Vol. 17 No. 2(I)S (2025)

Rising living costs in Malaysia impose significant financial burdens on households and challenge economic policymaking. This study identifies and quantifies the influence of six macroeconomic variables— Population Growth Rate, Tax Rate, Import Rate, Export Rate, Income Inequality, and Lending Interest Rate— from 1993 to 2023 on the country’s cost of living. Drawing on data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) and the World Bank, we apply descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression methods to uncover long‑term relationships. Our findings indicate that population growth and income inequality are positively associated with increased living costs, while fluctuations in import/export rates and adjustments in tax and lending interest rates exert varying but significant effects. These results offer robust empirical evidence of complex interdependencies, underscoring the need for targeted policy strategies—such as equitably structured taxation, inclusive growth policies, trade balance stabilization, and prudent monetary regulation—to alleviate living cost pressures. By illuminating the macroeconomic drivers of living cost dynamics in Malaysia, this study provides actionable insights for policymakers to enhance household welfare.

Digitalization has caused significant changes in the evolution of entrepreneurial business models, evolving new digital business prospects and opportunities with the creation of online businesses. Digitalization form of entrepreneurial activity known as digital entrepreneurship. This provides new self-employment opportunities for university students to establish a new venture. This study investigates the social capital factors of digital entrepreneurial role model, innovative cognition and social media adroitness in influencing digital entrepreneurship intention among university students in Malaysia. Using purposive and convenience sampling methods, a sample of 399 data points was collected from university students in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The PLS-SEM analysis results showed that the digital entrepreneurial role model, innovative cognition and social media adroitness significantly influenced digital entrepreneurship among university students. The findings of this study provide meaningful implications for policymakers and educational institutions.

The increase in price for consumer goods and services has an impact on the economic growth of a country. Many of the previous studies had been done to determine what really causes inflation across many countries. Referring to the existing variables that impact the growth of inflation, this study aims to ascertain what factors cause inflation in four selected countries, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. The study also investigates the relationship between inflation with several independent variables, which consist of money supply, interest rate, unemployment, gross domestic product, exchange rate, government expenditure and imported goods and services. The data used in this study were obtained from various sources such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as Eikon. The type of research in this study is panel data, consisting of time series from the year 2008 to 2023 annually. The diagnostic tests conducted include a normality test, a Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) test, a Modified Wald Test, as well as a unit root test for each variable. To estimate the panel data, Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (POLS) is used. The study finds that among seven variables, government expenditure, interest rate and imported goods and services significantly affected the inflation. Interest rate and imported goods and services have a positive relationship with inflation, while government expenditure has a negative relationship with inflation.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a branch of contemporary science and information technology that aims to replicate human-like intelligence in machines. Its application has increasingly become a significant component in modern education, transforming the way knowledge is accessed and delivered. Educators are now required to recognize AI technology as a pivotal tool in both current and future educational environments. In light of this, the present study investigates the predictors of behavioral intention, namely, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions, towards the use of AI technology among lecturers in Polytechnics and Community Colleges (POLYCC) in Malaysia. This research is grounded in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. Employing a simple random sampling method to ensure equal representation, data were collected from 142 academic staff members in POLYCC through an online questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS to test the proposed research model and hypotheses. Findings revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions significantly and positively influence lecturers’ behavioral intention to use AI. In contrast, social influence did not have a significant effect. Additionally, the study identified experience as a moderating variable, which significantly strengthened the relationships between effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions with behavioral intention. These results highlight the importance of considering educators’ experience levels when designing strategies for AI adoption in teaching and learning environments.

Technology has undoubtedly enhanced the significance of convenience in learning, especially in tertiary educational institutions, as the dynamic integration between online and traditional learning is demonstrated. However, it is fair to debate whether this technology has also helped to enable the students to be more engaged in the classroom or whether the learning related factors are more prominent determinants. This descriptive research was a correlational study which was intended to examine the relationship between the elements of Community of Inquiry (CoI), comprised of teaching, learning and social presence and student engagement in UiTM Puncak Alam. The study has applied a convenience sampling method, involving 378 respondents from 22,441 undergraduates of UiTM Puncak Alam. A self-administered questionnaire of three sections was used as the instrument for this study to collect the students’ perspectives on how the elements can influence their student engagement. A Pearson correlational and multiple regression analysis was conducted to ensure the achievement of the research objectives. The results have found that social presence has the strongest relationship with student engagement, supporting a similar finding from the regression analysis. Regardless, it was also found that the independent variables have explained 35.3% of the dependent variables, whereas the remaining 64.7% of student engagement can be explained by other variables that are not included in this study. Therefore, all three research objectives were achieved, and the three hypotheses were supported. The researchers have then discussed and recommended further actions that can be taken by the authorities involved in ensuring that a quality education is accessible to all students in Malaysia.

This research seeks to construct a more comprehensive conceptual framework that integrates enabling technologies, critical business activities, and outcomes of resilience to clarify the mitigating and performance boosting impacts of Digital Twins (DTs) on supply chains. The researcher reviewed literature and consulted diverse theories and scholars in order to devise the framework that addresses the problem. The framework was based on socio-technical systems theory, the Resource-Based View, and complexity theory to show the impacts of technology on the architectural evolution of the structures that make up a supply chain network. Its key elements, “inputs, processes and outcomes,” were given and systematized about the dynamic interactions of supply chain resilience and digitized twin technology. The framework’s digital enablers— the IoT, AI, and high-fidelity simulation platforms— are also important to real-time monitoring, risk evaluation, scenario modelling, and simulation of critical functions which bolster the resilience traits of responsiveness, operational flexibility, and risk mitigation. The study underlines the contribution of DTs to enhanced situational awareness and, therefore, more effective and strategic oversight in decision-making on supply chain management as a whole. Therefore, the research addresses a significant gap in the literature by bridging functionality of digital twinning with the assemblage of resilience genes and by emphasizing the framework’s overriding digital resilience. Digitized two-dimensional replicas of core components of a business system, commonly known as digital twins, provide supply chain personnel with a systematic technique for incremental realization of anticipatory breach mitigation strategy implementation guided by comprehensive risk assessment and predictive scenario contingency strategy planning.

The rapid urbanization of the 21st century has intensified the need for innovative solutions to address sustainability supply chain challenges in urban environments. Digital Twin (DT) technology, characterized by its ability to create virtual replicas of physical systems and integrate real-time data, has emerged as a transformative tool in smart city development. This study proposes a conceptual framework that explores the role of DT technology in promoting sustainable supply chains in urban development by aligning environmental, economic, and social dimensions with urban governance. By integrating insights from sustainability science, cyber-physical systems, and smart city initiatives, the framework highlights how DTs can optimize urban systems, improve decision-making, and foster inclusivity. Additionally, it addresses key challenges such as data privacy, interoperability, and scalability, offering a roadmap for future research and implementation. The findings emphasize the potential of DTs to create resilient, efficient, and equitable urban ecosystems, bridging gaps in existing research and providing actionable guidance for policymakers, urban planners, supply chain practitioners and industry stakeholders striving to shape sustainable cities of the future.

Negotiation is a vital component of supply chain management, requiring both strategic thinking and emotional intelligence to navigate complex, high-stakes interactions. Traditional supply chain negotiation programs focus on tactical skills but often overlook the psychological challenges that can undermine negotiation performance. This conceptual paper proposes the integration of hypnotherapy—a psychological technique known for enhancing relaxation, focus, and behavioral change—into supply chain negotiation training. Drawing from literature in supply chain strategy, emotional intelligence, and clinical hypnotherapy, the paper presents a novel framework for applying hypnotherapy techniques such as guided relaxation and visualization during pre-negotiation preparation, active negotiation, and post-negotiation reflection. The potential benefits include improved emotional regulation, heightened mental clarity, and reduced cognitive biases, which together contribute to more effective and confident negotiations. While the paper acknowledges cultural and ethical considerations, particularly in Asian contexts, it argues that hypnotherapy offers a valuable tool for enhancing negotiation mastery in modern supply chain environments. Future empirical research is recommended to validate the proposed framework and assess its practical impact.

Despite the widespread use of ESG metrics, GRI guidelines, and supplier audit frameworks, current approaches to ethical performance measurement in supply chains often lack depth, consistency, and cultural relevance. These tools frequently prioritize investor transparency or compliance checklists while neglecting long-term moral accountability and relational stakeholder impacts. Global supply chains now sprawl across continents and cultures, yet most ethical audits still treat them as static checklists. To close this gap, the study introduces the Supply-Chain Karma Score (SCKS)—a culturally rooted framework that borrows the Eastern idea of karma to track how today’s sourcing decisions echo through tomorrow’s social, environmental, and governance outcomes. The scorecard grades firms across five intertwined arenas: Labour Karma, Planet Karma, Governance Karma, Equity Karma, and Resilience Karma. Each dimension pairs practical metrics with a cause-and-effect timeline, shifting the focus from box-ticking compliance to dynamic, consequence-based accountability. The SCKS stands on three theoretical pillars: stakeholder theory, which expands moral duty beyond shareholders; the Triple Bottom Line, which balances people, planet, and profit; and virtue ethics, which asks who a company becomes when no auditor is watching. By fusing moral philosophy with systems thinking, the framework offers a holistic, scalable way to diagnose ethical risk, benchmark sustainability, and steer strategic procurement. For scholars, the SCKS opens fertile ground for empirical tests of how ethical “karma profiles” influence resilience, reputation, and value creation over time— especially in emerging economies where formal governance is thin. For managers and policymakers, it provides an actionable dashboard that translates lofty values into day-to-day decisions. In turning karma into a measurable construct, this study invites a re-imagining of responsible supply-chain management for an interconnected, ethically complex world.

Significant advancements in teaching and learning tools have been made possible as a consequence of the incorporation of game design elements into the educational setting. In this particular study, every group of students must respond to all statements based on the Marketing Mix Board Game. This is done in an effort by the lecturers to establish a learning environment that is both interesting and interactive. 100 students were asked to fill out a questionnaire in order to gather information about their perceptions, levels of engagement, and overall satisfaction with the Marketing Mix Board Game. The Marketing Mix Board Game is specifically highlighted as an engaging and entertaining assessment instrument for the goal of reinforcing the concepts of the marketing mix. This is done in order to highlight the importance of the marketing mix in their studies and working life. As a result of the study that was carried out, it was discovered that the students who participated in the study indicated perceptions that are statistically insignificant concerning the use of gamification in teaching and learning settings. The students think that gamification is a method that may be utilized to integrate into the teaching and learning effectiveness inside the classroom in a way that is both pleasant and successful in terms of positive engagement. After considering this, the implementation of gamification could potentially assist students in acquiring a more profound comprehension of the marketing mix methodologies, which would ultimately result in enhanced student results and performance.