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11031900
APPROVAL PAGE
I certified that I have supervised and read this study and in my opinion it conforms to
acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate in scope and quality as a
Supervisor
This research paper was submitted to the Faculty of Economics and Business, UNIMAS and
is accepted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Corporate Master in
Business Administration.
UNIMAS
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY
16 August 2013
11031900
ABSTRACT
(ThiS research explores the saving practices among students and the purpose or goals of their
saving. The combination of respondents involved students from secondary and college or
universities level. There were some students at the secondary level have scholarship and at
the college or university, there were students who have allowance (especially students at the
Institute of Teachers Education) and students have education loan (PTPTN). The
combinations of these statuses give clearer views and understandings to other readers and
I
This study used questionnaire-based surveys to get information and data from students. Data
collected from 70 students at the secondary level and 230 students at the college or university
The results revealed that the saving practices are increased with the college age, which
students at the secondary level have less saving practices and less responsibility to control
and manage their expenditure. But at the college age, students have better saving practices,
budgeting and tracking their spending more regularly. Furthermore, they have more banking
options which enable them to control their cash outflow thus have more experienced in
dealing with money. Financial knowledge help to guide and improve their saving practices
The finding also indicated that saving for retirement period was students' priority. Majority
of students were aware that it is very extremely important to save for retirement and that the
age option of retirement give students clearer understanding to save at the earlier age and not
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Several implications emerge from this study, that student at the lower level have many
weaknesses towards saving practices and their saving behaviour were mostly influenced by
their parents. Additionally, educators at schools have less effort and effective teaching
Therefore, the recommendations suggest that curriculum at schools should introduce the
financial management courses for students to expose them with the world of money
management. This could help to guide and encourage students to save at the young age.
Parents and educators should play an important role by equipped themselves with money
management practices and help to establish or organise more financial seminars and
workshops. It is hoped that this study would give advantage not only for students but parents,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to my supervisor, Professor Abu Hassan,
for his advice, guidance and his great encouragement. I am very happy to have the
opportunity to complete this study under his supervision. I would also like to thank our
course coordinator, Dr. Mahani Bin Mohamad Abdu Shakur, for her advice and support,
especially during the early stages of this study. Many thanks to Prof. Abu Hassan and Dr.
Mahani for their assistances and having faith in me to complete this study.
I would also like to express my appreciation to my friends, Sherryline Entia Buja (SMK
Selirik Kapit), Shirley Empen (IPO Campus Miri), Jani Leburn (IPO Sultan A.Halim) and
Ardiles Anthony (College Technology Sarawak Kuching) for their help to distribute the
Lastly, to all survey participants in this study, I gratefully acknowledged your kind
participation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Approval Page 3
Statement of Originality 4
Abstract 5
Acknowledgement 7
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction 10
1.3 Objectives 15 12
2.3.2 Allowances 21
3.1 Hypothesis 1 26
3.2 Hypothesis 2 28
4.1 Introduction 29
5.8 Conclusion 63
REFERENCES 66
Appendix 1 & 2 69
List of Tables 75
List of Figures 76
CHAPTERl
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
"Savings" are usually put into the safest places, or products, that allow us to access our
money at any time. The recent economic slowdown has changed our economic environment,
and the way people think about financial issues. Students face many hard financial decisions.
Error· in money management can impact them long after graduation. Many students end up
making some costly money mistakes, thus these mistakes can actually cause damage that
lingers for decades (Xiao et aI., 2007). As a young adult they need to figure out how to pay
for college, earn some spending money, and still get a good education.
While students are in schools and maybe even right after they graduate, they are going to be
on a tight budget. It can be depressing and frightening to realize that they do not make
enough money to cover their monthly expenses. Many students are struggling to find decent
jobs after graduate and payoff their debt. These contribute to the increased in loan default
cases of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation or known as PTPTN. By the year
2005, PTPTN has reported a deficit of RM7 billion (US$2.2 billion) due to low rate of loan
repayment. In 2011, it was reported that 132,801 borrowers of PTPTN have been blackHsted
There also a serious problem in credit management among college or university students as
they have easier access to financial sources such as credit and debt (Peng et aI., 2007). If a
utility bill or a credit card payment is missed or paid late, their credit rating may suffer. After
graduation, a poor credit report can hinder the process of renting an apartment or applying for
a car loan. If students mishandle their finances while in college or university, it may have a
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negative impact long after he or she graduates. In Malaysia, it was reported that 50% of credit
card holders who declared bankrupt are below 30 years old (Ng, 2009; The Star, 2010).
recent years and is likely to continue doing so. This paper sets out to identify and explore the
best and appropriate saving practices amongst college or university students. This paper is not
just exploring the saving practices, but to identify the main purposes of savings by students. It
will provide a better understanding for students regarding his or her financial situation. The
finding of the paper can provide an excellent opportunity and guidance for students to
develop their financial skills that will benefit them for the rest of their life.
The problem of this research is to identify and explore the saving practices among students.
Adam Davidson, New York Times Magazines column writes, "savings have fallen steadily
for more than 30 years, from a high of nearly .12 percent of income." Lack of parent savings
for college is an access issue for many students. A new report from the EARN Research
Institute outlines the results that 59 percent said one reason they (parent) are not saving
because they are "unsure of the best way to save or how to get started". This problem had
caused their children (students) depend too much on education loans. Students' access to
financial resources, even loans and debt, gives them the opportunity to spend money on basic
and luxury needs (Leila Falahati et tal., 2011). Increased cost of living becomes a factor for
the need to have good saving practices. In education, college or university tuition and fees
have generally been rising around the world. In 2010, Britain allowed universities in England
to increase undergraduate tuition to as much as £9,000 a year, about triple the previous rate.
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College or university students do not have proper finance skills. A new study from the
University of Arizona and the National Endowment for financial Education which was
released in April 2009 showed that students received an "F" grade for money management
skills. And almost two and a half years later, the survey shows students ability to handle
money has declined by 7 percent. The expansion of the consumer market and marketing
activities, makes it harder for individuals to cope with the market's increasing demand for
The lack of financial knowledge and education leads students to face financial problems.
Some courses or programmes provide financial educations are not effective and inadequate
for students to learn and improve their money management. (Croy et aI., 2010) said many
students experience financial hard times when they finished their studies, finding a job and
when they get older because they never got the facts on saving. They think that saving is
A re earch is therefore necessary in order to reach reasonable and effective findings. The
1.3 OBJECTIVES
1. The specific objective is to identify and explore the saving practices amongst
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This study focuses on university students from University Technology Sarawak in Kuching
and students from two colleges of Institute of Teachers Education in Miri and in Sungai
Petani Kedah. The sample will comprised students randomly in the university to answer the
questionnaire regardless which semester are they in. The researcher chooses this university
because the majority of the students are Malays and Bumiputera groups and majority of the
students have an education loans and monthly allowance, especially students at the Institute
of Teachers Education. The researcher would combine all respondents from the three institute
of higher learning as one sample of college or university level. The results later can be a
Apart from that, this study will involve secondary school students (Form Six, Upper and
Lower Class) from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Selirik Kapit. The majority students are
Iban and this school located in rural Kapit area. As this group are pre-university students, it is
very essential to study and explore their savings practices when they still in school. This
result can be used as their guidance to learn and understand the important of savings practices
as a preparation for them to enter new campus life. This meant that those students will
manage their own finance matter and not more depend on their parents. And this will prove
that savings practices are important and useful for student to prepare themselves in future.
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I I
1.5 SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY
This research is very important because to date there is no research on this topic. Actually,
there was a research done by lariah M. from University Putra Malaysia on 2011 but the paper
focuses on financial practice and problems of the elderly in Malaysia. There also a research
done by Chor-Foon Tang from Media Utara Resources on 2008 which that paper focuses on
Many people know that lack of savings is a very serious problem amongst students in our
country. Students are very weak in manage their money. Sometimes students not planning
their budget effectively especially new col1ege or university student. They always makes
wrong decision when it comes to buy or purchase what their wants and needs. Students also
able to make critical purchasing decisions and understand how personal finances affect other
The scholarship and education loans provided for students caused most parents feel that it is
not important for them to make savings for their children college tuition and university fees
(Webleyet ai., 2006). While the great cost of a college education should not be entirely the
responsibility of parents, any amount that parents can set aside for their children can decrease
the amount the student might have to take out in loans or cover with other funding. Some
parents never teach their children to save and manage their money wisely at younger age.
Apart from that, the educators are too depends on the courses or programmes especially in
financial education but not try to encourage their students to practice it in the real life.
Therefore, this research will benefit the educators by exposing students to more practical
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The fmdings acquired from this research would certainly benefit many individuals especially
students and group of people in our country and elsewhere around the world. · First and
foremost, it would help to reduce any financial problems students have to face with. It would
equip young people - students and non-students alike, with the good skills and practices,
knowledge and confidence they need to make financial decisions. Students will know and
understand what they must do (the ways to save) and what purpose of their savings.
Secondly, parents also would benefit from this research as this will help to improve their
thinking that it is very important for them to plan and to save for their children education. It
also would help parents to encourage their children to start saving at a young age. Besides
that, this research provides parents with easy to understand information about how to save
The government also can benefited from this research. When students have good savings
practices means that they can manage their money wisely and they can make better decision
about their daily expenses. Therefore, when students start savings now, they will have good
financi al status in future and thus can repay their loans (PTPTN) on time. The numbers
students blacklisted as they are not able to repay their loans can be reduced. This will be
advantage for government because they can generate income from the loans interest thus, the
government can provide loans and scholarship to more students in future. As a result, more
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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
One of the articles which has attracted researcher's attention is a term paper written
by Mohamad Fazli Sabri and Maurice MacDonald (2010) entitled "Savings Behavior
and Financial Problems Among College Students: The Role of Financial Literacy in
Malaysia". They demonstrate that students who had higher financial knowledge were
more likely to report savings behaviour and also reported fewer financial problems.
management whether or not they can afford to indulge themselves during the college
years. The study done by Cunningham, 2001; Nellie, 2002 point out those students
entering their university education without ever having been responsible for their own
personal finances. While in the college or university students have to manage their
important for everyday life activities. Financially educated people are able to make
better decision, thus lead to higher financial security (Hilgert and Hogarth, 2003).
Recent studies are mostly focus on the financial planning of university students
because many of them fail to plan their expenditure and unexpectedly experience
Brennan and Ritters (2004) indicated that, financial education plays a key role in
et al. (2006) and Hilgert and Hogart (2003) indicated that, financial knowledge is one
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education or knowledge should be based on the needs, interests, and abilities of each
student. Clearly, more financial education is needed for young adults to better the
economy.
education. The trend in research demonstrates that a child's most significant source of
financial knowledge comes from their family. Danes, Sharon M. (1994), points out
that parent plays an essential role in transferring knowledge of the realistic and
financial guidance. In addition, many parents thought that they can influence or
encourage their children spending habits due to peer influence. The family is the
source for most of a child's financial knowledge and provide the most deep-seated
education. Clarke, et al. (2005) found that the poor financial habits of parents
commonly present themselves in their children's lives. He added parents have the
responsibility to guide and educate their children to create and maintain on mature
responsibilities and tasks. Some parents may not feel comfortable with their own
financial situation therefore it may be difficult for them to talk about the matter with
their children. Children watch and model their parental figures. If more parents could
factually educate their children about finance, children may be less likely to develop
poor habits. Parents can help children become effective money managers and
responsible buyers by teaching them money management skills from an early age. It is
suggested by Clarke, et al. (2005), young adults feel more equipped to manage their
17
,.
own financial responsibilities if they received a good education on the subject at
planning (Parotta & Johnson, 1998). Previous studies have found that individual
positive financial management practices have been the single most influential
detenninant of household solvency status and financial satisfaction (Joo & Grable,
Personal financial problem are mostly cited as a caused of workplace troubles. Low
salary, overspending, heavy debts, spending behaviour and lack of knowledge about
money are the main causes of people (employees) financial problems. In 2004, there
were 16,251 consumer bankruptcies were filed, which increased up to 32% (12,351 in
2003) from the previous year (Malaysian Central Bank, 2005). Sporakowski (1979)
argued that financial problems cause stress and crisis. Not only the poor worried about
the financial problems, but also the middle and high income people are no exception.
It is not the high salary can guarantee people not having the financial problems but it
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.1
In terms of previous literature, financial management practices were the most
lead to lower levels of financial problems and higher levels of financial satisfaction.
Saving behaviour occurs when current income exceeds current consumption and
therefore when total resources increase. Not saving is the opposite of saving. Saving
leads to asset accumulation as long as saving is greater than not saving. People might
simply make deposits immediately after receiving income, before making any other
purchases or payments. As the cost of living are getting high, people face with income
instability and people (especially workers' debt) is increasing and it is getting hard to
and low-income household (Cho, 2009). This phenomenon has concerned consumers
of the adequacy of their savings, which could cause their saving rate declined over
time. One study conducted by The Pew Research Center (2007) found that almost
80% of Americans always try to save; however, 63% responded they do not save
enough. While, Hurd and Zissimopolous (2000) reported that about 70% of
respondents saved too little within the past 20 to 30 years. Low-income people
(household) tend to have low saving rate which could lead to health problems.
Shefrin and TIlaler (1988; 1992;Thaler, 1990; Thaler & Shefrin, 1981) proposed the
framework related to saving. They stress that individuals are tempted to spend and
that saving requires effort and self-control. Low-income people or families are
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consuming less than high-income people and thus have higher marginal utility of
said that the source and the amount of resources received largely determine whether
Scholarship and education loan are the major sources of money that student have. An
education loan, The National Higher Education Fund Corporation loan (PTPTN) is
the major ource of financing for tertiary education in Malaysia. The availability of
this loan since 1997 has enabled more students to pursue higher education.
By 2000, the government extended the loans to students attending public universities
as well. Between 1997 and 2005, the NHFEC loaned RM 15.1 billion to almost
The most important issue facing the loan program is financial sustainability. In
general, payment compliance has been low and the Treasury has cut its budget
transfers to NHEFC in recent years, which has caused the agency to borrow at very
high interest rates. NHEFC reports that it recovers only 25 percent of what it should
be recovering. In addition, a large imbalance between new loans and repayments can
be seen in Table 1.
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Figure 2.1 Loans availability to students from2000 to 2005 Source: World Bank,
2007
On February 2013, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had launched the Skim
Prihatin Pendidikan IMalaysia (SPPIM) to assist students at the tertiary level obtain
additional study loans. The SPPIM loan acts as a top-up to the existing PTPTN loan
Scholarships and education loans axe becoming more important than ever before.
Besides that, the cost of college is increasing and college savings can be the first thing
to go.
2.3.2 Allowances
An allowance should be a specific amount of money, decided by both the student and
parent, and given at a specific time, such as weekly or monthly. As student's age
increase, they will probably have more money under their control and become more
responsible for their personal spending. Also they tend to appreciate more the goods
and services they buy with their own money, especially if they have saved for them
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over a period of time. An allowance can help eliminate the problem of parents having
to say uno" when their children ask for money regularly. It is an important tool for
teaching money management skills of how students manage their own money based
on their needs, wants and goals. Students should have control over how the
allowances is spent or saved. Parents can encourage their children to make carefu1
spending decisions and plan the use of their money. An allowance can help make
students independent and give them confidence and self-discipline in handling money.
Saving money for an emergency fund is important for everyone at all times . Having a
savings account for emergencies can prevent financial disaster in the event of
student's unemployment after graduate. An emergency fund can come in handy any
emergency fund can also help students avoid using their credit cards or incurring debt
to pay for emergencies that arise. Dave Ramsey, an outspoken radio talk show and
television show host who teaches a course called Financial Peace University, suggest
on his website Dave Ramsey.com, that people should have a starter emergency fund
of $1000.00. Ramsey suggests this serve as emergency fund until they have paid off
all of their high interest credit card debt, at which they should begin building a full
There was a survey done by Varcoe (1990) for 934 households in California regarding
methods for meeting unexpected expenses or emergency expenses. He found that they
use regular savings; 22 percent used emergency savings; 14 percent borrowed money
from a financial institution; and 8 percent borrowed from friends or family. Therefore
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saving now or saving earlier can certainly be a good starting point and can help
student cope with those minor emergencies that crop up in day-to-day life. Building
College costs are ridiculously expensive, and getting more expensive every year as
the rate of tuition costs increases at a faster rate. According to the Bureau of labor
Statistics, the tuition component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 8%
per year, on average, from 1979 to 2001. This means that children born today will
face college costs that are 3 to 4 times current prices by the time they matriculate. A
poll by AllianceBernstein Investment, Inc. found that 42% of students who graduated
with debt described themselves as living paycheck to paycheck, compared with 24%
for those who graduated without debt. 22% of those with debt said that finances
limited their college choices. 76% reported worrying about money in college. 42% of
those with debt said that college jobs affected grades, compared with 30% for those
without debt. The poll was conducted on the Internet of 1,508 college graduates ages
21-35 between April 24 and May 1 by Matthew Greenwald & Associates, Inc. 1,007
of respondents graduated college with some debt, 501 graduated with no debt. Survey
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income flowing into the family, except for those with pension. As Malaysia is going
to achieve develop nation status by 2020, it is also facing challenges of being an aged
nation which means the elderly would have limited financial resources with the
increased longevity. The financial resources will influence their purchasing power and
well-being. The financial behaviouT during younger age affects the financial practices
of the elderly. Therefore, good financial practices during younger age lead to financial
well-being in old age. Good financial practices during younger years can be a factor
to ensure financial independence or security in old age since one of the recommended
financial goals is savings for old age (Garmen and Fougue, 2004; Kapoor, Dlabay, &
Huges, 2004).
Individuals are responsible for their own financial security after retirement. The
biggest concerns people have to face is that they have to decide not only how much to
save for retirement but also how to allocate their pension wealth. Prawitz et a1. (2006),
point out that many of those near retirement still in fund shortage needed for a
comfortable life which cause millions people struggle financially. People have less
ability to save and to secure a comfortable retirement if they have low financial
financial concepts would relate to lack of retirement planning and lack of wealth.
The thought of IRA's, 401K's, pension plans and social security may appear
incredibly irrelevant to college students who have yet to begin their careers; however,
even with uncertainty in the job market and economy in general, experts say investing
in a retirement plan now has its advantages, especiaUy for this generation. Economic
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