Arts and Social Sciences

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Pemantapan proses menentukan pampasan mencukupi dalam pengambilan tanah di negeri Kedah Darul Aman
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2008) Ismail, Mazlan
The concept of determining the amount of adequate compensation in land acquisition has been discussed by many; yet, there is no clear measure to explain the real meaning of adequate compensation to the land owners. this is due to the fact that not much research has been conducted to explain the meaning of adequate compensation in land acquisition. therefore, the research seeks to explore the meaning of adequate compensation to the affected land owners by identifying the elements of land owners’ dissatisfactions in land acquisition in the case study areas. data were gathered from selected land owners, land administrators and valuers on ways to determine the meaning of adequate compensation. land owners were interviewed from several areas in kedah namely kerpan, beris, kg. tok murad and jalan sik-gurun whose lands were acquired for prawn rearing, dam, al-bukhary higher learning institute and road expansion projects respectively. these areas represented significant public interests on issues in land acquisition in kedah. data were analyzed using qualitative analysis to form patterns, categories and themes in order to achieve the research objectives. the findings were presented in the form of phrase expressions, charts, diagrams and tables. the research revealed that adequate compensation comprises all losses without taking into consideration any special or sentimental values of the land taken. the valuation must be done in accordance with the date of acquisition and, no differentiation in values should be made with reference to the proposed use of the land after acquisition. moreover, the acquiring authority has to consider any losses of fruit bearing trees and pays extra compensation for the hardships faced by the land owners as a result of the land acquisthe concept of determining the amount of adequate compensation in land acquisition has been discussed by many; yet, there is no clear measure to explain the real meaning of adequate compensation to the land owners. this is due to the fact that not much research has been conducted to explain the meaning of adequate compensation in land acquisition. therefore, the research seeks to explore the meaning of adequate compensation to the affected land owners by identifying the elements of land owners’ dissatisfactions in land acquisition in the case study areas. data were gathered from selected land owners, land administrators and valuers on ways to determine the meaning of adequate compensation. land owners were interviewed from several areas in kedah namely kerpan, beris, kg. tok murad and jalan sik-gurun whose lands were acquired for prawn rearing, dam, al-bukhary higher learning institute and road expansion projects respectively. these areas represented significant public interests on issues in land acquisition in kedah. data were analyzed using qualitative analysis to form patterns, categories and themes in order to achieve the research objectives. the findings were presented in the form of phrase expressions, charts, diagrams and tables. the research revealed that adequate compensation comprises all losses without taking into consideration any special or sentimental values of the land taken. the valuation must be done in accordance with the date of acquisition and, no differentiation in values should be made with reference to the proposed use of the land after acquisition. moreover, the acquiring authority has to consider any losses of fruit bearing trees and pays extra compensation for the hardships faced by the land owners as a result of the land acquisition. the authority is also suggested to conduct more frequent discussions with the land owners, to make the land acquisition process more transparent, to provide efficient ways of delivering notices, to hold conducive public hearing and to make prompt payments.ition. the authority is also suggested to conduct more frequent discussions with the land owners, to make the land acquisition process more transparent, to provide efficient ways of delivering notices, to hold conducive public hearing and to make prompt payments.
The influence of family dynamics on family function in different stages of family life cycle among Iranian couples
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2014-02) Panah, Afsaneh Ghanbari
Understanding the dynamics of family performance is an important factor in identifying a family’s well-being. There is an increasing number of family problems in recent years and this research investigates how the family dynamics dimensions (cohesion, flexibility and family communication) and family function patterns (family satisfaction and general function) in the different stages o f a family life cycle have affected Iranian couples. Besides that, the relationship between family dynamic dimensions and family function patterns was also investigated. Consequently the effects of both family life cycle and gender evaluated on relationship between family dynamic dimensions and family function patterns were also studied. Cross sectional method had been used and the chosen samples were 525 married couples living in Tehran, Iran. The results of Structural Equaling Model (SEM) showed that the family cohesion and family flexibility were both related to family functioning, but family flexibility had more influence than family cohesion. Although family communication was highly related to cohesion and flexibility, it did not have a direct effect on the family function. Finding from various of sample groups showed that the relationship between the family dynamic dimensions and family function patterns changed even though there were no changes across gender. This study enriches the information regarding the family structures because it shows the role of family in Iranian culture and the effects of relationships on individual’s life. The findings from this research can be used by family professionals to conceptualize and structure family dynamics aimed at improving family functions befitting the Iranian culture. In addition, this research has contributed to the field o f research concerning the development of family counseling
A study of Malaysian consumers' channel switching behavior using an extended decomposed theory of planned behavior
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2015) Madahi, Abdolrazagh
The study of multichannel shopping behaviour and channel switching behaviour is becoming more important from both business and consumer perspectives. The Internet is increasingly managed in relation to other channels and customers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their use of multiple channels. Businesses and retailers need to understand the factors that affect consumers’ channel switching or channel choice behaviour in order to determine effective individual channel strategies and resource allocation. The purpose of this study is to examine the channel switching behaviour of Malaysian consumers between online and offline channels using the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) with the new dimension of descriptive norm (DN) in addition to attitude, subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioural control (PBC) to explain the phenomenon. The decomposition approach adopted by the model provides a more comprehensive set of antecedents that can better describe the intention to adopt a certain technology (i.e., Internet channel), hence, improving the practical contributions of this research. Partial Least Squares (PLS) based Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique was used to analyze the data. The study was based on convenience sampling method, with the survey instrument administered to the Malaysian consumers from the regions of Klang Valley and Penang. A total of 497 completed surveys were obtained. The respondents had to meet the criteria of shopping online and/or brick and mortar store prior to participating in the survey. Findings show that DTPB was successful in predicting consumer channel switching behaviour. In addition, the main constructs including attitude, SN and DN significantly affected consumers’ channel switching intention in both Internet and brick and mortar store channels. PBC was the only construct that did not predict intention. This study provides multichannel retailers with a better understanding of the factors that affect consumer channel switching behavior. The factors influencing channel switching help to explain some barriers of the multichannel retailing development.
Community perception towards voluntourism as an alternative paradigm for rural revitalization in Nigeria
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2015) Ayobami, Ojo Kayode
The emergence of voluntourism as a minuscule segment of global tourism in recent years has been commended as contributing to multiple objectives at alleviating poverty and livelihood vulnerabilities through rejuvenation of local cottage activities and by offering new employment. Government efforts to assuage rural vulnerabilities in Nigeria fall short of creating appropriate strategies commensurable with the need for rural revitalization. One possible way to address this is to encourage voluntourism where its participants are motivated by idealism and strong desire to assist in improving the welfare of impoverished communities. To assess voluntourism efficacy in checkmating rural vulnerabilities, Argungu community in the Northern Region of Nigeria was selected. The attitudinal behaviour of the resident and economic assets plays a pivotal role in study assessment. Research confirmatory models were developed to measure community perception towards voluntourism. Structured and unstructured survey questionnaires were administered coupled with the study site personal observations. Three main themes of tourism resources; voluntourism antecedents and livelihood linkages were incorporated. Hypotheses and research questions were validated via Structural Equation Modelling, thematic analysis and triangulations accordingly. Findings revealed that voluntourism can trigger economic improvement and stimulate rural community in a long term livelihood security and at the same time conserving natural resources. The comparative fit index calculated (CFI) was 0.902 exceeding the recommended minimum value of 0.9, illustrating that the degree of community perception to be positively correlated with the voluntourists potentials to checkmate rural vulnerabilities. Notably, the positive resident behaviour influences influx of voluntourist to Argungu. This indicated that voluntourism paradigm in rural community improves rural economic development and sustenance. The result indicates that the measurement model exhibited a good degree of acceptability and supports the structural model’s validity. The final outcome is a model that synthesizes the validity of voluntourism efficacy as a veritable paradigm for enhancing rural revitalization in Nigeria
Incentives effects on job performance and mediation of motivation in tourism industry of Saudi Arabia
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2016) Abdullah S., Alkhaliel Adeeb
The main objective of this study is to examine the direct influence of incentives and their indirect effects through the mediation of motivation and job satisfaction on job performance, as well as to examine the moderating effect of cultural competence. The study was developed based on Herzberg.s Two-factor theory, which deals with the dual needs of employees; it argues that employee performance increases when the dual needs are fulfilled. The study therefore conceptualised that incentives (monetary and non-monetary) would fulfill the dual needs of employees in the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia, especially at a time when the country is struggling for economic diversification as a means of reducing dependence on oil. The designed incentives system may influence employees. motivation and job satisfaction thereby affecting job performance. Thus, it was hypothesised that incentives contribute directly to job performance and indirectly via mediation of employee motivation and job satisfaction. It was further hypothesised that cultural competence moderates the relationship between motivation, job satisfaction and job performance. The study employed a quantitative questionnaire approach and drew a sample of respondents 430 from hotels in the Makkah and Madinah regions and from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) using a proportional stratified random sampling technique. The data were analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) technique. The study found significant parameter estimates in the relationship between monetary incentives and motivation as well as job satisfaction and also between non-monetary incentives and motivation as well as job satisfaction. However, mediation effects show that job satisfaction mediates the relationship between both monetary and non-monetary incentives and job performance. Similarly, moderating effects of cultural competence were also found in the relationship between motivation, job satisfaction and job performance. The study demonstrates that job satisfaction and cultural competence are good indicators of job performance and should be given priority attention for improving job performance of employees in the tourism sector.
Mediating effects of perceived usefulness and trust between individual factors and intention to use E-training in Nigerian Technological Universities
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2017) Alkali, Ahmed Umar
Developments in information technology (IT) have offered universities some sophisticated technological tools and innovative training contents that can be used in delivering training to their employees. However, for successful IT integration in training, employees’ positive disposition towards the new system is vital. Although factors, including computer/Internet self-efficacy, interactivity, organisational support, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and trust have been used in most studies that investigated technology acceptance, little is known about the effects of interactivity and trust on intention to use e-training. Therefore, this study empirically examines the roles of these factors in determining intention to use e-training within the context of Nigerian technological universities using the technology acceptance model (TAM). Data were collected from 301 employees of five technological universities in Nigeria and partial least squares - structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used in the analysis. Findings of the study reveal that interactivity and trust constructs have positively and significantly influenced employees’ intention to use e-training systems. Additionally, perceived usefulness and trust are found to have mediated the relationship between individual factors and intention to use e-training. The Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) result shows that to predict intention to use e-training in Nigerian technological universities, priorities should be accorded to trust and organisational support. Theoretically, the study has contributed to the understanding of factors affecting intention to use e-training demonstrating the applicability as well as effectiveness of interactivity and trust in predicting intention to use e-training. Methodologically, the study has established the relevance of conducting Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) in examining intention to use e-training. Practically, the study provides new inputs for successful implementation of e-training systems in universities. It is recommended that future studies investigate the influence of other factors such as subjective norm, enjoyment, and appeal on the intention to use e-training
E-evaluation system for physical fitness assessment of Malaysian school children
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2017) Zulkapri, Izwyn
Administration of annual physical fitness assessment in schools provides the opportunity for large scale monitoring among children. However, obtaining measures of physical fitness in youth can be difficult, especially in large samples. The implementation of Standard Kecergasan Fizikal Kebangsaan (SEGAK) in government schools were found to provide challenges in the administration aspect which hinders the initial purpose of physical assessment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a wireless fitness assessment and monitoring system (WiFAMS) to overcome the challenges that were identified. This study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A needs analysis was conducted among physical educators using an open-ended questionnaire to first determine the challenges that exist and there was a great need for a system. The WiFAMS was then developed, its test-retest reliability was conducted on 40 secondary school students and usability was assessed using the IsoMetrics questionnaire on physical education teachers and other potential users. New national standards were then generated from fitness test results of 2400 students aged between 13 to 15 years via grading formulation. The major challenges that emerged were related to reliability of data, data management, support and resources, administration issues, as well as both teachers and students' perception on physical fitness assessment. The test-retest reliability gave reliability (r) values of more than 0.7 showing good and acceptable reliability and users agreed that this system is suitable to be used in schools; however some questioned its suitability to be used on a wide scale. Large amounts of data led to the development of a new national standard which was found to differ from the one previously used. This study showed that the use of WiFAMS can increase the levels of reliability by decreasing errors caused by human factors; save time by efficient data management; and motivate teachers and students to conduct and perform physical fitness assessment properly. The new national normative standard was also more suited to the Malaysian population since data used to derive the standards were obtained locally and can be used as future reference
Facilities management model for state mosque in Peninsular Malaysia
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2017) Ab. Muin, Zafirah
Since the beginning of Islam, mosque has become a focal point of the religion where it serves as the place for worshipping, a centre of education, economic pursuit, community services and spiritual. However, the scope of mosque functions has become limited with rapid growth of world development due to several factors. In short, capacity of congregational and facilities that related to hygiene, safety and space utilisation has become among the issues that receiving close review in Malaysia. Based on the issues, the question arises on the capabilities of mosque management that require improvement to be more professional. Reviews of literature suggested that Facilities Management (FM) approach has the potential to be incorporated in the management of mosque. This study aims to examine the implementation of FM process in mosque in supporting the achievement of mosque’s functions. The objectives of this study were to determine the elements of FM process implemented in mosque, to develop FM process model for mosque and to validate the FM process model. To achieve these objectives, the study adopted mixed methods approach. The study was situated within pragmatism paradigm which emphasised on qualitative approach. The implementation of FM process from 12 state mosques in Peninsular Malaysia were investigated using questionnaire survey, semi-structured interview and focus group discussion. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the questionnaire survey data with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software whilst interview data were analysed using content analysis software, namely NVivo. Results from the questionnaire survey revealed that, 50 per cent of the mosque has implemented most of the FM process model elements whereas other mosque still need further improvement to ensure the standards of FM process model is achieved. The results indicated that there is potential for improvement in mosque that possesses low position in implementing elements of FM process model. Results from interview revealed that FM has been implemented in mosque; though not exclusively and extensively. Furthermore, the results from interview derived four layers of FM process for mosque: elements, sub-elements, indicators and attributes. The study has developed and validated a model of FM process for state mosque in which it was divided into five key steps. Step 1 is FM formulation strategy, Step 2 is requirement analysis of services, Step 3 is solutions development, Step 4 is solutions implementation of services delivery and Step 5 is monitoring service provision, followed by the total number of 22 sub-elements, 60 indicators and 119 attributes. FM processes model developed in this research is necessarily important in contributing to the efficiency and effectiveness in managing mosque facilities
Behaviour-based facilities energy management framework for higher education students' residence in Ghana
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2017-01) Adjei-Twum, Anthony
Adopting desirable energy-related behaviours in built facilities have greater potential towards reducing the demand for energy and energy savings. Promoting desirable energy behaviour can be achieved through understanding of users’ behaviour and its determinants to develop appropriate energy saving programmes. However, research on facilities users’ behaviour and facilities energy management is limited within the domain of facilities management, especially in the higher education environment. The main question addressed in this study is: how can users’ behaviour be incorporated into facilities energy management? This study aims to explore the energy use behaviour of students living in higher education residential facilities. The objectives were to determine the factors that influence residential students’ energy use behaviour from the students’ and managers’ perspectives respectively; to identify energy management practices implemented in the residential facilities; and to develop a behaviour-based facilities energy management framework. To achieve these objectives, the study adopted a multi models approach to mixed methods research. The study was situated within pragmatist paradigm with emphasis on qualitative approach. Implementation of energy management practices and energy use behaviour of students from six higher education institutions in Ghana were investigated using survey, semi-structured interview and focus group. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the survey data whilst interview and focus group data were analysed using content analysis with MAXQDA 12 qualitative analysis software. Analysis of both the survey and the interview data revealed that, energy management practices were least implemented in all the institutions. In addition, the results indicate that there is much room for improvement in students’ energy saving behaviour. Furthermore, the analysis revealed four key factors that influence students’ energy use behaviour from the managers’ perspective: institutional, economic, perceived behavioural control and attitude. From the students’ perspective, five key factors were found to influence students’ energy use behaviour across all the four behaviours studied: attitude, social, habit, physical and economic factors. The study developed and validated behaviour-based facilities energy management framework (BFEM) to manage energy in students’ residential facilities. This study contributes to knowledge by integrating individuals’ behaviour, energy management and facilities management toward energy savings
Model perjanjian tahap perkhidmatan dalam penyumberan luar perkhidmatan pengurusan fasiliti di universiti awam Malaysia
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2018) Mohamed, Armai
Service Level Agreements (SLA) are contracts based on performance used in outsourcing facilities management as governance document. In contrast to previous research found SLA focused mostly on the field of information technology, this research focus on facility management to determine the service performance of the appointed contractor. The objectives of this research are to develop the fundamental elements of SLA, to evaluate the effect of these fundamental elements on service performance and lastly to establish the SLA model. Respondents in this study have been chosen among public university in Malaysia. Samples are taken from the university's property management office outsourcing contract to manage the university facility management. Questionnaires were sent to the officer who responsible for facility management outsourcing contract. Development of fundamental elements begin with the method of a systematic literature review and restructured by using Fuzzy Delphi to get expert consensus in building the fundamental elements of SLA. Four fundamental elements consist of the contract information, measurement of service performance, cost of the contract and lastly the terms and conditions of the agreement. In addition, there are ten service performance indicators comprises of customer satisfaction, cost effectiveness, action time period, response time period, reliability of service provided, environmental compliance, employee commitment, client relationship with service provider, health and safety of users and employees and the latter is the use of information technology. Data were analysed by employed Partial Least Square (PLS) Structural Equation Model (SEM) with software SmartPLS version 3.0. The result shows that SLA model developed two fundamental elements that have relationship with service performance namely measurement service performance and terms and conditions of agreement. This SLA model indicates that the measurement of service performance is very important to control and evaluate the performance of the services provided by the contractor. While the terms and conditions of the agreement is aimed to control a contractual governance that affects the performance of the service.
Influences of socio-cultural values to community housing design in the Gaza Strip Palestine
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2018) Shehab, Abdalrahim M. A.
Rapid socio-cultural change in contemporary life is affecting housing design in the Gaza Strip Palestine. Alongside design issues of housing, the absence of sociocultural values is also one of the serious problems facing the community of the Gaza Strip . Academic literature shows that socio -cultural values are deeply rooted in housing design and can play an integral role in developing sustainable communities. Thus, scholars believe that socio-cultural values should be incorporated in housing design and have suggested further inquiry . However , integrating socio -cultural values in housing design is a challenge . Against this background , the current study aims to investigate the relationships between socio -cultural values and housing design by bridging research gaps identified in the literature. This study employed the triangulation study design using both quantitative and qualitative data to address the research objectives. The quantitative data of 252 respondents were obtained through questionnaires , followed by seven semi -structured interviews conducted with residents from the Gaza Strip to complement quantitative results and provide better understanding of socio-cultural values in the context of housing design. Quantitative data was analysed through structural equation modelling (SEM) using AMOS 22 and qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis using NVIVO 11. The quantitative findings revealed that social values namely family structure (FS), family values (FV ), family life style (FLS ) and cultural factors namely privacy (PV ), religion and attitude beliefs (RAB), safety and security (SS) related positively with housing design (HD ). Several major themes of social and cultural values also emerged in explaining housing design. This study makes a novel contribution based on socio-cultural values and housing design in the field of built environment.
Dynamic web for land registration towards the adoption of land administration domain model in Nigeria
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2018) Oyetayo, Babalola Sunday
Land administration system includes the processes of land registration, cadastral mapping, land valuation and land inventory. Developing countries particularly Nigeria, is faced with challenges of poor land administration and management. Traditional approaches to the land administration have resulted in the delay of the processes of land titling and registration. However, it was discovered from previous works and available literatures that there is no model, blue print or database management system of activities in land administration in the study area. The delay in time and process of getting the certificate of occupancy (C of O) coupled with the corruption in land related activities calls for urgent intervention of all the stakeholders in land administration. In this study, Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) which was approved by International Standard Organization (ISO) TC/211 in 2012 was introduced as a reference model and standard for land administration. Validation and comparing of the physical content of land administration system in the study area were made against LADM to verify the possibilities of its adoption into the system. An online network of the processes involved in land registration was also done. A dynamic web was designed using PhP My Admin SQL to create dynamic database management system. A user-friendly and more secured database management system was produced for the specification of LADM on the software platform that offers support for the transformation. Based on these findings, it was concluded that Nigerian land administration system can adopt the standard by mapping in some of the core concepts of LADM into her cadastral system because the model is suitable for the country. However, the determination of the country profile for Nigeria is next in priority.
Critical success factors for sustainable green cleaning services and organisational performance
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2018) Osagie, Atamamen Fidelis
The development of green buildings as a push to accomplish sustainability has prompted the necessity for a new approach to building maintenance and operations, especially in cleaning facet. Cleaning has turned out to be one of the critical components that should be considered for the well-being and overall performance of a building being the most significant part of building operations and maintenance cost. However, conventional cleaning presents diverse health and environmental problems that can only be addressed by green cleaning. Hence, green buildings require green cleaning services to render economic, social and environmental benefits. However, green cleaning services is not sustainable in Malaysia in spite of the potential benefits due to implementation problems. These problems include a low level of awareness, low level of training and education, lack of green cleaning requirements, ineffective communication, and the limited supply of green products and material. These factors contribute to the failure of sustainable green cleaning project services implementation. Therefore, this research aims to explore the relationship between the critical success factors for sustainable green cleaning services and organisational performance. The objectives of this research are: (a) to identify the Critical Success Factors (CSF) required to implement sustainable green cleaning services; (b) to identify the sustainable green performance factors of organisation; (c) to develop a structural equation model of critical success factors for sustainable green cleaning services and organisational performance. The research methodology adopted to achieve the aim of the study is a questionnaire survey. The data were analysed through Explorative Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factors Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Analysis of Moments Structures (AMOS). Based on literature review, five categories of green cleaning critical success factors with twenty-three indicators were identified. Three factors of sustainable green cleaning performance were also identified with fifteen indicators through literature review. At the critical ratio (t) above ± 1.96 indicating a statistically significant path (p < 0.05), the findings indicate that the key determinants for sustainable green cleaning services implementation are human and physical resources having a high correlation (ß=0.805, 0.803) and statistically significant (t =5.351, p = 0.05; t = 4.085, p = 0.05) with critical success factors. The study likewise demonstrates that both environmental and social factors are positively related and were statistically significant to organisation performance at p < 0.05 and a critical ratios threshold value of > ±1.96. The results show that critical success factor for sustainable green cleaning services is positively related and statistically significant to organisation performance at t =2.889 and p = 0.04. The resulting fit indices of the SEM indicated a good fit indices: RMSEA = 0.029, GFI = 0.914, CFI = 0.983, TLI = 0.981, NFI = 0.933 and Chi-square/df = 1.323.
Project viability framework for privatized highway projects in Malaysia
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2018) Mohamed @ Mohd. Adnan, Azmi
The construction sector is one of the indicators of national economic growth and contributed in average of 4% annually to Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 6% to the national economy between 1995 - 2015. The excellent of construction growth was mainly from projects implemented under the “Public-Private Partnership” (PPP) and through privatization. Under the 10th Malaysian Plan, 52 projects with an estimated value of RM62.7 billion will be implemented under Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) for infrastructure works. In fact, the privatization project involves the investment of huge amount of money and project viability depends on the revenue collected against the expenses incurred during the concession period. This research aims to evaluate the project viability and the correlation between the costs and revenue collected for the entire concession period. A comprehensive framework for project viability of highway privatization projects was developed based on the research findings obtained via the use of descriptive analysis and statistical technique analysis. Eleven (11) urban highway projects located in Klang Valley were identified to evaluate the project viability. The techniques of Life Cycle Cost (LCC) are used by the respondents in their projects. The research findings show the most preferred technique used by respondents are Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Net Present Value (NPV). In sustaining the highway projects, the costs incurred during the concession period should be managed efficiently. The average expenses incurred by the companies for operation and maintenance cost were RM23.22 million and RM21.03 million respectively. Four (4) variables were used to evaluate project’s viability and to identify variables which significantly correlated with the revenue of the project namely operation cost, maintenance cost, actual toll traffic, and revenue. Traffic volume was the variable that correlated positively to the revenue with 44%, followed by the operation cost and maintenance cost with 28% respectively. Traffic volume was the nucleus and dominant variable which contributed to the revenue of the project. Based on the NPV, seven (7) projects (63.6%) were found to be viable and four (4) projects (36.4%) were considered not viable. This research highlighted the viability of the privatized highway projects for an entire concession period. Based on the findings of the current study, a comprehensive framework for future project evaluation comprising of eight (8) components of commercial and technical evaluation for the privatization of highways in Malaysia is recommended.
A structural equation model for happy streets in urban residential neighborhoods
(Faculty of Built Environment & Surveying, 2018) Mirzaei, Hamed
Urban areas provide opportunities to make people richer and recent studies have found more depression symptoms among these city residents in comparison to those who live in rural neighborhoods. Nowadays, most urban dwellers are not happy. Motorized lifestyle, air pollution, and noise pollution, as well as the stress are negative externalities of urban areas that can reduce happiness. Although happiness can be affected by environmental and design factors, there are very limited studies on happy environment, specifically at the street level. Therefore, this research identified the main street factors that can affect happiness. This research was divided into five stages to achieve its objectives. The first stage involved conducting a literature review to identify effective happy street factors and proposing a conceptual happy street model. The second stage was about designing a questionnaire based on a proposed conceptual model. In the third stage, 400 participants were interviewed to collect the data. These participants were randomly selected among Johor Bahru residents. The fourth stage involved the Structural Equation Modeling technique, which was applied to analyze data and develop the final happy street model. The final stage prioritized the significant factors in the proposed model to have happier streets. Initially, the main effective happy street factors extracted from the literature review were color, light, shape, environmental factors, social factors, and street facilities. In addition, related sub-factors were also extracted from the literature review. Happy street factors and their hypothetical relationships with happiness were used to develop the conceptual happy street model. The final happy street model was measured using Structural Equation Modeling technique to demonstrate the significant happy street factors with high level of associations. Based on prioritizing the level of associations, a final happy street model containing street facilities, shape, social factors, environmental factors, color, and light, which can be used to improve analytical street designs, as well as the assessment and improvement process to have happier streets was developed.
Spatial evolution of Sama-Bajau houses in coastal area of Sabah
(Faculty of Built Environment & Surveying, 2018) Ismail, Iziq Eafifi
The Sama-Bajau is an illustrious and colourful ethnic community with a history that goes as far back as the golden age of the Brunei Sultanate. They were heavily involved in the maritime expansion of both the Brunei and Sulu Sultanates and their ethnic diaspora was scattered all over the coastal areas in North Borneo, creating vestiges of settlements that continue to thrive until this day. Their history was marked by stages of social mobility that saw their physical dwellings evolve from nomadic boat dwelling to sedentary coastal houses. A review of the literature has identified two major categories of coastal houses namely the primal house, a rudimentary house of Sama-Bajau and the modern coastal houses, commonly found nowadays in the coastal areas. However, in modern days, these coastal houses are often viewed in disdain as if they hold no significant heritage and qualities. This thesis aims to investigate the evolution of the coastal Sama-Bajau boat houses into sedentary coastal houses, in search of their spatial qualities, semiotics, patterns, and preferences, and eventually contribute to the documentation of spatial variations. The locations of this research were in three coastal areas in Sabah representing north-coast (Pitas), eastcoast (Semporna) and west-coast (Kota Kinabalu) through selected coastal villages of the Sama Bajau. This research employs field research that requires direct contact with the subjects of the study and uses inductive methodology to generate theoretical data. Diagrams were also used to elucidate spatial patterns and variations for classification. Data were obtained through observations, interviews, and documentation of audiovisual recordings. Qualitative data analysis was conducted and the data were classified accordingly. Findings show that there are similarities between boat houses and coastal houses of the Sama-Bajau in terms of spatial progression and individual functions. Documentation of spatial arrangements of individual houses reveals the existence of a core space (consists of a guest area and a sleeping chamber), of which arrangements could be classified into four different variations. Findings also show that modern coastal houses are concentrated towards a linear configuration of spaces. The research postulates that certain spaces of the Sama-Bajau coastal houses such as ‘verandah’ and ‘platform’ have become less relevant as they modernize through eliciting preferences and values. This research serves as an important documentation to enhance awareness on the significance of Sama-Bajau coastal houses and contributes towards the knowledge pool about the ethnic community.
Syntactical relation between spatial configuration and sense of safety in neighbourhood commercial streets
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2018) Jaberolansar, Sara
Safety has been highlighted as one of the most important factors of urban life quality. The space syntax theory argues that streets with higher accessibility tend to have lower crime rates, which is the objective dimension of safety. The first point of human interaction with an urban environment is known as townscape. Feeling safe, which is a psychological and social phenomenon, is obtained through decoding this environmental understanding. The aim of this study is to identify the relationship between spatial configuration and pedestrian sense of safety in neighbourhood commercial streets. To this end, space syntax analysis was applied to measure the syntactical variables. Taman Universiti, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, and Taman Mount Austin were chosen based on their integration measures in the global analysis. Forty streets with high local integration value were selected within the three areas and then observation was carried out in order to prorate 400 questionnaires among pedestrians in these streets. The questionnaires were distributed to collect data about townscape variables affecting pedestrian sense of safety. The impact of townscape factors on pedestrian sense of safety was examined by adopting exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was computed to measure the relationship between syntactical variables and townscape factors. The findings show the townscape factors which affected pedestrian sense of safety include: the sense of place; place identity; memorability; form; legibility; and visual pleasure, of which the last two are the most important factors. Furthermore, the legibility and visual pleasure are strongly correlated with two syntactical variables namely local integration and street connectivity. In fact, local integration and connectivity have positive correlation with some items of townscape such as easy navigation and clarity, and visual permeability and vitality which contribute to legibility and visual pleasure respectively. Results of this study clearly reveal that spatial configuration affects townscape factors and consequently pedestrian sense of safety.
Changes of urban green space patterns in Akure, Nigeria
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2019) Festus, Akinyoyenu Afolabi
Unplanned urbanisation and disappearance of green spaces have prevented Nigerian cities from meeting international best practice standards. The World Health Organisation (WHO) requires that a city must attain a minimum of 9m2 per capita green space benchmark before it can be considered liveable. One important indicator of a liveable city is the amount of green spaces it possesses. Urban green spaces represent the unbuilt part of a city reserved for recreation, relaxation, and the promotion of health and wellbeing. They also provide opportunities for physical and psychological restoration, and the production of ecosystem services. However, cities grow in size and number in Nigeria without corresponding increases in the quantity of their green spaces. Akure in Ondo State, Nigeria, manifests this deteriorating condition. Making Akure greener, attractive and liveable, therefore, constitutes an important goal. This research studied the changes in the pattern of urban green spaces in Akure, with a view to preserving the availability of green spaces in the city. The rational choice theory and the theory of planned behaviour were adopted for this research. The study utilised a mixed method approach to elicit the opinions of 317 systematically sampled city residents. It also utilised remote sensing imagery to classify and detect land use changes and vegetation health. Survey questionnaires were analysed with SPSS Version 22.0, structural equation modelling, and the relative importance index. Findings revealed that although urbanisation, state creation and government policy initiated the conversion and loss of open spaces, the contribution of attitudinal factors to the process has been quite significant. Analysis of attitudinal factors revealed that lack of political will to enforce tree planting and conversion of incidental open spaces and urban gardens to residential and commercial uses were very strong. Analysis of remote sensing imagery revealed that increases in built-up area resulted in a two-fold disappearance of urban green spaces between 1987 and 2016. Further analysis revealed that Akure has a low per cent urban green space (PUGS) availability at 17 per cent, 4.3m2 per capita green space index, and between 0.2 and 0.3 normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI). The low greenness indices imply that Akure is currently not green enough or liveable. The necessity for mass education and enlightenment towards pro-environmental behaviour, adoption of open space master plan, and harmonisation and centralisation of Akure urban land, are therefore canvassed. Apart from Akure, other cities in Nigeria and other developing countries in general, may also find these recommendations useful.
Peranan pusat perkhidmatan luar bandar di Zon Pelancongan Khas Negara
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2019) Ali, Mohamad Azal Fikry
Rural service centres (PPLBs) do not only play a vital role as focal points for economic activities and centralisation of facilities, but also in providing services for rural tourism activities. However, issues like limited access to tourism in rural areas, disproportionate distribution and limited provision of facilities, as well as constraints on maintenance funding sources have resulted in the slower growth of some PPLBs with potential for tourism activities, particularly those in the National Special Tourism Zone (ZPKN). The question that arises is how a specific function contributes to the strengths or weaknesses of a rural service centre (PPLB). Hence, this study aimed to measure the strength (supply) level of PPLBs that supports tourism activities, determine the basic functions that form the role of a PPLB in the ZPKN, and summarise the roles of PPLBs in tourism activities in the ZPKN. Through stratified random sampling, a total of 480 respondents participated in this study, of whom 240 were tourists, while the other 240 were entrepreneurs. Data were collected via observation, depth interview, report appraisal and questionnaire survey. Descriptive statistics were employed to answer the first research objective, while location coefficient analysis through centrality index was used to achieve the second research objective. Based on the location coefficient analysis, the PPLB offering the most functions was in Mersing with a mean value of 40.9, while the PPLB offering the least functions was in Sedili Besar with a mean value of 183.9. Seven (7) fundamental functions of PPLBs, which support tourism activities, were identified. Of these, traditional functions involving agriculture (29 functions), fishery (21 functions), carpentry and handicraft (10 functions), were on a decline. In contrast, functions involving retail (1550 functions), industry (150 functions), modern services (493 functions) and tourism (103 functions) were on the rise. In relation to the third research objective, it can be summarised that the PPLBs studied had six (6) main roles pertaining to tourism activities. PPLBs acted as destinations for tourists to gain access to basic necessities, accommodation, public transportation hub, credit and financial facilities, tourist information and communication centre and other supplementary services (health and safety). The implication is that although PPLBs provide limited functions, tourists do not have to travel far to gain access to these facilities. The impact of technology and social media has resulted in previously scarce commodities to be obtained easily and quickly.
Anggaran hasilan air tadahan Sungai Kelantan dengan menggunakan teknik penderiaan jauh
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2019) P. Ramli, Mohd. Hilmi
Effective water resource management is of great importance as it ensures the availability of water resource that can support the changing water requirements over the chosen planning period in a reliable and cost-effective manner. The main challenge facing water resource management today is the growing demand for clean water in Malaysia. In Kelantan, the estimated demand for clean water use is expected to increase from 450 million to 1,000 million litres by 2050 as compared to 2019. Few studies have been conducted using remote sensing technique to estimate water yield in Malaysia. The present study estimated water yield using Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model and remote sensing technique in Kelantan River basin. Estimation of water yield using remote sensing technique was validated against the SWAT model for the years 2000 to 2014. Spatial and temporal analyses were conducted to examine the effect of land use changes on water yield estimates for 13 sub-catchments in Kelantan River Basin in 2000, 2008, and 2013. Scenarios of Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6 and RCP 8.5 of the General Circulation Model (GCM) Model Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) were calibrated using the SWAT Model to predict the future water yield for 2015-2044 dan 2045-2074 based on the basal years from1975-2004. Results showed that the remote sensing-based water yield estimation had acceptable and satisfactory correlation coefficients of the annual and monthly scales. The annual water yield estimates from 2000 to 2014 were 1,280 ± 207.7 mm/year for SWAT model and 1,687 ± 373.9 mm/year for remote sensing technique. Changes in the land use for the years 2000, 2008, and 2013 showed that there was no significant effect on the amount of water generated. The main factors influencing remote sensing-based water yield model were the amount of rainfall and evapotranspiration. RCP 2.6 showed an increase in 16.6% water yield for 2015-2044 and 14.22% for 2045-274 while RCP 8.5 had similar increases of 26.46% for 2015-2044 and 24.36% for 2045-2074. RCP 8.5 showed a higher rise in water yield in comparison to RCP 2.6 for the years 2015-2044 and 2045-2074. Based on the findings of the study, refinement of the remote sensing-based water yield model is needed and it should take into consideration more hydrological related parameters and land use data in order to improve its efficiency.

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