FBF students and academics shine at the ASIP 2023 Conference

A group of Faculty of Business and Finance (FBF) Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in Logistics and Supply Chain Management students and FBF academics shone in the spotlight at the Asian Society for Innovation and Policy (ASIP) Conference 2023, organised from 21 to 23 September 2023, at Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), Kuala Lumpur.

The ASIP Conference is an annual event jointly organised by ASIP and APU. It reflects the strategic vision of both ASIP and APU, which allows for not only conference discourse, but also impactful output across Asia. Themed ‘Entrepreneurship and Digital Society’, the ASIP 2023 Conference aimed to enhance the visibility of research related to entrepreneurship; provide opportunities for academic staff and practitioners at various universities and organisations to enhance their respective networks and research ties between stakeholders; and provide platforms for research output through ASIP’s in-house journal and Emerald journals.

Darren (left) receiving the Gold Award for Best Paper

Darren (second from left) receiving the Emerald-ASIP 2023 Most Provocative Research Award

“The Effect of Hierarchical Digital Enabling Technologies and Employees’ Engagement towards Sustainable Logistics Practices” research, co-authored by Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in Logistics and Supply Chain Management student Darren Peter and FBF academic-cum-supervisor Dr Peter Yacob, was awarded the Gold Award for Best Paper and Emerald-ASIP 2023 Most Provocative Research Award. Darren was also awarded the Best Student Paper for his excellent research in the field of logistics.

Darren and Dr Peter were thrilled to learn of their achievements at the conference, saying, “Out of 112 papers submitted by academicians from 26 economies, such as Malaysia, Philippines, Korea, China, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Peru, and United States, our paper was handpicked by the editorial panel. We were excited and honoured to be chosen for the awards. Receiving these awards not only motivate us further to publish more papers that are related to the latest trend in the logistics industry, but also show that UTAR researches are constantly kept abreast with the latest topics and developments.”

Darren and Dr Peter’s research focused on examining the relationship between hierarchical digital enabling technologies (HDET), employee engagement, and sustainable logistic practices within the sector of Malaysian logistics. By utilising the Technology Acceptance Model and the Diffusion of Innovation theory, they discovered that employee engagement entirely mediates the relationship between HDET and sustainable logistic practices. The research is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

“The importance of HDET has prompted Malaysian logistic companies to capitalise on and secure the benefits of digitalisation to handle increased freight volumes, speed up supply chain delivery, and reduce delivery costs. Due to the high cost of advanced technology, the difficulty of launching complex information and communication technology (ICT) systems, and a lack of skilled ICT professionals, Malaysian logistic companies find it challenging to implement digitalisation. Besides that, most companies view digitalisation as risky and expensive, especially if they do not comprehend HDET,” explained Darren when asked about the reason behind the research.

Darren (left) receiving the Gold Award for Best Paper on behalf of his team

At the same time, “The Intention to Adopt Parcel Lockers as a Last-Mile Delivery Service: A Bibliometric Analysis” research, co-authored by Darren Peter and his teammates of the same programme, namely Penny Yong Pei Nee, Quah Yan Yee, and Woo Yin Lin, with FBF academic-cum-supervisor Dr Yee Chew Fong, was awarded the Gold Award for Best Paper.

On behalf of his team, Darren Peter enthused, “It was challenging, nonetheless, all the hard work paid off in the end. This recognition truly humbles me. I would like to thank UTAR, Dr Yee, lecturers, and my teammates for providing me with much help and support in my logistics and supply chain management studies.”

He added, “I believe it was the passion and dedication we poured into the research topic, which made our research stand out. It is immensely fulfilling to see our hard work pay off. Not only that, I am excited what doors this achievement might open for us in the future. At the same time, I also feel fortunate that our research was chosen among many talented participants. The award serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance and continuous learning. I can’t wait to build on this experience as I continue to pursue my research endeavours.”

In line with SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, their research focused on analysing the effectiveness of parcel lockers by conducting a bibliometric analysis of parcel lockers as a solution for last-mile delivery. The students explored scholarly works published over the past decade using various analytical techniques, including performance analysis, co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and scientific mapping with VOSviewer. Not only will the research aid scholars and professionals from the logistic field in their future investigations, the research also discovered that parcel lockers could enhance the convenience of receiving and sending parcels, as well as reduce the number of delivery vehicles on the road.

“We aim to address real-world challenges and provide valuable insights for logistic businesses and policymakers. The decision to research the intention of adopting parcel lockers in Malaysia was influenced by economic, technological, environmental, consumer-related factors, as well as the potential for innovation and government policies,” said Darren about the inspiration behind the research.