Business, Management, Finance and Economics

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A contingency-based framework of strategic management accounting, sophisticated budgeting and costing techniques in Malaysian small and medium entreprises
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2015) Nejad Kalkhouran, Abolfazl Amanollah
Survival in the current competitive business environment requires updated and accurate accounting information through adoption of appropriate management accounting practices (MAPs). However, improving organizational performance may require businesses including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to not merely adopt those practices but also to observe the fit between MAPs and the contextual variables that determine performance. Knowledge regarding MAPs in SMEs is still scarce; hence, the need for further understanding of factors affecting the adoption of MAPs and how appropriate the fit between those factors and practices enhances SMEs’ performance. This study aims to examine the effect of perceived environmental uncertainty (PEU), advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) and chief executive officers’ (CEOs) involvement in networks and characteristics on advanced MAPs including strategic management accounting (SMA), advanced budgeting and sophisticated costing techniques. The study also explores the mediating effect of advanced MAPs on performance. An online survey was conducted among 1470 manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia which produced 186 useable responses. The Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used and the data was analysed using SmartPLS 3. The results provide evidence of the positive relationship between the contingency factors and almost all MAPs as well as between MAPs (with the exception of costing techniques) and performance. In addition, the main result suggested that in a situation of high PEU or when CEOs are highly educated and experienced, the increased use of budgeting practices will yield higher performance. Moreover, when CEOs are more educated, using more SMA can have similar effect to firm performance. This study elucidates the appropriate MAPs for SMEs by offering empirical evidence based on the integration of the theory of contingency and upper echelon theory. This model helps SMEs adopt suitable advanced MAPs for better response to particular circumstances that their firm faces
A hybrid multi-criteria decision making method for risk assessment of public-private partnership projects
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2016) Sarvari, Hadi
As governments embark on Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects to develop their infrastructure, effective risk assessment has become an important step to ensure success of these projects. However, there are many unsuccessful stories of PPP projects that have been reported all around the world. Thus, it is essential for both public and private sectors to apply efficient risk assessment approaches to allocate and manage risks more effectively. Literature review revealed a continuous endeavor for better PPP project risk modelling and assessment. Various techniques have been developed for use in the management of risks in construction. However, these techniques are limited to addressing risks relating to only cost, schedule, or technical performance individually or at best a combination of cost and schedule risks. Previous work so far is lacking a comprehensive model capable of handling impact of risks on all project objectives simultaneously; namely cost, time and quality. Thus, the main objective of this study is to develop a hybrid risk assessment method that capable of capturing impact of risks on the three project objectives comprehensively. To achieve this aim, this research explores the risk assessment approaches and proposes a hybrid alternative method based on the Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP) and Multiple Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO). The Fuzzy logic was used to convert linguistic principles into systematic quantitative-based analysis. Also, in order to consider the dependency and feedback between risks and criteria, ANP method is applied as a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method. Then, MOPSO, as a MCDM method, was used to assess the risks based on the project objectives. Objective functions have been developed to minimize the total time and cost of the project and maximize the quality. The research approach was a mixed-method approach and the field work included a series of questionnaires and interviews. It started with semi-structured interviews with PPP professionals. A mail survey was administered and more than 114 questionnaires were sent to construction and PPP professionals based in Malaysia. Out of 114, 88 valid responses have been received. An on-line survey was carried out as well in order to enrich the findings of the mail survey. The proposed hybrid approach was used to assess the collected data. A total of 30 significant risks were identified and evaluated. According to the results, it was found that “construction completion”, “construction cost overrun” and “interest rate volatility” are the highest ranks associated with the Malaysian PPP projects risks. Finally, the viability of the proposed hybrid approach was investigated through conducting semi-structured interviews with PPP professionals from construction and administration sector. It is concluded that the proposed hybrid MCDM method for risk assessment is a viable alternative to the existing practice. This may help bridging the gap between theory and practice of risk assessment in construction projects. It also can be applied through the public and private sectors to improve risk assessment and management. The research findings recommend further exploration of the potential applications of hybrid MCDM methods in construction management domain.
A measurement model of occupant well-being for malaysian office building
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2021) Mansor, Razlin
There has been a shift in the direction of scientific research related to the energy and environmental performance of buildings towards a focus on occupant well-being, as a majority of the population spend most of their time indoors. The Indoor environment within a building has been identified as a major factor influencing occupant well-being because inadequate indoor conditions in buildings could create risks such as adverse health effects, productivity loss and higher rates of absenteeism. Assessing occupant well-being in office buildings has become a growing concern in facilities management practice as occupants represent the highest percentage of operational costs. However, the effects of indoor environment in office buildings can be difficult to quantify due to the wide range of influencing parameters. Globally, multiple tools have been developed to assess the performance of buildings but the existing assessment tools have not comprehensively assessed occupant well-being as a whole by capturing all essential criteria and parameters that are highly related to occupant well-being particularly in the context of office buildings. Therefore, to overcome this issue, this research was aimed to develop a measurement model to assess the performance of indoor environment in the office building on occupant well-being. The three objectives of this research are firstly, to identify the criteria of occupant well-being and associated indoor environment parameters in office buildings. Secondly, to verify the criteria of occupant well-being and associated indoor environment parameters for Malaysian office buildings; and thirdly, to develop a measurement model of occupant well-being for Malaysian office buildings. The first objective was achieved through the synthesis of theories, models and concepts in the literature review. The second was achieved through a semi-structured interview with experts; while the third was achieved using a questionnaire survey involving sixty-five experts in Malaysia through purposive sampling technique. Data were analysed for the second and third objectives using thematic analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis. A measurement model of occupant well-being for Malaysian office buildings was developed in this research. A total of fifteen parameters were identified which were classified into four criteria; occupant comfort, occupant health, occupant adaptation and occupant safety. AHP analysis found that occupants’ health scored the highest priority in computing the measurement model of occupant well-being for Malaysian office building. This study has made a methodological contribution by developing a novel approach to assess occupants’ well-being in Malaysian office buildings, which is useful to help facility managers in prioritising resources and making decisions to improve occupants’ well-being in office buildings.
A methodological framework for estimating loss of employment opportunities resulting from abandoned shopping centre development project
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Ngadimin, Nurul Faiezah
Assessing the loss of employment opportunities due to abandoned shopping centre project development is an important task in order to estimate the loss incurred by the community. The objective of the development is to bring about positive impacts to the community through the generation of employment and income. These two are significant indicators of the community's economic well-being as they are critically needed through the construction of a shopping centre. When the development of a shopping centre project is abandoned, employment opportunities were lost, and these detract from the quality of life as well as the economic opportunities of those living in the surrounding area of the project. Although there were a series of research stating that the loss of employment opportunities is one of the impacts of an abandoned shopping centre development project, the loss was not assessed explicitly and further, there was no literature explaining the method of assessment. Therefore, this study attempted to develop a methodological framework for assessing loss of employment opportunities through an economic approach. The theoretical perspective composed of a few significant variables that must be considered in the assessment and they reflected the determinants of loss of employment opportunities. The operationalization of these determinants was conducted in stages; each determinant represented each stage. There were four steps in measuring the loss of employment opportunities namely (1) calculating employment-generating potential by applying a grounded theory method (GTM); (2) analyzing potential workers' catchment area; (3) analyzing market competition of retail supply; and (4) analyzing workplace preference using a combination of two analyses i.e. Rating-based Conjoint Analysis (RBCA) and Productivity Analysis (PA). The combination of these four steps formed the methodological framework in estimating the loss of employment opportunities in this study. This framework was tested by subjecting the estimated loss of employment opportunities to the real case situation of the Subject Property. The study discovered that the ideal tenant mix for a shopping centre was made-up of twenty-one components of tenant-mix classes comprising a variety of compatible retail/service providers, and each tenant mix class has a different size of employee density. This study proposed an average of 22 sq.m. of space per employee for estimating the employee density of a shopping centre. Therefore, with the medium-size gross floor area (GFA) of 370,000 sq.ft. (34,374 sq.m.) of the Subject Property, while considering other competing shopping centres and the local market situation, as many as 1,590 potential employment opportunities could have been lost due to the abandoned shopping centre. This study contributed to the new knowledge and experience in the real estate field, particularly in the aspect of employment density of retail properties.
A model for the relationship between use satisfaction of healthcare facilities management and core healtcare business
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2019) Amankwah, Oti
Public hospitals in Ghana, as in many other developing countries, are faced with facilities management (FM) challenges due partly to the problem of poor services and user dissatisfaction with FM service delivery. Studies to understand the relationship between user satisfaction of healthcare FM and core healthcare business have not addressed the issue from the perspective of this study. To fill this gap, the study examined the relationship between healthcare FM services based on the FM basic framework (people - patients, place – healthcare healing environment, processes –FM service quality and technology – quality of healthcare infrastructure and equipment) and core healthcare business (healthcare personnel, healthcare delivery, adequacy of healthcare resources and healthcare administrative process). The underlying theoretical frameworks for the study included the FM basic framework, SERVQUAL theory, Core Healthcare Business dimensions and A Staff and Patient Calibration Toolkit (ASPECT) which is based on a theory of supportive designs for healthcare facilities. Questionnaire was used to gather data from 622 patients of the three surveyed hospitals (Komfo Anokye, Cape-Coast and Tamale teaching hospitals) in Ghana. The data were statistically tested and analysed by structural equation modelling (SEM) technique. Twelve of the 19 hypotheses were supported. The findings showed that although the patients are satisfied with the quality of healthcare healing environment and the quality of healthcare infrastructure and equipment, they were dissatisfied with the FM service quality. Secondly, the results indicated that healthcare FM service quality and quality of healthcare infrastructure and equipment did not have a positive significant influence on the quality of healthcare administrative process. Also, the quality of healthcare healing environment did not show a positive significant influence on healthcare delivery. The quality of healthcare infrastructure and equipment also did not have a positive significant influence on healthcare personnel. Lastly, out of the four dimensions used to evaluate the quality of core healthcare business, patients were dissatisfied with the adequacy of healthcare resources and healthcare administrative process. Generally, the study model offered a good understanding of the factors that influenced the relationship between users (patients) satisfaction of healthcare FM and core healthcare business. The findings indicated that healthcare institutions must realize that quality healthcare FM service is a means for the healthcare organisations to stay relevant in the eyes of the patients. Thus, the study recommends that the surveyed teaching hospitals in Ghana should aim to achieve patient centered healthcare service deliver by effectively improving the quality of both their FM and core healthcare services, since patient satisfaction leads to patient loyalty.
A multigroup structural equation model for assessing the competency of property valuation graduates
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2017) Anthony Jiram, Wilson Rangga
The barriers for the development of the professions and career development of property valuation (PV) graduate is motivated and driven by the conflict and lack of alignment of industry, academic and professionals' perspectives on the skills and competencies required by PV graduates and professional. This study attempted to investigate PV graduate competency dimensions. This study aims to accrue major benefits to all parties; academia, industry and the professional bodies and valuation graduates by providing unified view towards PV professional development, greater satisfaction derived for all stakeholders, and producing balanced and employable PV graduates. The purpose of this two-phase, sequential exploratory mixed methods study was to explore participant's views with the intent of using this information to develop and test an instrument. This study was conducted based on the underlying pragmatic philosophical approach. The first phase was a qualitative exploration of a property valuation graduate competency by collecting interview data from a sample of 16 experts consisting of academic, industry and professional body representatives to determine the dimension of PV graduate competency and PV graduates' performance measures. Coding procedures of Hermeneutic Unit, and network analyses of ATLAS.ti were used to analyse the interview transcripts, and other primary documents to provide a full extent of competencies' coverage. The PV competency can be conceptualized as a composite of six dimensions such as valuation skills, property skills, property law skills, financial skills, strategic management skills, and transferable skills which are at the first-order level of abstraction. The second phase involved analysis of a survey of 54 academics of three Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyor accredited PV programmes, and 55 respondents of registered valuation firms. The PV competency at the second-order level of abstraction can be conceptualized as a composite of six dimensions such as valuation skills, property skills, property law skills, financial skills, strategic management skills, and transferable skills which are at the first-order level of abstraction. The quantitative findings have provided support for the research model through measurement of reliability and validity. Variance Accounted For index indicate transferable skills partially mediate the relationship between property skills and PV competency for Partial Least Squares (PLS) path model estimation. PLS– Multi-Group measurement indicates that there are significant differences between industry and academia assessment of the valuation graduate competency for law and transferable skills partial least squares path. Finding reveals that there is a variation of competencies achievement level across the stakeholders. The result from the study provides feedback for the competency which the valuation programme need to emphasis and thus acts as a mechanism for curriculum revision.
Barriers affecting co-founders’ dynamic in university symbiosis program
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Lim, Woei Yu
Commercialization of university’s research is able to boost national economy, offering jobs opportunities, goods and services to society. However, the state of commercialization in Malaysia is less than satisfactory. Malaysian government is trying to improve the commercialization by launching of University Symbiosis Program i.e., a type of university-industry collaborative commercialization that requires technopreneurs (i.e., Chief Executive Officers) and academic researchers (i.e., main inventors) working together to commercialize universities technologies through formation of Symbiosis Companies. The commercialization in the program is not easy since technopreneurs are young graduates. University Symbiosis Program is a unique program in which few studies in the past have investigated the program, particularly barriers affecting the program. Therefore, this study aims to explore the barriers that could affect the program. It uses qualitative method conducted over two phases of data collection. The first phase of data collection involved preliminary interviews and personal communications with officers in charge of University Symbiosis Program to understand barriers affecting the program. In the second phase, a total of 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with technopreneurs and academic researchers who were responsible to form and incubate Symbiosis Companies. Thematic analysis disclosed six barriers during formation stage of Symbiosis Companies i.e., culture, dedication, competency, management of government funding, expectation and mutual trust. Meanwhile, five barriers during incubation stage i.e., competency, culture, dedication, expectation and mutual trust. Improvements in the pertinent stages of Symbiosis Companies were also proposed by using thematic analysis. Moreover, quasi-statistical analysis revealed that there is no difference between the barriers during formation and incubation stages of Symbiosis Companies faced by technopreneurs and academic researchers. Finally, a comprehensive framework of barriers affecting University Symbiosis Program was proposed with the contribution to extend the body of knowledge and literature on university-industry collaborative commercialization, as well as, provide implications for policy makers, technopreneurs and academic researchers to facilitate the commercialization in University Symbiosis Program, which in turn improve Malaysian commercialization state.
Conceptual framework for minimizing mismatch of developer, buyer and government intervention for middle income housing
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Mustapa, Nor Atiqah
The housing demand of the middle-income group cannot be ignored as they are the majority, or about 40 % of the population in Malaysia (Budget 2016). Previous research has given emphasis on the affordability issue which has been tackled by the government through several housing schemes. However, mismatches still exist and persist, particularly in terms of insufficient supply to meet demand and also the existing supply fails to meet the housing preferences of the middle-income group. Thus, the present study aims to fulfill three objectives: to determine the middle-income housing preferences, to investigate factors that can overcome the insufficient supply of the middle-income housing from the perspective of government intervention and developer behaviour, and to develop a conceptual framework for minimizing mismatch concerning the middle-income housing focusing on developers, buyers and government interventions. This study was conducted in Johor Bahru using mix method approach. For the quantitative approach, the data were collected from 402 middle-income group respondents with monthly earnings of RM2,500 – RM15,000. For the qualitative approach, data were gathered from semi-structured interviews with several developers and local authority. The data were analysed using descriptive analysis, conjoint analysis, and content analysis. Results reveal that the most preferred housing profiles for middle-income housing are houses in the price range of between RM100,000 to RM200,000, located near schools, terrace in type, with floor plan of between 1001 to 1500 square feet and with four bedrooms. The findings also show that factors that can overcome the insufficient supply include regulations, incentives for developers, expedition of purchaser selection process, and emphasis placed on demand and supply data in planning approval. These findings were then included in a conceptual framework that portrays ways to minimize the housing mismatch. The framework demonstrates that the mismatch caused by profit-oriented developers leading to insufficient supply could be reduced by emphasizing the aspect of housing supply and demand in planning approval, controlling the developer activities by law enforcement, and providing incentives. The mismatch could also be reduced by emphasizing the aspect of housing preferences before embarking on any housing project.
Corporate governance and risk disclosure among listed companies in Malaysia
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2021) Kiflee, Ag Kaifah Riyard
In the modern days of volatile business environment there is a need for transparent information that is certainly useful for decision making. However, previous studies suggested that the risk information in the annual report is yet to achieve a satisfactory level. This study investigated the level of risk disclosure and the effects of corporate governance attributes on the risk disclosure. Besides, this study also intends to examine the effect of interaction variables of ownership concentration and attainment discrepancies to risk disclosure. Twenty-one hypotheses have been proposed in this study to determine the relationship among corporate governance; risk disclosure and the effects of interaction variables. All the data for this study was extracted by using content analysis from the annual report of non-financial companies listed in Malaysia from year 2008 until 2017. The results confirmed that Malaysian listed companies experienced a positive upward trend for the last 10 years (2008-2017). Listed companies in Malaysia were found to disclose more on non-financial information and less on financial information. It also discovered that most of the information disclosed focussed on non-beneficial information, with increasing reported of neutral information. The results of second empirical analysis identified that board independence, board gender diversity, auditor independence, auditor tenure and audit committee independence have significant and positive effects on the total risk disclosure level of the companies in Malaysia. While, board size was also found to have significant relationship with the total risk disclosure levels but in an inverse relationship. The interaction of attainment discrepancies arguably has a positive impact on some independent variables, thereby leading to an increase of disclosure level among the companies. This study contributes to the extent of corporate disclosure information especially among listed companies in Malaysia and allows the researcher to come with practical recommendation to the companies and regulators.
Corporate social responsibility and financial performance among Malaysian government-linked and non-government-linked listed companies
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Lim, Boon Keong
In Malaysia, government-linked companies (GLCs) are required to fulfil more CSR obligation and expected to achieve better financial performance due to preferential treatment from the government. Based on stakeholder theory, contribution in CSR may improve corporate reputation and in turn, improve the financial performance of the involved companies. However, controversial past studies have shown underperformance of GLCs compared to non-GLCs. Whether more CSR contributions will lead to better financial performance still remains unknown. Moreover, there is a lack of literature to examine the differences in CSR and financial performance relationship between government-linked and non-government-linked companies. For the purpose of examining the effects of CSR on financial performance, top 100 public listed companies (PLCs) on Bursa Malaysia are selected and categorized into GLCs and non-GLCs. The main objectives of the study are (1) to compare the differences in CSR and financial performance between GLCs and non- GLC; (2) to examine the relationship between CSR and financial performance across GLCs and non-GLCs in Malaysia; and (3) to identify the CSR dimensions that significantly affect the financial performance of GLCs and non-GLCs in Malaysia. For the present study, CSR is proxied by CSR disclosure-based dimensional scores (including dimensions of community, environment, marketplace and workplace) whilst financial performance employs both accounting performance (i.e. ROA) and market performance (i.e. Tobin’s Q) measures. The results show that GLCs contributed more in CSR whilst non-GLCs achieved a better financial performance. Based on pooled OLS and fixed effects estimations, for a period from 2007 to 2016, the results show that the CSR performance of Malaysian companies has a negative or no effect on financial performance in short run (measured by ROA). However, CSR performance mostly has a positive effect on financial performance in the long turn (measured by Tobin’s Q), regardless of GLCs or non-GLCs. Among the four dimensions, community dimension consistently demonstrates a stronger positive effect on ROA and Tobin’s Q across GLCs and non-GLCs. Comparative study of the CSR, financial performance and relationship between CSR and financial performance across GLCs and non-GLCs are the highlights of the present study. The findings provide valuable insights for Malaysian GLCs and non-GLCs to identify which CSR dimension will lead to a significantly better financial performance. Therefore, these help Malaysian companies to formulate a clearer CSR strategic agenda which in turn create values and competitive advantages for Malaysian companies.
Corporate social responsibility index for Islamic banks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2016) Ali Alamer, Abdullah Rajeh
Islamic banking operations are widely accepted in Islamic society as the transactions are guided by Islamic principles and Shariah values. Although Islamic bank transactions are in compliance with the Shariah, all aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the Islamic banking industry have not been met. The current study investigated the limitations of existing indices to measure CSR practices in Saudi Arabia Islamic banks. Existing indices are either unable to measure actual CSR practices or do not cover all aspects of these practices in the Islamic banks. There is a need to understand the limitations of existing indices. In this study, CSR in these banks is categorised into two broader scopes: business process dimensions and oriented outcome dimensions. Selective elements to construct an appropriate CSR Index (CSRI) to measure all aspects of CSR practices for both scopes have been assigned weights in accordance with existing studies. Unstructured interviews with practitioners from selected Islamic banks as well as secondary data from annual reports and documents were used to develop this index, which was empirically tested to explore real CSR practices. Based on the developed CSRI that gave oriented outcome dimensions less weight than business process dimensions, and content analysis of annual reports and documents of Islamic banks, the findings indicated that these banks had weak CSR practices. Therefore, it is recommended that this developed CSRI be provided as a guide for Islamic banks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to improve their CSR practices
Cost breakdown structure for life cycle cost of water pump
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2018) Rosli, Nurul Wahida
Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is an essential concept that is useful in reducing cost along a lifespan of an asset or equipment. LCC concepts have been introduced to water distribution system management; which is aimed to attain the lowest network provision and operating cost. However, there is slow adoption of LCC due to the lack of framework or mechanism to collect and store the data in a systematic way. Thus, a guideline is needed in order to widely encourage the application of LCC in the water industry especially in pump purchasing decision making. However, a Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) is a pre-requisite before performing the LCC. Thus, the objective of this study are to identify the cost element needed for estimating the LCC for treated water pump in Malaysia; the next objective is to determine the weightage of most budget spent and important phase in life cycle stages for treated water pump and to develop a CBS for treated water pump in Malaysia. In the first stage, cost elements were collected based on literature review. Next, a questionnaire survey was conducted and the data were analyzed using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Then, a CBS for treated water pump is developed and verified based on the consensus among experts of Malaysian water industry during the Delphi study. The findings indicate that the CBS for LCC treated water pump in Malaysia is classified into four phases which are; 1) initial cost (planning), 2) operating cost, 3) maintenance and repair cost and 4) disposal and upgrading cost. The AHP weightage comes with the result that operating cost is the biggest expenditure and needs to be more considered along the lifespan of treated water pump. The outcome from this study contributes to a systematic and structured data cost to develop the LCC for water pumps in Malaysia. Also, the result of the AHP can be used to help Malaysia's water industry practitioners to allocate budget wisely in the future. Furthermore, the results of this study may be a beginning for the Malaysia's water industry to implement LCC using the developed CBS.
Critical success factors of public-private partnership model for affordable housing provision in Nigeria
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Ahmed, Yahaya
The success of any public-private partnership (PPP) project in a country depends on the maturity of the country's critical success factors (CSF) in making PPP projects successful. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the model for identification of public-private partnership problem of provision of affordable housing; and determine the measurement model for the determination of critical success factors for public-private partnership of affordable housing. Although, several researches have been conducted on PPP housing provision, however, they do not yield any positive results as they ended-up providing housing for the high income people leaving the majority of about 80% of the low income people living in slums and unhealthy environment. Consequently, past studies have not dwelled on the use of critical success factor of PPP for affordable housing in Nigeria. As such, the aim of this study firstly, to determine the problem of PPP and the critical success factor of PPP for affordable housing provision in Abuja, Nigeria. Secondly, this study also evaluated the relationship between the CSFs of PPP, the problem of PPP in providing affordable housing in Nigeria and finally, develop a model of CSF for the success of PPP in providing affordable housing in Abuja, Nigeria. The methodology used in this study was through discussions with six experts in the field to bring to the fore the critical success factors of public-private partnership PPP. A questionnaire was prepared based on literature review and the outcome of the experts' views. A total of 350 questionnaires were distributed to the participants of PPP in Abuja, out of which 256 were returned. Consequently, the data gathered were analyzed using partial least square analysis (PLS). The findings revealed the major problems of PPP, which included skill and acquisition, institutional, financial, legal framework, as well as politics. It was further determined that adequate legal framework, effective procurement process, sound financial package, project economic viability, judicial government control, and strong private sector were the critical success factors of PPP for affordable housing provision in Abuja, Nigeria. It was also found that critical success factors (CSF) has a significant relationship with the problems of public-private partnership (PPP) and therefore, CSF of PPP has provided the solution to PPP problems of affordable housing provision. However, the partial least square (PLS) analysis established the CSF of PPP model for affordable housing to low income group in Abuja, Nigeria. The findings has provided answers to PPP to focus on the provision of affordable housing for low-income people in Abuja, Nigeria and recommends that this model should have total support from the government to address this long-time problem.
Delay in housing delivery process in Malaysia
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2014) Chai, Chang Sa'ar
The challenges associated with housing delivery process in Malaysia have resulted in late delivery of housing supply and increasing numbers of sick and abundant projects. Although delays have been extensively investigated in the construction industry, it is still a common phenomenon especially for Malaysian housing industry. Therefore, there is a strong need to review the delay and reclassify delay factors in order to evaluate the housing delivery performance in Malaysia. This research aims at developing housing performance index to address delay in delivery process. As the delay factors are identified and classified, the factors which are gathered in an empirical survey are analyzed. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is conducted on the information obtained from a questionnaire survey held. A numbers of 23 delay factors are extracted from a total of 91 delay factors which are classified into 3 categories of new delay classification; structural, institutional and cultural in housing delivery stages. The most successful mitigation measures in housing delay avoidance are identified. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is performed to examine the causal relationship of new delay classification and housing delivery process. A housing delivery performance index is derived from such SEM model. Structural delay recorded the highest index coefficient (0.42) as compared to institutional delay (0.28) and cultural delay (0.30) respectively. This demonstrated that structural delay is a significant influence to the housing delivery performance. The performance index can be improved by trading off mitigation strategy and potential delay factors. The index is essential to benchmark the housing delivery performance and hence provides a preliminary guideline to the construction players in handling housing projects. The index is verified via a semi structured interview and three case studies which proves its functionality in practice
Determinants of e-banking continuance usage in Jordanian banks
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2017) Ahmad Harasis , Ahmad Ali
The present study is an endeavour to investigate the relationship of factors influencing the customers in regard to the continuance usage of e-banking in Jordan based on the Technology Continuance Theory (TCT). It started with an investigation of individual factors on customers’ continuance usage of e-banking in Jordan, namely (i) perceived confirmation, (ii) perceived usefulness, and (iii) perceived ease of use. It also investigated the mediating effects of attitude and satisfaction on the relationship of the aforementioned individual factors and customers’ continuance usage of e-banking. Subsequently, the moderating effects of Big Five personality traits (extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) on the relationship between satisfaction and continuance usage of ebanking were investigated. Quantitative approach was applied for the present study and 823 questionnaires were collected from the bank customers who were selected using multistage sampling technique. Multivariate data normality tests, descriptive statistics, and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used for data analysis. The proposed model of the present study supported the results, revealing a significant direct relationship of the relationship between perceived confirmation, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude with the continuance usage of ebanking. The results showed a partial mediating effect of attitude on the relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and continuance usage of ebanking, while satisfaction failed to function as a mediator. Additionally, the results indicated a significant moderating effect of extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness on the relationship between satisfaction and continuance usage of e-banking – only neuroticism failed to function as a moderator. On the one hand, five out of 19 tested hypotheses were rejected. The present study also raised an ongoing debate in organisational studies related to the continuance usage of e-banking, making it noteworthy for the e-banking customers and bank managers in Jordan to understand the significant factors which directly or indirectly affect the continuance usage of e-banking. The implications for research and practice, limitations, future research, and conclusion are discussed at the end of this study
Determinants of share price among non-financial listed firms across sectors in Pakistan
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2021) Raza, Hamad
Share price performance is considered as one of the most important area of financial research by investors, managers, financial analysts and government as share price is a centre of gravity for the investment decisions. Previous studies have identified several determinants of share price. Most of these studies have focused on firm-level determinants. The recent developments emphasized on the effect of multilevel determinants (i.e. firm-level, sector-level and country-level) on share price. However, there is scare research focusing on examining the impact of financial sustainability on share price. Financial sustainability is relatively a new concept that demands further exploration as it can be beneficial for the firms. For this reason, this study included financial sustainability as one of the variables in firm-level determinants affecting share price. Thus, this study aims to identify the multi-level determinants of share price across non-financial listed firms and sectors in Pakistan. The present study contributes to the existing body of literature from three distinctive manners. Firstly, the current study examines the impact of multi-level determinants on share price. Secondly, this study investigates the mediating effect of dividend policy on the relationship between firm-level variables including firm's financial sustainability and share price. Thirdly, this study highlights the relative significance of each level of variables that best explains the share price. The current study performs analysis on 181 non-financial firms across sectors listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) from year 2000 to 2017. Moreover, the presents study utilizes different estimators such as descriptive statistics, correlation matrix, diagnostic tests, and ordinary least square (OLS) regression model including fixed-effect method to estimate the relationship between dependent and independent variables. Additionally, Process Macros is used to test the mediating effect. In order to test nested effect, this study employs artificial nested testing procedure (ANTP) and nested model statistics. The findings of this study reveal that the effect of firm-level, sector-level and countrylevel determinants varies across non-financial listed firms and sectors in Pakistan due to unique nature of each sector. Moreover, dividend policy mediates the relationship between firm-level variables and share price across non-financial firms and sectors in Pakistan. Furthermore, firm-level determinants are the best explanatory variables for share price followed by sector-level and country-level determinants across nonfinancial firms in Pakistan, which differs across sectors due to sectoral behaviour. The outcomes of this study provide policy direction and practical implications to firm's management, stakeholders and policymakers to pinpoint the important factors and its implications on share price in order to safeguard all stakeholders from potential losses. Several limitations that may extend prospects for future research need to be acknowledged. The major limitation is about limited data availability of all nonfinancial firms listed at PSX. As financial sustainability is a primary challenge for financial sector especially in developing countries, therefore investigation of financial sustainability as firm-level determinants along with sector-level determinants on the share price behavior of financial sector firms is a promising agenda for future research.
Development of an integrative governance framework for stakeholder management in marine space administration
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2017) Mohamad Abdullah, Nazirah
In Malaysia, marine spaces are not managed by single public institution but involving several stakeholders. As a result, this will create complex, uncertain, conflicting, and overlapping scope of work. This study aims to develop a Marine Space Stakeholder Governance (MSSG) framework based on real Malaysian Marine Space Stakeholder Issues (MSSI). The study employs qualitative and quantitative approach using Grounded Theory method with focus group technique (GT-fg). This is followed by benchmarking, Fuzzy Delphi technique and finally, face-to-face interview for validation. GT-fg data were gathered through semi-structured interviews in groups incorporating the critical incidences technique. The study found out new issues in stakeholder management in Malaysia including power distance, bureaucracy, and organisation structure. Furthermore, the common issues such as identifying and engaging the stakeholders and data management are also derived from the GT-fg output. Then, a benchmarking study were conducted to the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) to develop the Malaysian MSSG framework. This study involves 23 expert panels from various fields related to marine space governance to evaluate the framework using Fuzzy Delphi technique. The results show consensual agreement (d = 77.17%) among the experts in terms of the selected nine elements of the framework. Each item reached an agreement with the value (Amax) exceeding 0.60 defuzzification values. Only one item from the custodian element (The Prime Minister's Department should be the lead agency) where Amax = 0.32 is not acceptable. Finally, face-to-face interviews were used to assess the acceptance of the framework from the marine space stakeholders. All interviewees agreed that the framework is vital to support the Malaysian MSSG strategic implementation and policy execution. These findings could become a foundation for the establishment of National Marine Planning Council. The results of this study could contribute to the development of MSSG framework, taking into account the new MSSI
Dynamic effect of structural shocks on private investment in Iran
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Akbari, Mehrad
Constraint of government investment to handle the global financial crisis revealed the importance of private investment function in the economy. However, economic instability and uncertainty have caused postpone in private investment. Therefore, this study aimed to find out the factors with the most stimulant effect on private investment in Iran. Hence, applying the secondary quarterly data of Iran cover the period of July 1988 until March 2015 is used to determine the impact of six private and public structural shocks on private investment based on the Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model. The present study considers a combination of different variables of private investment behavior, namely capital, investment, the price of capital (Tobin’s Q), capital return, cost of capital utilization, and working hours as the endogenous variables. Second, investigating economy of a developing country, despite of most of the studies, which concentrate on developed economies. Third, evaluate the impact of liquidity as a monetary policy instrument in Iranian economy; and determine the distinction between public investment and current expenditures. The findings illustrated amongst private structural shocks, investment- specific technology shock convinces the private sector to invest at least in the short- run, as had persuaded them to deduct their consumption and increase their savings. Likewise, technology shocks affect positively the private investment behavior, unlike the two related technology shocks, the mark-up shock affects negatively the private investment indices. In addition, the micro-structural shocks, including government investment and current expenditures cause a crowding out effect on private investment in the short-run, but liquidity shock despite of positive impact on private investment can lead to speculation in the Iranian economy. Therefore, to persuade the private sector to invest, the policy makers should concentrate on micro structural shocks specially investment-specific technology and technology shocks.
Earnings management, corporate governance and corporate performance among Malaysian listed companies
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Nasiri, Mojtaba
The lack of transparency in financial reports has several reasons, but the most important is earnings management practices which are implemented by managers. Indeed, managers, by using EM (Earnings Management) tools, manipulate accounting information to achieve some goals. This goes against Corporate governance, whose primary goal is to deal with identifying potential mechanisms in which the shareholders of a corporation have more power and exercise control over the managers to protect their interests. Nevertheless, most researches have been concentrating on the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance, but only a few studies have regarded the moderator function of corporate governance on firm performance from different aspects. This study investigates whether corporate governance affects the relationship between earnings management and corporate performance by using data of listed companies in Bursa Malaysia. This study uses panel data analysis and uses the data from FTSE Russell by applying the intersection function to the constituents of FTSE Top 100 Bursa Malaysia during 2011 to 2015, which includes 59 companies in the form of 295 companies/year as time series data set. The results show that discretionary accruals (DAs) has significant effects on ROA, ROE, Tobin’s Q and EVA of firms in a weak governance regime. This study implies that managers in weakly governed firms are more likely to abuse accounting discretion than those in strongly governed firms, leading to decrease firm performance. Managers prefer using DAs to window-dress financial earnings, but this causes a more significant reversal of corporate value in the subsequent period. Conversely, DAs are positively and significantly related to firm performance in an influential governance regime.
Enhancing relationship marketing using social media tools in food and beverages industries
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2019) Kormin, Kamisah
Social media is an important tool for relationship marketing (RM). However, crafting persuasive strategies in this channel is challenging and more research is required to help brands avoid any failure in their RM efforts. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine social media strategies used by Malaysian brands (MBs), including a comparison of strategies employed by global brands (GBs) versus local brands (LBs), and product versus retailer brands. This study also investigates the impact of social media strategies on active customer engagement (CE) which are measured on the number of likes, shares, and comments, including the effect of social media strategies across GBs versus LBs, and product versus retailer. Four major dimensions of social media strategies are analysed: post types, post characteristics, brand personality, and valence of comments. 80 brands were selected for sampling and a content analysis on their two weeks Facebook brands post was undertaken. A total of 741 posts were analysed using descriptive analysis, T-test, multiple regression, and hierarchical regression. Findings from this study indicate that Malaysian brands use social media mostly for advertising purpose. Furthermore, Malaysian brands prefer to update post on weekdays, use mostly photos, low interactive tools, and humorous personality. Additionally, customers mostly communicate about general issues with their favourite brands, rather than influencing others with positive or negative comments. In sum, this study proposed that both competing brands (GBs versus LBs and product versus retailer brand) used different social media strategies. This study also found that different strategies are required to increase the number of likes, shares, and comments. Most importantly, there are some different effect of social media strategies across GBs versus LBs, and product versus retailer brand. The results of this study indicate that the use of link and humorous personality generates a higher number of likes for the product, than for retailer brand. The study also found that the use of a customer service post produces a higher number of shares for the retailer, than for product brand. Finally, the use of the engagement post draws more comments on GBs, than on LBs. Theoretically, this study advances the RM theory by offering a mechanism on how to develop effective interaction strategies in social media to achieve RM value. This study also expands active CE literatures by examining the most comprehensive strategies, and was the first to highlight the different effects of social media strategies across GBs and LBs. Practically, this study also offers practical guidance for managers in Food and Beverages (F&B) industries who seek to execute effective social media strategies. If managers aim at increasing the number of likes, they are suggested to employ link, humorous personality, and to avoid brand awareness post. If managers aim to increase the number of shares, they should use promotion post, customer service post, assertive personality, and to avoid status. If the managers want to increase more comments, they are proposed to regularly employ the customer service post, promotion post, engagement post, and using humorous personality. Finally, it is important for managers to quickly respond to positive and negative comments.

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