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Perceptions of people with disability (PWDs) is pertinent to enable PWDs to integrate into the mainstream society. This study examines the perception of PWDs on acceptance of disability by PWDS themselves and by the public and its association with the demographic factors. The findings show besides inadequate infrastructure and support system, PWDs with lower qualification perceives a low acceptance of disability by the public. Given this, a well-structured inclusive special education together with an adequate infrastructure is essential to have a higher perception of acceptance of disability and for PWDS to participate in the economy.

The Malaysian female labour force participation increased from 47.2% in 2004 to 54.1% in 2015 but this is not alarming as the number of female students in tertiary institutions outweigh the male students. However, the issue is while the female labour force participation rate is highest in the 25-34 years age group (72%), it dropped 5 percentage points to 67% in the 35-44 years age group. A research by Talent Corp (2014) shows that the top three reasons women dropout from the workforce are: to raise a family, lack of work-life balance and to care for a family member. So, this perception study examined whether family friendly policies (FFP) could be a tool to retain women in the labour market and subsequently a tool to manage the nation's resource. The main aims of this study are: firstly, to examine whether there is a relationship between demographic factors and women's decision to remain in the labour market, and secondly, to examine whether FFP may encourage them to remain in the labour. Using a self-administered questionnaire, working women who were married were identified in the Klang Valley. A total of 158 usable questionnaires were collected in June 2016. Cross tabulation analysis and frequency analysis were used. The crucial findings showed that women who work in organisations with FFP have higher intentions to continue working compared to women who work in organisations without FFP. This study found that ethnicity, occupational sector and having children below 6 years old are significant factors that influence women's decision to remain in the labour market. Family friendly policies can be a pertinent tool for resource management to retain married women in the labour market. Hence, the government and private sector should collaborate together in the enforcement of family friendly policies at the workplace.

The study aimed to provide an overview and understand the socio-economic impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on Malaysia. The COVID-19 outbreak has exerted local and global implications and received high responses at both levels. National governments, as the major players, are responsible for devising strategies and measures to lessen the negative impact of COVID-19 on their citizens. The Malaysian government has implemented various initiatives to control the spread of the virus and reduce the risk of infection since the COVID-19 outbreak began in 2020 until today. The implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) by the government to control movement within and across district and state borders has been accepted and adopted as a new norm in controlling the spread of infection, especially involving vulnerable groups. Nevertheless, the movement restrictions also inhibited various economic sector activities, which are the lifeblood of society. Furthermore, most people affected are senior citizens from vulnerable and high-risk groups. They were impacted by declining income due to two primary factors, namely reduced income and unable to go out to work or business. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic include implementing initiatives to increase income, obtain food sources, and help improve children's learning process during challenging situations. Moreover, the Malaysian government's efforts to lessen the adverse effects of the pandemic produced minimal impact due to the government's unpreparedness and administrative tolerance. Thus, the Malaysian government is recommended to scale up preparation levels to face emergencies and ramp up investment in the health sector for better performance.

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