Siti Raba’ah Hamzah

Asian women in top management: eight country cases

This article is a by-product of an innovative session of the 2014 Asia Chapter of the Academy of Human Resource Development conference, Seoul, South Korea, where eight female researchers with roots in eight Asian countries (in alphabetical order: China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand) presented on the topic of Asian women in top management. In this article, we present these presenters’ perspectives on the topic, including their current state of working conditions and balancing of personal and professional lives. We asked them the following three questions: (1) Do traditional values/religious beliefs limit or liberate women in management? (2) How have social views on the role of women in management changed in your country? (3) What organizational and social changes are necessary for women to advance to leadership positions? We also encouraged them to go beyond answering these three questions. Additionally, we discuss convergence (commonalities) and divergence (differences) across these eight Asian countries.

Parenting, Community, and Religious Predictors of Positive and Negative Developmental Outcomes Among Muslim Adolescents:

Despite existing research on the contribution of social context and religiosity to adolescent behavioral outcomes, few studies have attempted to explore this topic among Muslim adolescents in non-Western settings, looking at both positive and negative outcomes. In response to this gap, the current study explored the effects of three dimensions of developmental assets (positive parenting, community support, and religiosity) on risk, prosocial, and thriving behaviors among Muslim adolescents (N = 895) from Malaysia. Hierarchical regression results revealed positive parenting as the greatest protective factor against risk behavior, religiosity as the most significant promotive factor of prosocial behaviors, and community support as the greatest contributor to adolescent thriving. In the final model, unique effects varied by outcome. The findings support the importance and universality of multiple levels of developmental assets for youth development, and highlight the need to better understand their interaction in non-Western cultural contexts.

Parenting and Community Engagement Factors as Predictors of Religiosity Among Muslim Adolescents From Malaysia

Despite the plethora of research on correlates of adolescent religiosity, few studies have examined the contribution of social context to religiosity among non-Western Muslim samples using multidimensional religiosity measures. To address this gap, the current study investigated the influence of community engagement and parenting factors on religiosity among 596 Malaysian Muslim secondary school students (M age = 16.10, SD = .29). After controlling for gender, family structure, family income, and social desirability, the results showed that parental monitoring, mosque involvement, and school engagement significantly predicted religious worldview, whereas parental religious socialization, parental monitoring, mosque involvement, school engagement, and youth organization involvement accounted for a significant amount of the variance in religious personality. Implications for further research on socialization influences on religious development among adolescents are discussed.

Youth hedonistic behaviour: moderating role of peer attachment on the effect of religiosity and worldview

This study was carried out on the moderating effect of peer attachment on the relationships between religiosity and worldview, and on how hedonistic behaviour among Malaysian undergraduate students is shaped by such influences. With regard to peer attachment, the study focused on the influences of communication, trust and alienation among youth. Bronfenbrenners theory of human ecology and Armsden and Greenbergs attachment model were used as the framework. Drawing on a quantitative survey of 394 Malaysian university students (M age = 21.0, SD = 0.40), structural equation modelling and path analysis revealed a significant relationship between worldview and hedonistic behaviour. Peer attachment moderated the relationships between religiosity and religious worldview. The results further showed that the unique moderating effect of the lower level of attachment with peers is positively related to the hedonistic behaviour. Implications from the findings are discussed.

Impact of Islamic Values on the Leadership Style of Muslim Women Academics in Malaysia

The Problem The religious background of Muslim women academic leaders in Malaysia guides them in performing demanding roles in managing multiple responsibilities. To date, little is known about the impact of Islamic values on Muslim women leaders in institutions of higher learning, even though Islam is the official religion in Malaysia. In addition, the field of human resource development has done little to explore the leadership style of Muslim women. The Solution This paper presents findings and recommendations of a research conducted for the purpose of exploring, understanding, and presenting the impact of Islamic values on the leadership style of Muslim women academics in Malaysia. This inquiry is significant because it’s open the new sight for HRD scholar and practitioners to explore HRD in a leadership, women leadership, religious, and the role of Muslim faith in women academic leaders. It is hoped that the findings of this research will encourage HRD scholars and practitioners to consider integrated dimension to their scholarly thought and practice related to leadership style. The Stakeholders The outcomes of this research will be of interest to those women who are currently in leadership roles in academia, as well as those women interested in moving into these roles. It should also be of interest to higher education administrators and, particularly, those within higher education charged with developing leaders. Human resource development scholars and practitioners will also benefit from the contributions of this article to our general understanding of women in leadership roles.

Association of the personal factors of culture, attitude and motivation with health behavior among adolescents in Malaysia

Abstract This study was undertaken to determine the association of the personal factors of culture, attitude and motivation on health behavior among Malaysian adolescents. A cluster sampling technique was used and a total of 1,029 students with ages ranging from 15 to 17 years (M age = 15.9, SD = .637) were selected as respondents. The research instrument was a self-administered questionnaire covering health behavior, culture, attitude, and motivation towards health. The strongest linear relationship was found between culture and health behavior (r = .618, p = .001). Besides the culture of adolescents being the main predictor of health behavior (β = .365, p = .000), attitude (β = .283, p = .000) and motivation (β = .064, p = .033) also had significant independent effects on health behavior. Hence, culture, attitude and motivation should be taken into consideration in the promotion of health education, especially at school level.

Women in Leadership in Malaysia

In this chapter, I analyze women in leadership in Malaysia from historical, political, economic, and cultural perspectives. I discuss women in leadership vis-a-vis women’s social status, family roles, and expectations of women in Malaysian society. A critical review of women in leadership roles in Malaysia is presented. Issues on the participation of women in the workforce, gender inequality, women’s leadership roles, and work–family relationships are also highlighted against the backdrop of the Malaysian cultural background. I conclude with a discussion of the challenges faced by women who aspire to be leaders in this country within the framework of the government, workplace, community, and family. The review is based on online sources and national and international empirical studies. Recommendations for future research conclude the chapter.