National University of Malaysia

About: National University of Malaysia is a education organization based out in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Heat transfer. The organization has 26593 authors who have published 41270 publications receiving 552683 citations. The organization is also known as: NUM & Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

How will market orientation and external environmnet influence the performance among SMEs in the agri-food sector in Malaysia?

Abstract: Many researchers have explored the relationship between market orientation and firm performance in manufacturing and services industries but such studies in agri-food SMEs are scarce. Previous research conducted has conceptually and empirically supported the notion that market orientation independently or collectively have positive correlations with the business performance of organization (such as Narver and Slater, 1990; Jaworski and Kohli, 1993; Lee and Peterson, 2000). The aim of this paper is to examine the marketing practices and the marketing orientation-business performance relationship among SMEs in agri-food sector in Malaysia. This study also investigated the role of the external environment in the market orientation-performance linkage. From an analysis of a survey data of 102 agri- food organizations, three dimensions namely customer-competitor orientation, inter-functional coordination and information dissemination extracted from factor analysis result of market orientation. The study revealed that customer-competitor orientation and information dissemination were positively related to business performance. In terms of the role of external environment, two dimensions produced by factor analysis, market-technology turbulence and competitive intensity did not moderate the relationship between market orientation and business performance. Findings are discussed and implications are highlighted. Keywords: Market Orientation, External Environment, Business Performance

Genetic Mapping Identifies Novel Highly Protective Antigens for an Apicomplexan Parasite

Abstract: Apicomplexan parasites are responsible for a myriad of diseases in humans and livestock; yet despite intensive effort, development of effective sub-unit vaccines remains a long-term goal. Antigenic complexity and our inability to identify protective antigens from the pool that induce response are serious challenges in the development of new vaccines. Using a combination of parasite genetics and selective barriers with population-based genetic fingerprinting, we have identified that immunity against the most important apicomplexan parasite of livestock (Eimeria spp.) was targeted against a few discrete regions of the genome. Herein we report the identification of six genomic regions and, within two of those loci, the identification of true protective antigens that confer immunity as sub-unit vaccines. The first of these is an Eimeria maxima homologue of apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA-1) and the second is a previously uncharacterised gene that we have termed ‘immune mapped protein-1’ (IMP-1). Significantly, homologues of the AMA-1 antigen are protective with a range of apicomplexan parasites including Plasmodium spp., which suggest that there may be some characteristic(s) of protective antigens shared across this diverse group of parasites. Interestingly, homologues of the IMP-1 antigen, which is protective against E. maxima infection, can be identified in Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum. Overall, this study documents the discovery of novel protective antigens using a population-based genetic mapping approach allied with a protection-based screen of candidate genes. The identification of AMA-1 and IMP-1 represents a substantial step towards development of an effective anti-eimerian sub-unit vaccine and raises the possibility of identification of novel antigens for other apicomplexan parasites. Moreover, validation of the parasite genetics approach to identify effective antigens supports its adoption in other parasite systems where legitimate protective antigen identification is difficult.