Sustaining businesses in a global turbulent environment: The role of information sharing / Sidah Idris and Suhana Mohezar.

This study aims to investigate the impact of technology capability and logistics integration commitment on information sharing as well as global supply chain competitiveness. Data were collected from 177 local manufacturing firms that are competing in global markets. The findings indicate that logistics integration commitment is significantly related with information sharing and global supply chain competitiveness. This study however, fails to establish a relationship between technology capability and global supply chain competitiveness. The findings also highlight information sharing as a mediator

Fostering Mobile Payment Adoption: A Case of Near Field Communication (NFC)

This study aims to investigate the adoption intention of NFC mobile payment services among consumers in Malaysia. Data collected from 218 respondents were analysed using Partial-Least-Square. The results reveal that consumers’ technology readiness is positively related with perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and intention to adopt NFC. Technology availability has also provided similar results regarding its relationship with perceived ease of use and intention to adopt NFC. The results also show the mediation effects of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the technology in the relationship between technology availability and perceived usefulness, as well as between perceived ease of use and intention to adopt NFC, respectively. The findings of this study suggest the need for the industrial player to target the group of consumers who are innovative. It is also important for banking institutions to reinvent the card system to support NFC infrastructure, so that mass adoption could be created. This study fills the research voids by integrating the established mobile technology acceptance model with two constructs – consumers’ technology readiness and technology availability

Supply Chain Integration and Supply Chain Performance: The Mediating Role of Supply Chain Resilience

The objective of this study is to examine the influence of supply chain integration (SCI) on supply chain resilience (SCRES) on supply chain performance (SCP) dimensions of large – scale manufacturing firms in Pakistan. It also examines the indirect effects of all the SCI dimensions on all the SCP dimensions through the SCRES. A quantitative approach using questionnaire survey was employed to examine the hypotheses and theoretical framework. Data were collected from 182 manufacturing firms in Pakistan and the SMART PLS version 3.2.7 was used for data analysis. The results showed that the SCI contributed significantly to the SCRES while the SCRES impacted on the SCP substantially. However, the association between the SCI and the SCP was not linear; it was determined by the level of the SCRES. This study fills the research gap by integrating the SCRES as a mediator between the SCI and the SCP

E-Ticketing in Malaysia: Usage Trends

E-Ticketing is recognized as one of the online shopping facilities provided by Malaysian companies to consumers. It was pioneered by Air Asia, low budget Airline Company, and its usage has increased with the rapid growth of technological infrastructure and Internet usage. This study aims to identify e-ticketing trends among urban communities. In addition, the characteristics of e-ticketers and the barriers to e-ticketing are examined

Logistics commitment: an evidence of long-term relationship on sustainable global supply chain.

Manufactures and all network partners may think that global supply chains are simple and direct. But, in the vast majority of cases, this isnot the case. Customer demand is supported by complex and lengthy global supply chain. The intermodal transportations provide the keysuccess of the connections between global factories and along the supply chain parties. While they provide critical services, each level oftransportation will present challenge and difficulty to all parties. This study look on how logistics commitment can improves operatingefficiencies among local manufacturers and service providers as they are in global supply chain network. And, how each intermodal invested improve capabilities, creating reliable and economical port-to-destination delivery services in ensure good relationship with theirpartners. The study aims is to identify how the service providers can reshape relationship and revise networks to maintain smooth andefficient global logistics flows. This empirical study will use survey questionnaire to get the answer for each question and utilize PartialLeast Square (PLS) to analyse the data. Result shows how logistics commitment effort and strategy as to sustain global supply chainrelationship

Investigating the Moderating Effect of Marketing Capability on the Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Practice and Corporate Reputation in Small Medium Enterprises Food Operators

This study expanded on the existing research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in food supply chains by investigating the moderating effect of marketing capability on the relationship between CSR practice and corporate reputation in the context of Malaysian small medium enterprises (SMEs). Data were collected from 264 SMEs operating in the Malaysian food supply chain using a questionnaire and analysed using Partial Least Square (PLS). The objectives of this study are as follows: 1) to investigate the awareness of CSR and the trends among local food SMEs, 2) to analyse the factors that motivate SMEs to implement CSR, and 3) to examine the moderating effect of marketing capability on the relationship between CSR practice and corporate reputation. This study found that supply chain partners’ pressure and government support were the antecedent factors for CSR practice. In addition, this study also highlighted that CSR practice enhances the responding firms’ corporate reputation. However, this study did not find substantial evidence to support the moderating role of marketing capability. The implication of this study implies that food operators should respond to the rising importance of CSR practice due to their powerful influence on a company's reputation. They should enter a collaborative relationship with their supply chain partners to gain access to resources needed for CSR implementation

Explaining Successful Implementation of Logistics Information Technology (LIT): An empirical study

ABSTRACT This paper aims to examine the factors influencing successful logistics information technology (LI

Molecular beacon-based real-time PCR method for detection of porcine DNA in gelatin and gelatin capsules

Background: The pharmaceutical industry has boosted gelatin consumption worldwide. This is supported by the availability of cost-effective gelatin production from porcine by-products. However, cross-contamination of gelatin materials, where porcine gelatin was unintentionally included in the other animal sources of gelatin, has caused significant concerns about halal authenticity. The real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has enabled a highly specific and sensitive animal species detection method in various food products. Hence, such a technique was employed in the present study to detect and quantify porcine DNA in gelatin using a molecular beacon probe, with differences in performance between mitochondrial (cytochrome b gene) and chromosomal DNA-(MPRE42 repetitive element) based porcine-specific PCR assays being compared. Results: A higher sensitivity was observed in chromosomal DNA (MPRE-PCR assay), where this assay allows the detection of gelatin DNA at amounts as as low as 1 pg, whereas mitochondrial DNA (CBH-PCR assay) can only detect at levels down to 10 pg of gelatin DNA. When an analysis with commercial gelatin and gelatin capsule samples was conducted, the same result was observed, with a significantly more sensitive detection being provided by the repetitive element of chromosomal DNA. Conclusion: The present study has established highly sensitive DNA-based porcine detection systems derived from chromosomal DNA that are feasible for highly processed products such as gelatin and gelatin capsules containing a minute amount of DNA. This sensitive detection method can also be implemented to assist the halal authentication process of various food products available on the market

Enablers to implement sustainable initiatives in agri-food supply chains

yesDue to rapid agricultural industrialization, increased global food demand, and, increasing concerns related to food quality and safety, the concepts of sustainability and supply chain transparency are becoming critically important to the agriculture and agri-food sector. The new focus on sustainability performance objectives emphasizes the effective utilization and consumption of natural resources to balance ecological, economic and societal aspects of agri-food businesses. The management of sustainability adds a new demand on business managers who often have small profits and receive stringent requirements from large powerful customers and retailers. In this paper, we recognize and analyze the key enablers in implementing sustainable initiatives for Agri-Food Supply Chains (A-FSCs). Ten important sustainability driven enablers were considered from a rigorous literature review and phase of expert consultation. The identified enablers were then analyzed using a combined Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) - fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) based framework. The ISM approach enabled an appreciation of the contextual relationships among the enablers and to classify the enablers based on their driving and dependence potential. The fuzzy DEMATEL technique supported the determination of the influential and influenced enablers and also to categorize them into cause and effect groups. An empirical case study, drawn from a vegetable and fruit retail supply chain in India, is used to focus and test the applicability of the proposed research framework. The paper facilitates professional management practice and researchers to uncover and explore the enablers for the real execution of sustainability oriented initiatives in the agri-food business sector