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An empirical assessment of employee integrity in the public sector of Malaysia

Author

Listed:
  • Md. Mahmudul Alam
  • Razana Juhaida Johari
  • Jamaliah Said

Abstract

Purpose - Integrity is a critical issue as it could lead to failures in governance, fraud, inefficacy, corruption and weak financial management particularly in the public sector. At present, the public sector is a matter of global concern because of the constant cases of failures in governance, fraud, inefficacy and corruption. As such, this sector has been pressurized to provide justification of the sources and usages of public resources and to improve their service performance as the public has the right to monitor the public sector management’s transparency and efficacy. This study aims to evaluate the state of present integrity practices among public sector employees from various Malaysian service schemes. Design/methodology/approach - Primary data were collected using a questionnaire survey approach with 194 heads of departments in the Malaysian federal ministries. The collection of data was according to the perspective of 13 factors in integrity practices using a five-point Likert scale. Factor analysis and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. In addition, data reliability was checked by Cronbach’s alpha test; data normality was examined by Skewness and Kurtosis tests, and data validity was tested by using Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test and Barlett’s test. Findings - The findings show that 92.6 per cent of the participants reported that they practised integrity within their departments. Nevertheless, the priority for these integrity factors varies according to the service schemes. In general, the departments of finance, audits and administration had an above-average integrity practice level; however, the practice of the accounting scheme is below the general average level. Practical implications - These findings of the study will help policymakers to take necessary steps to improve the practices of integrity in the public sector to create a more dependable and efficient public sector in Malaysia. Originality/value - This is an original study based on primary data that assess the performance of practicing integrity in the public sector of Malaysia.

Suggested Citation

  • Md. Mahmudul Alam & Razana Juhaida Johari & Jamaliah Said, 2018. "An empirical assessment of employee integrity in the public sector of Malaysia," International Journal of Ethics and Systems, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 34(4), pages 458-471, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:ijoesp:ijoes-01-2018-0006
    DOI: 10.1108/IJOES-01-2018-0006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kaptein, Muel, 2003. "The Diamond of Managerial Integrity," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 99-108, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Haryono Umar & Ulfah Apriani & Rahima Br. Purba, 2021. "The Roles of the Government Internal Control System to Minimize Corruption Through the Fraud Star," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 12(3), pages 407-420, May.
    2. Jamaliah Said & Md. Mahmudul Alam & Razana Juhaida Johari, 2020. "Assessment of risk management practices in the public sector of Malaysia," International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 12(4), pages 377-390.
    3. Jamaliah Said & Md. Mahmudul Alam & Nurazwani Binti Mat Radzi & Mohamad Hafiz Rosli, 2020. "Impacts of accountability, integrity, and internal control on organisational value creation: evidence from Malaysian government linked companies," International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 14(2), pages 206-223.
    4. Razana Juhaida Johari & Md. Mahmudul Alam & Jamaliah Said, 2020. "Empirical assessment on factors contributing to integrity practices of Malaysian public sector officers," Post-Print hal-03538155, HAL.

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