Soo J. Tan, Khai S. Lee and Guan H. Lim
Examines the use of warranty and warrantor reputations, which have been shown to be credible signals of product quality for uni‐national products, to overcome consumers’ negative…
Abstract
Examines the use of warranty and warrantor reputations, which have been shown to be credible signals of product quality for uni‐national products, to overcome consumers’ negative perceptions about hybrid products. An experiment is conducted, in which the level of warranty coverage and the warrantor’s reputation are manipulated. Results indicate that warranty strategies, in terms of warranty coverage and warrantor reputation, are effective in overcoming consumers’ negative perception about the hybrid product’s quality. Strategy implications for firms in the advanced and emerging economies are discussed.
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Cecil A. L. Pearson and Lynette Tang Yin Hui
This study assessed the relevance of Vroom’s expectancy motivational framework in a cross-cultural context. Differences in attitudes for task investment, preferences for work…
Abstract
This study assessed the relevance of Vroom’s expectancy motivational framework in a cross-cultural context. Differences in attitudes for task investment, preferences for work related achievements, and the reward potential of outcomes was assessedwith Australians and Malaysians who were employed in similar work contexts of the beauty care industry. Reasons why the Australian employees reported significantly higher job motivation than the Malaysian respondents were identified by examining the three main components of expectancy, instrumentality and valence, of Vroom’s framework. The study findings are discussed in terms of the implications they have for the necessary organizational development with Australians and Malaysians who were employed in similar work contexts of the beauty care industry. Reasons why the Australian employees reported significantly higher job motivation than the Malaysian respondents were identified by examining the three main components of expectancy, instrumentality and valence, of Vroom's framework. The study findings are discussed in terms of the implications they have for the necessary organizational development of businesses in the competitive Asia-Pacific region.
Piriya Pholphirul, Akkaranai Kwanyou, Pungpond Rukumnuaykit, Teerawat Charoenrat and Kitisak Srijamdee
This study aims to analyze social networking and network centrality in the case of community enterprises, which the existing literature has not addressed. To do so, the authors…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze social networking and network centrality in the case of community enterprises, which the existing literature has not addressed. To do so, the authors use the survey of community enterprises from the One Tambon One Product (OTOP) entrepreneurship program of Nong Khai border province in Thailand as a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
Social network analysis (SNA) is a tool to study and understand the relationship patterns of units of analysis, which can be individual, household, community or production units, and how those units interact through social or economic activities. Network positions are important when identifying the centralization of links in a particular network. If a representative is close to the center of a network, it is possible that the production unit will be able to contact or coordinate with a greater number of other members of the cluster, create knowledge sharing, promote collaboration and then typically demonstrate greater performance.
Findings
The results show that overall, local government agencies play a critical role in the community enterprise relationship network, while private entities are the least active group. Enterprises in partnerships with external agencies are mostly cooperating with branding and marketing dimensions, followed by the design dimension. There is no cooperation regarding production and distribution. Most community enterprises have established at least a one-dimensional network of cooperation with external agencies; only five community enterprises have isolated nodes with no partnerships having been created within this group.
Research limitations/implications
The study was limited by the surveys having been conducted in a single area and, therefore, can be used only as a case study for this area. Surveys in larger group sizes and in a wider range of areas would lead to results with greater applicability and reliability.
Practical implications
These results bring to mind policy proposals to increase the competitiveness of community enterprises through the development of social networks as follows: firstly, knowledge should be created with community enterprise operators to understand their supply chains and analyze the strengths and weaknesses and core competencies of their enterprises; and secondly, enterprises should be educated about which agencies can assist businesses at each stage in the value chain system and encouraged to ask for help in adding value at each stage of production.
Social implications
A “OTOP to Business Networking” platform for community and private enterprises should be created with projects/activities that offer venues to exchange business learning and opportunities. Holding meetings among people in a variety of business sectors may help inspire entrepreneurs to innovate to further their businesses, which can lead to networking businesses conducting activities across community enterprises and the private sector for the mutual benefit of producing merchandise for large customers and markets. Learning systems, production techniques and cooperation should be created, as well as opportunities to increase market share and profitability, if this platform is successful.
Originality/value
This paper is the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to utilize SNA to examine the use of social networking among community enterprises participating in Thailand’s OTOP entrepreneurship program in Nong Khai province. The results show that overall, local government agencies play a critical role in the community enterprise relationship network, while private entities are the least active group. Therefore, the government can play an important role in helping to develop a network of community enterprises with external entities at each stage of the value chain to enhance the competitiveness of each enterprise.
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Suganty Kanapathy, Khai Ern Lee, Mazlin Mokhtar, Sharifah Zarina Syed Zakaria, Subarna Sivapalan and Azizah Mohd Zahidi
This paper aims to discuss the knowledge levels, attitudes and behaviours regarding the concept of sustainable development among pre-university programme educators, as well as the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss the knowledge levels, attitudes and behaviours regarding the concept of sustainable development among pre-university programme educators, as well as the potential barriers and opportunities they face in adopting the concept of sustainable development in the teaching of the pre-university level chemistry module at a public university in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted with eight educators of a pre-university programme at a public university located in Selangor, Malaysia. This pre-university programme exposes students to advanced courses in science, which are very much like first-year university courses for candidates who are interested in gaining admission to degree programmes. For this study, the focus was on chemistry educators only. The collected data were analysed through descriptive analysis following which interviews were conducted with the respondents.
Findings
In general, the educators have good knowledge and attitudes towards the concept of sustainable development. Moreover, their projected knowledge (K), attitude (A) and behaviour (B) focus more on environmental dimensions, as opposed to other sustainable development dimensions. While the integration of the concept of sustainable development in chemistry teaching is restricted by a few barriers, such as content-based learning, lack of guidebooks related to sustainable development and an overcrowded curriculum, positive responses from the chemistry educators indicate that there are opportunities to implement sustainable chemistry concepts in the pre-university chemistry module.
Research limitations/implications
The present study was conducted with several limitations; the data were obtained from a small sample size at an institute located within a public university. The respondents of this research consisted of only three existing chemistry educators and five administrators who are also educators. Further studies about sustainable chemistry teaching should include samples from other public and private universities.
Originality/value
This paper is instrumental in assisting the Ministry of Education, administrators, as well as educators within the pre-university sector to shift their goals towards sustainable chemistry teaching to achieve success in education for sustainable development.
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Nur Shahida Mat Ishah, Khai Loon Lee and Gusman Nawanir
The purpose of the paper is to determine the importance of digital literacy (DL) in educational supply chain (EduSC) sustainability.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to determine the importance of digital literacy (DL) in educational supply chain (EduSC) sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
A semi-systematic review technique was used with Google Scholar and Scopus databases.
Findings
The growing use of technology and digital resources revealed a significant digital divide between people, educational processes and access to technologies and suitable infrastructures, as well as the need for DL, particularly in the EduSC in the 21st century. According to the results, just 58.6% of EduSC researchers emphasize economic sustainability, while 72.4% emphasize environmental sustainability. A total of 93.1% of scholars examine the impact of DL on society, demonstrating the significance of DL in the EduSC.
Originality/value
DL was discovered to have the greatest impact on society, with students and educators being related to all processes in an EduSC.
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Khai Sheang Lee, Guan Hua Lim and Jiuan Tan
Although the benefits of strategic alliances are well documented, whether strategic alliances can be a viable entry strategy option for small and medium‐size enterprises (SMEs) to…
Abstract
Although the benefits of strategic alliances are well documented, whether strategic alliances can be a viable entry strategy option for small and medium‐size enterprises (SMEs) to successfully penetrate markets held by major incumbent suppliers is less clear. In this paper, strategic alliances are shown to be an effective entry‐cum‐deterrence strategy for SMEs to successfully penetrate markets that are well established and dominated by major corporations. In addition, the conditions under which SMEs can use strategic alliances as an entry strategy without restricting themselves to target only those markets ignored by bigger firms are identified. In terms of methodology, this paper follows a deductive approach – one based on game theory, to examine explicitly the reactions of bigger firms to the entry of SMEs into their markets, specifically taking into account the resource limitations faced by SMEs. To verify that the theoretical arguments presented are consistent with practice, two cases of the use of strategic alliances by SMEs as an entry strategy to penetrate markets dominated by major corporations are examined. The practices and experiences of these SMEs were found to be consistent with the theoretical arguments presented here.
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Azian Ibrahim, Yudi Fernando, Muhammad Shabir Shaharudin, Yuvaraj Ganesan, Noor Hazlina Ahmad, Azlan Amran and Khai Loon Lee
The interconnectedness of supply chain processes in the aerospace industry requires companies to operate with excellence and the ability to provide robust technologies such as…
Abstract
Purpose
The interconnectedness of supply chain processes in the aerospace industry requires companies to operate with excellence and the ability to provide robust technologies such as blockchain technology (BCT) to aid supply chain productivity. This paper aims to examine the existing practices of aerospace supply chain management, identify how BCT is used in the aerospace supply chain and whether it affects environmental sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative research approach was used, and an online interview with informants was undertaken to collect data.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that BCT has a diverse function in achieving sustainable development goals.
Practical implications
The manufacturing sector can be strengthened by successfully deploying BCT in aerospace supply chain management. It contributes to achieving sustainable development objectives by introducing transparency to the system and bolstering market position. BCT enables organisations to gain a competitive edge by attaining innovative operational excellence in the face of the complexity of the supply chain environment.
Originality/value
The findings can serve as a guide for anticipating the effectiveness of BCT in aerospace supply chain management.
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Suganty Kanapathy, Khai Ern Lee, Subarna Sivapalan, Mazlin Mokhtar, Sharifah Zarina Syed Zakaria and Azizah Mohd Zahidi
This paper aims to investigate the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of foundation chemistry learners concerning the sustainable development concept.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of foundation chemistry learners concerning the sustainable development concept.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative and quantitative studies were conducted. Atlas.ti software was used to analyse the chemistry curriculum based on selected themes and sub-themes. A survey was carried out involving 132 chemistry learners. The chemistry learners were students from a foundation programme in a local university located in Selangor, Malaysia. The collected data were analysed using SPSS 21.0 involving descriptive and inferential statistics.
Findings
Document analysis on the chemistry curriculum shows that water is the theme most covered in the chemistry learners’ textbook, as compared to other themes. In general, the chemistry learners have good knowledge and attitude concerning the sustainable development concept. However, their knowledge and attitude do not reflect in their behaviour as an individual, as well as in the classroom. Moreover, their knowledge, attitude and behaviour focus more on environmental dimension, as compared to other sustainable development dimensions.
Practical implications
This paper is instrumental in assisting educators to assess how chemistry learners perceive sustainable development, and this may help to bring about changes to improve chemistry teaching and learning processes towards education for sustainable development.
Originality/value
This paper is an original and novel research paper which is first conducted on sustainable development concept in chemistry curriculum in Malaysia.
Nur Khairlida Muhamad Khair, Khai Ern Lee, Mazlin Mokhtar and Choo Ta Goh
The purpose of this paper is to explore the barriers and challenges faced by chemical industries in Malaysia causing to the low participation in Responsible Care program. Also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the barriers and challenges faced by chemical industries in Malaysia causing to the low participation in Responsible Care program. Also, this paper aims to propose a solution to address the issues in implementing Responsible Care by introducing a Simplified and Integrated Management System for Responsible Care.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was distributed to 132 Responsible Care signatory companies in Malaysia, and they were given a week to return it via e-mail. Combining the inputs from the survey and document analysis, a Simplified and Integrated Management System for Responsible Care (SIMS-RC) was proposed.
Findings
Responsible Care signatory companies faced barriers in implementing product stewardship code and they also faced challenges in getting employees’ commitment from all levels. Taking the inputs received from Responsible Care signatory companies and document analysis, an SIMS-RC was proposed as a closed-loop process which consists of quality, environmental, health and safety management system.
Research limitations/implications
Some of the chemical companies were unable to share their thoughts in the survey due to the companies’ confidential reason.
Originality/value
Abundant literature has discussed about the limitation of Responsible Care that needs to be improved. Therefore, several elements and procedures of the program need to be revised and innovated to help the signatory companies to continuously improve their performances and encourage more participation in Responsible Care program. The findings will add value to the current body of knowledge and Responsible Care signatory companies which seek to improve Responsible Care implementation through an integrated management system approach. The proposed SIMS-RC is a simple, integrated, holistic and process-oriented management system in which it blends Responsible Care into quality, environmental, health and safety management system.
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Nur Khairlida Muhamad Khair, Khai Ern Lee, Mazlin Mokhtar, Choo Ta Goh, Harminder Singh and Pek Wan Chan
The Responsible Care programme was first introduced in Canada in 1985 and now is implemented worldwide as one of the chemical industries' commitments to improve the industries'…
Abstract
Purpose
The Responsible Care programme was first introduced in Canada in 1985 and now is implemented worldwide as one of the chemical industries' commitments to improve the industries' public image as well as their performance in health, safety and environmental aspects. In Malaysia, the Responsible Care programme has been implemented since 1994 with a current total of 148 companies pledged to implement it in their company; however, the effectiveness of the programme remains unknown. Hence, this paper aims to assess the effectiveness of the Responsible Care programme in improving performance in the environment, health and safety in terms of documentation, training, selection processes and stakeholders' engagement for the sustainability of chemical industries.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was administered to the Responsible Care signatory companies in Malaysia. Of these, a total of 132 member companies either produced or provided services related to chemical products.
Findings
The majority of signatory companies agreed that the Responsible Care programme did improve their performance in the environment, health and safety. Besides that, the signatory companies were also keeping up their commitment to ensuring documentation, training, selection process and stakeholders' engagement run smoothly in line with Responsible Care's mission.
Originality/value
After more than two decades of implementation in Malaysia, it is important to assess the Responsible Care programme's effectiveness. As an increasing number of chemical firms, without good management, it will possibly pose a danger to the environment and human health and safety. Through assessment, advances in Responsible Care management practices will considerably increase programme effectiveness in terms of environmental health and safety.