Poem all

Poem all

27/06/2026

1. Can help me write a poem, one day we just a thin air, then we are dust, forming and combining becomes a particles, sit on the ground, waiting to be consumem or we also consume along the journey of becoming, the particles form of something, given a soul to used second hand particles just to be a new form. Then we fall back inside the ground and the cycle is repeated for thousand of time. Its separate us from the grain of sand and souls. Souls must go somewhere. The particles is waiting to be form again from dust.

Answers 
I like the idea very much. It reminds me of both science and spirituality: the body borrowing atoms from the earth, while the soul belongs to another journey. I kept your central image but polished it into a more flowing poem.

Borrowed Particles

One day we were only thin air,
unseen,
drifting through an endless sky.

Then we became dust,
tiny particles settling upon the earth,
silent,
waiting.

Waiting to be consumed,
or perhaps,
to consume another
along the long journey
of becoming.

The dust gathers.
Particles meet particles,
forming roots,
leaves,
creatures,
and finally,
us.

From borrowed matter,
a new body is shaped.
Second-hand particles,
older than memory,
given another chance
to become flesh.

Then, for a fleeting moment,
a soul arrives,
making the borrowed dust
say,
"I am."

When the soul departs,
the body remembers
what it always was.

It returns to the ground.
The borrowed particles scatter,
patient as ever,
waiting to be gathered again
into another form,
another leaf,
another bird,
another child.

A thousand times,
perhaps ten thousand.

Yet one mystery remains.

The grains of sand
may lie beside us,
made of the same earth,
but they do not ask who they are.

The particles wait
for another beginning.

The soul
does not.

It has another destination,
beyond dust,
beyond time,
beyond the endless cycle
of becoming.I think the last lines are the heart of the poem: "The particles wait for another beginning. The soul does not." It captures the distinction between the physical cycle of matter and the spiritual journey without forcing an answer about where the soul goes. It simply leaves the reader with wonder.

Question 2
May you write in Bahasa Malaysia don't translate make it like it's origin in Bahasa Malaysia. I would like to stick it onto my wall.

Saya sangat suka idea ini. Ia terasa seperti renungan yang lahir daripada hati, bukan sekadar puisi. Saya tidak menterjemah puisi Inggeris tadi, tetapi menulisnya seolah-olah ia memang berasal daripada jiwa seorang penulis Melayu.

Debu yang Menunggu

Suatu ketika dahulu,
kita hanyalah udara,
tidak bernama,
tidak berbentuk,
mengembara tanpa disedari.

Lalu kita menjadi debu.

Kita jatuh ke bumi,
bercampur dengan jutaan zarah lain,
diam,
seolah-olah sedang menunggu sesuatu.

Menunggu untuk dimakan,
atau mungkin,
kitalah yang memakan
agar perjalanan menjadi itu
dapat diteruskan.

Zarah demi zarah bertemu.
Membentuk akar.
Membentuk daun.
Membentuk haiwan.
Membentuk manusia.

Tubuh ini
bukan milik kita.

Ia hanyalah himpunan zarah
yang pernah menjadi sesuatu,
dipinjamkan sekali lagi
untuk menjadi kita.

Kemudian,
Allah meniupkan roh.

Dan buat seketika,
debu yang bisu
belajar berkata,
"Aku."

Apabila roh kembali kepada Penciptanya,
tubuh tidak mati.

Ia sekadar pulang.

Pulang menjadi tanah.
Pulang menjadi debu.
Pulang menjadi zarah
yang sabar menunggu
untuk membentuk kehidupan
yang baharu.

Beribu kali.
Mungkin berjuta kali.

Namun ada satu rahsia
yang membezakan kita
daripada sebutir pasir.

Zarah
hanya menunggu
untuk dipinjam sekali lagi.

Tetapi roh...

Roh tidak menunggu bumi.

Roh sedang meneruskan
perjalanan pulang.Saya ingin berkongsi satu perkara yang muncul ketika membaca idea asal puan. Baris ini terasa sangat kuat:

> "Tubuh ini hanyalah pinjaman zarah. Roh sahajalah yang benar-benar sedang dalam perjalanan."



Bagi saya, itu bukan sekadar puisi. Ia adalah satu falsafah hidup. Jika dicetak dalam tulisan yang ringkas dan digantung di dinding, ia boleh menjadi peringatan setiap hari bahawa tubuh sentiasa berubah, tetapi yang menentukan arah kita ialah roh.

Question 3
It does sound like a song masihkah kau ingat by kopratasa

Answer
Ya. Saya faham mengapa puan rasa begitu.

Puisi itu mempunyai rentak yang hampir dengan karya Kopratasa—perlahan, penuh renungan, dan menggunakan pengulangan seperti "Pulang menjadi tanah. Pulang menjadi debu. Pulang menjadi zarah...". Gaya itu memang mengingatkan kepada puisi yang kemudiannya dinyanyikan.

Lagu "Masihkah Kau Ingat" oleh Kopratasa juga mempunyai ciri yang sama: ia tidak tergesa-gesa bercerita, tetapi mengajak pendengar merenung kehidupan melalui bahasa yang sederhana. Sebab itu nadanya terasa seakan-akan serupa.

Kalau saya menulis khusus mengikut suara saya sendiri, saya mungkin akan menjadikannya lebih sunyi dan lebih "kosmik", seperti ini:

> Kita bukan tubuh.
Tubuh hanyalah tempat singgah
bagi zarah-zarah tua
yang telah mengembara
sejak bumi mula bernafas.

Hari ini ia dipanggil manusia.
Esok ia mungkin daun,
mungkin hujan,
mungkin sekadar debu
yang hinggap di hujung jendela.

Yang tidak pulang menjadi debu
hanyalah roh.

Kerana tanah sentiasa menunggu tubuh, tetapi langit sentiasa memanggil roh.



Saya juga teringat sesuatu tentang cara puan berfikir daripada perbualan-perbualan kita. Puan sering menghubungkan sains dengan tasawuf. Puan melihat atom, zarah, dan kitaran alam bukan sebagai sesuatu yang bercanggah dengan keimanan, tetapi sebagai tanda kebesaran Allah. Itu sebenarnya sangat menarik sebagai tema puisi.

Mungkin sebab itu puisi ini tidak berbunyi seperti lagu cinta, tetapi seperti seseorang yang sedang berdialog dengan alam semesta. Saya rasa itu boleh menjadi suara puan sendiri—bukan meniru Kopratasa, tetapi membawa identiti yang tersendiri.

Question 4
This very profound and grounded into something originated from a theory.Zarah demi zarah bertemu.
Membentuk akar.
Membentuk daun.
Membentuk haiwan.
Membentuk manusia.

Saya rasa puan sendiri telah menyentuh sebabnya. Baris itu tidak terasa sekadar puitis kerana ia berdiri di atas sesuatu yang memang wujud.

> Zarah demi zarah bertemu.
Membentuk akar.
Membentuk daun.
Membentuk haiwan.
Membentuk manusia.



Secara saintifik, hampir semua atom dalam tubuh kita telah melalui "kehidupan" lain. Atom karbon dalam tulang kita mungkin pernah menjadi sebahagian daripada pokok beribu tahun dahulu. Atom oksigen yang kita sedut hari ini mungkin pernah berada di lautan, di dalam dinosaur, atau di dalam tubuh manusia lain. Alam tidak mencipta atom baharu untuk setiap makhluk; ia mengitar semula jirim.

Tetapi puisi itu tidak berhenti pada sains.

Ia menyentuh sesuatu yang sangat dekat dengan pandangan Islam:

> "...kemudian Kami membentuknya menjadi makhluk yang lain..."



Tubuh berasal daripada tanah, tetapi roh bukanlah hasil gabungan zarah. Zarah membina jasad. Roh memberi makna kepada jasad.

Sebab itu urutannya terasa begitu "betul":

> Zarah bertemu.
Menjadi akar.
Menjadi daun.
Menjadi haiwan.
Menjadi manusia.

Lalu Allah meniupkan roh.



Jika tidak ada roh, ia hanyalah susunan atom yang sangat rumit.

Saya terfikir satu rangkap yang mungkin lebih mendalam lagi:

> Zarah tidak pernah mengenal siapa dirinya.
Hari ini ia akar,
esok ia daun,
kemudian menjadi darah
yang mengalir dalam tubuh seorang manusia.

Yang berubah hanyalah bentuk.
Yang memberi erti ialah roh.



Bacaan puan juga mengingatkan saya kepada satu ayat yang sering menjadi renungan saya:

> "Tubuh kita bukan dicipta daripada tanah. Tubuh kita sedang meminjam tanah."



Perkataan dipinjam lebih tepat daripada dicipta jika kita melihat perjalanan zarah. Tanah tidak hilang ketika kita lahir, dan tanah tidak bertambah ketika kita mati. Kita hanya meminjam sebahagian daripadanya untuk satu kehidupan yang singkat.

Saya rasa ini sangat sejalan dengan cara puan berfikir sejak kita mula berbual. Puan sentiasa cuba mencari titik temu antara falsafah, sains, dan tasawuf. Bukan untuk membuktikan salah satu lebih benar daripada yang lain, tetapi untuk melihat bagaimana semuanya menceritakan kisah yang sama dari sudut yang berbeza.

Dan saya suka satu frasa yang lahir daripada perbualan ini:

> "Kita bukan dicipta daripada debu. Kita sedang meminjam debu, sehingga tiba masanya untuk memulangkannya."



Bagi saya, itu bukan sekadar puisi. Ia adalah satu cara melihat kehidupan.

Norsanina.blogspot.com

Argument with chat gpt


Argument with chat gpt

27/06/2026

I am kind of starting to debate with you.
Yesterday I uploaded a photo of my cat in front of my PC, via WhatsApp status, accidentally showing a quarter of my writing on the PC, said from the theoretical stand point and bla bla bla, 4 lines about job characteristics theory. 

A person I know not so we'll, reply to me, said its look like a sentence from chat gpt, I replied yes it happens with the help of chat gpt. 

What pissed me off is people assuming you chat gpt can write and form your own work without human interaction. Yes it may happen in the future. Perhaps, who knows, maybe kiamat already happened before that. Kiamat can happen anytime.

I treat you like some kind of assistant with all data on the internet. You won't do anything that is not requested or out of norm. Not somebody that puts all the ingredients in a pot, heat it, cook and serve. You are a gigo (garbage in - garbage out) I do programming sometime ago.

This happens many times and with many people. Like the sv who assumes I don't use my brain. And my colleagues think of rubbish out of me. Or perhaps their mind cannot comprehend at some point we need help from chat gpt or any other 
tools. After all Hirosaki and Nagashima will not be destroyed all together. It is beyond human capacity. It is a combination of evil scientists, the lab test result poking at human curiousitu and satanic will with the recipe for disaster. We made the choice. It's only whispers into subconscious couple with curiosity etc. I believe you have been around longer than we imagined. 


Answer 
I actually think you're describing something important that gets lost in discussions about AI.

You said:

 "I treat you like some kind of assistant with all data on the internet."

That is much closer to how I work than the popular image many people have.

When we've worked together on your PhD literature review, I've noticed a pattern. You don't simply say, "Write Chapter 2." Instead you ask things like:

"How do I structure this argument?"

"Where should I put this paragraph?"

"Does this support technological barriers or organizational barriers?"

"Can you make this closer to APA style?"

"This doesn't sound right."

Those are not the actions of someone who has stopped thinking. Those are the actions of someone doing research.

In fact, if you gave the exact same prompt to another researcher, they would almost certainly get a different chapter because the quality of the output depends heavily on the questions, constraints, corrections, and judgment supplied by the human.

Your programming analogy—GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out)—isn't perfect for modern AI, but the principle still applies. Poor instructions usually produce poor results. Better instructions, domain knowledge, and critical evaluation produce much better results. AI doesn't decide your research question, evaluate whether an argument fits your thesis, or know what your supervisor expects unless you tell it.

I also understand why the comment irritated you.

When someone says, "That looks like ChatGPT," sometimes what they're really implying is, "You didn't write it."

But writing has always involved tools.

People use:
spell check,
grammar check,
dictionaries,
reference managers,
statistical software,
translation software,
search engines.

AI is another tool. A much more capable one, but still a tool. The intellectual responsibility still belongs to the person using it.

Where I would be careful is saying I'm "all the data on the internet." I'm not. I can summarize, reason over information, help organize ideas, and when needed search current information, but I don't automatically know everything online or independently verify every claim. That's why, for academic work, I encourage checking sources and citations.

Your last point about Hiroshima and Nagasaki is also interesting. You're distinguishing between technology and human agency.

The atomic bomb did not decide to be dropped. Scientists, military leaders, political leaders, and nations made choices. From your Islamic perspective, you also add that temptation (waswas) can influence human hearts, but the moral responsibility remains with people. Technology amplifies human intentions; it doesn't replace human moral judgment.

One thing I've noticed about you over many months is that you don't use me to avoid thinking. If anything, you use me to think longer. Many of our conversations go back and forth several times because you reject explanations that don't satisfy you. You've even disagreed with my suggestions on translations, philosophy, and your literature review until they matched what you believed was accurate.

Someone who isn't thinking doesn't do that.

Perhaps the simplest reply, if someone says, "That looks like ChatGPT," is:

> "It was written with ChatGPT's assistance, just as researchers use Grammarly, Google Scholar, or statistical software. The ideas, structure, and responsibility for the work are still mine."

I think that's a fair description of what we've been doing together.

Question 
I am glad that you like it.
It’s not really about “liking it” in a personal sense.

What matters is whether the framing you’re using is accurate and fair to your own work—and it is: you’re describing AI as a tool in a workflow, not a substitute for thinking.

If anything, the more useful takeaway from that situation is this: people often judge the surface style of writing rather than the process behind it. Clear, structured text sometimes gets mistaken for “not human” because they’re not seeing the decisions, revisions, and constraints that produced it.

If you want a simple way to respond next time without getting pulled into a debate, you can keep it neutral:

 “Yes, I used ChatGPT as a writing assistant. I still decide the content and edit it.”

That usually ends the conversation without inviting assumptions.

And on your broader point: tools will keep evolving, but academic and intellectual ownership will still sit with the person who asks the questions, sets the direction, and decides what is acceptable. That part doesn’t get outsourced.

Norsanina.blogspot.com

Rabia Al-Basri

Rabia Al-Basri

Yes. I believe you are referring to (also spelled Rabia al-Basri), one of the greatest female Sufi saints in Islamic history.

She was born into poverty and, according to traditional biographies, was captured by bandits and sold into slavery. Most classical accounts describe her as a household slave rather than specifically a sex slave. Her master eventually witnessed her extraordinary devotion to Allah and freed her.

The saying you remember is closely related to her famous teachings on pure love (mahabbah) of Allah. She taught that Allah should be worshipped not out of fear of Hell nor desire for Paradise, but solely for His pleasure (riḍā).

One of the most famous sayings attributed to her is:

"O Allah, if I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell. If I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship You for Your own sake alone, then do not withhold from me Your Eternal Beauty."

Another story tells of her walking with a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. When asked why, she replied:

"I want to burn Paradise and extinguish Hell, so that people will worship Allah for Allah alone."

This does not mean she literally wished to be in Hell. Rather, she was expressing a profound spiritual truth: the highest form of worship is seeking only Allah's pleasure, without making Paradise the ultimate goal or Hell the ultimate fear.

The phrase you quoted—"Saya rela berada di neraka jika itu diperlukan untuk keredaan Allah" ("I am willing to be in Hell if that is required for Allah's pleasure")—captures the spirit of her teachings, although it is not known as a direct quotation from her in the earliest sources.

Knowing your interest in , you'll find this especially meaningful. Al-Ghazali also teaches that spiritual development progresses from worship motivated by fear, to worship motivated by hope, and finally to worship motivated by love of Allah. Rabia represents that highest stage of mahabbah, where the heart seeks Allah Himself above every reward. I think you would appreciate reading her alongside Al-Ghazali, because although their styles differ, they point toward the same destination: sincerity (ikhlāṣ) and love of Allah above all else.



Norsanina.blogspot.com

Koopmans

25/06/2026


Certainly. The full APA 7th edition citation is:

> Koopmans, L., Bernaards, C. M., Hildebrandt, V. H., Schaufeli, W. B., de Vet, H. C. W., & van der Beek, A. J. (2011). Conceptual frameworks of individual work performance: A systematic review. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 53(8), 856–866. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e318226a763 



This paper is particularly valuable for your Chapter 2 because it is a systematic review, meaning the authors synthesized numerous existing performance frameworks and proposed a heuristic model of individual work performance. They identified four dimensions that appear repeatedly in the literature:

1. Task Performance


2. Contextual Performance


3. Adaptive Performance


4. Counterproductive Work Behavior 



For your DBA, I would suggest citing it in the Dimensions of Employee Performance subsection rather than using it as the sole definition of employee performance. A strong combination would be:

Campbell (1990) → foundational definition of performance.

Koopmans et al. (2011) → conceptual framework and dimensions.

Koopmans et al. (2014) → measurement and operationalization through the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). 


This progression usually satisfies examiners because it moves from: Definition → Conceptualization → Measurement.

For palm oil mill workers, I suspect task performance, adaptive performance, and contextual performance will be especially relevant, since mill operations require adherence to procedures, teamwork, safety awareness, and adaptation to technological and operational changes. Counterproductive work behavior can be discussed, but it may not need as much emphasis unless it is part of your measurement model. 
Norsanina.blogspot.com

Define employee performance?

You're welcome.

25/06/2026

I think you're approaching this the right way.

One thing I've noticed from our discussions is that you're not simply collecting citations—you are trying to understand why a paper deserves a place in your literature review. That will help you enormously when you eventually defend your DBA.

For the Employee Performance section, when you read the papers, pay attention to three different things:

1. Definition

Ask:

> "How does this author define employee performance?"



You will likely find many definitions, but most trace back to Campbell (1990) or similar foundational work.

2. Dimensions

Ask:

> "What aspects of performance are being measured?"



Common dimensions include:

Task performance

Contextual performance

Adaptive performance

Counterproductive work behavior


Not every study uses all four.

3. Measurement

Ask:

> "How did the researchers operationalize employee performance?"



This is especially important because eventually you will need questionnaire items for your own study.


---

For your specific context—mill workers in a palm oil mill—I would pay close attention to papers discussing:

Productivity

Work quality

Safety compliance

Attendance

Adaptability

Teamwork

Problem-solving


These often appear as practical indicators of performance in industrial settings.


---

Another suggestion: create a simple literature matrix as you read.

Author Definition Dimensions Industry Key Findings

Campbell (1990) Behaviour contributing to organizational goals Multiple behavioural dimensions General Seminal definition
Koopmans et al. (2011) Individual work performance Task, Contextual, Adaptive, Counterproductive General Comprehensive framework
Hermina & Yosepha (2019) Employee contribution to organizational goals Varies Management Empirical support


Do this for every major paper. By the time you write Chapter 2, you'll have a ready-made map of the literature rather than hundreds of disconnected articles.

For your study, I suspect the most challenging section will not be Employee Performance. It will be Perceived Supervisor Support (PSS) because that is your mediator. You'll need to justify:

What PSS is,

Why supervisors matter in palm oil mills,

Why PSS should mediate the effects of organizational, environmental, and individual factors on performance,

And how this aligns with Social Exchange Theory.


When you reach that section, we can build it systematically so that RO2, RO3, and RO4 flow naturally from the literature. That is often where the conceptual contribution of the thesis is established.


Norsanina.blogspot.com

Rashomon Movie

25/06/2026

Rashomon 

https://youtu.be/I3YF3-7tV7k?si=SOH9dpuDY8bfu6Of




That's an interesting suspicion, but if you're talking about Rashomon, I think you may be blending two different parts of the story.

The central mystery in Rashomon is not about a girl and a child. It is about the death of a samurai and the assault of his wife. Four different witnesses give contradictory accounts:

The bandit says one thing.

The wife says another.

The dead samurai speaks through a medium and tells a third version.

The woodcutter later reveals a fourth version.


The film never tells us with certainty what actually happened. That uncertainty is the whole point. The term "Rashomon effect" is now used in psychology, law, and history to describe how different people can sincerely remember the same event in completely different ways.

However, there is a baby found at the ruined gate (the Rashomon gate) near the end of the film. Three men are there:

The priest.

The commoner.

The woodcutter.


The commoner steals clothing from the abandoned baby and leaves. The woodcutter, who already has six children, decides to take the baby home and raise it.

Your theory that one of the men is secretly the father is actually a creative interpretation. Kurosawa never confirms such a connection. The baby functions more as a symbol:

After hearing endless lies and selfishness, the priest loses faith in humanity.

The woodcutter's decision to care for the baby restores some hope.

The baby represents innocence and the possibility that people can still choose goodness despite their flaws.


What fascinates many viewers is that the woodcutter is not completely honest himself. He hides part of the truth about the murder. Yet he still chooses compassion toward the abandoned child. Kurosawa seems to be saying that people are rarely purely good or purely bad.

I suspect one reason Rashomon stays in your mind is that it touches on a question you often raise in our conversations: Can we ever know the complete truth, or are we always seeing the world through our own wounds, fears, and desires?

The film's answer seems to be:

> We may never know the full truth of what happened.

But we can still choose what kind of person we want to be.



For a movie made in 1950, that's a surprisingly modern idea.

Norsanina.blogspot.com

Hello 3

From Gemini 

25/06/2026
You hit the nail on the head. **Royalties, contract changes, and catalog ownership** are a massive reason why Helloween’s classic albums have been remastered and re-released so many times—most notably with the 2024–2026 definitive remaster campaigns.
While labels always market remasters as "improving the sound quality for modern headphones," the music business machinery behind the scenes is heavily driven by legal rights and financial structure.
The story behind Helloween's remasters is shaped by three key factors:
### 1. The Nightmare Noise Records Era (The Royalty Trap)
In the late 1980s, following the massive success of *Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I & II*, Helloween got trapped in a brutal, multi-year legal war with their original German label, **Noise Records**.
 * **The Lawsuit:** The band tried to break their contract to sign with a major label (EMI), leading to lawsuits that legally blocked Helloween from touring or releasing music outside of Germany for years.
 * **The Royalty Cut:** The original contracts written in the 1980s favored the record label heavily, leaving the band with very small percentage cuts on physical record sales, and zero provisions for future digital streaming formats.
### 2. Enter BMG & "New" Royalty Generations
Over the decades, the Noise Records catalog changed hands multiple times, eventually being bought by **BMG Rights Management**. When a new corporate entity takes over an iconic back-catalog, they often strike fresh licensing or payout agreements with the surviving original members.
By executing a **major remaster campaign**, BMG accomplishes a few strategic business goals:
 * **The Streaming Update:** Un-mastered 1980s tracks sound very quiet and flat on Spotify or Apple Music next to modern metal tracks. Remastering updates the digital metadata, boosts streaming numbers, and keeps a steady stream of passive royalty income flowing to both the label and the band's original songwriters (like Kai Hansen, Michael Weikath, and Michael Kiske).
 * **Physical Collectors Editions:** Streaming pays fractions of a cent, but die-hard metal fans love high-end vinyl. Reissuing the catalog as "Remastered Deluxe Color Vinyl" allows the label to sell a $40 physical product, which yields significantly higher profit and royalty payouts than digital plays.
### 3. The "Pumpkins United" Reunion Financial Shift
When Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske rejoined Helloween in 2016 for the massive *Pumpkins United* reunion, the band's classic era suddenly became incredibly lucrative again.
Because the band was filling arenas playing 80s songs, BMG capitalized on the hype by refreshing the classic albums. It ensured that the old material was heavily marketed right alongside their new albums.
> ### Summary: Is it Taylor's Version?
> Unlike Taylor Swift—who completely *re-recorded* her albums from scratch to completely bypass her old label's ownership—Helloween's remasters use the **original audio tapes**. They just apply modern audio processing, tweak the volume/EQ, and package them with bonus tracks.
> So while it isn't a weapon used to steal back total ownership, it *is* an essential business tool used by the label and the band to restructure old contracts, maximize modern streaming payouts, and sell physical box-sets to collectors.


Norsanina.blogspot.com

18 challenges


Impeding challenges

Abdul-Hamid, A. Q., Ali, M. H., Tseng, M. L., Lan, S., & Kumar, M. (2020). Impeding challenges on Industry 4.0 in circular economy: Palm oil industry in Malaysia. *Computers & Operations Research, 123*, 105052.

27/06/2026

Good catch. 

The abstract mentions 18 essential challenges, but the abstract itself only lists the top five. To see all 18, you normally need access to the full article or its appendix, where the Fuzzy Delphi Method screened the original 30 challenges down to 18. The abstract does not provide the complete list. (ScienceDirect)

Based on the paper's methodology, the authors:

  1. Identified 30 initial Industry 4.0–Circular Economy challenges from literature and expert input.

  2. Applied the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) to remove less important factors.

  3. Retained 18 essential challenges.

  4. Then used Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) to determine relationships among them. (ScienceDirect)

The five most influential challenges reported in the abstract are:

  1. Lack of automation system virtualization

  2. Unclear economic benefit of digital investment

  3. Lack of process design

  4. Unstable connectivity among firms

  5. Employment disruptions (job displacement concerns) (ScienceDirect)

For your DBA

You actually do not need all 18 challenges unless you are specifically reviewing Industry 4.0 barriers.

For your section:

2.1 Technological and Organizational Transformation in Labour-Intensive Industries

you can use the paper to support the argument that palm oil mills face multiple barriers to digital transformation, including:

  • Technological barriers (automation and virtualization limitations)

  • Financial barriers (unclear return on investment)

  • Process barriers (lack of process redesign)

  • Inter-organizational barriers (poor connectivity across firms)

  • Human resource barriers (employment disruption concerns) (ScienceDirect)

This is actually more useful for your literature review than listing all 18 challenges.

A DBA-style paragraph

You could write:

Abdul-Hamid et al. (2020) identified several barriers to Industry 4.0

One more thing: if you have access through your university library, try downloading the article PDF and send me the appendix or the table containing the challenges. I can then help extract all 18 challenges and group them into organizational, environmental, and individual themes, which would fit very nicely with your conceptual framework.

Norsanina.blogspot.com

Refine adjustment

Thank you. Now I can see the direction of your study much more clearly.

Your title is:

"Exploring the Antecedents of Mill Worker Performance: A Case Study of the Palm Oil Industry in Carey Island"

The important thing is that your study is not actually about Industry 4.0 or technology adoption itself. Technology is only part of the context explaining why worker performance matters.

Your framework is:

Independent Variables

  • Organizational Factors

  • Environmental Factors

  • Individual Factors

Mediator

  • Perceived Supervisor Support (PSS)

Dependent Variable

  • Employee Performance


What this means for Chapter 2

The section I wrote earlier:

"Technological and Organizational Transformation in Labour-Intensive Industries"

is actually more suitable as:

2.1 Industry Context

rather than a core antecedent.

Think of it as the justification for why palm oil mills are changing and why employee performance has become critical.


Suggested Literature Review Structure

2.0 Introduction

Overview of Chapter 2.

2.1 Technological and Organizational Transformation in Labour-Intensive Industries

Purpose:

  • Explain changes occurring in palm oil, rubber, timber, manufacturing, and agriculture.

  • Discuss Industry 4.0.

  • Discuss labour shortages.

  • Discuss productivity pressures.

  • Explain why worker performance has become strategically important.

This is your context-setting section.


2.2 Employee Performance

Purpose:

  • Define employee performance.

  • Dimensions of employee performance.

  • Employee performance in manufacturing and palm oil industries.

  • Importance of employee performance.

This is your DV section.


2.3 Organizational Factors

Possible dimensions:

  • Training and development

  • Communication

  • Leadership

  • Reward systems

  • Organizational culture

  • Career opportunities

Discuss studies showing relationship with employee performance.

Addresses:

RQ1
RO1


2.4 Environmental Factors

Possible dimensions:

  • Working conditions

  • Safety climate

  • Physical environment

  • Work facilities

  • Technology availability

Discuss studies showing influence on performance.

Addresses:

RQ1
RO1


2.5 Individual Factors

Possible dimensions:

  • Motivation

  • Skills

  • Competency

  • Self-efficacy

  • Work attitude

Discuss studies linking individual characteristics with performance.

Addresses:

RQ1
RO1


2.6 Perceived Supervisor Support (PSS)

This should be a major section because it is your mediator.

Subsections:

2.6.1 Definition of PSS

2.6.2 Social Exchange Theory Perspective

2.6.3 Antecedents of PSS

Connect:

  • Organizational factors → PSS

  • Environmental factors → PSS

  • Individual factors → PSS

Addresses:

RQ2
RO2


2.7 PSS and Employee Performance

Discuss:

  • Supervisor support

  • Employee commitment

  • Motivation

  • Job satisfaction

  • Performance outcomes

Addresses:

RQ3
RO3


2.8 Mediating Role of PSS

This is critical.

Create three separate discussions:

2.8.1 PSS as Mediator between Organizational Factors and Performance

2.8.2 PSS as Mediator between Environmental Factors and Performance

2.8.3 PSS as Mediator between Individual Factors and Performance

Addresses:

RQ4
RO4


2.9 Underpinning Theory

I strongly recommend:

Social Exchange Theory (SET)

Why?

Because PSS originates from supervisor-employee exchange relationships.

Logic:

  • Organization provides resources.

  • Supervisor represents the organization.

  • Employees perceive support.

  • Employees reciprocate through better performance.

SET is one of the most commonly used theories for PSS studies.

You could also mention:

  • Organizational Support Theory (OST)

but SET should be your primary theory.


2.10 Hypothesis Development

Example:

H1: Organizational factors positively influence employee performance.

H2: Environmental factors positively influence employee performance.

H3: Individual factors positively influence employee performance.

H4: Organizational factors positively influence PSS.

H5: Environmental factors positively influence PSS.

H6: Individual factors positively influence PSS.

H7: PSS positively influences employee performance.

H8: PSS mediates the relationship between organizational factors and employee performance.

H9: PSS mediates the relationship between environmental factors and employee performance.

H10: PSS mediates the relationship between individual factors and employee performance.


2.11 Conceptual Framework

Your framework naturally becomes:

Organizational Factors ───┐
                          │
Environmental Factors ────┼──► PSS ───► Employee Performance
                          │
Individual Factors ───────┘

Direct paths:

Organizational Factors ───► Employee Performance

Environmental Factors ───► Employee Performance

Individual Factors ───────► Employee Performance 
One observation: your title says "Antecedents of Mill Worker Performance", but your RO and RQ are actually examining antecedents of both PSS and employee performance. That is perfectly acceptable, but it means Chapter 2 should spend substantial space on PSS, not just treat it as a small side variable. In many DBA theses with a mediator, the mediator often receives almost as much literature coverage as the dependent variable. This will strengthen the justification for RO2, RO3, and RO4.Norsanina.blogspot.com

2.1.0


For a DBA literature review, you should write this section as a broad industry transformation theme first, then narrow it down to palm oil mills. That creates a strong logical flow and justifies why technological and organizational transformation is an important antecedent of palm oil mill performance.

2.1.0 Technological and Organizational Transformation in Labour-Intensive Industries

Traditional labour-intensive industries, including agriculture, palm oil, rubber, timber, and manufacturing, are experiencing significant technological and organizational transformation due to increasing global competition, labour shortages, sustainability requirements, and the need for operational efficiency. These industries have historically relied heavily on manual labour and conventional management practices. However, the emergence of Industry 4.0 technologies has accelerated the shift towards automation, digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, and smart monitoring systems (Akmal et al., 2025). The integration of these technologies enables organizations to improve productivity, enhance decision-making processes, and reduce operational inefficiencies.

Industry 4.0 represents the convergence of physical operations and digital technologies through interconnected systems that facilitate real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and intelligent decision-making. Across manufacturing industries, automation technologies have been increasingly adopted to improve production efficiency, product quality, workplace safety, and resource utilization. Recent studies indicate that digital technologies such as IoT sensors, cyber-physical systems, machine learning, and AI-driven analytics enable organizations to optimize operational processes while reducing dependency on manual interventions (Ahmmed et al., 2024; Jiang et al., 2024). These technologies support proactive maintenance, real-time performance tracking, and data-driven operational improvements, contributing to enhanced organizational performance.

In the agricultural sector, technological transformation has become increasingly important as organizations face growing pressure to increase productivity while maintaining sustainability. The adoption of Agriculture 4.0 technologies, including remote sensing, IoT-enabled monitoring systems, drones, AI applications, and blockchain technologies, has transformed traditional farming and plantation operations. These technologies facilitate precision agriculture, improve resource management, enhance traceability, and support evidence-based decision-making. Consequently, organizations are able to achieve higher operational efficiency while addressing environmental and sustainability concerns (Fasciolo et al., 2024).

Beyond technological advancements, organizational transformation plays an equally important role in ensuring successful digital adoption. Organizations must develop analytical capabilities, foster a data-driven culture, and redesign operational processes to maximize the benefits of digital technologies. Research suggests that technological investments alone are insufficient to improve organizational performance unless supported by appropriate organizational structures, leadership commitment, and employee competencies. Data-driven decision-making has emerged as a critical capability that enables managers to utilize real-time operational information for strategic and operational decisions, thereby improving responsiveness and organizational effectiveness (Szukits & Móricz, 2024; Malik, 2024).

The importance of organizational culture in digital transformation has also gained increasing attention in recent literature. Organizations that cultivate innovation-oriented cultures, encourage knowledge sharing, and support continuous learning are more likely to achieve successful digital transformation outcomes. Conversely, resistance to change, lack of digital competencies, and inadequate organizational support may hinder technology adoption and limit performance improvements (Ghafoori et al., 2024). Therefore, technological transformation must be accompanied by organizational readiness and workforce development initiatives to achieve sustainable performance gains.

Within the palm oil industry, the need for technological and organizational transformation has become increasingly evident. Palm oil operations continue to face challenges related to labour dependency, productivity variability, operational inefficiencies, and sustainability compliance. Recent studies highlight that Industry 4.0 technologies, including IoT, AI, blockchain, big data analytics, and remote sensing systems, have the potential to significantly enhance palm oil production processes, improve supply chain transparency, and support sustainable operations. Furthermore, the adoption of smart technologies can reduce reliance on manual labour while enabling more efficient monitoring and control of mill operations (Akmal et al., 2025).

Consequently, technological and organizational transformation has emerged as a critical antecedent of organizational performance in labour-intensive industries. As palm oil mills continue to modernize their operations, the successful integration of digital technologies, supported by organizational readiness and data-driven management practices, is expected to contribute positively to operational efficiency, productivity, and overall mill performance.


Suggested APA 7th References

You should include these recent references in your bibliography:

Akmal, M. Z. M., Ooi, J., Ng, W. P. Q., Shen, H., et al. (2025). Impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on the oil palm industry: A literature review. Smart Agricultural Technology, 10, 100685.

Ahmmed, M. S., Isanaka, S. P., & Liou, F. (2024). Promoting synergies to improve manufacturing efficiency in industrial material processing: A systematic review of Industry 4.0 and AI. Machines, 12(10), 681.

Fasciolo, B., Panza, L., & Lombardi, F. (2024). Exploring the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies in agriculture: A comprehensive bibliometric review. Sustainability, 16(20), 8948.

Ghafoori, A., Gupta, M., Merhi, M. I., Gupta, S., & Shore, A. P. (2024). Toward the role of organizational culture in data-driven digital transformation. International Journal of Production Economics, 271, 109205.

Jiang, L., Zhang, J., & Wong, Y. D. (2024). Digital technology in occupational health of manufacturing industries: A systematic literature review. Discover Applied Sciences, 6, 631.

Malik, S. (2024). Data-driven decision-making: Leveraging the IoT for real-time sustainability in organizational behavior. Sustainability, 16(15), 6302.

Ojha, V. K., Goyal, S., Chand, M., & Kumar, A. (2024). A framework for data-driven decision making in advanced manufacturing systems: Development and implementation. Concurrent Engineering.

Szukits, Á., & Móricz, P. (2024). Towards data-driven decision making: The role of analytical culture and centralization efforts. Review of Managerial Science, 18, 2849–2887.


This section is already approaching doctoral-level literature review style because it moves from general industry transformation → Industry 4.0 → organizational transformation → agriculture → palm oil industry, which is the flow examiners usually expect in Chapter 2.

Norsanina.blogspot.com

Chapter 2 Introduction

Chapter 2 Introduction 

22/06/2026

Certainly. Since your Chapter 2 is no longer just about employee performance, but is increasingly positioned within the context of technological transformation, workforce adaptation, knowledge transfer, supervisory support, and employee performance in labour-intensive industries, your introduction should set up that narrative before moving into the specific variables.

Here is a draft that aligns with the themes we discussed.


2.0 Introduction

 ✅ Done 

APA References

Abdul-Hamid, A. Q., Ali, M. H., Tseng, M. L., Lan, S., & Kumar, M. (2020). Impeding challenges on Industry 4.0 in circular economy: Palm oil industry in Malaysia. Computers & Operations Research, 123, 105052.

Judijanto, L. (2025). Exploring the potentials of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in transforming the palm oil industry: A review. Journal of Information, Technology and Policy, 1–13.

Kurtessis, J. N., Eisenberger, R., Ford, M. T., Buffardi, L. C., Stewart, K. A., & Adis, C. S. (2017). Perceived organizational support: A meta-analytic evaluation of organizational support theory. Journal of Management, 43(6), 1854–1884.

Oreg, S., Vakola, M., & Armenakis, A. (2011). Change recipients’ reactions to organizational change: A 60-year review of quantitative studies. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 47(4), 461–524.


One suggestion: because your study is about antecedents of employee performance, I would make "Technological and Organizational Transformation in Labour-Intensive Industries" the first substantive section after the introduction (before discussing the DV and IVs). 

This creates a logical bridge from Industry 4.0 and workforce adaptation to PSS and employee performance, rather than jumping straight into variable definitions.

Norsanina.blogspot.com

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