Sustainable procurement is an emerging theme in the construction industry across the globe. However, organizations in the construction industry often encounter impediments in improving environmental performance in construction projects, especially in procurement. Besides its other facets, procurement of construction equipment is inherited to be capital-intensive and vital for managing environmental concerns associated with built environment projects. In this regard, selection criteria in such procurement processes are generally supportive of considering cost and engineering specifications as key parameters. However, sustainability apprehensions in today’s Malaysian construction industry have mounted pressure on industry professionals to rethink their equipment acquisition strategies. The notion of green or sustainable procurement is still infancy for the Malaysian construction industry and facing challenges for embedding it in the current procurement practices. This research aims to address these apprehensions by considering six main criteria, namely, life cycle cost (LCC), performance (P), system capability (SC), operational convenience (OC), environmental impact (EI), and social benefits (SBs), and their 38 subcriteria towards procurement of sustainable construction equipment. A multicriteria-based equipment selection framework on the triple bottom line of sustainability in the context of the Malaysian construction industry has been developed and tested. The application of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) established the sustainable procurement index with a consistent sensitivity analysis results. As such, the proposed procurement index shall help decision-makers in the process of the acquisition of sustainable construction equipment in Malaysia.
This study aims to identify critical factors for developing a successful reverse logistics strategic framework that could guide the managers for improving customer satisfaction and managing retail returns. Qualitative interviews were performed with logistics manager in retail industry to develop successful reverse logistics strategic framework with critical factors. A problem-driven content analysis methodology was also conducted reviewing previous studies published from 2008 through 2015 to determine the key factors that affect reverse logistics decisions of managers towards successful reverse logistics management. This study provided new insight on reverse logistics as an important strategic initiative for the retailers to gain customer satisfaction, competitive advantage and cost effectiveness. A reverse logistics framework that is developed in this article will be able to add value to supply chain and logistics studies. Reverse flow driven by motivation is an important implication for managers to manage logistics activities. Managers must emphasize on potential corporate benefits to reduce costs and add customer value.
The purpose of this paper was to identify the key SERVQUAL factors for consumer purchase intention in the context of life insurance products in Malaysia. The study was performed based on primary data using a self-administered questionnaire from the Klang valley region of Malaysia. Using a cross-sectional study, a total of 215 usable responses were collected using convenience sampling technique. To measure customer satisfaction, trust, and purchase intention, seven key SERVQUAL factors were utilized, that is, tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, helpfulness, and problem solving. Data were analyzed using a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics & exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were employed. The findings revealed that customer satisfaction and trust together with SERVQUAL factors lead to purchase intention. Conversely, this paper also found that life insurance agents with problem-solving skills and helpfulness will lead to an increase in customers' intention to purchase life insurance products. From the validation of the framework, it is obvious to make sure that all the quality functions must be in accordance with increasing competitive advantage along with the organizational objectives.
Nearly a billion new energy consumers join the society in 13-15 years; and the growing demand for higher standards of living makes the worldwide energy consumption continuously growing. Strategic solutions are therefore required not only for addressing energy gaps but also for eliminating the undesirable environmental effects of energy supply chain to ensure quality and sustainable living. This article advocates leveraging artificial intelligence associated digital technologies to increase energy efficiency, to facilitate carbon trading, and to realize the circular economy vision of countries to mitigate extreme weather conditions and climate change.
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