Arts and Social Sciences

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A model for effective national housing fund in Nigeria
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2021) Oluwatosin, Adediran Anthonia
The housing sector and home ownership are characterized by a number of benefits which have significant impacts on human lives and economic growth. Effective housing finance system, therefore, plays a key role in assuring the realization of such benefits. Despite the existence of successful housing finance models across countries, Nigeria housing finance system is yet to have a model that supports the operation of government initiated National Housing Fund Scheme, a source of housing mortgages for the public servants and private housing developers. To put it succinctly, housing finance in Nigeria has been ineffective, while workable policies appear to be a long way off the entire policy. This study seeks to fill this gap by developing a model for an effective National Housing Fund Scheme to aid home ownership in the country. This study has three objectives: 1) to identify the constraints affecting National Housing Fund Scheme loan transactions; 2) to develop a model and action plan for effective national housing fund in Nigeria through identified indicators, and 3) to validate the implementation model for effective national housing fund in Nigeria. In accomplishing the research goal, four stages of survey were performed. In Stage 1, interviews were conducted with housing related professionals, academics and mortgage institution officials; in Stage 2, four hundred and fifteen questionnaires were administered among public workers across the southwest of Nigeria; in Stage 3, a two-stage FGD was conducted involving fourteen individuals consisting of housing related professionals, academics, public servants and housing finance experts, and in Stage 4, a questionnaire survey on model validations was carried out with twenty-seven housing experts. SPSS, Structural Equation Model and NVivo were used to analyse the obtained data. The results show that the facilitation of effective National Housing Fund Scheme in Nigeria falls under three categories namely Macro-economic operations, Micro-economic operation and Action Plan, which were then pooled together to develop a model for effective National Housing Fund. A pool of experts unanimously gave their support to the appropriateness, validity and easy comprehension of the model, suggesting its validity. The capacity of the Model in providing guides to all stakeholders on housing mortgage transactions was also confirmed. Based on the findings, the dual stages of effective National Housing Fund Model are essential in enabling concerned individuals or groups to better understand their roles in Housing Finance Originations and subsequent transactions towards stakeholders’ home ownership.
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.
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.
An automated building information modelling-based compliance checking system for Malaysian building by-laws fire regulations
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Ismail, Aimi Sara
The implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry has significantly amplified the responsibility of designers in creating reliable and accurate BIM models. Fundamentally, the BIM models must comply with the fire safety regulations to provide minimum protection for building occupants and property. Since fire safety regulations are known to be complex and rigid, the manual compliance checking process could lead to inaccuracies, especially in a BIM-based environment. Hence, this study developed an automated BIM-based fire regulations compliance checking system for Malaysian’s AEC industry. In order to establish the rules and BIM properties necessary for fire regulations compliance checking process, 256 clauses from Parts VII and VIII of Selangor Uniform Building (Amendment) (No. 2) By-Laws 2012 were selected to create a BIM model using Revit® based on two-dimensional drawings of a completed 17-storey institutional building. Three investigations were conducted to structure the representation of the rules and BIM properties. First, the fire safety clauses were formalised through a classification technique, semantic mark-up requirement, applicability, selection, exception (RASE) methodology, and interviewing two fire engineers and a representative from the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia (JBPM). Secondly, the BIM properties consisting of 54 families and their respective parameters in Revit® were identified for the compliance checking process. Lastly, pseudocodes and architecture of the automated system were developed to establish the relationship between the formalised clauses and BIM properties. Dynamo® scripts were used to develop a prototype of an automated fire regulations compliance checking system which could automatically check for fire doors and staircases in Revit®. The representative from JBPM, three fire engineers and architect validated the proposed architecture while the prototype was validated by three architects, two structural engineers, one mechanical engineer, and two civil engineers. This study contributed to a semi-automated rule translation process which combined existing approaches in this field of study. The classification technique and semantic mark-up RASE methodology were refined in this research by developing flowcharts to provide specific guidelines in formalising the clauses. The semi-automated rule translation process encouraged the participation of relevant fire safety experts and provided more accessibility for designers compared to existing studies. This study also offered more practicality for designers to employ the system by utilising native BIM model data representation. High mean scores ranging from 4.00 to 4.96 were obtained for the validation process, which affirmed the feasibility of an automated BIM-based fire regulations compliance checking system to assist designers in the Malaysian AEC industry.
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.
Attitude towards entrepreneurship on the relationship between psychological and educational factors with entrepreneurial intention among university students
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Bazkiaei, Hanieh Alipour
Entrepreneurship is a vital source to improve economic growth, and to create wealth and job opportunities. It is an important element in developing graduates that are more competitive and innovative for the economy, especially in the context of the Malaysian government’s target towards a high-income nation by year 2020/2025. This study aims to investigate the mediation role of Attitude Towards Entrepreneurship (ATE) on the relationship between psychological factors (i.e. Subjective Norms (SN), Perceived Behavior Control (PBC), Big-Five (BF) personality traits, Entrepreneurial Motivation (EM)), and Educational Factors (EF) with Entrepreneurial Intention (EI). This study was conducted among final year local students in the management field at five research-intensive universities in Malaysia which are the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Malaya (UM), and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). This study employed quantitative approach to address the research objectives. The quantitative data of 251 respondents were collected through questionnaires. Data was analysed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS 22. Direct and indirect effects were calculated to test the endogenous and exogenous variables. The findings confirmed that BF personality traits, EM, PBC, SN, EF, and ATE, were positively related to EI. In addition, ATE mediated the relationship between BF personality traits, EM, PBC, SN, EF and EI. This study makes a novel academic and practical contribution to the field of entrepreneurship and makes a significant contribution to the body of knowledge. Finally, this research offers meaningful insight to the government and policy makers in their quest to encourage more students to elect entrepreneurship as a career of choice. However, this study is only limited to research-intensive universities in Malaysia.
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
Big data analytical framework in managing maintenance management for government office buildings in Malaysia
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2022) Jamaludin, Ain Farhana
The government sector in Malaysia faces major challenges in managing maintenance data. The development of technology and software for industry 4.0 has produced a vast volume of data, and the increase is very high. The sudden rise of Big Data has left real estate players unprepared to use it effectively. Furthermore, the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) and Sistem Pengurusan Fasiliti Berpusat (eSPFB) used in the government, especially in Putrajaya, are not working well. Based on the research and monitoring conducted, the data in the CMMS are still incomplete for analysis and projection to assist or support strategic decisions in managing facilities. Although it can produce dynamic dashboarding for decision-making, it does not involve Business Intelligence (BI) in providing real-time analysis or an interactive dashboard to the user, making it easier for newcomers to understand the system. Scattered, insufficiency and inaccuracy of maintenance data have become challenges for the maintenance department, making modelling the process or the management of maintenance activities enormously hard and complex. To mitigate this situation, the government must have a framework that can assist in managing the maintenance data management of public facilities, which encompasses an improvement tool through the dashboard simulation model for enhancing current conventional maintenance practices containing the necessary information to satisfy the stakeholder. Due to problems arising in the management of government building maintenance, especially during the decision-making stage, this research attempts to develop a new approach in managing dispersed and complex domain structures using Business Intelligence. Three objectives drove the study, firstly to identify data management challenges in maintenance management; secondly to determine the existing big data and business intelligence in federal government buildings, and thirdly to develop the big data analytical framework in maintenance management for federal government buildings. The Federal Territory of Putrajaya was chosen as the case study for this research. Three research methodologies were employed to achieve the research objectives, a literature review, a questionnaire survey and expert opinion. Firstly, the literature review identified four barriers to CMMS and eSPFB implementation and eight elements of data management challenges in government buildings. The respondents were asked to choose their level of agreement with the barriers and data management challenges. The respondent involved experts from the maintenance and asset management field, making them reliable and relevant for validating the barriers and data management challenges in maintenance management. Six experts were selected based on purposive sampling. Next, questionnaires were distributed to the target group of 35 supervisors who were selected through random sampling at the Jabatan Kerja Raya, Putrajaya. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS 23. The result showed that 73% of the respondents had difficulties collecting maintenance management data. Lastly, the big data analytical framework was developed, grounded by a dashboard simulation model and validated through expert opinions. The developed framework and dashboard simulation model was recommended as a new approach to replace the existing conventional method. In conclusion, this approach is an added value for the government in making structured knowledge in conveying maintenance data to the users for decision-making and better performance of public facilities by Jabatan Kerja Raya.
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.
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
Courtyard design variants for optimum indoor thermal performance of single storey fully-enclosed courtyard house in temperate-dry climate of Nigeria
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Bulus, Markus
Courtyard houses are common in Nigeria due to their numerous benefits, one of which is the ability of the courtyard to enhance the indoor thermal performance of the building. However, such benefit may not be achieved if the appropriate application of the Courtyard Design Variant (CDV) are unknown to the architect, even right from the design stage. While previous studies on CDVs in different climatic regions have been common, the same cannot be said about the temperate-dry climatic zone of Nigeria. Therefore, the aim of this study is to propose the most suitable CDV for optimum indoor thermal performance of single storey fully-enclosed courtyard houses in Nigerian temperate-dry climatic region. The optimum parameters of the CDVs namely Courtyard Shape Factors (CSFs), Courtyard Aspect Ratio (CAR), Orientation, Courtyard Overhang and Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR) were established and their impacts on indoor thermal comfort were determined. The documentary survey and field measurement methods were used to determine the types of CSFs and CARs and their indoor thermal performances; while the simulation software -Integrated Environment Solution-Virtual Environment (IES-VE) - was used for the simulation experiment. The software was validated with a digital model of the selected case study courtyard house. This study reveals fourteen (14) types of CSFs and CARs. The smaller CSFs were found to have favourable indoor thermal performance than the larger ones. Four (4) optimum CSFs were established and the North-south orientation was established as the optimum of all CSFs models. The optimum courtyard overhang depth and WWR were also determined. This study concluded that smaller CSFs improve indoor thermal performance than the larger ones, while 1200mm courtyard overhang depth and WWR 16% have significant impact on indoor thermal comfort. Finally, CDVs for the design of thermally conducive single storey fully-enclosed courtyard houses in Nigerian temperate-dry climate was proposed. The significance of this study lies in its quest for a conducive courtyard house while the proposed CDV is its main contribution.
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.
Dataset for TPB, Data Security and Perceived Benefits
(Mendeley Data, 2022-11-15) Yahya, Taher Ben
Repeated actions and behaviours are characteristic of people’s daily lives. However, there is a dilemma when this repeated action is associated with mobile phone recycling since convincing mobile users to recycle sustainably is challenging. This study analysed the four factors (i.e., actual knowledge, salience, environmental constraints, and habits) adopted from the Integrated Behavioural Model (IBM) theory and examined their impact on behavioural sustainability. A partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach was applied to evaluate 601 responses from a self- administered online survey collected from mobile user participants based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The survey findings indicated that habit has the strongest and statistically significant positive influence on behaviour; followed by knowledge and skills. Additionally, the salience of behaviour has a considerably negative influence on behaviour sustainability unaffected by environmental constraints. This study serves as a springboard for future research examining the IBM model to understand recycling behaviour in general and smartphone recycling sustainability in particular. Additionally, this research can assist smartphone manufacturers in understanding the factors that will maintain the recycling behaviour continuity, increasing the number of returned devices.
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.
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
Effect of attribute perception factors on mode choice preferences among public transport users
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2019) Abdul Kafi, Md.
Users may form certain perceptions on the attributes of characteristics. This specific type of perception is referred to as attribute perception. Studies have shown that attribute perception influences travel decisions. Recently, in the field of transportation, there is an increased interest in exploring attribute perception and its impacts on users’ decisions on the choice of transport mode. Previous studies have identified a range of travel factors influencing passenger’s mode of choice, while there has been little effort on the exploration of the significance of these attribute perceptions. Hence, this study explored the impacts of attribute perception on the preferred choice of transport mode among public transport users in Dhaka, Bangladesh. To achieve this aim, a conceptual modelling framework was developed based on the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation-Behavior (COM-B) model, which allows an extensive range of factors influencing mode choice to be considered. A self-administered survey was conducted to obtain users’ perceptions on public transport attributes. Cronbach’s alpha was used to identify reliability and internal consistency of the questionnaire and results showed that the questionnaire was found to have an adequate internal consistency. The Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .81 to .91 for the six attributes instrument. The data were extracted from 773 respondents from the two busiest routes in Dhaka city, namely Uttara to Azimpur and Mirpur to Motijheel. This conceptual relationship model was investigated using modelling approaches. Initially, the explanatory factor analysis (EFA) was used to determine the attribute perception factors’ underlying dimensions. Next, multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between attribute perception factors and travel behaviour. Finally, a multinomial logit model (MNL) was employed to explore the effect of attribute perception on the preferred choice of public transport users. The findings showed that the confidence level for regression model was 95% and its coefficient was defined as Sig < 0.05. Besides, the results showed that the attribute perception factors such as travel time, travel fare, waiting time, travel distance, comfort, and reliability had significant effects on passenger preference of travel modes among the different choices available. The results of this study have contributed to a better understanding of transport mode choice in Dhaka city and provided a foundation for future attribute perception-based mode choice research. 2019
Effect of retail service quality on switching intentions among hypermarket customers
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2019) Jabeen, Samrena
Retail service quality is a vital driver in determining customer satisfaction, which in turn promotes customer loyalty and reduces switching intentions. Based on disconfirmation theory, the difference between expectations and delivered service quality, determines the level of a customer satisfaction. Service quality is a solution to build customer satisfaction which could lead to customer loyalty hence reducing switching intentions. The concept of switching intentions has received significant attention in the field of marketing, however, little is known about the application of this concept in the context of retail business. Consumer research has neither verified the relationships among constructs like retail service quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and switching intentions, in a single framework, nor explored the possible influence of store ethnicity and price discounts on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty to switching intention. The current study has investigated the interrelationship among service quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty with switching intentions, and the moderating role of price discounts and store ethnicity, in a single framework. Random sampling was used by administering standardized questionnaires personally to 450 hypermarket customers located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The quantitative data was analyzed by the structural equation modeling technique using AMOS 20 software. The study extended the existing body of knowledge by introducing new moderators of price discounts and ethnic store on the relationships between satisfaction and switching intentions, and loyalty and switching intentions. The results confirmed that retail service quality has significant positive influence on customer satisfaction, and the positive effect of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty. Besides that, the study verified in marketing literature that store ethnicity and price discounts acted as moderating mechanism for explaining the switching intentions of satisfied and loyal customers. The results of the study may serve as a guideline for top managers of the hypermarkets to design appropriate policies and strategies in terms of retail service quality, price discounts and needs of ethnic groups in a particular region. This will help to enhance customer satisfaction and customer loyalty hence reducing switching intentions of customers.
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
Framework for community empowerment in planning and operational decision-making in Iskandar Malaysia
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Zanudin, Khalid
Community empowerment is defined as a medium to increase the community's influence, especially the low-income segment in making decision that concerns their interest due to their incapability to genuinely participate in the decision-making process. The purpose of this research is to develop a framework to empower the low-income segment’s capability in participating and influencing both the planning and operational decisions. It is grounded by the analysis of the current practice of community participation in the development plan-making and planning permission in Iskandar Malaysia, in which this research focuses on both Johor Bahru and Kulai districts. The content of planning documents such as the reports of the Public Inquiry and Hearing Committee for the local plans of Johor Bahru and Kulai, and the mixed development applications are gathered and analysed. A series of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with key informants, namely the local public planners, residents’ committees, local councillors and, private developers’ representatives are performed to gather the primary data from the actors. A total of 43 in-depth interviews and nine focus group discussions involving 67 participants were conducted. Thematic analysis and document analysis are selected as the methods to analyse both the primary and secondary data. The findings indicate that the current community participation process in Iskandar Malaysia is ineffective in providing a genuine opportunity to the low-income segment to participate in the development plan-making and planning permission. It requires improvement in several aspects: the incorporation of community interest in decision-making and collaboration between the community and other stakeholders, community's access to planning information and process, intergovernmental relationship in the planning process, improvement to the community's awareness and knowledge, the community's representation, and the skill and attitude of the public planner in handling community participation. Hence, a framework to improve the empowerment of the low-income segment in the development plan-making and planning permission processes is developed. This framework comprises the key principles guidelines: the local planning authority’s approach in engaging with the community, the capacity for both the local planning authority to provide platforms for communication and engagement, and the participation of the community in the planning process. The commitment from the planning authorities and non-government actors and the continuity in reviewing and evaluating the performance of the framework are also part of the framework. As a conclusion, the research contributes to expanding the researches in the area of community empowerment from the urban planning perspective. It also improves the current practices of community participation by the local planning authority and the community's awareness about its roles in urban planning.
In-situ hyperspectral remote sensing feature extraction of selected common tropical rainforest species
(Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 2020) Chew, Wei Chuang
Hyperspectral remote sensing has potentials in solving dilemma due to high diversity of tropical tree species during tree spatial distribution mapping for forest management and conservation. This research aims to establish a multi-level tree species classification strategy which has capability in dealing with high diversity of tropical tree species in Malaysia. Three research objectives were formed namely, 1) to evaluate the influence of spatial scale in within species spectral variability of tropical tree, 2) to examine the effectiveness of multi-level classification strategy in improving tree species classification accuracy, and 3) to study the influence of spatial scale and species grouping methods in multi-level tree species classification. A total of 20 tropical tree species and in-situ hyperspectral remote sensing data were collected at tree branch and leaves spatial scales. Spectral variation analysis has revealed a significant influence of remote sensing data spatial scale on within species spectral variability where tree branch spatial scale data dominated the upper range of this variability in the majority of the tree species in this research. Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) methods were adopted in the multi-level classification strategy to classify tree species using 32 vegetation indices extracted from in-situ hyperspectral data. The multi-level classification strategy has resulted in a 5% improvement in the classification accuracy from the ordinary classification for both SVM and MLC classifiers. The improvement was marked from 69.41% to 74.56% and from 64.98% to 69.53% in SVM and MLC tree species classifications respectively. Four tree species classification scenarios were designed in combinations of two spatial scales data (i.e. leaves spatial scale and tree branch with leaves spatial scale) with two species grouping modes to study the influence of these variables on the performance of multi-level SVM classification. Tree species data at tree branch spatial scale has proven its influence on the classification accuracy where SVM produced the accuracy at 77.21% and 72.79% for leaves spatial scale and tree branch with leaves spatial scale respectively at the first level in the multi-level classification strategy. Later, the multi-level SVM classification strategy has made a 2% improvement in the classification accuracy for tree species classification scenarios in the next two levels of classification. Two designed tree species groupings namely mode A (grouping based on individual classification accuracy) and mode B (grouping based on individual misclassification error) have presented influence on the multi-level SVM classification performance. The influence was shown in the number of sub-groups and tree species in sub-groups formed by the two grouping modes. Out of the four tree species classification scenarios, the multi-level SVM classification strategy has the best performance in the case of leaves spatial scale with species grouping mode A with a classification accuracy recorded at 79.2%. This research has proven multi-level classification strategy has its capability in handling a high number of tropical tree species with promising accuracy in tree species spatial distribution mapping.

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