Selangor Business Review

Sentiment analysis of tourist reviews on ecotourism clusters in Malaysia for sustainable development

2024-12-31T19:58:07+08:00

Ecotourism is essential for sustainable tourism as it aims to protect natural and cultural resources while offering tourists unique experiences. This paper utilised sentiment analysis of online reviews to determine how tourists feel about Malaysia's ecotourism destinations. The methodology involved collecting and analysing reviews using natural language processing (NLP) techniques. An online platform TripAdvisor was used for data collection. This study analysed customer reviews from 2018 to 2024 and revealed customer satisfaction towards tourism destinations. The sentiment analysis was categorised into positive, negative, and neutral, and afterwards, the reviews from six detailed ecotourism clusters were further analysed. Based on the sentiment analysis, most sentiments in every cluster are positive, even though the polarity amounts and subjectivity vary. The key themes identified include nature, service, culture, adventure, and relaxation, highlighting the diverse attractions ranges that draw tourists to these destinations. Additionally, the study identifies places that may need improvement, particularly in groups with higher numbers of neutral or negative feelings. Several recommendations were made, including investing in infrastructure, improving visitor services, monitoring ongoing feedback, getting local communities involved, and effectively marketing destinations. The result assists in understanding how tourists feel and offers useful information for improving the sustainability of ecotourism places in Malaysia while ensuring visitor satisfaction and contentment.

Uncovering the performance of Islamic banks in Indonesia from 2020 to 2023

2024-12-31T19:58:07+08:00

Indonesian Islamic banking is growing rapidly, with assets growing 65% per year, supporting the national economy but facing competitive challenges. In-depth research on Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), Operating Costs to Operating Income (BOPO), and liabilities of Islamic banks is essential for the stability and growth of the sector, helping to optimise operational efficiency and mitigate financial risks. This study focuses on CAR and BOPO management to improve the profitability of Islamic banks. It analyses the impact of CAR, BOPO, and liabilities on Return on Assets (ROA) of Indonesian Islamic banks using a panel data methodology. This study uses a quantitative econometric design with panel data modelling to analyse the performance of Islamic banks in Indonesia from 2020 to 2023. The results of partial tests on the variables comprising Liability, BOPO, and CAR show that the three independent variables do not significantly affect ROA in the Indonesian Islamic banks including PNBS, BTPS, BRIS, and BANK. This indicates that Liability, BOPO, and CAR do not have a significant impact on the profitability, and hence performance of the Islamic banks.

The role of organisational culture in turnover intention in the Malaysian service industry

2024-12-31T19:58:08+08:00

This study examines the mediating role of organisational culture in the relationship between leadership styles and employee turnover intention in Malaysia's service industry. With high turnover rates posing a critical challenge, the study investigates the impact of transformational, and authentic leadership on organisational culture and its influence on retaining employees. Key findings reveal that leadership styles, while not directly reducing turnover intention, significantly shape organisational culture. Both leadership styles indirectly reduce turnover intention through their positive impact on organisational culture. The study underscores the pivotal role of culture as a mediator, providing actionable insights for managers to align leadership strategies with cultural development. By employing validated measurement tools and structural equation modelling, the study offers robust evidence for enhancing retention strategies. The findings contribute to existing literature by highlighting the indirect effect of leadership on turnover through culture, filling a research gap in the Malaysian context. This study advocates for leadership development programmes tailored to Malaysia's unique workforce dynamics, focusing on fostering inclusive, innovative, and trust-based organisational cultures. These findings serve as a guide for policymakers and practitioners in addressing turnover challenges, and ensuring sustainable growth in Malaysia's service sector.

Social media marketing and SME performance in Ibadan City

2024-12-31T19:58:08+08:00

This study investigates how social media marketing influences small medium enterprise (SME) performance in Ibadan, Nigeria, offering insights to address the resource constraints and competitive pressures these businesses face. The research assesses their effectiveness in enhancing brand awareness and business performance by focusing on five dimensions of social media marketing namely informativeness, interactivity, personalisation, trendiness, and word of mouth. Using a sample of 370 SMEs selected through the Krejcie and Morgan sampling method, data were analysed via SPSS and SmartPLS. The results indicate that informativeness and interactivity positively, and significantly impact SME performance, while personalisation, trendiness, and word of mouth have minimal effects. These findings underscore the value of prioritising informativeness, and interactivity in social media marketing strategies, highlighting a strategic focus for SME managers to drive growth, and resilience. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting specific social media marketing dimensions that directly influence SME performance, offering a targeted approach for resource-limited businesses seeking competitive advantages through social media marketing.

Shattering the glass ceiling: Framing leadership challenges of women in Malaysia

2024-12-31T19:58:08+08:00

The ever-increasing market demand for women’s empowerment and policies regarding gender equality practices encourages the organisation to improve policy diversity and opportunity, especially in the Malaysian context. This study examines the mechanism that influences the phenomenon of women's rising dominance in organisations of family responsibilities, mentoring, and support from the educational level. This study extracts its sample population from the Refinitiv DataStream for the fiscal year 2021 and 2022 as the endemic COVID-19 (recovery process) among 345 Malaysian Public Listed Companies (PLCs). The control variables of this study comprise firm size, profitability, and leverage. This study contributes to the theoretical and practical concept of championship gender equality and minimising gaps between counterparts. This study complements the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs on Sustainable Development (SDG-5), focusing on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls globally.

Using Waqf in Islamic social finance to enhance SME sustainability

2025-01-02T09:30:24+08:00

This study explores the utilisation of Islamic social finance to promote the sustainability of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with a focus on the usage of waqf. The study examines the perspective of Islamic social finance, access to Islamic social finance, and the significance of the regulatory framework in facilitating the use of waqf in SMEs. Islamic social finance, which includes ideas like sadaqah, zakat, and waqf, is essential for advancing social welfare and economic growth in Islamic cultures. Small and medium-sized businesses, or SMEs foster innovation, job creation, and economic expansion, hence they are crucial to the economy. However, it can be difficult for SMEs to get the funding and resources they need to continue and grow their business. This study collected data in August 2024 through questionnaire survey focusing on respondents residing in Selangor. The study reveals that two independent variables, namely access to Islamic social finance and the significance of regulatory influences, demonstrate significant and positive relationships with the usage of waqf in SMEs. Conversely, the independent variable on the perspective of Islamic social finance shows no relationship with the usage of waqf in SMEs. The study foresees that regulators, policymakers, and other participants in the field of Islamic finance should be given useful information on how to better help SMEs by utilising cutting-edge financial tools.

The impact of compensation, reward, and punishment on the performance of SME employees in Surabaya

2024-12-31T19:58:09+08:00

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) is a significant sector in the local and national economy, a provider of employment and a driver of economic growth. However, challenges in human resource management, including compensation, reward, and punishment, often affect employee performance and business sustainability. This study aims to analyse the effect of compensation, reward, and punishment on employee performance in SMEs in Surabaya City. Using the SEM-PLS analysis method and involving 50 SME employee respondents, this study found that: (1) Compensation has a significant positive effect on employee performance; (2) Reward and punishment also have a significant positive effect on employee performance; and (3) Punishment has a significant positive effect on employee performance. The results of the study indicate that compensation has the most dominant effect on employee performance in SMEs. These findings provide suggestions for SME business actors to evaluate and develop compensation, reward, and punishment programmes periodically to maximise employee performance and achieve company goals.

Halal marketing strategies of Malaysian homestay providers on halal destination brand equity

2024-12-31T19:58:09+08:00

Malaysia has a distinct position in global tourism as a predominantly Muslim
country. The nation is notable for attracting Muslim tourists. Before the COVID-19 pandemic,
the demand for homestays in Malaysia increased dramatically in recent years. This
encouraging rise demonstrates how the homestays are having a significant influence on
Malaysia's tourism industry. Thus, the homestay programme has been acknowledged as a
crucial driver of Malaysia's economic growth. However, the lack of research on homestays in
the context of halal tourism highlights an important gap in understanding how these services
may successfully satisfy the demands of Muslim tourists while adhering to Islamic practices.
Due to the growing popularity of halal tourism, thorough studies need to be conducted to
systematically analyse the degree of halal practices and halal marketing strategies in the
homestay industry. By addressing this gap, this research aims to provide significant insights
into the effectiveness of halal practices and halal marketing strategies in the homestay
industry and develop a model of halal destination brand equity. This research intends to
provide a broader understanding of how to optimise homestays for the halal tourism industry
and contribute to the wider field of halal tourism research.

Managing the support needs of Covid-19 infected individuals at quarantine and low-risk treatment centre in Malaysia

2024-12-31T19:58:10+08:00

The novel coronavirus rapidly demonstrated its ability to transmit efficiently among
humans, causing severe respiratory illness and, in many cases, leading to death. The
management of treatment centres often faces challenges related to inadequate funding, staff
shortages, and inefficiencies in service delivery. These issues can result in limited access to
care, prolonged waiting times, and compromised treatment quality for patients. This research
investigates the impact of tangibility, responsiveness, and reliability on patient satisfaction at
COVID-19 quarantine centres. The questionnaire survey was conducted on 100 infected
individuals who had been quarantined at Low-Risk Treatment Centre across Malaysia. The
data analysis of SEM-PLS demonstrated that the dimensions of support need to influence
patient satisfaction at the quarantine centre. While most dimensions had a positive impact,
responsiveness showed a negative relationship with patient satisfaction. This research
underscores the necessity of comprehensive quality control measures in healthcare settings,
particularly in quarantine centres, to manage public health crises effectively and improve
patient experiences.

Conceptualising effective record management of Malaysian public sector

2024-12-31T19:58:10+08:00

Effective record management is critical for promoting good governance,
particularly when dealing with prevalent criminal issues in the public sector such as
corruption, fraud, and record falsification. As a result, records management must be seen
as a vital activity at all organisational levels, regardless of the nature of the business or
transactions. Previous research found that accountability, transparency, and effective
service delivery are critical criteria for achieving good governance. Furthermore, lack of
professionalism has been seen as a contributing factor to governance issues. To address
these issues, this study suggests a conceptual framework for record management that
combines the elements of professionalism, accountability, transparency, and effective
service delivery. This framework aims to enhance good governance practices within
Malaysia’s public sector, aligning with the National Archives of Malaysia Strategic Plan
2021–2025 and the National Good Governance Plan (MyGovernment), thereby
emphasising the significant role of records management in promoting good governance.