Vol. 15 No. 3(I) (2023)

This review study digs into the complex relationship that exists between the development of GDP in Malaysia and major macroeconomic variables, such as the country's money supply, inflation rate, and currency rate. In a time when countries all over the world are working hard to achieve maximum economic prosperity through efficient economic strategies, the irregularities in GDP growth that occur within a nation can lead to an increased prevalence of poverty and impede progress in crucial areas such as healthcare, education, crime rates, and overall economic development. It is of the utmost importance to gain an understanding of the elements that influence GDP development to reduce the risk of sociopolitical instability. Because nations are becoming more aware of the various elements that could potentially affect economic growth, this study was prompted to determine the precise mechanisms that are at play because of this awareness. This study employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) methodology to yield robust statistical insights into the nexus between macroeconomic variables and economic growth in Malaysia. We have used quarterly data ranging from the initial quarter (Q1) of 2000 to the last quarter (Q4) of 2020 for our analysis. The findings of this study provide important insights into the dynamic links between GDP growth and the selected macroeconomic determinants. As a result, the findings provide policymakers, academics, and practitioners with significant information that can be used to design economic plans that are informed by relevant data. In addition, this study emphasizes the necessity for future research endeavors to go deeper into this topic, bringing attention to the requirement for new views and the active participation of new academics, politicians, and practitioners. This concerted effort is necessary to promote sustainable economic growth and stability in Malaysia and elsewhere.

Effective communication is essential for maintaining audit quality and providing assurance over financial information. This study investigates auditors' communication channel preferences and their impact on audit quality in the context of digitalization and changing communication norms. The research aims to address two primary questions: the communication channels auditors prefer and use for audit-client communication, and how the choice of communication channels influences audit quality. The audit quality is measured through audit effort and auditor performance using a descriptive and quantitative research design. The preferred and actual communication channels are categorized as traditional (face-to-face) and technology-mediated (e-mail, instant messaging, phone calls). The findings reveal that while auditors prefer in-person meetings and texting platforms, they mostly use technology-mediated communication during audits, possibly due to factors like the COVID-19 pandemic. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of auditors' communication choices and their impacts on audit quality. It suggests that the complex relationship between communication channels and audit quality needs further exploration, potentially through larger sample sizes and mixed-method approaches. The insights gained from this research can benefit audit practitioners, regulators, and educators in enhancing audit communication practices and quality.

Financial planning for retirement for gig workers is relatively hard given their insecure employment. Factors like employer misplacement of gig workers, a lack of employer-sponsored pension plans, uncertain income, and insufficient financial guidance may make it difficult and stressful for gig workers to arrange their money for retirement. The researchers offer a relationship model in this study, with a quantitative research design chosen to validate the hypothesized elements and construct linkages between them. The main factors that may influence financial planning for retirement stated as financial literacy, retirement goals, future time perspective, social influence, and saving attitude as a mediator. To confirm that, a design questionnaire, which is reliable and acceptable, two steps of verification have followed. First, there is a validation phase in which the questionnaire is reviewed by a panel of experts. Before moving on to the next level, the feedback gathered was followed up on. Second, the pilot study proceeding to investigate the consistency of the instrument analyzed through Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient reliability screening in SPSS 26 software package. Moreover, the results found that all the items were reliable and the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient above 0.7.

The emergence of e-commerce has sparked a huge change in consumer behavior, transforming how individuals purchase and conduct transactions. E-payment has become a pillar of this digital transition. However, some customers are still hesitant to adopt e-payment despite its advantages. This paper aims to unravel the factors influencing customer intentions to use e-payment for online shopping. Based on a review of existing literature on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM Model) and additional external factors, a proposed model was developed to test consumer's intention to use e-payment for online shopping. The result of this study would be useful to understand consumers’ behaviors in employing electronic transactions when making payments for online purchases. This paper also provides valuable insights for e-payment service providers and online retailers on how to promote sustainable online shopping in the future.

In response to the volatile industrial landscape, particularly about Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), organizations have extensively embraced electronic business (e-business) as a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing their competitive advantage mechanisms. Nevertheless, the adoption of ebusiness amongst local Small and Medium Travel Agency (SMTAs) is still negligible. This study seeks to introduce a comprehensive model encompassing the factors driving and the consequences resulting from the adoption of e-business within SMTAs. The determinants of e-business adoption and the adoption of webbased technologies were empirically examined by employing data obtained from a sample of 323 managerial personnel. The collected data was subjected to analysis through structural equation modelling methods. The findings revealed the significance of specific determinants in influencing the adoption of e-business. Particularly, owner support, perceived ease of use, and government support emerged as critical factors influencing the decision to adopt e-business within SMTAs. In contrast attitude, competitive pressure, and relative advantage were found not significant. While e-business adoption has a major impact on SME functioning and operational progress, it also influences competitive advantage. This study's exploration of the factors influencing, and the consequences associated with the adoption of e-business offers valuable insights. These findings offer e-business practitioners and managers practical guidance for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of e-business adoption within their respective organizations. The results also provided a basis for more precise e-business studies to be conducted for small and medium companies in developing countries.

Employee turnover intention remains a critical area of interest for organizational researchers and practitioners, as it directly impacts workforce stability and productivity. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of turnover intention from 1957 to 2023 to uncover key trends, influential authors and institutions, and future directions. A systematic literature search was conducted using the Scopus database, resulting in a large dataset of scholarly articles spanning several decades. The analysis conducted in this paper demonstrates a noteworthy increase in the body of research on turnover intention across time, underscoring its enduring significance in organizational studies. Through mapping the research landscape, this study has effectively identified a distinct cluster of scholarly research focusing on turnover intention, job satisfaction, personnel management, and personnel turnover. The trends, influential authors, and institutions of turnover intention fields are identified through citation analysis, shedding light on seminal works and leading contributors in the field. This bibliometric analysis enhances the current body of knowledge by providing a contemporary overview of the literature on turnover intention. It identifies critical research contributions and offers guidance for future research. Finally, this study provides a fundamental basis for scholars who aim to further the area, enhance techniques for organizational retention, and cultivate more satisfying work environments for employees.

This paper's primary focus lies in the examination of the correlation between personality traits and job performance within the specific realm of law enforcement, with a particular emphasis on the police force. Policing holds a crucial role within the broader criminal justice system, and it is marked by unique challenges, including the significant stress and pressures faced by police officers during their duties. Over recent years, scholarly interest in exploring various facets of policing has grown. The overarching objective of this paper is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature about personality traits and their interplay with job performance within the context of police work. To achieve this, the study employs the PRISMA methodology and conducts comprehensive searches within reputable databases, namely Scopus and Web of Science, covering the period from 2000 to 2023. By undertaking this research, the aim is to furnish valuable insights into how personality traits impact the job performance of police officers. These findings have the potential to offer meaningful contributions to the enhancement of law enforcement practices and the formulation of more effective policies within the field of policing.

Every day, new startups emerge, and a significant portion of them will experience failure just as quickly. The global rise in population has led to a growing concern about unemployment. However, job opportunities are not expanding at a comparable rate to the overall population increase. Consequently, many unemployed individuals are turning to self-employment as a means to regain their dignity and livelihood. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) Model serves as the underlying theoretical framework, given recent research indicating that intentions can effectively forecast future entrepreneurial activities. This research aims to investigate the intentions related to becoming an entrepreneur in terms of personal attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms. The study primarily targets undergraduate students who face the choice of either entering the workforce or pursuing entrepreneurship upon graduation. Employing a descriptive research approach, this study seeks to provide valuable insights and elucidate the connections among attitudes toward behavior, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control that impact entrepreneurial intentions among Malaysian undergraduate students. To assess their entrepreneurial intentions, respondents will complete a structured questionnaire. The study's findings underscore the significance of social entrepreneurship intentions in cultivating students' interest in becoming future entrepreneurs. Insights from this study could provide valuable guidance to educational institutions, policymakers, and entrepreneurship support organizations in designing effective interventions and initiatives aimed at nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit among undergraduate students.

An escalator is a passenger transportation system in which passengers has direct contact with the machine’s moving powered sections and travel by standing on the moving steps. They are known to be in shopping malls, office buildings, and public transport hubs. The news of the escalator mishap has been reported in the news every year. Human behavior is the leading cause of escalator accidents, with 90% of the victims being young children. This project aims to raise awareness among the public, especially children, regarding escalator safety awareness. This project creates a 2D game that implements a Game-Based Learning (GBL) model for the framework. This project also uses a System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire to check the game’s usability. Based on the evaluation, the game got a high SUS score of 85.3. According to the SUS score, the score is classified as grade A with an excellent adjective rating. Thus, the game-based learning approach to safety education has great potential for escalator safety.

The goal of this research is to examine the level of preparation of undergraduate students at a Malaysian public university to enter the gig economy. One of the platforms that have evolved with the Industrial Revolution 4.0 is the gig economy, or sharing economy, which students have mostly exploited to fund their study expenses. Characteristics like perceived usefulness, social influence, and perceived risk were used to identify students' willingness to participate in the gig economy. The researchers used Google Forms to administer surveys to our respondents to investigate which traits have the most impact on students' readiness to participate in the gig economy. Non-probability sampling, also known as purposive sampling, was used by the researchers. The sample frame for this study is made up of undergraduate students enrolled in business and management courses. Multiple regression was used to examine the responses of 106 undergraduate students. According to the findings of this study, two hypotheses, perceived utility and social influence, have been supported, whereas one, perceived risk, was rejected. This investigation led to the conclusion that there may be additional factors influencing students' willingness to engage in the gig economy that were not discovered in this study.