Identifying Generational Cohorts in Sarawak

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to deliberate on efforts to utilize the theories of generations to identify generational cohorts in Sarawak. A qualitative study was carried out via in-depth interview using a purposive sampling method to determine major societal events in the state. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using content analysis. Descriptive analysis was used to assess the frequency of the recalled events and their distribution by age range. Accordingly five generational cohorts were identified, and labeled as neoteric-inheritors, prospective-pursuers, social-strivers, idealistic-strugglers and battling-lifers. The results show that the people in the same cohorts recall the same events that occurred during their formative years and supports past studies that personal attachment to events in the coming-of-age times is a major determinant of a cohort. This validates past findings and lays the groundwork for further analyses on cohort characteristics and use. Recommendations for management are provided.

Full text

Identifying Generational Cohorts in Sarawak
Hiram Ting
a1
, Ernest Cyril de Run
b
, Kim-Shyan Fam
c
a
Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia; hiramparousia@yahoo.co.uk
b
Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia; drernest@feb.unimas.my
c
School of Marketing and International Business, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; kim.fam@vuw.ac.nz
1
Corresponding author
Abstract - The purpose of this paper is to deliberate on
efforts to utilize the theories of generations to identify
generational cohorts in Sarawak. A qualitative study was
carried out via in-depth interview using a purposive sampling
method to determine major societal events in the state.
Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using
content analysis. Descriptive analysis was used to assess the
frequency of the recalled events and their distribution by age
range. Accordingly five generational cohorts were identified,
and labeled as neoteric-inheritors, prospective-pursuers,
social-strivers, idealistic-strugglers and battling-lifers. The
results show that the people in the same cohorts recall the
same events that occurred during their formative years and
supports past studies that personal attachment to events in the
coming-of-age times is a major determinant of a cohort. This
validates past findings and lays the groundwork for further
analyses on cohort characteristics and use. Recommendations
for management are provided.
Keywords - Generational cohort, Sarawak, event, coming-of-
age, memory
I. INTRODUCTION
The concept of generation and its impact on cohorts of
people has long been discussed in various disciplines,
including business [1][2][3][4][5]. Specifically, generation
study has rapidly gained its relevance in marketing
discipline. Studies have shown positive prospects of
utilizing generational cohort in marketing strategies and
consumer behavior [6][7]. Generation descriptions such as
baby boomers, generations X and Y are often associated
with marketing opportunities and understanding consumer
[8][9], and considered as an basis for marketing
practitioners to segment the customers effectively [10].
The notion of generational cohort hinges upon the
assumption that individuals are profoundly influenced by
cataclysmic events occurring during their coming-of-age
years. Schuman and Scott’s [11] study demonstrate that
similarly aged individuals do share similar memories of the
events, and they are recalled predominantly from
adolescence and young adulthood. Moreover, individuals
who have personal experiences with the events that they
cited are likely to be influenced by the events throughout
their lifetime. Holbrook and Schindler [12][13] posit that
young adulthood engagement with the societal events is
likely to influence individuals well into their adulthood, and
therefore it becomes more possible to predict their future
behaviors. Given the potential of understanding generational
cohorts, this study is purported to be groundwork to utilize
the theories of generational cohort in order to come out with
the cohorts in Sarawak. Whether different age-groups in the
state recall different influential events, and whether they
took place during the coming-of-age years are the two
questions, hence objectives that this study intends to address
and achieve.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Definition of Generational Cohort
“Cohort” is defined as (a group of) individuals who are
born during the same time period and who experience
similar external events, which are described as the “defining
moments”, during their late adolescent and early adulthood
years [6][5][14][15]. This is well supported by definition of
“generation” given by Smola and Sutton [16]. Edmunds and
Turner’s [17] describe generational cohort as individuals
who are born at about the same time and experience
historical events at about the same point in their human
development. In like manner, Gursoy et al. [18] highlight
that individuals in the same generation tend to think and act
different from those born in other time span. Therefore it
goes beyond age to unveil individuals’ characteristics in the
long term.
Past Theories on Generational Cohort
Mannheim’s [2] essay “The Problem of Generations”, is
one of the earliest works on the subject and regarded as the
most systematic and developed treatment of generation from
a sociological perspective. It asserted that people are
significantly influenced by the socio-historical environment
that predominates their youth [19] . Based on his theory of
generations, those most influenced by major societal events

and collective memory would have personally experienced
them during their late adolescence and early adulthood. As
these events have primacy, they define generational cohorts
and give rise to new cohorts [8].
The theory of intergenerational value change developed
by Inglehart [20][21] also maintains that major historical
happenings bring about changes on the foundation of
existing social orders and value systems of the society, and
give birth to new generational cohorts consequently. The
theory is based on scarcity and socialization hypotheses.
The former states that cohorts tend to place the greatest
subjective value on the socioeconomic resources that are in
short supply during their youth. The latter, in turn, proposes
that individual’s basic values reflect the socioeconomic
conditions of childhood and adolescence. Longitudinal
research has shown that this values orientation will remain
relatively stable throughout one’s lifetime [21][22][23].
The theory of historical generations proposed by Rogler
[5] further expands the work of Inglehart and underscores
that cataclysmic events impose a stronger, longer-lasting
value imprint on the coming-of-age group than on other
age-groups who live through the same historic period. He
made propositions to maintain that generations start with
cataclysmic historical events, and they, especially the young
adults, are deeply affected by these events. Besides,
reactions to these events will consolidate into stable
orientations if the influences of the events are directed
toward the young adult’s experiences. The lifelong
persistence of these orientations therefore defines historical
generations. Such is the assertion that the late adolescent
and early adulthood years, also known as coming-of-age or
formative years in other literature, rather than the birth years,
segregate one generational cohort from another. These
propositions are supported by studies done in other
countries, such as the Netherlands [24], England, Germany
and Japan [25][26], Brazil [27], the U.S [12][13][28], and
China [29][30].
Considering the generational cohorts in US, a well-known
framework proposed by Strauss and Howe [31] states that
the population of the country is consisted of four cohorts.
These cohorts are the silent generation, born between 1925
and 1942, the baby boomer generation, born between 1943
and 1960, the thirteenth generation born between 1961 and
1981, and the millennial generation, born between 1982 and
2004. Similar to the assertion of the past theories, they
emphasize that each cohort exhibits distinct attitudes and
behaviors which are shaped by the impactful events
experienced during their lives.
With the aforementioned in mind, it is therefore clear that
it is impractical to assume the segregation and duration of
years used to define the generational cohorts in the U.S or
any other regions is identical to that of the Sarawak.
Munusamy et al. [32], in their study about perceived
differences in values among academicians in Malaysia,
realize the limitation when assuming that the birth year used
to segregate the cohorts in Malaysia is similar to that of the
Western context. For instance, the segmentation of
generational cohorts proposed by Smith and Clurman [33]
and Zemke et al. [34] cannot be generalized in Sarawak as
there is no baby-boomers’ age in the nation’s history.
Sarawakians in their thirties and forties today did not
experience feminism movement during their coming-of-age
years although generation X had in the US. The defining
moments between Sarawak and other regions are different;
hence the descriptions of generational cohort must be
different.
Accordingly, three propositions are formulated in this
study for subsequent analysis. First, the people in Sarawak
must have experienced different major societal events from
the people in the US, and therefore recall different events,
hence the following proposition:
Proposition I: The people in Sarawak will recall
different major societal events from the people in the US.
Secondly, different age-groups in Sarawak must have
experienced different major societal events that are
impactful to them, hence the following proposition:
Proposition II: Each age-group will recall particular
and different major societal events that are impactful to
them.
Thirdly, having collective memories and experiences of
these events indicates that individuals must have
experienced them primarily during their late adolescence
and early adulthood, and were greatly impacted by them.
This defines generational cohorts in the given context.
Hence the third proposition is as follows:
Proposition III: The collective memories and
experiences of the major societal events will show that
these events were predominantly taking place during the
late adolescent and early adulthood years.
III. METHODOLOGY
Research Design
A qualitative approach was adopted in this study to
investigate and understand complex psychological and
social issues embedded in generations of people [35]. The
concept of saturation or information-richness is emphasized
[36][37].
Population and Sample
Sarawak was chosen as the context of the study as
Sarawak may not share similar events with Sabah and the
western part of Malaysia due to differences in historical and
social background. As such, the population of the study
must be Sarawakian, and must have spent most of their time
in the state.

As far as the sample size is concerned, there are no clear
guides as to how many cases or respondents should be
included in qualitative studies [38]. Therefore past studies
were looked into to surmise the sample needed to secure
replication of information and to fulfill the aim of the study
[39]. Minimum case required was two to a maximum of
fifteen [40]. In terms of the respondents, Ritchie et al. [41]
claim that qualitative samples often lie under 50 while
Bertaux’s [42] concluded that fifteen is the smallest
acceptable sample for all qualitative research. The number
of cases and respondents in this study is explained in the
following section.
Sampling Strategy
Purposive sampling strategy is used since it is essential to
select intended people to accomplish the aim of the study
[43]. Age is used as a proxy variable to develop cases.
Earlier literature has shown that people become susceptible
to major happenings as early as 14 or 15, and formative
years tend to take place in late adolescence and end at the
age of 24 to 27 [13][8][28][11]. Subsequently six cases
were developed (age 65 and above being the sixth case), and
five respondents or more were required for each case, thus
totaling 30 respondents at least. Other demographic
characteristics namely race, geographical area and gender
were also taken into account to reflect the actual population.
Research Instrument
Since the study is about real people in natural settings
rather than in artificial isolation [35], case study and in-
depth interview were chosen as the most preferred and
effective methods to collect primary data [38]. Accordingly,
53 interviews were conducted throughout Sarawak, but five
of them were abandoned due to poor recording. The
additional number of interview completed in this study is to
ensure that the collected data achieve information-richness.
The shortest interview was about 10 minutes,
understandably from a 15-year old student, and the longest
one lasted almost 2 hours, naturally from a veteran. Most
interviews were conducted either in the homes of the
respondents at their convenience and comfort
[44][45][46][47]. Although the using of audio recorder is
rarely advisable during interviews in Asia [48][49], it is
essential in this study for the purpose of triangulation.
Interview Design
Interview questions about memories of past events were
designed with reference to Schuman and Scott’s [11] study.
A pilot study was carried out to check whether the questions
were clear enough for respondents to give responses, and
measured what it was intended to measure [50]. This
ensures content validity was achieved. The funnel or
flowerpot approach was adopted, starting with broader
questions, narrowing down the scope from general to
specific, and eventually ending with demographic details
[51][52][53][54]. Specifically, respondents were firstly
asked about the major societal events that they could
remember in the last 80 years in an open-ended manner.
Supplementing words such as political, economical, social
and technological aspects were used in probing questions
[8]. Then they were asked to clarify when these events
happened and why they were important to verify their
influence on them.
Data Analysis
All recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim, and
the transcriptions were checked to match against the audio
records [55]. Content analysis is particularly useful when
data are collected through in-depth interview [56]. It tends
to focus at frequency counts [57], and allows for qualitative
analyses of initially qualitative data [58]. However, since it
is imperative that the content captures something important
in relation to the research aim, it does not necessarily
dependent on quantifiable measures [59]. Therefore content
analysis was utilized to find out and code major events
manually [60]. Then the coded events were categorized as
distinctive and concise themes by the researcher and two
coders independently [60]. The collective responses of
memories allowed the events and their respective years of
occurrence to be structured by age in a way that pointed out
whether there was cutoff age for every cohort. The
responses were then used to show whether the events fit the
model of adolescence and early adulthood as the primary
source of memories. This helped determine the number of
cohorts in Sarawak and define them accordingly.
IV. RESULTS
Reliability
Multiple coders to establish inter-coder reliability were
used to perform content analysis of interview data [61][55].
Generally, the reported reliability was 85 percent, which
satisfies the recommended threshold of 85 percent [56].
Findings using Descriptive Analysis
Table 1 depicts a summation of demographic information
from 48 respondents.
TABLE 1
RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
Variable Frequency Percent
Gender Male
Female
24
24
50.0
50.0
Age-group 15-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65 and above
9
9
9
7
7
7
18.8
18.8
18.8
14.6
14.6
14.6
Race Iban
Chinese
Malay
Others
15
14
12
7
31.3
29.2
25.0
14.7
Residing
Location
Kuching
Miri
Bintulu
Sibu
Others
15
7
6
6
14
31.3
14.6
12.5
12.5
29.2
Findings using Content Analysis
Table 2, in turn, depicts a summation of major societal
events recalled and regarded as impactful by the

respondents. Age distribution is reported to indicate the age
range of individuals who recalled the events.
TABLE 2
IMPACT EVENTS RECALLED AND FREQUENCIES
Aspect
Events
(Themes)
Freq.
Age
Distribution
Political
Japanese Occupation of Sarawak
Second World War
The Gulf War
Election Campaign
Conflict in the Middle East
Retirement of Tun Mahathir
Change of Prime Ministers in
Malaysia
Inauguration of Obama Barack
Change of President in Taiwan
Bersih Rally
One Malaysia Campaign
Communism in Sarawak
British Colonization
Dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim
Najib Razak as Prime Minister
Sarawak Joined Malaya to form
Malaysia
The Iraq War
Governance of Tun Mahathir
Anwar’s Lawsuit and Effect
The Bosnian War
Dayak’s Nationalism in Politics
Governance of Rahman Ya’kub
Singapore Separated from
Malaysia
Indonesian/Malaysian
Confrontation
Ming Court Affair
7
1
3
4
1
5
3
4
2
1
3
18
6
2
1
6
1
3
6
1
1
1
1
1
1
69, 73, 73, 75,
78, 82, 87
87
35, 50, 53
16, 23, 24, 30
16
19, 26, 31, 32, 64
26, 27, 31
23, 26, 27, 27
26, 32
20
23, 27, 31
44, 46, 49, 53,
53, 56, 57, 58,
60, 64, 64, 69,
73, 73, 75, 78,
82, 87
69, 73, 73, 75,
78, 82
37, 48
36
60, 64, 69, 73,
73, 78
31
50, 64, 78
24, 30, 35, 48,
64, 78
35
46
78
78
78
64
Econ-
omic
Econ./Financial Crisis in 2008
The Rise of Oil Prices
Corruption
Econ./Financial Crisis in 97/98
The Bakun Project
Vision 2020
Economic Development
Improvement of Living Standard
4
2
1
15
2
2
2
10
26, 27, 27, 31
19, 27
23
27, 27, 28, 28,
31, 32, 35, 35,
36, 37, 43, 48,
49, 50, 58
36, 49
31, 36
24, 28
24, 28, 36, 42,
44, 46, 48, 49,
59, 64
Socio-
cultural
The 911 Event
Change of Instruction Medium
at School
Change in Tertiary Education
System
Children Public Safety
Baby being abandoned
Inter-ethnic Violence in Madura
The Execution of Baram Project
Jakarta Anti-Chinese Riot
Increasing Criminal Cases
Riot in London
Illegal Logging Activities
Early Missionary Work in
Sarawak
Highland Tower Collapse
8
7
2
3
3
2
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
16, 24, 28, 32,
35, 36, 46, 53
15, 20, 23, 26,
27, 48, 53
30, 53
19, 24, 35
19, 24, 28
27, 35
50
32
24, 28
15
78
75, 78
26, 43
Aspect
Events
(Themes)
Freq.
Age
Distribution
Techno-
logical
The Use and Advancement of
Internet
Advancement in Communication
Technology, such as handphone
Advancement in
Computer/Digital Technology
Production of Proton Saga
The Use of Technology at
School
Demise of Steve Jobs
4
3
12
3
3
1
16, 23, 24, 27
16, 24, 27
15, 24, 27, 28,
30, 31, 32, 35,
36, 46, 53, 58
31, 36, 53
20, 24, 27
15
Others Earthquake and Tsunami in
Aceh
Tsunami/Nuclear Plant Incident
in Japan
Increasing of Natural Disasters
Haze
Explosion of Shell Plant in
Bintulu
Pollution
Widespread of HIV
Pollution of Rejang River
Outbreak of H1N1
Outbreak of Coxsackie
Outbreak of SARS
Great Flood
14
8
2
14
1
1
1
1
4
4
4
5
16, 20, 23, 23,
24, 24, 27, 32,
35, 36, 36, 48,
53, 64
16, 23, 27, 28,
30, 32, 48, 64
26, 58
15, 23, 24, 27,
27, 28, 31, 32,
35, 36, 37, 42,
43, 46
30
36
36
31
23, 24, 27, 36
24, 32, 36, 42
23, 32, 36, 48
36, 42, 44, 46, 59
Even though the frequency of each event being recalled
was different, and an event being recalled only one time
cannot be construed as insignificant, frequency count is still
useful to postulate collective memories in this study. Hence,
table 3 shows the association between age mean of the
respondents when the events were recalled five times or
more and the occurrence of the events.
TABLE 3
ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AGE MEAN
AND OCCURRENCE OF EVENTS
Events (Themes)
Occurring
Years
Freq.
Age
Me
an
Std
Dev.
Japanese Occupation of
Sarawak
Retirement of Tun Mahathir
Communism in Sarawak
British Colonization
Sarawak Joined Malaya to form
Malaysia
Anwar’s Lawsuit and Effect
Econ./Financial Crisis in 97/98
Improvement of Living
Standard
The 911 Event
Change of Instruction Medium
at School
Advancement in
Computer/Digital Tech
Earthquake/Tsunami in Aceh
Tsunami/Nuclear Plant Incident
in Japan
Haze
Great Flood
1941-1945
2003
1950s-
1970s
1946-1963
1963
1998-
Present
1997-1998
---
2001
---
Late 1990s-
Present
2004
2011
1997-1998
---
7
5
18
6
6
6
15
10
8
7
12
14
8
14
5
76.71
34.40
63.39
75.00
69.50
46.50
37.60
44.00
33.75
30.29
34.58
32.93
33.50
31.86
45.40
6.13
17.33
12.62
4.52
6.60
21.03
9.78
10.50
11.79
14.44
12.27
13.77
15.33
8.63
8.47

V. DISCUSSION
The findings confirm that the first proposition about the
major societal events experienced and recalled by the
people in Sarawak are different from that of the people in
the US holds true. For example, Sarawakians in their 60s
did not mention Vietnam War, nor did any of the
respondents in their 30s recall anything about the explosion
of Challenger and new feminism movement. Conversely
speaking, the baby boomers in the US certainly did not
experience the formation of Sarawak, nor would generation
X give any account on the outbreak of fatal diseases.
Although similarity can be seen in younger generations in
mentioning global events such as the incident of 911 and the
use of internet, it does not warrant uniformity. Suffice to say
on this premise that generational description in the US
cannot be generalized to Sarawak.
The findings also show that the major societal events
recalled by every age-group are mostly different. Out of 14
respondents who mentioned the tsunami in Aceh in 2004 as
a major event, six of them are between 15-24 years old.
Many of them also recalled events pertaining to natural
disasters and outbreak of diseases. They also seemed to be
quite concerned with elections in recent years. As far as the
age-group of 25 to 34 is concerned, six out of nine
respondents recalled the incidents of tsunamis either in
Aceh or Japan. Moreover, five respondents from this group
spoke about haze in 1997 and 1998, and the same amount of
respondents also talked about the impact of technological
advancement in computer and digital. Interestingly, only
this group of people mentioned about the change of Prime
Ministers in Malaysia in the last decade and the impact of
the global economic crisis in 2008. Six of them considered
the economic crisis in 1997 and 1998 impactful as well.
Moving on to another group, five respondents with the
age between 35 and 44 regarded the economic crisis in 1997
and 1998 as impactful. Apparently this group of people is
more concerned with societal well-being because a good
number of them spoke about the outbreak of various
diseases, great flood, haze, and the improving of standard
living. Respondents from the age-group of 45 to 54 began to
tell things pertaining to communism. They also explained
how the economic crisis in 1997 and 1998, and the
improvement of standard living had impacted them
significantly. With the age-group of 55 to 64, it is of no
surprise that six out of seven respondents gave a good
account on communism in Sarawak collectively. The older
ones in this group also mentioned about the forming of
Malaysia in 1963. Finally, those who are aged 65 and above
talked mostly about political events such as Japanese
occupation, British colonization, formation of Malaysia and
communism in Sarawak. Overall it is posited that the
second proposition is accepted as each age-group does
recall particular and dissimilar events that are impactful to
them.
Having put the particular major societal events recalled
by each and every age-group in perspective, it is possible to
assess whether these events occurred during late adolescent
and early adulthood years respectively. Even though there
are cross-over effects or overlaps between two age-groups,
the collective memories of the events do suggest that
individuals are particular susceptible to major happenings
during their coming-of-age years. Adolescents, who are
aged 20 and below, seem to be recalling any major event
that happened in recent years since they are still in the
coming-of-age years. Young adults who are in their 20s and
30s, however, tend to recall the economic downturn in the
late 90s, advancement in technology and natural disasters.
Note worthily, a good number of them have also recalled
political events such as the retirement of Tun Mahathir, the
change of Prime Ministers, the inauguration of Barack
Obama as the President of the US, election and one
Malaysia campaign. Incidentally all these events occurred
within the last ten years, thus making obvious the influences
on them during the coming-of-age years.
Middle-aged individuals, who are in their late 30s and 40s,
seem to be more concerned with economic and social
security as seen in their responses to the economic crisis in
1997 and 1998, great flood, and the improvement of
standard living which mostly happened during their coming-
of-age years. Those who are in their late 40s have also
experienced fraction of communists’ activities in the early
1970s. Therefore it is evident that those who are in the 50s
and 60s would recall communism as the primary event due
to their personal attachment to the event during the
formative years. Though they could also mention some of
the recent events, they were not as concrete as the
experience that they had, such as curfew, during the time of
communism. Lastly, the veterans, despite being 70 years old
and above, can still explicitly remember incidents related to
Japanese occupation and British colonization as if there is
no other major event since then. As such the third
proposition is supported and also accepted.
The assessment of major societal events and their
occurrence with respective to the distribution of age
suggests that there are generational differences among the
Sarawakians. In view of that, five generational cohorts are
identified. The first cohort, consisting of those who are aged
20 and below, is labeled as ‘neoteric-inheritors’ because
they tend to accept whatever there is around them and are
still in their formative years. The second cohort, consisting
of those who are in their 20s and 30s, is labeled as
‘prospective-pursuers’ because they have experienced the
rapid advancement in technology and recovery from the
economic crisis. Their interest in political matters shows
that they believe in changes to ensure promising future. The
third cohort, consisting of those who are in their late 30s
and 40s, is labeled as ‘social-strivers’ since they care mostly
about economic stability and social welfare. Understandably
peace and security were brought in after the capitulation of
communists, and various developments began to be in place
since then, and that enhanced their living drastically. The

fourth cohort, consisting of those who are in their 50s and
60s, is labeled as ‘idealistic-strugglers’ as they have once
struggled to secure good lives and careers during the time of
communism, British colonization and the forming of
Malaysia. Different ideas and beliefs were generated during
those times as to what were the better decisions and choices,
and many of them still maintain their stance until today. The
fifth cohort, consisting of those who are in their 70s and
beyond, is labeled as ‘battling-lifers’ due to fact that they
had to find ways to survive and live during Japanese
occupation. They worked hard and were very protective of
their family members.
VI. CONCLUSIONS
The goal of the current study was to empirically support
the concept of generational cohort in the Sarawakian
context. The findings have validated the past studies using
the theories of generations that personal engagements with
major societal events during late adolescent and early
adulthood years do shape and define generational cohorts,
and give birth to new cohorts. Therefore the defining
moments transpired during the coming-of-age years is the
determinant to identifying and segregating cohorts in the
state.
People today are becoming savvier than ever before,
demanding personal attention and products that go well with
their lifestyle. They do not want to be misunderstood,
mistargeted or misguided in any way. Schewe and Meredith
[62] assert that generational cohort characteristics divulge
much about what people in various age-groups desire and
prefer, and what are the motivations within. From an
organizational standpoint, they provide the platform for
developing effective marketing strategies and executions.
This study is the first attempt to this end and illustrates the
need for future endeavors to investigate the characteristics
of each cohort, the use of this segmentation approach in the
marketplace, and to extend it to the national setting to
determine the generational cohorts of Malaysia. This would
afford a more comprehensive view of the subject matter,
hence allowing more detailed studies pertaining to business
and marketing to be conducted nationally and
internationally.
Acknowledgement: This paper is based on research at
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak under Geran Dana Principal
Investigator (Grant no: 03/DPI07/823/2011 (07)). The
authors express their gratitude to UNIMAS for sponsoring
attendance at the conference.
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