Mohammad Nurul Huda Mazumder

Measuring the effect of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia’s microcredit programme on economic vulnerability among hardcore poor households

This study attempted to assess the impact of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia’s (AIM) microcredit programme on the level of economic vulnerability among hard core poor household clients in Peninsular Malaysia. To attain the objective, this research utilized economic vulnerability index. This study employed a cross-sectional design and stratified random sampling methods. Findings showed that participation in AIM’s microcredit programme decreases the level of economic vulnerability. The study suggests that AIM should, therefore, emphasize on designing flexible and diversified financial products and delivery methods together with skill development training to improve the socio-economic condition of the hard core poor households in Malaysia.

Empirical investigation on the impact of microcredit on women empowerment in urban peninsular Malaysia

The main goal of this study was to assess the impact of participation in Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia’s (AIM) microcredit program on the empowerment among urban low-income women in Peninsular Malaysia. To attain the above mentioned objective, this study utilized a cross-sectional design using stratified random sampling method to examine whether or not participation in AIM’s microcredit program improved urban low-income clients’ role in household decision making, helped the clients achieve economic security, gain more control over resources and family decisions, improve their ability to go outside to work and improve their level of legal awareness. Findings of this study revealed that participation in AIM’s microcredit program generated a positive and significant impact on women’s empowerment in Urban Peninsular Malaysia. The results suggest that AIM should, therefore, focus on increasing the outreach by targeting urban low-income women. The policy makers should focus on establishing a supportive regulatory environment to promote sustainable development of all microcredit organizations in urban Malaysia.

Globalization, Environment and Policy: Malaysia Toward a Developed Nation

This paper analyzes the scenario pollution implication of globalization process such as trade liberalization in the Malaysian economy toward a developed nation by 2020. In the first part, the purpose of this paper is to provide various air emissions in the Malaysian economy for the year 2020. The quantitative assessment reveals that the selected emissions are quite high in 2020 compared to 2000. More compactly, the scenario analysis points out that in 2020 CO2 emission of industry & manufacturing sector will increase 112.6%, as well as 207.23% in the electricity sector, which indicate an alarming rate to unseating for sustainable economy and for Kyoto target. And, in the second part, we reviewed priority policy issues identifying incentives to environmental sustainability and Malaysian thinking of 2020 for sustainability. However, the government of Malaysia has begun applying a preventive approach rather than the curative effort undertaken previously for sustainable development. Our suggestion is that to achieve sustainability emphasis must be given utilization of clean technology so that negative impact on the environment could be reduced.

Regional Tourism Development in Southeast Asia

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to address the role of tourism to the regional economic development of Southeast Asian economies. The assessment was accomplished by investigating the state of tourism development and by determining the drawbacks of tourism industry existed in Southeast Asia. This paper also explores strategies required to develop tourism collectively in order to achieve gains through establishing favourable environment and mobilizing endowed strategic resources. The assessment suggests the need to give attention on formulating transparent objective, implementation and integration of these objectives into national plans, participation of community people, tourism entrepreneurship and cooperation and integration of governments in developing tourism. Successfully overcoming the difficulties of regional tourism development, Southeast Asian tourism industry has the potential to reap benefit from the economies of scale.

Identifying economically potential inbound markets for Malaysian tourism industry

The key objective of this study is to determine and analyze the impacts of inbound tourism on the Malaysian economy using an input-output analysis. With the view of accomplishing the key objective, this study also explores the economic potential of inbound markets for the Malaysian tourism industry. As central to any economic impact analysis, tourism multipliers are estimated from the inverse of Leontief’s input-output matrix. The empirical results reveal two interesting observations concerning inbound tourism impacts on Malaysian economy. These are, firstly, tourism sectors that produce larger multipliers do not generate larger total economic impact, and secondly, inbound markets with highest per capita do not yield highest economic impact. Therefore, this study concludes that an economic sector with lower multipliers should not be neglected and that the contribution of inbound tourism market generating lower per capita expenditure should not be ignored when preparing appropriate tourism marketing and public policies for developing economies.

Trade and Environment: Review of Relationship and Implication of Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis for Malaysia

Abstract The relationship between trade and environment is experienced by different countries in a different way and it is also widely accepted that trade impacts the environment in a wide variety of ways and through a multitude of channels. This study is primarily an effort to review the relationship between trade and environment in Malaysia. Then the study briefly reviews, within this relationship, the implication of Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis for selected environmental pollutants in Malaysia. The findings of the study show no evidence of an inverted-U shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) for any of the six air and water pollutants in Malaysia. A few relevant policy options have been discussed following the findings and the study closes with some concluding remarks.

Leadership Style and Employee Job Satisfaction: Evidence from Malaysian Semiconductor Industry

Abstract This paper discusses the results of the first comprehensive study of semiconductor industry in Malaysia. It primarily consists of the operations set up by transnational corporations in high technology centres of Penang and Kuala Lumpur. The goal of this study was to determine the most effective leadership style to increase employee job satisfaction and to offer recommendations to improve the industry. We examined the relationship between three independent variables, two moderating factors, and employee job satisfaction as the dependent variable. In establishing a research framework, we formed hypotheses, collected extensive data, developed statistical models, and used multiple regression technique to analyze the field data. It is concluded that collaboration among the transnational semiconductor corporations, Malaysias government investment agency MIDA, and the Malaysian semiconductor firms have succeeded in creating a semiconductor workforce that is productive and enjoys a reasonably high level of job satisfaction.

Relocating high-tech industries to emerging markets: case of pharmaceutical industry outsourcing to India

Abstract Offshore outsourcing has evolved from cost-only strategy to growth strategy in knowledge-intensive industries (KIIs) such as the pharmaceutical industry. This paper explores the case of offshore outsourcing of pharmaceutical manufacturing to India. An extensive literature review shows that firms do engage in offshore outsourcing to India have access to talents, infrastructure as well as markets. Despite the bright future of offshore outsourcing of pharmaceutical industries to India, inadequate protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs), scarcity of highly skilled manpower and institutional shortcomings can pose serious challenges. The study finds that institutional policy framework for promotion of collaborative research and development (R&D) as well as investment in infrastructures and human capital development can keep the momentum in this sector of high-tech industry.

Investigating the Effect of Microcredit on Microenterprise Income in Peninsular Malaysia

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM)’s microcredit program on hardcore poor households’ microenterprise income in Peninsular Malaysia. A cross sectional design with stratified random sampling method was employed to obtain the above mentioned objective. Existing literature survey suggests that there is a gap in the literature on the topic of measuring the effect of AIMs microcredit programs on hardcore poor households’ microenterprise income in Peninsular Malaysia. The results of this study reveal that AIM’s microcredit program increases the microenterprise income of their clients in Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, this study concludes that a diversified program should be undertaken with special focus on providing adequate training, flexible and diversified loan programs, and increasing outreach. In addition, there is a need to review and re-organize the existing policies to reduce the dropout rate.

Entrepreneurial Motivation and Social Enterprises: An Empirical Analysis on Founders of Social Ventures in Bangladesh

Abstract Success of market based entrepreneurial projects embedded with a social mission contributed to growing interest to social entrepreneurship in existing entrepreneurship literature. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the widely accepted motivational factors influencing entrepreneurial process have similar influence on social entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. Based on the seminal work of Shane et al. (2003) on entrepreneurial motivation, a survey was conducted among the social entrepreneurs in Bangladesh and collected data was analyzed. A regression analysis shows that some of widely accepted factors have significant influence while others have less or non-significant influence on Bangladeshi social entrepreneurs. This empirical paper contributes to better understanding of behavioral aspect of social entrepreneurship in Bangladesh where a high number of worlds leading social ventures were formed and expanded world-wide.