Journal of Contemporary Issues and Thought
The Journal of Contemporary Issues and Thought (JCIT) [ISSN 2232-0032 / eISSN 0128-0481] is an international peer-reviewed journal published twice a year (in June and December) by the Faculty of Management and Economics (Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris) and Pejabat Karang Mengarang Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI Press). It aims to become the leading multi-disciplinary, open access, an online academic journal in the field of current matters. The JCIT is dedicated to promoting original research and insightful debate in contemporary issues and thought by publishing academic original articles, analytical and simulation models, empirical research, policy analysis, and book reviews across a number of disciplines, including accounting banking, business, economics, education, entrepreneurship development, finance, international relation, law, management, population studies, public administration, science, and social welfare.
The Impact of Incorporating Styleframe in Motion Design: A Case Study on Animation Undergraduate Students
Adapting industry practices into academic contexts has gained increasing relevance in Design education, particularly to enhance students' creative planning and execution of a project. This study investigates the application of styleframe as a main element in the creative development process in a Motion Design course. It consisted of undergraduate students in an animation program, where the students were tasked with a project-based learning to utilize styleframe as the project’s primary visual tool for articulating their concepts and guiding the project’s production. The research employs a case study approach, combining an in-depth analysis of a selected student project with a survey of 15 students, which included open-ended responses, to evaluate their application of styleframe. The results show that implementing styleframe fosters concept development and ensures consistent project execution from ideation to final production. It indicates that using styleframe supports the students' conceptual clarity and ensures coherent execution from ideation to final output among the production team. This study offers practical insights for educators seeking to align academic instruction with industry expectations and to enhance learning outcomes in Motion Design education.
Copyright (c) 2025 Auzani Zeda Mohamed Kassim http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Driving Growth with the Blue Economy: An Empirical Study of South China Sea Countries
Many South China Sea countries are developing nations that rely significantly on marine resources. Some areas within these countries still face poverty, particularly in rural or remote regions. Hence, the blue economy presents a significant opportunity for these nations to address the economic challenges and improve the well-being in the region. This study investigates the impact of blue economy elements on economic growth in South China Sea countries from 2000 to 2022 using panel ARDL. Focusing on aquaculture and fisheries production as key blue economy indicators, alongside control variables such as labour, capital, government expenditure, and trade openness. Findings reveal the significant long-run relationship between blue economy elements and economic growth, whereas no such relationship is observed in the short-run. The study may provide insights for policymakers to design effective policy and allocate resources strategically. The study focuses primarily on the economic impacts of the blue economy, the future researches may focus on the blue economy impacts social and environmental dimensions.
Copyright (c) 2025 Yan-Teng Tan, Chia-Guan Keh, Siu-Eng Tang, Sok-Yee Teoh http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Navigating Internationalisation: Motivations and Barriers for SMEs in Sabah
This study explores the perception of motives and barriers to the internationalisation of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Sabah, Malaysia. The study compares the views of SMEs with low levels of internationalisation with those with a high level of internationalisation. The results showed that for SMEs with high levels of internationalisation, the main barriers include management, task and socialcultural, financial management, and government and economic, political/legal barriers. In contrast, SMEs with low levels of internationalisation find financial, government and economic, political/legal, and marketing as the top barriers. In addition, the motives for SMEs with high levels of internationalisation include foreign market opportunities, domestic market saturation, orders from foreign customers and profit and growth goals. Meanwhile, the motives for SMEs with low levels of internationalisation include foreign market opportunities, expanding seasonal product sales, overproduction and availability of skilled labour. The findings support a mixed theoretical foundation for motives and barriers to internationalisation. Besides, the results underline the significance of tailored strategies to address the different barriers and motivations SMEs experience at different stages of internationalisation. This study gives valuable insights that practitioners or policymakers can use to achieve global competitiveness and promote successful international engagement among SMEs in Sabah.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jaratin Lily, Chew Tze Cheng, Nor Azma Rahlin, Rudy Ansar http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Demographic Dynamics of Data Analytics Readiness: A Comparative Exploration of Chinese Higher Education Faculty?
Amid the growing imperative for digital transformation in higher education, the readiness of academic faculty to adopt data analytics tools remains underexplored, particularly in the Chinese context. This study investigates the influence of demographic and professional characteristics on faculty readiness for big data analytics (BDA) across International Scholarly Exchange Curriculum (ISEC) and non-ISEC institutions. The primary objective is to examine differences in BDA readiness across variables such as ISEC affiliation, gender, professional rank, and educational background. Using a non-experimental causal-comparative design, data were collected from 154 full-time faculty members across 10 Chinese universities. A modified DELTA+ model served as the assessment framework, covering six key dimensions of analytics readiness: data, enterprise, leadership, targets, technology, and analysts. Statistical analysis using t-tests and two-way ANOVA revealed that while most readiness dimensions did not significantly differ, technology readiness was significantly higher among non-ISEC faculty. Gender, rank, and education showed no main effects, though a significant interaction between ISEC status and education was observed. These findings underscore the complexity of technological readiness and suggest that institutional affiliation and educational background interact in shaping analytics capabilities. The study calls for targeted institutional policies and further research to refine professional development strategies in higher education.
Copyright (c) 2025 Han Yu http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Corporate Social Responsibility in Driving Environmental Sustainability Performance
Demand for environmental sustainability reminds organization or business to restrategize to achieve competitive advantage in the dynamic global environment. Importantly, building Environmental Sustainability Performance (ESP) directs organizations to design Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as an effective environmental strategy in handling the negative effect on the environment because of the impact of organization or industry operation. This study has the objective to identify how CRS drives ESP in the current dynamic environment. This study was conducted by adopting the literature review method. Furthermore, the result of the study found that environmental sustainability policies are compulsory for organization to obtain the highest ESP. Organization or business can empower CRS by allocating the internal and external construct. The findings direct organizations or businesses to design and practice CSR as a strategy for the highest achievement of ESP.
Environmental sustainability performance
Copyright (c) 2025 Muliati Usman, Hamdi Harmen http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Experimenting The Box-Cox Family Transformation on Likert Scale Data for Non-Normal Residuals in Linear Regression
Neglecting the necessity for normality of residuals leads to failing in meeting the assumptions of error term in linear regression. Addressing a violation of this assumption requires an appropriate data transformation. The first objective of this study is to identify a suitable Box-Cox transformation (BCT) family for Likert scale data to handle non-normal residuals in multiple linear regression (MLR). When confronting with non-normally distributed MLR residuals, some scholars argue that the ordinary least squares estimation approach, commonly used in linear regression, consistently produces a reliable estimated value even when the error term deviates from a normal distribution. Given these conflicting opinions, one asserting that non-normally distributed error terms result in inaccurate estimates and the other maintains that such deviations do not compromise the consistency of estimates; thus, the second objective of this experiment is to reaffirm the differences in viewpoint by comparing the consistency of estimation values in MLR between cases of normal (transformed) and non-normal (non-transformed) residuals. The study suggested that the optimal BCT occurred at a lambda value 0.5. This specific lambda value corresponds to a logarithmic transformation, signifying a fundamental shift in Likert scale data toward a more normalized distribution or residuals. In the context of conflicting opinions regarding the impact of non-normally distributed error terms on estimates in MLR, this study revealed a significant difference in the mean of estimated values between the transformed and non-transformed models. The empirical evidence suggests that non-normally distributed error terms do lead to inconsistency in estimation values in MLR. Appropriate transformation does contribute to more reliable and interpretable results in MLR.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jasrul Nizam Ghazali, Muhammad Firdaus Mustapha, Mohd Azry Abdul Malik, Nur Alia Sofea Ahmad Fauzi, Nor Aina Nabila Japri, Nur Khaliesah Supardi, Amri Ab Rahman, Omar Kairan http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The Effects of Supply Chain Management Practices on SMES Manufacturing Performance in Malaysia
Malaysia's manufacturing economy relies on SMEs. Supply chain management is crucial for improving these SMEs' industrial performance and market competitiveness. This study focuses on the effects of supply chain management practices on Malaysian SMEs' manufacturing performance. The study seeks to uncover supply chain management practices that significantly impact manufacturing performance and offer practical advice for SMEs to improve performance through effective supply chain management techniques. The researcher collected quantitative data from Malaysia's manufacturing SMEs. The research uses survey questionnaires to collect data on these SMEs' supply chain strategy (SCS), supply chain integration (SCI), supply chain information management (SCIM), and manufacturing performance indicators. The researcher used SPSS and SmartPLS to evaluate the data to understand how supply chain management practices affect manufacturing performance. The study found that supply chain management strategies affect Malaysian SMEs' manufacturing performance. The researcher also analyses and interprets data to identify performance indicators, helping SMEs enhance operational efficiency and market competitiveness. In conclusion, this study advances Malaysian supply chain management and SME performance studies. By highlighting supply chain practices' impact on manufacturing performance, the study advised SMEs to optimize operations and grow sustainably in Malaysia's competitive business environment.
Copyright (c) 2025 Donnathy Michellyn Halen, Halim Mad Lazim, Mohamed Najib Salleh http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Implications of Apprentice Attrition to Manpower Need among Artisans in Lagos, Nigeria
Apprentice attrition poses a significant challenge to the manpower needs of artisans in Lagos, Nigeria, as it disrupts the steady supply of skilled labor. This attrition impacts both the completion of training and the overall productivity of artisan businesses. The study investigated the implications of apprentice attrition to manpower need among artisans in Lagos, Nigeria. The study utilized a descriptive survey research design, targeting artisans in Lagos. A purposive sampling technique was employed to select 35 respondents, including plumbers, furniture makers, electricians, painters, fashion designers and metalworkers. The primary data collection tool was a self-structured questionnaire. Data collection was done via online survey, and completed questionnaires were retrieved by the researcher. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 was used to organize and code the data. Descriptive statistics (frequency tables and percentages) and inferential statistics (Pearson product moment correlation) were used to analyze the data assessing the degree of correlation between variables at a 5% significance level. Findings revealed a significant relationship between apprentice attrition and training completion rates, no significant relationship with skill proficiency levels, and a significant relationship between attrition and business output (manpower availability) of artisans in Lagos. The study recommended that Artisans and training outlets should restructure apprenticeship programs to make them more engaging and flexible, providing pathways for apprentices to gain skills without the pressure of traditional timeframes that may contribute to dropout.
Copyright (c) 2025 Odusanya Anike. T http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Contribution of Sport Educators Towards Their Management and Leadership Working in Higher Educational Institutions of Pakistan
The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship of management and leadership of sport educators with their performance and influence of management and leadership of sport educators on their performance. Quantitative research design was used for the present study. All sport educators working in higher educational institutions (Universities) of Pakistan were considered the population. Hence, the sample were chosen using simple random sampling as sampling techniques. Survey questionnaire was administered to gather the required information as an instrument for data collection. The size of samples was comprised on 210 sport educators. The response rate of samples was noted 85% (179). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were considered appropriate to analyze the edited data and achieve the desired findings from the collected information. The analyses were further made using SPSS-26. The findings of the current research proved strong and significant contribution of sports educators towards their management and leadership working in higher educational institutions of Pakistan. Sport educators may be involved in making of national sports policy, sports refresher courses, and sports training and conditioning workshops to uplift the sports standards in Pakistan. It was concluded that management and leadership of sports educators would be fruitful if Government of Pakistan utilized them appropriately through assigning them various sport tasks for the promotion of sports in Pakistan.
Copyright (c) 2025 Saeed Javed, Abd Rahim Mohd Shariff, Abida Naseer http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Assessment of Factors Affecting Women Entrepreneurs in Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria.
Women's entrepreneurship is gaining more prominence in this contemporary time than ever before. In recent times, the number of female entrepreneurs has been five times more than what it used to be for the past two decades, partly due to some efforts by the government and philanthropists to raise consciousness and awareness and promote women's entrepreneurship. However, there are some hindrances affecting the establishment and operation of businesses by women in Nigeria despite numerous interventions. This study assesses factors affecting women entrepreneurs in Lagos state, Nigeria. Three research questions and two hypotheses were raised and tested to guide this study. A descriptive survey research design was employed for this study. The study population comprised 157 women entrepreneurs registered with the Bank of Industry and Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Lagos State. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 112 female business owners whose businesses were still operating. A structured questionnaire titled: Women Entrepreneurs Assessment Scale was used to collect data for the study. The data collected were analyzed and presented using simple percentages, mean, and standard deviation. The hypotheses were analyzed using multiple regression analysis at a 0.05 significant level. The findings of this study revealed that gender discrimination significantly influences women entrepreneurs in business operations and that family commitment influences the business establishment and operation of female entrepreneurs, among others. The study concludes that women entrepreneurs contribute in no small measure to the development of the economy, and as such, women's entrepreneurship should be promoted and not be discriminated against. Based on the findings and conclusion reached, it was recommended that government enacts policies that will enhance women's entrepreneurship in Nigeria, such as empowerment programs, soft loans for women entrepreneurs, and anti-discrimination against women, among other things.
Copyright (c) 2025 UPSI Press http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Decision Orientation of CEO Education and CEO Risk-Taking: The Moderating Effect of EPU
This thesis examines how CEO decision orientation, shaped by educational background, impacts corporate risk-taking. This study covers data from 3,083 firm-year observations of companies listed on the Malaysia Stock Exchange from 2015 to 2021. The study explores the decision orientations logical and intuitive and hypothesizes that logical CEOs would take on higher risks due to their structured, analytical approach. However, empirical findings indicate that logical CEOs are generally more risk-averse, preferring lower leverage and higher liquidity. Whereas, during periods of high uncertainty, measured by Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU), logical CEOs demonstrate a mixed response while increasing leverage while other risk measures remain unchanged. The thesis also extends to assess whether cognitive complexity (categorized as Analytical or Conceptual) influences corporate risk-taking. The results show no significant link between cognitive complexity and risk-taking behaviour, suggesting that cognitive complexity alone may not be a major determinant of risk-taking.
Understanding Wellness Tourists' Behavioral Intentions: Factors Shaping Visits to Underdeveloped Mountain Regions in China
This study examines the factors impacting wellness tourist's behavioral intention in underdeveloped mountain areas in China. The model extends the theory of planned behavior, considering attitudes towards wellness tourism, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control as central factors, and additionally incorporates health consciousness level and prior knowledge of wellness. Data were randomly collected from 224 residents of Xi'an, Chengdu, and Wuhan cities in China, using a questionnaire survey and analyzed through structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that attitudes towards tourism, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and prior knowledge of wellness positively impact wellness tourist's behavioral intention in underdeveloped areas, while health consciousness level has no significant impact. Together, these five variables explain 48 percent of the variance in the dependent variable. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by identifying the factors influencing wellness tourism behavior in underdeveloped regions, offering insights for policymakers and marketers to better understand and promote wellness tourism in these types of areas.
Emotional Exhaustion and Academic Stress as Predictors of Suicide Ideation among Undergraduates
This study examined Emotional Exhaustion and Academic stress as predictors of suicide ideation among undergraduates at the University of Benin. Three research questions were raised, and their corresponding hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 alpha significance level. This research adopted the correlational survey research design, while the population for this study consisted of all the students at the University of Benin. A purposive sampling of three hundred and fifty (350) was selected and the sample size was 50 students chosen from seven faculties from the University of Benin. The multi-stage random sampling technique was used for this work. The research instrument used was a Questionnaire titled Suicide Ideation, Academic Stress, and Emotional Exhaustion Scale” (SIASEESQ) with a reliability coefficient of 0.797, 0.695, and 0.768. The data was analyzed using linear regression. The findings revealed that Emotional exhaustion, Academic stress, and their interactions predicted Suicide ideation among undergraduates. It was therefore recommended that the universities should make the learning environment conducive for the students so as to reduce academic stress, by improving on the learning conditions of the classrooms and other basic facilities for learning amonst othes.
Comparison of Covid-19 Crisis Responses between the United States and South Korea
COVID-19 pandemic spreads through direct contact with an infected person, usually when they cough and sneeze. It also spreads through surfaces where the infected has touched as the virus has transferred. All social and business operations have come to a halt as countries urge citizens to stay inside to flatten the curve. During these troubling times, the government needs to step up to minimise the impact of the pandemic towards its economy and overall wellbeing of the citizens. This paper will compare the pandemic response between two countries: United States and South Korea. This paper will be discussing the actions taken by both countries as well as the comparisons between the approaches based on Coomb’s crisis responses model. United States and South Korea provides a contrast in how countries are handling this situation. Although these countries have received their first cases of COVID-19 on the same day, South Korea has been more successful in containing and mitigating the effects of the outbreak. South Korea was able to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus outbreak by practicing transparency, providing maximum services to sufferers, providing adequate health equipment, and most importantly having a mass tests to stop the spread of the virus quickly. All in all, both the United States and South Korea has implemented various policies to mitigate the coronavirus outbreak. Similar approaches have been executed by both countries with different degrees of success. One of the lessons that can be taken from this comparison is that, for a containment plan or policy to be successful, it needs to be fully understood by the public. Transparency is the best strategy that can be implemented by governments in achieving their policy goals.
Telepressure: A Source of Pressure for Work-Life Balance
In the face of the rapid expansion of information and communication technology usage in the workplace, telepressure started increasing resulting in a disturbance of work-life balance. The purpose of this study is to test the influence of telepressure on work-life balance through the moderating effect of job tenure on the relationship. The data for this study were collected through structured questionnaires from 472 volunteers from Malaysia following convenience sampling. The PROCESS macro was used in the moderation analysis. The result revealed that telepressure has a significantly negative relationship with work-life balance while job tenures showed a strong moderation effect between telepressure on work-life balance. The present study has tested the influence of telepressure on work-life balance at different spans of their job, which was not explored previously and extends the literature in this context. Likewise, the present study contributes to the literature on the Job Demands Resources (JD-R) model in the Malaysian context.
Online Shopping: Let the Consumer Beware
The outbreak of a pandemic Covid-19 makes the usual business dealings change to online business. The pandemic has led to a surge in e-commerce and digital transformation. Online business is a significant commercial innovation that utilises some of the most advanced technological advancements. Buying things online is becoming commonplace today as the variety and availability of products and services on the internet make consumers choose online shopping. Despite of some issues and flaws on the safety and security of online transaction such as ‘scamming’ or fraud, phishing and other online predators, online shopping being chosen because of its system makes dealings easier and convenient from the payment to delivering products or services to consumers. Therefore, this conceptual paper will look into several laws and legislations in order to protect consumers and get their rights through online shopping dealings. Apart from that, this paper will also highlight several cases within this context. The research methodology of this paper is doctrinal and secondary sources of information are relied upon, such as journal articles, case law, previous research and studies. This indicates that consumers must be aware of their online shopping transactions in order to be satisfied with the products or services received from the seller, as well as be alert to avoid being tracked online.
Organisation’s Support Influences the Acceptance and Use of E-Learning among Academic Staff of Higher Learning Institution in Sabah
E-learning refers to the use of electronic media, digital technology tools such as laptop, smart phone, and interactive Tv in teaching and learning process. Nowadays, it is undeniable that most higher learning institutions choose to implement E-learning in their education system which it becomes the alternative to the traditional learning method in teaching. Through the implementation, education institutions have the potential in establishing more open and flexible teaching and learning environment. However, to drive the a wholistic implementation of E-learning in higher learning institutions, the aspect of organisational support in terms of technicality and infrastructure facilities should be prioritised so that all parties especially the academic staffs can easily adapt and use it. Therefore, this pilot study is aimed to study the level of E-learning usage through the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Used of Technology (UTAUT) Model and the influence of organisational support on the E-learning implementation among academic staff in Sabah. The findings of simple regression analysis showed the influence of organisational support at 66 percents on the implementation of E-learning among the academic staffs, with the model’s contribution (R2=.44, k=.00). the findings found that organisational support is the significant factor in influencing the acceptance and implementation process of E-learning among the academic staffs of higher learning institutions in Sabah. Thus, this study proposes each learning institutions in Sabah to increase the organisational support especially in technicality and infrastructure to empower E-learning platforms in future.
Gender Inequality: A Case Study of the Malaysian Renewable Energy Industry
Despite the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector, gender inequality continues to hinder women's full participation and leadership in this male-dominated industry. This study explores gender dynamics by comparing female and male leadership and uncovering gender-based disparities in the Malaysian solar energy industry. A qualitative approach was adopted through in-depth interviews with 15 female employees working under female leadership in the sector. Findings reveal that male leaders are generally perceived as more tolerant, approachable, and open to feedback, while female leaders are often viewed as stricter and more emotionally driven, possibly due to differing communication styles and leadership traits. Notwithstanding, reports of equal access to promotions and performance-based rewards, some participants indicated that female staffs face career limitations—particularly in technical roles—due to traditional gender expectations, pregnancy, or a lack of field opportunities. Male engineers are more frequently assigned to site visits involving physically demanding tasks, while female engineers tend to handle administrative duties, indicating role-based task differentiation rather than workload imbalance. Although most respondents felt their workplace treated both genders fairly in promotions and rewards, a few expressed dissatisfaction with female representation in leadership and technical advancement. These findings highlight the need for inclusive leadership training, targeted support for women in technical roles, and policies that dismantle workplace stereotypes. This study contributes to the growing discourse on gender inequality by contextualizing it within a sustainability-driven industry in Malaysia, offering insights for promoting gender equity in renewable energy as part of broader sustainable development goals.
The Relationship between the Oil Price, Gold Price, and the Stock Market in Malaysia during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Due to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the worldwide financial and economic sectors, investors have been opting for safer, low-risk assets like gold and crude oil during periods of instability. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the stock market, gold price, and crude oil price using the quantile regression method. The study focused on examining the parameters of the stock price index within deciles 0.1-0.9, based on daily data from March 18th, 2020, to March 30th, 2022. The findings indicated that the relationship between gold prices and the stock market was generally insignificant during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a negative and significant correlation between crude oil prices and the stock market was observed in deciles 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9. Hence, the impact of these variables on the returns of the stock market should be taken into account by investors and policymakers.
Economic Literacy and Entrepreneurial Skills among Upper Secondary Students in Selected Schools of Kedah, Malaysia
A lack of economic literacy skills can limit students' entrepreneurial agility, hindering their ability to address current and future economic challenges. This study examines the economic literacy and entrepreneurial potential among upper secondary students in nine selected schools in Sik District, Kedah, Malaysia. Using a cross-sectional design and quantitative approach, data were collected from a sample of students via a self-developed questionnaire. Results reveal low economic literacy levels among students, with demographic factors, such as parents' occupations and family income, significantly influencing economic understanding and entrepreneurial aspirations. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds display lower economic literacy and entrepreneurial potential. Findings suggest a connection between social status and students' readiness for self-reliance and job creation in rural areas. The study recommends targeted interventions, including training and workshops, to enhance students' knowledge of economic principles, creativity, resilience, and risk-taking skills.
Copyright (c) 2024 UPSI Press http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Female CEOs and Cash Holdings: The Moderating Role of Corporate Governance and CEO Power – Empirical Evidence from Listed Companies in Malaysia
This study examines the impact of female CEOs on corporate cash holdings in listed Malaysian firms, addressing mixed findings on gender diversity in financial management. Drawing from Upper Echelons and Agency Theories, the hypothesis is that female CEOs hold less cash, with this effect moderated by corporate governance and CEO power. The study analyses 246 publicly listed firms in Bursa Malaysia from 2009 to 2019, using 5,689 firm-year observations. Financial data were sourced from DataStream, and governance and CEO profile data were manually collected from annual reports. Panel regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses, controlling for firm size, performance, leverage, and market-to-book value. Governance variables (board independence, size, and female representation) and CEO power dimensions (founder status, duality, tenure, ownership, multiple directorships, and education) were examined as moderators. The results show that female CEOs are associated with lower cash holdings, with board independence mitigating and female board amplifying this effect. CEO power, such as multiple directorships and postgraduate education, also influences cash holdings, with experienced and educated female CEOs holding more cash. The findings highlight the complex role of gender diversity, governance, and CEO power in shaping financial strategies, offering insights for corporate governance improvements and policy considerations.
Comparative Study of Data Analytics Readiness between ISEC and Non-ISEC Faculty
Non-international scholarly exchange curriculum programs follow traditional educational frameworks may not help to refine educational processes. To overcome this shortcoming, this study determines the differences in data analytics readiness between international scholarly exchange curriculum and non-international scholarly exchange curriculum faculty in Chinese higher education institution. By using DELTTA instrument, the findings suggest that (i) expanding diverse samples, investigating multidimensional relationships, and leveraging mixed methods are key future directions, (ii) culturally responsive research will empower diverse faculty by uncovering nuanced insights to guide the development of inclusive big data analytics policies and environments in our increasingly data-driven educational landscape, and (iii) highlighting the need for targeted interventions to ensure uniform big data analytics readiness across diverse academic domains.
Trends of Architectural Design Discussion: Design Process, Cognitive and Concept
The aim of the paper is to review the trends in discussions related to the design process, design cognition, and design concepts. The method employed to identify these trends involved a thematic literature review of top journals in the Scopus database within the field of architecture and design cognition in 2023. After extensive filtering of journals and articles, the paper narrowed down its focus to one journal that met the criteria, namely Design Studies. Articles were limited to those dated from 2018 to 2023, resulting in a review of 34 articles. Three themes were identified in the articles reviewed, namely (i) Data-Informed Design Process; (ii) Sustainable, Inclusivity, and User Reflection; and (iii) Collaborative Ideation.
Factors Contributing to Perak’s Youth Buying Behavior During the Covid-19 Endemic Phase
People’s lives have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. It has changed the pattern of human life and forced people to change their lives. The government of Malaysia has enacted a 14-day Movement Control Order (MCO) to stop the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak. Resulting, people were staying home, which has made online shopping very popular. As the situation improves, Malaysia has shifted from a pandemic to an endemic stage. Therefore, this research aims to understand youth buying behavior at the endemic stage of Covid-19. Also, to identify the relationship between factors and the gratification of youth’s buying behavior. The quantitative research method was used for this study, and an online survey was distributed to 356 Perak residents between the ages of 15 and 24. The purposive sampling method was used. The findings identified three major factors influencing consumer purchasing behavior among youth in the Covid 19 endemic phase: psychological, economic, and social factors. All hypotheses are consistent with earlier research and findings and show a positive relationship between factors and the gratification of youth purchasing behavior. According to the results, most respondents are students without income who enjoy and are satisfied with visiting online stores due to influences such as family and friends and price discounts.
Techniques of Neutralization: A Case Study on the ‘Project: High Council’
The Project: High Council is a 10-episode series that was aired on Astro from January to March 2023. This series revolves around an elite boys’ boarding school named Kolej Ungku Deramat (KUDRAT) in the year 2007. However, this institute had a ‘dark side’ where the students were regulated by a student organization named ‘high council’. As such, this drama showcases the unpleasant atmosphere due to the organization that acts as a social control. Fights between the Form Four and Form Five batch, bullying, breaking the school rules, violence that lead to injuries and near fatal experiences are some of the highlights. These deviant activities flourished over the years without any students reporting the incidents to the school management. The question here is why are students not willing to bring this matter to the teachers’ attention? Are they supporting these deviant actions? Hence, the researchers analyzed this issue by adopting the five techniques of neutralization. Moreover, the textual analysis methodology was utilized to examine the 10 episodes of the drama. On that account, the findings enlightened the audience in understanding how this vicious cycle that is camouflaged in the name of high council tradition survived: First, denial of responsibility where students refused to be held responsible for any untoward incidents that occurred due to their ‘established’ tradition. Second, denial of injury where students escaped by proclaiming their fights as a part of their tradition. Third, denial of a victim where the students were willing to victimize other students to become the next leader in their high council. Fourth, condemnation of the condemners where students criticized the significant others to conform to their brutal tradition. Fifth, appeal to higher loyalties that caused the students not to oppose their high council’s policies. In conclusion, the Project: High Council was a revelation of how educational management and leadership failed to recognize and acknowledge the deviant activities despite being a crème de la crème academy.
Copyright (c) 2024 UPSU Press http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Expectations of Internal Auditors at Work: A Study on e-SPI Information System
In the era of 5.0, information systems are very important in supporting activities across all sectors of organizations. The implementation of these systems varies, including methods such as purchasing, developing, and building, with or without external assistance. In higher education institutions, the implementation holds a great importance as they significantly improve the efficiency of tasks and functions, including those carried out by the Internal Audit Unit (SPI). Among these systems is e-SPI, an independently developed application used to review the entire process of an activity or program, from planning to implementation and reporting. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of e-SPI application in assisting internal audits in higher education institutions. To achieve this objective, an exploratory qualitative approach was employed, encompassing needs analysis, application development design, system implementation, and application ability evaluation to aid internal auditors in conducting supervision. The results showed that the adoption of e-SPI application in higher education institutions enhanced internal supervision processes by introducing and developing new control procedures facilitated by computer technology. The study also identified new risks associated with the information system, highlighting the need for implementing appropriate controls to ensure system security. In conclusion, the utilization of information systems in higher education institutions required internal auditors to adapt and enhance their knowledge and skills in effectively using these systems to conduct internal supervision. It was also observed that e-SPI application proved to be a valuable tool in this scenario, significantly improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of internal audits.
Entrepreneurial Skills and Profitability in Lagos's Small and Medium Scale Enterprise: A Mainland Area Study
The study assessed the skills and profitability ratios of entrepreneurs within small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in the Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State, employing a descriptive survey research design. Addressing three research questions and testing two hypotheses, it involved 1200 SME owners, from which a sample size of 120 (10%) was selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire titled "Small and Medium Enterprise Assessment Skills Scale" and analyzed using simple percentages, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient. The findings revealed significant relationships between both technical skills and business management skills with the profitability ratios of SMEs, among other insights. Consequently, the study concludes that entrepreneurial skills are essential for SMEs to thrive and become viable in Nigeria, recommending that SME owners should prioritize personal development to enhance their entrepreneurial skills.
Integrating AI into Malaysian School Counselling: A Study on Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethics
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in school counseling has the potential to revolutionize the way counseling services are delivered through the provision of personalized support and data-driven decision-making. This paper explores the potential opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations of using AI in Malaysian school counseling. The paper also highlights several ethical considerations that must be taken into account when integrating AI into school counseling practices, such as protecting students’ privacy and avoiding bias in AI-generated data. Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive exploration on the potential of using AI in Malaysian school counseling and highlights the opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations that are applicable when implementing the technology into school counseling.
FDI, Trade, and Finance: Catalysts for Green Growth in ASEAN-5
Assuring economic growth and development without neglecting the requirement for environmental sustainability has become the most debatable topic in recent international forums. As a result, researchers and decision-makers are now focusing on green growth instead of traditional economic growth. Several factors that influence green growth have been studied in the literature to date, however, the impact of foreign direct investment, trade openness and financial development is relatively unexplored. Therefore, this study employs a fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) estimator to investigate the impact of foreign direct investment, trade openness, and financial development on green economic growth for ASEAN-5 countries from 2010 to 2021. The empirical results show that foreign direct investment and financial development have a positive impact on green growth, whereas trade openness has a negative impact on green growth. Considering the results, this study recommends that policymakers to encourage environmentally responsible foreign investment to invest in the home nation and enhance financial market competitiveness through domestic and international liberalization and privatization in order to promote green growth. We also suggest that policymakers to strengthen and enforce environmental regulations to prevent environmental degradation brought on by increased trade to support green economic growth.
Crime Prediction Using Geospatial Intelligence System for Crime Preventing
Crime prediction relies on significant amounts of various data sources and is analysed through mathematical models, predictive analytics techniques, and machine learning algorithms to identify patterns of crime. To date, there has been little research conducted to examine and extend which repeat and near-repeat victimisation within crime hotspots can be collocated for crime prediction (Chainey et al., 2018). Therefore, this paper aims to identify crime patterns using crime prediction with repeat and near-repeat analysis. This study employed the GIS tool, namely, repeat and near-repeat analysis as the primary methods. Historical crime: all types of data used in the years 2015 and 2016 are analysed. The area of study is Petaling Jaya, Selangor. By using repeat and near-repeat analysis, the results reveal that there is a significant (p=0.01) and a meaningful near-repeat victimisation pattern were found in the study area. The most over-represented space-time range that is significant is the zone from 1 to 100 metres and from 0 to 7 days from the initial incident. The likelihood of another crime incident is approximately 22% higher than if there is no discernible pattern. The most over-represented repeat victimisation range that is significant is the zone from 0 to 7 days after an initial incident. The likelihood of another incident is approximately 78 percent higher than if there were no repeat victimisation patterns. This result also shows there are five local hotspots as prediction zones in the study area. The importance of the study is that it provides useful information for assisting law enforcement in improving crime prevention strategies using geospatial technologies.