The Link Between Marketing Capabilities and Co-Operative Performance in Malaysia

Co-operative is a business entity established with voluntary participation to enhance the economic status of members, communities, and the country. As the third significant contributor to the nation's economic, due attention is essential in addressing some issues related to co-operative performance. Among these issues was the inability to meet the goals of the National Co-operative Policy II (2011-2020) as well as the low level of contribution to the country's GDP, despite various support provided by the government. Based on the literature, marketing capabilities are predicted to enhance co-operative performance, but less research has been conducted on this relationship, particularly in the Malaysia.Thus, 500 questionnaires were distributed to randomly selected co-operatives in Malaysia. In all, 133 sets of questionnaires were successfully collected, which showed a 27 percent response rate. This study utilises SPSS software to perform the required statistical analysis of the data survey. This study uses a simple random sampling method to select a sample based on a list of registered co-operatives from the Malaysian Co-operative Commission. Thus, this study found the marketing capabilities has positive and significant relationship with co-operative performance. The evidence from this study suggests that the co-operative needs to develop the marketing capabilities in order to enhance performance.The findings of this study will help the government to streamline the co-operative sector in Malaysia with the strategic planning and policies so that the co-operative sector would be stronger, competitive, and able to improve performance and contribution to economic as well as GDP of the country.

COMPARISON OF PROKINETIC ACTIVITY OF RANITIDINE AND NEOSTIGMINE ALONE AND IN COMBINATION- AN IN VITRO STUDY

Objective: To explore the prokinetic effect of Ranitidine, to compare it with the prokinetic effect of Neostigmineand to observe the potentiating prokinetic effect of Ranitidine and Neostigmine in combination. Study Design: Randomised controlled trial (experimental study). Place and Duration of Study: Multi disciplinary centre, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, from Jan to Dec 2015. Methodology: Experiments were performed on three groups of rabbits (n=6) and Cumulative dose responsecurves were plotted using isolated duodenal tissue on power lab (USA). In the first two groups of experiments,cumulative concentrations of Neostigmine and Ranitidine were studied separately with neostigmine acting as acontrol and in the third group the potentiating effect of a fixed dose of ranitidine on neostigmine was evaluated. Results: Neostigmine’s response was taken as 100 percent and Ranitidine’s response when compared to it came out to be 197 percent. The dose response curve of Neostigmine was shifted to the left and upwards in the presence of Ranitidine. The percent response with Neostigmine alone was taken as 100 percent and increased to 212 percent when the tissue was pre-treated with Ranitidine. Conclusion: Our study has indicated that Ranitidine has marked prokinetic effect which is found to be greaterthan Neostigmine. It is also inferred that Ranitidine can potentiate the prokinetic effect of Neostigmine.

Critical success factors for digital library implementation in Africa: Solution focused rather than problem focused

Digital libraries continue to be an important source for indigenous content and research output in developing countries, especially in the context where traditional distribution mechanisms failed. It is therefore useful for continual research to maintain and enhance our standing on the topic and to improve ways of making digital libraries more usable and sustainable to the user community. It is with this effect that this study on the success factors of digital libraries was conducted, with the objective to identify and validate a set of critical success factors (CSFs) for digital library implementation in developing countries. To address this, a quantitative exploratory research design was employed using a web-based survey questionnaire as the data collection technique. A total of 56 item statements associated with the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework were developed and respondents were asked about their Perceived Importance and Actual Practices of those factors in digital library implementation. Digital libraries in Africa were sampled and an identified 155 digital libraries from this continent were obtained from OpenDOAR, with 111 sample size representative of the respondents. Based on a 70 percent response rate expectation, invitations were sent to respondents representing the digital libraries. After almost six months, there was a 67.7 percent response rate with 105 usable questionnaires obtained. This study revealed eight CSFs for digital library implementation in ranked order - Content, Architecture, People, Process, Standards, Location and Time, Policy and Advocacy. They are the salient factors that would not only assist to attain sustainable digital library development and implementation, but also provide guidance to library practitioners in appropriate decisions for digital library adoption. It may also help libraries to accomplish their digital library mission in the most cost effective way.

Retail Investors' Preferences towards Investment in Mutual Funds

This research aims to study retail investors’ preferences towards mutual funds from Gujarat perspective. For this, survey approach was used in order to solicit primary data from the respondents. The structure questionnaire was distributed among 325 respondents out of which 288 valid questionnaires were received with full response with 88.62 percent response rate. The survey was carried out in the month of August - September, 2019. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. The results of this study indicated that majority people make investment with an objective of getting tax relief; there is association between: 1) occupation and kind of investments 2) occupation and mode of investments. The findings of this study provide valuable insights to mutual funds companies and govt. about which factors affects investors’ investment decisions towards mutual funds. Moreover, investors can have ideas about what other investors think of about investment in mutual funds. The limitations of this study will create scope for further research in same domain in future.

A Data-Challenge Case Study of Analyte Detection and Identification with Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry (GC×GC-MS)

This case study describes data analysis of a chromatogram distributed for the 2019 GC×GC Data Challenge for the Tenth Multidimensional Chromatography Workshop (Liege, Belgium). The chromatogram resulted from chemical analysis of a terpene-standards sample by comprehensive two-dimensional chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS). First, several aspects of the data quality are assessed, including detector saturation and oscillation, and operations to prepare the data for analyte detection and identification are described, including phase roll for modulation-cycle alignment and baseline correction to account for the non-zero detector baseline. Then, the case study presents operations for analyte detection with filtering, a new method to flag false detections, interactive review to confirm detected peaks, and ion-peaks detection to reveal peaks that are obscured by noise or coelution. Finally, the case study describes analyte identification including mass-spectral library search with a new method for optimizing spectra extraction, retention-index calibration from preliminary identifications, and expression-based identification checks. Processing of the first 40 min of data detected 144 analytes, 21 of which have at least one percent response, plus an additional 20 trace and/or coeluted analytes.

A Study on Use of Search Engines by the Faculty Members of Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

The aim of this study was to examine A Study on Use of Search Engines by the Faculty Members of Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. A well-structured questionnaire was distributed among the 176 faculties, out of which 165 duly filled copies were returned, constituting a 96.94 percent response rate. The present study demonstrates and elaborates the various aspects of use of search engines such as, use of arts and science subject search engines, material and liking of search engines, conduct to place the information from the Internet during search engines, troubles faced by the users and satisfaction rank of users though using the search engines. The results of the survey provided some of the reasons that influence the contentment with information recovery results of search engines. Internet has revolutionized the information today. The search engines contain complete searching the Internet very simple. They have emerged as a resolution to the difficulty of accessing in order source on the Net. The study recommends that there is a need to conduct the orientation programmer on search engines to help the faculty members for effective and efficient use of search engines for access the qualitative information available on the web.

Assessing the Strategies of State Offices of Minority Health to Reduce Health Disparities

Researchers suggest focusing on social determinants of health might have greater impact atreducing health disparities than individual-level approaches. The goal of this research was to compareperceived best practices to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities with the actual activities of stateoffi ces of minority health. Persons in charge of each state office of minority health responded to an onlinequestionnaire (N = 41, 82 percent response rate). Officers believed addressing social determinats of healthwould have greatest impact at reducing disparities yet devoted most resources to individual-level variables.Though state offices of minority health are under-resourced, officers must continue identifying innovative,collaborative methods to intervene on social determinants of health.

Customers’ service quality perception in automotive repair

Purpose – This purpose of this paper is to investigate the diagnostic abilities and dimensional structure of the SERVQUAL scale within a non-western automotive repair services setting. Design/methodology/approach – Data collected from a randomly generated sample of 555 participants that produced a 50.63 percent response rate was factor analyzed and tested for internal scale consistency. A one sample t-test and a median ranking statistics of component extractions were also conducted. Findings – This study reveals that the SERVQUAL scale is a valid and reliable measure of service quality within the automotive repair services setting in a non-western context. Further outcomes from the assessment show that, even though the original five dimensional SERVQUAL structure was successfully replicated, there were definite differences in items assignment. Empathy also emerged as the most important dimension of service quality. Research limitations/implications – The outcomes of this study cannot be generalized. As such, the SERVQUAL scale should receive more rigorous research in non-western contexts in two directions. First, the scale should be tested across other services fields to further confirm its diagnostic abilities and dimensional structure. Second, more multi-sectoral as well as cross-cultural studies tested across larger data sets is equally required to enhance generalizability of findings across other non-western environments. Originality/value – This study demonstrated that the SERVQUAL scale is a valid and reliable measure of service quality within the automotive repair services setting in a non-western context with empathy emerging as the most significant dimension of service quality.