Stops: Addressing graduate marketability issue in Malaysia [Stops: Mengungkai isu kebolehpasaran graduan di Malaysia]

Research undertaken proved that unemployment of local graduates are devastating phenomena in their situational lives. as the number of graduates continue to climb each year,many of them have been unable to find permanent positions in their chosen field. unemployment brings about economic waste and cause human suffering not only to the individual but family and education institutions due to inability to develop and utilize the nation’s manpower resources effectively for the nation development. drawing form,the communication perspectives,this study sought to explore/identify on how local graduates connect themselves to situational problem identified as (graduate marketability). situational theory of problem solving (stops) explored variables that explain and distinguished graduate’s responses to the situational issue. data were analysed by using structural equation modelling (sem). five hypotheses were tested and supported. it was found that the situational antecedent variables (problem recognition,constraint recognition and involvement recognition) explain 65 percent of the possible reasons for graduates want to stop and think about how to solve the problem of the prevailing situation. furthermore,the situational motivation in problem solving and referent criterion also explain 52 percent of the variance in behavior is communicative action in problem solving (caps). this study offered suggestion such as public relations and communication practitioners should develop appropriate and various measures in order to encourage their organisations to use cognitive problem solving skills. thus,it is important to ensure every activity executed gives a positive impact and effects for organizational. © 2016,universiti kebangsaan malaysia press. all rights reserved.