A study of consumer behavior and willingness to pay towards cosmetic products of generation Z in Hochiminh city

The global cosmetics industry is experiencing robust growth and Generation Z (Gen Z) is a potential customer source of this market. This research examines customers’ intentions to purchase cosmetic goods of Gen Z in Hochiminh city using perceived value factors as the antecedents of attitude in the model. A cross-sectional study, applying a convenient sampling method, was conducted to collect data from Gen Z people in January 2023. There were no specific cosmetics products included in the study. Descriptive analysis and Partial Least Square (PLS) method of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0.8.7 software were used to analyze the research data. The PLS-SEM analysis of 723 responses showed that attitudes toward purchasing cosmetic products are significantly positively impacted by perceived environmental value. A more positive attitude would result from increased brand credibility and product understanding of cosmetics. There was no evidence to support the impact of other perceived values (specifically, health, safety, social, spiritual, and ethical) on attitudes toward consumer behavior. Attitude was important in predicting willingness to pay (both direct and indirect). This study helps industry professionals to advance the qualities of cosmetic products by increasing and improving environmental value, product knowledge, and brand credibility. The eco-friendly pattern of production and marketing strategies focusing on product ingredients, manufacturing processes, and quality standards are necessary to enhance brand credibility and product understanding, align with consumer preferences and achieve greater success in the market

The evaluation model of the impact of corporate social responsibility on firm performance: A empirical study in the maritime transportation of Vietnam

AbstractThis paper aims to investigate empirically the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on firm performance (FP) with the maritime transportation industry of Vietnam as a case study. To evaluate the research model, this study surveyed 145 shipping companies (SCs) across Vietnam, and adopted a structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the proposed hypotheses. It is found: (1) CSR measures significantly directly affect FP and indirectly influence through customer loyalty (CL), (2) CSR initiatives improve customer satisfaction (SAT), and CL. Based on empirical results, this research suggests some management recommendations for SCs to improve their CSR initiatives and, in turn, boost their performance

COUPLING OF MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR AND OZONATION FOR REMOVAL OF ANTIBIOTICS FROM HOSPITAL WASTEWATER

Antibiotic residues in the environment and their potential toxic effects have been considered as one of the emerging research area in the environmental field. Their continuous introduction in our environment may increase their negative impacts on human health.  In this study, the eliminations of antibiotic such as Norfloxacin (NOR), Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Ofloxacin (OFL) and Sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) in wastewater of hospital were processed by membrane bioreactor (MBR) coupled with ozonation process. In particular, the MBR was applied for the antibiotic removals followed by ozonation process as a post-treatment stage to create an adequate integration to enhance removal efficiency. Achieved results after MBR treatment showed that the removal efficiency of NOR, CIP, OFL and SMZ were 90 ± 4.0% , 83 ± 13% , 81 ± 13 % and  39 ± 6%, respectivley. In addition, those antibiotic matters were continously removed by ozonation process with the removal efficiency of 87±9.0% , 83±1.0% , 81±2.3% and 66±2.3% for NOR, CIP, OFL and SMZ, respectively. In summary, antibiotics could be basically limited by the combination of MBR and ozonation before discharging in aquatic environment

Nitrogen removal in subsurface constructed wetland: Assessment of the influence and prediction by data mining and machine learning

Subsurface constructed wetland (SCW) appears to be an economical and environmental-friendly practice to treat nitrogen-enriched (waste) water. Nevertheless, the removal mechanisms in SCW are complicated and rather time-consuming to conduct and as-sessment the efficiency of new experiments. This work mined data from literature and developed the machine learning models to elucidate the effect of influent inputs and predict ammonium removal rate (ARR) in SCW treatment. 755 sets and 11 attributes were applied in four modeled algorithms, including Random forest, Cubist, Support vector machines, and K-nearest neighbors. Six out of ten input features including ammonium (NH4), total nitrogen (TN), hydraulic loading rate (HLR), the filter height (i.e., Height), aeration mode (i.e., Aeration), and types of inlet feeding (i.e., Feeding) have posed pronounced influences on the ARR. The Cubist algorithm appears the most optimal model showing the lowest RMSE i.e., 0.974 and the highest R-2 i.e., 0.957. The contribution of variables followed the order of NH4, HLR, TN, Aeration, Height and Feeding corresponding to 97, 93, 71, 49, 34, and 34%, respectively. The generalization ability to forecast ARR using testing data achieved the R-2 of 0.970 and the RMSE of 1.140 g/m(2) d, indicating that Cubist is a reliable tool for ARR prediction. User interface and web tool of final predictive model are provided to facilitate the application for designing and developing SCW system in real practice. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

A study of consumer behavior and willingness to pay towards cosmetic products of generation Z in Hochiminh city

The global cosmetics industry is experiencing robust growth and Generation Z (Gen Z) is a potential customer source of this market. This research examines customers’ intentions to purchase cosmetic goods of Gen Z in Hochiminh city using perceived value factors as the antecedents of attitude in the model. A cross-sectional study, applying a convenient sampling method, was conducted to collect data from Gen Z people in January 2023. There were no specific cosmetics products included in the study. Descriptive analysis and Partial Least Square (PLS) method of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0.8.7 software were used to analyze the research data. The PLS-SEM analysis of 723 responses showed that attitudes toward purchasing cosmetic products are significantly positively impacted by perceived environmental value. A more positive attitude would result from increased brand credibility and product understanding of cosmetics. There was no evidence to support the impact of other perceived values (specifically, health, safety, social, spiritual, and ethical) on attitudes toward consumer behavior. Attitude was important in predicting willingness to pay (both direct and indirect). This study helps industry professionals to advance the qualities of cosmetic products by increasing and improving environmental value, product knowledge, and brand credibility. The eco-friendly pattern of production and marketing strategies focusing on product ingredients, manufacturing processes, and quality standards are necessary to enhance brand credibility and product understanding, align with consumer preferences and achieve greater success in the market

Co-culture of microalgae-activated sludge for wastewater treatment and biomass production: Exploring their role under different inoculation ratios

In this study, mixed culture (microalgae:activated sludge) of a photobioreactor (PBR) were investigated at different inoculation ratios (1:0, 9:1, 3:1, 1:1, 0:1 wt/wt). This work was not only to determine the optimal ratio for pollutant remediation and biomass production but also to explore the role of microorganisms in the co-culture system. The results showed high total biomass concentrations were obtained from 1:0 and 3:1 ratio being values of 1.06, 1.12 g L-1, respectively. Microalgae played a dominant role in nitrogen removal via biological assimilation while activated sludge was responsible for improving COD removal. Compared with the single culture of microalgae, the symbiosis between microalgae and bacteria occurred at 3:1 and 1:1 ratio facilitated a higher COD removal by 37.5-45.7 %. In general, combined assessment based on treatment performance and biomass productivity facilitated to select an optimal ratio of 3:1 for the operation of the co-culture PBR

Acetaminophen micropollutant: Historical and current occurrences, toxicity, removal strategies and transformation pathways in different environments

Acetaminophen (ACT) is commonly used as a counter painkiller and nowadays, it is increasingly present in the natural water environment. Although its concentrations are usually at the ppt to ppm levels, ACT can transform into various intermediates depending on the environmental conditions. Due to the complexity of the ACT degradation products and the intermediates, it poses a major challenge for monitoring, detection and to propose adequate treatment technologies. The main objectives of this review study were to assess (i) the occurrences and toxicities, (2) the removal technologies and (3) the transformation pathways and intermediates of ACT in four environmental compartments namely wastewater, surface water, ground water, and soil/sediments. Based on the review, it was observed that the ACT concentrations in wastewater can reach up to several hundreds of ppb. Amongst the different countries, China and the USA showed the highest ACT concentration in wastewater (≤300 μg/L), with a very high detection frequency (81–100%). Concerning surface water, the ACT concentrations were found to be at the ppt level. Some regions in France, Spain, Germany, Korea, USA, and UK comply with the recommended ACT concentration for drinking water (71 ng/L). Notably, ACT can transform and degrade into various metabolites such as aromatic derivatives or organic acids. Some of them (e.g., hydroquinone and benzoquinone) are toxic to human and other life forms. Thus, in water and wastewater treatment plants, tertiary treatment systems such as advanced oxidation, membrane separation, and hybrid processes should be used to remove the toxic metabolites of ACT

HIỆN TRẠNG VÀ MÔ HÌNH PHÁT TRIỂN DU LỊCH DỰA VÀO CỘNG ĐỒNG TẠI THỪA THIÊN HUẾ

Community-based tourism (CBT) is expected to bring dual benefits to the local community and environmental protection. However, the CBT is still limited and unevenly developed in Vietnam. The purpose of this paper is (1) to explore the current situation and potential of CBT in Thua Thien Hue province; (2) to analyze the stakeholders related to CBT activities; (3) to find out the obstacles of CBT in practice. The data were collected through secondary documents and literature review. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in Hong Ha and Quang Loi communes. The results show that Thua Thien Hue province possesses great potential for CBT development because of the unique nature, historical heritage, and diversity of indigenous cultures. The results also clearly indicate that the number and role of stakeholders in each case are different and uncertain. Both Hong Ha and Quang Loi face limitations concerning the capacity of the government and community. Therefore, for ensuring the sustainable development of CBT, it is necessary to connect the stakeholders closely and facilitate local community values.Du lịch dựa vào cộng đồng (DLCĐ) được kỳ vọng sẽ mang lại lợi ích kép cho cộng đồng                       địa phương và bảo vệ môi trường. Tuy nhiên, DLCĐ vẫn còn nhiều hạn chế và phát triển không đồng đều ở Việt Nam. Mục đích của bài báo này là (1) tìm hiểu hiện trạng DLCĐ tại tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế; (2) phân tích các bên liên quan đến DLCĐ; (3) tìm ra những trở ngại của DLCĐ trong thực tiễn. Dữ liệu được thu thập qua các số liệu thứ cấp và phân tích tài liệu. Nghiên cứu cũng tổ chức các cuộc thảo luận nhóm và phỏng vấn sâu người am hiểu tại xã Hồng Hạ và xã Quảng Lợi. Kết quả cho thấy Thừa Thiên Huế có tiềm năng lớn để phát triển DLCĐ do sự độc đáo của điều kiện tự nhiên, bề dày lịch sử và sự đa dạng trong văn hoá địa phương. Kết quả chỉ rõ số lượng và vai trò của các bên liên quan đến DLCĐ ở mỗi trường hợp là khác nhau và chưa rõ ràng. Cả hai mô hình DLCĐ tại Hồng Hạ và Quảng Lợi đều có những hạn chế căn bản liên quan đến năng lực của chính quyền và cộng đồng. Do đó, để đảm bảo DLCĐ phát triển bền vững, cần thiết có sự liên kết chặt chẽ giữa các bên liên quan và phát huy các giá trị địa phương