Supplier selection is one of the most crucial activities performed by the organizations because of the key role of supplier’s performance on cost, quality, delivery and service in achieving the objectives of a supply chain. Supplier selection is a multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem that is affected by several conflicting factors. Depending on the purchasing situations, criteria have varying importance and there is a need to weight criteria. Over the years a number of quantitative approaches have been applied to supplier selection problems. Although, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) has implemented previously in supplier selection problems. But, this paper deals with an integrated decision model for selection of supplier. As aids in making supplier selection, use of decision factor analysis and AHP and TOPSIS and their comparison is proposed. The supplier selection model includes a criterion set having 18 criteria in 7 groups. For this study, a questionnaire was developed and given to 50 managers and top level managers in purchasing area of companies, asking their opinions about the various suppliers and importance of various selection criteria. The survey information is analyzed based on the suppler selection criteria. The proposed approach has the capability to handle realistic situations in changing environmental factors and provides a better decision tool for the vendor selection decision at optimum cost in a supply chain. The results indicate that the proposed decision making technique has an ability to quantify the merits and justify supplier selection.

Telecommunications reform in the U.K. suggests that privatization has to been accompanied by a number of liberalizing measures and emphasized the stimulation of competitive forces. Further, ‘regulatory governance’ is necessary and significant innovative management for telecommunications industry as studies argue. It is an approach which has good potential for investigating the impact of public management reforms on regulatory design and practice. This stance reflects the beliefs that privatization provides governments a unique opportunity to refocus their action towards the restructuring of an ‘enabling environment’ that nurtures the physical and social infrastructures essential to economic growth and social well-being. In particular, the role of government is significant for regulatory governance of natural monopoly, the need for public supervision of the processes, dealing with the incompleteness of markets, and offering infrastructure and social services, amongst other things.

The efficient market hypothesis gives rise to forecasting tests that mirror those adopted testing the optimality of forecast in given information set. It seems obvious that profitable trading opportunities may exist, when the gasoline market is not efficient. In this paper, among the models such as GMDH and MLFF neural network, Technical analysis rule, Buy and hold rule, Treasury bill tested and Random walk rule, GMDH and MLFF neural network models with moving crossover inputs are determined to produce better results in the gasoline market. Results also indicate that high returns are possible by using GMDH neural network and at the end; we show that the gasoline market is not efficient in Fama sense.

This paper discusses the human resource conditions in Malaysia in the context of achieving Vision 2020. This conceptual paper explores the needs of Malaysian human resource for development programmes and the understanding of the current status of human resource for the allocation of human resource in the future. This paper begins with examining the importance of human resource in the country and its role in achieving Vision 2020. The second part of the paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of this vision in relation to human resource development (HRD) in Malaysia. The paper also highlights the challenges in developing human resource capital, and concludes with suggestions and recommendations to overcome these challenges.

The objective of study is to determine the relationship between Stock Market development and Economic growth using Pearson’s co-efficient correlation data of 1999-2008. The two important indicators for stock market development variables included in the study are real market capitalization growth (size proxy), and real value traded growth (activity proxy). Real GDP growth rate is used as a proxy for economic development. Empirical results show that significant positive correlation exist between market capitalization and GDP, which indicate that stock market has relationship with economic growth. On the other hand real value traded (activity proxy) has no relationship with economic growth.