Modelling the mass adoption potentials of eBikes among Malaysian youth.

This study examined (1) the effect of environmental concern, environmental knowledge, and health consciousness on attitude towards eBikes; (2) the effect of eBikes attributes of interest and infrastructure on perceived behavioural control; and finally, (3) the effect of attitude towards eBikes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control on eBikes commuting intention and its usage among Malaysian youth. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and convenience sampling, and collected quantitative data from 699 Malaysian youth through an online survey. Findings revealed that (1) environmental concern, environmental knowledge, and health consciousness had a positive and significant impact on attitude towards eBikes; (2) eBikes attributes of interest and infrastructure were positively and significantly related to perceived behavioural control; (3) attitude towards eBikes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control had a positive and significant effect on eBikes commuting intention; (4) eBikes commuting intention was positively and significantly related to the usage of eBikes; (5) eBikes commuting intention significantly mediated the relationship between attitude towards eBikes and perceived behavioural control on the usage of eBikes among Malaysian youth; and (6) eBikes commuting intention did not mediate the relationship between social norm and usage of eBikes. Although environmental knowledge and social norm are proven to have a positive and significant relationship, this analysis demonstrated a relatively low effect size. To promote environmental and sustainable development in cities through the mass adoption of eBikes among Malaysian youth, policymakers should highlight the benefits of using eBikes, introduce proper policies, and involve the development of improved and connected cycling paths in the city sustainable infrastructure plans.

A Delphi method on the positive impact of COVID-19 on higher education institutions: Perceptions of academics from Malaysia.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the education sector. Rather than the impact of COVID-19, many higher education institutions (HEIs) are on the verge of insolvency due to a lack of digital transformation readiness and poor business models. The bleak financial future many HEIs will face while others may be forced to close their doors completely will erode HEIs' ability to fulfil their societal responsibilities. However, HEIs that have survived and maintained their operations anticipate the transition to online learning or the effects of any economic crisis, including university closures in the short, medium, or long term. The entire educational ecosystem was forced to transform its operations quickly and entirely to an online teaching-learning scenario in just a few weeks. Notably, HEIs that have long offered online courses worldwide can easily transition to digital teaching and learning when necessary. The second roundtable session's result of the International Higher Education Conference, organized by INTI International University on March 31 2022, was used to organize a Delphi method to identify further factors that positively impact HEIs by COVID-19. The importance of these factors was then determined using Kendall's coefficient of concordance. Recommendations on how HEIs should move towards institutional sustainability during the endemic phase are presented accordingly.