Awangku Hassanal Bahar Pengiran Bagul | Universiti Malaysia Sabah (original) (raw)

Papers by Awangku Hassanal Bahar Pengiran Bagul

Labuan Bulletin of International Business and Finance (LBIBF), Nov 4, 2020

The outbreak of Novel Coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has enormous economic consequences. It hap... more The outbreak of Novel Coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has enormous economic consequences. It happened in the Wuhan city of China and rapidly spread across the world. While the Chinese economy has taken a major hit, the consequences extend far beyond the borders of China. Tourism is among the economic sectors that have been profoundly affected by the viral outbreak. Due to strong economic links with China, Malaysia has suffered enormous economic losses. Extended lockdowns, flight disruptions and other measures taken to contain the infection, and releasing stimulus packages have caused considerable downturn in the economic growth. A genesis of the pandemic origin and transmission is necessary not only to mitigate the prevailing situation but also preventing a repeat of such an event in the future. The coronavirus outbreak is a wake-up call for insulating the society and economy, especially the most vulnerable sectors. Although the outbreak happened in December 2019, it continues to inflict health hazards and economic meltdown. This should serve to demonstrate the significance of preventing the new infections without delay. It all started from the unregulated consumption of wildlife and the consequent setback to the natural ecosystem. Vulnerability of the tourism sector to pandemics is due to obvious reasons; people avoid visiting places in the grip of pandemic and tourism destinations close their doors to arrivals from the virus-affected countries. There is a need for international mechanisms for regulating the factors that lead to origin of the pandemic and applying available means for containing it should that happen. For the tourism, effective management strategies are necessary to insulate this industry. This paper highlights the causes of the pandemic to effectively link its consequences for the tourism sector while also discussing the need to support its revival. An important measure emphasized in in this paper as a revival strategy is building resilience in the natural capital. This systems approach is necessary in dealing with the post-COVID-19 scenario and in better preparedness for any future health hazards.

Seafood security through aquaculture is a topic of strategic national importance for many countri... more Seafood security through aquaculture is a topic of strategic national importance for many countries, including Malaysia. With production from fisheries unable to meet the demand, aquaculture is set to play an increasing role in seafood supply. Aquaculture started booming in the 1990s, just when the capture fisheries showed distinct signs of stagnation. The rapid growth of aquaculture and the rising demand have created

Sustainability

Heritage trails are an effective way to preserve cultural sustainability. Nowadays, heritage trai... more Heritage trails are an effective way to preserve cultural sustainability. Nowadays, heritage trails have been widely developed as tourism products either domestically or abroad. Megalithic stones are an ancient tradition of high value that has interesting functions and backgrounds. Moderni-zation with infrastutural development, and changes in religion in society have caused the mega-lithic stone tradition to be less practiced and increasingly declining. One of the effective ways to preserve megalithic stones from further decline is by building heritage trails as a tourism product. Many megalithic stones are located in sloping areas. In this study, least-cost path analysis (LCPA) in GIS applications was used to identify cost-effective and sloping routes to produce heritage trails. Study data were obtained from fieldwork in Tambunan. The benefits of this study provide ex-posure to the outside world about the megalithic stone tradition, and determine the appropriate routes to develop h...

BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development

This article discusses the outcome of a research on tourism promotion through events where the su... more This article discusses the outcome of a research on tourism promotion through events where the survey was conducted at Borneo Street Dance (BSD) 2012 in Sabah, one of states in Malaysia, and it was organised by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia. The event was held to promote domestic tourism and to attract youth participation in performing art where they could showcase their talents and creativity. The findings of this research suggested that event such as BSD was able to attract interest and participation among youth from all over the state and this contributed to the promotion of domestic tourism. The event is also able to attract youthâ€™s interest to fill their free time with beneficial and favorable activities while exposing them to ethnic diversity in the highly diverse culture of namely Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan. This is where the event could foster tolerance and understanding on the diverse ethnic among the youth in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan and thoug...

BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development

Tourism industry is one of the major growing industries in Malaysia. Sabah, a state in Malaysia, ... more Tourism industry is one of the major growing industries in Malaysia. Sabah, a state in Malaysia, recorded a total of 941,765 international tourists and 1,933,996 local tourists in 2012. Malaysia, just like other countries, is affected by climate change and this, in turn, could affect the travelling decisions made by the tourists. Indicators of climate change such as temperature, geographical location and rainfall are some of the major potential threats to travelling and places of attractions. Research methods used in previous studies include survey, simulation, statistical model, empirical evidence, interview and focus group. This study employed three methods, content analysis, Delphi technique and survey through questionnaires to gain a better understanding on climate change, tourists’ perception on climate change and the impact on their decision making. By using these three methods, this study attempts to identify the dimensions of climate change, to examine the link between these...

BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development

The engagement of local community in environmental and marine life conservation is crucial for th... more The engagement of local community in environmental and marine life conservation is crucial for the development of a successful conservation promotion and other related initiatives. This would possibly lead to a sustainable conservation and marine-based tourism and community-based strategies for environmental planning and management. Given the attention of sea turtle conservation in the islands on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia, the symbiotic relationship between local communities and the environment could become the most effective common marketing strategy in promoting sea turtle conservation, which has not been explored extensively now. Considering the above, this paper aims at developing a community engagement framework for a sustainable sea turtle conservation and other related tourism activities. The methodology of this conceptual paper is based on the development of community engagement factor as it was developed in previous studies. Besides that, the conceptual framework...

Institution of Engineering and Technology eBooks, Aug 2, 2022

Solid State Technology, Jan 31, 2020

Tourism has emerged as a major sector of global economy, generating 319 million jobs and 10.4 % o... more Tourism has emerged as a major sector of global economy, generating 319 million jobs and 10.4 % of GDP, and supporting merchandize exports worth US$1.7 trillion. These facts and figures justify a focused attention on tourism development under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for realizing its full economic potential. Malaysia has pledged to implement the SDGs for the socio-economic benefits. Policies are being laid down for promoting sustainable tourism. With a vast coastline and rich natural resources, Malaysia offers opportunities for achieving the targets of SDG14. A knowledge-based development of this tourism subsector will help the coastal communities and contribute to national economy. The existing infrastructure and trained human resources can aid in transformation of tourism with more sustainable practices. Such practices will generate income and dissuade the coastal communities from unsustainable exploitation of marine environmental resources in favor of higher income that sustainable tourism will generate. This paper is based on a general survey of the status of nature-based tourism in coastal areas of Sabah. Observations were focused on existing infrastructure in tourism hotspots, trend of exploitation of natural resources and feedback from tourists. The work also involved review of documents related to SDG targets for making progress in implementation. This paper discusses ways and means of promoting nature-based tourism through knowledge-based plans and strategies. These include follow-up action on: regulating the tourism according to carrying capacity of tourism hotspots, diversification of tourism sub-sectors, linking socio-economic benefits with environmental conservation, academia-industry cooperation, academia-community interaction, and application of knowledge management tools to properly shape development of nature tourism in coastal areas. The role of institutions of higher education in addressing the challenges in developing sustainable tourism, adapting the DPSIR framework to local conditions and constructing models of tourism compatible with the SDGs have been highlighted in this paper.

Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia, 2021

Kg Tudan, a village with steep terrain and infertile soils located within the buffer area of Croc... more Kg Tudan, a village with steep terrain and infertile soils located within the buffer area of Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve (CRBR) is requiring policy and socioeconomic interventions. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), through some funding from the Federal Government, has implemented the Knowledge Transfer Programme (KTP) and MOSTI Social Innovation (MSI) for alternative uses of the mulberry products. The main objective of this study is to identify the missing links between biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation. The study also identified factors that motivate the community's participation in the livelihood enhancement program coordinated through the KTP and MSI programs as well as the impacts of such programs on the protection of natural resources in Crocker Range Park. A qualitative interview of 35 respondents was conducted in Kg. Tudan, Kiulu, Tuaran. Based on the content analysis using Leximancer, the results revealed that the primary motivation of their participation is financial support, community enhancement through training program and certification, enhancement of facilities, the opportunity for employment, and cultural recognition. Findings also unearthed that only 3% of the respondents are still going to the forest to extract natural resources after implementing poverty alleviation projects. The findings can be deduced that social value is substantial in local community participation in poverty alleviation projects. Therefore, the study's outcome is crucial as preliminary discoveries of moving beyond the "conservation-poverty" debate towards on-theground implementation. Thus, contributing to addressing the knowledge gaps between biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation of local communities.

Solid State Technology, Jan 31, 2020

Background: The literature on expatriate adjustment suggests that higher culture novelty makes th... more Background: The literature on expatriate adjustment suggests that higher culture novelty makes the expatriate adjustment process more difficult. Objective: The main objective of this study is to examine the relationship between culture novelty and sociocultural adjustment of expatriates working in Malaysia. Results: The results of this quantitative study showed a positive relationship between socio-cultural adjustment and culture novelty. Conclusion: The expatriates working in Malaysia demonstrate a higher degree of adaptability in socio-cultural adjustment.

Geographers describe their discipline as a spatial science. That is, geographers are concerned wi... more Geographers describe their discipline as a spatial science. That is, geographers are concerned with answering questions about how and why earth phenomena vary across the Earth. For instance, geographers investigate patterns of vegetation as they relate to distributions of climate, soils and topography. Thus geographers answer four basic questions when studying the environment, which are location, place, spatial pattern and spatial interaction. Geographers also study how human activities are shaped by and impact the natural environment. This study is a part of the â€˜manâ€�landâ€™ tradition in geographic research, what one might say was the precursor to the modern tourism studies. In this new millennium, tourism continues to grow as a major force in global trade. The World Tourism Organization has predicted that in the new millennium, tourism is set to become the largest industry in the world employing the highest number of people. As more developing countries like Malaysia rise to t...

Industry Revolution 4.0 has changed the way business operates and demanded the business transform... more Industry Revolution 4.0 has changed the way business operates and demanded the business transform its operation from traditional into the digital market. The intense to encourage this shift is increasing when it comes to rural economy where geographical distance becomes one of the major barriers that have been eliminated. This transformation is crucial so that rural entrepreneurs can grow their business and attract their potential business stakeholders to reach them locally and globally. However, regardless of the importance of digital economy transitions, rural businesses still face huge challenges that inhibit them to adopt the information and communications technology successfully. Realizing the importance of e-commerce adoption in this era, this study aims to review and critically analyzed the information and communications technology adoption literature specifically in rural areas to provide a generic overview on the current situations of information and communications technology adoption among businesses in rural areas. Finally, fruitful potential researches have been suggested to deepen our understanding and knowledge pertaining to this issue in the future.

BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development

Kampung Tudan is located at the rural area and protected under buffer zone of Crocker Range Biosp... more Kampung Tudan is located at the rural area and protected under buffer zone of Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve Area by UNESCO, where human and society live in harmony. Mulberry plantations have been introduced as an alternative economic activity to enhance their livelihood. Tudan’s Organic Mulberry Tea was made locally in Kampung Tudan, is an innovative product made up from the mulberry leaves into tea product. Fresh leaves from mulberry plant was harvested, dried using community solar powered dryer for the production of the tea and the formulation is under Trade Secret by the Centre for Research and innovation which belongs to Universiti Malaysia Sabah. A few series of laboratory test have been conducted on Tudan’s Organic Mulberry Tea such as physicochemical analysis and consumer sensory evaluation. Results shows that, mulberry tea powder considerable high in protein with stable shelf life. There were about 100 panels majority from student has been evaluated Tudan’s Organic Mulberr...

BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development

This article examines the significance relationships between Type A Behavior Personality and Pref... more This article examines the significance relationships between Type A Behavior Personality and Preferred Human Capital Approach in managing stress within a semi-government organization in Kota Kinabalu. It is necessary to cope with stress from the perspectives of individual level, team level, and organizational level. The research study aimed for identifying the personality stressors and coping strategies. The objectives were to seek the influence of Type A BehaviorPersonality and preferred human capital approach in coping with stress self approach, and Management Support of employees toward managing stress. Human Personality,Occupational Stressors and Non-work stressors that affected the respondents are examined, yet difference between male and female in coping with stress is study. The results concluded that Type A Behavior Personality has significant relationship with Self-coping Approach, and Management Support. Organizational Stressors and Non-work Stressors are not discussed in ...

BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development

Climate change in Malaysia is usually associated with extreme weather and seasonality. Extreme we... more Climate change in Malaysia is usually associated with extreme weather and seasonality. Extreme weather variables include rainfall, temperature and wind while seasonality is always associated with dry and wet (monsoon) seasons. This paper provides insights to a research in climate change and tourists’ travel decision. The research was conducted in Sabah, one of the states in Malaysia. The literature review analysis suggested that climate change impacted tourists’ decision-making in traveling to their destination. The research started with establishing the dimensions of climate change and tested them on the tourists. The approach of this research is a mixed method where qualitative approach is used to establish the climate change dimension, while the quantitative approach is used to decide the existence of decision-making related to climate change. The research suggested that there are five dimensions of climate change, which are humidity, rainfall, sea level, vegetation and activity....

BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development

This paper provides an insight on the human resource practices and workers‟ employability in hote... more This paper provides an insight on the human resource practices and workers‟ employability in hotel in the Philippines and Malaysia. Turnover rate was reported being relatively high in the hotel industry of Malaysia, and employee retention is a major concern amongst the hoteliers in Malaysia especially the absence of local workforce with less willingness and not attracted to work in the hotel industry. This paper in general seeks to clarify and explain the different human resource practices in employing workers and their employability sampled. The objective of the paper is to clarify the human resource practices that are practiced in the organization in recruiting local and foreign workers, and its relations to the employability of the foreign workers. The sampling size involved more than six hotels in Kota Kinabalu, four hotels in Kuala Lumpur, and three hotels in Palawan, and one hotel in Quezon City. The selected locations are based on the locations that the researchers have trave...

BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development

The tourism and hospitality sector has been recognised as one of the faster growing and largest e... more The tourism and hospitality sector has been recognised as one of the faster growing and largest economic sector in the world. It becomes the second-largest sector contributing to economic and employment in Malaysia. The study aims to investigate the perception among Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students towards the tourism and hospitality sector. There are many debates about the perception in tourism and hospitality sector such as unstable job environment, low promotion opportunities, long working hours, family conflict, low prestige and unskilled job, lack of motivation and high turnover. This study had been designed based on the five dimensions to capture student perception. Data were collected from 95 respondents and, selected based on purposive sampling techniques. The quantitative research method was used in this study. The data obtained were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The results indicated that the tourism and hospital...

Labuan Bulletin of International Business and Finance (LBIBF), Nov 4, 2020

Sustainability

BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development

Institution of Engineering and Technology eBooks, Aug 2, 2022

Solid State Technology, Jan 31, 2020

Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia, 2021

Solid State Technology, Jan 31, 2020

BIMP-EAGA Journal for Sustainable Tourism Development

Abstract for PSU BIMP-EAGA International Research Conference 2023 Proceedings, 2023

The BIMP-EAGA nations are collaborating to promote the subregion as a top ecotourism destination ... more The BIMP-EAGA nations are collaborating to promote the subregion as a top ecotourism destination in Asia and the Pacific in order to capitalise on the future post-pandemic tourism boom. Increased tourism collaboration can close development gaps for the local community in less developed areas with higher chances for sustainable livelihoods. The focus of this study is outlining the development of Community-Based Ecotourism (CBE) in order to achieve sustainability and how BIMP-EAGA CBE destinations can collaborate for better synergies. The case study site is the CBE of Desa Cinta Kobuni located in Kota Kinabalu city, one of the major cities in the BIMP-EAGA region. The current tourism activities in Desa Cinta Kobuni are still in the growth stage and mainly focused on cultural tourism products and activities that showcase their traditional food, clothing, language, history, values, beliefs, dance, arts, and crafts. The study’s methodological approach is qualitative with a case study and narrative inquiry, also known as storytelling. The methodology enables the study to access valuable insight with rich data into the complexity of developing the community-based ecotourism. The results showed that there are three major positive impacts to the Desa Cinta Kobuni, which are, 1) the increment of secondary income; 2) the advancement of women’s empowerment; and 3) the enhanced sustainability initiatives of the villagers. Since there is a significant positive transformation of the village and the local community, the study recommended that collaborating with other destinations would improve the chance of Desa Cinta Kobuni to grow further in CBT.

Keywords
community, ecotourism, sustainability, sustainable development, BIMP-EAGA

Sustainability Seminar 2022 - Accelerating Sustainability in Research, 2022

This book is a collection of abstracts and slides from the Sustainability Seminar 2022 with the t... more This book is a collection of abstracts and slides from the Sustainability Seminar 2022 with the theme Accelerating Sustainability in Research. This is the eighth year of the seminar, and the first one was organized in 2015. This year, the seminar was participated by more than five hundred participants from Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, China, Vietnam, and India. The seminar is organized by the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Accountancy, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia in collaboration with the National Institute of Technology, Fukushima College, Japan, and Jose Rizal University, Philippines.

The Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Management, Engineering, Science, Social Science and Humanities (iCon-MESSSH’20), 2020

Malaysia well-known with ecotourism since tourism directed towards exotic natural environments an... more Malaysia well-known with ecotourism since tourism directed towards exotic natural environments and local government intended to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife. Ecotourism is very important for the development of tourism in Malaysia and its act to balance between human and environment in the world. As we know, Bukit Gemok once had very rich wildlife. In the last century, there are a lot of extinct species of wild animal in this forest. There are gibbons, sambar deer, elephants at the foothills and orang utans up on the trees. But, unfortunately forest round the hill being cut down due to improper planning of development. The objectives of this research is to determine the potential indicators in develop Bukit Gemok as an ecotourism destination, to determine the suitability of the activities in Bukit Gemok and to determine the acceptance level of public towards the Bukit Gemok to develop as ecotourism site. The method that has been use for this research is qualitative method and the result showed that all objectives has been answer. There are twelve respondent show positive respond to the issue. There are fifteen indicators has been found in this research. The indicators of this research could help Bukit Gemok in manage and plan for their marketing strategies. Meanwhile, the limitation of this research is measurable of the indicators, the indicators will be more meaningful if could be implacable in the site.

The Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Management, Engineering, Science, Social Science and Humanities (iCon-MESSSH’20), 2020

Heritage landscape a great variety of unique landscapes can be identified with distinctive region... more Heritage landscape a great variety of unique landscapes can be identified with distinctive regions of earth with historical value, unchanged, rare and pre-existing species of the present and the future. Heritage landscape perspectives are important to recognize, preserve, enhance and enrich the landscape values associated with heritage history. The aim of this paper is to contribute a comprehensive, holistic character assessment for the perspective of heritage landscape resources. Some parameters to consider in determining a landscape heritage resources. The parameters are divided into five sections and sub-topics are linear considered. The approach is a continuation of the findings of three main categories of criteria assessment, i.e. primary, secondary and minor. The research involved four categories of stakeholders as respondents, which is Government, Non-Governmental Organizations or NGOs, such as Mountain Guides, Visitors and Local. Methodology approach is a mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) of findings validated through triangulation data. Privileges of heritage landscape evaluation criteria can be used as a guide for evaluating heritage landscape resources and assisting local authorities as an alternative to developing policies and guidelines for public heritage sites. Abstract: Malaysia well-known with ecotourism since tourism directed towards exotic natural environments and local government intended to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife. Ecotourism is very important for the development of tourism in Malaysia and its act to balance between human and environment in the world. As we know, Bukit Gemok once had very rich wildlife. In the last century, there are a lot of extinct species of wild animal in this forest. There are gibbons, sambar deer, elephants at the foothills and orang utans up on the trees. But, unfortunately forest round the hill being cut down due to improper planning of development. The objectives of this research is to determine the potential indicators in develop Bukit Gemok as an ecotourism destination, to determine the suitability of the activities in Bukit Gemok and to determine the acceptance level of public towards the Bukit Gemok to develop as ecotourism site. The method that has been use for this research is qualitative method and the result showed that all objectives has been answer. There are twelve respondent show positive respond to the issue. There are fifteen indicators has been found in this research. The indicators of this research could help Bukit Gemok in manage and plan for their marketing strategies. Meanwhile, the limitation of this research is measurable of the indicators, the indicators will be more meaningful if could be implacable in the site.

The Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Management, Engineering, Science, Social Science and Humanities (iCon-MESSSH’20), 2020

The tourism and hospitality sector has been recognised as one of the fastest-growing and largest ... more The tourism and hospitality sector has been recognised as one of the fastest-growing and largest growing industries in the world, providing opportunities for job prospects, driving exports, and creating tremendous prosperity around the globe. The study aims to examine students’ perception and their commitment to work in tourism and hospitality industry after graduation. Data were collected using a set of questionnaires. Non-probability sampling technique was used in selecting the 117 respondents from East Malaysia polytechnics who are majoring in tourism and hospitality programme with working experience in the sector. The data were analysed using the SPSS 25.0 and presented in frequency and percentages. The findings showed that the industry person congeniality has a significant medium relationship with a commitment to work in the tourism and hospitality industry. The study has some implication for industry person congeniality, promotion opportunities, managers and commitment to work in the tourism and hospitality industry.

The Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Management, Engineering, Science, Social Science and Humanities (iCon-MESSSH’20), 2020

This study addresses tagal as an ecotourism product that is uniquely for Sabah. It is a community... more This study addresses tagal as an ecotourism product that is uniquely for Sabah. It is a community-based ecotourism venture that is influenced by the Dusun ethic's traditional law. The traditional principle of tagal is focuses primarily on individual exploitation of riverine resources and it was later transformed into a community enterprise of tagal ecotourism. The Department of Fisheries Sabah (DoFS) together with the local communities joined effort to create a 'smart partnership system', an instrument that was not only to help revived the river fish stock but it had also led to the birth of tagal ecotourism product. There were 536 tagal sites sanctioned by Department Fisheries Sabah in 2015 and most of these tagal sites were transformed into community based tagal ecotourism sites. Tagal ecotourism helped to generate income through jobs creation and has uplifted the local's economic level. The objective of this study is to explore the process and outcome of empowerment particularly to the tagal local community of ecotourism Tinopikon Park, Notoruss Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia. The methodology approaches used is qualitative where interview is chosen as the data collection method and thematic clustering as data analysis. The study suggested that there are strong favourable result of empowerment on the process and outcome at the research site. Abstract: The tourism and hospitality sector has been recognised as one of the fastest-growing and largest growing industries in the world, providing opportunities for job prospects, driving exports, and creating tremendous prosperity around the globe. The study aims to examine students' perception and their commitment to work in tourism and hospitality industry after graduation. Data were collected using a set of questionnaires. Non-probability sampling technique was used in selecting the 117 respondents from East Malaysia polytechnics who are majoring in tourism and hospitality programme with working experience in the sector. The data were analysed using the SPSS 25.0 and presented in frequency and percentages. The findings showed that the industry person congeniality has a significant medium relationship with a commitment to work in the tourism and hospitality industry. The study has some implication for industry person congeniality, promotion opportunities, managers and commitment to work in the tourism and hospitality industry

The Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Management, Engineering, Science, Social Science and Humanities (iCon-MESSSH’20), 2020

The spa industry has been one of the most successful attractions having the potential to be a luc... more The spa industry has been one of the most successful attractions having the potential to be a lucrative sector in the future and is expected to make the tourism industry the main fifth revenue earner for Malaysia by the year 2020. The Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC) in Malaysia has set up a Transformation Plan 2020 to achieve 36 million tourist arrival and aim to receive RM168 billion by the year 2020. MOTAC also predicted the spa industry will provide about 3,540 jobs by 2020. In Malaysia, this industry is still in its infancy stage but being one of the emerging industries globally, has huge setbacks which need to be given attention to. However, the wrong impression about the image of the spa industry is the main problem faced by the spa operators. The general perception of the public tends to think that this industry is comparable to a prostitution joint. If MOTAC intends to make the spa industry as the fifth income earner for the country, a study to change the local community perception about the image of the spa and to encourage them to visit and work in the spa is of high importance. This research has explored the perceptions of the local community towards the image of the spa in Malaysia with Sabah in particular. As this is an exploratory research, qualitative method is used for this study. The result of the research suggests that there is dynamic change in the perception towards the image of the spa industry in Sabah from mainly negative to mainly positive.

The Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Management, Engineering, Science, Social Science and Humanities (iCon-MESSSH’20), 2020

Ecotourism concept which refers to tourism activities in natural, undisturbed ecosystem often mis... more Ecotourism concept which refers to tourism activities in natural, undisturbed ecosystem often misfits with urban environment, however not impossible. Although Sabah is well known for its ecotourism market, the urban ecotourism concept in Kota Kinabalu city has never been explored. Current ecotourism destinations in Sabah faced carrying capacity issues thus need to explore new destinations. This paper analyzed local Kota Kinabalu resident and tourist' perception and value pertaining to the potential of Kota Kinabalu city as an urban ecotourism destination and how preservation of green spaces in cities supports sustainability using multi-methodology. Findings showed that Kota Kinabalu is highly potential as an urban ecotourism destination, and study results could assist decision makers in the local tourism industry in making tourism development decisions. Abstract: The spa industry has been one of the most successful attractions having the potential to be a lucrative sector in the future and is expected to make the tourism industry the main fifth revenue earner for Malaysia by the year 2020. The Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC) in Malaysia has set up a Transformation Plan 2020 to achieve 36 million tourist arrival and aim to receive RM168 billion by the year 2020. MOTAC also predicted the spa industry will provide about 3,540 jobs by 2020. In Malaysia, this industry is still in its infancy stage but being one of the emerging industries globally, has huge setbacks which need to be given attention to. However, the wrong impression about the image of the spa industry is the main problem faced by the spa operators. The general perception of the public tends to think that this industry is comparable to a prostitution joint. If MOTAC intends to make the spa industry as the fifth income earner for the country, a study to change the local community perception about the image of the spa and to encourage them to visit and work in the spa is of high importance. This research has explored the perceptions of the local community towards the image of the spa in Malaysia with Sabah in particular. As this is an exploratory research, qualitative method is used for this study. The result of the research suggests that there is dynamic change in the perception towards the image of the spa industry in Sabah from mainly negative to mainly positive.

The Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Management, Engineering, Science, Social Science and Humanities (iCon-MESSSH’20) , 2020

As businesses transcend to digital-based technology, the ways businesses operate need to be at pa... more As businesses transcend to digital-based technology, the ways businesses operate need to be at par. Specifically, a drastic shift from traditional approach into the full utilization of e-commerce is a must. Nevertheless, for rural entrepreneurs, the transformation faces greater challenges, compared to urban entrepreneurs. Most of the previous studies investigated the facilitators or enablers of e-commerce adoption. However, from the perspectives of entrepreneurial motives still remain understudied. Thus, this study aimed to explore the motivation of entrepreneurship and how it affects the perceptions and facilitators of e-commerce utilization among rural entrepreneurs. Therefore, effective strategies can be taken to encourage more rural entrepreneurs in maximizing digital tools in running their business. An interpretive and qualitative approach is being employed as the methodological basis of this study, through face to face semi-structured interview with the rural entrepreneurs as the primary participants, to gain an in-depth understanding of the information. Data obtained will be analyzed through thematic analysis. This study is expected to make a theoretical contribution by providing insights on e-commerce adoption from the perspectives of entrepreneurial motives among entrepreneurs in the rural areas.

8th ASIAN CONFERENCE ON ENGINEERING EDUCATION 'Innovation in Education for Global Business' GUIDE BOOK AND ABSTRACTS, 2019

The Asian Conference on Engineering Education was founded by Professor Emeritus Takao Hanabusa of... more The Asian Conference on Engineering Education was founded by Professor Emeritus Takao Hanabusa of Tokushima University, Japan with Professor Yun-hae Kim of Korea Maritime and Ocean University in 2009. The past seven editions of the conference have been organised in various venues around East Asia involving numerous institutions of higher learning and related organisations. The 8th Asian Conference on Engineering Education (ACEE 2019) is an International Conference on Engineering Education. The objectives of ACEE 2019 are to provide opportunity for mutual exchange in engineering education among teachers, students and engineers in Asia. The purpose of ACEE 2019 is to strengthen international cooperation and exchanges in the field of engineering education, and promote the development of engineering education. Special emphasis will be given to practical innovative engineering and reform of teaching models. ACEE 2019 is jointly organized by the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (Malaysia) with the collaboration of Korea Maritime and Ocean University (Korea).

Innovation in Education for Global Business, 2019

The innovation in education for global business is a collection of academic research articles fro... more The innovation in education for global business is a collection of academic research articles from the Asian International Conference on Engineering Education. The engineering education case studies from teachers, students and engineers in Asia are discussed in each articles where it will advanced the field of engineering education and promote the development of engineering education especially in practical innovative engineering and reform of teaching models.