Aim/Purpose: The aims of this study were to investigate the feasibility of automatic assessment of programming tasks and to compare manual assessment with automatic assessment in terms of the effect of the different assessment methods on the marks of the students. Background: Manual assessment of programs written by students can be tedious. The assistance of automatic assessment methods might possibly assist in reducing the assessment burden, but there may be drawbacks diminishing the benefits of applying automatic assessment. The paper reports on the experience of a lecturer trying to introduce automated grading. Students’ solutions to a practical Java programming test were assessed both manually and automatically and the lecturer tied the experience to the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Methodology: The participants were 226 first-year students registered for a Java programming course. Of the tests the participants submitted, 214 were assessed both manually and automatically. Various statistical methods were used to compare the manual assessment of student’s solutions with the automatic assessment of the same solutions. A detailed investigation of reasons for differences was also carried out. A further data collection method was the lecturer’s reflection on the feasibility of automatic assessment of programming tasks based on the UTAUT. Contribution: This study enhances the knowledge regarding benefits and drawbacks of automatic assessment of students’ programming tasks. The research contributes to the UTAUT by applying it in a context where it has hardly been used. Furthermore, the study is a confirmation of previous work stating that automatic assessment may be less reliable for students with lower marks, but more trustworthy for the high achieving students. Findings: An automatic assessment tool verifying functional correctness might be feasible for assessment of programs written during practical lab sessions but could be less useful for practical tests and exams where functional, conceptual and structural correctness should be evaluated. In addition, the researchers found that automatic assessment seemed to be more suitable for assessing high achieving students. Recommendations for Practitioners: This paper makes it clear that lecturers should know what assessment goals they want to achieve. The appropriate method of assessment should be chosen wisely. In addition, practitioners should be aware of the drawbacks of automatic assessment before choosing it. Recommendation for Researchers: This work serves as an example of how researchers can apply the UTAUT theory when conducting qualitative research in different contexts. Impact on Society: The study would be of interest to lecturers considering automated assessment. The two assessments used in the study are typical of the way grading takes place in practice and may help lecturers understand what could happen if they switch from manual to automatic assessment. Future Research: Investigate the feasibility of automatic assessment of students’ programming tasks in a practical lab environment while accounting for structural, functional and conceptual assessment goals.

Aim/Purpose: Despite playing a critical role in shaping the future, 70% of undergraduate engineers report low levels of motivation. Student disengagement and a lack of ownership of their learning are significant challenges in higher education, specifically engineering students in the computer science department. This study investigates the various causes of these problems among first-year undergraduate engineers. Background: Student disengagement has become a significant problem, especially in higher education, leading to reduced academic performance, lower graduation rates, and less satisfaction with learning. The study intends to develop approaches that encourage a more interesting and learner-motivated educational environment. Methodology: This research uses a mixed methods approach by combining quantitative data from a survey-based questionnaire with qualitative insights from focus groups to explore intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, instructional practices, and student perceptions of relevance and application of course content. The aim of this method is to make an all-inclusive exploration into undergraduate engineering students’ perspectives on factors contributing to this disengagement and the need for more ownership. Contribution: Inculcating passion for engineering among learners seems demanding, with numerous educational programs struggling with issues such as a lack of interest by students and no personal investment in learning. Understanding the causes is of paramount importance. The study gives suggestions to help teachers or institutions create a more engaged and ownership-based learning environment for engineering students. Findings: The findings revealed a tangled web influencing monotonous teaching styles, limited opportunities and applications, and a perceived gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world engineering problems. It emphasized the need to implement more active learning strategies that could increase autonomy and a stronger sense of purpose in their learning journey. It also highlights the potential use of technology in promoting student engagement and ownership. Further research is needed to explore optimal implementation strategies for online simulations, interactive learning platforms, and gamification elements in the engineering curriculum. Recommendations for Practitioners: It highlights the complex interplay of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors and the need to re-look at instructional practice and emphasize faculty training to develop a more student-centered approach. It also stresses the need to look into the relevance and application of the course content. Recommendation for Researchers: More work needs to be done with a larger, more diverse sample population across multiple institutions and varied sociocultural and economic backgrounds. Impact on Society: Enhancing learners’ educational experience can result in creating a passionate and competent team of engineers who can face future obstacles fearlessly and reduce the production of half-baked graduates unprepared for the profession’s challenges. Future Research: Conduct long-term studies to assess the impact of active learning and technology use on student outcomes and career readiness. Investigate scaling up successful strategies across diverse engineering programs. See if promising practices work well everywhere.

A well-documented architecture can greatly improve comprehension and maintainability. However, shorter release cycles and quick delivery patterns results in negligence of architecture. In such situations, the architecture can be recovered from its current implementation based on considering dependency relations. In literature, structural and semantic dependencies are commonly used software features, and directory information along with co-change/change history information are among rarely utilised software features. But, they are found to help improve architecture recovery. Therefore, we consider investigating various features that may further improve the accuracy of existing architecture recovery techniques and evaluate their feasibility by considering them in different pairs. We compared five state-of-the-art methods under different feature subsets. We identified that two of them commonly outperform others but surprisingly with low accuracy in some evaluations. Further, we propose a new subset of features that reflects more accurate user perceptions and hence, results in improving the accuracy of architecture recovery techniques.

In view of the problems of low accuracy, long time consuming and low efficiency of the existing engineering investment risk assessment method; this paper puts forward the investment risk assessment method of power grid construction project based on grey correlation analysis. Firstly, classify the risks of power grid construction project; secondly, determine the primary index and secondary index of investment risk assessment of power grid construction project; then construct the correlation coefficient matrix of power grid project investment risk to calculate the correlation degree and weight of investment risk index; finally, adopt the grey correlation analysis method to construct investment risk assessment function to realise investment risk assessment. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of evaluating the investment risk of power grid construction projects using the method is 95.08%, and the maximum time consuming is 49 s, which proves that the method has high accuracy, short time consuming and high evaluation efficiency.

Because of the problems of low mining precision and slow mining speed in traditional enterprise marketing investment data mining methods, a fast mining method for enterprise marketing investment databased on improved association rules is proposed. First, the enterprise marketing investment data is collected through the crawler framework, and then the collected data is cleaned. Then, the cleaned data features are extracted, and the correlation degree between features is calculated. Finally, according to the calculation results, all data items are used as constraints to reduce the number of frequent itemsets. A pruning strategy is designed in advance. Combined with the constraints, the Apriori algorithm of association rules is improved, and the improved algorithm is used to calculate all frequent itemsets, Obtain fast mining results of enterprise marketing investment data. The experimental results show that the proposed method is fast and accurate in data mining of enterprise marketing investment.

The European Union Rights Management Directive 2014/26/EU, provides regulatory oversight of European Union (EU) Collective Management Organizations (CMOs). However, the Directive has no provision indicating how members of EU CMOs may conduct non-financial audits of their CMO income and reporting. This paper addresses the problem of a lack of an audit method through a case study of the five writer members of the music group Duran Duran, who have been members of the UK's CMO for performing rights - the Performing Rights Society (PRS) for over 35 years. The paper argues a new audit CMO member method that can address the lacunae regarding the absence of CMO member right to audit a CMO and an applicable CMO audit method.

Aim/Purpose: Student dropout in higher education institutions is a universal problem. This study identifies the characteristics of dropout. In addition, it develops a mathematical model to predict students who may dropout. Methodology: The paper develops a mathematical model to predict students who may dropout. The sample includes 555 freshmen in a non-profit private university. The study uses both descriptive statistics, such as cross tabulation, and a binary regression model to predict student dropout. Contribution: There are two major contributions for the paper. First, it identifies the dropout rates of each group, a finding that may be used to better allocate resources at higher education institutions. Second, it develops a predictive model that may be used in order to predict the probability of a student dropping out and take preventive actions. Findings: This study compared dropout rates of one and a half year of enrollment among Traditional Undergraduate Students. Two major findings are the following: (1) Some of the resources designed to assist student are misallocated, and (2) Predictive models can be used to calculate the probability of a student dropping out. Recommendations for Practitioners: The study recommends that institutions must create initiatives to assist freshmen students and have annual assessment to measure the success of the initiatives. Recommendation for Researchers: Two, mathematical models may be used to predict dropout rates, the paper includes a model that predicted with 66.6% accuracy students who will dropout.

Return on Investment (ROI) is one of the most popular performance measurement and evaluation metrics. ROI analysis (when applied correctly) is a powerful tool in comparing solutions and making informed decisions on the acquisitions of information systems. The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic research of the accuracy of the ROI evaluations in the context of information systems implementations. Measurements theory and error analysis, specifically propagation of uncertainties methods, were used to derive analytical expressions for ROI errors. Monte Carlo simulation methodology was used to design and deliver a quantitative experiment to model costs and returns estimating errors and calculate ROI accuracies. Spreadsheet simulation (Microsoft Excel spreadsheets enhanced with Visual Basic for Applications) was used to implement Monte Carlo simulations. The main contribution of the study is that this is the first systematic effort to evaluate ROI accuracy. Analytical expressions have been derived for estimating errors of the ROI evaluations. Results of the Monte Carlo simulation will help practitioners in making informed decisions based on explicitly stated factors influencing the ROI uncertainties.

Aim/Purpose: The present study investigates the relationship between the five-factor model (FFM) of personality traits and sales performance in Pakistan. Background: Personality is a well-researched area in which numerous studies have examined the correlation between personality traits and job performance. In this study, a positive effect between the various dimensions of the five-factor model (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and open to experience) and sales performance in Pakistan is investigated. Methodology: Pearson’s correlation values as well as analysis methodologies were employed to gather descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and use the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Cronbach’s alpha value helped determine the internal consistency of the group items. Questionnaires were distributed among 600 salespersons in various cities of Pakistan from April 2015 to January 2016. Subsequently, 510 questionnaires were acquired for the sample. Contribution: The current study contributes to the literature on personality traits and sales performance by applying empirical evidence from sales managers in three industries of Pakistan: pharmaceutical, insurance, and electronics. Findings: The results affirmed a positive effect of the five-factor model on sales performance among various industries in Pakistan. The effect of each sub-factor from the five-factor model was examined autonomously. There is a favorable benefit to sales managers in considering FFM when making hiring decisions. Impact on Society: FFM offers important insights into personality traits that work well within Pakistani sales industry structure. Future Research: A broader rendering of the effects of FFM on sales organizations in other geographical locations around Pakistan should be considered. Additionally, an extended study should be conducted to investigate the effects of FFM on female sales employees involving religious and cultural forces within that country.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the knowledge management (KM) process and the performance of construction companies. The ultimate goal is to promote better efficiency and competitive advantage in the construction industry by making the best use of knowledge. Background: While attention to KM is currently on the rise, as shown by the number of studies conducted, research on KM in the construction industry of Indonesia is still very rare. However, organizational learning as the implementation of KM provides an opportunity to improve the construction industry, and thus there is an urgency to conduct research on this topic. Methodology: This study lasted for three months and used the survey method, with 100 questionnaires distributed to contractors of grade 6 and 7 on the islands of Java and Borneo in Indonesia. A total of 54 returned questionnaires were deemed complete and eligible for further analysis. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling method with partial least squares (SEM PLS). Contribution: This study helps to measure the relationship value of the KM process and company performance. Findings: The results of this study indicate that the process of KM has a significant and positive influence on company performance, and there is a positive interaction in the process of KM and company performance as well. Recommendations for Practitioners: Construction companies need to perceive that activities undertaken in a construction project should always be assumed to be a KM process in order to make strategic and effective decisions that can result in improvements to customers, finance, internal business, learning, and growth. Recommendation for Researchers: Research on the KM process and information technology needs to be developed more, so that construction companies can apply this knowledge to explore problems and create solutions, resulting in methods to facilitate efficiency and effectiveness. Impact on Society: This paper helps to understand that KM activities provide initial benefits and guidance for companies that want to apply KM. Future Research: Innovative and new ideas to cultivate the KM process in the construction industry need to be explored and developed to improve the implementation.

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the issue of knowledge acquisition among faculty members. Background: The paper reports the use of knowledge acquisition tools and reading knowledge sources by faculty members. It also identifies demographic differ-ences among participants in using knowledge acquisition tools and reading knowledge sources. Methodology: The study used an online survey-based questionnaire tool for data collection. The participants consisted of 300 faculty members from 26 academic institu-tions in UAE. Statistical tests are used to verify and validate the hypotheses. Contribution: The paper represents one of the few empirical studies conducted on knowledge acquisition among faculty members in the GCC countries. Find-ings of the study may contribute to the theoretical and practical understanding of knowledge acquisition among faculty members. Findings: Findings of the study revealed that medical faculty members read knowledge acquisition sources more than other faculty members. Likewise, IT faculty members use knowledge acquisition tools more than other faculty members. Results of the study supported stage three of knowledge acquisition proposed in the “Stage Theory of Knowledge Consumption Growth” (Mathew, 1985). The study found that journals are the most sources read by the participants while web-based training (WBT) tools are the most used knowledge acquisition tools among faculty members. Results of the study indicated significant differ-ences among faculty members of different age groups, academic ranks, aca-demic specializations, and institutional affiliation in reading knowledge sources. Likewise, findings of the study revealed significant difference among partici-pants of different academic specializations in using knowledge acquisition tools. Recommendations for Practitioners: Results of the study could be extrapolated to other faculty members in the GCC countries. Recommendation for Researchers: More researches could be done to address different issues of knowledge acquisition among faculty members. Impact on Society: Faculty reading of knowledge sources and use of knowledge acquisition tools may have direct or indirect positive impacts on innovation, creativity, and re-search productivity in any society. Future Research: It will be interesting to apply more than one data collection method in the future research.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to propose and empirically validate a model and investigates the factors influencing acceptance and use of Software as a Services cloud computing services (SaaS) from individuals’ perspectives utilizing an integrative model of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with modifications to suit the objective of the study. Background: Even though SaaS cloud computing services has gained the acceptance in its educational and technical aspects, it is still expanding constantly with emerging cloud technologies. Moreover, the individual as an end-user of this technology has not been given the ample attention pertaining to SaaS acceptance and adoption (AUSaaS). Additionally, the higher education sector needs to be probed regarding AUSaaS perception, not only from a managerial stance, but also the individual. Hence, further investigation in all aspects, including the human factor, deserves deeper inspection. Methodology: A quantitative approach with probability multi-stage sampling procedure conducted utilizing survey instrument distributed among students from three public Malaysian universities. The valid collected responses were 289 Bachelor’s degree students. The survey included the demographic part as well as the items to measure the constructs relationships hypothesized. Contribution: The empirical results disclosed the appropriateness of the integrated model in explaining the individual’s attitude (R2 = 57%), the behavior intention (R2 = 64%), and AUSaaS at the university settings (R2 = 50%). Also, the study offers valuable findings and examines new relationships that considered a theoretical contribution with proven empirical results. That is, the subjective norms effect on attitude and AUSaaS is adding empirical evidence of the model hypothesized. Knowing the significance of social effect is important in utilizing it to promote university products and SaaS applications – developed inside the university – through social media networks. Also, the direct effect of perceived usefulness on AUSaaS is another important theoretical contribution the SaaS service providers/higher education institutes should consider in promoting the usefulness of their products/services developed or offered to students/end-users. Additionally, the research contributes to the knowledge of the literature and is considered one of the leading studies on accepting SaaS services and applications as proliferation of studies focus on the general and broad concept of cloud computing. Furthermore, by integrating two theories (i.e., TPB and TAM), the study employed different factors in studying the perceptions towards the acceptance of SaaS services and applications: social factors (i.e., subjective norms), personal capabilities and capacities (i.e., perceived behavioral control), technological factors (i.e., perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use), and attitudinal factors. These factors are the strength of both theories and utilizing them is articulated to unveil the salient factors affecting the acceptance of SaaS services and applications. Findings: A statistically positive significant influence of the main TPB constructs with AUSaaS was revealed. Furthermore, subjective norms (SN) and perceived usefulness (PU) demonstrated prediction ability on AUSaaS. Also, SN proved a statically significant effect on attitude (ATT). Specifically, the main contributors of intention are PU, perceived ease of use, ATT, and perceived behavioral control. Also, the proposed framework is validated empirically and statistically. Recommendation for Researchers: The proposed model is highly recommended to be tested in different settings and cultures. Also, recruiting different respondents with different roles, occupations, and cultures would likely draw more insights of the results obtained in the current research and its generalizability Future Research: Participants from private universities or other educational institutes suggested in future work as the sample here focused only on public sector universities. The model included limited number of variables suggesting that it can be extended in future works with other constructs such as trialability, compatibility, security, risk, privacy, and self-efficacy. Comparison of different ethnic groups, ages, genders, or fields of study in future research would be invaluable to enhance the findings or reveal new insights. Replication of the study in different settings is encouraged.

Aim/Purpose: This paper identified and explored the factors influencing Bitcoin adoption and use in South Africa. Background: Since its introduction in 2008, the value and popularity of Bitcoin has risen exponentially. Captivating the eyes of the world, from regulators to economists, Bitcoin promises to revolutionize the digital currency space. Despite being over 10 years old, the concept of cryptocurrency is fairly new in South Africa, a developing country. South African’s interest in Bitcoin continues to grow with the country constantly ranking within the top 10 in online searches for “Bitcoin” and “cryptocurrency” on Google. The primary objective of this research was to identify adoption factors amongst South African citizens, an area that has not received much research focus in the past. In addition to this, the study aimed to identify how Bitcoin is primarily used in South Africa. Methodology: A survey-based questionnaire was utilized to obtain responses from adopters of Bitcoin in South Africa. The quantitative survey was completed by 204 respondents. Contribution: This research contributes to the body of knowledge relating to Bitcoin adoption, specifically from a developing country. Adoption factors are identified that can be utilized by businesses that intend to adopt cryptocurrency, to strategically prepare for the potential risks or opportunities brought about by Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general. Findings: The findings of this study indicate that while perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norms, and facilitating conditions positively influence intention to adopt Bitcoin, trust was the only construct that is statistically significant and hence is the greatest driver of adoption in South Africa. In terms of its primary use in South Africa, the study revealed that Bitcoin is used as a speculative instrument for short-term trading in South Africa followed by being used as a long-term investment in the crypto-asset class. No respondent indicated that they utilize Bitcoin as a payment method in South Africa. Recommendations for Practitioners: When developing crypto-based investment products, custodians of assets must ensure that a minimum-security protocol is followed to safeguard these assets. This will enhance the trust that potential investors and customers have in their systems and products. Recommendation for Researchers: This study focused on adoption factors for South African citizens. Future studies should be conducted to identify adoption factors by businesses in South Africa. Impact on Society: Bitcoin offers an alternate trading instrument and investment option, with the possibility of large gains over a relatively short period. Bitcoin also presents the possibility of cross-border transactions at a significantly lower cost compared to traditional cross-border transfers of funds. Future Research: Studies should be conducted to explore the factors influencing the adoption of altcoins to determine if the technological differences influence the adoption of one currency over the other. Research should also be conducted comparing the taxation of cryptocurrency in various countries around the world.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework that incorporates personal characteristics, social context, and technological features as significant factors that influence the intention of small-city users in China to use mobile health. Background: Mobile health has become an integral part of China’s health management system innovation, the transformation of the health service model, and a necessary government measure for promoting health service parity. However, mobile health has not yet been widely adopted in small cities in China. Methodology: The study utilized a quantitative approach whereby web-based questionnaires were used to collect data from 319 potential users in China using China’s health management system. The data was analyzed using the PLS-SEM (the partial least squares-structural equation modeling) approach. Contribution: This study integrates the protection motivation theory (PMT), which compensates for the limitations of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology theory (UTAUT) and is a re-examination of PMT and UTAUT in a small city context in China. Findings: The findings indicate that attitude and perceived vulnerability in the personal characteristic factors, social influence and facilitating conditions in the social context factors, and performance expectancy in the technological feature factors influence users’ intention to use mobile health in small cities in China. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study provides feasible recommendations for mobile health service providers, medical institutions, and government agencies based on the empirical results. Recommendation for Researchers: As for health behavior, researchers should fully explain the intention of mobile health use in terms of holism and health behavior theory. Impact on Society: This study aims to increase users’ intention to use mobile health in small cities in China and to maximize the social value of mobile health. Future Research: Future research should concentrate on the actual usage behavior of users and simultaneously conduct a series of longitudinal studies, including studies on continued usage behavior, abandonment behavior, and abandoned-and-used behavior.

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between dual network embedding, dual entrepreneurial bricolage, and knowledge-creation performance. Background: The importance of new ventures for innovation and economic growth has been fully endorsed. Establishing incubation organizations to help new startups overcome constraints and dilemmas has become the consensus of various countries. In particular, the number of Chinese makerspaces has rapidly increased. Startups in the makerspaces form a loosely coupled dual network to cooperate and share resources, especially knowledge. Methodology: By convenience sampling, 400 startups in the makerspaces in Fujian Province, China were selected for the questionnaire survey study. In total, 307 valid responses were collected, yielding a response rate of 76.8%. The survey data were analyzed for hypothesis testing, using the PL-SEM technique with the AMOS20.0 software. Contribution: At the theoretical level, this research supplements the exploration of the influencing factors of the entrepreneurial bricolage of startups at the network level. It deepens the research on the internal mechanism of the dual network embeddedness affecting the knowledge-creation performance. In practice, it provides a theoretical basis and management inspiration for startups in makerspaces to overcome the inherent disadvantage of being too small and weak to explore innovative paths. Findings: First, relational embedding of startups in makerspaces directly affects knowledge-creation performance. Second, dual entrepreneurial bricolage plays a mediating role in diversity. Selective entrepreneurial bricolage plays a partial mediating role between relationship embedding and knowledge-creation performance. Parallel entrepreneurial bricolage plays a complete intermediary role between structural embedding and knowledge-creation performance. Dual entrepreneurial bricolage plays a complete intermediary role between knowledge embedding and knowledge-creation performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Enterprises in the makerspaces should make dynamic adjustments to the network embedded state and dual entrepreneurial bricolage to improve knowledge-creation performance. When startups conduct selective entrepreneurship bricolage, they should strengthen relational and knowledge embeddedness to improve their relationship strength and tacit knowledge acquisition. When startups conduct parallel entrepreneurship bricolage, structural and knowledge embedding should be strengthened to improve the position of enterprises in the network to acquire diversified knowledge to explore and discover new business opportunities and project resources. Recommendation for Researchers: The heterogeneity of industries and regions may impact the dual network embedding mechanism of startups. Researchers can choose a wider range of regions and industries for sampling. Impact on Society: This study provides a theoretical basis and management inspiration for startups to overcome the inherent disadvantage of being too small and weak to explore innovative paths. It provides a basis to support startups in unleashing innovation vitality and achieving healthy growth. Future Research: Previous studies have shown that network relationships and bricolage behavior have a certain relationship with the enterprise life cycle. Future research can adopt a longitudinal research design across time points, which will increase the explanatory power of research conclusions.

Aim/Purpose: Social commerce is an emergent topic widely used for product and service sourcing. It helps companies to have frequent interaction with their customers and strive to achieve a competitive advantage. Yet there is only little empirical evidence focusing on social commerce and its adoption in SMEs to date. This study investigates the key factors affecting social commerce adoption in SMEs. This research designed a theoretical model using the Technology, Organization, and Environment (TOE) Model Background: Despite its rapid growth and usage, social commerce is still in its evolution phase and its current conception is vague and restricted. Therefore, considering the benefits of social commerce for consumers and businesses, it is important to explore the concept of social commerce. Methodology: The research floated a self-administered questionnaire and surveyed 218 Jordanian SME businesses. The data was analyzed using smart PLS and the results were drawn that covers the detail of the characteristics of respondents, study descriptive, results of regressions assumptions, e.g., data normality, reliability, validity, common method biases, and description of the measurement model, followed by the findings of hypothesis analysis. Contribution: This study has many significant contributions to the existing studies on firms’ adoption of social commerce. It indicates that organizational readiness from the organizational perspective and consumer pressure from the environmental dimension of the TOE model are significant influential elements in the adoption of social commerce in business, followed by high-level management support and trading partner pressure, respectively. This shows that organizational readiness to adopt social commerce and consumer pressure has a vital role in Jordanian SMEs’ adopting social commerce. Findings: The results were drawn from a survey of 218 Jordanian SMEs, indicating that organizational readiness from an organizational dimension and consumer pressure environmental perspective, followed by top management’s support and trading partner pressure, significantly predicts the adoption intentions of social commerce. However, perceived usefulness and security concerns from a technological context do not significantly impact behavioral intentions to utilize social commerce. Recommendations for Practitioners: Lack of awareness about new technology and its potential benefits are not well diffused in the Jordanian context. In short, both organizational and environmental dimensions of the TOE framework significantly influence the behavioral intentions for social commerce adoption in the Jordanian context whereas the third-dimension technological factors do not affect the behavioral intentions of SMEs to adopt social commerce. In the technological context, SMEs need to invest in technology and must spread awareness among Jordanian consumers about the potential benefits of technology and must encourage them to use social commerce platforms to interact because of the high significance of social commerce for businesses as it facilitates the quick completion of tasks, enhances the productivity, and improves the chances of high profitability. Recommendation for Researchers: First, the study is limited in scope as it discusses the direct links between the TOE framework, behavioral intentions to use social commerce, and the actual usage of social commerce in the Jordanian context rather than testing the mediation, and moderation. Future research may examine the mediators and moderators in the conceptual model. Second, the research examined the behavioral intentions of SMEs rather than consumers to adopt social commerce. Further research might consider the consumer perspective on social commerce. Impact on Society: This research aims to identify the key factor that impact the behavioral intentions of SME businesses to practice social commerce. The theoretical underpinning of the study lies in the TOE model, as using its basic assumptions the conceptual grounds and hypothesis of the study are developed. Future Research: The study findings are not generalizable in different contexts as it was specifically conducted by gathering data from the Jordanian population. However future studies may consider different contexts, sectors, cultures, or countries to examine the model. Lastly, the research collected data using convenience sampling from 218 SMEs in Jordan, which may create difficulty in the generalizability of the research, so needs to examine a larger sample in future studies.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to examine the ten factors from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) theories in order to analyze behavioral intentions to use the Indonesian online capital market investment platforms and the effect of behavioral intentions on actual usage. Background: The potential growth of capital market investors in Indonesia is large, and the low use of the Internet for investment purposes makes it necessary for stakeholders to understand the factors that affect people’s intentions to invest, especially through online platforms. Several previous studies have explained the intention to use online investment platforms using the TAM and TPB theories. This study tries to combine TAM, TPB, and UTAUT theories in analyzing behavioral intentions to use an online capital market investment platform in Indonesia. Methodology: The research approach employed is a mixed method, particularly explanatory research, which employs quantitative methods first, followed by qualitative methods. Data were collected by conducting interviews and sending online surveys. This study was successful in collecting information on the users of online capital market investment platforms in Indonesia from 1074 respondents, which was then processed and analyzed using Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) with the IBM AMOS 26.0 application. Contribution: This study complements earlier theories like TAM, TPB, and UTAUT by looking at the intention to use online capital market investment platforms from technological, human, and environmental viewpoints. This study looks at the intention to use the online capital market investing platform as a whole rather than separately depending on investment instruments. This study also assists practitioners including regulators, the government, developers, and investors by offering knowledge of the phenomena and factors that can increase the capital market’s investment intention in Indonesia. Findings: Attitudes, perceived ease of use, perceived behavioral control, subjective norm, and national pride were found to be significant predictors of the intention to use online investment platforms in Indonesia, whereas perceived usefulness, perceived risk, perceived trust, perceived privacy, and price value were not. Recommendations for Practitioners: All practitioners must be able to take steps and strategies that focus on factors that have a significant impact on increasing usage intentions. The government can enact legislation that emphasizes the simplicity and convenience of investment, as well as launch campaigns that encourage people to participate in economic recovery by investing in the capital market. Meanwhile, the developers are concentrating on facilitating the flow of investment transactions through the platform, increasing education and awareness of the benefits of investing in the capital market, and providing content that raises awareness that investing in the capital market can help to restore the national economy. Recommendation for Researchers: Further research is intended to include other variables such as perceived benefits and perceived security, as well as other frameworks such as TRA, to better explain individuals’ behavioral intentions to use online capital investment platforms. Impact on Society: This study can help all stakeholders understand what factors can increase Indonesians’ interest in investing in the capital market, particularly through online investment platforms. This understanding is expected to increase the number of capital market participants and, as a result, have an impact on economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Future Research: Future research is expected to investigate additional factors that can influence individuals’ behavioral intention to use an online capital market investment platform, such as perceived benefits and perceived security, as well as the addition of control variables such as age, gender, education, and income. International research across nations is also required to build a larger sample size in order to examine the behavior of investors in developing and developed countries and acquire a more thorough understanding of the online capital market investment platform.

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the factors that affect the repurchase intentions of Generation Z consumers in India’s online shopping industry, focusing on combining the Expectation-Confirmation Model (ECM) and Extended Technology Acceptance Model (E-TAM). The aim is to understand the intricate behaviors that shape technology adoption and sustained usage, which are essential for retaining customers in e-commerce. Background: Social media and other online platforms have significantly influenced daily life and become essential communication tools owing to technological advancements. Online shopping is no exception, offering a range of product choices, information, and convenience compared with traditional commerce. Indian retailers recognize this trend as an opportunity to promote their brands through e-shopping platforms, leading to increased competition. Generation Z comprises 32% of the world’s population and is a significant emerging customer base in India. Numerous studies have been conducted to study customers’ repurchase intention in the online shopping domain, but few studies have explicitly focused on Generation Z as a customer base. This study aims to comprehensively understand the topic and investigate the variables that impact consumers’ online repurchase intention by examining their post-adoption behavioral processes. Methodology: The study employed a quantitative research design with structural equation modeling using AMOS to analyze responses from 410 participants. This method thoroughly examined hypotheses regarding factors affecting repurchase intention (security, ease of use, privacy, and internet self-efficacy) and the mediating role of e-satisfaction. Contribution: This study makes a unique contribution to the field of e-commerce by focusing on Generation Z in India, a rapidly growing demographic in the e-commerce industry. The results on the mediating role of e-satisfaction have significant implications for e-retailers seeking to enhance customer retention strategies and gain a competitive edge in the market. Findings: The research findings underscore the significant influence of security, ease of use, and internet self-efficacy on repurchase intentions, with e-satisfaction playing a pivotal role as a mediating factor. Notably, while privacy concerns did not directly impact repurchase intentions, they displayed considerable influence when mediated by e-satisfaction, highlighting the intricate interplay between these variables in the context of online shopping, which is the unique finding of this study. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study has several significant implications for practitioners. Effectively addressing computer-related individual differences, such as computer self-efficacy, is crucial for boosting online customers’ repurchase intention. For instance, if an e-retailer intends to target Generation Z customers, they should collaborate with IT professionals and develop various computer literacy programs on online streaming platforms, such as YouTube. These programs will enhance target customers’ confidence in online shopping portals and increase their online repeat purchases. Additionally, practitioners should strive to improve the online shopping experience by making the portal user-friendly. Generation Z is accustomed to a fast Internet experience, so they prefer that the process of completing online transactions is swift with fewer clicks. The search for products, payments, and redress should not be tedious. Furthermore, the primary objective of the e-retailer should be to satisfy customers, as satisfied customers repeat their purchases and increase overall profitability. Recommendation for Researchers: The current study was conducted in the Delhi-NCR region of India, and its findings could serve as a basis for future research. For instance, the scale devised in this study could be utilized to examine the impact of cash-on-delivery as a payment method on purchase intention across the country. Alternatively, a comparative analysis could be conducted to compare cash-on-delivery effects in various countries. Impact on Society: The study’s findings enable stakeholders in the online shopping industry to comprehend the post-adoption behavior of Generation Z users and augment existing literature by establishing a correlation between determinants that impact repurchase intention and e-satisfaction, which serves as a mediator. Future Research: This study examines the factors that impact the propensity of Generation Z shoppers to engage in repeat online purchases. This study focuses on India, where the Generation Y (millennial) customer base is also substantial within the online shopping market. Future research could compare the shopping habits of Generation Z and Generation Y customers, as the latter may place greater importance on privacy and security. Additional studies could broaden the scope of this research and explore the comparative viewpoints of both generations. Also, it would be advantageous to conduct in-depth interviews and longitudinal studies to acquire a more in-depth comprehension of the evolving digitalization of shopping.

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the intention to invest in online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms among the bottom 40% (B40) Malaysian households by income. Background: The B40 group citizens earn less than USD 1,096.00 (i.e., RM 4,850.00) in monthly household income, thereby possessing relatively small capital investments suitable for online P2P lending. Methodology: Drawing on the technology acceptance model (TAM), this research developed and tested the relevant hypotheses with data collected from 216 respondents. The partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was employed to analyse the collected data. Contribution: This study contributes to the body of knowledge on financial inclusion by demonstrating the relevance of modified TAM in explaining the intention to invest in online P2P lending platforms among investors with lower disposable income (i.e., the B40 group in Malaysia). Findings: The findings revealed that information quality, perceived risk, and perceived ease of use are relevant to B40 investment intention in P2P online lending platforms. However, contrary to expectations, trust and financial literacy are insignificant predictors of B40 investment intention. Recommendations for Practitioners: The P2P lending platform operators could enhance financial inclusion among the B40 group by ensuring borrowers provide sufficient, relevant, and reliable information with adequate security measures to minimise risk exposure. The financial regulators should also conduct periodic audits to ensure that the operators commit to enhancing information quality, platform security, and usability. Recommendation for Researchers: The intention to invest in online P2P lending platforms among the B40 group could be enhanced by improving information quality and user experience, addressing perceived risks, reassessing trust-building strategies and financial literacy initiatives, and adopting holistic, interdisciplinary approaches. These findings suggest targeted strategies to enhance financial inclusion and investment participation among B40 investors. Impact on Society: The study’s findings hold significant implications for financial regulators and institutions, such as the Securities Commission Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia, commercial and investment banks, and insurance companies. By focusing on these key determinants, policymakers can design targeted interventions to improve the accessibility and attractiveness of P2P lending platforms for B40 investors. Enhanced information quality and ease of use can be mandated through regulatory frameworks, while effective risk communication and mitigation strategies can be developed to build investor confidence. These measures can collectively promote financial growth and inclusion, supporting broader economic development goals. Future Research: Future research could expand the sample size to consider older B40 individuals across different countries and use a longitudinal survey to assess the actual investment decision of the B40 investors.

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between Electronic Word-of-Mouth (EWOM), Information Adoption, and the stock investment of Vietnamese investors. Background: Misinformation spreads online, and a lack of strong information analysis skills can lead Vietnamese investors to make poor stock choices. By understanding how online conversations and information processing influence investment decisions, this research can help investors avoid these pitfalls. Methodology: This study applies Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to investigate how non-professional investors react to online information and which information factors influence their investment decisions. The final sample includes 512 investors from 18 to 65 years old from various professional backgrounds (including finance, technology, education, etc.). We conducted a combined online and offline survey using a convenience sampling method from August to November 2023. Contribution: This study contributes to the growing literature on Electronic Word-of-Mouth (EWOM) and its impact on investment decisions. While prior research has explored EWOM in various contexts, we focus on Vietnamese investors, which can offer valuable insights into its role within a developing nation’s stock market. Investors, particularly those who are new or less experienced, are often susceptible to the influence of EWOM. By examining EWOM’s influence in Vietnam, this study sheds light on a crucial factor impacting investment behavior in this emerging market. Findings: The results show that EWOM has a moderate impact on the Information Adoption and investment decisions of Vietnamese stock investors. Information Quality (QL) is the factor that has the strongest impact on Information Adoption (IA), followed by Information Credibility (IC) and Attitude Towards Information (AT). Needs for Information (NI) only have a small impact on Information Adoption (IA). Finally, Information Adoption (IA) has a limited influence on investor decisions in stock investment. We also find that investors need to verify information through official sites before making investment decisions based on posts in social media groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings suggest that state management and media agencies need to coordinate to improve the quality of EWOM information to protect investors and promote the healthy development of the stock market. Social media platform managers need to moderate content, remove false information, prioritize displaying authentic information, cooperate with experts, provide complete information, and personalize the experience to enhance investor trust and positive attitude. Securities companies need to provide complete, accurate, and updated information about the market and investment products. They can enhance investor trust and positive attitude by developing news channels, interacting with investors, and providing auxiliary services. Listed companies need to take the initiative to improve the quality of information disclosure and ensure clarity, comprehensibility, and regular updates. Use diverse communication channels and improve corporate governance capacity to increase investor trust and positive attitude. Investors need to seek information from reliable sources, compare information from multiple sources, and carefully check the source and author of the information. They should improve their investment knowledge and skills, consult experts, define investment goals, and build a suitable investment portfolio. Recommendation for Researchers: This study synthesized previous research on EWOM, but there is still a gap in the field of securities because each nation has its laws, regulations, and policies. The relationships between the factors in the model are not yet clear, and there is a need to develop a model with more interactive factors. The research results need to be further verified, and more research can be conducted on the influence of investor psychology, investment experience, etc. Impact on Society: This study finds that online word-of-mouth (EWOM) can influence Vietnamese investors’ stock decisions, but information quality is more important. Policymakers should regulate EWOM accuracy, fund managers should use social media to reach investors, and investors should diversify their information sources. Future Research: This study focuses solely on the stock market, while individual investors in Vietnam may engage in various other investment forms such as gold, real estate, or cryptocurrencies. Therefore, future research could expand the scope to include other investment types to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how individual investors in Vietnam utilize electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM) and adopt information in their investment decision-making process. Furthermore, while these findings may apply to other emerging markets with similar levels of financial literacy as Vietnam, they may not fully extend to countries with higher financial literacy rates. Hence, further studies could be conducted in developed countries to examine the generalizability of these findings. Finally, future research could see how EWOM’s impact changes over a longer period. Additionally, a more nuanced understanding of the information adoption process could be achieved by developing a research model with additional factors.

Soft skills are becoming increasingly important and will be critical for success in the Information Systems profession. Employers complain about a lack in soft skills among graduates from tertiary education institutions. No agreement exists about what these skills actually are, which are of importance, and how acquiring these soft skills should be approached in higher education. The aim of this paper is to research the perceptions of lecturers, industry, and students on soft skills development of students and to identify important soft skills that need to be developed. The paper starts with a problem statement emphasizing the importance of soft skills and the possible lack thereof. This is followed by a literature review, a description of the methodology followed for this research, the results, conclusion, and the references. The research was done at a university in South Africa. Questionnaires consisting of open questions were distributed to lecturers, industry, and students respectively, and qualitative analysis was done on the results. Results show that stakeholders feel that soft skills of students are not developed adequately, that there is some uncertainty about who should be responsible for developing soft skills, and that the development of soft skills is seen as a difficult task. A list is compiled of the most important soft skills according to literature, lecturers, industry, and students. This list can be used in further research on the soft skills of IT-students. Recommendations are made for the teaching and learning of soft skills.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to introduce a digital thinking skills (DTS) theoretical model (DTSM) that could support and enhance digital instruction best practices in schools. Methodology: We have taken a mixed-methods approach. Our respondents represent diverse cultural, linguistic, pedagogical, and social heritages. Contribution: The study provides a theoretical model developed by Eshet-Alkalai and Aviram that could impact subsequent digital teaching in schools. The highly accessible model may help teachers understand the cognitive learning outcomes that derive from frequently used digital tools. Findings: We found that teachers do not have a pedagogical concept of digital thinking skills, though many believe such skills might have a positive effect on their learners’ achievements. School culture plays a key role in effective DI delivery. Teachers want better in-service IT instruction. Recommendations for Practitioners: When distance learning has become the order of the day, we recommend practitioners connect pedagogical methodology and disciplinary content with new technology to boost learning outcomes. Recent world events have shown that in many cases practitioners have not been exposed to multiple digital options, especially those that not only present and review learning content but also boost the creation and dissemination of new knowledge. Recommendation for Researchers: We recommend researchers review different types of available resources and their effective implementation in the school curricula in order to foster creativity and more profound thinking among teachers and learners. Impact on Society: Better informed and greatly improved DI in schools is clearly crucial for twenty-first-century systems. As we go to press, in the middle of the coronavirus world-wide lockdown, these words resonate more than ever before. Our research both highlights this obvious need and provides a heuristic bridge between basic research and classrooms. Future Research: Future studies should focus on a pedagogical digital model that can enhance DI best practices in schools.

If partnering with local firms is an intuitive strategy with which to mitigate uncertainty in foreign ventures, then why don't organizations always partner with local firms, especially in uncertain settings? We address this question by unbundling the effects of uncertainty in foreign ventures at the venture and country levels. We contend that, while both levels increase the need for partnering with local firms in foreign ventures, country-level uncertainty increases the difficulty of partnering with local firms and decreases the likelihood of such partnerships. We also posit that experiential learning helps firms manage the two types of uncertainty, and thereby reduces the need for partnering—yet, experience in the host country makes partnering more feasible and increases the likelihood of such partnerships. To test our hypotheses, we conceptualize the decision to partner with a local firm in a foreign venture as a multilayered decision, and model it accordingly. Using a global sample of venture capital investments made between 1984 and 2011, we find support for the distinct effects of venture- and country-level uncertainty as well as for corresponding levels of experiential learning. These findings have implications for the literature on cross-border venture capital investment and international business in general.

Psychological empowerment has been studied extensively over the past few decades in a variety of contexts and appears to be especially salient within dynamic and complex environments such as healthcare. However, a recent meta-analysis found that psychological empowerment relationships vary significantly across studies, and there is still a rather limited understanding of how empowerment operates across levels. Accordingly, we advance and test a multi-level model of empowerment which seeks to better understand the unique and synergistic effects between unit and individual empowerment in hospital units. Analysis of data involving 544 individuals in 78 units, collected from multiple sources over three different time periods, revealed that unit empowerment evidenced a synergistic interaction with individual-level psychological empowerment as related to individuals' job performance, as well as an indirect effect on performance via individual empowerment, while controlling for previous performance levels. Notably, these effects were significant at relatively high, but not at relatively low levels of unit empowerment. Furthermore, we found that unit voice climate increased unit empowerment and thereby enhanced individual psychological empowerment. These findings suggest that, in complex and dynamic environments, empowering work units is an important means by which leaders can enhance individuals' performance.

Prior research on mergers and acquisitions (M&As) has substantially advanced our understanding of how isolated acquirer- and deal-specific factors affect abnormal returns. However, investors are likely to perceive and evaluate M&As holistically—that is, as complex configurations (i.e., Gestalts) of characteristics, rather than as a list of independent factors. Yet, extant M&A literature has not addressed why and how configurations of factors elicit positive or negative reactions. In other words, overlooking the interdependent nature of factors known to influence acquisition success has limited our understanding of both M&As and investor judgment. Taking an inductive approach to addressing this important issue, this study relies on fuzzy set methodology. Our results provide compelling evidence that investor perceptions of M&A announcements are not only configurational in nature but also characterized by equifinality - or the presence of multiple paths to success - and asymmetric causality - that is, configurations that represent bad deals are not simply a mirror image of good deals, but differ fundamentally. By constructing a typology of "good" and "bad" deals as perceived by market participants, we develop a mid-range theory of M&A stock market performance. As such, this study offers novel theoretical and empirical insights to scholars, and implications for practitioners.

Agency theory-grounded research on boards of directors and firm legitimacy has historically viewed CEO power as de-legitimating, often taking this fact for granted in theorizing about external assessors' evaluations of a firm. With few exceptions, this literature has focused exclusively on capital market participants (e.g., investors, securities analysts) as the arbiters of a firm's legitimacy and has accordingly assumed that legitimate governance arrangements are those derived from the shareholder-oriented prescriptions of agency theory. We extend this line of research in new ways by arguing that customers also externally assess firm legitimacy, and that firms potentially adjust their governance characteristics to meet customers' norms and expectations. We argue that the cultural-cognitive institutions prevalent in customers' home countries influence their judgments regarding a firm's legitimacy, such that firms competing heavily in high-power distance cultures are more likely to have powerful CEOs, with CEO power a source of legitimacy—rather than illegitimacy—among customers. We also argue that the more dependent a firm is on its customers and the more salient cultural power distance is as a demand-side institutional norm, the greater this relationship will be. Data from 151 U.S. semiconductor and pharmaceutical firms over a 10-year period generally support our predictions.

We study the interplay between regulatory mandates and competition on a focal firm's new resource investments. While prior literature has separately pointed to the influence of competition and regulatory policy on a focal firm's resource decisions, less is known about how the policy effect interacts with the competitive effect. Studying how regulatory mandates moderate the effect of competition on a focal firm's new resource investments, we show that resource redeployment is not simply a function of internal firm decisions but a response to external forces. We find that regulatory mandates dampen the effect of competitors' new resource investments on a focal firm's new resource investments. Distinguishing between different clean technology types, we show that this dampening effect is the stronger, the more distant the new resource is from incumbents' old resource base, and the more established the mandate is. We test our hypotheses in the context of renewable energy investments in waste-to-energy, wind, and solar in the U.S. electricity industry. Our data comprises 1542 utilities and private energy firms and their renewable investments from 1999 to 2010.

MANILA: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the International Criminal Court (ICC) should ‘hurry up’ with its probe of his war on drugs, remaining firm in his defence of the brutal campaign as he said the investigation should start immediately.

“I’m asking the ICC to hurry up, and if possible, they can come here and start the investigation tomorrow,“ Duterte said in a congressional inquiry on his war on drugs.

“If I am found guilty, I will go to prison.”

According to police data, more than 6,200 people died in anti-drug operations under Duterte’s presidency, during which police typically said they had killed suspects in self-defence.

Human rights groups believe the real toll to be far greater, with thousands more users and small-time peddlers killed in mysterious circumstances by unknown assailants.

“I assume full responsibility for whatever happened in the actions taken by law enforcement agencies of this country to... stop the serious problem of drugs affecting our people,“ Duterte said.

The ICC last year cleared the way for an investigation to into the thousands of deaths and other suspected rights abuses.

The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in March 2019, when Duterte was president. Appeals judges at the ICC subsequently ruled prosecutors still had jurisdiction over the alleged crimes because they occurred when the Philippines was an ICC member.

KUALA LUMPUR: Building and infrastructure construction services provider TCS Group Holdings Bhd (TGB), as the main contractor via its wholly-owned subsidiary, TCS Construction Sdn Bhd (TCSB), for the J Satine mixed development project, has clarified the recent incident involving cracks in the building.

TGB managing director Datuk Ir Tee Chai Seng expressed concern about the incident and said the company is working closely with the developer and consultants to determine the root cause.

“Thankfully, there were no casualties as a result of the incident. We want to reiterate that health and safety have always been paramount in our projects.

“We want to assure all stakeholders that we have adhered strictly to all health and safety standards and protocols throughout the construction process,“ he said in a statement.

Tee said the group is cooperating fully with the relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the incident.

“Initial findings suggest that we do not cause the building cracks.

“For all our projects, we are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all involved and to deliver projects that meet the highest standards of quality and integrity,” Tee added.

He urged the cooperation from the public to stop sharing any unauthorised videos or images and speculating any unverified information related to this project development.

BATU KAWAN: US-based medical devices company Dexcom Inc has officially opened its manufacturing facility, also its first offshore manufacturing site outside the United States, in Batu Kawan, Penang.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the RM2.83 billion strategic investment will bring more than 3,000 jobs to the state, contributing to a workforce set to positively impact the lives of over three million people worldwide.

Dexcom, founded in 1999, is a global leader in continuous glucose Monitoring (CGM) technology for individuals living with diabetes.

“The establishment of this new facility highlights Dexcom’s continued commitment to take control of health through innovative CGM systems. It also reaffirms Penang’s reputation as a global hub for advanced technological industries, reinforcing its position as a preferred destination for high-quality manufacturing and innovation,” the chief minister said in his speech at the opening ceremony here today.

Chow said Penang is on the right path towards becoming the medical technology (medtech) hub of Southeast Asia by leveraging on the state’s over 50 years of industry excellence.

“Housing the largest number of medtech companies nationally and regionally, Penang remains a highly attractive location for its infrastructure availability and ecosystem that meet the needs of the medtech industry.

“For the past five years (2019-2023), Penang garnered a total of RM5.8 billion worth of investments in the scientific and measuring equipment sector, representing 45% of the nation’s total investments in this sector, involving 33 projects and generating an estimated 4,630 employment opportunities,” he said.

Dubbed the Silicon Valley of the East, Penang has the highest concentration of medical technology companies in Malaysia and Southeast Asia to date. – Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia Bhd is experiencing a resurgence in IPOs as 2024 draws to a close, reflecting renewed investor confidence in the local bourse.

With 44 initial public offerings to date, Bursa Malaysia has outpaced other markets in Southeast Asia, emerging as an attractive IPO destination amid a stable economic and political landscape.

According to Mohd Sedek Jantan, UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors’ head of investment research, several factors have contributed to this surge. “The risk of doing business in the fourth quarter has subsided as major economic and political uncertainties have passed, such as the US presidential election while Malaysia’s active role in international forums has bolstered the country’s global standing,” he told Bernama.

He reckons that Malaysia’s stable economic indicators, including positive trade figures, healthy employment rates and steady industrial production have fostered a predictable business environment that encourages IPO activity. “Political stability and a clear government policy framework further enhance investor confidence,” he said.

The surge in IPOs on Bursa Malaysia underscores the local bourse’s resilience compared to other regional markets.

Mohd Sedek noted that Malaysia has recorded 36 IPOs so far this year, raising about US$450 million in the first half alone, which accounts for 33% of Southeast Asia’s total IPO proceeds.

“This stands in contrast to a subdued IPO market across the Asia-Pacific, where proceeds have dropped by 63%, largely due to challenges in China and Hong Kong.

“Malaysia has outperformed both Indonesia and Singapore in IPO activity this year,” he pointed out, highlighting that Indonesia faces political uncertainty following its recent presidential election, while Singapore has seen a slowdown in activity due to high regulatory costs and weak investor demand.

In contrast, he said Malaysia’s IPO market benefits from a stable macroeconomic backdrop, business-friendly regulations, and the supportive Madani Economy Framework.

Mohd Sedek said the growth in IPOs reflects optimism in key Malaysian sectors, with recent listings from the construction, manufacturing, and healthcare industries.

He said in the construction sector, which expanded by 22.9% in the third quarter, private and public investments in residential, non-residential, and large-scale infrastructure projects are expected to drive further growth. “Key government initiatives, such as RM9 billion for private finance initiatives and RM25.5 billion from government-linked investment companies are expected to sustain this momentum,” he added.

In the manufacturing sector, Malaysia’s transformation under the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 aims to drive growth in high-value, technology-driven industries. “The government’s focus on digitalisation, green technology, and advanced manufacturing techniques is expected to attract further investments, solidifying Malaysia’s position as a competitive manufacturing hub in Asean,” he said.

Malaysia’s healthcare sector is also expanding due to demographic shifts and rising health awareness. The integration of technology, such as telemedicine and digital health solutions, is anticipated to boost the sector’s growth by improving care accessibility and efficiency. “This trend, coupled with government support for medical tourism, positions Malaysia as a key player in the healthcare industry in the region,” Mohd Sedek said.

Bursa Malaysia CEO Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift expressed satisfaction with the IPO momentum, noting that three Main Market IPOs were listed this week alone.

“This surge reflects a thriving capital market with strong regulatory support and a diverse investor pool. Malaysia has experienced a bull run, making us the Asean exchange with the highest number of IPOs to date this year,” he said.

Echoing this sentiment, the exchange regulator’s chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar highlighted the significance of Monday’s listings, which took place on the auspicious date of 11.11. (Nov 11)

“Both companies chose that date for its auspicious nature, marking a rare occasion of two listings on the same day. The last time Bursa hosted two listings on a single day was in November 2017, following the demerger of Sime Darby Group, which saw both Sime Darby Plantation Bhd and Sime Darby Property Bhd debut together,” he said.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid noted that the strong IPO pipeline signals positive prospects for the Malaysian economy, as stable policies and a clear path towards becoming a high-income nation attract investor interest.

“Malaysia’s equities are undervalued, offering upside potential. The economic and policy stability enhances investor confidence, while companies’ growth trajectories inspire optimism for the market’s future,” he said.

Mohd Afzanizam said that as Bursa Malaysia continues to attract IPOs, he expects the exchange’s momentum to inspire small and medium enterprises to pursue similar growth opportunities. “The record-setting IPO activity underscores Malaysia’s resilience and strong capital market position in Asean, providing a positive outlook for 2025,” he added. – Bernama

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has launched an investigation into G-Xchange Inc., the operator of GCash, following numerous complaints from users reporting unauthorized deductions on their e-wallet accounts.

Settles at 78,651.79 on concerns over privatisation, IMF terms, and SBP policy announcement

In understanding and improving the CAPA system as a whole, this book reflects the importance of the investigation/root cause analysis stage as the necessary step of any effective corrective and preventive action system

TomTom appoints new Head of Investor Relations

Peruvian police arrested the head of the country's soccer federation Thursday as part of an investigation into allegations that he abused his position to extort local clubs into ceding their television rights.

The English Football Association has launched its own investigation after a video, widely shared on social media, appeared to show a Premier League referee making offensive comments about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

U.S. regulators are investigating over 1.4 million Honda and Acura vehicles after receiving numerous engine failure reports.

Stocks are reasonably priced and are a good place for ordinary folks' long-term savings.

A Wisconsin man apparently faked his own drowning this summer so he could abandon his family and flee to eastern Europe, investigators say.

Japanese technology group SoftBank swung back to profitability in the July-September quarter, boosted by positive results in its Vision Fund investments.

The WNBA wrapped up its biggest season ever last month with eye-popping TV ratings, robust ticket sales and record revenue. Now, everybody wants in on the action.