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result(s) for
"Wong, Ling-Chai"
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Entrepreneurship in Liberia: challenges and opportunities of SMEs
Entrepreneurship has been considered one of the major universal drivers of economic development, and sustainable development while also contributing to the growth of a country’s economy. This study explored the perspectives of business entrepreneurs on the contributions of entrepreneurship to economic development in Liberia. A qualitative research approach while an in-depth interview guided by a semi-structured interview was conducted among Liberian entrepreneurs to explore whether entrepreneurship contributes to a country’s economic development based on their views, opinions, and experiences. The findings of the study show that the lack of proper incentives, government support, infrastructure, cost of utilities, entrepreneurship awareness, and lack of entrepreneurship education in schools and universities curriculum is considered to be one of the core factors that is hindering the promotion of entrepreneurship in Liberia. As a result, the study recommends the Liberian government's need to implement policies that will enhance the development of entrepreneurship, provide basic infrastructure, and introduce entrepreneurship education in secondary and tertiary institutions as a core module. This study contributed to the entrepreneurship literature and confirmed that entrepreneurship has played a key role in providing solutions for Liberia’s economy while generating a greater number of employment and enhancing society's living standards.
Journal Article
Corporate social responsibility and job pursuit intention: the role of job seekers’ perception on employer prosocial orientation, value congruence and employer attractiveness
Purpose
This study aims to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and job pursuit intention (JPI), and the role of job seekers’ perception on employer prosocial orientation, value congruence and employer attractiveness in this relationship. CSR is measured based on internal and external CSR.
Design/methodology/approach
By adopting quantitative approach, data was obtained through survey questionnaire from 420 bachelor’s degree university fresh graduates from five universities in Malaysia who are actively seeking for jobs. Data was analysed using structural equation modelling technique.
Findings
Research findings show that internal and external CSR positively impact job seekers’ perception of employer prosocial orientation. Job seekers’ perception towards employer prosocial orientation has a significant positive impact on value congruence. Value congruence has a significant positive influence on employer attractiveness. Finally, employer attractiveness has a significant positive impact on JPI.
Practical implications
The findings are useful for human resources management. Organisations (employers) should focus on effective internal and external CSR practices through a prosocial orientation approach to attract the best talents and create a strong position in the job market.
Originality/value
This study extends the Signalling Theory and P-O Fit theory by applying them to an entirely different context of CSR and JPI, by incorporated the holistic job seekers’ psychological processes of the recruitment signals (internal and external CSR), signalling process and person-organisation fit (perception on employer prosocial orientation, value congruence and employer attractiveness) thoroughly.
Journal Article
Demand for digital skills, skill gaps and graduate employability: Evidence from employers in Malaysia version 1; peer review: 3 approved, 1 approved with reservations
Background
A major workforce inadequacy and the change in skill demanded have been observed due to the digital transformation. This study aims to identify the digital skills demanded by employers, focusing on exploring the skills gaps among the graduates that impact graduate employability.
Methods
A cross sectional online survey was conducted among the companies registered with the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC). Demand for digital skills was assessed using descriptive analysis of mean scores of the employers' rating in digital skills at present and in future. A pair sample t-test was performed to explore the existence of skill gaps, by comparing the demand versus competencies of the graduates' digital skills in the workplace.
Results
Of the 393 responses collected, 376 responses were used for final analysis. The findings show that the current top three digital skills in demand are \"information and data literacy\", \"problem-solving\", and \"digital content creation\". Whereas the top digital skills for future demand are \"problem-solving\", \"safety\", and \"communication and collaboration\". In addition, the most significant (digital) skill gap is found in \"communication and collaboration skills\" followed by \"problem-solving\" and \"safety\" skills.
Conclusions
These findings provide insights into the digital skills demanded by employers in IR 4.0, allowing the practitioners, education service providers and policymakers to do better planning on human capital management and training development. By focusing on identifying the current and future demand for digital skills while exploring the digital skill gaps among the graduates, this study provides insight into the employability skills required by the graduate before entering the job market.
Journal Article
Study of Chlorella vulgaris from Different Growth Phases as Biosensor for Detection of Titanium and Silver Nanoparticles in Water
The increased use of metallic nanoparticles has led to concern for environmental contamination and disruption in water quality. Therefore, effective screening of metallic nanoparticles is important for detecting metallic nanoparticles in aquatic environments. Biosensors offer several advantages, including high sensitivity to pollutants, short response time, energy efficiency, and low waste generation. In this study, a whole-cell biosensor was developed using microalga Chlorella vulgaris as a recognition element, and its fluorescence response was used as a measuring parameter for detecting the presence of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles in water. The responses of C. vulgaris at the lag, exponential, and stationary phases to different concentrations of TiO2 and Ag nanoparticles were studied. The results showed that in TiO2 and Ag nanoparticles exposures, the highest fluorescence change (50-150%) was observed at the lag phase, whereas the lowest fluorescence change (40-75%) was observed at the stationary phase. A significant fluorescence change was observed in 15 min. The immobilized C. vulgaris under TiO2 and Ag nanoparticles exposures showed 30-180% higher fluorescence change than the negative control, indicating the potential of C. vulgaris as a biosensor for rapid detection of TiO2 and Ag nanoparticles in water. The mathematical modeling of the responses of C. vulgaris to TiO2 and Ag nanoparticles at 15 min of exposure with high R2 indicated that this biosensor is sensitive to the concentration tested (0.010–10.000 mg.L-1). Taken together, these results reveal that, for the first time, it is possible to detect TiO2 and Ag nanoparticles in water within a very short time using a microalgae-based biosensor. Moreover, no genetic engineering requirement makes this biosensor simple, economical, and free from the restriction on genetically modified microorganisms for environmental applications.
Journal Article
Identification of non-ribosomal peptide synthetase in Ganoderma boninense Pat. that was expressed during the interaction with oil palm
Basal stem rot (BSR) of oil palm is a disastrous disease caused by a white-rot fungus
Ganoderma boninense
Pat. Non-ribosomal peptides (NRPs) synthesized by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are a group of secondary metabolites that act as fungal virulent factors during pathogenesis in the host. In this study, we aimed to isolate NRPS gene of
G. boninense
strain UPMGB001 and investigate the role of this gene during
G. boninense
-oil palm interaction. The isolated NRPS DNA fragment of 8322 bp was used to predict the putative peptide sequence of different domains and showed similarity with
G. sinense
(85%) at conserved motifs of three main NRPS domains. Phylogenetic analysis of NRPS peptide sequences demonstrated that NRPS of
G. boninense
belongs to the type VI siderophore family. The roots of 6-month-old oil palm seedlings were artificially inoculated for studying NRPS gene expression and disease severity in the greenhouse. The correlation between high disease severity (50%) and high expression (67-fold) of
G. boninense
NRPS gene at 4 months after inoculation and above indicated that this gene played a significant role in the advancement of BSR disease. Overall, these findings increase our knowledge on the gene structure of NRPS in
G. boninense
and its involvement in BSR pathogenesis as an effector gene.
Journal Article
Selection of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR normalization in Ganoderma-infected oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) seedlings
African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is an important oil bearing tree commercially cultivated in Malaysia. Palm oil is an important product for local consumption, provides enormous socio-economic benefits of trade and employment opportunities, and fulfilling the growing global demand for vegetable oils. The monoculture system has fostered the outbreak of basal stem rot (BSR) disease caused by the fungus Ganoderma boninense. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is a widely used molecular technique to examine the infection effect on gene expression in oil palm. The selection of appropriate reference genes is vital for accurate data normalization. In this study, the expression stability of six housekeeping genes- β-actin, cyclophilin, GAPDH, MSD, NAD and ubiquitin were validated in oil palm root tissue after fungal infection. NormFinder and BestKeeper algorithms were used to cross-validate the expression stability of the candidate reference genes. MSD, NAD and ubiquitin were shown to exhibit the highest expression stability. These genes were recommended as reference genes for gene expression studies of oil palm root tissue at early fungal infection stage.
Journal Article
Cloning and Expression of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) Type 2 Ribosome Inactivating Protein in Escherichia coli
EgT2RIP is a type 2 ribosome-inactivating protein isolated from oil palm (
Elaeis guineensis
Jacq.). Its transcript abundance was reported to be up-regulated in oil palm roots upon inoculation of pathogenic fungus
Ganoderma boninense
in a recent study. This study aims to produce an active recombinant EgT2RIP protein for biological studies. The DNA fragments encoding Chain A (CA) and Chain B (CB) of EgT2RIP were cloned individually in an expression vector. Soluble CA and partially soluble CB were expressed in
Escherichia coli
Rosetta-gami 2 (DE3). Purified recombinant CA and CB were associated in a cysteine/cystine reduced/oxidized system, yielding a heterodimer protein (AB). The AB protein showed growth inhibitory activity against breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) as well as non-tumorigenic breast epithelial cell line (MCF-10A) at IC
50
= 1.4 and 10.9 μg mL
−1
, respectively. The active protein produced from this study may have the potential to be used for treatment in medical and agricultural fields.
Journal Article
Synergism: biocontrol agents and biostimulants in reducing abiotic and biotic stresses in crop
In today’s fast-shifting climate change scenario, crops are exposed to environmental pressures, abiotic and biotic stress. Hence, these will affect the production of agricultural products and give rise to a worldwide economic crisis. The increase in world population has exacerbated the situation with increasing food demand. The use of chemical agents is no longer recommended due to adverse effects towards the environment and health. Biocontrol agents (BCAs) and biostimulants, are feasible options for dealing with yield losses induced by plant stresses, which are becoming more intense due to climate change. BCAs and biostimulants have been recommended due to their dual action in reducing both stresses simultaneously. Although protection against biotic stresses falls outside the generally accepted definition of biostimulant, some microbial and non-microbial biostimulants possess the biocontrol function, which helps reduce biotic pressure on crops. The application of synergisms using BCAs and biostimulants to control crop stresses is rarely explored. Currently, a combined application using both agents offer a great alternative to increase the yield and growth of crops while managing stresses. This article provides an overview of crop stresses and plant stress responses, a general knowledge on synergism, mathematical modelling used for synergy evaluation and type of in vitro and in vivo synergy testing, as well as the application of synergism using BCAs and biostimulants in reducing crop stresses. This review will facilitate an understanding of the combined effect of both agents on improving crop yield and growth and reducing stress while also providing an eco-friendly alternative to agroecosystems.
Journal Article
Generation and analysis of expressed sequence tags from the mangrove plant, Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl
Salinity is a major abiotic stress that greatly affects plant growth and crop production. Sodium ions in saline soil are toxic to plants because of their adverse effects on potassium nutrition, cytosolic enzyme activities, photosynthesis, and metabolism. It is important to identify genes involved in salinity tolerance from mangrove plants that survive under saline conditions. In this study, a total of 864 randomly selected cDNA clones were isolated and sequenced from the primary cDNA library of Acanthus ebracteatus. Among the 521 readable sequences, 138 of them were assembled into 43 contigs, whereas 383 were singletons. Sequence analyses demonstrated that 349 of these expressed sequence tags showed significant homology to functional proteins, of which 18% are particularly interesting as they correspond to genes involved in stress response. Some of these clones, including putative mannitol dehydrogenase, plastidic aldolase, secretory peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and vacuolar H^sup +^-ATPase, may be related to osmotic homeostasis, ionic homeostasis, and detoxification.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
Journal Article