Zawiyah Mohammad Yusof

The Impact of Individual Factors on Knowledge Sharing Quality

Individual factors have been known of their significant impact on knowledge sharing behaviour in organisation. It is the aim of this paper to investigate the relationship between individual factors such as awareness, trust and personality and the quality of knowledge sharing in Malaysian public agencies. Survey method employing questionnaires as technique for collecting data was used. The survey involved three selected government departments executed from October through December 2008 involving a sample of 428 respondents. The data collected was analysed using SPSS version 16.0. Factor analysis and reliability test were performed to ensure the validity and reliability of the instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to verify the existence of three dimensions of individual factors. Analysis reveals that there is a positive and significant correlation between individual factors and the quality of knowledge sharing. The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that personality is the most significant predictor of knowledge sharing quality followed by trust and awareness.

Knowledge sharing in the public sector in Malaysia a proposed holistic model

Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of knowledge sharing to survive and remain competitive. Current knowledge sharing models have been found to be lacking as they only focus on the relationships between factors that influence knowledge sharing. An integrated approach that is capable of a simultaneous investigation of the various factors that affect knowledge sharing initiatives, quality of knowledge management and its impact on organizational performance has not been widely attempted. This study aims to develop a holistic knowledge sharing model for the public sector in Malaysia that is based on an integrated approach, which combines factors that influence knowledge management (input), knowledge sharing quality (process) and workers’ performance as well as service delivery (output) that encompasses the individual, organization and technology. This study will firstly present a review of the literature of current models in knowledge sharing, which will then form the take-off point for the development of the proposed holistic model. Such a holistic model is deemed appropriate and necessary to steer knowledge sharing initiatives in tandem with forming the base for policy-making of such initiatives.

The eluding definitions of records and records management: is a universally acceptable definition possible? Part 2: Defining records management

This is the second part of a two‐part article which examines the various definitions accorded to the two key terms in records management – the records and records management. Variations in their definition have lead to confusion which affects the formulation of theory to underpin the discipline. Having discussed the changing definition of a record in Part 1 in this part the authors discuss the various definitions of records management.

The Records Life Cycle: an inadequate concept for technology-generated records

The concept of a life cycle is at the core of most records management programmes. The activities of records management programmes are developed upon this concept, which has several phases that explain the stages or status of records – from creation through use and maintenance to ultimate disposal. However, it has been argued that the life cycle concept only fits successfully into paper-based records management. The concept is said to be inadequate when applied to electronic records, where records are unlikely to reach a definite inactive point but are instead migrated into new formats following developments in technology. Electronic records always need to be transacted, migrated and converted by hardware and software in order to be readable by their creators and users. A comparison of the way in which the life cycle concept has been modified over the years to accommodate the different characteristics of electronic records will demonstrate that the concept is inappropriate for technology-generated records.

Towards a theoretical construct for records management

Records managers often complain that records management is undervalued, suffers from the influence of irrelevant traditional concepts, and is therefore theoretically flawed. The findings of several surveys attest to this situation, but do not explain the many reasons that contribute to the lack of understanding and acceptance of records management as a separate discipline. For any field or discipline to be accepted, it must possess a strong foundation in theory. This article will examine whether there is an accepted body of theory underlying records management methods and practices. An attempt is made to develop a conceptual model that the authors believe records managers need in order to explain the present “state of the art” of the discipline and justify their contribution to the management of organisations.

Records Management Education and Training World‐Wide: A General Overview of the Current Situation

This article is the result of a brief survey, conducted across the Internet by researchers from the Archives and Records Management Programme at the University of Wales at Aberystwyth. The authors discuss the need for records management training and education world‐wide, and the emergence of records management as a subset of information management, with an acknowledged impact on the systematic and efficient management of organisations. They show how the focus of records management has shifted over the recent past from the archival management of unwanted documents, to the management of electronic systems, giving records managers an equal standing with other professionals in the field of information management. Using a comparison between Malaysia, where much of the training is provided by visiting consultants, and the United Kingdom, where records management training is provided by the universities, the authors conclude that the needs of qualified and well‐informed professionals in this distinct field is dependent upon the training and education provided by courses in universities world‐wide. Their survey, however, reveals that there is no standard approach to the training provided by these institutions: some are likely to reflect their archival origins, others represent various streams of the broad context of information studies.

Electronic records management in the Malaysian public sector: the existence of policy

Purpose – The existence of policy serves as a guideline to facilitate actions and decisions to be taken. Electronic records management should be driven and guided by clear, comprehensive, understandable policy, to direct the organization and ascertain the effectiveness of functions implemented. The purpose of this paper is to find out whether government agencies in Malaysia do possess such a policy for electronic records management. In addition, the aim is to identify the responsible party for the policy besides investigating the sources referred to in developing the policy.Design/methodology/research – The survey employs a questionnaire to gather the data from 25 selected government departments in Klang Valley and Putrajaya, Malaysia.Findings – As anticipated, not all government departments possess electronic records management policy far from complete, clear, and easy to implement. Most surveyed samples are executing policy provided by Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit ...

Knowledge Management in Malaysian Banks: A Study of Causes and Effects

The adoption of knowledge management (KM) practices by local commercial banks in Malaysia is perceived as the beginning of their emergence as knowledge-based institutions. Reports the results of a study aiming to identify the causes and effects of adopting KM practices among 10 local commercial banks in Malaysia. Analysis of the results confirmed that there is a relation between the causes and effects of implementing KM practices. KM equips organizations to be more competitive and provides better integration and sharing of information. Increases in knowledge sharing, both horizontally and vertically, along with increases in workers’ efficiency, appear to be common effects resulting from adopting KM practices. It is hoped that this study will encourage local banks to maximize the benefits that KM can offer.

Knowledge sharing models: Do they really fit public organizations?

Literature in knowledge management reveals that there are a number of knowledge sharing (KS) models. A range of models exists as a result of differed view on the subject which is broad and subjective. Some of the models address the antecedents or factors influencing KS whilst the others address the relationship between KS and performance. The benefit of KS cannot be materialized if it does not contribute to organizational attribute. Despite the variety of models, only a few focuses on KS in public sectors. This could resulted from a situation whereby KS is at its infancy in public services.. This paper reviews the existing models of KS and upon a critical review, a KS model which is thought to be suitable for used by public sector in Malaysia is then proposed. The proposed model provides foundation for subsequent research to firstly investigate factors affecting KS in public sector and secondly, seek to identify the relationship between KS, organizational performance and service delivery.

The Acceptance of Educational Data Mining Technology among Students in Public Institutions of Higher Learning in Malaysia

Accepting the emergence of data mining technology by students is crucial to the successful implementation of the technology in education institutions. Although previous studies have empirically show the result of acceptance or adoption of data mining technology in numerous fields, however, they are focused at organisational-level. Hence, there is a need to explain what are the determinants could influence the acceptance of data mining technology at individual-level since they are the most affected by the technology. Therefore, this study adapts selected constructs in the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3) to conceptualise the research problem, namely in terms of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, relevance for analysing, anxiety of educational data mining technology, self-efficacy and facilitating conditions. To examine the model, this study surveyed 158 students from four public Institutions of Higher Learning in Malaysia. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient is utilised to analyses the relationship between the constructs. The findings have revealed that most of the constructs have a high level of correlation.