RESEARCH PROPOSAL

EWC661

GROUP OF MEMBERS:

1. AHMAD SYANIZ SYAFIQ BIN ZULKEFLI 2015116011

2. MIMI FAZZLINDA BINTI MOHSIN 2015182117
3. MUHAMAD AZARUL IZHAM BIN CHE MOHD ROSLI 2015143889
4. MUHAMMAD FAIZI BIN IBRAHIM 2015135623
5. MUHAMMAD FIRDAUS BIN JAMALLUDDIN 2015112539
6. NINI SYAHEERA BINTI JASNI 2015394981

GROUP : EH2208B

LECTURER’S NAME : MISS CHITTRA A/P MUTHUSAMY

EWC661: RESEARCH PROPOSAL

STUDENTS: EXPENSES AND COST OF LIVINGS IN UITM SHAH ALAM

1. BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM

Housing, food and health care are basic expenses that need in cost of living to tolerate
a certain level of living with the amount of money is needed. The cost of living always been
indicator to measure how expensive it is to live in one place with another place. Each of people
have basic cost of cost of living. The high of cost of living make someone become more hard
work to ensure it survive. Every government, for the sake of the individuals, would do their
best to take care of doable price of living as years goes by. Inflation is commonly the
most consider the rise in price of living. Little degree of inflation as years goes by is healthy for
the economy however oversized increase in inflation brings negative result to the society.
Inflation may be a results of distribution of wealth and financial gain at totally different rates,
totally different sectors. The proportions of the increments in any respect sectors of production
are not similar. Inflicting some financial gain teams gain throughout inflation whereas others to
be the failures of inflation. Inflation is usually unjust and so drive economic burden on those
that are least ready to face it. The increments on the financial gain of these who have fastened
salaries are never on par with inflation, which implies they need to use additional of their
financial gain to buy some product and services. Living underneath these conditions may lead
them to a good quantity of stress and so triggering a series reaction of tragedy like committing
suicide, bankruptcy and alternative social issues. Increase in living value reduces the getting
power. However, cost of living always become the issue in society including the students from
college or university.
Expenses and cost of living as students depends on the several factors such
background of student, location of institution and off campus student. This factors gives different
impact on cost of living. Firstly, the different background of family have different sources of
earnings. The students came from rich family does not have problem with the cost of livings but
the students come from average and below earnings might have problem in expenses and cost
of livings. The students need to use the expenses wisely to ensure that expenses are enough
until end of semester. The location of institution also become expenses and cost of living differ
because the institution that be located in urban area have high cost of living compared to
institution in rural area. The price of item in rural area is more economic and make the expenses
and cost of living of students there is low. Lastly, off campus students or nonresident students
have higher cost of livings because the housing rental and food off the campus is more
expensive compared in campus. The housing or room rental price is higher than in campus
especially in urban area like Shah Alam. The growing the area, the expenses and cost of living
is higher. Thus the expenses and cost of living of UiTM Shah Alam students can affected.

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2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
The cope with expense and cost living students In Univeristi Teknologi Mara (UiTM),
Shah Alam where, facing money problem which is they located at busy town Shah Alam. Money
is the most common problem they are facing .even they getting their PTPTN how they need to
survive, they payment of house in the middle of the town are expensive. Also, payment for the
book each time entering new semester. So for round off money around RM3000 that given to
student which already deduct the university fees, but still a lot of thing they need to pay
Moreover the students which are the increasing for this semester , and the housing rental will
be more expensive , students need to rent far from the college . They also need to think of their
house to rental, they need to think related on the oil for car to go to college which involving
money. Since every morning for students need to catch the bus, it’s difficult for them to catch
the bus so car are the first transportation. Some of them , stays in college, they need to think
the transport whenever they want to go out which involve money which is grab car that already
expensive from RM 4 to RM 5 only go to Section 7. They also need to think of food, because
of area of this town, they sell food are expensive. Some of them need to cook for their own to
recover the expense throughout the studies. As a result most of them having part time job, to
recover cost and living things during their studies in UiTM Shah Alam.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main of this study is to study expenses and cost of livings in UiTM Shah Alam among
students. This objectives of this studies are:
1) To determine the students living during the semester
2) To study the sources of income or fund of students
3) To identify academic performance of students are affected by part time job
4) To determine the duration and distance of the living place with institution

4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1) Who do you live with during term time?
2) What is sources of income or funds as expenses of students?
3) Do you feel this job affects your academic performance?
4) On a typical day, what is the time and distance you cover from your home to your higher
education institution?

5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The finding of the study will be determined the level of living cost among students in UiTM Shah
Alam by direct opinion from the selected respondents. Firstly, cost of living may be different
due to some aspect and factor, mainly the places and the background of respondents. From
this finding, we can obtained the average cost of living required by the student in this selected
area. Besides cost of living, the data also may represent the expenses among students and
for the cases of student who are not capable to continue as a student cause by finacial problem.

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 Secondly, the finding as well can be used to determine the solution for certain student who had
such problem that can be taken action by the university in order to help those group.

6. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

According to Muhammad Hilmy Muslim (2013), informant interview survey with samples taken
from active and prominent off-campus students also the officers from the Division of Students
Affairs finds that the increase in learning spaces, residential facilities, recreational and other
supporting facilities. Many students in UiTM Shah Alam have to rent off campus residential
facilities on their own. In ensuring the welfare and safety of the off-campus students, the college
management has established a Non-Resident Management Unit (UPNR) to manage all the
living environment convenience and safety of the students.

7. PREVIOUS STUDIES
Life at the university or college is quite different with high school. It is a phase of change that
almost all students will get through in their life. There are lot of factors to be taken into
consideration to make sure the expenditure last long. The factor involved include transportation,
meals, entertainment, notes and assignments, accommodation and many more.

7.1 FINANCIAL LITERACY

According to INTI International University Counseling Centre Manager, Lim Siow Yen has
stated that those students with financial literacy tends to overspend. There is also a case of
students which overspend their money every semester. The students are easily influenced by
their wants rather than their needs. In addition, it is also depending on the parents to teach their
children regarding money management.

The same view has been shared by Fatimah Nuntasinee Muadmanee which is the Head of
University of Malaya Marketing and Recruitment Centre. According to her, the location of the
campus leads to overspending by the students. There are students which prefer lavish lifestyle
and some of them lives on a simple lifestyle. Other than that, the increase of cost of livings has
caused the price of foods and drinks sells at unreasonable price.

7.2 PARENT’S EXPENDITURE

Among these students in Malaysia, there a some of them which still receiving allowance from
their parents. Civil engineer Sheikh Azmir Sheikh Mokhtar stated that it is challenging to funds
his kids with the increase of living cost in Malaysia. Other than that, the amount keeps changing
because of the needs for study depends on the course learned by the students.

7.3 SCHOLARSHIPS AND LOANS

The students in Malaysia are allowed to received scholarships or loans. There are a lot of loans
given by the company in Malaysia to help the students cope with living cost in university. The

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 scholarship such as MARA, Sime Darby, JPA, Petronas and many more. Other than that, most
students made a loan with National Higher Education Fund Corporation also known as PTPTN.
But the amounts receive is different because it is based on their parent income.

7.4 WAYS TO COPE WITH LIVING COST

Students opted many ways to cope with the increase of the living cost. There are some of them
works part time to fill their pocket. There are also students which has their own business which
thinks like an entrepreneur. According to Ag Mohd Nasharudin Awang Nayan, 20, he started
working part-time at a restaurant near the area where he stayed. Other than that, he was only
left with RM200 for the entire month, while he needed an additional RM300 to RM400 a month.

The students also started to cook at home and carpooling in order to save some money. Other
than that, government also offered Student Discount Card program to help student to cope with
the living expenditure. Unfortunately, Hamiza Hamidon, 25, a textile technology degree student
at UiTM stated that students were offered discounts of 5% to 60%, but the number of shops
taking part was still small and their impact in helping to reduce the burden of students was
negligible.

7.5 COLLEGE AND OFF CAMPUS LIVING STYLE

Every campus has prepared college for their students. But, they are also allowed to if the
students opted to live off-campus. The cost to rent is different depends on the house and it is
also include with the transportation and meals cost.

8. METHODOLOGY

A web-based survey which chosen to be administered through Google Form and a set of
questionnaire based study was chosen as platform in seeks cost and living expenses among
student in Uitm Shah Alam. In total of 100 respondents (50 male and 50 female) was randomly
chosen among Uitm Shah Alam student received a small monetary compensation for
completing the survey. The sample was fairly chosen as representative of Uitm population.

8.1 QUESTIONNAIRES

A series of questionnaires was developed in order to measure financial behavior amongst

student in UiTM Shah Alam population which believes a financial issue is one of the contributed
factors in affecting a student performance in pursuing their study. Thus, it is important to
conduct a survey which estimated their financial behavior and financial skills.

Based on the previous study that was conducted by (Strömbäck, Lind, Skagerlund, Västfjäll, &
Tinghög, 2017), in measuring a financial behavior amongst a population commonly a one-item
scale was preferable as a reference measurement. Thus in this research, a scoring method
obtained from a questionnaire is a key in conducting this study where a set of questionnaire

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has been developed with a main background is based on student financial behavior in cost and
expenses living as construct based on a few themes as bellows:

a) student income/ fund during pursuing their study

 in this section a range of income or fund of student is necessary to be identify in order
to classified a student whose literally can afford their study or don’t
b) major expenses
 This part is the most crucial to study financial behavior of student. Usually a set of
questionnaire developed to identify tendency of highest expenses being spend by
student.
c) The ability of student to overcome their financial issue
 Ability of student to overcome their financial issue can be described as a way of solution
preferably taken by student when their faced financial problem.

The questionnaire set was developed in English language since English being used in learning
process among UiTM Shah Alam population. A result obtain reflect a perception of satisfaction
and dissatisfaction by respondent based on our questionnaire provided.