Search results

Problems of Malaysian construction industry have often been associated, in part to incompetent construction manager (CM) when managing the construction projects. Although various education and training provisions have been introduced, critics argue that the provisions have not been effective. Central in the debate on the adequacy of the CM education and training offered is the answer to the question of “what constitutes the technical competency of the CM?” The purpose of this paper is to present the study that identifies the technical competencies required by the CM to address the question.

Multi-layered thematic analysis of literature was first carried out to identify the technical competency elements. Then, interviews were undertaken to confirm the elements of competencies. It was followed with questionnaire surveys to test the validity of the technical competencies against different contractors’ category and grade/size.

The findings suggest that the technical competencies of CM are generic, regardless of the size of construction organisation or the types of projects they undertake. A total of 16 CM technical competencies were identified which include the ability to manage: staff, materials, labour, plant, sub-contractors, safety, money, quality, time, environment, site administration, pre-construction activities, project closeout and handover, third parties, computer literacy, and construction contract.

The findings suggest that generic education and training is possible to develop technically competent CM. It also provides insights to the CM technical competencies which the industry is expecting.

The aim of this study is to examine the level service quality from the perspective of food manufacturers. Malaysia is gearing towards becoming a major player in the world Halal market. Its Halal certification is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM). The process of awarding Halal certificates involves not only an official site inspection of production plants but also the examination on the Halal status of raw materials. In 2007, JAKIM only approved 75 percent of the total number of applications for Halal certification.

A total of 547 small and medium‐sized enterprise manufacturers in Malaysia represented the population for this study. SERVQUAL gap analysis was used to measure the gap between clients' expectations and their perceptions of JAKIM's services.

The results of the analysis indicate that the biggest gap was in the empathy dimension, followed by responsiveness, reliability, assurance and tangibles. The results show that JAKIM had not met food manufacturers' expectations in all five service quality dimensions, especially the empathy dimension.

Practical implications extend to food policy decision makers involved in JAKIM to develop and formulate appropriate strategies to meet the needs of its clients more effectively.

JAKIM could design training programs by emphasizing on the issues of human factors in service delivery, in particular the requirements of customer care, work ethics and human relations skills. Training in customer relationships is important and this applies to employees at all levels.

Strategic Management and Organization Theory and Design.

Advanced undergraduate and MBA students taking courses in Strategic Management and Organization Theory and Design.

By the end of 2011, five years short of its centennial anniversary, UMW Holdings was one of the biggest corporations in Malaysia, registering revenues of RM13.5 billion (US$4.5 billion), and net profit after tax of RMI billion (US$0.33 billion). By that time, it had 110 subsidiaries, operating in four core businesses of automotive assembly and distribution of Toyota lines of products, automotive components and lubricants original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and replacement equipment manufacturing (REM), heavy equipment, and oil and gas drilling service. In September 2011, the company had targeted its Toyota automotive business to contribute to 50 percent of its revenues, while the other 50 percent would come from its other three businesses, by the year 2015. However, as of the first quarter of 2012, Datuk Syed Hisham Syed Wazir, the Group CEO and his management team realized that, at 72 percent, the automotive business was still the main contributor to the Group's revenues. As the company's Toyota assembly operation was limited exclusively to the Malaysian market, plus in the face of greater competition within the automotive industries, the company needed to set strategies to achieve its 50:50 plan. The case stimulates discussion on strategy formulation of a mature corporation, involved in diversified business portfolio.

Understanding the process of industry analysis, as well as the formulation and implementation of business-level and corporate strategies, enables case analysts to extend the concepts to many business situations.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

This study aims to shed light on Shari’ah supervisory boards (SSBs) and the possibilities of Islamic banks to reduce the tax avoidance. Performance and Shari’ah compliance have been extensively studied; however, tax avoidance remains a challenge.

SSB characteristics, based on resource dependence theory, influence tax avoidance, including SSB size, educational level, expertise, reputation, remuneration and turnover. The samples were obtained from Islamic banks in Indonesia and Malaysia (2010–2020) using the data panel method.

Islamic banks avoid taxes through the effective tax rate and book tax difference. SSBs who have more expertise play a role in investigating the complexity of tax avoidance, and SSB reputation, who is a member of the Islamic bank regulator, understands immorality, resulting in reduced tax avoidance. Moreover, the recruitment system has been effective, as SSBs with more expertise have become more prevalent. Meanwhile, SSB from a Shari’ah background works only in regulated areas, simplifying Shari’ah compliance, in particular, attestation of financial reporting. A heavy workload is created by cross-membership, resulting in the neglect of the immoral value of tax avoidance. The calculation of tax avoidance also includes remuneration and bank assets.

Given the uniqueness of Islamic banks contributing to social welfare, tax regulators need to review the appropriateness of fees that can be treated as taxes. Tax regulators can join hands with Islamic bank regulators on this review.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to examine the characteristics of SSBs and Islamic banks on tax avoidance. Separating Islamic banks by country enriches the analysis.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the fracture properties of hybrid woven bamboo (WB)/woven e-glass (EG) fiber composites with various layer arrangements. This paper utilized a specific type of bamboo species named Gigantochloa Scortechinii (Buluh Semantan).

In these experiments, unsaturated polyester, woven EG and WB fibers were prepared through the hand lay-up technique. The composite bamboo strips were prepared in 1.5 mm thickness. The strips are woven to make a single layer. The layer was then laminated into several thicknesses. The specimens were then characterized using compact tension fracture tests.

The fracture toughness of 12–14 MPa was obtained. These findings suggest that this hybrid bamboo composite provides superior fracture strength that is equivalent with steel alloy and is extremely a good alternative for reinforcing fibers to combat fracture failures of materials and structures.

In this paper, experimental determination of newly developed composite made of WB and woven EG is presented.