Vol. 16 No. 3S(I)a (2024)

The lack of employee retention programs is the most persistent difficulty in most organizations today. Employees are a crucial and precious asset for an organization for them to achieve their company goals and objectives. This has raised the demand for staff training programs, career development, and remuneration benefits in most organizations to ensure employee retention. The study aimed to identify the influence of employee training, career development, and remuneration benefits on employee retention in selected manufacturing companies in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. For data collection, a structured questionnaire was administered to 152 employees from seven departments of manufacturing companies in Johor Bahru. All the data was analyzed using SPSS statistics. The finding implies that career development appeared to be the most significant variable among all independent variables. Therefore, organizations should put more focus on the improvement of career development among their employees. Top management should emphasize career development and regularly offer training programs to gain employees’ interest in staying in the organizations. Top management should also highlight the importance and benefits of the career development programs and encourage them to join. This in turn enhances retention and increases productivity at selected manufacturing companies in Johor Bahru, Johor.

Accelerating the quality of education institutions remains a priority for the Malaysian Government as it forms the foundation for building a high caliber talent in the labor market. Focusing on improving the quality of universities one of the main concerns is to develop the human quality through increasing the quality and resilience of human capital as the enabler towards competitive global market. In general, this paper recognizes the findings on the role of human capital investment determinants and their significant contribution to the institution’s performance. It also highlights the importance of HCI in ensuring institutional success and sustainability within a highly competitive business landscape, as outlined in the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (20212025) and Malaysia Education Blueprint 2015-2025. Human capital plays a strategic role in enhancing academic quality, which in turn influences issues like labor market inefficiencies and the overall improvement of Malaysia’s education system. Hence, to analyze the contribution of determinants a theoretical model was constructed underlined by the Human Capital Theory, Resource Based View (RBV) and Malcom Baldrige criteria. Then to obtain the feedback a survey consisting of sixty (66) items with a seven (7) Likert scale was used as the measurement instrument to gather the data from 309 lecturers in UiTM. Data then were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach on the SmartPLS3 platform. The result indicates that the coefficient of determination (R2 ) value of 66.9% value suggests that the variation in institutional performance can be moderately explained by HC determinants, with knowledge, skill and training positively influencing institutional performance.

The proliferation of online businesses coupled with the advancement of information and communication technologies(ICT) has led to the emergence of social commerce. A dynamic platform that not only enables commercial transactions but also plays a vital role in recruiting, establishing, and maintaining customer connections. The integration of social media platforms into e-commerce offers businesses a convenient avenue for engaging with consumers and a novel method for capturing additional sales volume through direct purchases within these networks. This seamless integration of social media platforms into current e-commerce practices has significantly increased its success. Research on the factors that affect purchase intentions in social commerce is still sparse, especially in the context of Malaysian consumers. In general, the causal model of purchase intentions on social commerce in this study aims to investigate the impact of the constructs of visibility and metavoicing on purchase intentions among Malaysian millennial consumers. Henceforth, this initial study specifically aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the IT affordance constructs of visibility and metavoicing through rigorous assessments. At the items-construct level, the internal consistency assessment was conducted using McDonald’s Omega, which is known for its robustness in measuring the reliability of multi-item constructs. At the construct level, discriminant validity and the strength of linear relationships among variables were assessed using Pearson correlation analysis. The pilot dataset gathered was analyzed with SPSS 29, and the results have validated that the predictive model achieved high levels of reliability and validity at both the item and construct levels. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that the independent variables, metavoicing and visibility, have a significant association with purchase intentions, underscoring their importance in understanding consumer behavior.

The COVID-19 pandemic has proliferated courier service companies due to increasing customer demand. Customers prefer some courier service companies over others because of certain factors, including timeliness, order discrepancy, personal contact quality, order condition, and operational information sharing. The study investigates the factors contributing to customer satisfaction when choosing courier services. A survey questionnaire was distributed to customers to gauge their overall level of satisfaction and assessment of potential contributing factors. Respondents were selected from those who have experience using the courier service. From the results of multiple regression analysis, four factors, timeliness, personal contact quality, order condition, and operational information sharing, significantly influence customer satisfaction when choosing courier service. Order discrepancy does not significantly influence customer satisfaction because customers trust the courier service providers to provide the service as expected. The implications of the study are discussed in the paper.

Transformational leadership, known for inspiring and motivating employees, has been positively linked to creativity and innovation, while ambidextrous leadership, which balances exploration and exploitation behaviors and supports both idea generation and implementation. This article provides a conceptual framework for the influence of transformational and ambidextrous leadership on innovative work behavior (IWB) among PTD officers as middle managers in Malaysian public service. The first proposition is transformational leadership positively influences innovative work behavior. The second proposition is ambidextrous leadership positively influences innovative work behavior. This model will be further tested using a quantitative research method, survey questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS and PLS-SEM. Accordingly, understanding of IWB in public sector settings is enhanced. The findings demonstrate the application of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and thus offer new theoretical insights and practical suggestions. Thus, this study highlights the importance of work behavior that drives innovation and positive values among employees in determining productivity and efficiency in the public sector, offering valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners.

Women's empowerment has increasingly been recognized as a critical component of sustainable economic development. Islamic microfinancing initiatives have emerged as a promising mechanism to support women's financial activities, particularly in Muslim-majority communities. Islamic microfinance is differentiated from conventional microfinance by emphasizing risk-sharing and commitment to social justice. This study explores the pivotal role of Islamic microfinancing initiatives in empowering women. The study adopts a conceptual framework that integrates various dimensions of empowerment such as economic, social, and psychological. By analyzing key factors such as loan amount, loan tenure, financial literacy support, support networks, age and sector of microenterprise, entrepreneurial experience, education level, and household income, this study aims to assess the impact of these initiatives on women's empowerment. Moreover, it is anticipated to offer valuable perspectives on the efficacy of Islamic microfinancing as a means to empower women. Furthermore, the findings are expected to guide policymakers and practitioners in designing and implementing more effective microfinancing programs that address the specific needs of women, thereby contributing to broader socio-economic progress.

The practice of frequently changing jobs known as job-hopping is increasingly prevalent across industries, including academia in search of better opportunities or personal growth. Due to this situation, it is more challenging for educational institutions, particularly in the private education sector to retain highly skilled lecturers in the organization. This study aims to identify the relationship between job-hopping intention among lecturers in private educational institutions and the factors that are job satisfaction, job motivation, psychological contract, and person-environment fit. Data was collected from 260 respondents across all KPTM branches through questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 29. The findings show that strong psychological contract negatively influences job-hopping. On the other hand, job satisfaction, job motivation, and person-environment fit show no significant influence. This study not only provides a deeper understanding of job-hopping motivation but also gives valuable insight for policymakers to develop strategies and modules that enhance job satisfaction and retention among lecturers, especially in private education institutions.

This study examines the influence of government health expenditure and life expectancy on economic growth. The study makes use of panel data analysis and utilizes data from the OECD nations between 2000 and 2021. The study applies panel data analysis using POLS, FEM and REM models and dynamic GMM models. The study also gauges the moderating role of life expectancy on the relationship between government health expenditure and economic growth. The results indicate that government expenditure on health hurts economic growth. A detrimental relationship between life expectancy and economic growth indicates that higher life expectancy could result in elevated healthcare and financial expenses. Nevertheless, the interactive regression model suggests that there is no significant moderation of the association between government expenditure on health and economic growth by life expectancy, implying that the influence of government health expenditure on economic growth is generally unaffected by demographic changes. These findings emphasize the significance of differentiating between the short-term and long-term economic consequences of healthcare expenditure. This study offers insights into the optimization of public spending in OECD nations to promote sustainable economic growth and enhance public health outcomes.

Online dating has become increasingly popular in recent years, offering individuals the opportunity to connect with potential romantic partners through digital platforms. These platforms provide a convenient and accessible way to meet new people, especially for those who may have busy lifestyles or limited social circles. Studies on the use of dating applications among men and women highlight how these technologies shape communication practices and social relationships. For this study, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was applied to discover the determinants of online dating apps’ adoption intention among millennials in Malaysia. Possible determinants that might affect the intention to adopt online dating apps are sought and critically reviewed. The variables proposed in this research include performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and an additional variable – trust. Five hypotheses were constructed, questionnaires were distributed and responses were collected to determine the adoption intention of young millennials in Malaysia. The test results indicated that trust, performance expectancy and social influence influenced the adoption intention of online dating applications. Based on the results, for performance expectancy, it was revealed that users expressed concerns about the utility of dating applications in facilitating beneficial functions, such as broadening social networks, enhancing dating opportunities, and meeting dating needs. For social influence, it revealed that individuals, especially peers, who hold significance in their lives, influence their decision to engage with online dating apps. These influential individuals impact the users' intentions by communicating the benefits of online dating apps and recommending their use. And lastly, trust. As trust improves, millennials are less reluctant to adopt online dating apps, contributing to an increase in the user base for such applications.

The issue of counterfeiting has long plagued many industries including fashion, automotive, electronics, and pharmaceutical. Companies face various challenges when it comes to dealing with the issue of counterfeiting, which results in financial implications, loss of brand reputation, and many more. From a consumer perspective, counterfeit is the cheaper option in a market where consumers are spoilt for choice. Advancements in technology have helped manufacturers of counterfeit to increase the similarity and to a certain extent the quality of their products to their genuine counterparts. Thus, the demand for counterfeit products in general kept rising over the years. This research looks at the influence of perceived behavioral control and consumer ethics in influencing consumer intention to purchase counterfeit fashion products. A partial least squares (PLS) approach to structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Findings showed that there is a negative relationship between perceived behavioral control and intention and a positive relationship between consumer ethics and intention.