Malaysian Management Journal (MMJ) Vol. 19, 2015
The Effect of the Success Information Technologyon the Quality of Working Life of the Staff in Industrial Organizations in Iran
Hassan Forati
Department of Management
Payam Noor University
Tehran, Iran
Abstract Ɩ Full Text
We examined the influence of the success of Information Technology (IT) on the Quality of Working Life (QWL). We first explored the success dimensions of IT/IS and also dimension of QWL. Then, we proposed a new model – managing IT for improving QWL model - to explain and predict the influence of IT’s success on employees’ QWL. Drawing on the previous literature, and the results of a series of case studies, the managing of IT to improve the QWL model, integrates several sets of factors that are influencing the improvement of QWL: organizational factors; quality of IT; employees’ attitudes to IT; employees’ use of IT; perceived usefulness of IT and QWL. These sets of factors are drawn from well-established frameworks (IS’s implementation, IS’s success and TAM models). Results from a survey involving 299 IT users in semnan province (Iran) indicate that a positive relationship exists between IT’s success and QWL. The analysis provided strong support for the model, with 15 of 17 hypotheses which are supported. Path analysis was also used to test the research model. The study used theoretical and empirical evidence to propose a model and then validate it by using quantitative data from industrial organizations in Semnan. Finally the model was validated by path analysis.
Keywords: Information technology; success of information system success; employee’s attitude to IT; perceived usefulness; quality of working life.
The Effect of Job Rotation on Career Management
Md Lazim Mohd Zin
School of Business Management
Universiti Utara Malaysia
Abstract Ɩ Full Text
Job rotation is a type of on-the-job training where an employee is encouraged to gain a range of information, skills and competencies in the workplace. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of job rotation on career management. Toward this objective, a survey was carried out amongst 76 assistant registrars in one public university in Malaysia. Factor analysis has revealed that there are three distinct dimensions of job rotation, namely, business knowledge, technical knowledge and administrative knowledge, as well as a single dimension of career management. Multiple regression results shows that only two dimensions of job rotation have significantly influence on career management, with the exception of business knowledge. This finding has also indicated that job rotation practice affects the career management through the enhancement and enrichment of employees’ knowledge and skills, which in turn will influence their career progression in the workplace.
Keywords: Career Management; job rotation; knowledge and skills; career progression; promotion.
The Determinants of Car Ownership Among Working Adults In Penang, Malaysia
Lian Yee Lee
School of Social
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Yong Kang Cheah
College of Business
Universiti Malaysia
Abstract Ɩ Full Text
Penang has the third highest rate of car ownership in Malaysia. Traffic congestion issues have worsened alarmingly over the past few years. The objective of the present study was to investigate the factors affecting car ownership in Penang. A logit model and data from a primary survey consisting of 498 respondents were used for an in-depth analysis. The findings of the present study show that age, gender, ethnicity, income, education and parking issues are significant determinants of car ownership. In particular, individuals who are aged between 26 and 35 years; females; Chinese; high income earners and tertiary–educated, are more likely to own cars compared to others. Based on these findings, several intervention strategies are recommended.
Keywords: Car; congestion; ownership; traffic; transportation.
JEL classification code: D00; D10; R41
An Analysis of Efficiency of General Insurance Industry in India
Abhijit Sinha
Vidyasagar University,
Midnapore,India
Kalpataru Bandopadhyay
Vidyasagar University,
Midnapore, India
Abstract Ɩ Full Text
It is well known that the overall insurance sector in India has been undergoing a series of reforms from time to time. The drastic change that re-designed the contours of the industry is the implementation of the Malhotra Committee Recommendations which opened up the landscape to the private non-life insurers in 2000. The present study has been taken up to determine the efficiency of the non-life sector and the insurers using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The empirical research also aims to statistically test whether there is any year-wise significant difference between the two sectors in respect of the overall efficiency. For the purpose, appropriate statistical test is applied. The study is based on secondary data collected from the Insurance Regulatory Authority of India (IRDA) Annual Reports. The sample size for this study is twelve including all the four insurers from the public sector and the remaining from the private sector. The results of the analysis showed that in terms of technical and pure technical efficiency, the overall result of the public sector surpasses that of the private. However, the findings of the Mann-Whitney U Test revealed that the result with respect to the statistical difference is mixed.
Keywords: Non-life; India; data envelopment analysis; mann-whitney U Test.
Managing Diversity: The Government Of A Malaysian Hawker Place
Norman Backhaus
University of Zurich
Abstract Ɩ Full Text
Selling and consuming street food has a long tradition in urban areas of Asia. While the preparation of food, the appropriation of space, and the sale itself follow certain rules, some of them are informal and not always in line with government regulations. However, even though the street vendors (or hawkers) are practicing their trade in a gray area between formality and informality many hawker places function surprisingly well. It is the aim of the paper to analyze the functioning of such a hawker place. As case study serves Changlun, a small town in the Malaysian state of Kedah, where qualitative interviews with hawkers but also officials were conducted. Results indicate that the government of this hawker place is a consequence of an intricate entanglement of practices, which include a tolerant administration but also compliant hawkers and customers liking this place. However, this entanglement is not without conflicts and problems. The hawkers are economically vulnerable and do not have many alternatives to generate income. Consequently the paper ends with recommendations that should enable the functioning of a hawker place as a traditional and well-regarded place to meet and eat and a space for underprivileged people to earn an income.
RESEARCH NOTES
Examining the Impact of Customer-To-Customer Interaction on Service Experiences: A Pilot Study
Jasmine Zea Raziah Radha Rashid-Radha
Collage of Arts and Sciences
Universiti Utara Malaysia
Andrew Lockwood
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management,
University of Surrey
Eimear-Marie Nolan-Davis
School of Global Business,
Kean University.
Abstract Ɩ Full Text
This research focuses on how the design of backpacker hostels influences social interaction among guests and how this could enhance or spoil their service experience. There are opposing views on how different aspects of hostel design and services contribute towards guests’ evaluation of their hostel stay. On one hand, it is suggested that a hostel environment which encourages social interaction adds value to the service experience while on the other hand, an environment that offers extra privacy, such as en-suite bedrooms, is more valued. The present research therefore argues that some aspects of the hostel’s current design and core services may now be redundant for certain market segments of the hostel guest. Empirical evidence is needed to illustrate the extent to which hostels are providing the right design and services to meet the current requirements of their target market. At this stage of the research, a pilot study has been carried out using semi-structured interviews with individuals who have stayed in backpacker hostels. Using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), respondents were asked to recall a specific incident where they had interacted with other hostel guests. Details about the environment in which the interaction took place, as well as how the respondents felt about the interaction, were asked during the interview. It is expected that the findings of this research will shed light on which aspects of a hostel’s design and guests’ interaction would contribute towards enhancing the service experience.
Keywords: Hostelling; social interaction; backpacker; service experience.
BOOK REVIEW
Make Learning Personal: The What, Who, Wow, Where, And Why
Authors
Bray, B., & McClaskey, K.
(Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2015, 251 pp., index. ISBN: 978-1-4833-5297-8)
This book is indeed insightful and a challenge to many people who might be complacent in their usual ways of managing teaching and learning. Old habits die hard. For sure, it sounds personal as the title suggests. It resonates with everyone—you and I; it draws us closer to the heart of the matter, that is, managing how we teach, managing learning, and that matters greatly if we consider the learners’ perspectives. Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey argue that we should change our “perceptions about learning and realize [that] every child is a learner” (p. xxiii). The idea is, if you are a learner, you ought to be thinking seriously about learning as something you are responsible for, making it your own, if you will. If you are a teacher, you ought to be shifting your paradigm by now; make teaching less centered on you but more on the actual person who is receiving what you teach, the learner. Know your learner, understand what they want and what they think would work for them. The point to drive home is learner-centeredness tends to be the buzz word for the twenty-first century classroom.
