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The relegation of qualitative research to subordinate status decades ago has given way to its appreciation as a means of conducting studies that beg for deep thrust, humanistic adjustment and rich interpretation. Hence attention is now focused on when it should be used as opposed to relevance and credibility issues. This literature review argues to emphasize the place of qualitative research through its need and relevance before focusing on the case study method by unraveling its significance, what it does and when it is most apt for use in the qualitative research schema. In particular, it argues on the need to have three important components addressed in case studies to unearth a more holistic view: the process or practice, the interaction within such a process and the meaning of such interaction.

The purpose of this study was to determine the entrepreneurial intention level of vocational and technical students in Malaysia. A total of 289 final year students who were enrolled at two different TVET institutions (community colleges and National Youth and Skills Institutes) were chosen to participate in the study.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the level of resistance to change in implementation of total quality management (TQM) in Iranian schools and investigate the influence of principals’ and teachers’ gender and years of experience on resistance to change. Design/methodology/approach – This study presents the results of survey research carried out in Iran. The participants of this study are secondary school principals and teachers. The researchers employed descriptive analysis on data collected. Independent sample t-test was used to determine the difference in resistance to change based on teachers and principals gender, and one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis H-test were applied to determine the difference in resistance of teachers and principals based on years of experience. Findings – The researchers found that the level of resistance to change in Iranian schools is medium; the most important factor for resistance to change is confidence in the status quo. Gender has an effect on resistance to change only for teachers. Years of experience do not have an effect on resistance to change. Originality/value – The study identifies some useful points for school’s principals and teachers to implementation of TQM in school.

Even as the pandemic rages on across the globe, the notion of shutting down higher education has never been an option; instead, finding ways to circumvent it has led to a greater reliance on online technology delivery of courses and programs. Although this is not meant as a complete substitute, critics argue that online education has widened the ‘diploma disease’ crisis. They argued that this would lead to serious long-term problems which may become irreversible. This comparative study was conducted using an ‘empirical survey’ with 120 students from each group (before and during COVID-19, giving a total of 240 samples/students) to conduct an in-depth study of the academic and job-ready performance of graduates. Findings show that pre-pandemic students did poorly academically compared to during-pandemic counterparts. On the other hand, pre-pandemic graduates achieved better job-readiness scores which included both aptitude and practicum. Moreover, both groups achieved well in terms of academic performance compared to their job-readiness scores. This leads to the question: is it the role of HE to value the concept of sustainable production or to produce certificates/qualifications? Apparently, the HE system has used COVID-19 as an excuse to extend the “diploma disease crisis”, a situation that must be addressed by devising a proper policy framework.

This paper is one of the outcomes of the study from interview of 30 entrepreneurs in Malaysia, investigating the business competencies needed for successful in their business.  In the paper, the training needs of entrepreneurs are identified and analysed with respect to a number of issues affecting business such as creativity and innovation, sources of business finance, accounting skills, financial management, areas in which the entrepreneurs find it difficult to acquire knowledge.  The study confirm the view of entrepreneurship education makes a significant different in the performance of entrepreneurs, with entrepreneurs expressing a need for further training and education in specific business issues.

One of the most significant current discussions in economic development is entrepreneurship. Given government's commitment to entrepreneurship and innovation, higher institutions of learning are faced with the responsibility of curbing inherent challenges in today's graduate education. This is of particular concern among engineering students. This study was propelled by the tendency for engineering students to shy away from entrepreneurship as a career choice, particularly when they possess lower entrepreneurial self-efficacy than their fellow business students. A survey of engineering students from a Malaysian public university was conducted using 204 respondents. There were two major data analyses in this study. The relationship between personality traits and entrepreneurial self-efficacy of students were examined. Relationships between family background, as well as entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial self-efficacy were also explored using Pearson correlation. Results obtained show that the relationship between each personality traits and entrepreneurial self-efficacy are different, emphasizing the relevance of personality traits in enhancing entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Positive correlations were found between family factors and entrepreneurial self-efficacy as well as between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Furthermore a multiple regression analysis showed that three variables entrepreneurship education, family factor and personality type reliably predicted entrepreneurial self-efficacy among engineering students surveyed. The results of this investigation show that perceived supports from family, competencies gained via entrepreneurship education and personality types affect entrepreneurial self-efficacy of engineering students.

The reduction of funding allocation for school operations occurs in the education administration yearly. It is a notable fact that schools around the world are facing challenges in school funding as it affects the school’s operation. As a result, the performance of school for the long term would not be a primary concern in the future. Schools in Malaysia are not exempted from this issue as it is one of the main concerns in the centralized schools of this country. Generally, as the number of schools is increasing and a corresponding decrease takes place in centralized funding, it is vital for school principals to find alternatives for fundraising. Following a growing pattern of decentralization of school policies, entrepreneurial leadership currently begins to make an appearance in the education system through the transformation it creates in schools. However, there is insufficient discussion regarding the practices of entrepreneurial leadership and the abilities of entrepreneurial leaders in centralized schools. This study aims to identify the practices performed by centralized school principals to implement entrepreneurial activities in two schools selected for this study, which consisted of two different demographic backgrounds, districts, and locations. It investigates the entrepreneurial leadership practices performed by the Malaysian school principals in fundraising activities. The roles of the school principals as entrepreneurial leaders were identified based on their peers and other school staff who gained the experience of working under those principals. The various fundraising practices of the entrepreneurial leaders of both of these schools are examined within this crucial and challenging environment, followed by a discussion of how the school administrations deal with the external parties to obtain school funding. This study contributes to the field of educational administration by analysing the current fundraising practices of entrepreneurial principals of centralized schools in Malaysia.