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PurposeThis paper identifies the motivations for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) when they undertake greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) into an emerging market. It elucidates the factors that influence SMEs to choose a fully equity-based investment despite the significant risks and commitments involved with greenfield FDI.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study uses case study research based on interviews conducted with managers and founders of 16 German SMEs that have established greenfield operations in Malaysia.FindingsBuilding upon the transaction cost theory, five major motivations are identified that drive greenfield choice among the SMEs. The results imply that SME motivation for greenfield is derived from a combination of strategic asset-seeking determinants and culturally driven reactions to external and behavioral uncertainty. The results also ascertain that these motivations have less to do with the size and revenue of the firm, but hinge on the SMEs’ inner antecedents such as asset specificity, international experience, proprietary knowledge and ownership mode.Originality/valueThe findings clarify the literature on equity-based entry mode for SMEs in emerging economies, enabling a closer understanding of the organizational and dynamic experiences and an overview of the auxiliary competencies these companies have to compete in the global market. The conceptual insights and empirical evidence derived from this study contribute to the intellectual discourse and managerial implications in the field of internationalization strategies of SMEs, particularly from developed countries into emerging markets via greenfield FDI.

This paper explores the effective roles of public research institutions (PRIs) in social innovation and understand the element of communal support in researchers-farmers partnership. The case study on Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) reveals that the partnership between researchers and farmers is limited. The only productive and formal channel for researchers to reach the farmers is through agricultural extension agencies. It found that there are three elements that drive sustainable social innovation in agriculture: (1) quality research by PRIs; (2) efficient extension agency in disseminating knowledge to farmers; and (3) productive farmers in delivering high-yields farming. This paper claimed that the presence of partnership between researchers in PRIs and farmers is the crucial pivot in ensuring innovation reaches the target group. The study also found the potential of civil society organizations to transform farmers into more active innovation actors in the agricultural innovation system.

Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling (SEM-Bayesian) was applied across different research areas to model the correlation between manifest and latent variables. The primary purpose of this study is to introduce a new framework of complexity to adolescent obesity modeling based on adolescent lifestyle through the application of SEM-Bayesian. The introduced model was designed based on the relationships among several factors: household socioeconomic status, healthy food intake, unhealthy food intake, lifestyle, body mass index (BMI) and body fat. One of the main contributions of this study is from considering both BMI and body fat as dependent variables. To demonstrate the reliability of the model, especially in terms of its fitting and accuracy, real-time data were extracted and analyzed across 881 adolescents from secondary schools in Tehran, Iran. The output of this study may be helpful for researchers who are interested in adolescent obesity modeling based on the lifestyle and household socioeconomic status of adolescents.

With the increasing number of smart devices and connections in Internet of Things (IoT) comes risks—specifically involving consumer data protection. In this respect, this exploratory research examines the current issues of IoT and personal data protection in Malaysia that includes: regulatory frameworks and data governance; issues and gaps; and key challenges in implementation. Results from this mixed-methods research indicates that a majority of consumers expressed concern about personal data risks due to increased usage of IoT devices. Moreover, there is a crucial need to increase regulation and accountability in the industry. In this regard, collaboration and partnerships between the main stakeholders are essential in tackling emerging issues of IoT and personal data protection. In order to strengthen IoT data governance, the fundamentals should be: strengthening consumer education and smart partnership between government-industry-civil society; providing motivation for active participation of NGOs and civil society; and obtaining industry buy-in. This paper also proposes a structure for the governance of evolving data-related technology, particularly in the case of data breaches or cyber incidents. It adds to the wider discussion of the current scenario, and proposes a model of collective responsibility in IoT data governance that is underpinned by the three principles of fair information practices, privacy impact assessment and privacy accountability.

This study examines the sustainable transport policy framework in the case of railway development in Klang Valley, Malaysia. It is guided by the main principle that sustainable transport policy is a result of the integration of broad policy instruments that range from infrastructure provision and management, technological improvements, regulation, information, awareness, education, and pricing and taxation. Although this study is mainly qualitative, performance data available at the ASEAN Statistics Division, World Bank Open Data and Global Competitiveness Reports. This is followed by in-person interviews with experts who have vast knowledge, experience, and direct participation in sustainable railway development in Malaysia, especially those related to the Klang Valley development. The main findings have indicated that the current framework in Malaysia meets the criteria of sustainable development policy framework, which are essentially constituted within environmental protection. It also constitutes the pursuance of long-term growth in terms of economic and societal needs. Nonetheless, the rail-based transit system in Malaysia is highly driven by the Government and there is no clear sign indicating that the public is shifting from the road and private transport to rail-based services.

The emergency transition from physical to online learning during COVID-19 has affected university students in various aspects, especially their academic performance. It can be caused by many factors, such as individual, environmental and social factors. Therefore, this study aims to determine the impact of fear, stress, well-being, teacher and parents’ support (independent variables) on undergraduates’ academic performance (dependent variable) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A structured online questionnaire has been developed and administered to 400 undergraduates. A structural equation model that integrated all variables under investigation was built and statistically validated using AMOS. The results demonstrated that well-being, teacher emotional support and teacher academic support have the highest significant impact on the respondents’ academic performance. It can be concluded that teachers’ support is the most substantial influence in ensuring student learning sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of leadership styles (paternalistic, authentic and democratic) with relationship-based employee governance and open service innovation. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 422 medical professionals working in the Malaysian healthcare sector. Findings Results of several statistical analyses showed that the three leadership styles positively influence relationship-based employee governance and open service innovation. Results also confirmed the mediating role of relationship-based employee governance in the relationships between the three leadership styles and open service innovation. Research limitations/implications This research used a cross-sectional study design; use of a longitudinal research design in future research can provide a better interpretation of the underlying causality. A policy insight can be drawn from this research to generate awareness about effective leadership styles and the role of relationship-based employee governance in the successful implementation of open service innovation in the Malaysian healthcare sector. Originality/value This paper contributes to leadership, open innovation, and organizational governance literature by highlighting how leadership styles affect relationship-based employee governance and open innovation. It also offers policy insights to practitioners in the Malaysian healthcare sector on how to enhance open service innovation outcomes.

This paper discusses the dynamics between the pursuit of competitiveness and governance of data security in strengthening the Internet of Things (IoT) readiness in developing economies using Malaysia as a case study. It explores the potential of the IoT regulatory framework in guarding the privacy and interests of IoT users. This paper also reveals the collaborative model of technology push-market pull for technological capabilities development as well as the measures that uphold the principles of good privacy practice. The model incorporates privacy-by-design measures that would result in higher user confidence in this emerging technology, which is vital to a healthy IoT ecosystem. Through the collaborative model of Penang as evidence, our findings indicate that Malaysia seeks to create a structure that fosters technology push-market pull forces for IoT technological capabilities development. While the model paves a co-evolutionary path for diffusion and upgrading of IoT, several issues related to the volatility of online data and databases were identified as well as the lack of responsibility and accountability of corporations in handling the sensitive personal data of customers. We see that it is essential for the regulators to play a (more) significant role in safeguarding the interests of IoT users. In this regard, the privacy-by-design, a citizen-centric regulatory framework should be considered in policy reviews in deploying IoT-based competitive promotion initiatives. This paper breaks new ground by elaborating on the common route of IoT technology capabilities development, which is typical in the developing context. While it highlights the common issues that emerge as technology advances, we propose a regulatory framework that features embedded privacy-by-design to protect the interests of the IoT users.

This paper examines the influences of Malaysia's Federation Land Development Authority (FELDA) scheme in fostering inclusive rural development. Based on the model of holistic inclusive development, the paper investigates the performance of FELDA from four perspectives: social development, industrialisation, modernisation and basic needs. The main findings of the study indicate that, to a large extent, the scheme has successfully stimulated both the social and economic development of the community. Nonetheless, establishing a strong trust, social cohesion and rapport between the public authorities and community remain the main challenges in determining the success of this state-led agenda. Moreover, keeping traditional values in the modern system will be the key principle for the sustainability of the programme if plans are made to adopt the scheme in other regions.

This cross-sectional study investigated the interactive effect of uncertainty avoidance cultural values and leadership styles (paternalistic, authentic and democratic) on open service innovation. Validation of open service innovation scale in Eastern context was another major objective of this research. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and cross-validation techniques revealed that Malaysian culture considers open service innovation on four dimensions instead of six dimensions proposed by Rangus, Drnovsek, and Di Minin (2013). Moreover, linear and multiple moderated regression analysis performed on a random sample of 422 medical professionals working in hospitals revealed that paternalistic, authentic and democratic leadership styles positively stimulate the open service innovation. Malaysia is low uncertainty avoidance collectivist culture, so the results of this study empirically proved that lower level of uncertainty avoidance will play its positive role to adopt open service innovation in the organization. Practical implications and future directions are provided.

Drawing upon the framework of Sectoral Innovation Systems, this study explores the patterns of technological innovation among small and medium-sized wooden furniture manufacturers in Malaysia from two perspectives viz., sources of knowledge and technology and capability of forming linkages. The empirical evidence for the study was derived from 70 survey respondents. The wooden furniture industry in Malaysia warrants an in-depth analysis as it is among the very few full-fledged home-grown industry that has successfully penetrated the global market. The study reveals that the majority of the innovative enterprises are mainly young home grown SMEs. They are centred on business-driven activities. Clients, customers and suppliers are the key partners for co-operation in innovation, as well as sources of technology and knowledge.