PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of individual employees on the influence of eight elements of HRM/TQM (i.e. leadership, training and development, employee participation, reward and recognition, customer focus, empowerment, teamwork, and communication) on employees' job involvement in six major Malaysian semiconductor contract manufacturing organizations. Despite extensive research and voluminous literature on HRM/TQM, very little empirical research has examined this scope of investigative study. Therefore, the hypotheses are developed with the intention of examining this relationship.Design/methodology/approachOriginal researches using self‐completed questionnaires, distributed to employees within these organizations, are thoroughly reported. The study sample consisted of 377 employees, resulting in a response rate of 75.4 percent. A questionnaire developed by Kanungo was used for ascertaining the level of overall job involvement. Data were analyzed by employing correlation and multiple regression analysis.FindingsThe results of this study revealed that teamwork, empowerment, customer focus, reward and recognition and communication are positively associated with employees' job involvement. Where empowerment was found to be a dominant practice, strong associations with employees' job involvement existed. Originality/value – This study contributes in advancing the HRM/TQM research literature to a better understanding of the association between HRM/TQM and employees' job involvement within the context of the Malaysian semiconductor sector.

Background Dyslipidaemia refers to lipid abnormalities consisting of either one or any combination of the following: elevated total cholesterol (TC), elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), elevated triglycerides (TG), and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c). The prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia is steadily increasing in Malaysia. However, data on the prevalence of dyslipidaemia subtypes among Malaysians are lacking. This is important as it may have implications for preventive and management strategies for this increasing public health challenge. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of dyslipidaemia subtypes and their associated personal and clinical attributes in Malaysians. Methods REDISCOVER, a prospective study, enrolled 11,288 adults where sociodemographic data, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements, fasting lipid profile and glucose, and history of diabetes, hypertension, and smoking were obtained. The cross-sectional analytic sample presented in this article comprised 10,482 participants from baseline recruitment. The data was analysed by descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression. Results The overall prevalence of elevated TC, elevated LDL-c, elevated TG, low HDL-c, and elevated non-HDL-c were 64.0% (95% CI 63.0–65.0), 56.7% (CI 55.7–57.7), 37.4% (CI 36.5–38.4), 36.2% (CI 35.2–37.1), and 56.2% (CI 55.3–57.2), respectively. Overweight, obesity, and central obesity were highly prevalent and significantly associated with elevated TC and all dyslipidaemia subtypes. Older age was associated with elevated TC, elevated LDL-c and elevated non-HDL-c. Hypertension was associated with elevated TC, elevated TG, and elevated non-HDL-c, while diabetes was associated with elevated TG and low HDL-c. Conclusions Elevated TC and all dyslipidaemia subtypes are highly prevalent in Malaysia where increased body mass seems the main driver. Differences in the prevalence and associated personal and clinical attributes may facilitate specific preventive and management strategies.

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) related deaths is not only the prime cause of mortality in the world, it has also continued to increase in the low and middle income countries. Hence, this study examines the relationship between CVD risk factors and socioeconomic variables in Malaysia, which is a rapidly growing middle income nation undergoing epidemiologic transition.MethodsUsing data from 11,959 adults aged 30 years and above, and living in urban and rural areas between 2007 and 2010, this study attempts to examine the prevalence of CVD risk factors, and the association between these factors, and socioeconomic and demographic variables in Malaysia. The socioeconomic and demographic, and anthropometric data was obtained with blood pressure and fasting venous blood for glucose and lipids through a community-based survey.ResultsThe association between CVD risk factors, and education and income was mixed. There was a negative association between smoking and hypertension, and education and income. The association between diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and being overweight with education and income was not clear. More men than women smoked in all education and income groups. The remaining consistent results show that the relationship between smoking, and education and income was obvious and inverse among Malays, others, rural women, Western Peninsular Malaysia (WPM) and Eastern Peninsular Malaysia (EPM). Urban men showed higher prevalence of being overweight than rural men in all education and income categories. Except for those with no education more rural men smoked than urban men. Also, Malay men in all education and income categories showed the highest prevalence of smoking among the ethnic groups.ConclusionsThe association between CVD risk factors and socioeconomic variables should be considered when formulating programmes to reduce morbidity and mortality rates in low and middle income countries. While general awareness programmes should be targeted at all, specific ones should be focused on vulnerable groups, such as, men and rural inhabitants for smoking, Malays for hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, and Indians and Malays, and respondents from EPM for diabetes.

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