Bureaucratic behaviour, and its influence towards competitiveness – analysing the supply chain of Bangladeshi clothing industry

Distribution systems are becoming increasingly complex and dynamic in business in the consumer market of clothing or Readymade Garments (RMG) products. There are many exterior influencing elements like political action (PA), country risk (CR), and bureaucratic behaviours (BB) that are influencing the clothing supply chain and posing threats to its competitiveness. A research question has developed to know how BB activities affect competitiveness. Based on this research question, this research aims to determine BB’s influence on the competitiveness of the clothing supply chain. Stakeholder philosophies and resource dependence theory have been considered to develop a hypothesis in this study. The Quantitative research method was applied in this study. The data were collected through a field survey. Partial Least Squire (PLS) based Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse collected data. Seven hypotheses were developed in this research. Among them, five hypotheses are supported, and two hypotheses are not supported. In addition, mediation test results are not reflected as positive. The findings are discussed in detail in the discussion and implementation part of this study. The clothing (RMG) industry of Bangladesh could implement the result to improve competitiveness

Integrated effects of marketing stimuli on customer loyalty in Palestine grocery supply-chain: does satisfaction perform mediating role?

Grocery stores are a crucial connection in the food delivery system and a fundamental component of the retail industry. Some grocery stores have worked with regional suppliers to benefit the community and the consumer. Palestinian market is uncommon because clients have connected what they manufacture and sell under particular circumstances. This study is, therefore, an integrated examination of the critical influencing factors on the marketing of food products in Palestine. A survey questionnaire was used. An organised, self-administered survey was used to acquire data, and analysis techniques were outlined using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). According to the findings, relationship marketing and service quality are the crucial brand strategy factors influencing customers’ decisions to purchase groceries and showing how happy and devoted they are to grocery stores. The Palestinian government has greatly benefited from the results of this study of how consumers perceive essential factors that may be considered when formulating future regulations about food and other grocery items

Planning “Exceptionalism”? Political Economy of Climate Resilient Development in Bangladesh

Following three major disasters in 2007, Bangladesh intensified its effort to tackle climate change through development of the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP). The process of plan formulation led to debates nationally and internationally regarding the financing and integration of climate change into development planning. Using a political economic lens, this article illustrates how major national initiatives around international problems must be understood in terms of the interplay of actors, their ideas and power relations. The article argues that: (a) power relations among actors significantly influenced the selection of ideas and implementation activities; (b) donor concerns around aid effectiveness and consequent creation of parallel mechanisms of planning and implementation may run counter to both the mainstreaming process and the alignment of assistance with country priorities and systems; (c) climate change planning processes must be opened up to include actors from across sectors, population groups and geographical areas

Triggering the internationalization of Malaysian quantity surveying firms

Although there is an increasing trend of services being traded across borders, quantity surveying (QS) firms in the construction sector remain under-researched. The triggers for the increasing globalization of QS firms are not clear, nor how these triggers are perceived by managers at different levels. A questionnaire was administered in over 84 QS consultancy firms, and the results were analyzed using the repertory grid technique, allowing a comparison between the general respondents and a focus group of senior managers. The findings show that senior managers with significant experience realize the importance of a strong internal capability of the QS firm and the capability to develop innovative offerings, coupled with an awareness of the target market and the ability to secure revenue through key contracts. Firm- and location-specific factors were more important than other competitive advantages or foreign markets’ characteristics when deciding to globalize

The year's work in stylistics 2018

Epoxy grouts have been widely used for repairing and rehabilitating structure and transportation pipelines because they are resistant to typical aggressive solutions. In recent years, grouts are used as structural infill in defective structures. The appropriateness of using grouts is highly dependent on the required strength of structures in service condition. This paper experimentally studies the mechanical properties of four epoxy grouts as infill components for structural repair. Compressive, tensile, shear, and flexural properties are determined and compared. The compressive and tensile strengths of the grouts are found to be within the range of 60-115 MPa and 10-30 MPa respectively, while their compressive modulus ranging from 1.5 to 6.0 GPa were measured. The overall results suggest the suitability of these grouts for desired structural repair applications. Finally, recommendations are made on the relevance of using these grouts based on their mechanical properties. The outcome obtained from the study is expected to enhance the applicability of epoxy grouts as infill in structural repair and rehabilitation

Customer loyalty for retailers’ growth in Bangladesh: do retailer qualities (attributes and awareness) influence satisfaction and loyalty?

Customer loyalty is liable for persevering long-term sustenance of organisations in today’s highly competitive business milieu. The present study investigated the various factors affecting customer loyalty towards retailers. Specifically, this study took the initiative to examine the effects of retailer qualities (attribute and awareness) on customer loyalty through the mediating role of customer satisfaction in the light of stimulus-organism response theory. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires from conveniently selected 270 retail customers in Dhaka, Bangladesh and were analysed through SPSS and CB-SEM tools to test the hypotheses. The results demonstrated that retailer qualities significantly affect customer satisfaction and loyalty, and customer satisfaction was a successful mediator for these relationships. The results will aid marketers in developing marketing strategies for customer loyalty and academically, be an important addition to the literature and extension to SOR theory. The findings will help the researchers in customer loyalty and retailing studies