APPLICATION OF DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS FOR MEASURING SERVICE QUALITY FROM DISTRIBUTORS’ PERSPECTIVE IN SUPPLY CHAIN

Abstract: Vietnam’s textile and apparel sector has achieved fast and sustainable growth over the past years and played an important role in national socio-economic development. The export value of textile and garment products in recent years has ranked number two in the country’s total export revenue. In this scenario, an attempt was made to examine the service quality at the manufacturer – distributor interface of the textile supply chain and provide clear guidelines for benchmarking of service quality in multi-unit services. A sample of 144 distributors from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in major regions of South Vietnam was selected. Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to identify the critical factors of service quality. This research applies the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to the computation of a measure of overall service quality and benchmarking when measuring service quality with the Service Performance model. Dealing with the five dimensions of Service Performance (SERVPERF) as outputs, the proposed approach uses DEA as a tool for multiple criteria decision making (MCDM), in particular, the pure output DEA model without inputs. Data envelopment analysis measures the relative efficiency of decision-making units (DMUs) and identifies a set of corresponding efficient DMUs that can be used as benchmarks for the improvement of inefficient DMUs. The findings shed valuable insights on measures and critical underlying dimensions of service quality in the context of the supply chain in the textile industry, specifically from the distributor perspective. The results also give the best performer in textile SMEs and set the benchmarking guideline within each group among SEMsKeywords: service quality, data envelopment analysis, SERVPER

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

FACTORS INFLUENCING 12TH GRADE STUDENT’S DECISIONS TO CHOOSE THE UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS, HUE UNIVERSITY IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE

This study examines factors influencing decisions to choose the University of Economics, Hue University among 12th grade students in Thua Thien Hue Province. The quota sampling technique is applied to collect 200 students  enrolled in the University of Economics, Hue University.  Research results of multiple linear regression models show that university characteristics, employability potential offered by the major, reference groups, communication activities, and personal characteristics of students are five factors affecting 12th grade students' choice of the University of Economic, Hue University

CHUYỂN ĐỔI SỐ TẠI CÁC DOANH NGHIỆP TRÊN ĐỊA BÀN TỈNH QUẢNG TRỊ: THỰC TRẠNG VÀ GIẢI PHÁP

This paper is based on the theory of digital transformation in businesses, concepts, viewpoints of digital transformation in general, and the process of digital transformation in enterprises. The study synthesizes the survey results of 325 enterprises in Quang Tri Province to evaluate the overall state of businesses' digital transformation in the 4.0 era. The findings indicate that, in general, enterprises are changing their perceptions and implementing digital transformation of their operations. However, up to 89% of surveyed enterprises are unaware of digital transformation and associated support policies. Furthermore, only roughly 4% to 17% of the enterprises participating in the survey had completely integrated a variety of digital transformation initiatives both inside and outside the enterprise. Based on the paper’s findings, some orientations and solutions are proposed to promote the digital transformation for companies in Quang Tri Province.Bài viết dựa trên những lý luận về hoạt động chuyển đổi số trong doanh nghiệp nói chung, những khái niệm, quan điểm chuyển đổi số và quy trình chuyển đổi số trong các doanh nghiệp. Nghiên cứu tổng hợp kết quả khảo sát 325 các doanh nghiệp tại Tỉnh Quảng Trị nhằm đánh giá thực trạng về tình hình chuyển đổi số của các doanh nghiệp trong thời đại 4.0. Kết quả cho thấy, nhìn chung các doanh nghiệp Quảng Trị đang có những bước chuyển mình trong nhận thức, trong việc triển khai áp dụng chuyển đổi số các hoạt động của doanh nghiệp. Tuy nhiên, có đến 89% các doanh nghiệp khảo sát nhận thức chưa sâu sắc về chuyển đổi số và các chính sách hỗ trợ liên quan. Ngoài ra, chỉ có khoảng 4% đến 17%  số doanh nghiệp tham gia khảo sát đã thực hiện triển khai một cách đầy đủ một số hoạt động liên quan đến chuyển đổi số trong nội bộ doanh nghiệp cũng như chuyển đổi số bên ngoài doanh nghiệp. Cuối cùng, dựa trên thực trạng, tác giả có những định hướng, giải pháp nhằm phát triển hơn nữa việc chuyển đổi số cho các doanh nghiệp trên địa bàn Quảng Trị

Twelve-Month Outcomes of the AFFINITY Trial of Fluoxetine for Functional Recovery After Acute Stroke: AFFINITY Trial Steering Committee on Behalf of the AFFINITY Trial Collaboration

Background and Purpose: The AFFINITY trial (Assessment of Fluoxetine in Stroke Recovery) reported that oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and seizures. After trial medication was ceased at 6 months, survivors were followed to 12 months post-randomization. This preplanned secondary analysis aimed to determine any sustained or delayed effects of fluoxetine at 12 months post-randomization. Methods: AFFINITY was a randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults (n=1280) with a clinical diagnosis of stroke in the previous 2 to 15 days and persisting neurological deficit who were recruited at 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (4), and Vietnam (10) between 2013 and 2019. Participants were randomized to oral fluoxetine 20 mg once daily (n=642) or matching placebo (n=638) for 6 months and followed until 12 months after randomization. The primary outcome was function, measured by the modified Rankin Scale, at 6 months. Secondary outcomes for these analyses included measures of the modified Rankin Scale, mood, cognition, overall health status, fatigue, health-related quality of life, and safety at 12 months. Results: Adherence to trial medication was for a mean 167 (SD 48) days and similar between randomized groups. At 12 months, the distribution of modified Rankin Scale categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.76–1.14]; P =0.46). Compared with placebo, patients allocated fluoxetine had fewer recurrent ischemic strokes (14 [2.18%] versus 29 [4.55%]; P =0.02), and no longer had significantly more falls (27 [4.21%] versus 15 [2.35%]; P =0.08), bone fractures (23 [3.58%] versus 11 [1.72%]; P =0.05), or seizures (11 [1.71%] versus 8 [1.25%]; P =0.64) at 12 months. Conclusions: Fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke had no delayed or sustained effect on functional outcome, falls, bone fractures, or seizures at 12 months poststroke. The lower rate of recurrent ischemic stroke in the fluoxetine group is most likely a chance finding. REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au/ ; Unique identifier: ACTRN12611000774921