one or more non-farm enterprises. The level of income from these enterprises is then determined by the age and education level of the household head, household size, agricultural equipment, distance to markets and access to credit.
Practical implications
This study brings to light factors that influence households to participate in non-farm enterprises and the determining factors for the income level.
Originality/value
Non-farm activities are an important source of household income and a driver of development. This paper provides empirical evidence on factors that determine enterprise ownership using panel data.
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Alhaji Bukar Mustapha, Rusmawati Said and Shaufique Fahmi Sidique
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between industrial sector growth, inequalities and urban poverty reduction
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between industrial sector growth, inequalities and urban poverty reduction
Design/methodology/approach
The paper used static panel data analysis. However, the tests suggest that there are no state-specific effects; hence, the pooled panel regression techniques are used for the analysis.
Findings
The findings of the paper suggest that the industrial sector growth exert no significance on urban poverty while the urban wholesale and retail services growth is found to be substantially strong in reducing urban poverty. The results also indicate that there is no statistically significant evidence to conclude that higher incidence of urban poverty was due to the high degree of inequalities.
Research limitations/implications
This paper has provided some helpful results in understanding the heterogeneous effects of sectoral components of growth of urban poverty in the presence of high income inequalities, but the limitation of this study is that there is no disaggregated poverty and growth data on different occupational activity.
Practical implications
There is a need to expand investment in the production and export manufacturing labor-intensive sectors; this will help increase the labor absorption rate of the industry and, thus, reduce poverty in the urban areas.
Originality/value
The paper improves on previous research on poverty in Nigeria by explicitly recognizing the effects of location and inequality.
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Manjit Singh Sandhu, Shaufique Fahmi Sidique and Shoaib Riaz
Postgraduate students who are more mature and have greater job experience are more likely to be inclined towards entrepreneurship. However, postgraduate students face various…
Abstract
Purpose
Postgraduate students who are more mature and have greater job experience are more likely to be inclined towards entrepreneurship. However, postgraduate students face various barriers such as lack of funds, fear of failure and lack of social networking that may hinder their entrepreneurial inclination. The barriers faced by these postgraduate students may also exhibit different dimensions compared with barriers faced by existing entrepreneurs. This study aims to examine the relationship between perceived barriers to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial inclination.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a survey‐based methodology, data were collected from a sample of 267 postgraduate students from various Malaysian universities. Respondents' perception towards five barriers to entrepreneurship (aversion to risk, fear of failure, lack of resources, lack of social networking, and aversion to stress and hard work) and their entrepreneurial inclination were assessed.
Findings
The model R‐squared indicated that 31.5 percent of the variation in the entrepreneurial inclination is explained by the five perceived barriers. The highest ranked barrier to entrepreneurship was lack of social networking followed by lack of resources and aversion to risk.
Research limitations/implications
The findings in this study cannot be generalized to non‐student populations since it covers only postgraduate students. The quantitative approach used was unable to uncover in‐depth information on the various barriers. A qualitative approach may be more appropriate to obtain further details.
Originality/value
This research provides interesting insights into the entrepreneurship barriers faced by postgraduate students from a developing nation where such research is lacking.
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