scholarly journals Adoption of Advanced Technologies in Palm Oil Milling Firms in Malaysia: The Role of Technology Attributes, and Environmental and Organizational Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 260
Author(s):  
Sima Parvand ◽  
Rajah Rasiah

Malaysian palm oil mills have lagged behind in the adoption of advanced milling technologies, both to support productivity growth as well as meet sustainable development goals. Using primary data from a simple random sample of 54 mills, this study sought to examine the factors explaining the adoption of advanced milling technologies. The results from the logit regressions deployed show that top management support and mill size act as key drivers of new technology adoption. Importantly, organizational factors were more critical in the adoption of advanced milling technologies than technological and environmental factors. However, financial support and resources, technical skills, complexity, cost, and government support produced negative coefficients among the non-adopters. The results should help mill owners, managers, and policymakers to remove the barriers facing the non-adopters, and to create effective strategies to stimulate the adoption of advanced milling technologies.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cigdem Turhan ◽  
Ibrahim Akman

PurposeBlockchain is a relatively new technology. Although it has a high potential to influence organizational strategies for adoption into respective operations, it has not been widely explored yet. This study aims to assess the sectoral diversity in the timing of organizational adoption of blockchain through selected organizational factors.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted based on a sample of 208 IT professionals. The data was collected using an instrument containing 17 questions. The existence of sector diversity was statistically analyzed using the Least Square Regression method.FindingsThe results indicate that, except for management support and perceived ease of use, all the other factors in the analysis significantly influence sector diversity in terms of blockchain adoption timing.Originality/valueAlthough blockchain has received attention from researchers, to the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no published work in the literature that explores the organizational factors influencing sectoral differences in the timing of blockchain technology adoption. Therefore, our work is unique in the related literature since we present analyses for the diversity between public and private sectors by modeling the factors affecting the intentions for the timing of blockchain adoption as part of the organizations' IT infrastructure.


2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomislav Sudarevic ◽  
Predrag Radojevic ◽  
Darko Marjanovic ◽  
Radovan Dragas

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically research marketing and financial export barriers by perceptions of agri-food firms from small developing country with preferential trade position in Europe. Using resource-based and contingency theories as framework, differences in barriers perceptions between exporters classified by five organizational factors were tested. Design/methodology/approach Secondary data collection for literature review, conceptualization and hypotheses setting, and primary data collection for hypotheses testing were employed. Survey’s variables and their measurement were derived from previous studies, so exploratory factor analysis was utilized to test dimensionality. A total of 224 agri-food exporters were surveyed and 86 usable responses were collected. The single export venture was used as unit of analysis. ANOVA and t test were utilized for hypotheses testing. Findings Results indicate that the biggest barriers are price competitiveness and insufficient government support. Larger firms and foreign-owned ones perceive researched export barriers as lower than smaller firms and domestic-owned ones. Research limitations/implications The primary limitation of the paper is its one country scope, limiting generalizability. Despite this, research derives several implications especially for management and policy-makers. Originality/value This research confirmed propositions of resource-based and contingency theory in export barriers researching in a case of agri-food sector of small, developing economy with preferential position in European trade, but challenges treating export experience, intensity, and product type as firm’s valuable resources and internal contingencies.


Author(s):  
Afzaal H. Seyal ◽  
Mohd Noah A. Rahman

The cardinal aim of this study is to assess the success of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in investigating the role played by the top management and government support, external expertise, perceived benefits and the impact of business vision. This is a quantitative field study conducted on 150 business firms randomly selected from the Brunei Yellow Pages. In this study, 30% of the companies had practiced the ERP for more than one year. A statistical software package PSW-18 was used to analyse the data. The majority of the previous findings which include all contextual variables used were significant with an exception to the top management support which proved insignificant. Those results were compared with existing studies. The practical implications are discussed and a conclusion is drawn.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-53
Author(s):  
Neeta Baporikar

Governments all over the world play a crucial role in the development of infrastructure and the provision of basic services to the citizens. With increasing population, urbanization, other developmental needs, the governments' ability to address public needs through traditional means is severely constrained. Due to this, new approaches and forms are being sought after and one such is through contractual agreements with the private sector commonly referred to as a public-private partnership (PPP). A PPP is a contractual agreement involving the private sector in the delivery of public services. PPP formations are effected by government support, economic uncertainties, market readiness, and organizational factors. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the primary data was collected through questionnaires, interviews, and secondary data from published reports and documents the objective was to explore the dynamics in the implementation of PPP agreements with focus on Namibia and enhance the knowledge to enable the government and private entities in dealing well with these factors.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fathey Mohammed ◽  
Othman Ibrahim ◽  
Mehrbakhsh Nilashi ◽  
Ensaf Alzurqa

Cloud computing essentially is a scalable, flexible and pay-per-use model for the way IT services are delivered. It can significantly improve the way a government functions, the services it provides to its citizens and institutions. This paper aims to explore the factors that influence adopting cloud computing as a part of public sector organizations’ alternatives to implement e-government services. Based on two dominant theories in the field of adoption of new technology, the Fit-Viability Model and Diffusion of Innovation Theory, a model is proposed. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire with a sample of 296 IT staff employed in public organizations in Yemen. The results clarify the need to consider factors affecting two dimensions, fit and viability, to make a decision to adopt cloud computing in an e-government context. The fitness of cloud computing to e-government tasks is affected by factors such as relative advantage, compatibility, trialability and security, but is not affected by the complexity of the technology. On the other hand, the viability is influenced by economic factors (return on investment and asset specificity) and technological readiness (IT infrastructure and IT policy and regulations), while the results do not support the relation between the organizational factors such as top management support and cloud knowledge and viability.


Author(s):  
Bernd Schulte ◽  
Christina Lindemann ◽  
Angela Buchholz ◽  
Anke Rosahl ◽  
Martin Härter ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: The German Guideline on Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders aims to increase the uptake of evidence-based interventions for the early identification, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of alcohol-related disorders in relevant healthcare settings. To date, dissemination has not been accompanied by a guideline implementation strategy. The aim of this study is to develop tailored guideline implementation strategies and to field-test these in relevant medical and psycho-social settings in the city of Bremen, Germany. Methods: The study will conduct an impact and needs assessment of healthcare provision for alcohol use orders in Bremen, drawing on a range of secondary and primary data to: evaluate existing healthcare services; model the potential impact of improved care on public health outcomes; and identify potential barriers and facilitators to implementing evidence-based guidelines. Community advisory boards will be established for the selection of single-component or multi-faceted guideline implementation strategies. The tailoring approach considers guideline, provider and organizational factors shaping implementation. In field tests quality outcome indicators of the delivery of evidence-based interventions will be evaluated accompanied by a process evaluation to examine patient, provider and organizational factors. Outlook: This project will support the translation of guideline recommendations for the identification, prevention and treatment of AUD in routine practice and therefore contributes to the reduction of alcohol-related burden in Germany. The project is running since October 2017 and will provide its main outcomes by end of 2020. Project results will be published in scientific journals and presented at national and international conferences.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 120-124
Author(s):  
Dominik Dytfeld

AbstractIn spite of the introduction of several new drugs in the last 10 years, multiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable. Thus, an adoptive cellular therapy using chimeric antigen receptor T (CART), a strategy to increase the frequency of tumor-directed and functionally active T cells targeting antigens present on the cancer cell, might change the treatment in MM as it did in lymphoma and ALL. There are several targets for CART therapy in MM on different levels of development, which are discussed in the manuscript. B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) being tested in the studies of phase 1–2 is the most promising, but so far CART has not been approved in the cure of MM and remains an experimental approach. The hematological society is facing a new technology which with its potential ability to cure MM, in spite of its complexity, cost, and toxicity, will definitely and soon change the landscape of myeloma in Europe and world-wide.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003072702110250
Author(s):  
Sylvia Szabo ◽  
Chidchanok Apipoonanon ◽  
Malay Pramanik ◽  
Kevin Leeson ◽  
Devendra Raj Singh

Thailand’s agriculture is facing an ageing workforce, which could negatively influence agricultural production. Yet, there is still limited evidence regarding the perception of the ageing agricultural labour force in the country and a lack of insights into farmers’ strategies to improve agricultural output. To fill this gap, we analysed primary data from questionnaire-based surveys of 365 households in Prachinburi Province, Thailand. The results show that household poverty, farm experience, retirement, health concerns, and farm accidents are positively associated with the farmers’ perception on the ageing workforce, whereas education level, having an ageing farmer in the family, farm size, mentoring and access to new technology have a negative influence on the perception of the ageing workforce. Given the anticipated implications of the population ageing in Thailand, the government should consider establishing policy options to encourage younger entrants into the agricultural sector and prioritising policies related to intergenerational support.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anchal Gupta ◽  
Rajesh Kr Singh ◽  
Shivam Gupta

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify factors that are important for logistics organizations from the perspective of manpower readiness for digitization of logistics operations. The study also prioritizes the identified factors and also evaluates the readiness index of manpower for the digitalization of logistics processes.Design/methodology/approachThe factors for manpower readiness are identified through literature review and analysis of a case study. Three major categories of factors are identified. These are organizational, behavioural and technological factors. Under these three major categories of factors, 18 sub-factors are identified. Thereafter, with experts' inputs, the factors are prioritized using Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Further, a case illustration of an Indian logistics company has been taken to understand the current processes, technical capabilities, manpower skills and organization culture. After the case analysis and expert inputs, the manpower readiness index has been evaluated by using graph theory matrix approach (GTMA).FindingsThe prioritization of manpower readiness factors has been done using Fuzzy AHP. Organizational factors are found to be the most important factors which require quick attention. Sub-factors that are most important for building competencies in the logistics sector are providing the right training on functional skill development (0.129), top management support and commitment for digitalization (0.117), and organizational culture for process digitalization (0.114), etc. Finally, framework for evaluation of manpower readiness index for logistics operations in the digital age has been illustrated for a case company.Practical implicationsIndian logistics companies can benchmark their readiness index with respect to the best in the industry. Based on the readiness index, logistics companies can analyse their position, gaps from best and worst and can also identify potential areas for improvement.Originality/valueThe novelty of the study lies in the development of a framework for manpower readiness for digitalization in the logistics sector. In literature, this field is very less researched and provides the scope for developing strategies for improving manpower competencies for Industry 4.0. Logistics companies can improve their performance by making their manpower ready based on results obtained for readiness index.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-37
Author(s):  
Kamau Maina ◽  
Dr. Samson Nyang’au Paul

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the influence of low cost building materials on reduction of housing deficit in Nairobi County, Kenya.Methodology: The study adopted four theories: open innovations theory, the value theory, transformational leadership theory, and institutional theory. Methodologically, the study adopted a descriptive research design, while the population of this study was all the real estate firms registered by Kenya Property Developers Association (KPDA). Census technique was employed to collect data from all 69 real estate firms using questionnaires. Questionnaires were applied to collect primary data, where the researcher trained research assistants to aid the data collection procedure. A pilot-test was conducted as an approach to establishing both the reliability and validity assessments of the questionnaire. Statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS) was used to undertake both descriptive and inferential statistical computations.Results: The findings of the study established that the use of technology enhances the capability and capacity of construction firms to use an array of building materials. The study found that use of modern technology defined skilled labour because most organizations are leveraging technology as a basis of realizing competitive advantage. It also established that real estate firms utilize competent based human resource management firms to hire qualified personnel. In addition, it was evident that personality traits influenced adoption of new technology in the construction of low cost housing, whereas knowledge and attitudes, and skills were significantly attributed to adoption of new technology.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: In light of the research findings, the study recommends that organizations should leverage modern technology as a basis of realizing efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of projects. The study likewise recommends that organizations should build capacities to enhance labour productivity. In addition, the study recommends that organizations should adopt transformational leadership approaches as a basis of enhancing performance. The study recommends the need to revise the legal framework with a view to ensure that it reflects the changing needs of the project requirements.


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