ABSTRACT
Covid-19 has significantly disrupted and devastated the world's economy. Data from Malaysia shows that more than 30,000 companies have closed their operations since the movement control order (MCO) implementation due to Covid-19 that began in March 2020. However, the effects on small businesses are especially severe, mainly due to the higher vulnerability levels and lower resilience related to their size. This study provides an empirical analysis of the key drivers leading to the business resilience of small businesses in Malaysia that have survived the Covid-19 pandemic. Data from 215 small businesses were collected physically and online across Malaysia from May 2021 to December 2021. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using Smart PLS 3.2.4 was used to analyse the data, whereby nine hypotheses were tested in the current study. The results showed that technology acceptance, government support, and financial literacy significantly influence business resilience among small businesses in Malaysia. The results also indicated that financial literacy moderates the relationship between compliance cost and government support with business resilience. Thus, the findings revealed three important determinants of small businesses' resilience framework, namely technology acceptance, government support, and financial literacy. The study recommends a dynamic, resilient framework to adopt in the "new normal" situation for the successful navigation of small businesses in the future. Moreover, the study provides insight into the key drivers for business resilience factors that small businesses must be concerned with, as the framework can be used to deal with not only the global pandemic but also uncertain conditions. Copyright © 2023– All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic had changed the business model in various industries. Companies have switched to digital business processes in order to survive in this challenging situation. Financial Technology (Fintech), especially digital payment services, has become the most preferred solution for handling financial transactions in conditions of limited mobility and interaction. The phenomenal emergence of Fintech has captured the attention of the world and the Asian region, including Malaysia and Indonesia. Despite various benefits offered by Fintech, the adoption rate is still relatively low, especially for IT-savvy groups of fresh graduates in both countries. This comparative study aims to analyze the adoption of Fintech payment services in Malaysia and Indonesia using the UTAUT theory approach. The research measures the relationships between performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, consumers’ trust, and national culture with the adoption of Fintech. Each indicator of national culture, such as individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and long-term orientation, was measured to see its relationship with the adoption rate. The quantitative method was employed, and the data were collected via an online survey of a total of 486 respondents. Using multivariate regression analysis, 57.9 % behavioral adoption of Fintech payment services both in Malaysia and Indonesia was explained through performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, customer trust and national culture. The study revealed that performance expectancy and the cultural factor individualism had the highest effect on the decision to adopt digital payment services. This study contributes to the Fintech ecosystem in both countries by providing some recommendations to Fintech providers, financial institutions, and governments in policy making. It is also expected that the research will support the government’s goal to become a cashless society as a strategy to increase financial inclusion © 2022, Authors. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons CC BY license
ABSTRACT
The government’s continuous support in ensuring the resilience and development of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic is not open to question, especially considering the huge allocation of funds to SMEs as incentives for sustaining their businesses. To date, the greatest allocation of RM38.7 billion has been made through the 2021 Budget to benefit the SMEs. As such, the obligation of SMEs to contribute to the government by paying taxes voluntarily and accurately is essential. This study examines the perceptions of taxpayers via quadrant analysis to identify organisational strengths and weaknesses based on the ranking between priority and satisfaction towards tax awareness, tax education and tax complexity. A structured questionnaire was developed, validated and distributed to SMEs’ owners via an online survey form. A total of 140 respondents completed the questionnaire and they were included in the data analysis. Overall, taxpayers considered paying tax as a burden since it will reduce their income and they also opined that introducing a new digital tax is not compulsory at the moment. In addition, taxpayers were less informed about tax management and services provided by the tax authority. Issues relating to tax complexity and management procedure need to be addressed by the tax authority. These findings could assist tax authorities by focusing on the elements requiring urgent attention to increase tax awareness, especially among SMEs in Malaysia. © 2022 by authors, all rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
This paper aims at investigating the academician behavioral intention on innovation commercialization through a comprehensive analysis of Systematic Literature Review (SLR). During the COVID-19 pandemic era, world economic had faced severe of impact with challengingly. In consequences, the commercialization of innovation outputs could lead significant benefits for nation especially while economic recovery period. One of the main active contributors of new innovation is a researcher among academician. Therefore, human behavior studies are needed to identify the influence factors that affect academicians in developing countries during this world pandemic era. This SLR analysis used three databases namely Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCOhost for selecting articles published starting 2014until 2021. There had 178 articles were identified, only 43 articles were selected as the final set based on the inclusion criteria. Majority of the articles (31/43) were adopted to determine the key drivers of academicians’ intention toward university technology commercialization, whereas the smaller portions of articles (12/43) were conducted meta-analysis among them. Based on the result of SLR, indicated that most often applied key drivers in past studies are personal attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control accordingly. The meta-analysis also found that all these factors gave low effect on academician commercialization intention. A few of recommendations toward university, government and future studies were purposed at the end of paper, which expect to enhance the success of university technology commercialization in Malaysia. © RIGEO ● Review of International Geographical Education
ABSTRACT
Routine data by the Ministry of Health (MOH) from prenatal visits by schoolgirls in June 2020 uncovered 4,000 pregnancies from only one county (Machakos). This data covered the March-June 2020 period when schools closed due to Covid-19. The current study is motivated by the perspective that media managers should play a fundamental role in disseminating sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) messages among the youth. Current circumstances justify an exploration into the possibility and acceptability of developing a new media strategies’ model instead of using conventional media strategies to disseminate SRHR campaign messages. Kenya has developed a vibrant policy space to protect young people’s SRHR. Specifically, the Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (2015) policy extensively covers reproductive issues including advocating for the use of digital means to reach adolescents. Several studies have chided Kenya for great policies which fall short at the implementation stage. There is a dearth of studies that examine the interplay between media managers, new media strategies, and policy to help build a new model of communication to address SRHR issues. Using qualitative in-depth interviews of 11 informants and a thematic analysis, results indicate that even though media managers wield immense influential power, they have relegated SRHR issues to the back desk. All the 7 media managers have not read any policy on SRHR;thus, cannot implement what they do not know. The new media strategies identified that can work in Kenya include key messaging;school-web-based solutions;combination strategy;new media-geographic-based strategy;digital billboards;and a sustained solo strategy. All the 11 informants agreed that it is possible and acceptable to use new media strategies for SRHR campaigns. The study recommends that media managers must develop interest in SRHR policy to own the process and play a part in message dissemination. © 2020 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In developing countries, overweight among children becomes an alarming problem and a health concern. Obesity is a factor in disease severity of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) having the greatest impact on patients. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight in some of the Egyptian governmental primary school children, its nutritional and socioeconomic determinants. Special focus was directed to identify the current dietary practices including risky nutritional habits of overweight children as a weak point leading to increasing their vulnerability to catching COVID-19 infection. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on primary school children aged 6–12 years. General demographic data, socioeconomic data, dietary pattern, intake of a diversity of nutrient-rich food versus calorie-dense food, and anthropometrical data were collected. RESULTS: Of 1600 child, there were 8% overweight who are considered at risk of COVID-19 infection. Considering the weekly share of the stomach, only one-third of the food consumed by overweight children is nutrient-rich, with high consumption of French fries and Candies (once per day among 95% and 78 % of overweight children, respectively). Moreover, 90% of them consume sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) more than once per day. The majority of overweight children belonged to small, middle-income families, and had illiterate or read and write mothers. CONCLUSION: Overweight children eat narrow diversity of nutrient-rich food that includes vegetables, fruits, protein, and dairy products. They eat more calorie-dense foods, every day. The increase of family income increased the likelihood of having overweight children with a high intake of SSB, candies, and chips;consumption of snacks between meals and before sleep. Protective predictors against overweight were highly educated mothers, taking breakfast before school, having dinner, and taking meals on time. RECOMMENDATION: Nutritional behavioral education aiming at choosing nutritious and varied options of food that is effective for improving children’s nutritional status is the key to decreasing vulnerability toward COVID 19.