No abstract

This study examines the association between board structure and corporate performance, where performance is defined as the value added (VA) efficiency of the firm's physical and intellectual resources rather than the more commonly used financial terms or profitability ratios. It is argued that the inclusion of intellectual elements into the measurement provides a long-term measurement of corporate performance. The VA efficiency of the firm's total resources is calculated using the Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC) methodology developed by an Austrian, Ante Pulic. The four board characteristics that are of interest in this study are board composition, directors' ownership, CEO duality and board size. Based on a randomly selected sample of 75 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia, it is found that board composition and board size have a positive impact on firm performance, while the effects of directors' ownership and CEO duality on the VA efficiency of firm's total resources are not established. The outcome of the study shows that the emphasis on the importance of outside directors on the board by The Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance and by the requirements of Bursa Malaysia is deemed pertinent to the long-term corporate performance.

No abstract

The development of the Islamic banks in Malaysia is increasingly challenging with more conventional banks participating and offering banking products and services based on Islamic principles after two decades of its establishment. Thus, it is very important for the players in the Islamic banking industry to better position themselves in order to confront and respond vigorously to the robustness of the global financial environment. This study is embarked on to identify the relative significance assigned to selection criteria in deciding a bank that has an Islamic banking system. More importantly, it would evaluate customer preference of the choices of a bank that is adapted from CARTER model. Secondly, it would investigate service quality and customer satisfaction between the full-pledged Islamic banks and the conventional banks offering Islamic banking products and services. It is hoped that the study would facilitate the management of the banks in developing their marketing strategies which is very important for the survival of the bank specifically due to intense competition arising from the foreign banks.

A study of job satisfaction of academic staff of a public university in Malaysia used the 7-item general satisfaction scale in a survey to determine the level of job satisfaction of the academic staff. The results indicated that overall the academic staff of the university has a moderate level of job satisfaction. In addition, current status, marital status, age and salary appear to have significant impact on the respondents' level of job satisfaction. Implications on the study's findings to the management of the university are also discussed.