Title: Collaboration impact on social well-being for business sustainability: a case study of a Malaysian water treatment SME company

Authors: H.M. Belal; Siti Norezam Othman; Mohamad Faizal Ahmad Zaidi; Kunio Shirahada

Addresses: School of Technology Management and Logistics, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok 06010, Kedah, Malaysia ' School of Technology Management and Logistics, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok 06010, Kedah, Malaysia ' School of Technology Management and Logistics, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok 06010, Kedah, Malaysia ' School of Knowledge Science, Japan Advance Instituted of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan

Abstract: This study demonstrated how collaboration advances the manufacturing-based industry to transform its business structure as a social service-oriented and well-being solution, thereby being able to sustain its business vis-à-vis market competition. Thus, this paper presents an approach for industry analysis from the corporate collaboration rationality perspective. The study was performed in the Malaysian water management service industry and examined the operations of a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) water treatment company as a case example. Data were gathered by conducting an explorative questionnaire survey with the SME water service provider in Kedah, Malaysia. Potential scenarios were identified for establishing viable future directions of SMEs, which include the needs of mutual corporate collaboration for service encapsulation, and ecosystem oriented approach for social welfare value creation. This research can help overcome the managerial challenges of a company, thus enable it to succeed in the commercial market by ensuring service-oriented social well-being solutions.

Keywords: service; well-being solution; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; corporate collaboration; water management; sustainability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2019.103571

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2019 Vol.34 No.3, pp.385 - 404

Received: 13 Feb 2017
Accepted: 29 Aug 2017
Published online: 12 Nov 2019 *

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