volume-21-number-1

Editor-in-Chief: Romeo B. Lee

Preliminaries

Year: 2021, Volume 21 Number 1

Pages: 1 – 19

The rapid growth of the global digital economy is increasing the workload of courier dispatchers. This study measures the structural relationships between the constructs of the job demand and resources (JD-R) model and corporate volunteerism and the constructs’ dimensions to reduce burnout and work engagement issues. Three hundred and fifty completed questionnaires were collected among dispatchers who have at least one year of courier working experience in the present and previous company. The result shows the job demand construct and only one of the construct’s dimensions—physical demands—has influenced the dispatchers’ burnout. The job resources construct and only one of the construct’s dimensions— social support—has directly influenced work engagement. All the job resources construct’s dimensions—decision latitude and social support—and the construct itself have significantly moderated the effects of job demands construct and its dimensions on burnout. Therefore, considerable decision latitude needs to be given to workers, and team-work spirit between workers needs to be nurtured to combat the negative effect of job demands on burnout. The result also implies that the workers’ involvement in corporate volunteering activities needs to be boosted. This study fills the literature gap by enriching the JD-R model with corporate volunteerism and focus on blue-collar workers. 

Keywords: burnout, work engagement, job demands, job resources, corporate volunteerism 

Pages: 20 – 38

This study aims to inspect the factors that impact the adoption of e-government services (e-Gov) in telecenters in Malaysia and the mediating role of trust in this regard. A survey was conducted with the use of a questionnaire. The collected sample involved people who lived in rural areas and telecenters (N= 388). The results demonstrate that performance expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions are all directly and positively correlated with telecenter users’ intention to use e-Gov, which is directly related to the official usage of e-Gov in telecenters. The results showed that trust partially mediated between users’ intention and the actual usage of these services. This study has revealed that telecenters in Malaysia have opened up a unique window of opportunity for people who live in rural areas. This would help the Malaysian government and policymakers investigate the reasons for the current low penetration rate of e-Gov, and formulate methods to inspire the official use of e-Gov by those living in rural areas, where such facilities are still seen as an innovation. 

Keywords: UTAUT, e-government, telecenters, trust, rural areas 

Pages: 39 – 46

This paper presents the possible merits of a local capacity development framework for the Roxas Night Market in Davao City, Philippines. As a make-shift economic space built in a section of Roxas Avenue, its presence brings to the fore issues revolving around inclusive space, freedoms for street vendors, and power of the local government unit (LGU). These concerns gain extra premium in the night market where space access and use are confined and limited, where vendors struggle to find permanent vending sites, and where the LGU is forced and challenged to do something about the growing number of street vendors. With these concerns, the proposed local capacity development framework underscores the need to re-think inclusivity in the language of space, freedoms, and power. Concerning space, a night market is inclusive when it occasions the productive overlap between the history of vendors and their plans for the future (lived space), the way vendors use their actual and confined space (space as practiced), and the rules of LGU being the planner of the night market (conceived space). About freedoms (Sen), the framework acknowledges the synergy of freedom in terms of economic options, political support, transparency mechanisms, social-welfare opportunities, and protective security. Concerning power (Foucault), the night market can be inclusive if it allows both vendors and the LGU to dialogue in the exercise of their agency. 

Keywords: Local capacity development framework, social space, capability, power 

Pages: 47 – 59

The objective of this study was to categorize jobs that elderly workers preferred for reemployment. To that end, this study employed Q methodology to examine job preferences among elderly workers after their primary jobs. based on the subjective perceptions of experts specializing in elderly worker outplacement and career counseling. This study also proposed implications for establishing policies related to elderly worker outplacement and employment services. Based on this study’s findings, the jobs preferred by elderly workers for reemployment were classified into the following four types: (a) the type preferring an experience-based job; (b) the type preferring a simple job appropriate for the elderly; (c) the type preferring a current job; and (d) the type preferring to remain in a leading job. Suggestions are presented regarding the direction of policies for elderly worker outplacement and employment services. 

Keywords: Elderly Worker, Outplacement, Bridge Job, Q Methodology 

Pages: 60 – 70

This study identifies news consumption practices, preferences, and motivations on social media platforms among 25 Filipino transnationals in Thailand using the lens of the news consumption model and the concept of transnationalism. Through in-depth semi-structured individual interviews and focus group discussion (FGD), findings revealed that besides routine surveillance of news consumption as commonly practiced by Filipino transnationals, other reasons why they consumed news on Facebook and YouTube are relational, personal, and social. Thus, this paper argues that Filipino transnationals in Thailand do not only consume news on social media platforms to be informed of the latest happenings, development, and political conditions in their home country, but also to reconnect with their families and friends, to relieve stress, and to feel a sense of home away from their homes. This present study offers new insight into the news consumption model, particularly in the context of transnationalism as studies of this kind are rarely conducted, especially in the Global South. 

Keywords: Filipino transnationals, news consumption, online news, Philippine news, social media news 

Pages: 71 – 83

Previous studies have investigated entrepreneurial behavior but failed to pinpoint nascent entrepreneurial behavior (NEB) and its underlying causal factors. Potential universities are required to cooperate with government agencies to promote and support students, researchers, and entrepreneurs access the resources necessary for innovation-driven enterprises. As entrepreneurial universities, Thai universities will act as the new engine for national growth. This research aimed to develop, validate, and evaluate the invariance of the structural equation model (SEM) of NEB among Thai undergraduate students. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey with a Cronbach’s alpha between 0.723 and 0.903, which was applied to a sample of 1,272 students. Later, data were analyzed using LISREL software. The results showed that the constructed SEM was congruent with the empirical data at a very high level. Fifty-three percent of the variance of NEB was explained by causal factors. Attitude (ATT) was shown to have a direct effect on NEB at the highest level, followed by social norm (SN), and entrepreneurial intention (EI), respectively. This result suggested that actual EI depends not only on the policies launched by government sectors and universities, but also the awareness level of students towards such policies. Therefore, entrepreneurship behavior should be promoted continually for emphasis on NEB. 

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Incubating start-ups, Theory of Planned Behavior 

Pages: 84 – 101

This article examines differences in the propensity to engage in entrepreneurial activities among ethnically diverse women in Sơn La Province, a disadvantaged and mountainous rural area of Vietnam. Propensity for entrepreneurialism is examined by focusing on (a) women’s use of technology, (b) experiences of financial difficulties, and (c) propensity for risk-taking. Analyzing surveys completed by 135 women, we find that plans to start a business are equally apparent among women from diverse ethnic groups. We establish a positive association between levels of entrepreneurialism (practicing entrepreneurs, intending entrepreneurs, and non-entrepreneurs) and the use of technology. However, we find no association between entrepreneurialism and access to finance/financial difficulties or risk-taking. Women from very small ethnic minorities often report never using the Internet, and they seek loans from private lenders who charge relatively high interest rates. Our findings suggest a need for greater government investment in rural areas to increase women’s access to and use of technology. 

Keywords: ethnic minority women, entrepreneurship, use of technology, access to finance, risk-taking 

Pages: 102 – 114

To reduce deaths due to nose and throat cancer, also known as nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC), it is important to understand factors that motivate the public to undertake cancer screening. This study employed the risk perception attitude (RPA) framework to predict factors influencing NPC risk-reducing behaviors among a group of Malaysians. A sample of Malaysians (n=215) completed a questionnaire about perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and intention to enact self-protective actions to reduce NPC risk. A majority of the participants had responsive (high risk, high efficacy) and proactive attitudes (low risk, high efficacy). Hierarchical regression of mediation effect under structural equation model (SEM) approach was used to test the theory. Response efficacy and self-efficacy were negatively associated with perceived risk (p<0.01). Intention was negatively associated with perceived risk and positively associated with response efficacy and self-efficacy (p<0.01). Heightened perceived risk weakens efficacy beliefs and intention to enact self-protective behavior, suggesting that low-risk messages may work better to avert fatalistic thinking for this group. Perceived risk and response efficacy explained 26.5% of the variance in self-efficacy, suggesting the importance of framing NPC risk messages to heighten the audience’s confidence to enact self-protective health behaviors. 

Keywords: Nasopharyngeal cancer, Risk Perception Attitude framework, risk-reducing behaviors, Malaysians 

Pages: 115 – 126

Media and other socializing agents can play an influential role in creating an ideal male body because people live their lives in bodies. The influence of socializing agents on male body-shaping behavior is not widely discussed compared to the female case. This study is investigating whether the moderating role of body esteem between media and sociocultural factors has an impact on male body-shaping behavior. It examines the influence of media images and socializing agents in changing or maintaining that appearance among males. The sociocultural attitudes towards appearance, SATAQ-3 Scale, Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and the body image avoidance questionnaire were used to measure male body shaping behavior among 260 young Pakistani adults (M=22.76; SD=4.99). The findings indicated that media advertisements and family influence are significantly positive, whereas body esteem is negatively related to male body-shaping behavior. However, peers and female partner influence do not make any significant contribution to male body shaping behaviors. Furthermore, body esteem acts as a cause for men to indulge in body-shaping behavior to have a perfect ideal masculine body image. 

Keywords: socialization agents, males body shaping, self-esteem, media ideals 

Pages: 127 – 138

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using mobile group chat for social interaction on team collaboration. The forming stage of team development is the main scope of the study. Based on the literature suggesting stimulating effects of mobile group chat and social interaction on employees’ positive behavior, we hypothesized that using mobile group chat (Line app) for social interaction would enhance the collaboration of teams during the forming stage. We designed a one-factor experiment with participants randomly assigned to one of the two conditions. We compared the collaboration of the experimental group (using the Line app) with that of the control group (without the Line app). We found that the group using mobile group chat generates higher levels of collaboration than the control group. Implications for the role of mobile group chat in groups are discussed. 

Keywords: mobile group chat; Line app; social interaction; team collaboration 

Pages: 139 – 155

This article investigates the effect of net oil trading position on remittance flows through income variation of 55 developing countries over 1986–2018. To disentangle the causal effect of aggregate income on remittances, we take advantage of the persistent response of income to world oil price shocks and instrument income by the lagged interaction term between the dynamics of oil prices and net oil trade volumes. Results reveal that countries with a more substantial net oil trade balance attract larger remittances after an increase in global oil prices. Remittance flows to developing countries are associated with an altruistic or compensatory motive except for net oil-exporting countries where an investment motive prevails. The causal effect reveals via the income channel of the remittance-receiving country. Our results underscore that a surge in the oil trade balance affects remittance flows through its effect on per capita income. Oil trade balance variation exerts a persistent effect on income, and remittances actively respond to permanent income shocks, lasting for more than five years for oil-exporting countries. 

Keywords: Remittances, permanent income shocks, oil prices, oil trade balance, economic growth 

Pages: 156 – 171

South Asia is a highly populated and poverty-ridden region of the world that barely spends 0.9% of its GDP on education. This present study is structured to capture the variable returns in various types of education on poverty for the selected SAARC economies for the period ranges from 1983 to 2016. This study applies the fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) approach to obtain empirical results of the Kuznets curve of education poverty. The empirical results reveal that the primary enrollment increases poverty and does not follow a Kuznets curve. In contrast, an initial increase in secondary enrollment increases poverty but later leads to a decrease in poverty. Finally, an initial increase in tertiary enrollment decreases poverty but later leads to an increase in poverty. Based on these findings, this study proposes that education policy should be formulated separately for each level of education to extract maximum gains for the workforce. 

Keywords: education enrollment, social exclusion, Kuznets curve, panel FMOLS 

Pages: 172 – 187

With the conceptual controversies revolving around source credibility and considering the crucial role it plays in the realm of political persuasion, this paper examined how President Rodrigo Roa Duterte utilized the three Aristotelian ethos dimensions—competence, trustworthiness, and goodwill—in all his four state of the nation addresses (SONAs) from 2016 to 2019. Specifically, the study, through content analysis, investigated if these components were significantly related. Results revealed that there were significant associations between competence and goodwill and trustworthiness and goodwill. However, there was no significant association between competence and trustworthiness. Apart from offering interesting insights about the rhetoric and persuasive capacity of a populist national leader, the findings, more importantly, provided crucial theoretical implications for the supposed triadic interaction of the aforementioned facets of source credibility in the context of Philippine political communication. At the more practical level, the results of this study urge both scholars and practitioners to reexamine the usual components that are deemed to shape source credibility and consider the possibly changing structure of this factor of persuasion. 

Keywords: source credibility, ethos dimensions, state of the nation address, Duterte 

Pages: 184 – 201

The study examines the experiences, coping strategies, and responses of Filipino migrant domestic workers (FMDW) to inequalities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The collected narratives of migrant leaders from Italy, the U.K., and Hong Kong reveal that FMDWs employ their notions, ethics, and practices of care/care work in coping with the structural and social inequalities caused by the pandemic. We argue that the labor of care exhibited by FMDWs goes beyond the dichotomies of paid work and unpaid obligations of social reproduction. A “community of care” is manifested, which fosters community-building and solidarity in response to social exclusion and inequalities brought about by the COVID-19 crisis. The narratives also indicate a dynamic realignment of care circulation, with FMDWs becoming agents of multidirectional care. 

Keywords: multidirectionality of care, community of care, migrant domestic workers, COVID-19 

Pages: 197 – 212

Public health crises, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic that the world is currently experiencing, highlight two undeniable truths, among others. One is the value of health and healthcare, which is necessary for our survival, well-being, and access to some of life’s opportunities. The other is the scarcity of most healthcare resources. As everybody’s healthcare needs will not be satisfied, misfortunes in the form of suffering, loss of opportunities, or death are bound to occur. In the face of such realities, the issue of justice in healthcare, which inquires into what makes healthcare resource allocations fair, becomes a serious moral concern. This essay critically examines two philosophical approaches to this issue: the utilitarian approach, which aims to promote our greatest overall welfare, and the fair equality of opportunity approach, which aims to promote equality in our access to life’s normal range of opportunities. Despite their differences and challenges, it is shown that they can be combined to form a more comprehensive account of justice in healthcare and, consequently, serve as a practical moral framework for drafting or evaluating prioritization guidelines for allocating scarce healthcare resources in a COVID-19 pandemic. 

Keywords: justice, healthcare, equality of opportunity, utilitarianism, pandemic, COVID-19 

Pages: 213 – 225 

This article aims to explore and discuss dispute resolutions among the ethnic Simalungun in Indonesia. The problem is focused on the pentagonal relationship in social structures. The theoretical basis refers to Radcliffe-Brown structural-functionalism. The data was collected through observation and in-depth interviews. The observed disputes occurred in four different villages of Haranggaol, Purbatongah, Rayahuluan, and Merekraya. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 families involved in the dispute. The focus of disputes includes cultivation boundaries, inheritance rights, theft, and elopement. The descriptive-qualitative approach is used to analyze problems. The study found that the pentagonal relationship of the Lima Saodoran structures has roles and functions that span the entire life process. The novelty of the study is that the structure of Boru, Boru ni Boru, and Sanina are central figures acting as peacemakers to mediate disputes. The study concludes that the quality of the pentagonal relationship in a resolution lies in the retrospection of functions according to the primordial position of the structure. The quality of a stable pentagonal relation impacts the stability of the structure, whereas dysfunction has an impact on structural collapse. 

Keywords: dispute, resolution, pentagonal relationships, Simalungun, Indonesia 

Pages: 226 – 236 

To a certain extent, the enigmatic process of Indonesian constitutional amendment has been adequately raised, if not explained. Nonetheless, it is a no-brainer to suggest that the available accounts are far from presenting the whole picture of the process. Should we recognize the utmost gravity of the process of the emergence of the current model of democratization, it is imperative to consider the elusive contribution of the Constitutional Commission (“Komisi Konstitusi”) as a small cadre of Indonesia’s intellectual elites. Needless to say, this “other” process has been overlooked by the available scholarly accounts up to a point where it occupies the dustbin of history. Having said that, this article is the first to present a discussion on the overlooked work of the Commission as an elite-driven process of constitution-making in democratizing Indonesia. In addition to being situated within the tradition of archival-based biographical study, this study places the Commission as it pertains to the broader theoretical question with regard to the contemporary idea of constitutional tradition in Indonesian political thought. Moreover, another salient argument that this paper raises is that public displays of self-importance of the Commission provide a window not only for understanding the dynamics of the post-authoritarian Indonesian political thought but no less important to make a case for the importance of cultural analysis in understanding the constitutional practice. 

Keywords: dispute, resolution, pentagonal relationships, cultural legal analysis, Indonesia