Mohd. Nishat Faisal

Sustainable supply chains: a study of interaction among the enablers

Purpose – A focus on supply chains is a step towards the broader adoption and development of sustainability, since the supply chain considers the product from initial processing of raw materials to delivery to the customer. The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to effectively adapt sustainable practices in a supply chain by understanding the dynamics between various enablers that help to transform a supply chain into a truly sustainable entity.Design/methodology/approach – Using interpretive structural modeling, the paper presents a hierarchy‐based model and the mutual relationships among the enablers of sustainability in a supply chain.Findings – The paper shows that there exists a group of enablers having a high‐driving power and low‐dependence requiring maximum attention and of strategic importance while another group consists of those variables which have high dependence and are the resultant actions.Practical implications – This paper provides a useful tool to supply chain managers to d...

An analysis of the barriers to the proliferation of M-commerce in Qatar: A relationship modeling approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and develop a hierarchical model for the barriers affecting the growth of mobile commerce (M-commerce). Based on the model developed, the authors’ objective is to identify those variables that are of strategic nature and are the root cause of the issue.Design/methodology/approach – Variables considered as barriers are identified, and utilizing the interpretive structural model approach, a relationship model is developed. Further, the impact matrix cross-reference multiplication applied to a classification approach is used to analyze the effect and dependence among these factors.Findings – The research in the area of M-commerce in the Arab world and related to the strategic aspect is limited in the extant literature. The present study tries to fill this gap by investigating the variables that inhibit the growth of M-commerce in Qatar. The research shows that there exists a group of barriers having a high driving power and low dependence requiring maximum attention and of strategic importance, while another group consists of those variables that have high dependence and are the resultant actions.Practical implications – There is a growing concern that although the numbers of mobile subscribers are increasing at a very fast pace in Qatar, actual M-commerce activities in the country remain low. The findings of this study can be used to understand the differences between the independent and dependent variables and their mutual relationships. The study would also help the policy makers to develop suitable strategies to facilitate growth of M-commerce in the country.Originality/value – This research was the first attempt to investigate the relationships among the variables inhibiting the growth of M-commerce in a fast-growing economy in a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Given that there is limited research on M-commerce in the GCC context, the study can be viewed as an investigation that provides a good understanding of the variables and their interrelationships affecting M-commerce proliferation.

A Grey-based approach for ERP vendor selection in small and medium enterprises in Qatar

This paper aims to develop a multi-criteria decision model for the purpose of ERP vendor selection. To tackle the multi-criteria nature and the presence of both qualitative and quantitative factors, Grey-based model was proposed. Grey theory was utilised as it can effectively solve the multi-criteria decision making problems with small datasets. The major contributions of this work have been summarised as follows: development and implementation of a multi-criteria decision model for ERP vendor selection; group based decision making for comparing among attributes and ERP alternatives and efficient use of the concept of grey numbers to facilitate the solution of the model for SMEs in Qatar. The proposed method will help information system managers to weigh the ERP alternatives before actually implementing them, which will in turn save money and time.

Benchmarking supply chains on risk dimensions

The purpose of this paper is to investigate risk in the context of supply chains and benchmark supply chains on risk dimensions. The graph-theoretic approach is applied to model the dimensions of risk susceptibility and risk mitigation in a supply chain. The variables that are related to risk susceptibility and risk mitigation were identified through an extensive literature review. Considering the individual impacts and interdependencies among these variables, risk susceptibility and risk mitigation indices were proposed. Finally, the case supply chains were benchmarked on the basis of the two indices and a risk matrix is developed. The two indices that are proposed in the research can be used by supply chain managers to get fair ideas about the potential risks that could impact their supply chain and, simultaneously, the preparedness of the supply chain to counter the risks. The novelty of the approach lies in transforming the qualitative dimensions of risk into quantitative terms.

E-government to m-government: a study in a developing economy

This research intends to address variables that would facilitate the migration to m-government model in a developing economy experiencing a very high growth and adoption of mobile communication technology. By conducting an exhaustive literature review and brainstorming sessions with experts, 13 factors were identified that would positively affect m-government initiatives. These variables known as enablers were modelled using interpretive structural modelling ISM to develop a relationship model identifying interdependencies among them. Interdependencies among variables would be utilised to structure them into a hierarchy and cluster them into subsystems with corresponding driving power and dependency. The findings of the study show that for a successful m-government model the policy makers should focus on variables that form the base of the model and which are of strategic orientation. This research would help the government to focus on key elements and develop suitable strategies expediting the adoption and growth of m-government channels.

Sustainability metrics for a supply chain: the case of small and medium enterprises

Using digraph and matrix method this research enunciates a simple method to quantify supply chain sustainability for small and medium enterprises. It proposes a numerical index which can be used to measure sustainability for different supply chains in actual practical settings. This approach also provides the opportunity to visualise variable interdependencies at system level and also presents a method to compare supply chains on sustainability dimension. The research would help to understand the dynamics between different variables and sub-variables of a sustainable supply chain and more importantly it would facilitate organisations to identify the areas in which the supply chain is lacking and need immediate attention to improve the overall supply chain sustainability. Numerical assessment of supply chain sustainability by transforming it in an index is a unique attempt in the area of supply chain management.

Consumers’ Repurchase Intention Towards a Mobile Phone Brand in Qatar: An Exploratory Study Utilizing Theory of Reasoned Action Framework

The aim of this study is to analyze the influencing factors on consumers’ repurchase intention towards a brand of a mobile phone. The theory of reasoned action has been used in this study to measure consumer repurchase intention. This theory considers consumer attitude towards action and subjective norms as influencing factors on consumer purchase intention. In this study, past behaviour is also added to the model to measure consumers’ repurchase intention. The exploratory study was conducted in the State of Qatar and the results showed that peoples’ attitudes toward action, subjective norms and past behaviour tend to have a significant influence on their repurchase intention. However, the analysis reveals that there is a negative relationship between consumers’ repurchase intention and mobile phone price, size and consumers’ past behaviour. Results of this study can be used by the marketing managers to devise strategies to attract consumers by understanding the factors that affect repurchase intentions.

Prioritising agility variables for cold supply chains

It is recognised that organisations that focus on supply chain agility would profit as they can rapidly and cost effectively respond to unpredictable changes in the business environment. As supply chain agility is a multi-dimensional construct the present research proposes a Fuzzy-AHP based framework to prioritise agility variables in supply chains. An exhaustive literature review complimented with the experts’ opinion was undertaken for cold supply chains to formulate a hierarchical structure of agility in supply chains. Understanding the priorities would help the firms to accord importance and develop strategies to improve supply chain agility variables according to their relative importance.

Strategic interventions to improve women entrepreneurship in GCC countries: A relationship modeling approach

Purpose In Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, entrepreneurship is not a very popular option among women. The low rate of entrepreneurship as a career choice among females is attributed to factors that are specific to females in GCC region. The purpose of this paper is to understand these variables and their interrelationships that lead to low rate of adoption of entrepreneurship as a career choice among females in GCC region. Design/methodology/approach The research followed a two-stage process; first, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify barriers to female entrepreneurship in GCC region. In the second stage, the identified barriers were modeled using fuzzy interpretive structural modeling technique to construct a hierarchical structure and the impact matrix cross-reference multiplication applied to a classification approach to analyze the control power and dependence among these barriers. Findings The research shows that there exists a group of barriers having a high driving power and low dependence requiring maximum attention and of strategic importance, while another group consists of those variables that have high dependence and are the resultant actions. Practical implications This research will help policy makers to focus on variables that are most important and requires immediate attention for the development and empowerment of female entrepreneurship in the GCC region. The paper suggests future course of action to provide an impetus to efforts aimed at improving female entrepreneurship in the GCC region. Originality/value The policy makers in the GCC region have accorded high priority to entrepreneurship to reduce the dependence of population on government jobs. This research is one of the few studies on female entrepreneurship conducted in GCC region to understand the impediments that limit the adoption of entrepreneurship as a career choice by women.

A study of inhibitors to transparency in red meat supply chains in Gulf cooperation council (GCC) countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the variables for the non-existence of transparency information in red meat supply chains operating in Gulf cooperation council (GCC) countries. The study provides a synthesis and proposes a hierarchy-based model among the identified inhibitors of transparency with their respective importance. Design/methodology/approach – The synthesis and prioritization of inhibitors are done on the basis of an extensive literature review as well as consultation with academicians and meat supply chain professionals. Using semi-structured interviews and Fuzzy-Interpretive Structure Modeling (F-ISM) approach, the research presents a structured model of the identified inhibitors. Findings – The research has two major contributions, first, it presents variables that can be considered as inhibitors for transparency in a supply chain. Second, utilizing the F-ISM model it shows that there exists a group of inhibitors having a high control power and low reliance and are of s...