Roaimah Omar

INFORMATION EXCHANGE AND SUPPLY CHAIN PERFORMANCE

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of operational and strategic information exchange on supply chain performance and the moderating role of information quality in relation to both operational and strategic information exchange. The study was conducted using manufacturing companies located in the Northern region of Malaysia. Hierarchical multiple regressions were applied to test the hypotheses developed for the study. It was found that operational and strategic information exchange is significantly related to supply chain performance. The impact of strategic information exchange is greater as opposed to operational information exchange. Information quality does not moderate the relationship between both operational and strategic information exchange and supply chain performance. Nonetheless, this study provides evidence that both strategic information exchange and operational information exchange are required to enhance supply chain performance. As such supply chain partners should effectively exchange strategic information as the impact is greater on performance.

Supplier involvement, customer focus, supply chain technology and manufacturing performance: Findings from a pilot study

Increased complexity in the global supply chain has necessitated the need for manufacturing companies operating in Malaysia to place more emphasis on the delivery of cost efficient, responsive, flexible and high quality products. Consequently, quality management practices need to be linked with all the supply chain nodes in order to achieve operational efficiency. Establishing stable relationship with suppliers will assure quality commitment on the part of the suppliers. On the other hand, relationship with customers enables the manufacturing companies to keep track of the customer requirements. In addition, information technology facilitates the close coordination between suppliers and customers in the supply chain. Thus this study examines the relationship between the supplier involvement, customer focus, and supply chain technology in enhancing manufacturing performance. Findings indicate that involvement with suppliers, and customer focus contributed to improved manufacturing performance. However, supply chain technology is not significantly related to manufacturing performance

Supply chain quality orientation: Does company profile matter?

This study examines the Supply Chain Quality Orientation (SCQO) in Malaysian manufacturing organisations. About 550 questionnaires were distributed to the manufacturing organisations in Malaysia and 142 completed questionnaires were analysed to determine the level of SCQO. One-way ANOVA was applied to determine if significant difference exists between organisation profile and SCQO. The study found that the SCQO is quite substantial in the Malaysian manufacturing industry. In addition, it was found that there is no significant difference between organisation profile and SCQO. However, there is a significant difference in the SCQO between organisations that have EDI linkages with supply chain partners and organisations that are not EDI linked. Consequently, quality needs to be continuously managed from the supply chain standpoint. This study provides empirical evidence of SCQO in the manufacturing industry in Malaysia. Having an end-to-end supply chain manager and adoption of EDI are deemed vital in enhancing SCQO.

Work-life balance and quality of life in the new career

Work-life balance and employability are important aspects of the new career. For employees of the new generation, quality of life is dependent on balancing work and non-work domains. This study focused on how the pursuit of work-life balance is pertinent in making career decisions and choices for employees with MBA.

Attitudes and Perceptions of Malay Muslim Students Towards Educational Loan Repayment: A Qualitative Approach

This study investigates the attitudes and perceptions on educational loan repayment amongst Malay Muslims in Malaysia. Researches in the realm of educational loans have identified several factors contributing to defaults and repayments. These include the characteristics of students as they begin college, such as family income, race/ethnicity and students’ college experiences in terms of the type of institution, field of study and educational outcomes. However, no studies have so far explored the attitudes and perceptions on educational loan repayment amongst Malay Muslims. The study adopts a qualitative methodology that involves focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The respondents are the final-year degree students in one public university in Malaysia. The results show that attitudes and perceptions have influenced educational loan repayment amongst Malay Muslims.

Overview of Production and Tendency on Halal Products and Services in Malaysia and the Global Market

This study embarked on the importance of and tendency on Halal products and services in Malaysia and the global market. In the global market, consumer base for Halal products is around 1.7 billion people and worth more than 2.3 trillion dollars. It makes the Halal market a vitally important emerging sector that should not be overlooked. From the market perspective, traditional target market remains in Asia and the Middle East; however, due to the effect of globalization, there is a significant development of market size for Halal market in Europe and the USA. Besides, in the Western country, most Halal product is still not readily available for the UK market. We see this phenomenon being applied not only on food items. Personal hygiene and healthcare products, toiletries, and cosmetics are all appearing as Halal options. Once Halal is understood as a lifestyle choice, the range of options for Halal product will increase exponentially. In Malaysia, Halal products are not a big issue as we can find Halal food everywhere from the street market up to the high-end chain. The competition can be considered intense in the market.

Marginalized Malay Females: A Sociodemographic Analysis on Female Prisoners in the Malaysian Prisons

The number of females incarcerated in Malaysian prisons grew from 2909 in 1998 to 3511 in the year 2000 (15.07 rate per 100,000 inhabitants) (Malaysian Crime Index 2002). More than 79 % (n = 95) of those interviewed in five Malaysian prisons were Malays. These women were mainly between the ages of 20 and 39, were divorced, and were incarcerated for various offenses. The imprisonment seems harder on women who were mothers as they are totally dependent on their support network to care for their children. In majority of the cases, there is no contact with the younger children and strained relationships with the older children. In many cases, both the female and her husband/boyfriend were both in prison as crime was carried out together with one party abetting with the other. About half of the women grew up in broken homes. These women, who have ended up in prison after having grown up in broken homes, currently have children whose mothers, and at times their fathers too, are absent from their lives. Hence, the cycle of violence continues.

Islamic Perspective of Human Talent Identification and Organizational Justice: Evidence from Government-Linked Companies in Malaysia

Managing human talents from religion perspective meets various challenges. The gaps of understanding and applications of Islamic principles have caused the discrimination and favoritism among the different candidates’ background. Talent identification from Islamic principles is relevant to be practiced in the modern world. This study was aimed to identify the level of talent identifications from Islamic perspective among government-linked companies (GLCs) in Malaysia and its effect on organizational justice. Mean was witnessed at 4.087 which represented high level of talent identifications from Islamic perspective. From the correlation analysis, Islamic human talents identification and organizational justice have shown a significant relationship from one to another. The correlation between independent and dependent variables was positive and highly significant at the 0.01 level (two tailed). Thus, the relationship between Islamic human talents identification variables and organizational justice was strong. This study has revealed that the Islamic principles were the main key for Malaysia’s GLCs to increase the number of potential leaders. Positive acceptance of Islamic principles will avoid unbiased and unethical exercises where justice meets in every single task. Islamic principles allow employees to conform to the good way to reach success in their life to perform greater and always meet the expectation of their employers.

Determinants of EMS ISO 14001 adoptions in Malaysia

The ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) standard was introduced in 1996 and has been adopted by approximately 100,000 firms around the world, including those in Malaysia. The study is to investigate the factors that influence adoption based on a survey conducted on a sample of ISO 14001 adopter and non-adopter manufacturing firms that operate in Malaysia. Using discriminant analysis, the study identified the factors affecting adoption of the standards. On the basis of analysis and discussion, the study concluded that the certification bodies and related institutions have to disseminate information regarding ISO 14001 standard facts so as to promote adoption among manufacturing firms in Malaysia.