Reflections and Future Directions for the Green Maritime Supply Chain in Malaysia

The maritime sector and shipping industry have been argued to be effective drivers of international trade. Internationalization has become a strategic business plan by entrepreneurs and industry players to expand the business, especially when their business was already established in the domestic market. However, current international laws began to be tightened by requiring each exporting and shipping firms to implement green sea transport practices and documentations. A limited number of empirical-based evidence has forced the maritime practitioners to conduct business without clear green concepts knowledge and availability of best business practices to be benchmarked. With this in mind, the aim of this chapter is to examine current issues, differences, and dilemmas confronting practitioners, governments, stakeholders, and scholars. This chapter has developed a green maritime supply chain concept based on practitioners' reflections and provides future direction to scholars interested in studying green logistics and supplying chain management in the maritime sector.

Modelling factors of influence on business process management in the organizations of the clothing industry

Business process management (BPM) in organizations of the clothing industry can be considered as a practice of importance for establishing a stable and progressive business. In contemporary business, which considers the application of best business practices within production-business systems, effective process management becomes important and emerges as a practice that contributes to the overall improvement of the organization’s operations. BPM focuses on improving both internal and inter-organizational operations that take place between organizations within the supply chain of clothing industry. The effective BPM in the organizations of the clothing industry may depend on the establishment of the various elements. The assumption is that influential elements are specifics of the garment industry such as the primary BPM activities, the different dimensions of BPM which are consistent with a comprehensive view of this approach, as well as the mere involvement of human resources in the business processes of the organizations. The defined influential elements are treated as variables of the structural model, created by the implementation of the IBM SPSS AMOS structural modelling program, exploring a number of hypothesized impacts. The results of this research help to understanding the impact of these elements on the strengthening BPM practice in the clothing industry organizations.

The Use of Trust Seals in European and Latin American Commercial Transactions

The emergence of the Internet as a commercialization method has offered organizations many opportunities. However, when buyers want to execute a transaction online, a certain distrust typically accompanies the need to provide personal data. To address this problem, assurance seals have been designed for use on websites. Different guarantee logos certify compliance with buyer protection laws and offer transparency in the commercial process. Thus, assurance seals displayed on the websites of sellers that adhere to a specific trust system allow consumers to choose among entities that have publicly committed to best business practices. We researched 130 sellers in Europe and Latin America that adhere to assurance seals in order to determine the influence of such seals. Our research shows that the use of trust seals increases Internet sales for more than 66% of these companies, improves their corporate image, enhances the number of potential buyers who visit their websites, and generally captures consumers’ attention.

Business Models in the Conditions of Increasing Complexity of the Business Environment

The relevance of the study is due to the fact that in the increasingly complex business environment, companies today more than ever need a simple and flexible tool to manage innovations, to build effective business models in a timely manner. The purpose of the study is to present updated business models in the context of the digital economy development. The empirical base was the research of H. Mendelssohn, A. Osterwalder, as well as analysts of the best business practices of Alibaba Group, Apple, Uber, AirbnB, Amazon, Facebook, Google. The author presents the transformation of business models and their adaptation to a new, changed environment, as well as business models that are relevant in innovation management. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the results obtained will allow companies to achieve business success, getting a greater effect from the application of this business model by combining it with other tools. This will help companies to obtain the optimal set of ideas and associated potential risks at the output in order to identify the most promising business development ideas and prioritize.

RFID Technologies and Warehouse Applications

RFID is a technology that continues to evolve, improve, and grow. The number of ways the technology can be used to help companies stay efficient increases in a highly competitive environment. For companies that are still looking for ways to improve their supply chain and their warehouse operations, RFID technology is something worth exploring. It can save companies time and money and can be an especially great technology to adopt for companies that are growing at a rapid pace. Case studies comparing large health care systems provider in Pittsburgh, PA with a large manufacturing company, Boeing, located Everett, WA were cited to highlight best business practices of RFID applications to the warehousing function.

The Saga of Middle East Airlines (MEA) in War and in Peace

The pragmatic attitude of MEA management in meeting the crises that plagued its existence was only matched by a dogmatic determination that its planes must, under all circumstances, keep the immortal Cedar of Lebanon, which adorns its wings, continually and proudly roaming the skies. The fact that MEA has now recovered, survived, and prospered crowns its management decisions as best business practices. These practices include adaptability and change through organization transformation mode, using change interventions in its vision, structure, culture, skills, and procedures in many of its departments, such as the human resources, employee benefits, the recruitment and training departments affecting all of its employees. Events in open-system organizations such as MEA exist at equilibrium in a field of conflicting forces. Changes in the environment will consequently put pressure on such organizations causing a shift in the state of equilibrium.

Best Business Practices for Incorporating Change

Organizational changes are made for business decisions that aim to improve performance and achieve short- and long-term strategic goals. The decisions to change are usually based on analysis of the organization, and success is evaluated by improving bottom-line performance. And many changes are unplanned. Despite all the preplanning, external factors can change or even divert the progress of the organization. Change is inevitable, and a good change management process can help ensure the potential for success.

Development Stimulation of Competitive Advantages of the Innovative Business through Benchmarking

The aim of the article is to identify the competitive advantages of small and big innovative businesses through the specific features of benchmarking. As a result of the study, the author identified key aspects for the selection of characteristic types of benchmarking for small and big innovative businesses, the process of periodization within the evolution of benchmarking generations is described, an author’s methodology for benchmarking models constructing for small and big innovative businesses in the context of increasing competitiveness of these economic entities is presented, this approach is based on the system approach to the management model. The author points that the constructed benchmarking system models in the context of increasing competitiveness of business entities on the basis of principles, processes and stages make it possible to determine the competitive position of an innovative company in the market using innovative proposals and best business practices. Also the author proposes to analyse the typology of benchmarking based on the priority of the development of small and big innovative businesses. In accordance with this, the key types of benchmarking for small innovative businesses include internal production, external competition, collective and individual. The author’s toolkit will allow identifying gaps in communication interaction with a focus on stimulating the development of competitive advantages of an innovative business through benchmarking.

BUSINESS MODEL AS THE SUCCESS FACTOR IN THE ERA OF CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

The current pandemic situation creates many challenges for different entities form different sectors. In proposed paper it is assumed that the business model plays curtail role as the success factor especially in the era of global pandemic. Therefore, the aforementioned area (business model as the success factor of the company) constitutes the subject of the paper. In the paper, the following goals of descriptive and cognitive character are assumed: – identification of the characteristics of the business models that are most successful in the era of pandemic, –indication of marketing practices applied by innovative company G2A in the sphere of developing successful business models. The following research methods are applied for the purpose of implementation of assumed goals: critical analysis of the literature of the subject and the case study method that shows the best business practices associated with development of business models. In the study successful company G2A is objects of research. Analyses included in the paper concern the period between march and September 2020 that was the period of global pandemic explosion (time range). Presented results of conducted analyses concern international environment (spatial range).

PRACTICES OF EDUCATIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: POLITEKNIK BRUNEI AS A CASE OF INSTITUTIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Academic institution plays a catalytic role in changing society through knowledge generation, dissemination, and application in the knowledge-driven economy. Every academic institution must address issues like the growth of population, socio-demographic changes, shifts in macro-economic variables, and globalization for their survival in the competitive environment. Through educational entrepreneurship, an institution can seize opportunities by implementing sustainable strategies and innovations, best business practices, and competitive operations. This paper examined how Politeknik Brunei is practicing institutional entrepreneurship by providing market-responsive knowledge and skills to students, developing infrastructure, and implementing educational and administrative systems. This paper reviewed the plans, policies, rules, and sets of regulations of Politeknik Brunei by using content analysis and citation methods. A qualitative approach was employed to meet the research goals,. A multidimensional framework is suggested to ensure that entrepreneurial academic institutions have a dynamic equilibrium and fulfill stakeholders’ expectations. If Politeknik Brunei applies this framework, its competitive position could be improved by balancing multiple interests of all stakeholders to achieve long-term development goals through competitive operations.