Mahazan Muhammad

Information and Communications Technology Acceptance by Youth Entrepreneurs in Rural Malaysian Communities: The Mediating Effects of Attitude and Entrepreneurial Intention

This study aims to examine information and communication technology (ICT) acceptance among youth entrepreneurs in rural Malaysian communities by employing two tailored technology acceptance models based on attitudes (AT) and entrepreneurial intention (EI) that influence actual use (AU). The study involved 400 rural youth entrepreneurs selected from four states in Malaysia, and both mediating effects were analyzed using bootstrapping procedures through structural equation modeling. The two models were tested, and vary in terms of different conceptualization of the pathways of mediating entrepreneurship latent factors. The models in the present paper are closely related to the model in a prior study that used the same data set [Zaremohzzabieh et al., 2015. A test of the technology acceptance model for understanding the ICT adoption behavior of rural young entrepreneurs. International Journal of Business and Management, 10(2), 158–169.]. The results revealed that the first model is better than the second model. The results also revealed that the confirmatory strength of the two models improved the initial TAM through some form of mediating effects (i.e. AT and EI). The outcomes of this study contribute to our theoretical understanding of variables that influence ICT acceptance, and inform practice by recognizing methods to improve ICT acceptance among rural youth entrepreneurs in the country. The results provide new insights for small rural businesses and help to explain ICT acceptance, which is relatively underresearched in these growing nations.

The Coastal Community Perception on the Socio-Economic Impacts of Agro-Tourism Activities in Coastal Villages in Malaysia

This paper is concerned with the socio-economic impacts of agro-tourism activities in coastal villages listed as Desa Wawasan Nelayan (DWN) in Malaysia. The paper discussed the impacts of the two major components of socio-economics dynamics, namely social and economic activities. This account highlights a number of discussions with specific reference to DWN in Malaysia. It identifies the similarities and differences with regard to socio-economic impact, and it is expected that these points will be of practical use for other agro-tourism areas around the globe, and help to increase interest in agro-tourism activities.

Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of a Core Competencies Measure for Malaysian Youth Workers

Core competencies in youth work refer to demonstrated capacities of quality performance that allow youth development workers to be resources for the young people, organizations and communities with whom they work. While a number of practice frameworks based on core competencies have been developed, few validated assessment measures exist to help identify professional development needs for youth workers. This article describes the adaptation and psychometric validation of a core competency assessment tool for youth work practitioners in Malaysia. A quantitative study was undertaken to validate an adapted core competency measure with a sample of 300 Malaysian youth workers. Psychometric validation included both internal consistency and construct, convergent and discriminant validity tests. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded 12 core competency sub-scales. Adequate internal consistency was achieved for each subscale along with the full measure. The findings support the validity and reliability of the core competency measure. Recommendations for application and further research are discussed.

The Coastal Community Views on the Environmental Changes

This study aims to explore coastal community views on the environmental changes. Their views are covering four aspects, their awareness, the causes, the impacts and things they have done to absorb the impacts. The data were gained via three FGDs conducted with the coastal community at Kuala Besut, Tanjung Piai and Lumut. Based on the FGDs, it can be concluded the coastal community is aware of the changes and they claimed these changes are mainly caused by two sources – the human and the natural factors. The changes are predominantly impacting them in negative ways and require them to have some initiatives to apprehend the impacts. A number of recommendations are highlighted and hopefully, it can guide the concern parties in constructing related strategies that can assist the coastal community in lessening the impacts of the environmental changes.Street racing has long been identified as a threat to civil society with significant social and economic impact. In Malaysia, the high fatal accidents rate involving motorcyclists performing illegal street racing has dominated the news in the local newspapers and social media and have caused legislators, regulators and the public to question factors that contribute to these issues. This paper is an attempt to gain greater insight into the factors influencing the risky behaviours associated to violating traffic regulations among the illegal motorcycle racers termed “Mat Rempit” in Malaysia identified in the literature. The findings of this review not only could be used as reference for future research but also as reference by the various authorities to understand the issues more closely.