Explore the vast range of titles available.

Wood is a naturally occurring renewable resource widely used in various industries, including in construction, packaging, furniture, and paneling. In Malaysia, 80% of furniture products are made from wood, making it a crucial material in this sector. Laser cutting is an advanced machining technique that enhances precision and minimizes material waste, yet its thermal effects, particularly the heat-affected zone (HAZ), remain a challenge. This study investigates how laser cutting parameters—including the laser power, traverse speed, and focus position—affect HAZ formation in two fast-growing Malaysian wood species, Acacia mangium and Azadirachta excelsa. This research seeks to determine the optimal laser settings that minimize HAZ dimensions while maintaining cutting precision. A diode laser cutting system was used to analyze the effects of three laser power levels (800, 1500, and 2400 mW), three traverse speeds (2, 5, and 10 mm/s), and three focus positions (on-focus, +0.2 mm, and −0.2 mm). We employed statistical analysis, including a two-way ANOVA, to assess the significance of these parameters and their interactions (p < 0.001). The results indicate that a higher laser power and slower speeds significantly increase the HAZ’s width and depth, with Azadirachta excelsa exhibiting a greater HAZ width but shallower penetration compared to Acacia mangium. A slight above-focus position (+0.2 mm) reduces the HAZ’s width, whereas a below-focus position (−0.2 mm) increases the HAZ’s depth. The optimal parameters for minimizing HAZ dimensions while ensuring efficient cutting were identified as a 1500 mW laser power, a 10 mm/s traverse speed, and an on-focus position (0 mm). This study provides practical insights into laser parameter optimization for tropical wood species, contributing to improved precision in laser machining and sustainable wood processing practices. These findings support industries in adopting advanced, high-quality laser cutting techniques tailored to fast-growing wood resources.

End-of-life waste disposal is a major issue in Malaysia, where the country’s economy has suffered due to waste recovery issues. Many countries have successfully identified critical materials and products for increasing recycling rates, but not in Malaysia. Thus, the Malaysian government and businesses have had difficulty prioritising products for recycling. The absence of critical materials data has meant that a recovery strategy could not be planned wisely. In addition, the Product Recycling Desirability Model that was utilised by many countries to improve their recycling strategy could not be applied to Malaysia, as it requires critical materials data as input. To start with, Malaysia’s important materials have been identified. Next, two risk dimensions are defined: supply risk and material risk. The indicators are then weighted according to Malaysia’s scenarios. The scores are analyzed and applied to the Product Desirability Model to find desirable products for recycling. As a result, 89 materials were classified as critical to Malaysia’s economy, with palladium, rhodium, gold, platinum, and tellurium ranking first through to fifth. Critical materials scoring was used for the first time in Malaysia to comprehend the Product Recycling Desirability Model, a tool for prioritizing products for recycling. Additional analysis reveals that car batteries, tyres, PET bottles, mobile phones, and DVD-R are the top five most important recyclable products in Malaysia. With the material security database readily available and the novel evaluation system being employed to prioritize critical material supply, using risk supply and material security for Malaysia, the government, or private sector, can strategically start to implement recycling policies and initiatives to strengthen recycling efforts, which help to increase recycling rates.

The Swiss-Ghana Amendments to the Basel Convention mark a significant milestone in global e-waste (electronic waste) management, requiring Prior Informed Consent (PIC) for all transboundary movements of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), regardless of their hazard classification. However, developing nations encounter substantial challenges in adhering to these amendments due to regulatory gaps, limited infrastructure, and an increasing influx of illicit e-waste imports. This study uses Malaysia as a case study to evaluate the readiness of developing nations to implement amendments, highlighting transferable solutions and recommendations. This study employs a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative thematic analysis and bibliometric mapping to analyze academic literature, official reports, and international case studies. The findings reveal that while Malaysia has foundational policies in place, significant challenges remain in addressing informal recycling practices, improving enforcement mechanisms, and building the institutional capacity to implement PIC procedures effectively. This study identifies key areas for improvement, including regulatory reforms, infrastructure development, and enhanced monitoring systems. To address these issues, this study proposes a six-key Integrated Decision Framework that emphasizes legislative and regulatory updates, infrastructure development, international cooperation, capacity building and training, public awareness and engagement, and robust monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. Although tailored to Malaysia, the framework offers transferable solutions to align e-waste management systems with the Swiss-Ghana Amendments, providing a pathway for developing nations to strengthen regulatory readiness, mitigate environmental risks, and contribute to global sustainability.

As the volume of electronic waste (e-waste) rises globally, developing countries like Malaysia face mounting pressure to align with international regulatory expectations and sustainability commitments, particularly under the Swiss-Ghana Amendments of the Basel Convention. Despite Malaysia’s formal regulatory structures and active licensing of recovery facilities, existing studies have largely focused on household management and policy awareness, while the practical readiness of its e-waste recycling industry remains underexplored. This study applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS to assess nine critical factors influencing the readiness of Malaysia’s e-waste recycling industry, based on 148 responses from licensed collectors and recovery facilities. The results reveal that all constructs significantly influence readiness, with the strongest effects observed from Regulatory Landscape, Financial Stability, and Technological Infrastructure. Beyond these foundational capacities, elements such as supply chain management, innovation, and workforce development are also vital to enhancing competitiveness, environmental performance, and long-term sustainability. This study contributes to theory by extending readiness research into the domain of environmental management and to practice by offering a structured framework to support policymakers and industry stakeholders in strengthening Malaysia’s e-waste governance.

In Malaysia, the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is widely used for domestic purposes. The delivery men who are in charge of delivering the LPG cylinders to the customers are exposed to the ergonomic risk factors associated with excessive force due to the heavy steel cylinders. There are devices used to assist the delivery task, however, the devices are not efficient to be used in non-elevated apartments. Due to this reason, this study aims to design an LPG cylinder trolley. Quality Function Deployment was integrated to design the LPG cylinder trolley, so that it can fulfill the delivery man's requirements, thus, an effective device to assist the delivery task is produced. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the integration of QFD is an effective solution in designing an effective LPG cylinder trolley.

In the industrial workplaces, manual materials handling is a necessity for the workers. However, improper materials handling technique can contribute to occupational injuries. The objective of this paper is to provide information on ergonomics risk factors and health effects associated with manual materials handling. Ergonomics risk factors include awkward posture, excessive load, and extreme temperature has been identified as main contributors to poor occupational health in manual materials handling activities.

In Malaysia, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is filled in a heavy steel cylinder and it is widely used for cooking purpose. Due to its dimensions and mass, the delivery men exposed to ergonomics risk factors associated with excessive force that can lead to injury to the back and the shoulders. There are assistive devices can be used to aid the delivery men; however, those devices are not efficient to transport the LPG cylinder to non-elevator apartments. Based on this reason, this study develops a questionnaire to determine design requirements of the assistive device for LPG cylinder handling. Structured interview using questionnaire survey was conducted among 25 delivery men. Based on the questionnaire survey, 76% of the delivery men required an assistive device that is safe, motorized, and push oriented for LPG cylinder handling. This study concluded that the developed questionnaire is reliable to determine design requirements of the assistive device for LPG cylinder handling.

Purpose: The study aims to empirically examine the influence of different organisational practices on institutional excellence in municipality of Abu Dhabi. E-service quality is examined as mediator and quality of polices is examined as a moderator.   Theoretical Framework: Activity theory support the assumption that the excellence is a result of the integrated system that encompass the people through their activities and interaction. The proposed conceptual framework includes three dependent variables; employee motivation, internal knowledge sharing, and collaborative e-culture. The three variables hypothesised to influence E-service quality as a mediator and institutional excellence as the dependent variable. Besides, quality of polices is hypothesized to moderate the relationship between the mediator and the dependent variable.   Design/Methodology/Approach: The quantitative research methodology was considered from the positivist philosophical perspective. With the help of the survey questionnaire, data was collected from 335 employees in Abu Dhabi municipality who represent the population of 2500. The data analysis used the PLS-SEM techniques by using the software package SmartPLS ver. 3.0,   Findings: The results show that employee motivation, internal knowledge sharing, and collaborative culture are significant antecedents of e-service quality even though e-service quality fails to significantly predict institutional excellence. Also, company quality policy enforcement does not moderate the effect of e-service quality on excellence.   Research Practical and Social Implications: The results are useful for the decision makers in Abu Dhabi municipal and other organisations in the UAE because it shows that the proposed practices have essential impact on the organisational excellence.   Originality/Value: The study is the first study to be conducted in Abu Dhabi municipality. Besides, the examination of E-services quality as a mediator towards institutional excellence is unique add on to the academic knowledge.

Purpose:  Aim of this study to get a clearer picture of the benefits of implementing digital business strategy (digitalization capabilities that supported by digital literacy) in MSMEs.   Theoretical framework: The existence of MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) is an important part of the Indonesian economy which has an impact to the smallest layer. Every business entity in every industry and every size is affected by digitalization, all companies must confront their strategic orientation and develop a digital strategy that is right for them.   Design/methodology/approach:  The data analysis used Partial Least Square and Structural Equation Modelling. We use purposive sampling technique, and the survey data was collected online during October-December 2021 and the respondents was MSME practitioner in 18 provinces in Indonesia.   Findings:  The results of the study found variables that had a positive and significant effect: digitalization capability on digitalization performance, digital literacy on digitalization performance, digital literacy on perceived financial performance, digitalization performance on perceived financial performance. The digitalization capability has no positive and significant effect on perceived financial performance. However, through mediating the digitalization performance, digitalization capability has a positive and significant impact on perceived financial performance. The value of R2 is 57% & 63% which shows the influence of the independent variables (digitalization capability & digital literacy) is strong enough on digitalization performance & perceived financial performance in this study.   Research, Practical & Social implications:  study show that perceived financial performance in digitalization has not become a top priority for MSME actors because digitalization is still considered an additional cost.   Originality/value: The study is the first in the digital business strategy for MSEMs area discuss the role of digitalization performance.

A circular economy is an approach to sustain a product value and functions by increasing the lifecycle of products by performing material efficiency engagements such as reuse, remanufacture and recycle wherever feasible. With the rapid growth of composite use in the UK industrial composite sectors, it is important for related companies to adopt the circular economy approach and to manage both manufacturing and end-of-life waste for better sustainability. The current disposal practice is that 98% of composite waste is disposed of in landfill. With the upsurge of waste legislation by both local and international governing bodies, industrial players have to consider recycling. A crucial issue prior to recycling is the separation of components of materials that make up product assemblies. A particular interest for this research is products that contain composite materials. From literature which builds on the Sherwood plot, existing mathematical models for product complexity are based on the mass fraction of constituent materials. This measure was adapted by previous researchers to predict \"what gets recycled\". However, the research argument is that this measure could be improved by considering the environmental and technological incentive to recycle materials. In this PhD, the material security and recycling technology readiness level were modelled into an integrated measure. The research realises that it is not only product complexity that hinders recycling and that the system and incentives for a circular economy need to be reconsidered. The second part of this research developed decision tools for composite recycling taking into account the waste supply chain, location and other significant factors. The critical success factors of the circular economy such as drivers, sustainers, barriers and waste ownership have also been determined. A questionnaire approach was used to investigate this aspect while the centre of gravity method and weighted sum method were utilised as a scientific approach to propose an alternative location for recycling centres. Hence, the associated reverse supply chain complexity was assessed. An appropriate technique was suggested to reduce the overall distribution network complexity. From the first analysis, an apparent recycling desirability boundary enabling products to be prioritised for recycling was developed. This model and analysis can be used as an information source in developing policies and product recycling priorities. The second part results indicated that the drivers and sustainers for composite recycling were primarily rooted in an obligation to comply with the rules and regulation of environmental protection that are enforced. The end-user was identified to be the best for managing the composite end-of-life waste. New mathematical models were developed that allow strategic placement of recycling centres near to waste resources by minimising the complexity of waste collection while enabling the shortest total driving distance with the lowest total greenhouse gas emission. Moreover, the capacity of the recycling centre is programmed in as constraint to be met. Collectively, the entire findings from this study have brought together considerations on products recycling desirability and complexity of composite reverse supply chain, into a comprehensive and updated assessment. The vision is that the knowledge integration between new models will guide the stakeholders towards the enhancement of the sustainable use of engineered products including composites. In the absence of such approach, the world cannot truly culminate in shaping a better circular economy practices.