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The biotechnology industry in Malaysia has been developing and has recently become the centre of attention. However, the development and success of the sector are highly dependent on factors like financial support and the availability of resources. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the impact of financial constraints and the financial literacy of management on the financial performance of Malaysian biotechnology firms. The quantitative approach was followed to develop a structured survey disseminated to the Employees of the Malaysian biotech industry. The findings revealed a significant and positive impact of management's financial literacy on financial performance, indicating improved literacy. They have increased the financial performance of the firm. The findings also suggested that financial constraints depleted the financial performance. The study's findings offer significant empirical evidence to the existing literature on financial constraints, financial literacy, and financial performance of organizations. The findings will be helpful for the management and stakeholders of the biotech sector in improving the literacy of their employees and eliminating financial constraints for furthering the sector's development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highway concessionaires in Malaysia spend considerable assets for managing different forms of data during highway projects life cycle. In this context, and based on the use of modern technologies, an enormous volume of highway data is generated daily. These data can be utilized to extract and evaluate indicators to analyze highway green performance. Feedback from indicators allows to grasp the sustainable practices and implement corrective actions. Dashboards have become popular in recent years as uniquely powerful tools for communicating important information. This research adopted the approach of centralized data provider to develop a web-based visualization dashboard, as a technique to reinforce decisions in the highway sector. The dashboard will be employed to gain information about highway green performance with the goal of enhancing decisions. In this dashboard, data integration of MyGHI and CFC has been used in illustrating the visualization. The development utilized a web-based system, using HTML and CSS to build up basic static UI; use JavaScript to archive the processing data dynamically; use PHP to control models’ logical function and MySQL database. The quantitative and qualitative measures were used to validate the dashboard. Findings demonstrated an increase in accuracy of data monitoring and quicker decision-making using the Dashboard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being a prominent tourist destination, the hotel industry's demand in Malaysia has been increasing day by day. There is still a shortage of studies focusing on how hotels can make environmental management routine work, take environmental laws seriously and be more responsive to the environment. This study focused on the connections between green employee involvement, green performance management and green dynamic capability in implementing environmental law in the hospitality industry. The study also evaluates the mediating role of implementing environmental law between green employee involvement, green performance management, green dynamic capability and organisational citizenship behaviour to reduce pollution. This study employed a quantitative approach to test the hypotheses and a convenient sampling method to collect the data from hotel employees. Out of 600 distributed questionnaires, useable responses were 253 to proceed with data analysis. Data were analysed through structural equation modelling (SEM) using the Smart-PLS and SPSS. The relationship between green employee involvement, green performance management, green dynamic capability and implementation of environmental laws was discovered and considered unique in the hotel industry in Malaysia. The study further established the mediating role of environmental law between independent and dependent variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the direct and indirect effects of information system security practices that observed the relationship effect between cyber supply chain risk management and supply chain performance. In Industry 4.0 era, a cyber-attack becomes unavoidable and needs to adopt cyber supply chain risk management to improve the firm. The data were collected from 105 firms in Malaysia through online surveys. The partial least squares structural equation modeling technique examined the model's goodness and research hypothesis. The results revealed that operations, directly and indirectly, influence (via mediators) supply chain performance. In contrast, governance directly affects supply chain flexibility and indirect (via mediators) influence on supply chain performance; in addition, systems integration did not, directly, and indirectly, influence supply chain performance. This framework indicates the manufacturing industry and related parties with a better understanding of cyber supply chain risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine the relationship between environmental cost (EC) on organisational performance (OPM) through an environmental management system (EMS) as the mediating variable. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 2,600 manufacturers were identified and consequently selected as the entire study population. Additionally, this study used the structural equation modelling technique to identify the mediator effects of EMS between EC and OPM. Findings: The EC and EMS relationship on OPM produced direct and indirect consequences. Hence, it is concluded that manufacturing industry in Malaysia are focused on the OPM when implementing EC and EMS. Originality/value: The model would incorporate EC and EMS implementation on OPM in the Malaysian manufacturing industry. This study could also be advantageous to the industry in improving EC, EMS and OPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is evidence in the literature that green HRM practices improve environmental profitability. On the other hand, existing research has failed to explain how GHRM can support the development of a green culture and green innovation influence the firm's environmental performance and long-term growth. This study investigates the relationship between GHRM, green culture, green innovation, and a firm's environmental performance. In addition, the study examines the mediating role of green culture and green innovation in the relationship between GHRM and environmental performance. This research conducts a large-scale study of 290 employees from Manufacturing firms in Malaysia. The research results provide managers with a better knowledge of how GHRM helps develop sustainable culture and green innovation and how these elements contribute to the improvement of environmental performance inside the organization. This study also makes a significant contribution in terms of novelty and research relevance by demonstrating that green culture and green innovation positively mediate the relationship between GHRM and environmental performance in a sustainable manner. Managers will understand the GHRM required to develop an ecologically conscious culture and promote green innovation among environmentally conscious employees. Finally, we highlighted the importance of this study for top management in the sense of mediating the role of green culture and green innovation and the consequences for future generations of responsible managers who will acquire this knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The failure or success of an enterprise depends upon its working capital management practices (WCMP) along with effective corporate social responsibilities (CSR) and social entrepreneurship (SE). These factors ensure not only the soundness of financial indicators but also the profitability of an enterprise. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the impact of CSR, SE, and WCMP on the performance of small–medium enterprises (SMEs) of tourism sector, during the lockdown period in Malaysia. The goals also include the investigation of moderating role of employee behavior (EB) among the nexus of CSR, SE, WCMP, and performance of SMEs. The survey was performed to find out the practices adopted by the SMEs during corona days. A quantitative research method has been adopted to get data with convenient sampling technique, and PLS-SEM has been exploited to find out the significant nexus among CSR, SE, WCMP, and the performance of SMEs. The results indicate that CSR, SE, and WCMP have a positive association with the performance of SMEs in Malaysia. The results also indicate that EB positively moderates among the nexus of CSR, SE, WCMP, and the performance of SMEs in Malaysia. Stock review strategies by the SMEs during the corona days also exhibit significant differences except for no stock review. Significant differences between the enterprises show a lack of adaptation of the financial indicators that determine enterprise soundness. The study not only provides guidelines for entrepreneurs of SMEs but also helps in maintaining standards for the evaluation of the enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sustainable development concern, coupled with changes in the talent landscape, has led to a heightened focus on green human resource management (GHRM). Drawing on attribution theory and conservation of resources theory, this study examined GHRM, leader–member exchange (LMX) and core self-evaluations (CSE) in relation to work engagement together with human resource management (HRM) performance attributions as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach: Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the data collected from 110 respondents working in ISO 14001 certified organisations in Malaysia. Findings: Results revealed that GHRM and LMX were positively related to HRM performance attributions that were intended to improve employee performance. However, CSE was not found to be related to HRM performance attributions. Consequently, HRM performance attributions were positively related to work engagement. Furthermore, GHRM and LMX had positive indirect effects on work engagement through HRM performance attributions as a mediator. Research limitations/implications: Since the data collected were from Malaysia only, it limits the generalisability of the results to other regions. Practical implications: The findings suggest that organisations should adopt GHRM and train its leaders to forge stronger social bonds with their subordinates to elicit higher work engagement by positively influencing employee attributions on the motives of HRM practices. Originality/value: This study contributes to the acknowledged gap on GHRM and HRM attributions by examining the non-green employee outcomes of GHRM and the antecedents of HRM performance attributions. This study also contributes by integrating attribution theory with conservation of resources theory to provide the mediation mechanism in linking GHRM and LMX towards higher work engagement through HRM performance attributions as a mediator; thus empirically illustrating the resource gain spirals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: The study examines the effect of fund management companies' (FMCs) attributes on FMC performance in the four countries with the largest number of Islamic funds from 2007 to 2018. Methodology: The study uses pooled regression analysis on 70 FMCs, comprising Saudi Arabia (25), Malaysia (20), Indonesia (14) and Pakistan (11). The sample is further divided into FMC with Islamic funds focused (IFFMC) and conventional funds focused (CFFMC). Findings: Only past flows are insignificantly related to performance. Both proxies for size positively relate to returns, but only in the case of Saudi Arabia. In Pakistan, performance improves with assets under management (AUM), while in Malaysia and Indonesia, an increasing number of funds negatively relate to performance. A relatively high number of better performing funds positively affect FMC and vice versa. Additionally, there are significant differences in the factors determining IFFMC and CFFMC performance, with the number of funds and AUM positively affecting the performance of IFFMC but not CFFMC. Poorly performing funds adversely affect CFFMC but not IFFMC. Contributions: This study provides useful information for investors using a top-down approach to FMC then fund selection, and for managers in evaluating the impact of factors like FMC scale and scope on performance. The impact of these attributes differs between CFFMCs and IFFMCs which lies in the performance differences commonly observed, at the FMC and fund level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to assess the extent of the role of performance management and its contribution to the performance of executive work in manufacturing firms. Methodology in this study was built where a questionnaire was designed for data collection to measure performance management-related executives' attendance, attitude/discipline, communication, creativity and innovation, human relations, job knowledge, and teamwork on executives' performance. Data were collected among executives in manufacturing firms at Kulim Hi-tech Park, Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia which had a 4438 population, 351 samples, and 244 respondents successfully collected from 25 manufacturing firms. A stratified sampling method was used to collect data and the data obtained were analyzed using SmartPls version 3.7.8. The finding of this study found that there is a significant relationship between executives' attendance, attitude/discipline, creativity and innovation, and teamwork on executives' performance. While communication, human relations, and job knowledge have not-significant. It is proved from SmartPls analysis shown that 4 independent variables have a positive impact on executives' performance in manufacturing firms and 3 variables have not significant. The limitation of the research only covers the manufacturing firms. Another limitation is the respondents only included executives. Apart from these limitations, this research can give a strong impact on the top management of manufacturing firms to design the strategy of performance management to be more effective in improving the work performance of executives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates the extent to which externally led benchmarking may have facilitated performance management design and use in Malaysian local authorities. Design/methodology/approach: A longitudinal qualitative study of local authorities in Malaysia was undertaken, comprising interviews with key officers during the introduction of process-based key performance indicators (KPIs), and following the imposition of benchmarking (i.e. relative performance evaluation) on local authorities. Complexity theory was used in the analysing and theorising of data. Findings: External benchmarking mechanisms facilitated only operational performance management, with strategic performance management merely ceremonially adopted. As the focus was on mainly operational KPIs, strategic goals were not translated into detailed action plans and outputs at departmental level. In addition, operational and strategic performance management packages were decoupled. Thus, the efforts of external actors resulted in operational controls suppressing rather than facilitating strategic processes. Research limitations/implications: There is a need to transition from purely externally led benchmarking to internally driven benchmarking in local government, whereby benchmarking forms part of the interactive performance management mechanisms that lead to institutional learning and improvement. Practical implications: Benchmarking activities should be based on comprehensive analyses of performance management design and use. A reflective approach to continuously identify gaps or weaknesses in performance management systems will enable local government administrators to improve systems and processes in a timely manner to meet stakeholder needs. Originality/value: This paper explains the impact of central government policy and benchmarking initiatives on other levels of government. We have built on previous literature by examining the connection between external benchmarking and internal performance management design and use in local government. In relation to this, and following calls for research on holistic performance management, the integration between operational and strategic performance management packages was also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Look East policy is not just a political rhetoric of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. This policy has been compiled and loaded with various programs to ensure its success. This policy was introduced with the aim of changing the thinking and paradigm so that it is not too obsessed with the West, especially Britain. For this purpose, the study will analyze the continuity of Malaysia's foreign policy towards Japan has succeeded in molding and forming the Malaysian economy to a high-income nation as well as generating first-class minded people. This study uses a qualitative approach by analyzing secondary data derived from books and articles from international journals to support and compare the opinions of other scholars. It is very important to change the notion that everything that comes from the West is good and replaced as an alternative is to look to the East especially Japan. The implementation of the Look East Policy has seen the Japanese government actively aiding Malaysia to develop infrastructure, trade, industry and technical education. This is a good and positive effort from the Malaysian government to further improve the performance of management and development in this country. In short, the implementation of the Look East Policy has made Malaysia succeed in line with other developed countries. The contributions and cooperation forged through the Look East Policy efforts have given their own impact on socio-economic development and community development in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to provide owner/managers with access to an evidence-based study for the purpose of improving practice in performance measurement (PM) in their small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach: As a qualitative case study, it adopted semi-structured interviews to explore the best practices in PM from 32 SMEs in Malaysia. The interviewees were the owner/manager, the supervisor and/or the person who is responsible for human resources in the firm. Thematic analysis was conducted. Findings: First, it should be no surprise, as the study echoes previous research, that the traditional, complex PM systems are not functionally suitable for most SMEs. Second, the study identifies five common capabilities (5Cs) in human capital that these SMEs require in their PM practice, all of which are claimed to contribute critically to SME success and sustainability. Research limitations/implications: While qualitative studies can obtain in-depth results, it is encouraged to continue similar research with additional samples for comparison, including quantitative studies and SMEs in other countries. Practical implications: The findings help SME owners/managers benchmark their current practices in PM and improve toward what peer firms have been doing well to benefit organizational development in a feasible tone. Originality/value: This research informs SME practitioners of the 5Cs mechanism found to be effective for long-term organizational survival – including during unprecedented times such as an economic downturn or a pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Demographic information is one of the key parameters that organizations utilize to modify their practices in order to respond to the existing risk within work environments. The present article aims to assess the level of safety climate factors as well as to evaluate the influence of personal factors on safety climate in two different-sized industries. Methods. A total of 216 employees in two large and three small and medium-sized chemical manufacturing industries responded to a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the safety climate level; a two-independent-sample Mann–Whitney U test and a Kruskal–Wallis test were run to compare the difference in safety climate scores among different demographic variables. Results. The lower level of safety climate in small and medium-sized industries revealed lower understanding and performance of management and non-management with regard to safety climate compared to the large industries. Additionally, significant mean differences on some safety climate factors among demographic variables were detected in both sizes of industries, emphasizing the important role of the employees' demographic variables on the plants' safety climate. Conclusion. Improving organization-level and group-level safety climates is recommended to improve employees' level of safety climate and control their personal factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective - Turnover has become a worldwide problem that has puzzled organizations, researchers and experts for years. This study is focused on practices of iHRM that consist of Islamic Staffing, Islamic human resources management, Islamic performance management and Islamic compensation and turnover intention among employees at Islamic Religious Council. This study has 3 research objectives. Firstly, to identify the level of the iHRM. Secondly, to identify the level of turnover intention. Thirdly, to investigate the relationship between iHRM and turnover intention. Methodology/Technique - 300 questionnaires were distributed to all employees at one of Islamic Religious Council in Malaysia as sample for this study and a stratified random sampling method was used. Findings - The research concludes that the level of iHRM and turnover intention is high. The relationship between iHRM and turnover intention also has a positive effect. Novelty - This research is one of few studies to examine the relationship between iHRM and turnover intention. Type of Paper: Empirical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes Malaysia's experience in crime control. It offers insights on how a whole-of-government perspective, underpinned by a dynamic outcome-based performance management system, or DPM, supports governments in bringing about progress in crime reduction. Although not exhaustive of all factors contributing to crime control, the paper argues that DPM can make collaboration in designing and implementing policies for crime control more effective, by enabling policy-makers frame causal links between strategic resources, performance drivers and outcomes. The feedback-loops underlying the crime-control system's behavior should be governed in a way that enables policy-makers to build up a substantial and consistent endowment of strategic resources to affect sustainable outcomes. The deployment of these resources should help achieve—by affecting performance drivers, outputs, and intermediate outcomes—the ultimate outcome in crime control, namely, public perception of safety. The DPM approach applied to collaborative governance in crime control also suggests that policy-makers should build up and deploy strategic resources (most of which are intangible), such as political and administrative commitment, citizen participation, span of accountability, leadership, transparency, and trust. The mode of implementation can also influence success in crime control. Accordingly, a blend of top-down and bottom-up implementation and a culture of collaboration should also expedite crime reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which Malaysia's most recent public service reform has improved service delivery and governmental performance. It also endeavors to identify critical success factors that explain reform performance and draw lessons based on the Malaysian experience. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts a case study approach and draws on data from both primary and secondary sources. Besides a thorough review of official documents and existing literature, the author conducted 20 individual interviews with key informants representing government officials, academics and civil society organizations. Findings: The study shows that despite some pitfalls and misgivings, the Government Transformation Program (GTP) has produced concrete improvements in service delivery areas where previous reforms failed. One of the factors that underpin GTP's relative success is the detailed performance management framework, which helped foster inter-agency collaboration and enforce accountability for results at various levels. Practical implications: The GTP success highlights the significance of adapting reform content to local situations especially when reforms are based on external models; sanctions from the highest political office; a dedicated unit to drive the implementation and an effective performance management framework through which individuals and agencies would be held to account for results achieved. Originality/value: Despite many and varied reform initiatives attempted in the past, cases of successful reform are rare, especially in developing countries. Little is known on what makes a reform work, a gap exacerbated by notable absence of systematic research on this topic. The paper contributes to address this by reviewing Malaysia's innovative approach to reform and the insights that the Malaysian experience offers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: The improper maintenance affects the performance of management practices for Green Building (GB) in Malaysia. This is due to the issues of lack of GB knowledge and competency for maintenance activities in GB projects. However, only a few researchers have investigated maintenance within the GBs. This may be due to industry's lack of awareness concerning the currently existing maintenance problems and their causes. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: This paper intends to develop a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based approach for managing maintenance in GB schemes. As a precursor to this work, the current maintenance management activities, ICT tools and techniques are reviewed and explored in such projects to gather processes and information database of maintenance and management. Findings: The findings reveal the need for more sophisticated maintenance management solutions that accord with the needs of GB schemes to manage quality and reduce associated defects. Originality/value: The paper concludes by presenting a research framework for developing such a system in the future. It is also suggested that further research into maintenance of GB should consider issues in terms of concern for lifecycle assessment and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates how an externally imposed programme with the objective of improving the income of the poor is measured and managed by a public agency in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative case study approach is used in this research. The data were collected over a three-year period with interviews conducted with key officers at various levels ranging from the Ministry to the agency responsible for implementing the programme. Findings: The introduction of the programme into the organisation's activity was loosely coupled, reflected by the way in which the programme was being implemented. There was some inter-dependency between the three hierarchical levels in terms of their performance measures and targets, responsibilities and reporting. There were no significant changes to the organisation's practices and weak linkages between the programme's objective, the formulation of indicators and the way the information was used in performance assessment. The lack of integration of the programme resulted in high importance being attached to measurement and reporting, rather than focusing on the achievement of the programme objective. Originality/value: This paper contributes to understanding the performance management issue regarding the vertical and horizontal coupling of a system in relation to an externally derived programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Malaysia, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make up 98.5% of all establishments registered under the 2016 Census of Economy, but some SMEs succeed and some have problems within the first three years of its establishment. SMEs' performance is low and failing to meet the government's stated goals, especially in contributing to gross domestic product (GDP), employment and exports. One of the ways in which SMEs improve their performance is according to strategic experts who recommend that SMEs adopt formal strategic planning. The strategic management process involving the scanning of business and industry environment, formulating strategies, implementing strategies selected from the strategies discussed and the control and evaluation process after the strategy is implemented is expected to enable SMEs to gain competitive advantage challenges in the fierce and uncertain market. The main objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between strategic management practices and SME performance. This study was conducted using questionnaire as a data collection instrument. A total of 384 Bumiputera SME respondents have been successfully collected. The quantitative data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 11. The analysis was descriptive analysis (mean, frequency, standard error) and inference analysis (linear regression). The findings show that the relationship between strategic management and SME performance is positive and significant. In conclusion, strategic management practices can enhance the performance of SMEs and thus achieve the goals set by the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to understand how entrepreneurs of SME beach resorts mitigate challenges in their efforts to survive and simultaneously expand their businesses. SMEs in tourism related industry including beach resorts cater towards accommodating increased number of tourist arrivals. Malaysia targets to bring in 36 million tourists, with RM168 billion tourism receipts by the year 2020. The sun, sea and sand are naturally the magnets of tropical islands of Malaysia. The authors employed in-depth interview technique on two resorts located on Perhentian Kecil Island, offshore Terengganu, Malaysia. Observation of the premises complements data collected from interviews. Findings suggest that the resorts employed various strategies to manage their operations. Cost saving methods like employing family members, constructing additional resort features during monsoon period and smart business arrangement with resorts suppliers contributed towards resorts expansion. The study outcome would amongst others benefit policymakers in nurturing the SME sector, further facilitating Malaysia towards a developed nation. This study also contributes to the performance management literature particularly on island beach resorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study the determinants that affect sustainability performance in manufacturing companies and the impact of business intelligence and big data analytics capability on performance considering the moderating role of green knowledge management. An online questionnaire survey was conducted with 488 ISO14001-certified manufacturing companies in Malaysia to test the framework developed in this study. Nonprobability sampling was used in this study. A total of 283 responses were received, whereby the data was then analyzed using structural equation modeling via SmartPLS 4 software. The results indicated that the significant factor determining big data analytics capability is business intelligence, and the positive outcome of big data analytics capability is sustainability performance. Big data analytics capability also plays a mediating role in the positive relationship between business intelligence and sustainability performance, whereby green knowledge management does not moderate the relationship between big data analytics capability and sustainability performance. Even though business intelligence has a substantial impact on sustainability performance, the relationship is not stronger when the level of green knowledge management changes. This research provides awareness to manufacturing companies on the critical factors contributing to big data analytics capability and its outcomes on corporate sustainability performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working environment and safety behavior are the primary concern in construction projects which in the long run are part of the yardstick in measuring project management performance. Construction safety and performance should be thoroughly investigated empirically by illustrating the current state of accident and performance in construction industries. Entrenched in the Malaysian construction industry experience, three dimensions of the project management performance (resolve cost, schedule, and quality) can buffer the contractor’s and project manager’s performance in building projects. Following organizational control theory, this research investigated the effects project management performance (resolve cost, schedule, and quality) on construction projects among G-7 contractors operating in Kuantan Malaysia construction industries through a personally administered questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) opined that schedule and quality have positive and significant influence, while resolve cost has a significant negative influence on Malaysia construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) conserves natural resources, provides economic benefits, and reduces water, air, and soil pollution. In an effort to adequately manage flow of ELVs, modern infrastructure is considered a prerequisite. Thus, development of an effective performance evaluation tool for monitoring and continuous improvement of ELV management systems is strongly desired. In this paper, a performance evaluation tool is proposed for ELV management system implementation, based on the analytic hierarchy process. A real-life case study in Malaysia was conducted in order to demonstrate the potential and applicability of the presented methodology. The scores of eight key success factors in establishing an ELV management system (i.e., management responsibility, performance management, capacity management, resource management, stakeholders’ responsibility, education and awareness, improvement and enforcement, and cost management) are presented. The overall score of the ELV management system implementation in Malaysia is equal to 2.13. Therefore, its performance level is average. The presented multi-criteria decision analysis tool can be of assistance not only to stakeholders in the Malaysian ELV management system, but also to vehicle recycling managers from other countries in order to monitor and continuously improve their ELV management systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) to five companies under the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) project has shown that these companies have indeed achieved simultaneous benefits of economic gains and environmental sustainability. This paper highlights the experience of one of the companies, emphasising how one can leverage enablers and also overcome barriers to implementing MFCA in a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) in Malaysia. Driven by the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, the case company found most of its enablers within MFCA's own attributes. Additionally other factors such as the team composition, interpersonal communication, and efforts of the change agents were instrumental in the success of the MFCA implementation. However, the company was also constrained by its suppliers. More importantly, it is envisaged that a potential hurdle for MFCA advancement is when performance management issues are not addressed by higher management. Drawing upon the company's experience and the theoretical literature, other barriers that may also be encountered by SMEs in Malaysia are also discussed. These include for example, overcoming the traditionalist view held by most SMEs, persevering the implementation processes on their own without the direct assistance from MPC and several others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous performance management reforms in Malaysia reflected contemporary administrative reforms in the public services of developed countries. They applied across the public service with the view to modernizing public administration and improving public service delivery. The latest performance management reform in Malaysia, under the umbrella of the government transformation program (GTP), takes on a diagnostic or problem-solving approach to service delivery reform. This article uses a case study methodology to assess the implementation of the performance management system under the GTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of shareholder activism led by the Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG) on the performance of family-controlled firms in Malaysia from 2005 to 2009. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses event study methodology to calculate abnormal returns for the sample and control firms. Findings – The paper finds significant positive cumulative abnormal returns of at least 0.5 percent for the targeted family firms, during the event window of [-1, 0] and [0, +1], as a result of MSWG engagement. There is a significant positive cumulative abnormal return of 1 percent for the firms where family control is less than the threshold level of 33 percent. It is interesting to note that MSWG engagements do not have consistent positive impact on the abnormal returns over the years. There are significant differences between the performance of MSWG targeted family-controlled firms and non-targeted family-controlled firms after one year of MSWG intervention. Research limitations/implications – The results show that MSWG-led shareholder activism does have an effect on the share returns of the family-controlled firms. These results imply that family-controlled firms agree with the MSWG on those matters that improve the bottom-line results. Originality/value – The authors argue that this is the first study to examine MSWG engagements with family-controlled firms in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the relationships among supplier management practices, organizational context and supplier performance. The contexts selected for supplier management practices are economics transactional practices and high involvement work practices (HIWP); while power asymmetry and competition intensity are considered within the organizational context. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted on a multinational semiconductor company. A two-phase statistical analysis, which comprised phase one (reliability and factor analysis), and phase two (hierarchical multiple regression analysis), was used to analyze the data. Findings – The study provides empirical evidence to support the conceptual and prescriptive statements in the literature regarding the impact of supplier management practices and the dynamics between organizational context and supplier management towards supplier performance. The results show that high involvement work practices (HIWP) mediate the impact of competition intensity on suppliers' quality performance and partially mediate the effect of competition intensity on suppliers' flexibility. The limitation of this study is that it does not use longitudinal data, which would be more useful to examine changes in variables that affect performance; nevertheless, as this study was conducted in-house, it was able to control the extraneous factors. Originality/value – The study provides important insights for managers to understand the disposition of the firm to better leverage organizational context by exploiting relationships with suppliers. The paper has extended organizational theory and marketing theory into a supply chain context. Moreover, it is among the first empirical work that specifically investigates the relationship between organizational context and supplier management practices; thus the paper fills an important gap in the supply chain literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper is a pilot study that investigated the suitability of adopting an automated balanced scorecard for managing and measuring the performance excellence of academic staffs in the higher education setting. A comprehensive study of related literature with requirements elicited from the target population in a selected premier university in Malaysia through document analysis, interviews and survey questionnaires provided the foundation for the system development. By adopting the balanced scorecard, the proposed system provided a means for top down alignment of organisational objectives while creating a medium of communication between the lecturers and management. Though the method suggested in this study primarily focuses on the academic staff, it addresses the lack of a representative form of performance measurement for lecturers that accommodates the complexities of the profession while providing the potential adoption of an unconventional method to encourage excellence and development amongst all levels of employees in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of competitive strategy and performance measurement in the Malaysian context by applying a modified version of Conant et al's generic strategy scale and categorizing Malaysian firms along the Miles and Snow business strategy typology. Design/methodology/approach — Competitive strategy and performance measurement were assessed via survey. A total of 975 firms were randomly selected from the directory of Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) as listed in 2003. Overall, 133 surveys were returned, 120 of which were usable for analysis. Findings — Results suggest that Malaysian firms view competitive strategy differently and are more likely than their Western counterparts to emphasize the use of financial measures of organizational performance. Findings also highlight the difficulties faced when Western measurement scales are employed in non-Western emerging nations. Research limitations/implications — Because greater emphasis was placed on financial rather than non-financial measures, results indicate a statistically significant different improvement only in sales growth and ROl performance among the three strategy categories. Strategy researchers should focus their attention to the use*of multiple performance measures in assessing firm's performance as shown by the significant different in the use of customer satisfaction and loyalty measures, as well as employee satisfaction and training measures. Originality/value — These findings hold relevance for executives responsible for the formulation and implementation of business strategy. A better understanding of the relationship between business strategy and performance measures using the BSC perspectives of measures has been provided. The study provides some useful insights into the role of performance measures. In addition, this study conveys the message to top managers and designers of performance measurement tools—most notably the balanced scorecard#x2014; should pay particular attention to non-financial performance measures in implementing their organization's strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Using the extended task-technology fit (TTF) model, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of intranet usage on middle managers' performance in the port industry. Design/methodology/approach - The study was conducted on 357 middle managers from various organisations in the Malaysian port industry. Findings - The structural equation modelling results indicate that TTF and usage significantly explains the variance on managers' performance. TTF is a predictor of perceived usefulness and usage but it does not predict user resistance. Perceived usefulness is a predictor of usage but it does not predict user resistance. User resistance does not predict managers' performance. Research limitations/implications - The study focuses only on the port industry in Malaysia and concentrates only on the management perspective of intranet usage. Practical implications - The results provide insights on how the Malaysian port industry and other organisations of a similar structure could improve on their intranet adoption. Originality/value - This study is perhaps one of the first to address the intranet adoption in the port industry using a comprehensive, extended TTF model (perceived usefulness, usage, user resistance) to investigate their influences on individual job performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses a case study of public human resource management (HRM) in Malaysia to explore policy 'transferability', proposed as a refinement of Dolowitz and Marsh's policy transfer framework. HRM in the Malaysian civil service is found to be relatively performance-orientated, though that is qualified by the Government's affirmative action policies. Malaysia's approach is attributed to factors that have their roots in Malaysia's history: the pervasive respect for authority, the ethnic mix, its Anglo-Saxon orientation, the successful economy, the National Development Policy of 1990 and the personal role of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed. These factors suggest that public management is both shaped and constrained by its historical roots. The case suggests that successful policy transfer requires an understanding of those roots, especially when there is a significant distance in cultural, political, economic or linguistic terms between the countries transferred from and to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A data set of 42 Japanese multinational corporations operating in Malaysia shows that there are significant relationships among three major variables: organizational strategies, human resource practices, and firm performance. Significantly, the findings reflect that firms that believe in Human Resource Management (HRM) values--whereby they view people as source of competitive advantage and at the same time adopt differentiation strategies--are more likely to use high-involvement HRM strategies. Both differentiation and response speed strategies have significant impact on firm performance, even though differentiation strategies tend to have stronger effects. Most importantly, it was proven that firms with high-involvement HRM strategies significantly correlate with firm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]