BUKU ABSTRAK - Universiti Putra Malaysia

Social Sciences
Demand for Food Safety Attributes for Vegetables in Malaysia
Prof. Dr. Mad Nasir Shamsudin
Ahmad Hanis Izani Abdul Hadi, Jinap Selamat, and Alias Radam
Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8947 1089; hanis.izani@gmail.com
In a developing economy like Malaysia with rising per capita income, there have been changes in the
consumer demand for food attributes such as safety, freshness, appearance and texture. This study investigated
the demand for food safety attributes for vegetables. The results suggested that food safety attributes were ranked
the highest for leafy and root vegetables, and ranked second behind freshness for fruit vegetables. Consumers
were also willing to pay premium prices for the safety attributes. The findings would have positive implications
for the agrifood industry if it responds effectively to translate into business opportunities to these changes.
Keywords: Food attributes, food safety, willingness to pay, vegetables
Identification of Competencies for Malaysian Occupational Safety and Health
Professionals using Delphi Technique
Prof. Dr. Maimunah Ismail
Rabaayah Daud and Zoharah Omar
Faculty of Educational Studies, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8946 8111; mismail@educ.upm.edu.my
Competencies of occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals have become a concern due to the
significance of safety management in the field of safety engineering. The purpose of this article is to identify
competencies needed by OSH professionals. These competencies are required by professionals in administrating
and enforcing legislations related to OSH in Malaysia. This study used Delphi technique in three rounds of data
collection. The benefits of this research approach are the use of experts in gaining opinions without time and
geographical restraints. The results show 25 generic competencies with combinations of cognitive, interpersonal
and intrapersonal competencies and 33 functional or specific competencies including knowledge and skills
needed by OSH professionals. Both generic and functional competencies are also divided into threshold and
differentiating competencies that would be used to differentiate average and excellent performance of OSH
professionals.
Keywords: Competencies, delphi technique, Malaysia, occupational safety and health professionals
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