Quality management has taken root in the Malaysian public sector in the mid 1990s. Likewise local authorities in Sarawak begin to embark on implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) and MS ISO 9000. In relation to this, a study was carried out on the implementation of TQM and MS ISO 9000 at four local authorities in Sarawak, namely Dewan Bandaraya Kuching Utara (DBKU), Padawan Municipal Council (PMC), Serian District Council (SDC) and Bau District Council (BDC), to determine the factors which influence the success of implementing quality management in the local authorities. The convenience sampling techniques was used to collect data from the respondents. There were 240 employees or internal customers from all the local authorities who were directly involved with the implementation of quality management programmes responded to the self-administered questionnaires. They were asked to relate their experiences on factors which contribute to the successful implementation of quality management programmes at the local authorities. The findings of the study showed that all four local authorities had successfully implemented quality management and practiced the essential elements such as top management support, strategic quality planning, customer focus, teamwork and quality assurance. The benefits derived from the implementation of quality management include providing better service quality to the external customers, better teamwork, increased efficiency, job satisfaction, and maintaining a better organizational culture. The study shows that the successful implementation of quality management in the four local authorities are strongly related to factors such as top management support, strategic quality planning, customer driven, teamwork, training and recognition, good performance appraisal and quality assurance.
Asia is the most populous region, with a substantial number of global biodiversity hotspots and several megadiverse countries, including Malaysia, with rich cultural and natural heritages. In this region, natural heritages within protected areas is under threat with high tendency of biodiversity losses. Exploitation is widespread but effective conservation is hampered by lack of systematically dynamic policies and instruments. This study attempts to relook at key factors that strengthen policies towards conserving biodiversity at national parks (NPs) in Bangladesh and Sarawak, Malaysia. It focuses on the analysis and review of the present tools (policy, growth of national parks and legal aspects) used to enhance conservation activities within and around these areas through literature review, observations of some of the parks, as well as interviews with relevant staff and indigenous community. The study showed that the growth of NPs maximized for the period of 2010 to 2014 both in Bangladesh and Sarawak, Malaysia reflecting the importance that both countries are placing on the conservation of biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. This is indeed a positive sign that both two countries reveal towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 for the global protected areas network. Overall, the study suggests that the dynamic policy-based decision-making on sustainable biodiversity protection at NPs in both countries should incorporate development with environmental, economic, social, institutional and administrative domains.
This article examines the small-scaled, village-based, self-organised initiatives community-based conservation (CBC) of Bung Jagoi Heritage, Bau, Sarawak. The community self-organisation criteria are adopted in this study. The initiatives are developed through the CBC Projects under the Equator Initiative (EI) of the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) which are considered successful by the EI. This article also investigates the impact of Bidayuh customary law or adat on the access and forest resources management in the communal forest of Bung Jagoi Heritage which utilised the Adat Bidayuh Order, 1994 and native customs as their guidelines for managing the access and forest resources. The level of participation among the villagers and the committee members is also assessed in this study based on the widely used participation typology developed by Jules N. Pretty. The data for this study is gathered through semi-structured interviews (SSIs) and observation. The findings of this study shows that the self-organisation in CBC of Bung Jagoi Heritage is initiated by a small number of Jagoi-Duyoh villagers due to some outsiders’ mysterious visits and concerns to conserve the forested land that also situate an ancestral village and its biodiversity as well as to develop the Bung Jagoi Heritage through the conservation activities. The success of this CBC self-organisation relies heavily on the involvement and commitment of the committee members, funding from the local and international donors, and leadership of the committee’s advisor in order for it to sustain and develop. The local community practices collectively known as the adat gives some impact on the access and forest resources through its communal tenure and traditional beliefs. The level of participation among the villagers can be categorised as ‘participation for material incentive’ while the level of participation among the committee member can be categorised as ‘self-mobilisation’.Key words: self-organisation, community-based conservation (CBC), customary law, adat, forest resources, participation, Bidayuh, Jagoi.
This article attempts to examine the state of occupational hazards and other forms of risks in a Japanese electronic company in Sama Jaya Industrial Zone in Kuching in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It also attempts to gauge whether the employees serving in the company frequently used any form of personal protective equipment while performing their jobs at the workplace. In this regard respondents were asked to respond to a self-administered questionnaire. The findings show that less than one third of the employees wear their personal protective equipments. Employees in this company are exposed to different form of occupational hazards which includes noise pollution, ergonomic and workers are also exposed to chemicals which are used to mix raw materials to form the slurry.
This study examines the communities understandings on the disaster risk management, government actions in the legislation and enforcement and the role of ASEAN’s in dealing with trans boundary haze pollution in the Sri Aman, Sarawak. Data collection methods was based on the interview schedule. The analysis was constructed on one hundred (100) respondents. A five-point Likert Scale is used which consist of five main constructs that us related to the objectives of the study namely, the community’s understanding of the haze issue, the awareness of the Disaster Risk Management on haze, government’s action in addressing the haze issue, ASEAN’s role in dealing with trans boundary haze pollution and the impact of haze on community’s livelihood. The study’s result shows that community in Sri Aman are generally agree with understanding on the haze issue with the mean of 4.39 and standard deviation of 0.81. Besides, the community are also aware on the Disaster Risk Management towards haze with the respondent’s feedback that shows that almost 70.0 percent agreed as their feedback. Majority of the respondents (93.86%) with the mean of ranging from 4.26 to 4.83 and standard deviation from 0.38 to 0.91 are agree and support the action from government. The construct on ASEAN’s role in dealing with trans boundary haze pollution has a positive result with mean of 4.20 and standard deviation of 0.77. While, the impact of haze towards their livelihood shows that most of the respondents understand with the value mean of 4.29. The communities in Sri Aman understand the Disaster Risk Management, a government’s action on the legislation and enforcement and the ASEAN’s role when dealing with trans boundary haze. However the community need to be exposed with Disaster Risk Management Training and adopt it is because it will help them to analyse and learn from their experience on the disaster. Eventually it will enhance the communities understanding on risk posed by trans boundary haze..
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