Honeycomb with good mechanical properties and low density are the top priorities in
material selection. Therefore, the facesheet thickness is a factor that contributes to it
as it made up most of the weight in the structure. Appropriate thickness can optimize
the mechanical performance. However, the sandwich composite may associate to high
density if the facesheet is of high thickness yet deteriorate the mechanical properties
as an overall. As the facesheet is attached to the sandwich structure via matrix, the
peeling properties for various facesheet thickness is investigated. The facesheet
thickness in terms of one to five layers are glued to the rubber wood core. The
structures are tested for its peeling strength under vertical 90° test according to the
ASTM standard. The optimal number of facesheet with good peeling strength is
discussed
This study was conducted to establish callus cultures from leaf, stem and root explants of
Physalis minima using different combinations of 2,4-D and kinetin. Callus growth and anti-cancer
compound, physalin B production were further enhanced by optimising the cell explants and media
compositions such as basal media, salts concentration, carbon sources and plant growth regulators.
The results indicated that callus cultures derived from leaf, stem and root explants were best initiated
using a combination of 9.0 µM 2,4-D and 4.5 µM kinetin. Callus growth and synthesis of physalin B
were peaked at the late exponential growth phase over 25 d of culture. Callus growth did not vary
between explants, but physalin B was observed higher in leaf (0.78 mg g-1 dry wt.), followed by root
(0.71 mg g-1 dry wt.) and stem (0.64 mg g-1 dry wt.). MS basal medium was found superior to B5, SH
and WH basal media in supporting growth and physalin B production. Further tests on the media
compositions obtained a half strength of MS salts (½MS), 2.5% (w/v) sucrose and 9.0:4.5 µM of 2,4-
D:kinetin combination, which were the preferred salts strength, carbon sources and plant growth
regulators for optimum growth (0.23 g dry wt.) and physalin B production (1.75 mg g-1 dry wt.) of
callus cultures derived from leaf.
This Company is one of the largest multipurpose port in Malaysia which provides facilities
and services to handle variety of cargoes ranging from containers, cars, break bulk cargoes, dry bulk
cargoes and liquid bulk cargoes. The company divided into three main core business divisions which
are Container Division, Conventional and Logistics Services and Marine Divisions. Based on Pareto
analysis, Conventional & Logistics Services has the highest number of accidents with 75% of total
number of accidents in year 2014. In this company, the trend analysis of accident keep increasing
month by month. In this study using DMAIC approach, the objectives of this study is to improve safety
performance by decreasing the number of accident focused on Conventional & Logistics Division by
using six sigma approach. Six sigma is a quality tools for process improvement. It involved five phases
which using many quality tools to identify problem and improves the process. The data being analysed
by using statistical method and graph. As conclusion, the average number of accident decrease from
7.33 to 7.25 and the trend analysis shows decline graph compared to before. Based on the hypothesis
testing, using the p-value, it was found the shift pattern, safety culture (unsafe act unsafe condition
report submission), accidents location, type of activity and contractors have significance impact to
number of accident. Meanwhile, number of tonnage handled (productivity) and number of man-hour
does not have significance impact to the number of accident. It was also found that there is no
significance between numbers of accident happen at night shift, morning shift or afternoon shift. It can
be concluded that, the six sigma approach are suitable method to analyse accident and can be a
significance approach in determining the root cause of accident in the company.
Knowledge is Power - one of the most important sayings that demonstrate an individual’s
growth and development to the highest level. Therefore, the goal of presenting this paper is to be able
to impart an in-depth understanding pertaining to various notions about knowledge sharing (KS)
presented in different institutions and also to raise some recommendations on how to improve
knowledge sharing in Malaysia. Moreover, the content of this paper is geared on exploring insights in
the Malaysian perspective of KS specifically in the public sector along with illustrating certain ways
of effectively enhancing KS in a particular organization. The information that is presented in this
paper were collected from various related literatures gathered from books, academic journals and
articles. Findings from several literatures revealed that most public sector employees are reluctant to
shared their knowledge as well as best practices, and this is regarded as the ultimate factors that
leads to poor quality and inefficient in the service delivery. Through the useful highlights in this
paper, it would provide beneficial information on contributing factor to enhance successful KS, not
only the Malaysian public sector but also to other countries with similar public sector settings and
culture.
The fragmented and unstable nature of the construction industry associated with
unpleasant working environment caused the diminishing preference of potential
manpower to participate in the construction industry. An increasing number of
construction firms are experiencing severe outflow of the workforce, not limited to loss
of manpower, but contemporaneously, expertise and valuable experiences too. The
construction industry is conservative and particularly resistant to synchronise with
hectic and rapid changes to content and accommodate current demands.
Accumulation of a few causes such as the refusal of locals to involve, unsatisfied
working conditions, labour-intensive trades, etc had caused workforce scarcity as the
supplies unable to overcome and cope in-parallel with the demands. The objective of
this study was to identify labour composition (profiles) at construction sites. The
method used to fulfil the objective was face to face questionnaire survey to the
targeted respondents. The questionnaire consisted two (2) sections; details of the
construction project and details of construction labours such as background, education
and training level, working experiences, general welfare and working hours and wages.
The collected data were analysed using percentage distribution methods and
presented in the tables and charts for easy understanding. From the result gathered,
the respondents’ education level is low and most of them are from the Philippines and
Indonesia. Most of them acquire the construction skills through site experience and no
formal training. The majority of them stayed off-site comfortably with their family and
being paid according to their skills.
Most tropical rainforest tree species depends on forest gaps for their successful
regeneration. Evaluation on the gap or canopy openness provides an indicator on the
forest development stages. This paper reported on the canopy openness (CO) of three
study plots at (1-, 9-, 18-year old) rehabilitated forest sites and one study plot at natural
regenerating secondary forest (± 22-year old) in UPM-Mitsubishi Corporation Forest
Rehabilitation Project, Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus (UPMKB).
Plot of 20 x 20 m was established where dendrometric parameters were collected
while Delta-T Device HemiView system was used to take the hemispherical photograph
and field observation information were used to assess the CO. Qualitative analysis of
the photographs suggested there were three stages of forest growth namely gap,
building and mature stand development phases. These also helped the interpretation
of the quantitative analysis in relation to forest dynamics. Hemispherical photographs
were used for quantitative analysis of the CO. CO showed statistical significant
differences among study plots which recorded a range of 3-78%. Rapid analysis of CO
on the hemispherical photographs with information from the dendrometric
measurement had assisted in assessing the forest stand development. The canopy
openness was dependent on the age of the rehabilitated forest. Overall, the study plots
were in the different stages of stand development.
Previous studies on instant noodles have been aimed mostly at secondary students, and have
been concerned with the demographics, and the development of product attributes. Very few studies
have examined the role of convenience (CO), product attributes (PA), advertising (AD) and subjective
norms (SN) in predicting the intention of students towards the consumption of instant noodles. The
present rising costs of living and education may affect the intention and behaviour of university students
towards the consumption of affordable food. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to explore the
relationship between these variables and the variables of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) in
association with the intention of university students to consume instant noodles. A research model
approach was used to reflect the effects of CO, PA, AD, and SN on the TRA constructs. In total, 390
cases were gathered from three universities. Structural equation modelling was employed to assess the
proposed research model in terms of the path significance, the general requirements for a model fit,
and the testing of the hypotheses. It was found that AD has a direct positive effect on the behavioural
intention of university students towards the consumption of instant noodles. Nevertheless, CO, PA, and
SN appear to exert no significant influence on the behavioural intention of university students. The
limitation of the study was that the findings were obtained from a small dataset covering only three
universities. Therefore, future researches should cover a broader range of research samples. This paper
provides additional understanding for marketing managers and researchers into the effects of CO, PA,
AD and SN on the intention of Malaysian university students towards the consumption of instant
noodles, which can be used for formulating marketing strategies for instant noodles and for considering
future research directions in other countries.
This study aims to investigate the direct and indirect effect of entrepreneurial leadership
on organization demand for innovation. Over the past years academic debates have mostly focused on
individual’s demand for innovation while emphasizing on the organization's success in producing new
products and services to individual customers. However the organizational customers and
organization's demand to use innovation in day to day work has been generally neglected. Since
previous studies identified leadership as an important determinant of innovation in the organization,
this research proposes a conceptual framework to explore the effect of entrepreneurial leadership on
organization’s demand for innovation. The success of entrepreneurial leadership depends not only on
the behaviors of the leader, but also on the characteristics of their followers in demonstrating
entrepreneurial behaviors. Therefore this study aims to examine the moderating role of follower’s
reliance on social networks to recognize new opportunities on the relationship between
entrepreneurial leadership and organization’s demand for innovation. A sample of Malaysia Top 100
Companies participates in this research and the hypotheses are evaluated using Partial Least Squares
(PLS) analysis. This research makes an important contribution by providing empirical evidences that
may support entrepreneurial leaders and their firms to identify and generate more opportunities and
enact them in ways that increase the organization's receptivity towards innovation
Acquisition of adequate and meaningful research data, as well as the appropriate analysis
is important in ensuring the strategic direction and objectives of the study are well achieved. Data
analysis is an important element in any study. Good data analysis is obtained from the study that is
carefully planned based on an appropriate design, as well as the approach that is used in the process
of analysing the data. The objective of the study to be conducted is to determine the weight of criteria
for sustainable construction. Therefore, the right selection of data analysis is very important to ensure
that the objectives are successfully achieved. This manuscript writing presents the description of the
data analysis used in this study, by applying the Rasch measurement model to meet the objective. In
addition, by using this measurement model, the importance of calibrating the measurement instruments
are also highlighted, which involves separating the misfit raw data through the analysis to ensure
statistically more accurate analytical results. Evaluation of the quality of the technical aspects for each
of the involved item is very important in the measurement model. The analysis will be able to improve the reliability of the items which could indirectly serve the purpose of calibrating the instrument to
ensure a more accurate measurement to produce a meaningful research.
This research was perform to examine the dimension electronic service quality of
Malaysia airline industries (low cost carrier) and the impact on customers perceived service
satisfaction. This research employed convenience sampling procedure and questionnaire as
method to gain data, 392 completed questionnaires were gathered from Malaysia airline
industries (low cost carrier) website users. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis performed and
indicated that five dimensions such as fulfilment, system availability, efficiency, site privacy
and aesthetic and customizations were applicable to measure Malaysia airline industries
(low cost carrier) e-SQ. The regression analysis performed showed that e-SQ dimensionfulfilment,
system availability, efficiency, site privacy and aesthetic and customizations have
a significant positive relationship exist between e-SQ dimension and perceived service
satisfaction in the Malaysia airline industries (low cost carrier) website user. Future
research recommendations to discuss on impact dimension of e-SQ regarding to recovery
issue such as compensation, responsiveness and contact on customers perceived satisfaction
in Malaysia airline industries (low cost carrier).
The Climatic performance of courtyard residential buildings needs to be
investigated if the assertion that courtyard is a microclimate modifier is to be
accepted. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the microclimatic performance
of two existing courtyard residential buildings with similar characteristics in
Kafanchan-Kaduna Nigeria, -the fully enclosed courtyard residential building and
the semi-enclosed courtyard residential building. The purpose of this research is
to investigate their microclimatic performances in other to establish the best
courtyard house. This study uses measurement to achieve its aim. The tool
employed for data collection is the Hobo Weather Data Loggers (HWDL). Three
HWDL were used to collect data in the two case-study, and the third one was
placed in the outside area as a benchmark. Only air temperature and relative
humidity were measured. This study revealed a tangible difference in the
microclimatic performance of the two case-study. The fully enclosed courtyard
residential building is seen to have air temperature difference of 1 oC to 3 oC, and
the relative humidity difference of 4 % to 8 %. In conclusion, the fully enclosed
courtyard house demonstrated a more favorable microclimatic performance than
the semi-enclosed, and further simulation studies towards its optimization are
required.
A questionnaire Usability Self Learning Module is developed to measure the overall
development of the learning module Adobe Photoshop constructs involving three modules, module’s
usability, applying theory of the cognitive load and minimalist. The study was conducted to produce
empirical data on the reliability and validity of the Usability of Adobe Photoshop’s Module
questionnaire using the Rasch Measurement Model. A survey was conducted on 120 participants who
attended the course Adobe Photoshop using the modules studied. The questionnaire is distributed
using one of the Web 2.0 technology platform, Google Docs. The reliability and validity of the
Usability Adobe Photoshop’s module questionnaire were tested with the Rasch Measurement Model
using the Winstep version 3.69.1.11 program.The Rasch analysis showed that person reliability index
is 0.87 and item reliability of 0.94. In term of item polarity, each item was able to contribute to
measuring the effectiveness of the learning module development measurement since the PTMEA
CORR exceeded 0.30, in specific between 0.50 to 0.78. There are 27 items in the questionnaire, which
is divided into 3 different constructs. Each construct contains 7 to 11 items. The unidimensionality test
conducted showed standardized residuals variance of 49.8%, with the biggest secondary dimension
in the first constrast amounting variance of 6.5%. Item fit analysis showed that none of the items
needed to be dropped since infit mean square values are between 0.73 and 1.39, and the outfit mean
square values are between 0.70 and 1.40. Items in the questionnaires are ordered in a continuum of
increasing intensity for the measurement of the Usability of Module construct. This shows the validity
of the constructs in Usability of the module.The Rasch Measurement Model shows that the Usability
of the Module has a high reliability and validity to be used for measuring the usability of the module
and the application of cognitive load theory and the theory of minimalism
The academic performance of Malaysian students has recently been in the spotlight
when it was revealed that our high schoolers had performed dismally in recent major
international benchmarking studies. Malaysian students were not only ranked below
the global average, but they also appear to be performing worse in Mathematics,
Science and Reading Literacy compared the previous assessments. This has raised
alarm among not only educational policy makers and academicians, but also other
stakeholders who are directly or indirectly affected by the success or failure of the
educational system. This study aims at empirically analysing the academic
performance of students enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
Program at Kolej MARA Banting (KMB) over a span of 23 years. It attempts to identify
whether there is a similar declining trend as reported by PISA and TIMSS, and identify
factors that accounted for the students’ performance. Students’ IB results from 1993
to 2016 sourced from KMB database were analysed for trend and the strength of the
relationship of subjects that contributed to the total points of the IB examination for
two main programs offered at the college. Finally, future performance for the next
three years was forecasted using time series analysis using ARIMA (1,0,0). The Mann
Kendall Test confirmed existence of a downward trend in the students’ results.
Correlational analyses found that high level subjects comprising of the High Level
Chemistry, High Level Physics, High Level Biology and High Level Mathematics are
highly correlated to IB examination results. This is accentuated further after a policy
change in 2009 when the program for pre-Medical students opted for Standard Level
Mathematics, instead of High Level Mathematics it used to offer. It is anticipated that
the findings of this study will provide the relevant authorities with invaluable
information with a view of instituting corrective measures.
Meat tenderness is an important quality attribute that influences consumer acceptance. The application of mechanical treatment by mean to reduce toughness of meat cuts has gained much interest recently, with an intention to make use the lower grade meat cuts. This review deliberates the function, mechanism and numerous types of mechanical work in meat tenderization. The mechanical work employs to make meat softer by loosening the muscle structure and disrupting muscle cell. Previous studies have thoroughly examined the use of mechanical treatment (such as massaging, tumbling, and grinding) as an effective meat tenderization technique. Besides that, current research on newly emerging processing technology such as highpressure process (HPP) also shows potential to be explored. The application of mechanical work has shown impressive outcomes by reducing the shear force value that represents hardness of meat. The present paper also described the physical, biochemical and the structural changes of the meat. Finally, the improvements in the meat tenderness by using various type of mechanical work are presented in this paper.
Riparian vegetation has been recognized for its remarkable environmental and
management implications. Occurred within the dynamic tract of river systems, riparian
vegetation is a complex character that often exposed to the changes of river water and
river beds. Their spatial extent is strongly controlled by inundation and flood
disturbance, which result in the riparian vegetation migration to the point of
destruction, if the competition for the area and other sources are lacking. This paper
presents the findings of collected riparian vegetation information along Sg Johor at the
upstream and downstream of Kota Tinggi. Using Point-Centre-Quarter Method, the
vegetation’s species, density, basal area, diameter at breast height and relative
composition were recorded, identified and classified. Vitex pubescens and Drypetes
spp. dominantly occurred along the upstream and downstream of this river,
respectively. Species like Gymnacranthera bancana, Endospermum malaccense, and
Aquilaria malaccensis are also found inhabit along Sg Johor bank. Classified as woody
vegetation, these vegetations are equipped with buttress roots that enable them to
increase soil strength. This paper also suggests that proper study of riparian vegetation
along river banks could promote a better understanding of the function of each
species, to ensure the sustainability of riparian vegetation as part of river system
engineer.
– This study was performed to measure the gender equality involvement in Technical and
Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Program in one of the Malaysia Technical University
Network (MTUN). The focuses of this study are general perspective in gender equality, men and
women position in society, and sources of information about TVET. 200 respondents involving
students and lecturers from various field of TVET programs involved in this study. Questionnaire was
applied to gather the data information and descriptive analysis represent the findings. Result showed
that most respondents strongly agree with men helping in the household were women, they are also
aware about the national policies on gender equality in Malaysia, and for last section of survey,
respondents agree that they choose studying in TVET program because the better job opportunities.
In summary, there is no gender issue in Malaysia’s policy, position of work and opportunities in
further education especially in TVET programs.
A Shipyard in Malaysia has been trying to change, but facing employee Resistance to
Change (RTC). Resistance is attributed to the poor coupling of tasks to its technical
core, creating bad habits leading to thoughtlessness and neglect. Lewin’s Field Theory
and Festinger’s Theory of Cognitive Dissonance was used to understand and identify
the underlying behaviour of the employees. Lean principles were used as an in-depth
intervention to understand how context provoked or shaped reactions. A Dual
Imperative Action Research (AR) with the author as a participant researcher was
conducted not only to create knowledge but also, change. To position the Shipyard in
its historical context, face-to-face interview was conducted with managers to get thick
description of the RTC and archaic documentations was reviewed. A survey using
tested questionnaire was conducted to gauge the employees RTC disposition.
Resistance is due to incoherency of a person’s belief to establish standards, giving rise
to cognitive dissonance. These dissonances hidden as non-conscious behaviour, social
habits or norms, lead the organisation to deterioration. Lean intervention reduce
dissonance, creating psychological flow in the workforce and momentum for change.
Thereby, the Shipyard managed to recover the delay of a ship undergoing a ship-life
extension program and avoided liquidated damages amounting to RM63 million. The
Shipyard also managed to reduce its average delay for ship repair from 17 to 6 months.
The knowledge on how the researcher can gain utility from RTC and mediate through
the application of Lean principles would be of considerable benefit to ‘change
managers’.
A study on 2D geo-electrical resistivity imaging at Melaka Tengah, Malacca was conducted to determine the potential groundwater zone. This investigation is needed to identify the quality of the groundwater, since the site is located in the coastal areas where groundwater influence tends to diminish due to intrusion of seawater. Two resistivity lines were proposed with length of 400m each by using Terrameter SAS 4000 and ES1064. Geo-electrical of electrical resistivity and induced polarization method with the Wenner-Schlumberger configuration were carried out. The Res2Dinv software would then render the 2D resistivity image through inversion method which provided detailed information of both the laterally and vertically geological structures based on their part. The electrical resistivity measured the resistance of the subsurface to the flow of electric current in units of ohmmeters and value of chargeability during the transient decay of the applied voltage in ms for induced polarization. Well data provided was very useful in direct determination of subsurface soil lithology.The result obtained showed an 84.7-meter subsurface depth for both areas which then reflected that the subsurface consisted of two different layers namely overburden (laterite, clay, and/or peat soil) with ranged 1 ohm.m – 10 ohm.m and 50 ohm.m – 500 ohm.m for schist formation. However, this area was considered to be brackish water area because of the low chargeability value of 0ms – 1ms especially in top soil layer and 5ms – 20ms for schist formation. Thus, this area was deemed not suitable for groundwater exploration due to the intrusion of salt water.
Improving organizational performance is the main objective of any organization. Six
Sigma is one of the most important approaches to improve performance and sustain
competitive advantage. This article reviewed the literature related to organizational
performance and explains the potential impact of Six Sigma and innovation culture on
organizational performance. Given that previous studies have reported inconclusive
results, this paper tries to establish a mechanism to explain the role of Six Sigma in
improving organizational performance. Therefore, based on the theoretical foundation
and comprehensive review of previous literature, a research framework is proposed.
This proposed framework is grounded in the implementation of Six Sigma projects; it
also establishes that innovation culture can help organizations to achieve success in a
turbulent business environment.
Low-cost high rise housing project is developed to provide a chance for low-income
citizen to own a house at a lower market price. Each low-cost high-rise residential
building possesses its own building management body where one of its duties is to
manage residential area after the strata title has been issued to the purchaser. The
study was carried out to evaluate the level of satisfaction among residents of one lowcost
housing area towards the maintenance activities administered by the building
management body. This research employed mixed-method approach; quantitative and
qualitative, as it able to capture accurate data from both residents and the building
management body. This study concluded that the residents of Rumah Selangorku
Damai Utama are mostly leaning towards dissatisfaction with the building and facilities
maintenance services provided by the building management body.