31 research outputs found

    Inbound Marketing Plan for Small & Medium-Sized Businesses

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    The objective of this study was to develop an inbound marketing plan for the case company Baila Baila Oy. Baila Baila is one of the oldest Latin American dance schools in Finland. The 20 years old school has a good reputation and several loyal customers. Baila Baila actively spreads its brand through marketing strategy, and it hopes to inspire more people to dance. Despite the company’s effort, they cannot generate many new customers. Thus, the company looks for ways to improve its performance. The case company’s data was collected for the current state analysis based on qualitative research. Several in-depth interviews with related individuals and group discussions were conducted. The aim was to have a comprehensive observation of Baila Baila’s current marketing strategy. During the interviews, obstacles and barriers to the current marketing strategy were identified. The biggest challenges were the lack of competency, time, and budget. The current state analysis also defined the strengths and weaknesses of the case company identified and analysed its competitors. The results of the current state analysis helped develop a tactical approach to improve the company’s performance. The existing knowledge section focused on identifying best practice and suggestions for building the proposal, especially in relation to a better understanding of how technologies change consumer’s behavior and marketing strategies. The outcome of the thesis is the framework built on discoveries from the conceptual framework and current state analysis. The framework was constructed cautiously and included several methods and tactics to ensure the competency framework. It was evaluated by two marketing officers and the founder who can determine whether it is applicable or relevant to the case company in achieving its goals. These findings are also a wake-up call for those who are doing marketing in traditional ways. Also, strategies and tactics were chosen carefully, and good examples were evaluated thoroughly

    Conservation, Exploitation And Use Of The Ginger Family (Zingiberaceae) At The National Genebank In Vietnam

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    There are 741 accessions in the ginger family such as turmeric, ginger, galangal, and pinecone ginger collections conserved at Plant Resources Center, Vietnam. These collections were highly diverse in the number of accessions and species composition. The results of the Zingiberaceae exploitation shown the G10 ginger variety plants reached around 63.7 - 77.5 cm in height, 400 - 500 g/clumps in fresh weight, 25 - 27 tonnes/ha in fresh yield. The G10 ginger variety contained 4.37% oil, 1.2 mg/kg Zn and 9.31 mg/100g Vitamin C. This G10 ginger variety resistance to leaf spot and green aphids. In addition, the N8 turmeric variety plants reached 130 - 170 cm in height; 880 - 1000 g/clumps in fresh weight and 35 tonnes/ha in yield, curcumin content 6.2 - 6.6%, essential oil contents 2.5 - 2.7%. This turmeric resistance to heat stress, leaf spot, and green aphids. The conserved root and tuber crops at PRC are very diverse both of the amount of sample in collections and species. Conservation and evaluation on root and tuber crops reviewed the promising G10 ginger and N8 turmeric varieties had high yield, good oil content to release for production

    Effect of the Cultivation Technology on the Yield of Paddy Straw Mushroom (Volvariella volvacea)

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    The edible paddy straw mushroom Volvariella volvacea (Bull. ex F.) Singer has high nutritional and medicinal values. They are grown on a wide variety of agricultural byproducts using different several methods. The result of this present study showed that type of bed and cultivation condition (outdoor/indoor) had effects on the yield of paddy straw mushrooms grown on the spent oyster mushroom sawdust. The treatment of circular compact bed under indoor cultivation condition (CYIC) had the best yield and biological efficiency (B.E.) with 2,119.2 g/bed and 14.5%, respectively, followed by the treatment of conventional bed under outdoor cultivation condition (COOC) with the yield and B.E. of 1,935.5 g/bed and 13.2%, respectively, but the lowest yield and B.E. were observed in the treatment of conventional bed under indoor cultivation condition (COIC) with 1,226.1 g/bed and 8.4%, respectively. Paddy straw mushrooms cultivated on spent oyster mushroom sawdust should be proper in both outdoor and indoor conditions by conventional and circular compact methods as well. However, in indoor conditions, paddy straw mushrooms should be grown in a circular compact bed to ensure the temperature of the bed is suitable for the mushroom growth

    Dry Eyes Status on Des Scale and Related Factors in Outpatients at Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology

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    BACKGROUND: Dry eye (DE) can effect on quality of life by pain, inability to perform certain activities that require prolonged attention (driving, reading,…) and productivity at work and finally effect to Q0L associated with DE. OSDI is scale questionnaire is created team to measure the quality of life related to ocular surface disease. AIM: To describe the dry eye disease according to OSDI scale and related factors of this disease. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on outpatients (≥ 16-year-old) who were examined and diagnosed with dry eyes at Vietnam National Institute Of Ophthalmology from April to July 2018. Data was collected using the OSDI questionnaire. RESULTS: The average age of participants was 44.6 years; 80.9% of patients were female; 39.9% were identified having mild dry eye. The related factors have been identified that associated with severe dry eye, including age OR = 1.03 (95%CI: 1.01-1.05, p = 0.005), binocular good vision OR = 0.11 (95%CI: 0.05-0.23; p < 0.0001), medical history OR = 17.09 (95%CI: 2.24-130.25; p < 0.0001), chronic conjunctivitis OR = 0.36 (95%CI: 0.14-0.91; p = 0.027), refractive errors OR = 0.14 (95%CI: 0.04-0.48; p < 0.0001), Sjogren's syndrome OR = 31.13 (95%CI: 7.08-136.76; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Several related factors have been identified associated with severe dry eye, including: age, binocular good vision, medical history, chronic conjunctivitis, refractive errors, Sjogren's syndrome

    Can a Short Food Supply Chain Create Sustainable Benefits for Small Farmers in Developing Countries? An Exploratory Study of Vietnam

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    A number of studies have indicated that short food supply chains could create economic, social, and environmental benefits, but most of those chains were implemented in developed countries. This research aims to find out the characteristics of short food supply chains and their benefits to small farmers in Vietnam, which is a developing country, based on the survey results from 338 small farmers in the third quarter of 2020, with the support of Stata 14 software. The results showed that the short food supply chains in the survey sample in Vietnam were characterized by two main actors: small farmers and distributors. Farmers could sell products flexibly at the local market. There was some initial evidence to prove that these chains helped to stabilize the input, output price, and revenue; formulated sustainable income; and increased the satisfaction and confidence of farmers. They eliminated gender discrimination in rural areas and improved livelihood for ethnic minorities. These chains also enhanced the mindset on green, organic, and clean production of farmers, which in turn created environmental benefits. COVID-19 has posed a negative impact on the income of farmers and made them change their production and sales method. Therefore, the research could suggest some policies to sustainably develop the short food supply chains in Vietnam in the future

    Temporal fluctuation of multidrug resistant salmonella typhi haplotypes in the mekong river delta region of Vietnam.

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    BACKGROUND: typhoid fever remains a public health problem in Vietnam, with a significant burden in the Mekong River delta region. Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi), which is frequently multidrug resistant with reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolone-based drugs, the first choice for the treatment of typhoid fever. We used a GoldenGate (Illumina) assay to type 1,500 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and analyse the genetic variation of S. Typhi isolated from 267 typhoid fever patients in the Mekong delta region participating in a randomized trial conducted between 2004 and 2005. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: the population of S. Typhi circulating during the study was highly clonal, with 91% of isolates belonging to a single clonal complex of the S. Typhi H58 haplogroup. The patterns of disease were consistent with the presence of an endemic haplotype H58-C and a localised outbreak of S. Typhi haplotype H58-E2 in 2004. H58-E2-associated typhoid fever cases exhibited evidence of significant geo-spatial clustering along the Sông H u branch of the Mekong River. Multidrug resistance was common in the established clone H58-C but not in the outbreak clone H58-E2, however all H58 S. Typhi were nalidixic acid resistant and carried a Ser83Phe amino acid substitution in the gyrA gene. SIGNIFICANCE: the H58 haplogroup dominates S. Typhi populations in other endemic areas, but the population described here was more homogeneous than previously examined populations, and the dominant clonal complex (H58-C, -E1, -E2) observed in this study has not been detected outside Vietnam. IncHI1 plasmid-bearing S. Typhi H58-C was endemic during the study period whilst H58-E2, which rarely carried the plasmid, was only transient, suggesting a selective advantage for the plasmid. These data add insight into the outbreak dynamics and local molecular epidemiology of S. Typhi in southern Vietnam

    Sex differences in total cholesterol of Vietnamese adults

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    Background The mid-life emergence of higher levels of total cholesterol (TC) for women than for men has been observed in different Western and Asian populations. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is evidence of this in Vietnam and, if so, whether it can be explained by ageing, by body size and fatness, or by socio-demographic characteristics and behavioural factors.Methods Participants (n = 14706, 50.9% females) aged 25-64 years were selected by multi-stage stratified cluster sampling from eight provinces each representing one of the eight geographical regions of Vietnam. Measurements were made using the World Health Organization STEPS protocols. Linear regression was used to assess the independent contributions of potential explanatory factors to mean levels of TC. Data were analysed using complex survey methods.Results Men and women had similar mean levels of body mass index (BMI), and men had modestly higher mean levels of waist circumference (WC), in each 5-year age category. The mean TC of women increased more or less continuously across the age range but with a step-up at age 50 years to reach higher concentrations on average than those of their male counterparts. The estimated step-up was not eliminated by adjustment for anthropometric indices including BMI or WC, or by adjustment for socio-demographic characteristics or behavioural factors. The estimated step-up was least for women with the greatest weight.Conclusion There is a marked step-up in TC at age 50 years for Vietnamese women that cannot be explained by their age, or by their body fatness or its distribution, or by their socio-demographic characteristics or behavioural factors, and which results in greater mean levels of TC for middle-aged women than for their male counterparts in Vietnam.</p

    A Multi-Center Randomized Trial to Assess the Efficacy of Gatifloxacin versus Ciprofloxacin for the Treatment of Shigellosis in Vietnamese Children

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    The bacterial genus Shigella is the most common cause of dysentery (diarrhea containing blood and/or mucus) and the disease is common in developing countries with limitations in sanitation. Children are most at risk of infection and frequently require hospitalization and antimicrobial therapy. The WHO currently recommends the fluoroquinolone, ciprofloxacin, for the treatment of childhood Shigella infections. In recent years there has been a sharp increase in the number of organisms that exhibit resistance to nalidixic acid (an antimicrobial related to ciprofloxacin), corresponding with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. We hypothesized that infections with Shigella strains that demonstrate resistance to nalidixic acid may prevent effective treatment with ciprofloxacin. We performed a randomized controlled trial to compare 3 day ciprofloxacin therapy with 3 days of gatifloxacin, a newer generation fluoroquinolone with greater activity than ciprofloxacin. We measured treatment failure and time to the cessation of individual disease symptoms in 249 children with dysentery treated with gatifloxacin and 245 treated with ciprofloxacin. We could identify no significant differences in treatment failure between the two groups or in time to the cessation of individual symptoms. We conclude that, in Vietnam, ciprofloxacin and gatifloxacin are similarly effective for the treatment of acute dysentery

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

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    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
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