Volume 2, July 2014

Criteria for Appointment, Reapointment and Promotion of Academic Staff – Case Study. [3 – 14] Mae Ho Seok Khen, Walter Wong Chee Keong Full Text | Abstract The mission of any university would inevitably encompass the following three activities – teaching and learning; research and scholarship; and services. A university would normally set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in each of these activities. At the Berjaya University College of Hospitality (BERJAYA UCH), this is no exception. In this paper, the guidelines for appointment, reappointment, and promotion of academic staff at BERJAYA UCH are presented. The criteria for these appointments are clearly stated. The two aspects of performance – areas of achievement and levels of attainment are described in detail. Numerous headings to address the areas of achievements have been proposed. These may be used to assist the academic staff in preparation for his/her submission for the different levels of appointment/promotion. Finally, an example is given to demonstrate the levels of attainment used by an institution to assess the key performance indicators for research. The objective of this paper is to share with the academic community how the appointment, reappointment and promotion of academic staff are conducted in this institution. The authors strongly believe that if the academic staff member is able to meet the requirements stated in the criteria of this paper for the various levels of appointment, he/she is employable worldwide. It is also the hope/wish of the authors that academic staff members, who follow closely the guidelines, are able to continue to improve their academic performance, and that their achievements will be acknowledged and rewarded accordingly.

The Relevance of MBA Holders in the Eyes of Organizations in Malaysia. [15 – 26] Muhamad Tariq Bin Ramli Full Text | Abstract The popularity of MBA programme has been increasing over recent years. However, the demand from organization towards MBA holders claimed to be fluctuated within these few years caused by several reasons such as the quality of education and performance by the MBA holders as well as the perception from employers. A survey of 181 respondents from various organizations revealed that 82 percent employers will hire executives with MBA degree, while 18 percent of them stated otherwise. Demanding high salary was perceived as the main reason for employers of not hiring MBA holders. Meanwhile, the most preferred hiring criteria of MBA holders was the good leadership and management skills. Based on these findings, several recommendations were made to improve the MBA programme in Malaysia.

A Comparison on Learning Effectiveness Using Facebook Between Diploma and Degree Students from BERJAYA University College of Hospitality. [27 – 39] Siti Intan Nurdiana Wong, Dominic Wong Full Text | Abstract Without doubt, the Web 2.0 technologies have influenced most of university students’ lives. These students are from the ‘Digital Generation’ as their lives revolves around the Internet and explicitly in social media tools such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The main aim of the study is to compare the learning effectiveness using Facebook as a learning tool between diploma and degree students from BERJAYA University College of Hospitality. In addition to traditional lectures and tutorials, an online group was created in Facebook to facilitate communication and sharing. As such, this research also explores the possibility of blending digital and physical learning experience among university students. Based on the findings, some challenges were highlighted and suggestions were provided on improving the implementation of Facebook within the classroom among degree and diploma students. This would allow fellow educators to emulate and enhance the teaching and learning environment using Facebook. By knowing the differences between diploma and degree students, it is beneficial to identify some key areas to improve learning skills of students from different levels.

How Much of Blending is Needed to be Efective: Perspective from Lecturers and Students. [40 – 51] Chan Chang Tik Full Text | Abstract We are constantly seeking for the best method to teach our students. Lecture style which is in existence for many years is still applicable to a certain extent. The birth of personal computer and the Internet has resulted in a wide spectrum of instructional strategies taking advantage of these two wonders. One of them is distance learning and the other is blended learning. How much of blending is needed for teaching to be effective? In this experiment the degree of blending ranges from 25% online to 75% online. Internet is used in the online mode together with the learning management system (LMS) to support teaching and learning. It is established that for blended learning to succeed, online forum discussions are very important. Students who fail to capitalize on the forum discussions do not enjoy the full benefits of blended learning like producing more mature assignment write-up, involving in self-learning and developing time management and writing skills. With regard to the different degree of blending it seems that 25% online mode may be the lower boundary and 75% online mode the upper boundary for effective blended learning. The preferred mode by both the lecturers and students is 50% online. However, these percentages need further confirmation through more in-depth studies.

Nutrient Analysis of Selected Dishes in the Upper East Side Café in the Table D Hote’ Menu, BERJAYA University College of Hospitality. [52 – 58] Haryati Abu Husin, Aimee Yuho Jeon Full Text | Abstract Foods served in Upper East Café are said to be healthy. It is a training ground for Hospitality and Culinary Arts students of BERJAYA University College of Hospitality, where they are exposed to the industry where emphasizing in meeting the current demands of public whom are in search of healthy food. This research was conducted to evaluate the kcal content of meals that being serve in the café, specifically Table d’ Hote menu focusing in western menus. Manual kcal calculation was conducted based upon the recipes provided by the chefs. Results shown that a few of the recipes exceeding the amount of kcal per meal consumption for healthy meal, even the menus are consider balanced, having all the food group in each of the recipes.

The Study on Private Universities’ MBA Programmes and Delivery Methods in Klang Valley, Malaysia. [59 – 67] Dominic Wong Full Text | Abstract MBA programmes or alike are mushrooming in Klang Valley, the economic centre of Malaysia that covers Kuala Lumpur. Almost all private universities are offering MBA programmes. This research only focuses on the private universities’ MBA programmes in particular their structure, delivery methods and uniqueness of the programme. This study only concentrates in all home-grown (not twinning) MBA programmes in Klang Valley. This research uses secondary sources of information from books, the private institution’s websites and brochures for reference of MBA information. The study is deemed beneficial for universities to have a glance on what MBA programmes that other institutions are offering and designing their own. Besides, it may serve as a reference for students that wish to embark on MBA degrees. This study finds out those most private universities in Klang Valley offers MBA programmes; average course fee is about RM 25,000 (US$8,000). While all MBA programmes still have face to face classes, e-learning is getting popular because of its flexibility. More and more specializations are introduced that are relevant to the growth of the knowledge economy such as Telecommunications, Healthcare, Tourism, Hospitality et cetera.

The Impact of Loyalty Program Tools on Retail Customer Satisfaction in Malaysia. [68 – 80] Amanda Chin Shu Hwey, Joseph Choe Kin Hwa Full Text | Abstract Customer loyalty program has become a norm for many organisations which is designed to create and enhance customer’s satisfaction. This is because customer satisfaction in retail industry has a great impact to influence customers’ repurchase intentions and the dominant reason for a customer to leave or switch to other brands. However, previous studies on the impact of program tools on retail customer satisfaction were mostly non-Malaysia-based. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to study on the effectiveness of loyalty program on customer satisfaction focusing on the impact of the loyalty program tools such as social benefits, program value and special treatment. The explanatory study was conducted using an on-line questionnaire to collect empirical data from 130 respondents through judgement sampling for the quantitative data analysis. The present study discovered that loyalty program was found to have a significant effect on retail customer satisfaction and it shows that program social benefits is the most favourable tool of a loyalty program to increase retail customer satisfaction.

Influence of SMS in the Daily Conversation of Students in Higher Insititutions in The Multicultural Malaysia Society. [81 – 94] Jayarajoo Santhanam, Thinusha Selvaraj Full Text | Abstract This article examines and investigates the effects of Short Message Service (SMS) text patterns in terms of sociolinguistic aspect in the daily conversation among the Malaysian higher education students. It also reveals how Malaysian culture is symbolized in the SMS text. This research consists of quantitative approach on undergraduate students of Berjaya University College. 60 messages will be taken randomly from 30 cell phones and the perceptions of 20 Malay, 20 Chinese and 20 Indians undergraduates will be analysed from the distributed questionnaires. This study will analyse the encoded categories of linguistic features of SMS which are the length of SMS texts, abbreviation, emotions and languages used in the daily use of the SMSes to accomplish the objective of the study.

Use of Greetings in Messages from Students to Lecturers at a Hospitality College. [95 – 101] Harizah Faiz, Ong Mei Lin Full Text | Abstract This article reports on a study of politeness strategies in written discourse using Goffman’s (1967) theory of “face”. The study examined the use or non-use of social greetings in computer-mediated communication, focusing on emails and Short Message Service (SMS) messages from students taking courses in the field of hospitality to lecturers in a private university in Malaysia. A mixed methods design of qualitative and quantitative research techniques was used to analyse a sample of 36 emails and SMS messages selected from students who had taken or were taking an English language course at either diploma or undergraduate level. Frequency distribution and textual analyses of the data showed that the majority of students used informal greetings to begin their messages to their lecturers. Most students in fact failed to employ appropriate politeness strategies that could lessen face-threatening acts between themselves and their lecturers. It was therefore concluded that the students were generally unaware of the difference in social distance, power, and face in the academic setting under study.