All Research

SOH WEI NI · ANNUAR MD NASSIR · CHENG FAN FAH ·International Journal of Economics and Management ·2018 ·JEL: M42; M41

A corporate cash holding is significant element in the cash and liquidity management. Corporations with higher excessive cash reserves will benefit when high liquidity makes it easier for managers to transfer funds among several of the corporations’ expenses and debts, and allows for more flexibility in managing daily operational activities. However, it raise some issue as firm with higher cash holdings tend to explore to higher agency cost due to the conflict of interest between ownership and management. This study employs data envelopment analysis (DEA) estimation and two-stage regressions model. The findings conclude that the firm size, firm growth, and gross domestic product (GDP) are statistically significant for firm efficiency in both markets. The cash holdings help improve firm efficiency as the adjusted R-square is significantly increased for all models. However, the cash holdings are not related to the efficiency of high-cash holding firms for these two stock exchanges. The contribution of cash holdings to firm efficiency is higher, and even double for a developed market compared with a developing market (Bursa Malaysia), which shows that the development stage of a country impacts on cash holdings’ contribution to firm efficiency.

Nurul Hizetie Mohamed Nor · Anuar Nawawi · Ahmad Saiful Azlin Puteh Salin ·Pertanika Journal of Social Science and Humanities ·2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between audit characteristics and firm investment efficiency level. Audit characteristics have been characterized using audit committee (AC) independence and external auditor choice. Top 200 Malaysian listed companies based on market capitalization were selected as a sample. Binomial logistic regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses for 3 years, that is, 2009, 2010, and 2011. The statistical results show no relationship between AC independence and investment inefficiency, while auditor choice was shown to be positively significant only in 1 year of the study, but was not significant in the other 2 years of study. The results provide further confirmation of the role of corporate governance in enhancing the investment performance of the company. This study provides an indicator to shareholders and investors that a company with strong governance structure will likely make better investment decision. Managers under strong governance are prevented from taking an aggressive investment risk approach that may result in overinvestment. In addition, the company will carefully plan to have an adequate capital so that a good opportunity investment will not being passed due to insufficient financing that will result underinvestment. This study is original, as it focuses on the direct relationship between corporate governance mechanism and firm investment efficiency level that is scarce in the literature, with a special focus on emerging markets in the process of developing their best governance practices.

Nurazilah Zaina · Fakarudin Kamarudin · Law Siong Hook · Mohammed Hariri Bakri · Fadzlan Sufian · Annuar Md Nassir ·Malaysian Journal of Economic Studies ·2020 ·JEL: G01, G21, G28

This study delivers new empirical evidence on the impact of banking regulations on the levels of social and financial efficiency of microfinance institutions (MFIs) between the years 2012 to 2018. The sample consisted of data from 172 MFIs from ASEAN-5 countries. As the first stage of the analysis, data envelopment analysis (DEA) was employed to determine a score of the level of social and financial efficiency for the sampled MFIs. Meanwhile, panel regression analysis and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator were used to examine the impact of banking regulations on the level of social and financial efficiency of the sampled MFIs. The findings showed that the sampled MFIs achieved a lower level of social efficiency while attaining a higher level of financial efficiency. The lower level of social efficiency indicated that the sampled MFIs had lost their focus on poverty reduction, while at the same time, switching their focus toward financial sustainability. The empirical findings also showed a significant impact of bank regulation and bank supervision on the levels of social and financial efficiency. Overall, bank regulation negatively influenced the level of social efficiency and bank supervision impacted the level of financial efficiency of the sampled MFIs positively. The findings from this study provide new insights for bank regulators and policymakers to construct regulatory frameworks that are relevant to the operation of MFIs.

Ali Saleh Alarussi · Sami Mohammed Alhaderi ·Managerial Auditing Journal ·2018

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors affecting profitability in Malaysian-listed companies. It has been argued that profitability is the main pillar for any company to survive in the long run. Although profitability is the primary goal of all business ventures, scant attention has been paid to the factors that affect profitability in developing countries. This study investigates the factors affecting profitability in Malaysian-listed companies. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on five independent variables that were empirically examined for their relationship with profitability. These variables are: firm size (as measured by total sales), working capital (WC), company efficiency (assets turnover ratio), liquidity (current ratio) and leverage (debt equity ratio and leverage ratio). Data of 120 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia covering the period from 2012 to 2014 were extracted from companies’ annual reports. Pooled ordinary least squares regression and fixed-effects were used to analyze the data. Findings The findings show a strong positive relationship between firm size (total sales), WC, company efficiency (assets turnover ratio) and profitability. The results also show a negative relationship between both debt equity ratio and leverage ratio and profitability. Liquidity (current ratio) has no significant relationship with profitability. Research limitations/implications Due to the time limitation, the data includes only 120 companies listed in bursa Malaysia and covers the period from 2012 to 2014. Practical implications These results benefit internal users (such as mangers, shareholders and employees). They can realize the determinants of enhancing the profitability of their company after the depreciation of the Malaysian currency and therefore concentrate more on the factors that enhance their companies’ profitability. On the other side, other external users (such as investors, creditors, new established companies, tax authority) also may get advantages of these results. It is clear that those users concern about the profitability of companies and the determinants of their profitability after the currency’s depreciation. Originality/value This study differs than previous studies in many ways: first, it focuses on non-financial listed companies in Malaysia. Previous studies have concentrated on companies in the financial sector, such as banking and financial institutions or on industrial organizations. Second, this study analyzes the data in companies’ annual reports for a three-year period from 2012 to 2014. During this period, the economy in Malaysia was fluctuating due to currency depreciation. Third, the study used both return on equity and earnings per share as indicators of profitability. Fourth, the results of the study provide empirical evidence that large size firms with efficiently managed assets can improve operating income and ultimately enhance profitability. Last but not least, this study applies the resource-based theory and the trade-off theory.

Muhamad Azhar Nor Sabli · Mohd Fahmy-Abdullah · Lai Wei Sieng ·International Journal of Supply Chain Management ·2019

This aim of this study is to measure the technical efficiency score and identify the factors that affect the technical efficiency in plastic manufacturing firm in Malaysia for the year 2015 using the two stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. The first stage involves calculating the efficiency score through the DEA using firm-level data, provided by the Department of Statistics, Malaysia. In the second stage, Tobit Regression Analysis was used to identify the significant factors affecting the efficiency of the plastic industry. The determining factors are the labor-ratio, training expenses, educational level ratios, wage rates, information and communications technology expenses and firm size. The results show that average efficiency score is moderate rate. Information and communication technology (ICT) expenditure, wage rate, research and development expenditure and education level are significant factors of the efficiency factor of a plastic product manufacturing firm. The implication of this decision suggests that firms need to emphasize significant factors to enhance firms' efficiency.

Muhammad Syafiq Abdul Latif · Mohd Fahmy-Abdullah · Lai Wei Sieng ·International Journal of Supply Chain Management ·2019

— Machinery manufacturing industry has been introduced since the beginning of the industrial era from European countries and developed until today. However, major challenges in machinery industry still driven by traditional production factors such as capital and labour that caused the industry still left out. Thus, the objective of the study are to analyse the level of TE and identifying determinant factors influenced to technical efficiency in the machinery manufacturing industry in Malaysia. The study was conducted by using the method of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) two stages. The first stage involves the calculation a score of efficiency through the DEA by using firm’s data while the second stage Regression Tobit Analysis used to identify significant factors influencing to technical efficiency in machinery industrial. This firm’s data are categorized into 3 subindustry 3-digit according to the Malaysian Standard Industrial Classifications which are consists of Manufacture of General-Purpose Machinery, Manufacture of Special Purpose Machinery and Manufacture of Installation Machinery Industrial and Equipment. A total of 636 machinery industry firms were involved in this study. Results showed the average efficiency score is at the medium level while the determinant factors were significant are wage rates, the standard of education and research and development (R&D). The implications of this study show that the machinery industry should focus their attention to the significant factors to improve the level of technical efficiency of the machinery industry.