Noorshella Binti Che Nawi

SOCIAL CAPITAL AND ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES: A STUDY AMONG WOMEN MICRO- ENTREPRENEURS IN MALAYSIA

ABSTRACT:The participation of women entrepreneurs are rapidly increasing over last few decades and studies highlighted women entrepreneurship is one of the key contributors for economic development through speeds up development process, reduces poverty unemployment and inequalities, and improves the overall well-being of children. Development initiatives allover the world, therefore, focused on improving the socio-economic condition of low-income households through providing access to working capital and/or other resources to improve entrepreneurial performance. Development initiatives, however, commonly ignore the potential impact of social capital. Social capital is the most under-rated influential factor, which may have a strong influence on entrepreneurial competencies and enterprise performance. This study therefore aimed to examine the effect of social capital on entrepreneurial competencies among the women micro-entrepreneurs in Peninsular Malaysia. This study employs a cross-sectional approach and quantitative data are collected through structured interviews from registered women micro-entrepreneurs in Peninsular Malaysia. The sampling frame was based on the business directory of SME Corporation Malaysia’s registered members of National Association of Women Entrepreneurs. Based on the list of registered women entrepreneurs under the SME Corporation Malaysia, there are a total of 126,910 registered SMEs in Malaysia, owned by women entrepreneurs; among them, 111,571 are registered microenterprises. This research adopted the stratified random sampling method in order to identify 500 women entrepreneurs from the four regions. Among the selected 500 micro-entrepreneurs, a total of 421 micro-entrepreneurs were selected based on their recent status (active, own, and manage) and size. Among them, only 4 women micro-entrepreneurs refused the request for an interview; therefore, complete data were collected from 417 women micro-entrepreneurs. Findings of this study noted the r2 values in the hierarchical entrepreneurial competency model noted that the degree of explained variance of this hierarchical construct is reflected in its components. The r2 values in the hierarchical social capital model noted that the degree of explained variances of the hierarchical construct is reflected in its components. The path coefficient between social capital and entrepreneurial competencies is 0.495, indicates a positive effect of social capital on entrepreneurial competencies at the chosen 5% level of significance. Women entrepreneurs should be focusing on how to identify and reach key business players and spend time to network with other business by joining formal and informal networks. Development policies and programs in Malaysia should therefore focus on building social capital among micro-entrepreneurs to foster the national development process and reduces poverty, unemployment rate and inequalities.

Acceptance and usage of social media as a platform among student entrepreneurs

Purpose While it is perceived that adoption reflects acceptance, the purpose of this paper is to argue that individual usage is critical and cannot be guaranteed by mere adoption. This study, therefore, focuses on the factors (i.e. performance expectancy, perceived trust, perceived risk, facilitating condition, and perceived enjoyment) contributing to the adoption and ultimately usage of social media as a business platform among student entrepreneurs in Malaysia under the premise of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a cross-sectional design and quantitative data are collected from 300 selected respondents listed as student entrepreneurs in the entrepreneurship centers of all public universities within Peninsular Malaysia. Findings Performance expectancy, perceived risk, perceived trust, and perceived enjoyment have a significant effect on the adoption of social media leading to its usage as a business platform. Findings also report a significant mediating effect of adoption of social media on the relationship between performance expectancy, perceived trust, perceived risk, and perceived enjoyment with the depth of social media usage. Research limitations/implications In order to promote entrepreneurial activities among student entrepreneurs using social media as a business platform, programs and policies should focus on improving cyber security and value-added services. Originality/value This study puts forward and tests the original UTAUT model to assess the adoption and depth of social media usage as a business platform among young student entrepreneurs in Peninsular Malaysia, which provides a foundation for the design and implementation of programs and policies that promote entrepreneurial activities using social media among student entrepreneurs in Malaysia.

Policies and practices for entrepreneurial education: The Malaysian experience

ABSTRACT:Entrepreneurship education is considered one of the key instruments that increases the entrepreneurial attitudes of potential entrepreneurs. The Malaysian government has made tremendous efforts in promoting entrepreneurship education by improving the current policy on entrepreneurship education, providing various entrepreneurship programs to increase the number of young entrepreneurs, and highlighting the need to empower entrepreneurship education among graduates of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). However, despite the policies implemented by the Malaysian government, studies done on the effectiveness of policy implementation are still lacking. This paper therefore aims to examine the achievements of the Strategic Plan on Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (2013-2015) on promoting entrepreneurial education in Malaysian HEIs. The achievements were measured through Key Performance Indicators that were developed by the Ministry of Education. A set of questionnaires has been adapted and modified from the list of Key Performance Indicators. The questionnaire consists of 6 sections that represent the six thrusts in the Strategic Plan on Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (2013-2015). 20 set of questionnaires were distributed to the respondents from the Entrepreneurship Centers in 20 public Malaysian HEIs via emails. Completed data was collected from 10 respondents who represent 10 public HEIs in Malaysia. Some data was also retrieved from the Ministry of Education’s database to provide a thorough analysis of the key performance indicators (KPIs). Findings of this study noted that four out of six thrusts, including the first thrust, which is to empower the Entrepreneurship Center in every HEI, the second thrust, which is to provide holistic and well-planned entrepreneurial education and programs, the fourth thrust, which is to enhance the competency of HEIs’ entrepreneurship trainers and facilitators, and the sixth thrust, which is to increase the effect of the implementation of HEIs’ entrepreneurial education and development, have been successfully achieved. Meanwhile, the other two thrusts that include the third thrust, which is to empower entrepreneurial development programs, and the fifth thrust, which is to provide a conducive environment and ecosystem for entrepreneurship development, have failed to be achieved. Overall, it has been shown that the efforts taken by the Malaysian government in promoting entrepreneurship education among HEI graduates still require some improvement. Therefore, it is important for the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to join hands in making sure that the current policies and programs as well as the curriculum and content on entrepreneurship are improved.

The Roles of Islamic Religiosity, Brand Image and Knowledge on Relationship between Perceived Value and Tourist Satisfaction: A Review

Islamic tourism industry must be innovative to remain competitive in an increasingly global economic. This conceptual paper examines the relationship between key component and factor that can affect the customer satisfaction in the Islamic tourism industry. The paper conceptualizes perceived value, brand image and Islamic attributes to studies the relationship that exists in the industry. The paper also uses knowledge and religiosity to investigate the moderate factor that exists in the framework between Islamic attributes and customer satisfaction. This paper will shed some light on measuring customer behavior in tourism from Islamic perspective. The dimension use in this paper also could be used as a base for tailoring Islamic tourist packages.

Entrepreneurial intention and startup preparation: A study among business students in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Intention, as the starting point of pursuing self-employment and creating new ventures, is crucial before actually establishing a business enterprise. Entrepreneurship is understood to be an essential ingredient for enhancing a countrys economic competitiveness, growth, and sustainability while confronting the escalating challenges of globalization, such as increasing unemployment. This study provides empirical evidence on the factors influencing entrepreneurial intention and startup preparations among university students in Malaysia. The findings provide scholars and academic policymakers with insights into the effectiveness of Malaysias entrepreneurial education as designed and practiced by public universities. The Malaysian government should apply these findings to fortify existing policies and programs and formulate new ones to support graduate entrepreneurs, while universities and other higher education institutions should provide high-quality entrepreneurial courses and programs to young Malaysians to foster an inclination toward entrepreneurship.

Factors Affecting Entrepreneurial Intention Among The Malaysian University Students

Entrepreneurship is regarded as one of the key economic development strategies to advance a country’s economic growth and to sustain its competitiveness in facing the increasing trends of globalization. This study aims to explore the factors that affect students’ intentions to be an entrepreneur. Furthermore, it also aims to examine the moderating effects of entrepreneurship education in enhancing entrepreneurial intentions among Malaysian university students. Findings of this study note a positive significant effect on the relationship between innovativeness, risk-taking propensity, family background, and a supportive environment. Findings also note a negative and significant effect in the relationship between entrepreneurship barrier and students’ intentions to be an entrepreneur. Furthermore, in terms of the moderating effects of entrepreneurship education, this study finds no significant support on the moderation of entrepreneurship program on the relationship between Innovativeness, Risk-Taking Propensity, Family Background, and Entrepreneurship Barrier with Entrepreneurial Intention. However, findings of this study note that the entrepreneurship program in entrepreneurship education moderates the relationship between supportive environment and entrepreneurial intention. This could be explained by suggesting that students who undergo entrepreneurship programs in their universities may improve their knowledge on the entrepreneurship programs and policies instituted by the government to produce graduates who want to be entrepreneurs. Moreover, this study also finds no significant support on the moderation of service quality of entrepreneurship education on the relationship between innovativeness, risk-taking propensity, family background, and supportive environment with entrepreneurial intention. However, findings of this study note that the service quality of entrepreneurship education moderates the relationship between entrepreneurship barrier and entrepreneurial intention. This could be explained by suggesting that students who perceive lack of experience and lack of social capital as barriers for them to start a business would be more motivated to pursue their career in entrepreneurship if their lecturers manage to instil knowledge and suggest solutions to overcome the barriers. This study provides empirical evidence of the factors that influence entrepreneurial intention and the moderating role of entrepreneurship education. Findings of this study also provide a clear indication to academicians and academic policy makers about the effectiveness of the current entrepreneurial education designed and practiced by public universities in Malaysia.

Innovativeness, Absorptive Capacity and Innovation Among Malaysian Micro-Enterprises: A Cross-Industry and Cross-State Comparison

The objective of this study is to determine the distribution of micro-entrepreneur’s innovativeness, micro-enterprise innovation, and absorptive capacity of micro-enterprises across industries and states of Peninsular Malaysia. Innovativeness and absorptive capacity are considered key factors affecting the performance of enterprises. This study employs the cross-sectional approach and quantitative data were collected through structured interviews from 417 women micro-entrepreneurs in Peninsular Malaysia. Findings of this study show that the distribution of micro-enterprise innovativeness and absorptive capacity of micro-enterprises is significantly different across the states of Malaysia. Policy makers should therefore focus on increasing participation in the national innovation system, public institutes and universities, and encourage commercialization and research and development activities, and technological uptake in order to increase the micro-enterprise innovativeness and absorptive capacity of micro-enterprises in the states with low levels of innovativeness and absorptive capacity, as it is expected to affect enterprise performance and national economic development.

Knowledge Infrastructure, Process, and the Effectiveness of Manufacturing SMEs in Selangor, Malaysia

Introduction- In today’s competitive business environment, companies are always looking for ways to improve employees’ speed and efficiency. However, the nature of knowledge work is more complex, and therefore more difficult to evaluate. Knowledge workers think and behave differently, and have different needs (Hollar et al. 2002). Organizations whose success or failure is determined by the decisions they make are handicapped by systems that are centered on processes or functions. They face many challenges in today’s business climate. As a result, these organizations struggle to improve business productivity while managing costs and find it hard to make changes in their systems quickly, despite a pressing need to do so. To succeed, these organizations need to move their thinking from processes and functions to decisions; (Andreeva and Kianto, 2012)

Using Research Case Studies in eCommerce Marketing Courses: Customer Satisfaction at Point-of-Purchase and Post-Purchase

This paper describes a research case study of Internet apparel marketing by small businesses in Malaysia which can beneficially be included in postgraduate business courses for understanding the importance of measuring customer satisfaction at point-of-purchase and post-purchase in online purchases. The sample size in this research is 154 respondents in Malaysia who purchased apparel online and provided their satisfaction level at point-of-purchase and post-purchase stages. Seven-point Likert scale was used to measure the attitude of these respondents in regard to their customer satisfaction. Of the 154 respondents, 64 answered the surveys in Bahasa Melayu (the national language in Malaysia) while the remaining 90 answered in the English language. The case study shows that there are significant differences in all customer satisfaction items between point-of-purchase and post-purchase stages. The results are also different in these items when respondents were differentiated based on the language they used in answering the surveys. Hence, it is important to show students the need to take account of online post-purchase satisfaction as part of the cumulative experience of the online purchaser. Focusing primarily on point-ofpurchase satisfaction could mislead an online retailer particularly if dissatisfaction arose in the aftermath of the purchase experience. In addition, examining customer satisfaction in terms of groups (such as language in this case study) could provide further insight into the significant differences between point-of-purchase and post-purchase in online purchase.