Abstract
Majpadu Bricks Sdn. Bhd. was a Malaysian company incorporated in 1996. Majpadu’s business was in manufacturing and supplying compressed clay bricks, known as dry pressed earth brick (DPEB), a type of bricks manufactured using high-density compression technology. Unlike other bricks that were widely available in the market (also known as ordinary baked bricks), Majpadu’s bricks were not ‘fired’ in kilns; as such, DPEB was claimed to be more eco-friendly, cooler in temperature and yet very durable. Majpadu’s expertise was within the engineering process as well as the technical knowledge of DPEB. Apart from its main business, it also offered consultancy services to the industry. Over the years, Majpadu saw the company face several internal and external circumstances that affected its bottom line. By early 2017, the situation had become more serious, forcing Mr Zaki Hayat, the Managing Director of Majpadu, to implement a strategy to tackle the problems faced by the company.
Keywords
Discussion Questions
What business was Majpadu Bricks Sdn. Bhd. (Majpadu) in?
What were the problems faced by Majpadu in early 2017? What was the primary problem?
How did the founders of Majpadu recognize the business opportunities in DPEB and exploit the opportunities?
What was the stage of Majpadu’s life cycle in early 2017?
Based on the answer in Question 4, if you were Mr Zaki, what would you do?
Prologue
On one Wednesday in early 2017, during the company’s special meeting, Mr Zaki, the Managing Director of Majpadu, and Mr Asmuni, the former MD, were deep in discussion. Mr Zaki’s face showed desperation as he realized the gravity of the decision that he was about to make. Although Mr Asmuni was no longer active in the company’s management since he stepped down from the MD’s post three years ago, the partners would still sometimes meet to discuss important matters pertaining to the company. On this particular occasion, Mr Zaki needed the wisdom from his partner, for whom he had much respect.
Mr Zaki and Mr Asmuni looked at each other.
The Imminent Decision
Majpadu Bricks Sdn Bhd (Majpadu), formerly Maj Bricks Sdn Bhd, was a Malaysian manufacturer of bricks known as Dry Pressed Earth Brick (DPEB), a type of bricks that was manufactured using the high-density compression technology. The company was founded in 1996 by the late Mr Hayat, the father of Mr Zaki and five of Mr Hayat’s friends. The setting up of the company was mainly financed via a commercial bank loan of RM2.5 million that the partners had secured. The money was utilized mostly to buy machinery to manufacture compressed bricks. After one year of establishment, the founding partners of the company exited the company, eventually leaving only Mr Hayat as the sole owner-manager to continue operating the business.
In 1998, Mr Asmuni was introduced to Mr Hayat by the former’s brother, who was also a friend to Mr Hayat. At that time, Mr Hayat was looking for a new business partner for Majpadu. Mr Asmuni, a former Felda planter who had some industrial experience in palm oil plantation, agreed to join the company as a shareholder. A year later, he assumed the position of Managing Director of Majpadu and continued to manage the company until around 2013, when he stepped down due to health reasons. After Mr Hayat’s passing in 2005, there were two shareholders of Majpadu, Mr Zaki, the eldest son of Mr Hayat, and Mr Asmuni. In 2017, Mr Zaki was the Managing Director of Majpadu, who owned 51% of the company’s shares, while Mr Asmuni held the remaining 49% as the Executive Chairman. The company then employed 14 people; 8 worked on-site at the manufacturing plant and 6 were the management and administrative staff in the office. The company’s head office and the manufacturing plant were located on a 3-acre land in Jalan Kebun, Shah Alam, about 50 km off the north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In early 2017, Majpadu’s management team faced a major problem. The leasing agreement of the land where the factory was located was due to expire by the end of the year. The extension of the lease agreement was not possible because the landowner had made a firm decision to sell the land to a property developer. Mr Zaki thought that relocating the factory would be difficult, given the company’s current situation. His latest meeting with Mr Asmuni confirmed what had been lingering in his mind; as the incumbent Managing Director, Mr Zaki realized that the time had come for him to decide the future of Majpadu.
Overview of Malaysian Construction and Building Material Industry
Bricks were important materials in making countless kinds of buildings and constructions, including houses, shops, offices, and other interior and exterior walls and structures. Brickwork or masonry was considered one of the oldest trades in the world and the most popular building material. More than 70% of all buildings in the world were constructed using bricks. As a construction material, bricks were preferred for their durability, comfort and convenience, and resistance to fire, wind and mould (Masonry Facts, 2016). Developers within the construction industry had a lot of choices, from expensive to low-cost building materials. Within the bricks category, there were numerous types of bricks available in the market, including ordinary baked clay bricks, unbaked clay bricks, sand bricks, stone bricks, cement bricks and briquettes, all of which came with different kinds of quality, patterns, colour and texture. The main alternatives to bricks included concrete blocks, glass blocks, fibre cement, synthetic stuccos and many other durable building materials (Masonry Facts, 2016).
Independent brick manufacturers and suppliers usually made sales directly to the contractors on credit basis, which meant manufacturers and suppliers would deliver bricks to contractors in advance. In contrast, the contractors would make the payment after a certain agreed time, typically after a few months. This arrangement was considered normal in the industry. More often than not, recovering the credit payment was a difficult task for a supplier. In fact, the Master Builders Association Malaysia highlighted that payment default was one of the constant issues faced by players within the construction industry (Olanrewaju & Abdul Aziz, 2015). Majpadu faced a similar situation. Mr Zaki thought:
Majpadu has a lot of problems with the collection of payments. Getting a market is hard, and when we get the market, there are these problems of late payment or non-payment. We face this issue all the time. For example, for public listed companies, we need to wait for payments for 3–4 months. Usually, smaller companies are better at payment. For big projects, sometimes we deal with subcontractors, not the main contractors. If the main contractors defaulted on the subcontractors, we would not get our payments. There are also cases of subcontractors failing to perform their job, so the main contractors terminated them.
Mr Zaki remembered an instance when Majpadu did supply the bricks to a subcontractor; the main contractor later terminated the subcontractor’s job. As a result, Majpadu failed to recover the payments. In another case, Majpadu supplied the bricks for a school project and later suffered a similar loss when the subcontractor’s contract was terminated.
The price of bricks also fluctuated according to the price of raw materials as well as the demand from the developers and builders. The raw materials for bricks typically included earth or soil, sand and cement; the composition would vary based on the types and quality of the bricks. Based on his experience, Mr Zaki noticed that the choice of bricks or other building material to be used in a building project was mainly decided by architects. The top pick was sand brick, which was the bestselling type of brick in the market. He observed that many projects, including the big ones, had preferred the cheaper sand bricks over other types of bricks because of the price factor.
Similar to bricklaying, brickmaking or brick manufacturing was labour-intensive, which required workers to work outdoor at manufacturing plants and needed to deal with the carrying and lifting of soil and sand. Majpadu, like many other manufacturers of bricks, hired foreign workers at the production site. In the context of Malaysia, the hiring of foreign workers was usually perceived to be more cost-effective compared to the hiring of local workers. To hire foreign workers, manufacturers needed to apply for the relevant working permit and visas from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which required, among others, the manufacturer company to have a revenue of at least RM2 million. Industry reports, however, revealed many problems related to the administration of work permits for foreign workers. Some problems included long due process with the relevant agencies, fights among foreign workers, work disruptions caused by the workers, or workers’ absconding and breaching the employment contracts (Ajis et al., 2014). In addition, the shortage of skilled workers was also prevalent in this industry, which had an adverse impact on the quality of work in general (Mahalingam, 2015). These problems caused operational disruptions to manufacturers, which translated into high cost and high uncertainty of operations.
The soil was the primary raw material for making bricks and was available in large quantities in most regions in Malaysia and easily accessible. Production of unbaked or compressed bricks did not require highly sophisticated machinery or technologies, although the cost to procure or maintain the relevant heavy machines, particularly the pressing machines, could be high. Mr Zaki noted that while most companies bought their brickmaking machines and spare parts from China, many suppliers of the machinery were located in other countries such as Iran and Turkey.
There were very few manufacturers of unbaked bricks in the Malaysian market that used the high-density compression method similar to Majpadu’s DPEB. Mr Zaki lamented that Majpadu was one of the only two surviving local manufacturers of compressed clay bricks (CCBs) that were certified by the relevant bodies such as SIRIM, Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (Bomba) and others. The two manufacturers of CCBs, including Majpadu, were also in direct competition with ordinary baked brick manufacturers as well as many other alternative types of building materials. In the context of Malaysia, the use of industrialized building system material in constructions, an alternative to traditional brickwork and building materials, was heavily promoted by the government to reduce the industry’s dependency on skilled labourers. This was because building through brickwork and masonry was highly dependent on labourers as each brick needed to be manually laid by skilled workers (Olanrewaju & Abdul Aziz, 2015).
Majpadu Company Development
When Majpadu began its business operation in 1996, a number of unbaked or compressed brick manufacturers were available in the country. As the technology was then deemed state-of-the-art, there were many players who had entered the industry as manufacturers. Mr Zaki recalled his visit to one of these companies during his early days in the business and observed that its market was growing and Majpadu was operating as many as 12 machines in its plant. However, by the end of the economic crisis of the late 1990s, many of these manufacturers exited the market, leaving only a number of survivors. By early 2017, only two manufacturers of unbaked bricks were operating in Malaysia; Majpadu and the other company were located in Kajang, Selangor.
The idea for starting the brick manufacturing business came from one of the earlier partners of Majpadu. Among these partners were business professionals and prominent members of the society including bank managers and a politician. Mr Hayat, Mr Zaki’s father, was one of the founders. Mr Zaki remembered when his father told him how he had helped his friends find a factory in a suitable location. The partners finally settled on the land that belonged to Mr Hayat’s brother, and the land was leased to Majpadu. Being a regular village folk with little experience in business, Mr Hayat had to depend on his friends in planning and running the business.
Within one year after its establishment, due to certain internal issues, the original founders began to part ways, eventually leaving Mr Hayat as the sole owner of the company. Mr Hayat then began to look for new partners in order to continue with the business. A friend of Mr Hayat, Mr Ashari introduced the former to his brother, Mr Asmuni; in 1998, the latter agreed to buy the company’s shares and became a partner. Mr Hayat had then already decided to change the company’s name to Majpadu, which took effect in 1997. It was meant to differentiate the new management of Majpadu from that of the previous one. One year after joining the company, Mr Asmuni was appointed as the Managing Director of Majpadu due to his past business experience. (See Exhibit 1 for the important milestones in the development of Majpadu’s business.)
When Mr Hayat passed away in 2005, Mr Zaki, his eldest son, succeeded him as the director-shareholder and later assumed the position of Managing Director after Mr Asmuni stepped down from the position in 2013. Mr Zaki had been with the company since it began the operation, principally assisting his father in running the business. Besides Mr Zaki, two of his younger siblings, Zanariah and Zakaria, were also employees. Later, in 2015, Zubir, the youngest of the siblings, joined the company as Zakaria left in the same year in order to pursue his own business venture. One of Mr Asmuni’s children, Hafizah, had also joined the company as one of its employees.
Majpadu’s Dry Pressed Earth Brick Technology
Majpadu’s DPEB was the sole product manufactured by Majpadu’s brick facility. Mr Zaki could not stress enough that Majpadu’s DPEB was not just another brick in the wall. The alternative terms for DPEB include compressed earth brick (CEB), CCB, compressed stabilized earth brick, unbaked/unfired clay brick, or earth masonry. In general, CEB was a type of brick manufactured using the high-density compression method and natural air curing. In comparison, conventional bricks, known as ordinary baked bricks, were typically ‘fired’, a process whereby the bricks would be baked in firing kilns at the temperature of approximately 1,000 degrees Celsius for a number of days. Mr Zaki believed in the quality of DPEB since compressed or unbaked bricks used the similar technology of brickmaking that had formed the Great Wall of China during its early construction days. He knew that at least 80 million cubic metres of the total 140 million cubic meters of the wall that was still in existence today was made of packed and tamped earth. However, this method of brickmaking was gradually replaced by the baking method and eventually became a more popular method.
Manufacturing Process and Characteristics of DPEB
The primary raw material of Majpadu’s DPEB was red soil and ordinary Portland cement. The process of manufacturing DPEB followed a number of steps. First, the soil would be loaded by an industrial excavator or earthmover onto a crusher machine that would later segregate the soil from stones, pebbles, debris and other foreign elements. The ‘clean’ soil was then transferred via a conveyor belt into a conventional mixer, where an amount of cement was added. The raw material for DPEB, soil and cement was weighed and mixed thoroughly using a certain formula. Next, the mixture was compressed onto moulds using a mechanical compression/pressing machine under the high pressure of 10 tons/inch2. The moulded bricks were then arranged on a wood pallet and wrapped with plastic before they were sent for the final process of air curing. At this stage, the compressed bricks, which were still soft, were stored in an open stockyard for up to 21 days. In principle, a compressed brick would gain more strength with time and age; therefore, the natural air curing process would allow the bricks to achieve its maximum compressive strength and hardened. Exhibit 2 shows the step-by-step process of manufacturing DPEB at Majpadu.
As Majpadu’s DPEB were produced on a semi-auto production line, the process was less complex, thus making the bricks’ production easier and more efficient. In addition, as the bricks did not undergo the firing process, the cost to produce DPEB was also lower than ordinary baked brick, enabling DPEBs to be priced competitively. However, the pricing of DPEB was also depended on several other factors such as the demand and the cost of the raw material. For instance, the cost of production would be higher if the price of cement went up. In addition, the sources of soil for manufacturing bricks, which were depleting and from time to time, would also contribute towards the higher cost of production. Usually, Majpadu’s DPEB was priced between RM0.25 and RM0.30 per unit. In his mind, Mr Zaki made a quick evaluation:
Sometimes our bricks are more expensive than regular bricks; sometimes, it’s the other way around. Because the price depends on the market rate, for instance, if there are oversupplies of baked bricks, their price will go down. Nevertheless, in a stable environment, baked bricks are generally more expensive. Currently, baked bricks are slightly cheaper because of the low demand for unbaked bricks.
The quality of DPEBs was determined by a number of factors, including the precise composition of the material as well as the accurate techniques used in manufacturing. All of these processes required expert technical knowledge regarding DPEB throughout the entire manufacturing process. Majpadu had acquired such needed skills and expertise through the years of its operation. This was evidenced by the awards and certifications obtained by Majpadu because of their DPEB’s high quality and recognition in the industry. Among others, DPEB was certified by the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (Bomba) since 1999 and had complied with SIRIM’s MS (Malaysian Standard) 76: 1972 and BS (British Standard) 476: Part 22: 1987. Majpadu also secured the Platinum Award under ISO 9001:2008 for the quality manufacturing process as well as SIRIM’s Green Mark and Malaysian Green Technology Malaysia’s MyHIJAU Mark for its DPEB for being an eco-friendly product. Exhibit 1 further shows the details of the awards and recognitions of Majpadu’s DPEB.
Due to the quality and composition of its material, Majpadu’s DPEB was directly comparable to the ordinary baked clay bricks, particularly that of Grade A. In general, DPEB had a number of advantages over its substitute. First, DPEB was produced with low carbon emission as its production did not use any fire. Based on a test conducted by researchers from Universiti Malaya in 2010, the manufacturing of DPEB only used less than 1% energy input to process and handle soil (Corporate Profile, 2016). The compression process also made the bricks less porous with low thermal conductivity and high thermal capacity, thus making it able to withstand extreme outdoor temperatures while maintaining internal temperature. Test results conducted on compressed bricks also showed that the interior temperature of unbaked bricks was significantly lower than that of concrete blocks by at least 3 degrees. In other words, buildings built by compressed unbaked bricks were cooler in temperature than the ones built by regular concrete blocks (Corporate Profile, 2016).
In addition, as DPEB was unbaked, the brick retained its uniform size and shape instead of an ordinary baked brick that would usually shrink due to the latter’s firing or baking process. The uniform size and even surface of the DPEB were also advantageous to the end-users as it would reduce the time needed to lay the brick and thus translated into faster work progress. The standard dimensions of Majpadu’s DPEB were 215 mm × 102 mm × 65 mm with an average weight of 2.7 kg per unit. Exhibit 3 charts the technical specifications of Majpadu’s DPEB as compared to ordinary baked bricks.
Business Operation and Expertise
Since the beginning of the company’s operation from 1996 up until the mid-2000s, at one given time, the company had utilized four pressing machines for its production floor and had employed at least 16 on-site factory workers. With four pressing machines and other machinery in full operation, the facility’s output capacity at that time was 1.2 million units of bricks per machine, with the average sales of RM200,000 to RM300,000 per month. Over time, the machinery had reached its full capacity and gradually stopped working. In early 2017, the machines used on the production floor were reduced to two; the facility then had the capacity to produce 36 bricks per minute (calculated at approximately 600,000 units per month). The average monthly sales of Majpadu in 2016 was approximately RM100,000.
In 2017, the management team of Majpadu comprised Mr Zaki as its Managing Director and his partner Mr Asmuni as the Executive Chairman; both of them also acted as the directors of Majpadu. Zanariah assisted Mr Zaki and Mr Asmuni as the Accounting Executive, Hafizah as the Business Development Executive, Zubir as the Head Engineer and Siti as the Administrative Assistant. In addition to the office staff, Majpadu employed eight workers to work at the manufacturing site (see Exhibit 4 for Majpadu’s management and staff in 2017).
Managerial decisions for Majpadu were usually made upon consensus of the two partners, through reviewing and analysing every possibility and the team members’ opinions during weekly meetings. Up until 2013, Mr Zaki and Mr Asmuni performed the marketing function together. Later, when Mr Asmuni faced health problems, the selling of Majpadu’s DPEB was carried out by Mr Zaki. The marketing of Majpadu’s DPEB was done largely through personal interactions with contractors around the areas of the manufacturing plants in Shah Alam and beyond the Klang Valley, such as Johor and Terengganu. There was a time when the company had engaged a marketing agent to handle the sales and marketing of the bricks, letting Majpadu focus solely on the production. However, the arrangement did not go well as there were issues of stock over the piling. Eventually, the marketing agent was let go by Majpadu.
Marketing of DPEB
Mr Zaki found that DPEB bricks were quite hard to sell through hardware stores, as many customers were not familiar with DPEB compared to conventional bricks. As such, the sales through walk-in customers were generally very low. In general, Majpadu’s main customers were categorized into four segments. First, the building contractors and the housing developers; second, their consultants, architects or designers worked closely with the contractors or construction companies. Third, the small or private home builders as well as, to a lesser extent, the general traders and the distributors as the fourth segment. In 2004, Majpadu was registered as a vendor for PKNS, a state development agency for the state of Selangor. Later in 2007, it was appointed as a vendor for the Urban Development Authority of Malaysia (UDA Holding Berhad). This federal government agency was responsible for administering the industry and housing development in Kuala Lumpur and a vendor for the Public Works Department (JKR). Majpadu had supplied for a number of big construction projects in the past. Among the high-profile projects that utilized Majpadu’s DPEB included PKNS Complex and Anggerik Mall in Shah Alam, IIUM’s residential colleges in Gombak, Hospital Ampuan Rahimah in Kelang, as well as Aminudin Baki Institute in Genting Highlands. In assessing the market situation of Majpadu, Mr Zaki thought:
We are competing with a lot of people. If there are no projects nearby, we sent our bricks as far as Johor and Pahang. We didn’t sell through hardware stores because we have to explain about the bricks to the customers. I have to find loyal customers. There are also individual buyers, for example, those who want to build their own bungalow, but not many who buy direct. We are a vendor to PKNS, UDA and JKR, which have developed many projects. Though being a vendor, we still have to compete with other vendors, which means the market is not secured.
Venturing into New Product
In 2010, the shareholders of Majpadu established a company called Majpadu Energy Sdn. Bhd. (Majpadu Energy) to focus on the research and development of new products related to Majpadu’s expertise, particularly those related to green technologies. One of the first projects of Majpadu Energy was the production of biomass pallets made from rice husks or rice straws. However, the development and production of the product were halted due to lack of capital. Around the same time, Majpadu and Majpadu Energy began to pursue the research and development of a new type of environmental-friendly brick made of coal’s bottom ash, a by-product from coal-burning activity from coal-fired power plants. Coal’s bottom ash was considered an industrial waste that required enormous cost for safe disposal. Successful commercialization of the technology would be equal to saving the environment and, at the same time, providing lucrative business opportunities. The R&D of the coal ash brick was concluded in the year 2010, with Majpadu securing the intellectual property of the product in regards to its utility innovation.
The new coal ash bricks also passed the necessary regulatory requirements, allowing the bricks to be commercially used in exposed environments. Majpadu Energy then commercialized the technology in collaboration with Jimah Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd (JEV), an experienced independent power producer that operated a coal-fired power plant in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. Under the partnership, Majpadu provided the technological expertise as well as the industrial know-how, while JEV provided the capital. The project was successfully launched under a new joint-venture company called Redscape Sdn Bhd, in which both Majpadu Energy and JEV owned shares. However, Majpadu eventually decided to sell its ownership in Redscape Sdn Bhd in 2015 while maintaining the IP rights for the technology due to capital problems. Through this project, Mr Zaki and his team gained valuable experience in commercializing a new technological innovation. He also learnt that setting up a brick manufacturing plant from scratch was not an easy feat. Mr Zaki recalled the experience:
We set up that company to manufacture bricks made of coal ash, the waste from coal-burning. There were two types of waste, fly ash and bottom ash. Fly ash could be added to cement for use. On the other hand, the bottom ash was unwanted, so it would just become a stockpile. Mr Asmuni brought this technology from China, we innovated, and we made bricks from the bottom ash. We managed to get it approved for use by the authority, but for now, it is restricted only to outdoor use. So together with Jimah Energy, we set up a company and build a manufacturing facility. Building a factory needed a lot of capital, and getting the necessary approvals was also difficult. It is not like the old days when we could just simply operate a factory; it was that easy. We need to convert the land status, conduct Environment Impact Assessment and all [pause]. There were many procedures. In all, it took two years for us to set up the coal ash brick factory from submitting the application to the beginning of the operations. We didn’t get to operate for two years, so no income; we had to sell our stakes in the company.
Facing the Future
By early 2017 and in its 20th year of operation, Majpadu’s business focus was on producing its DPEB bricks for major contractors, subcontractors and individuals. Throughout the years, Majpadu had accumulated industrial experience and expertise in the manufacturing of DPEB, enabling the company to fulfil the demands of its customers. Majpadu also maintained relationships with the clients and the related bodies within the industry that were built up through its past projects. The accumulated expertise and reputation also permitted Mr Zaki and Mr Asmuni to offer consultancy services to those who were in need of industry advice. For example, in 2015, a brick manufacturer company from Terengganu consulted Majpadu regarding the feasibility of converting its existing brick production plant to DPEB manufacturing, which was the expertise of Majpadu.
Over the years, from time to time, Majpadu needed some capital injection in order to maintain or repair its run-down machinery or acquire new machines. By early 2017, the company’s dilapidating factory building needed serious repair and maintenance. In addition, the company was still paying the commercial loan debt taken by the partners in the first year of its operations. All these issues had affected Majpadu. In fact, the previous loan commitment had prevented Majpadu from getting new bank loans to finance its operation. As a result, Mr Zaki had to work very hard to make the sales. He admitted that having a marketing agent, as Majpadu once had, enabled him to focus solely on production; hence, the management of the business was easier to handle. Mr Zaki lamented:
I know that I have to improve on marketing. I realized this a long time ago. I have tried to find marketing people that can focus only on selling our products, but it does not work. In the end, Mr Asmuni and I had to do the marketing ourselves and find customers. We did that for some time until Mr Asmuni got sick and had to take an extended medical leave. Actually, we don’t have to exert so much on marketing. Majpadu is already a registered vendor, which open doors to the main contractors. In terms of product, we have obtained all the necessary certifications that meet all the requirements for safety and quality. We should focus on production. Unfortunately, I still have to do the marketing. Particularly, when I have to deal with the marketing agents, who are the middlemen of big contractors, they take a certain percentage, without doing anything.
Mr Zaki went on:
If all of our payments are to be collected, God willing, we will be fine. We can pay our debts, pay our employees, that’s what is important in business. We can achieve breakeven with sales of 200k–300k monthly, but we do not do that well most of the time. Furthermore, not all of the payments that are due are received on time. Especially now, the situation is worse.
Mr Zaki concluded on the challenges that Majpadu was facing ‘Getting the market is difficult. When there is a market, getting payment is difficult. If we do not give credit advances, the customers do not want to buy. When we deliver on credit, they run away’. By early 2017, the company was forced to make an urgent decision, as the lease on the land where the company had its production plant would expire in late 2017. Relocating the business would mean tremendous financial implications and administrative constraints to Majpadu, and Mr Zaki was unsure if Majpadu would survive the process and continue with its operation. He pondered on the strategies that would be most appropriate for the company, given its current situation. As the clock was ticking, Mr Zaki had to make a decision soon and make the necessary arrangements for the company’s imminent future.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
The authors sincerely thank Zaki Hayat, Haji Asmuni Mohd Salleh and Hafizah Asmuni of Majpadu Bricks Sdn Bhd for their cooperation and assistance in completing this case study.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was financially supported by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education’s Case Writing Grant Scheme; project code USIM/CWGS/FEM/055011/50516.
Appendix
Majpadu’s Management and Staff, Early 2017.
