Purpose The present digital era has integrated the conventional telecommunications companies as service providers in this ever-competitive environment. Towards gaining business competitiveness, businesses are operated from the stance of dynamic business model that places focus on both economic activities and, more importantly, value-added benefits. One essential value embedded into business strategies refers to the aspect of sustainability in conjunction to environmental social governance (ESG). Within the context of Malaysia, ESG practices have been expected to grow rapidly in years to come, along with the vision of becoming a digital economy nation, by 2050. The continuous discussions appear to support the significance of implementing ESG practices amidst organizations, which in turn, could enhance a more sustainable economic growth for the country. Although many studies have probed into the dimensions of ESG, little attention has been given to the ESG practices incorporated into business strategy agenda. Design/methodology/approach This paper combed through the literature to retrieve the multi-dimensions of ESG concepts, as well as related in-depth insights into ESG disclosures amongst leading companies established in Malaysia. As for the research design, this study used the content analysis method and the ESG Grid as the benchmarking tool to explore superior commitments amongst its peers. Findings As a result, this study stumbled upon two major outcomes: the pattern of ESG disclosures in telecommunications industry and the approaches in implementing ESG practices in telecommunications companies. These two aspects appear essential to establish a competitive advantage, apart from addressing the issues raised by concerned stakeholders. Research limitations/implications Future studies may explore deeper into comprehending the ESG practices by using the interview method and incorporating other industry or arena. Practical implications The decisions made by the companies to invest in ESG practices mark the ability of a company in devising viable survival strategies within the industry. Originality/value Hence, this study offers several vital insights into the practical value to learn from the best experiences, aside from analyzing the current progress of ESG practices within the context of developing nation.

This study examines the factors influencing students' under-performance in an advanced financial reporting course. Specifically, this study examines four factors which may influence the accounting students' under-performance in an advanced financial reporting course, namely class attendance, curricular activities, internship experience and English language proficiency. This study conducted a questionnaire survey on 83 final year accounting students who had failed the advanced financial reporting course at least once. The results indicated that class attendance, curricular activities and internship experience are associated with students' under-performance in this course. However, English language proficiency is not a significant factor influencing students' under-performance in the advanced financial reporting course. This indicates that understanding the content rather than the language used to teach the course is more important for student success in this field. However, further analysis shows that English language and curricular activities are significant factors for success in the advanced financial reporting course when regressed with other factors. These findings could assist academics in understanding the factors influencing students' under-performance in the advanced financial reporting course and subsequently help develop strategies to improve results in the classroom. Contribution/Originality: This study contributes to existing literature on the importance of class attendance, curricular activities, internship experience and English language proficiency on accounting students' performance in the advanced financial reporting course. 1. INTRODUCTION It is undeniable that education is important for Malaysia's economic and social development. The Malaysian Higher Education Blueprint 2015-2025 emphasizes that the learning journey does not only inspire creativity and fosters innovation but can also nurture youth with the necessary skills to enable them to compete in the modern labor market, which is a key driver of economic growth. The government's initiatives through the New Economic Model, Economic Transformation Plan and Government Transformation Plan are to ensure that the education system continues to progress in tandem with all the said initiatives. In view of these initiatives, one of the public

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This study aims to investigate and identify the main factors that influence the acceptance of the Home-Based Accounting Services (HBAS) concept from the perspective of postgraduate students. A well-structured survey questionnaire was distributed to all postgraduate students from the Faculty of Accountancy, University Teknologi MARA (UiTM) between 1 November 2018 and 30 November 2018. The research findings revealed that factors that influence the acceptance of HBAS, the ability of HBAS to provide comprehensive reporting on performance, and increasing the efficiency of owner-clients to manage accounting information were ranked as top priorities. The respondents also expect that HBAS could save time required for their involvement, from the recording to the reporting stages. Additionally, the owner client‘s convenience at the location while the HBAS team operates on-site and the securing of documents that must not be taken out from the site are other contributing factors. This paper contributes to the existing literature and broadens the provision of accounting services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), also known as Micro-Entrepreneurs. The concept of HBAS could encourage Micro-Entrepreneurs to be more proactive, and issues related to the low percentage of SME business enterprises that keep proper accounting records could be reduced. HBAS is a new concept that aims to assist Micro-Entrepreneurs to keep proper accounting records. Consequently, this could help improve their financial position, as they would be able to review their business‘s financial statements regularly.

This paper aims to provide empirical evidence on the determinants of corporate tax non-compliance in Malaysia based on secondary data collected during the Special Voluntary Disclosure Programme (SVDP) in 2018 and 2019. A total of 4,192 cases have been extracted from the integrated Case Management System (CMS) and Sistem Taksir Sendiri Syarikat (STSC) systems of the Inland Revenue Board Malaysia (IRBM) and analysed. The tax gap has been used as a proxy for tax non-compliance. The independent variables were corporate characteristics and strategies undertaken by companies for tax non-compliance. The research findings reveal that there is a significant positive relationship between firm size, nationality, real estate, understatement of sales, overstatement of purchases, and other strategies and corporate tax non-compliance. Construction and unallowable expenses have a significant negative relationship with corporate tax non-compliance. This study is the first study that investigates factors that could influence the corporate tax non-compliance based on SVDP data. This dataset is unique as it was extracted during the SVDP programme. The findings support on previous findings and provide further essential information to policymakers and tax authorities in designing tax audit guidelines, planning for tax amnesty initiative in future, providing training for their manpower, and formulating effective enforcement strategies.