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Acknowledgements
Alhamdulillah for all His blessings that made this journey possible. Completing this
thesis is one of the major achievements of my life, and there are many who should be
acknowledged for the role that they have played.
First, it is with immense gratitude that I acknowledge the invaluable supervision of my
principal supervisor, Associate Professor David Gilbert. He has been dedicated in
guiding me with unwavering support throughout this academic journey. His immense
knowledge, optimism, patience, and encouragement have been my source of motivation
throughout this journey. I am truly honoured and humbled to have had such a dedicated
supervisor.
I acknowledge my second supervisor Dr Afreen Huq who offered significant advice on
conducting qualitative research. It has been a pleasure to work with her and she is
deserving of recognition for her efforts.
I express my sincere thanks to the RMIT School of Mathematical and Geo-Spatial
Science for the statistical analysis aspect of this thesis, and the School of Management
for their financial scholarship support which made the pursuit of this higher degree
possible. I thank Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and the Malaysian
Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) for the opportunity to bring an aspiration to
reality.
I thank the President of the National Business Incubation Association (NINA), Andrew
Wong for his support and I acknowledge the participation of all six incubator managers
and 118 incubatees in this study.
Finally, I would like to thank my friends whose acquaintance I cherish.