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This study aims to examine the relationships for the following: supportive work environment, person–organisation fit and employee retention among academic staff in one of the Malaysian public universities.

This study used a conceptual framework to assess the direct impacts of supportive work environment (i.e. perceived climate, supervisory relationship, peer group interaction, perceived organisational support), person–organisation fit and employee retention. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 225 respondents.

The findings present the mediating influence of person–organisation fit on the relationships between supportive work environment and employee retention. The results reveal a direct and positive relationship between supportive work environment and academic staff retention. These results imply that individuals’ perceived towards an organisation can influence their decision to stay at the university.

This study had filled in the knowledge gap about the role of supportive work environment with person–organisation fit and the relationship for employee retention in Malaysia. Previous research emphasised on organisations’ role in employee retention and engagement in the manufacturing and service industry.

The findings of this study reveal how a supportive work environment can impact employee retention among academic staff. Specifically, the person–organisation fit describes the relationship between supportive work environment and employee retention.

Service providers and consumers alike are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence service agents (AISA) for service. Yet, no service quality scale exists that can fully capture the key factors influencing AISA service quality. This study aims to address this shortcoming by developing a scale for measuring AISA service quality (AISAQUAL).

Based on extant service quality research and established scale development techniques, the study constructs, refines and validates a multidimensional AISAQUAL scale through a series of pilot and validation studies.

AISAQUAL contains 26 items across six dimensions: efficiency, security, availability, enjoyment, contact and anthropomorphism. The new scale demonstrates good psychometric properties and can be used to evaluate service quality across AISA, providing a means of examining the relationships between AISA service quality and satisfaction, perceived value as well as loyalty.

Future research should validate AISAQUAL with other AISA types, as they diffuse throughout the service sector. Moderating factors related to services, the customer and the AISA can be investigated to uncover the boundary conditions under which AISAQUAL is likely to influence service outcomes. Longitudinal studies can be carried out to assess how ongoing use of AISA can change service outcomes.

Service managers can use AISAQUAL to effectively monitor, diagnose and improve services provided by AISA while enhancing their understanding of how AISA can deliver better service quality and customer loyalty outcomes.

Anthropomorphism is identified as a new service quality dimension. AISAQUAL facilitates theory development by providing a reliable scale to improve the current understanding of consumers’ perspectives concerning AISA services.

A simple and efficient re‐analysis procedure is presented for large‐scale structural systems. The procedure is based on using a mixed formulation with the fundamental unknowns consisting of both stress and displacement parameters. The other key elements of the procedure are: (a) lumping of the large number of design variables into a single tracing parameter; (b) operator splitting or additive decomposition of the different arrays in the finite element equations of the modified structure into the corresponding arrays of the original structure plus correction terms; and (c) application of a reduction method through the successive use of the finite element method and the classical Bubnov‐Galerkin technique. The finite element method is first used to generate a few approximation vectors (or modes). Then the amplitudes of these modes are computed by using the Bubnov—Galerkin technique. The re‐analysis procedure is applied to the linear static and free vibration problems of plate and shell structures. Changes in both the sizing and shape (configuration) design variables are considered. The high accuracy of the proposed technique, for sizable changes in the design variables, is demonstrated by means of numerical examples of composite plates and shells.

This article explores the concept of ‘linguistic landscape’ (Landry & Bourhis, 1997) and applies it to the Tutong Town Centre, which was depicted briefly in the film Gema Dari Menara (1968). Due to the cursory and grainy depiction on screen, a study of the present linguistic landscape of the town featured in the film is far more practical than a detailed comparison of the linguistic landscape of Tutong town then and now. In essence the film has provided a geographical scope for linguistic/ semiotic analysis presented in this paper. The study of signs ‘in a given geographical location’ (Ben Rafael et al, 2006: 14), using the distributive count approach, lends itself to a greater understanding of the ethnolinguistic vitality and sociolinguistic interactions of the language groups living in what can be described as a multilingual and multiracial small town. Such evidence of language use in the public sphere results from an interplay of various factors within the town’s societal context, that could be related to Scollon & Scollons’ (2003:2) idea of ‘the social meaning of material placement of sign and discourses'. This study challenges the notion of ethnic languages’ 'disappearance' from public sphere, and instead raises questions about their ‘initiation’ into public use. The study also concludes that the supposed multilinguality of the Tutong Town population is not represented in the linguistic landscape.

Two efficient computational procedures are presented for generating the global approximation vectors used in conjunction with the reduction methods for the large‐deflection non‐linear analysis of symmetric structures with unsymmetric boundary conditions. Both procedures are based on restructuring the governing equations for each of the unsymmetric global approximation vectors to delineate the different contributions to the symmetric and antisymmetric components of this vector. In the first procedure the unsymmetric global approximation vectors are approximated by linear combinations of symmetric and antisymmetric modes, which are generated by using the finite element method. The amplitudes of these modes are computed by using the classical Rayleigh‐Ritz technique. The second procedure is based on using a preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) technique for generating the global approximation vectors, and selecting the preconditioning matrix to be the matrix associated with the symmetric response. In both procedures the size of the analysis model used in generating the global approximation vectors is identical to that of the corresponding structure with symmetric boundary conditions. The similarities between the two procedures are identified, and their effectiveness is demonstrated by means of two numerical examples of large‐deflection, non‐linear static problems of shells.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games required a significant investment in the public transport systems, connecting four city's areas and providing different types of impacts and legacies for their hosts. The purpose of this paper is to examine resident perceptions of the public transportation issues in the Rio host city before and after the Games. Key factors underpinning transportation issue outcomes are identified.

Data were collected among Rio local residents by using a pre-Games (n = 504) and post-Games design (n = 421). The cross-sectional and longitudinal data were assessed at both time periods. An exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors, and a confirmatory factor analysis analysed the psychometric properties of the constructs proposed. Subsequently, MANOVA and a series of ANOVA tests (one-way and paired samples) were performed to analyse the differences in perceptions before and after the Games.

Results revealed a five-factor model of public transportation issues perceived: planning, infrastructure, insecurity, information and urban mobility. Resident perceptions for four factors (planning, infrastructure, insecurity, urban mobility) increased from pre- to post-Games, meaning that they have a more negative perspective about those issues. In contrast, the findings suggested an improvement in public transport information perceived between the period before and after the Games.

This study contributes to the academic literature related to discussing the Olympic legacy by providing evidence of how hosting the Olympics may lead to social exchange with negative outcomes on transport legacy. The findings of this study can be used as valuable information for future event organizers, local authorities and governments.

The purpose of this review is to narrate the microbiological quality of variety of street foods which are largely consumed by the Bangladeshi people of all ages. However, these foods are prone to microbial contamination. Most of the vendors lack the awareness on hygiene during preparing, processing or handling the foods. The insufficiency in regular microbiological analysis further casts the possibility of disease onset. The need of microbial analyses of these foods also remains unclear to the consumers, which, in turn, results in microbial infections and intoxications remaining unnoticed.

The present review focused on the microbiological quality of the street foods projected from the locally conducted researches on street foods, and pondered on the possible management from a microbiological perspective for ensuring consumer safety.

This paper provides comprehensive information on the microbiological quality of street foods, requirement of maintenance of hygiene by the vendors and consumers and the necessity of adopting proper management during food preparation.

Demonstration of microbial prevalence in the street foods may bring imperative information on food safety and security. The conclusive message of this review is about the general consciousness on the microbiological aspects of street food contamination.

With a previous throughput of sea fish contamination with microorganisms, the present study extended the array of such spoilage over four other fish samples including Pseudapocryptes elongates, Scomberomorus cavalla, Xenentodon cancila and Otolithoides pama, evaluated the reductive impact of irradiation, and further validated the irradiation methodology in controlling the microbial quality of the sea fish samples. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Twelve samples of each sea fish were collected from super shops in Dhaka city and a portion of each sample was subjected to γ-irradiation at a dose of 3 kilo gray (kGy). Then, both non-irradiated and irradiated samples were tested for the presence of pathogenic bacteria though culture on different specific media followed by biochemical identification. Drug resistance among the pathogens was also investigated.

Most of the non-irradiated samples were observed to harbor huge bacteria and fungi (1.3×102-1.5×107 cfu/g or cfu/ml) including the fecal coliforms ranging up to 105 cfu/g or cfu/ml, leading to an elevated threat to public health. Besides, the isolates were found to be resistant against single or multiple antibiotics, which further brought treatment complications during the possible disease outbreaks. However, the pathogenic load was significantly reduced after applying 3 kGy dose of γ-irradiation on the samples in consistent to the previous work using different fish samples.

A similar type of work has already been published by the group using different samples this year in the Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Vol. 2 No. 4, pp. 2420-2430. However, even being an increment of the previous work, the present work deals with extended array of sea fish samples with an objective of controlling food safety.

The present work further confirms and assists the knowledge of food protection and the identification of spoiling bacteria and fungi by applying replicable methods projects of the novelty and practical outcome of the work.

The reduction of pathogenic load revealed the efficacy of γ-irradiation as a mean of preserving fish quality. Besides, the study quantified the contaminating microorganisms as well as identified the drug-resistant bacteria among sea fish samples. Traditional but standard cultural and biochemical tests, demonstration of drug resistance among the isolated microorganisms from fish samples and finally the microbial elimination by irradiation might contribute to the existing knowledge on major sea fish.

This study aims to propose a risk management framework for Islamic banks to address specific risks that are unique to Islamic bank settings.

A unique methodology has been developed first by exploring the dynamics and behaviors of various risks unique to Islamic banks. Second, it integrates them through a series of diagrams that show how they behave, integrate and impact risk, returns and portfolios.

This study proposes a unique risk-return relationship framework encompassing specific risks faced by Islamic banks under the ambit of portfolio theory showing how Islamic banks establish a steeper risk-return path under Shariah compliance. By doing so, this study identifies a unique “Islamic risk-return” nexus in Islamic settings as an explanation for the concern of contemporary researchers that Islamic banks are more risky than conventional banks.

The originality of this study is that it extends the scope of risk management in Islamic banks from individual contract-based to an integrated whole, identifying a unique transmission path of how risks affect portfolio diversification in Islamic banks.

Error indicators are introduced as part of a simple computational procedure for improving the accuracy of the finite element solutions for plate and shell problems. The procedure is based on using an initial (coarse) grid and a refined (enriched) grid, and approximating the solution for the refined grid by a linear combination of a few global approximation vectors (or modes) which are generated by solving two uncoupled sets of equations in the coarse grid unknowns and the additional degrees of freedom of the refined grid. The global approximation vectors serve as error indicators since they provide quantitative pointwise information about the sensitivity of the different response quantities to the approximation used. The three key elements of the computational procedure are: (a) use of mixed finite element models with discontinuous stress resultants at the element interfaces; (b) operator splitting, or additive decomposition of the finite element arrays for the refined grid into the sum of the coarse grid arrays and correction terms (representing the refined grid contributions); and (c) application of a reduction method through successive use of the finite element method and the classical Bubnov—Galerkin technique. The finite element method is first used to generate a few global approximation vectors (or modes). Then the amplitudes of these modes are computed by using the Bubnov—Galerkin technique. The similarities between the proposed computational procedure and a preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) technique are identified and are exploited to generate from the PCG technique pointwise error indicators. The effectiveness of the proposed procedure is demonstrated by means of two numerical examples of an isotropic toroidal shell and a laminated anisotropic cylindrical panel.