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

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