Developing and analyzing framework to manage resources in humanitarian logistics

Author(s):  
Waqar Ahmed ◽  
Arsalan Najmi ◽  
Farhana Khan ◽  
Hasan Aziz

Purpose Humanitarian services usually perform in the face of uncertainty in which mobilization of resources in an efficient and effective manner is a big challenge. Sharing timely and correct information among logistics partners and workers is a key to drive rapid response logistics effectively. The purpose of this paper is to understand how coordinated effort effects resources management (RM). Design/methodology/approach This study uses quantitative research methodology and collected data from 82 humanitarian workers dealing with logistical activities from a densely populated city of Pakistan. Data were then statistically analyzed through partial least squares–structural equation modeling. Findings The results suggest that the success of humanitarian supply network depends upon the level of trust among the partners, which accelerates commitment through strong coordination. Information sharing reduces behavioral uncertainty and enhances swift trust (ST). ST then helps to improve coordination and commitment from all stakeholders in order to manage resources to lead effective relief operations. Practical implications The study guides the practitioners and relief operations’ policy makers to lay emphasis on distributing right and timely information flow among the partners, which can lead to effective, efficient and swift humanitarian relief operations. Originality/value This study on RM during humanitarian logistics is well timed in the context of developing country with high uncertain events, improper infrastructure and very limited resources.

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 492-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waqar Ahmed ◽  
Arsalan Najmi ◽  
Hafiz Muhammad Faizan ◽  
Shaharyar Ahmed

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the factors affecting Muslim consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for Halal food, products and operations by employing theory of reasoned action.Design/methodology/approachThis study has used quantitative research methodology and collected data from 350 questionnaires from a densely populated city of Pakistan. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.FindingsThe results show that the concerns about Halal, religiosity, perception of usefulness of Halal and product ingredients have a significant impact on WTP for Halal foods, while attitude has an insignificant impact on WTP. Moreover, the extent of demand for Halal certification is significantly affected by WTP.Originality/valueThe study highlighted the concerns of the Muslim consumers with respect to Halalness of the products and operations despite living in a Muslim country. It is recommended that the policy makers, food authorities and health institutions should conduct regular inspections of foods, products and producers’/manufacturers’ operations to ensure that all the procedures from manufacturing of the raw material till the finished goods follow Islamic principles to make them completely Halal.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamza Usman ◽  
Mohd Lizam

Purpose This paper aims to evaluate the bane of home ownership in Nigeria through mortgage financing by examining the determinants of intention of using mortgage in financing home ownership. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopted a survey quantitative research design. A total of 235 valid questionnaires randomly distributed were retrieved from 300 potential homeowners who were the sample of the research. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used for data analysis and hypotheses testing. Findings The findings revealed that religious perception on mortgage was the most significant determinant of intention of using mortgage in financing home-ownership. Subjective norms and perceived behavioral control also have significant effect on intention of using mortgage financing. However, attitude and familiarity/knowledge of mortgage were found not to have a significant effect on intention of using mortgage financing. The determinants cumulatively determined 77.6 per cent (R2 = 0.776) of the variance in intention of using mortgage in financing home ownership. Practical implications The research contributed to knowledge and has practical implications to policy makers, mortgage institutions, investors and the society. Originality/value The paper uniquely explores the bane of home-ownership through mortgage financing by examining potential home-owners’ intention of using mortgage financing. To authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to evaluate intention of using mortgage financing, at least in Nigeria.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noorlailie Soewarno ◽  
Bambang Tjahjadi ◽  
Farah Anmariska

PurposeThis study aims to investigate whether strategy pillars have a positive direct effect on organizational productivity performance (OPP) in the Indonesian HEI (Higher Education Institutions) research setting and, if so, whether the effect is mediated by a performance management system (PMS).Design/methodology/approachThis study used quantitative research employing partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses. A mediation model of the research framework was developed to investigate the mediating role of PMS.FindingsUsing a sample of 182 Indonesian HEI managers, the results indicate that strategy pillars have a positive effect on OPP. Further analysis shows that PMS partially mediates the strategy pillar–OPP relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has limitations. Firstly, the sample size used was relatively small and this may raise the issue of generalization. Secondly, it used a Likert scale and therefore may raise the issue of judgment bias. Lastly, this study is context-specific for Indonesia and caution should be used when generalizing it to other countries.Practical implicationsTo enhance the HEIs productivity performance, the HEI managers should develop strong strategy pillars for the purpose of effective strategy formulation and execution.Social implicationsThis study provides a model showing how to improve the HEIs productivity performance by employing strategy pillars and a PMS. The better the performance of the HEIs, the better the quality of life of society in the era of the knowledge economy.Originality/valueStrategy pillars have rarely been researched. This study is therefore one of the few studies on strategy pillars. This study also provides new elements related to measuring strategy pillars, PMS and OPP in the context of HEIs in Indonesia as an emerging economy.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (28) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
SAMIRA GOLESTAN ◽  
Haslinda Binti Abdullah

<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">This paper examines the relationship between the environmental factors of peer pressure and family smoking (parents’ smoking and siblings’ smoking), and adolescent cigarette smoking habits in Kerman (as a big province in Iran). In addition, in terms of the afore-mentioned behavior, the moderating role of self-efficacy on the link of peer pressure and family smoking is studied. A quantitative research method was used for this purpose. The sample included 300 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18 as current smokers. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data which were then analyzed using AMOS Software and running Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The results showed positive significant relationship between peer pressure plus family smoking (parents’ smoking and siblings’ smoking), and adolescent cigarette smoking. The relevant findings and results revealed that self-efficacy has a considerable moderating effect on the relationship between cigarette smoking behavior, and peer pressure and family smoking. The results of the present study can contribute to the literature and have significant implications for practitioners and policy makers to prevent adolescents in Iran from developing smoking habits. </span></p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 1115-1134
Author(s):  
Xiaobo Mou ◽  
Fang Xu

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the factors impacting information poverty in western China and investigate to what extent these determinants contribute to information poverty in these areas. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to analyze 232 valid responses collected from a survey to examine the research model and hypotheses in this study. Findings The results indicate that information literacy, information supply and information and communication technologies (ICTs) positively and significantly affect information poverty, while social prejudice and information orientation had no significant effects on information poverty. Practical implications Public libraries, government departments and other institutions should pay attention to the significant impact of information literacy, information supply and ICTs on information poverty and formulate corresponding systems and policies to alleviate or reduce information poverty. Originality/values In the past, few studies have focused on information poverty in western China and most of the existing research on information poverty adopts qualitative research methods, such as interview, systematic literature review and so on, while quantitative research is rare. In addition, the focus of these research studies was on one or two aspects, and a few of them can systematically study the influencing factors of information poverty. Inspired by the theories of information literacy, social prejudice and information poverty, this study comprehensively used a questionnaire survey and SEM to investigate the influences of information literacy, social prejudice, information supply, information orientation and ICTs on information poverty.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1455-1478
Author(s):  
Bao Dai ◽  
Ahsan Ali ◽  
Hongwei Wang

PurposeGrounded on the cognition–affect–conation (C–A–C) framework, this study aims to explore how perceived information overload affects the information avoidance intention of social media users through fatigue, frustration and dissatisfaction.Design/methodology/approach/methodology/approachA quantitative research design is adopted. The data collected from 254 respondents in China are analyzed via structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsPerceived information overload directly affects fatigue, frustration and dissatisfaction among social media users, thereby affecting their information avoidance intention. In addition, frustration significantly affects social media fatigue and dissatisfaction. Consequently, social media fatigue influences dissatisfaction among users.Originality/valueThe literature review indicates that social media overload and fatigue yield negative behavioral outcomes, including discontinuance. However, rather than completely abstaining or escaping, social media users adopt moderate strategies, including information avoidance, to cope with overload and fatigue owing to their high dependence on social media. Unfortunately, merely few studies are available on the information avoidance behavior of social media users. Focusing on this line of research, the current study develops a model to investigate the antecedents of information avoidance in social media.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aarif Mohd Sheikh

PurposeThe term “social innovation” refers to interorganizational activity ostensibly designed to address environmental issues. Green intellectual capital (IC) has been considered to be a vitally important mechanism for companies to move towards green production. By adopting the Intellectual capital-based view (ICV) as the underpinning theory, this study aims to investigate the green intellectual capital and social innovation tie-up.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research approach was adopted in this study. The mail survey was used to collect data from managers of 509 manufacturing units operating in J&K, India. The study model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsBased on the SEM results, the key factors that significantly influence social innovation were green human capital and green structural capital. The results also posited that green relational capital was not significantly related to social innovation.Originality/valueAs revealed by the existing literature, no similar work has been done yet. Therefore, this study's originality lies in its exploration of green intellectual capital (IC) and social innovation interplay in an environmentally sensitive sector, manufacturing. Besides, this study offers insights to academics and practitioners in the manufacturing sector, especially in emerging economies.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iddrisu Mohammed ◽  
Mahmoud Abdulai Mahmoud ◽  
Robert Ebo Hinson

PurposeUtilising brand equity dimensions, this study aims to enhance the literature by conceptualising and testing heritage brand equity dimensions (i.e. awareness, image, quality and value) and the intentions of international tourists to revisit moderated by safety and security within the tourism sector.Design/methodology/approachThe study was cross-sectional in nature and used the quantitative research approach with questionnaires for the collection of data. In total, 392 international tourists were purposively sampled from the departure hall of Kotoka International Airport. The data gathered were analysed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).FindingsThe findings revealed that heritage brand image, perceived quality and value had positive significant effects on the intentions of tourists to revisit. Nevertheless, heritage brand awareness had a negative insignificant impact on intentions to revisit. Safety and security significantly moderate the relationship between heritage brand equity and the intentions of international tourists to revisit.Research limitations/implicationsThe Ghana tourism industry should increase the activities that will create more awareness, to generate the interest of potential tourists within the international community. Such initiatives can increase the likelihood of the destination being visited. In addition, policymakers must guarantee that associated government entities, as well as other stakeholders, work together within the tourism industry to promote safety and security.Originality/valueThis study adds to the ongoing discussions in the hospitality and tourism industry by providing a comprehensive overview of brand equity in heritage tourism, operationalised as heritage brand equity dimensions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 634-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Satapathy ◽  
S.S. Mahapatra ◽  
S.K. Patel ◽  
A. Biswas ◽  
P.D. Mishra

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a new model, namely service quality measurement for E_Electricity utility service in Odisha a state of India for the measurement of service quality. Design/methodology/approach – Service quality regulation is an important and timely issue in many industries. The question of governance of power sector is an important question before researchers, policy makers and administrators for the obvious reason of its being an important input for socio-economic development of a nation. Power sector involves complex activities like generation, transmission, distribution and final delivery of service to end-users, i.e. consumers. Initially, private sector was the main player in the power sector when the electricity came to be used in India during the pre-independence period. The trajectory of power industry, from its inception to the present, has been complex rather than being simplistic for the reason that the pendulum of industry's ownership and regulation swings between privatization and nationalization. The consumers are main sufferer in this type of situation, and the satisfaction level decreases day by day. So government has changed it's strategies by implementing e-governance to electricity sector for achieving maximum consumer satisfaction. The first step to e-governance is change management within the government, enhancing citizens' access to information and improving government-to-citizen (G2C) interactions. This work seeks to propose a theoretical scale to measure e-government service quality and validate the measured instrument for electricity utility service by structural equation modeling. Findings – The results indicate that basically the E_electricity service has a positive and direct influence on dimensions (web site design, fulfillment, privatisation and information). Research limitations/implications – Only Odisha state is considered for measuring online service quality in electricity utility service. Originality/value – As the electricity utility industry is doing monopoly business in India and all states basically in Odisha due to that the customer dissatisfaction is the most important obstacle. So the policy makers must concentrate on the dimensions and the sub-dimension before regulating new policies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (01) ◽  
pp. 2-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hart O. Awa ◽  
Ojiabo Ukoha ◽  
Sunny R. Igwe

Purpose This paper aims to propose and test a ten-factor framework of four contexts from technology-organization-environment (T-O-E) theory and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to provide insight(s) that complements and extends extant inquiries on technology adoption. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from small service enterprises with strong operations in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and the mode of sampling was purposive and snow ball, whereas analysis involved structural equation modeling. Findings The results show that factors in the technological, organizational and environmental contexts have direct statistically significant relationship with adoption; thus, adoption is more driven by T-O-E factors than by individual factors. For individual context, social factor equally was statistically supported, whereas hedonistic drive was not. Research limitations/implications The study is limited by its scope of data collection and phases; therefore, extended data are needed to apply the findings to other sectors/industries/countries and to factor in the implementation and post-adoption phases and business to business (B2B) adoption to forge a more holistic framework. Practical/implications Implicit is that the findings encourage vendors and policy makers to recognize the strength of interpersonal and group relationships in addition to T-O-E contexts in developing investment decisions. Originality/value The paper contributes to the growing research on innovation adoption by using factors within the T-O-E and UTAUT frameworks to explain SMEs’ adoption of technologies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document