All Research

Mahirah Kamaludin · Kuna Sandran · A.A. Azlina ·Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia ·2018

Water supply is an expensive investment and it is inevitable that the people have to prepare themselves for a universal hike in water prices in order to secure uninterrupted supply in the future. Inexpensive water prices cause the consumers to take water supply for granted and hence, lack of water conservation initiatives prevail. Sufficient funding is needed to implement various programs to improve water services. The costs of these programs should not be incurred by the water companies which are already burdened by the small revenue resulting from low water price. As the collection of revenue is inadequate to cover operating costs, the services rendered to the consumers are often unsatisfactory and the operational efficiency is below par. The last review of water tariff in Terengganu was done in the last two decades. Hence, with the increase in income within the last two decades, a study is needed to assess consumers’ willingness to pay for improved water services. This study employs Double Bounded Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to estimate households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements in water services in Terengganu. Monetary benefits of improved water services for the consumers in Terengganu were determined based on the value of WTP. The findings of this study will be used in identifying the frequent problems and issues faced by the government owned water supplier in Terengganu. Efficient water prices will facilitate efforts in delivering better water services and promoting greater efficiency in the financial and operational management of operators to attain financial sustainability

H. Vijith, L. W. Seling · D. Dodge-Wan ·Environment, Development and Sustainability ·2018

Soil loss has been quantified and land area categorized for soil erosion vulnerability in a partially forested subwatershed of the Baram River basin (Sarawak, Malaysia) using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, which considers climatic and terrain variables. The quantification of soil loss was achieved by integrating the parameters related to rainfall (R), soils (K), terrain (LS) and land use practices (C). The resultant maps of soil erosion show soil losses ranging from 0 to 1190 t ha−1 year−1 with a mean of 28 t ha−1 year−1 in the 1029 km2 Sungai Patah subwatershed study area. The subwatershed was mapped using ArcGIS into five classes of soil erosion risk vulnerability. Among the five classes identified, very high and critically vulnerable zones show linear distribution in some areas which together constitute 13% of the total study area. High and medium erosion vulnerable zones cover 30 and 19%, respectively. Low erosion risk zones cover 36% of the total area. Mean soil loss assessed for each LULC (land use/land cover) class indicates that barren land with high slopes contributes comparatively high rates of soil loss (343 t ha−1 year−1). Field surveys in the study region have enabled identification of erosion hot spots, such as logging areas, shifting cultivation areas and road construction, which intensely modify the terrain, and explain the linearity of critical and severe erosion risk features. The output of the present study will help to frame appropriate management strategies to minimize erosion through implementation of alternative methods in logging activities and terrain management programs.

Veera Pandiyan Kaliani Sundram · Irwan Ibrahim · Mashitah Mohamed Esa · Natasya Nabilah Mohd Azly ·International Journal of Supply Chain Management ·2019

Picking and packing is the one of the main principle action in a distribution centre. Picking and packing action ensures the right product at the right quantity reaches the right customer. As such, this study is purported to recognize the issues related to picking and packing error and to know how to overcome it. The study was conducted using a semi-structured interview to elicit response concerning picking and packing issues and error. Five respondents were selected to participate in the semi-organized interview and these respondents are from different designations in the picking and packing unit in a distribution centre from a leading pharmaceutical company. There are several issues that relates to picking and packing error, such as multiple items/barcodes in one location, wrong carton label, and employees miscommunication. Findings from this study will explicitly provide solution for better picking and packing approaches to provide solution to picking and packing error. The novelty of this study lies on the issues of order picking and packing in a leading pharmaceutical organization in Malaysia through vigorous investigation.

Arif Imam Suroso ·Economies ·2022

Palm oil is one of the most traded vegetable oils in the global market due to its versatile usage and having a lower price than competitor products. Trade is related to logistics performance as it connects the exporter and importer countries; thus, improving the indicators of logistics also improves the performance of trade, especially in agricultural export. Currently, no study has revealed the effect of logistics performance on palm oil export by considering all the indicators. This study investigates the impact of all the indicators of the logistics performance index on palm oil and palm-based products. Using a panel data regression approach, the extended gravity model is applied in this study to examine Indonesia and Malaysia as the leading exporters of palm oil and palmbased products. The results reveal that all the Logistics Performance Index indicators affect palm oil and palm-based products export in Indonesia and Malaysia. The critical indicators of the Logistics Performance Index in Indonesia are timeliness and tracking and tracing. However, competence and quality of trade infrastructure are the main indicators of Malaysia’s palm oil and palm-based products. The future direction of this research is to explore other agricultural commodities and extend the period of the analysis.