The Economics of Outsourcing in a De-integrating Industry

Many large firms in low scale economy industries are actively considering outsourcing options, in the face of competition from smaller more efficient players. Based on a review of the theoretical literature and a case-study of outsourcing decisions at two large vertically integrated footwear manufacturers in Pakistan, a framework is developed for determining which set of products and activities to outsource and which to keep in-house. The framework suggests activities being considered for outsourcing be evaluated in terms of level of proprietary knowledge, economies of scale, inefficiencies of vertical integration, transactional costs, and the existence of reliable vendors. It is suggested that activities with low levels of proprietary knowledge and activities where cost savings due to outsourcing justify the increased transaction costs, should be outsourced.footwear, Outsourcing, Pakistan, case-study

Highway maintenance management : a study of Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP)

Practical and effective highways have been known to enhance the movement of people as well as products to boost the economy of a country. Without a proper maintenance system, highways can rapidly tumble into depreciation which in the end will affect the highways patron in terms of vehicle operation, time, reliability, and safety. The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the highway maintenance management system of Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP). The selection of LDP was related to some issues such as the high number of accidents, road congestion, flash floods and noise problem indicate that LDP has major concern to be addressed in relation to its practices in terms of the effectiveness of the maintenance management system. The study also attempted to propose improvements in policies and regulations of highway maintenance management system for LDP and the flow of communication in the Highway Maintenance Department. The study applied the qualitative case study approach in which the research explained the effectiveness of maintenance management system practices at LDP to overcome problems in maintenance work and improve the information management process which is critical in preparing a high quality work report. The study revealed the problems of effectiveness in the LDP highway maintenance system, the importance of the policies and regulations for work execution, observation and surveillance, and the significance of the flow of communication in the application of highway maintenance management system particularly in the preparation of high quality work report. Recommendations for future study are offered to provide opportunities for future researchers to continue this research, focusing specifically on the highway environment

Peran International Organization for Migration (Iom) Dalam Mengatasi Perdagangan Manusia Di Indonesia Tahun 2010-2014

This research describes the role of international organization for migration in antisipated human trafficking in Indonesia in 2010-2014. The growth of human trafficking case in Indonesia has incerase a significant, nowdays Indonesia as a state from and to a human trafficking. So the government of Indonesia have to do action to antisipation a case of human trafficking..The research method used was a qualitative with descriptive as a technic of the research. Writer collects data from books, encyclopedia, journal, mass media and websites to analyze the role of international organization for migration in antisipated human trafficking in Indonesia. The theories applied in this research are pluralism perspective with the international organization concept by Lerroy Bannet.The conclusion of this research about the role of international organization for migration in antisipated human trafficking in Indonesia are international organization for migration has cooperate with the government of Indonesia to create a speciall regulation about human trafficking case, international organization for migration has dealling with Indonesia government to antisipated the human trafficking and cooperation with Indonesian Police to controlling a traffickers.Key words: role, IOM, human and traffic

New Criteria for Meromorphic Multivalent Alpha-Convex Functions

The aim of the present paper is to obtain sufficient condition for the class of meromorphic p-valent alpha convex functions of order ξ and then to study mapping properties of the newly defined integral operators. Many known results appeared as special consequences of our work

Highway maintenance management: A review of some practices in Malaysia

Highway maintenance is becoming a very popular topic in recent years.The relationship between the growth of the nation and welfare of the society has highlighted the importance of the subject.Without the proper maintenance system, highways can rapidly tumble into depreciation which in the end will affect the highways patron in term of vehicle operation, time, reliability and safety.With the alarming number of accidents happened due to highway condition, the effectiveness of the highway maintenance management system in Malaysia has raised a concerned.A study conducted to address this issue with related government agencies, highway operators and highway personnel using qualitative approach

Property manager's knowledge and skills : a brief literature review towards achieving excellence / Mohd Zaki Arif and Rohaya Ghani

The development in landed properties haS increased the demand for Property Managers. The introduction of newer and modern building technology has changed the roles and functions of property managers. In order to develop and ensure good property management practices, property management in different countries is subjected to local rules and regulations. In Malaysia, property managers are required to register with The Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents. However, complaints take place in the mass media, mainly on major areas such as technical knowledge, skills, attitude and abilities of the property managers. This triggers the need to identify and develop competency framework for property managers which is persistently referred as Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Others (KSAOs). This paper outlines the critical knowledge, skills, abilities and other areas which are required by the property managers based on current literature. Views from related professions involving property management are also taken into consideration in identifying the KSAOs for the property managers. We are optimistic this paper will add to new knowledge on the topic of competency and property management. It is hopeful that property managers will boast a concerted effort in developing good property management practices by means of a competency-based management programme

PHENOL FROM PALM BIO-OIL VIA SALT EXTRACTION

Renewable source of energy and chemicals is highly sought after nowadays with the alarming global concerns on the price insecurity, source depletion and environmental impact of the fossil fuel usage. Biomass becomes the source of interest to obtain energy and products that are environmental friendly with net zero carbon footprints, especially for Malaysia that has to manage abundant agricultural wastes. Malaysian palm biomass i.e. kernel shell, empty fruit brunch and trunk can be processed using a thermal treatment called pyrolysis to produce bio-oil, a complex mixture of phenolic compounds, acetic acid and aldehyds. In this study, phenol is going to be extracted using liquid-liquid extraction method. Addition small amount of salt at ambient condition in different of cations and anions including ZnS04. MgS04, Na2S04, K2S04, ZnCh, MgCh, NaCl and KCl; into bio-oil would form two phases of bio-oil which is light phase and dark phase. The results of this separation were analyzed by using GC-FID. It found that polar compound will concentrated in light phase while the non-polar compound including phenol concentrated in dark phase. Different types of salt and salts concentration will give different value of phenol in dark phase

Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon under Rhizosphere and Non- Rhizosphere of Maize after a Long-Term Nitrogen Fertilization and Tillage Systems

This research aimed to study the soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) under maize plant after a long-term application of nitrogen fertilizer and tillage systems (at the 37th growing season). The treatments were arranged in a factorial (3x3) in a randomized completely block design with 3 replications. The first factor was tillage systems, namely intensive tillage (IT) system, minimum tillage (MT) system, and no tillage (NT) system, and the second factor was the long-term application of nitrogen fertilizer, namely 0, 100, and 200 kg N ha-1. Data were analyzed using an orthogonal contrast test and a correlation test between SMBC and organic-C, total-N, and pH of the soil. The results showed that, in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere of maize plant, MT system increased the SMBC compared to NT and IT systems. However, application of long-term application of nitrogen fertilizer did not increase the SMBC. Nevertheless, fertilizer application of 100 kg N ha-1 increased the SMBC compare to 200 kg N ha-1.Furthermore, the combination of MT system and 100 kg N ha-1 could increase the SMBC compared to the other combined treatment between tillage systems and N fertilization doses. The SMBC was higher in the rhizosphere than in non-rhizosphere of maize plant.Keywords: Non-rhizosphere, rhizosphere, soil microbial biomass carbon, tillage system

ESKALASI KEMAMPUAN MENGOLAH DATA BAGI KADER DESA MENGGUNAKAN TEKNOLOGI INFORMASI

Peran penting pengolahan data semakin disadari karena diperlukan untuk memberikan gambaran dan informasi penting tentang suatu kumpulan data. Pengolahan data yang tepat dapat menjadi pedoman dalam pembuatan kebijakan. Perkembangan teknologi yang sangat pesat mendorong hampir semua lingkungan untuk memanfaatkan teknologi informasi secara maksimal. Menggunakan data kependudukan dapat membantu mengidentifikasi kondisi sosial-demografi desa. Kegiatan pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan keterampilan kader desa dalam menggunakan Google Data Studio dan Microsoft Excel untuk mendukung analisis data dalam pengelolaan data kependudukan. Kegiatan berlangsung pada bulan Agustus 2022 dengan melibatkan 25 orang kader desa sebagai peserta pelatihan. Peningkatan kemampuan peserta kegiatan ditunjukkan oleh peningkatan skor post-test dibandingkan dengan skor pre-test. Dengan demikian, kegiatan ini terbukti efektif dalam meningkatkan pengetahuan dan keterampilan kader desa di bidang teknologi informasi. Adanya kegiatan ini juga mendukung tujuan pembangunan berkelanjutan (SDGs) pada indikator ke-4 dan ke-10 yaitu pendidikan bermutu dan berkurangnya kesenjangan. Oleh karena itu diharapkan setelah mengikuti kegiatan ini para kader dapat mengolah atau menganalisis data kependudukan lebih cepat dan akurat dengan visualisasi yang tepat untuk membantu mereka mengambil keputusan

Collaboration initiative on green construction and sustainability through industrialized buildings systems (IBS) in the Malaysian construction industry

Malaysian Construction Industry has been urged to use innovative construction technique and to shift from traditional practice of brick and mortar to Industrialized Building System (IBS) construction. IBS is defined as a construction technique in which components are manufactured in a controlled environment (on or off site), transported, positioned and assembled into a structure with minimal additional site works. On the other hand, the issues of sustainability and green construction have been duly highlighted in the Construction Industry Master Plan (2005 – 2015) as being of significant importance for the Malaysian construction industry. The Malaysian government is also committed to addressing sustainability issues and meeting its target and obligations in this regard. This paper highlights several aspects of IBS that has the potential of contributing to green construction and sustainability. IBS promotes sustainability from controlled production environment, minimization of waste generation, extensive usage of energy efficient building material, effective logistics and long term economic stability which can contribute to better investment in environment technologies. The Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM), University of Salford and other research institutes in Malaysia will conduct a collaboration Research and Development (R&D) initiative on green construction and sustainability trough IBS implementation. From this paper, the authors hope to receive feedbacks, comments and recommendations to improve research aims, objectives, expected deliverables and research methodology