All Research

Asrul Akmal Shafie · Haarathi Chandriah · Yee Vern Yong · Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh ·Value in Health Regional Issues ·2019

Objective To describe the process and role of health technology assessment (HTA) in the context of drug policy in Malaysia. Methods We summarized the HTA process through review of documents and reports available in the public domain combined with the authors' experience. Results Health technology assessment plays an integral part in prioritizing treatment in public health facilities in Malaysia, particularly for the Ministry of Health Medicines Formulary (MOHMF). The MOHMF is the reference list of drugs allowed to be prescribed in the Ministry of Health (MOH) facilities. There are 2 organizations within the MOH that conduct HTA as their core activities, namely the Malaysian Health Technology Assessment Section and the Formulary Management Branch of Pharmacy Practice & Development Division. The assessment of pharmaceuticals for the purpose of listing medicines into the MOHMF is under the purview of the Formulary Management Branch. The evidence-based assessment focuses on safety, efficacy, effectiveness, and budget impact of the drug. Cost-effectiveness evidence is currently not mandatory but is of interest to the decision makers. The assessment outcomes are considered by the MOH Medicines List Review Panel for formulary decisions. Conclusions Health technology assessment has supported formulary decisions in MOH. Evidence generation needs to progress beyond efficacy or effectiveness, safety, and budget impact to incorporate cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, there are challenges to be met to achieve this. The impact of the HTA process is currently unknown and is yet to be evaluated formally.

Suhaiza Ismail · Zuhudha Rasheed ·Meditari Accountancy Research ·2019

Purpose This paper aims to identify the influence of personal factors on the ethical judgement of future accountants in Malaysia. In particular, there are two research objectives for this study: first, to investigate the influence of ethical ideology on the ethical judgement of accounting students and second, to investigate the influence of emotional intelligence (EI) on ethical judgement. Design/methodology/approach The respondents of the study were final year undergraduate accounting students from three public universities in Malaysia. A survey questionnaire comprising instruments about ethical ideology, EI and ethical judgement was distributed. A total of 205 responses were received and were deemed as useable. To achieve the research objectives, multiple regression was performed. Findings The findings indicate that idealism and EI have a positive influence on the ethical judgement. In contrast, the study discovered that relativism influences ethical judgement negatively. Originality/value This study fills the research gap as research on personal factors on the ethical judgement of future accountants is very limited and scarce. It gives insights to the various parties concerning how to enhance ethical judgement among future accountants, which ultimately will improve the credibility of the accounting profession.

Siew Imm Ng · Jo Ann Ho · Xin Jean Lim · Kee Lin Chong · Khairunnisak Latiff ·Young Consumers ·2019

Purpose In this digitalization age, smart technologies are on the cusp of changing all business sector including retailing. Today’s consumers desire to shop in a smart store where the physical products on display are connected to the internet world. This study aims to propose a model for investigating Generation Z (Gen-Z) consumers’ expectations towards the smart retail technology (SRT) in the Malaysian context through the application of the stimulus-organism-response framework. Design/methodology/approach By using a purposive sampling technique, a self-administered questionnaire was conducted. A total of 220 usable responses were collected from Gen-Z consumers who had experience in using SRT. The data were analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings This study underscores the role of perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and perceived value on Gen-Z consumers’ attitude and word-of-mouth (WOM). Expectations on usefulness, enjoyment and value provide some ideas on Gen-Z consumers’ value who put a high emphasis on functional value, fun value and value for money when adopting the SRT. On the other hand, the result also demonstrates the mediating role of consumers’ attitude in connecting perceived value and perceived enjoyment on WOM towards SRT. Practical implications The findings of this study provide beneficial insights for a retailer who desire to pursue a smart-related acquisition strategy. Retailers are recommended to embrace on the following three key features: innovative solution (high usefulness), reliable benefits (high perceived value) and fun experience (high enjoyment) to provide Gen-Z consumers with compelling experiences. Additionally, retailers are suggested to acknowledge the importance of managing consumers’ attitude in driving positive WOM evaluations. Originality/value This paper responds to Ting et al.’s (2018) call in uncovering values and lifestyles of generation in details. In Malaysia, retailers ought to incorporate of the high level of usefulness, value and enjoyment when designing their SRT to constitute the Gen-Z consumers’ expectations. Moreover, similar to Ting’s conclusion, this cohort members are very much into technologies and they tend to embrace SRT in their lifestyles.

Kyunga Na · Young-Hee Kang ·Journal of Open Innovation: Technology Market and Complexity ·2019

This study aims to investigate the effects of product and process innovations on manufacturing firm performance in Southeast Asian emerging markets. To this end, using a cross-national sample of 2324 manufacturing firms from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) dataset of 2015, we test the effects of product and process innovations on the sales growth of manufacturing firms in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. This study finds that product innovation is positively related to sales growth while new operating technologies are negatively associated with sales growth. For high-tech firms, product innovation is positively related to sales growth. The findings imply that in Southeast Asian emerging markets, governments and manufacturing firms can enhance performance by investing in product innovation.

Bakri Mat (Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)) · Ku Nurasyiqin Ku Amir (Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)) ·International Journal of Supply Chain Management ·2019

Food security is one of the non-traditional security components that forms the basic needs of a nation, households, and individuals. Any problem in food supply or disruption in any of the four key elements of food security will threaten security and well-being of the citizens. In Malaysia, although food availability is ensured through via local production and imports at national level, accessibility and utilization are not yet fulfilled as certain groups and households are still unable to access and utilise adequate food accordingly. Therefore, this research attempts to examine the socioeconomic factors that may contribute towards food insecurity among Malaysian households within communities in Malaysia-Thailand border using human security approach. This study is conducted using qualitative research method to collect and analyse both primary and secondary data. Primary data was obtained through official documents and an in-depth interview with key informants among Malaysian households of the communities near Malaysia-Thailand border, local leaders and academicians. Meanwhile, the secondary source of data was obtained from published materials and online documents such as books, journal articles and reports. The findings indicate that socioeconomic factors were pertinent in contributing towards food insecurity among the households in form of household income, insufficient assistance program, and high living costs. These factors form the main foundation in ensuring the sanctity and wellbeing of the households. In designing state policies, the socioeconomic issues should be prioritized as in ensuring human security of the vulnerable groups, specifically the B40 households. In addition, continuous effort in developing societal empowerment and resilience are vital to achieve citizen wellbeing.

Kunal Sen · Matthew Tyce ·Structural Change and Economic Dynamics ·2019

Both Malaysia and Thailand were seen to be part of the miracle growth economies of East Asia and fast moving into high income status in the early 1990s. Following the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC) of the mid 1990s, both countries have observed prolonged growth slowdowns. In this paper, we offer a political economy explanation of the growth slowdown in Malaysia and Thailand in their post AFC phases. We argue that the nature of the political settlement in these two countries determined a growth strategy that was predicated on offering open deals in the export-oriented manufacturing sector that were accessible to most firms, while at the same time, offering closed deals to politically connected firms in the natural resource and services sectors. As the political settlement moved to a vulnerable authoritarian one in both countries, such a dualistic deals strategy became patronage based over time and detrimental to growth.

Muhammad Haseeb · Irwan Shah Zainal Abidin · Qazi Muhammad Adnan Hye · Nira Hariyatie Hartani ·International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy ·2019 ·JEL: I31; Q22; Q52

This present study examines the role of renewable energy in influencing economic well-being in Malaysia. We used annual data over the period of 1980–2016 in order to apply recent econometrics. The study used renewable energy and economic growth as a proxy of economic well-being to examine the long run connection between renewable energy and economic well-being. The results of auto regressive distributed bound testing approach confirm the valid long-term connection among renewable energy and economic well-being in Malaysia. Furthermore, the results indicate that renewable energy have significant and positive impact on economic well-being in short and long run. It is therefore recommended that the policymakers are required to focus on the green energy generation sector by increasing renewable energy production from the existing sources.

Veera Pandiyan Kaliani Sundram · Irwan Ibrahim · Mashitah Mohamed Esa · Natasya Nabilah Mohd Azly ·International Journal of Supply Chain Management ·2019

Picking and packing is the one of the main principle action in a distribution centre. Picking and packing action ensures the right product at the right quantity reaches the right customer. As such, this study is purported to recognize the issues related to picking and packing error and to know how to overcome it. The study was conducted using a semi-structured interview to elicit response concerning picking and packing issues and error. Five respondents were selected to participate in the semi-organized interview and these respondents are from different designations in the picking and packing unit in a distribution centre from a leading pharmaceutical company. There are several issues that relates to picking and packing error, such as multiple items/barcodes in one location, wrong carton label, and employees miscommunication. Findings from this study will explicitly provide solution for better picking and packing approaches to provide solution to picking and packing error. The novelty of this study lies on the issues of order picking and packing in a leading pharmaceutical organization in Malaysia through vigorous investigation.

Alexandra Dales · Neil M. Coe · Martin Hess ·Economic Geography ·2019

The last two decades have seen a major wave of retail globalization that has driven the transformation of retail markets in the emerging economies of Southeast Asia and beyond. This article provides a systematic analysis of the divergent pathways of retail market transformation in Malaysia and Thailand through exploring the interface of foreign retailers’ strategies of market development and regulatory efforts by the state. Drawing on the variegated capitalism approach and relational economic geography perspectives, the article develops a dynamic analytical framework for investigating and contrasting contestation and negotiation in the process of market transformation. Based on extensive fieldwork and comprehensive secondary data analysis carried out in Malaysia and Thailand, it demonstrates the different trajectories of the Malaysian and Thai retail markets since the turn of the millennium, and explains the political-economic context, and state-regulatory and retail firm strategies that interactively shape market change. While Malaysia has seen substantial levels of state intervention to protect domestic interests and create a two-tier retail system, the Thai retail market transformation has been based on less rigid but more geographically varied state regulation and foreign retail firm strategies. Thus, this article sheds new light on the host economy impacts of retail globalization in the context of local and national contestation and regulation. It concludes with a summary of the findings and reflections on the value of the analytical frame developed here for research on comparative capitalism beyond the retail sector.

Harriman Samuel Saragih · Peter Jonathan ·Journal of Asia Business Studies ·2019

Purpose Indonesians are known for their unique behaviour and willingness to travel abroad for healthcare treatments. More than half of the healthcare “tourists” who travel to Malaysia come from Indonesia, followed in numbers by those in India, Japan, and China, Libya, the UK, Australia, USA, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Malaysia is also geographically located near two Indonesian main islands, i.e. North Sumatera and North Kalimantan. These reasons contribute to making Indonesia one of the most productive healthcare consumers in Malaysia. This study aims to examine these Indonesian consumers’ through the use of behavioural lenses to examine their medical tourism experiences in Malaysia, its neighbouring country. Design/methodology/approach The theory of planned behaviour is used as the basis of these analyses and hypotheses development. In total, 7 variables and 18 indicators that built both the exogenous and endogenous variables were developed from previous literature. Through a purposive sampling technique, the authors collected 200 samples of individuals where each respondent must at least have been to Malaysia once for medical treatments related to a general check-up, cardiovascular, cancer, orthopaedics, nervous systems or dental problems. A partial least squares – structural equation modelling analysis was carried out to examine both the measurement model and the structural model. Findings Behavioural belief positively affects the attitude of Indonesian patients and their intentions to visit Malaysia for medical treatment, i.e. attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. Results show that as individuals, Indonesians have a strong belief that undergoing medical treatment in Malaysia will be more favourable than having that same medical treatment in Indonesia. The study also shows that people who are considered important to patients, e.g. family members or relatives, significantly influence their intention to visit Malaysian medical institutions. The authors also found that patients’ resources and capabilities – e.g. financial strength, supporting infrastructures and time availability – are essential factors for Indonesian patients to choose medical tourism and to visit Malaysia as their venue for medical services. Research limitations/implications The results of this study are consistent with the previous research, which has shown that attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control positively affect visit intention. The results also suggest new interesting theoretical findings that Indonesia’s medical tourist intention to visit Malaysia is most strongly caused by subjective norms followed by individual attitudes and perceived behavioural control, all reasons that are identical to Japanese medical tourists’ visiting South Korea for similar purposes. Indeed, there are similar behavioural practices and beliefs among both Indonesian and Japanese medical tourists, despite the gap existing in these two countries’ economies. Practical implications The study proposes two managerial implications using its findings. First, this study can be a basis for the Malaysian medical tourism business to better understand Indonesian medical tourists’ behaviour when visiting their country. The study explicitly suggests that it is both collective and individual beliefs that drive Indonesian patients, who have the sufficient resources, to visit Malaysia because of better quality and affordability available there compared to Indonesian medical services. Second, this study raises a fundamental question about Indonesian stakeholders in the medical industry. In the near future, this type of medical tourism behaviour will, without a doubt, affect the Indonesian economy at large. Originality/value The contributions of this study are twofold. First, compared to previous studies that focussed specifically on the developed countries, this study focusses on Indonesian consumers’ point of view as an emerging country towards Malaysia’s medical tourism business. Second, this study provides quantifiable insights on the Indonesia-Malaysia medical tourism phenomenon, which previously has been frequently discussed, but only using a qualitative exploratory approach.

Johannes Machiel Dreyer · Noor Azlin Yahya · Nik Azyyati Abd Kadir ·Environment, Development and Sustainability ·2019

The campus of the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is forest plantation research site established since 1926. Urbanization and other development affecting Kuala Lumpur led to FRIM being one of the few remaining green open spaces near the capital city area. To share the benefits of the green space, FRIM opened its grounds to visitors, and it is now a popular site for educational and recreational use by the urbanized population. However, visitor’s opinion may vary about the utilization of FRIM’s facilities as FRIM’s ground is also used for other activities. A study was done to determine what the perceptions of visitors’ were regarding FRIM’s suitability as a natural open space with its associated benefits such as health, quality of life and environmental sustainability and whether it offers a suitable site for environmental learning. From a qualitative study conducted at three sites within FRIM, it was found that FRIM provides in the needs of the surrounding urban population as a natural open space for escape from the city and a very suitable site for environmental learning. Some participants actually expressed a need to introduce further opportunities for environmental learning.

Saeed Solaymani ·Journal of Economic Studies ·2020 ·JEL: H2, H24, H25, O15

This study is the first attempt to analyze the effectiveness of recent two major tax policies, the reductions in personal and corporate income taxes and a rise in indirect tax and their combine, under both balanced and unbalanced budget conditions, on the economy and social aspects of Malaysia. This study uses a computable general equilibrium model to investigate the impacts of all simulation scenarios on the key macro and micro indicators. Further, based on the 2012 Malaysia Household Income and Expenditure Survey, it uses a micro-data with a significant number of households (over 56,000 individuals) to analyze the impacts of tax policies on poverty and income inequality of Malaysian. Simulation results show that, under the balanced budget condition, personal and corporate income tax reductions increase economic growth, household consumption, and investment, while the rise in indirect tax has adverse impacts on these variables. However, in the unbalanced budget condition, all tax policies, except indirect tax policy, reduce real GDP and investment in the economy and the indirect tax policy has insignificant impacts on all indicators. All policy reforms reallocate resources, especially labor, in the economy. In both budget conditions, the reductions in corporate and personal income taxes, particularly the corporate income tax, decrease poverty level of Malaysian households. Results also indicate that both tax policies are unable to influence income inequality in Malaysia.

Hamizah Abd Hamid ·Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review ·2020

The objective of the article is to explore the challenges experienced by immigrant entrepreneurs in a developing non-Western immigrant-receiving country. Through a qualitative approach, this study examined the experiences of immigrant entrepreneurs from Indonesia, Pakistan, and South Korea in one host country, Malaysia. The findings suggest that the formal aspects of host country institutions are mainly instrumental in the commencement stages of immigrant entrepreneurs’ ventures and the informal aspects of institutions are predominantly influential in the developmental stages of immigrant entrepreneurs’ ventures. Specifically, the findings indicate that the challenges experienced by immigrant entrepreneurs in the host country mainly stem from (1) governing institutions, (2) resource-providing institutions, (3) local society and (4) competition in the host country.

Miao Zhanga · Md Aslam Mia ·Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy ·2020 ·JEL: D22 F23 L60 O14

With cognizance to firms’ heterogeneity in an industry, this paper employs the most recent, unpublished and large-scale firm-level data of 14,687 manufacturing firms in Malaysia in 2015 to revisit the drivers of manufacturing exports. Applying the OLS and logistic regressions, we observed a strong positive relationship between a firm’s labor productivity and export intensity. Firms’ foreign ownership, size and age are positively connected to their export competitiveness. The incorporation of location variables into the regression reveals that firms in the Southern peninsula of Malaysia (e.g., Johor) have a positive effect and demonstrate the highest probability to engage in export activities. Our study is informative to trade policymakers on the key drivers of manufacturing exports, providing references to not only Malaysia, but other economies in Eastern Asia and developing nations.

Muhammad Adli Amirullah · Mario Arturo Ruiz Estrada · Mohamed Aslam ·Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics ·2020 ·JEL: C00, E60, H53

This article models the interconnection between the public transfer payment policy in Malaysia and the overall Malaysian economy using an inter-linkage coordinate space. This space is represented graphically, with the public transfer payment distribution in the centre and the number of periods plotted along rays (axes) that are drawn from the centre, each of which can have as many windows as required at the predetermined perimeter levels. Using this model, this article evaluates whether and how the implementation of public transfer payment policy in Malaysia can simultaneously affect the overall Malaysian economy through selected macroeconomic indicators. Finally, this article proposes the use of computer graphical animation when sufficient data are available to provide a more accurate measurement and visual representation of the economic ripple effect in the same graphical space.