Mohd Rizaimy Shaharudin

The impact of supply chain security practices on security operational performance among logistics service providers in an emerging economy: Security culture as moderator

Purpose – The security issue in supply chains is among the most pressing concerns that firms are currently facing. As a preliminary attempt to address this lack of empirical research, the primary purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between security practices and the security operational performance with respect to security culture as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach – With the resource-based view of the firm as the theoretical underpinning, the study utilizes survey data to test the propositions derived from the security literature and partial least squares for the analysis. Findings – The research reveals four crucial practices of supply chain security that collectively affect a firm’s security operational performance among Malaysian service providers. It is also interesting to observe that security culture positively moderates the relationship between facility management and the security operational performance of the firm. Research limitations/implications – Firms in emerging c...

Third party logistics orchestrator role in reverse logistics and closed-loop supply chains

This paper aims to propose a theoretical framework to study 3PLs changing role towards sustainable service offerings in reverse logistics (RL) and closed-loop supply chains (CLSCs). RL and CLSCs are the latest emerging concept that can help firms to achieve their sustainability objectives. Firms with or without RL and CLSCs capabilities may outsource several or full activities from the 3PLs. Nonetheless, firms are still facing limited service coverage from 3PLs and that are forcing them to source the service from other multiple service providers. Through role changes as a service ‘orchestrator’, appropriate full services with the best practices at the maximum efficiencies in RL and CLSCs are expected to be served to customers. Customers on the other hand can reap the benefits by having to deal its supply chain as a single entity so that the focus of building the efficiency will be much easier and effective.

The relationship between product quality and purchase intention: The case of Malaysia's national motorcycle/scooter manufacturer

This study aims to determine the level of product quality based on the eight quality dimensions framework and the relationship towards the buyer purchase behaviour. For a good understanding of the study, a case study on Malaysia’s national motorcycle/scooter manufacturer has been used by considering the lack of theoretical studies being conducted on the sales of motorcycle/scooter products. In this study, the result shows the level of customer perceptions has no significant impact on the customer purchase decision. The customers are looking at other elements beyond quality perceptions on their purchase decision and only they themselves understand what they are actually looking for. Buyers may not rely on the perceptions of quality alone in deriving intention to purchase or not to purchase any motorcycle/scooter product. Another possible reason is the introduction of beneficial impact as a mediator between product quality and purchase intention (indirect effect) as suggested by past researches which could increase the importance of perceived quality in the study relationships. Future research should focus on a similar study of product quality and purchase intention to the Yamaha and Honda brand for being the closest competitors to Modenas in the market. It is expected that, from the findings of the study of both brands, it could lead to a clearer picture on the relationship that exist between product quality and buyer purchase behaviour.

Determinants of electronic commerce adoption in Malaysian SMEs' furniture industry

This paper aims to identify the determinants towards the adoption of e-commerce adoption particularly in Malaysia’s SMEs furniture industry. The scope of study in SMEs furniture industry can be considered as significant and appropriate in view of its establishments with significant effect to the overall Malaysian economy. The finding of the study indicated that adoption factors such as organizational readiness, external pressure, perceived ease of use and perceived benefit are positively related to ecommerce adoption. The result was found consistent with the outcome from previous studies in similar area. Hence, such generalization from the result of the study particularly in Malaysia SMEs can be considered as appropriate and relevant in view of the present competitive market environment that demands a better way of managing business as compared to the traditional means. Future research should take into considerations on other determinants towards the adoption of e-commerce among SMEs in Malaysia. For examples, top management support, presence of information technology (IT) skills, availability of consultancy, prioritization of e-commerce to the enterprise, perceived risk, enthusiasm of top management and compatibility with the work of the company.

The impact of green supply chain management practices on firm competitiveness

In view of the influence of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices on firm competitiveness, particularly among manufacturing firms, we examined a model linking green production, green purchasing, investment recovery and firm competitiveness. This paper contributes to the emerging body of literature on green supply chains and firm competitiveness in developing countries by examining our research model in the context of Malaysia. Specifically, using a sample of 144 Malaysian manufacturing companies, we propose and find support for the notion that there is a relationship between green supply chain practices and firm competitiveness. Analysis using the partial least squares package reveals that both green production and green purchasing have a direct effect on firm competitiveness. However, investment recovery has no relationship with firm competitiveness. A discussion and suggestions for future research are included.

The eco-efficiency practices of the sustainable packaging and its effect towards sustainable supply chain performance

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of eco-efficiency practices, being one of the potential antecedents of the sustainable packaging and how the sustainable packaging influences the sustainable supply chain performance of manufacturing firms in the state of Penang, Malaysia. In relation to this, a cross-sectional survey has been carried out to 700 companies to obtain quantitative data for statistical testing of the hypotheses. The results of the study indicate that eco-efficiency practices have direct influence on the adoption of sustainable packaging and consequently sustainable packaging does affect the sustainable supply chain performance of the firm.

Perspectives in closed-loop supply chains

The objective of the paper is to review and report on the perspectives of research in the area of closed-loop supply chains (CLSCs). CLSCs is the ultimate sustainability concept in Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) that currently draws the attention from practitioners as well as the academicians. CLSCs involves the integration between the forward and reverse logistics with the aim of reducing the waste. In this paper, the method of content analysis was used to review articles published in the areas of production and operations management, business logistics and logistics management. The result of review revealed that the study in CLSCs is still limited and inadequate. Nevertheless, the research in the area is growing due to its prominent contribution towards social, economic and environmental protection. Hence, the study is expected to benefit the researchers by providing appropriate research direction for future research in the field of CLSCs.

Malaysian Young Voters’ Voices in the New Political Landscape

The 12th General Election in March 2008 had changed Malaysia’s political landscape in significant ways. A series of unexpected events happened and for the first time in history, the ruling party, Barisan Nasional (BN) failed to obtain the two third majority votes. This ‘political tsunami’ had influenced people from various backgrounds especially those in the political parties to probe further into the reasons behind the changes. After a series of ‘post mortem’ and discussions, political leaders now began to realise about the importance of moving out from their ‘comfort zone’ and responding immediately to the signals from the public. By ignoring people’s voice particularly the young voters who made up more than forty percent of the total voters, political parties were digging their own graves. Thus, this paper was written in order to identify young voters’ trends and preferences in choosing their candidates to represent them in the new political landscape. The findings of this research showed that young voters preferred to choose candidates based on their profile, images and personal characteristics, visions and missions as well educational backgrounds. Most importantly, the candidates must also be ‘clean’ in all aspects. Hopefully, the findings will provide political parties better understanding of the young voters’ needs and want in order to ensure their parties’ survival since this group of voters is the deciding factor of the future Malaysian political landscape.Keywords: by- election; young voters; candidate factor; Permatang Pasir