Rural Industrialization: A Comparison of Entrepreneurship Practice in West-Coast and East-Coast Areas of Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

Rural industrialization is the sector that contribute to the country's economic income apart
from reducing the individual's dependence on the job seeker sector. Nowadays, Malaysian
government has practiced various entrepreneurial programs, including; skills training, advisory
services, market access, business network, business financing, and ICT in order to assist the
rural entrepreneurs. One District One Industry (ODOI) is an initiative entrepreneurship practice
undertaken by the government in efforts to increase income among rural entrepreneurs in
industry. However, there are difference perceptions on entrepreneurship practice based on
different region as the West-Coast area are more practice rather than East-Coast area in
Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, this study become crucial in order to examine the comparison
of entrepreneurship practice between East-Coast and West-Coast of Peninsular Malaysia among
rural entrepreneurs. This study was conducted data collection through a questionnaire survey to
measure the differences of five hypothesis. The results indicated that the factors of skills training,
business network and business financing are similar perceptions, meanwhile, market access and
ICT are not similar. Hence, the authorities and rural industrial practitioners need to take any
possible initiatives by adopting a new approach in implementing new appropriate programs to
specify and structure their policies as well as developing similar perception of entrepreneurship
practice between regions in Malaysia