Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

About: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia is a education organization based out in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Membrane & Control theory. The organization has 21644 authors who have published 39500 publications receiving 520635 citations.

Islamic banks: Contrasting the drivers of customer satisfaction on image, trust, and loyalty of Muslim and non‐Muslim customers in Malaysia

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate customer satisfaction and its effect on image, trust, and customer loyalty for Islamic banks. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses data from Islamic banks and dual‐window Islamic banks, pertaining to two different customer segments (Muslims and non‐Muslims). Findings – The results indicate that customer satisfaction has a significant relationship with image, image has a significant relationship with trust, and trust has a significant relationship with customer loyalty for both customer segments. Furthermore, significant differences occur in the effect of customer satisfaction on image, image on trust, and trust on customer loyalty between Muslim and non‐Muslim customers. Practical implications – The findings suggest that Muslim customers establish relationships with Islamic banks because they trust that Islamic banks are Shariah compliant. Therefore, providing secure banking products that are fully compliant with Islamic principles are necessary. Originality/value – This research is important as it clearly demonstrates that the loyalty of Muslim and non‐Muslim customers to Islamic banks is influenced by customers being satisfied, as well as the image of and trust in Islamic banks. In this context, when customers are unwilling to trust Islamic banks, they are also unwilling to be loyal.

A comprehensive review of maximum power point tracking algorithms for photovoltaic systems

Abstract: In recent decades, Photovoltaic (PV) energy has made significant progress towards meeting the continuously increasing world energy demand. Besides that, the issue of conventional fossil fuels depletion as well as environmental pollution both contribute to the growth of PV technology. However, the deployment and implementation of photovoltaic systems remain as a great challenge, since the PV material cost is still very high. The low PV module conversion efficiency is another factor that restricts the wide usage of PV systems, therefore a power converter embedded with the capability of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) integrated with PV systems is essential to further the technology. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the available MPPT techniques, both the uniform insolation and partial shaded conditions. In order to appreciate the knowledge of MPPT concepts, several types of PV cell equivalent models are explained too. Conventional MPPT techniques have proven the ability to track the maximum power point (MPP) under uniform solar irradiance. However, under rapidly changing environments and partially shaded conditions, conventional techniques have failed to track the true MPP. For this reason, stochastic based methods and artificial intelligence have been developed with the ability to seek the true MPP under multiple peaks with good convergence speed. This paper analyses and compares both conventional and stochastic MPPT techniques based on the true MPP tracking capability, design complexity, cost consideration, sensitivity to environmental change and convergence speed. Comparatively, the stochastic algorithms and artificial intelligence show excellent tracking performance. The research on MPPT techniques is ongoing towards achieving a better performance in terms of the ease of implementation, low system cost and better tracking efficiency.

Recent advances in epoxy resin, natural fiber-reinforced epoxy composites and their applications

Abstract: The versatile characteristic of epoxy and its diversity made it suitable for different industrial applications such as laminated circuit board, electronic component encapsulations, surface coatings, potting, fiber reinforcement, and adhesives. However, the pervasive applications in many high-performance field limited the epoxy use because of their delamination, low impact resistance, inherent brittleness, and fracture toughness behavior. The limitations of epoxy can be overcome by incorporation and modification before their industrial applications. Currently, modified epoxy resins are extensively used in fabrication of natural fiber-reinforced composites and in making its different industrial products because of their superior mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Present review article designed to be a comprehensive source of recent literature on epoxy structure, synthesis, modified epoxy, bio-epoxy resin, and its applications. This review article also aims to cover the recent advances in natur...

Does higher education service quality effect student satisfaction, image and loyalty?: A study of international students in Malaysian public universities

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Malaysian public universities’ service quality on international student satisfaction, institutional image and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – A total number of 400 questionnaires were distributed to international students, selected using convenience sampling technique, at three public Malaysian university campuses in Kuala Lumpur. Of this, 241 were deemed fit for analysis (60 per cent response rate). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the collected data, assess the model and test hypotheses. Findings – The findings show that all the five dimensions of higher education service quality influence student satisfaction which in turn influences institutional image, and together, they influence student loyalty. Research limitations/implications – There are a number of limitations associated with this study. First, the findings of the study are based on data from international students at only three Mala...