Education Supply Chain Management Model to Achieve Sustainability in Private Universities in Malaysia: A Review

This paper addresses an Integrated Tertiary Educational Supply Chain Management Model (ITESCM) to achieve sustainability among private universities in Malaysia. The application model highlights the role of Supply chain management and sustainable practices in Private Universities (PU). The model provides an overview to equip stakeholders of the educational supply chain with appropriate information to review and appraise the performance of private universities. This is with a view towards the fulfillment of ultimate goals in achieving the potential as providers of educational supply chain services and maintaining sustainability. The paper first provides an overview of recent research conducted in this area, followed by a detailed discussion on research issues that have been developed in ITESCM. It also provides the taxonomy of research and development in the area of integrated SCM and sustainability practices in higher education, particularly in private universities in Malaysia. The concept of integration in tertiary education supply chain and sustainability among private university is also discussed

A Structural Equation Model for the Study of Education Supply Chain Management Practices in Private Universities in Malaysia

Abstract: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is a method that is frequently applied by business researchers to assess empirically new theoretical proposals articulated by means of complex models. Hence in this study SEM was engaged to scrutinize the impact of SCM practices on the performance of higher education in Malaysia. Firstly, the SCM practices survey was designed to investigate the main factors which influence supply chain practices in universities in Malaysia. Amongst the pool of constructs include: customer relationship, supplier relationship, information technology, information sharing, and innovation. Next, based on the SEM, the intensities of SCM practices of the universities were quantified in accordance with those constructs. The findings were supported by empirical evidence, as the study established that only information sharing and information technology had a significant positive relationship and impact on the universities performance. This paper provides a greater understanding of the interactions between the key elements of SCM practices associated with university performance and their impact on universities in Malaysia. Keywords: SEM, SCM practices, constructs, University Performance

The Impact of Supply Chain Management Practices on the Performance of Private Universities in Malaysia

Abstract Supply chain management SCM practices have determined the performance of organizations throughout the years. Recently there has been an upsurge in research on SCM and related practices in the education industry. The objective of this paper is to explore the potential benefits of adopting supply chain management practices towards the achievement of performance and to attain competitiveness in education industry. This empirical study was conducted among the Malaysian private universities. A total of ten universities are selected and 119 responses were received. The research design consisted of a cross sectional study of selected private universities in Malaysia based on their Setara rating as A, B and C categories. Factor analysis was conducted to explain the variance in the observed variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The empirical results showed that the SCM practices have a positive impact on universitperformance especially in the of area information sharing and innovation which showing the highest impact. This study may contribute to a more in-depth analysis of the impact of SCM on the performance of private universities

Efficient Consumer Response in Fast Food Supply Chain Management of Hamburgers for Compliance, Health and Marketability

Foods of animal origin are a good source of high quality protein. However, determining fat content in hamburgers is important in order to minimize the adverse effects on health. Cardiovascular disease and obesity are known to be caused by high consumption of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Efficient consumer response in fast food Supply chain management is a strategy designed to make fast food industry more efficient, safe and responsive to the consumer’s needs.  This study conducted confidence interval estimation to assess variation in the fat content of hamburger samples from a restaurant, using Minitab. The standard for mean fat content was set at 15 grams with a standard deviation of 1 gram. In this study twenty samples were selected at random and statistical process control was determined by the individual moving range (I-MR) test. The I-MR chart conducted on twenty individual hamburger samples showed that the fat content was in statistical process control. A graphical summary was conducted to check for normality by the Anderson-Darling test and 95% confidence interval of the mean and standard deviation were determined.  The p-value for Anderson-Darling was not significant indicating that the samples were normally distributed. The mean read at 16.48 grams with a standard deviation of 2.09. The confidence interval for the mean registered between 15.50 to 17.46 grams. A variance test was carried out to determine a less than 1 gram variation in the samples. The upper bound was detected in a Chi square test at 8.24. A confidence interval estimation for population proportion showed 0.16 for the upper bound. An automatic oil dispensing machine was installed to standardize the oil applied for frying each hamburger. Another 20 samples were taken and were found to be in statistical process control by the I-MR test. A graph summary report indicated a mean of 14.92 grams and standard deviation of 0.49 grams. The Anderson-Darling test was not significant at p-value of 0.924.Thus confirming a normal distribution. The 95% confidence interval now registered at 14.69 to 15.15, which was close to the expected value of 15 grams. A survey conducted on 100 and 350 customers selected at random, before and after the installation of the automatic oil dispensing machine showed that there were now less dissatisfied customers. A simulation test carried out with twenty samples of 10 subgroups each showed that the process was in control in an X-bar S-chart. An interval plot conducted using a simple multiple Ys chart showed that all the samples were within the 95% confidence interval for the mean indicated by the reference line. A process capability analysis conducted before and after the installation of the automatic oil dispensing machine indicated that the process could be improved further.  Key words: Fat content, hamburgers, confidence interval, variation, statistical process contro

The Significance of Reliability and Validity analysis on Education Supply Chain Management Practices

Abstract: Supply chain management practices (SCMP) have progressively emerged as a contingent factor in improving sustainable performance in universities. More and more organisations including the manufacturing and service sectors are making use of SCM to improve their performance. This study aims to develop an effective instrument to measure SCM practices with reliable predictors to enhance product quality and business performance in education industries in Malaysia. The study measures administrative staffs response and perceptions regarding SCM practices and its impact on performance in their universities. One hundred and thirty responses were received and the data was analysed using SPSS. The validity and reliability of the instruments used in determining SCM practices were tested using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbachs alpha. Twenty seven items from five competencies comprising: supplier partnership, customer partnership, information sharing, information technology and innovation competencies were designated for the initial instrument. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that five factor-structures of the instrument of education SCM practices explained 68.76% of the variance in the pattern of relationships among the items. All five factors had high reliabilities at or above of Cronbachs .80. Twenty two items remained in the final questionnaire after deleting five items which cross-loaded on multiple factors. The fiver-factor structure of the education SC practice instrument was confirmed through this study. Thus, practitioners may use such instruments in order to gain a better understanding of the level of contribution of the stated factors towards SCM practices to determine overall university performance and key competencies

Pembrolizumab in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin compared with gemcitabine and cisplatin alone for patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (KEYNOTE-966): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

Background: Biliary tract cancers, which arise from the intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile ducts and the gallbladder, generally have a poor prognosis and are rising in incidence worldwide. The standard-of-care treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer is chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin. Because most biliary tract cancers have an immune-suppressed microenvironment, immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy is associated with a low objective response rate. We aimed to assess whether adding the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab to gemcitabine and cisplatin would improve outcomes compared with gemcitabine and cisplatin alone in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer.Methods: KEYNOTE-966 was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial done at 175 medical centres globally. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older; had previously untreated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancer; had disease measurable per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours version 1.1; and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1. Eligible participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to pembrolizumab 200 mg or placebo, both administered intravenously every 3 weeks (maximum 35 cycles), in combination with gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks; no maximum duration) and cisplatin (25 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks; maximum 8 cycles). Randomisation was done using a central interactive voice-response system and stratified by geographical region, disease stage, and site of origin in block sizes of four. The primary endpoint of overall survival was evaluated in the intention-to-treat population. The secondary endpoint of safety was evaluated in the as-treated population. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04003636.Findings: Between Oct 4, 2019, and June 8, 2021, 1564 patients were screened for eligibility, 1069 of whom were randomly assigned to pembrolizumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (pembrolizumab group; n=533) or placebo plus gemcitabine and cisplatin (placebo group; n=536). Median study follow-up at final analysis was 25·6 months (IQR 21·7-30·4). Median overall survival was 12·7 months (95% CI 11·5-13·6) in the pembrolizumab group versus 10·9 months (9·9-11·6) in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·83 [95% CI 0·72-0·95]; one-sided p=0·0034 [significance threshold, p=0·0200]). In the as-treated population, the maximum adverse event grade was 3 to 4 in 420 (79%) of 529 participants in the pembrolizumab group and 400 (75%) of 534 in the placebo group; 369 (70%) participants in the pembrolizumab group and 367 (69%) in the placebo group had treatment-related adverse events with a maximum grade of 3 to 4. 31 (6%) participants in the pembrolizumab group and 49 (9%) in the placebo group died due to adverse events, including eight (2%) in the pembrolizumab group and three (1%) in the placebo group who died due to treatment-related adverse events.Interpretation: Based on a statistically significant, clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival compared with gemcitabine and cisplatin without any new safety signals, pembrolizumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin could be a new treatment option for patients with previously untreated metastatic or unresectable biliary tract cancer