Factors Affecting Business Performance: Expanding Theoretical Measurements

Purpose: The article aims to expand a scale system of factors that impacts on business performance.   Theoretical framework: The paper based on the empirical data collected from various types of participants, including accountants (for information providing), managers (for decision-making), sales staff (for work), and lecturers (for research) in Vietnam.   Design/methodology/approach: By descriptive and comparative statistical analysis of SPSS 20 software with 124 valid observations, the survey has proposed the scale system of influencing factors (03 groups of external factors, 05 groups of internal factors) and business performance measures (10 financial and 11 non-financial indicators).   Findings: This study points out the different evaluations according to the demographic features of survey subjects on the group of financial indicators. Specifically, the group of accountants (representing information providers) obtains a lower score than the group of information users. Likewise, the post-graduated participants show stricter assessments of financial indicators in comparison to the rest of the group.   Research, Practical & Social implications: These results suggest the scale system for measuring influencing factors toward business performance in enterprises for further research.   Originality/value: The value of the study is providing an expansion of the factors affecting the efficiency of an enterprise and points out a commonly used set of financial performance measurement indicators. Research results provide useful references for research on related issues

The Efficiency and the Performance of the Logistics Global Supply Chain Activities to Vietnam Exportation: an Empirical Case Study

Purpose: This research paper aims to determine the factors affecting the efficiency and logistics performance index (LPI) of Vietnam's exports to foreign partners during 2018-2022 are due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Theoretical Framework: Based on the primary factors affecting the efficiency and performance of global supply chain activities in logistics for Vietnam's exports, including practical impact and logistics results of enterprises in Vietnam. Based on the primary factors affecting the efficiency and performance of global supply chain activities in logistics for Vietnam's exports, including (1). Customs efficiency (speed, simplicity and predictability of customs clearance procedures) (2). Quality of infrastructure related to trade and transport, including Roads, railways, ports, airports, warehouses and information technology ...(3). The level of ease when arranging to transport import and export goods with competitive prices (costs such as warehousing fees, port fees, tolls ... ) (4). Capacity and quality of logistics service providers ... (5). Ability to track and trace shipments. (6). Timeliness of the shipment to the destination within the specified time limit. The practical impact and logistics results of enterprises in Vietnam.   Method: The panel approach allows the authors to explore the heterogeneity in data across countries. Fixed effects (FE) and random effects (RE) models were used to estimate the model. Then, the Hausman test is carried out to decide which model is appropriate. The data were collected from 240 observations from Vietnam and 80 major export partner countries of Vietnam.   Findings: The research results show that the cost, time and capacity of providing logistics services have the most significant impact on Vietnam's exports.   Practical & social implications: Overall, to increase the efficiency and logistics efficiency of enterprises. The Vietnamese Government needs to cooperate and propose ideas to partner countries to improve logistics activities for exports from Vietnam. Logistics is beginning to play an increasingly important role in the competitiveness of economies.   Originality values: This study also confirms the sustainability of the extended gravity model using OLS and RE methods by substituting different variables for the country's logistics efficiency and solving the endogenous problem in the model while applying the regression method to industrial variables. We find that an 1% improvement in Vietnam's logistics would increase Vietnam's exports by 1.443%, and an 1% improvement in a partner country’s performance would help promote Vietnam's exports to this country by 0.546%

Does exporting spur firm productivity and promote inclusive growth? : evidence from Vietnam

Are exporting firms superior because only superior firms choose to become exporters or do they become superior by virtue of being exporters and having to face greater competition and to specialize in core activities? Findings show that the decision to export induces a gain in capital productivity for the new exporters, but no significant effect is observed for labour productivity and Total Factor Productivity (TFP). This result offers some support for the learning-by-exporting effect that occurs within a sector. Entry of Vietnamese firms into the world market can spur inclusive economic growth of the country

g-INFO portal: a solution to monitor Influenza A on the Grid for non-grid users

International audienceIn this paper, we introduce a portal for monitoring Influenza A on a grid-based system. Influenza A keeps on being a major threat to public health worldwide; especially if one virus can mutate itself so that it acquires the capacity for human to human transmission of H1N1 as well as the high death rate of H5N1. The existing g-INFO (Grid-based Information Network for Flu Observation) project provides a complete system for monitoring flu virus on the Grid. We present here a portal that operates on top of the g-INFO system as a solution for non-grid users to utilize grid services for analyzing molecular biology data of Influenza A

Angular rate sensing by circulatory vortex flow: design, simulation and experiment

A fully packaged convective vortex gyrometer actuated by a PZT diaphragm is reported. The flow circulates at higher velocity after each actuating circle to form a vortex in the desired chamber. The vortex is characterized by hotwire anemometry. The device is initially designed based on a numerical analysis whose results are used to set up the experiment. The angular rate sensing of the device is successfully tested using a turntable. The technique is a potential solution to various applications related to inertial sensing and fluidic amplifier

Facile Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots by Plasma-liquid Interaction Method

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are a novel type of fluorescent nano-materials with various unique properties. They are recently attracting enormous interest due to their superiority in water solubility, chemical inertness, low toxicity, ease of functionalization as well as resistance to photo-bleaching and potential applications in biomedical indication, photo-catalysis, energy conversion, optoelectronics, and sensing. In this work, we present a facile and environmentally friendly synthesis of CQDs based on plasma - liquid interaction method. This is a single-step method and does not use toxic chemicals. The size distribution of obtained CQDs is rather uniform at approximately 3 nm. The emission peak of CQDs shifts from 427 nm to 523 nm as the excitation wavelength is varied from 340 nm to 460 nm. The non-equilibrium reactive chemistry of plasma liquid interaction is responsible for acceleration of the CQDs formation process

Anatomical Evaluation for Successful Dye Laser Treatment of Port Wine Stain in Vietnamese Patients

AIM: To assess the efficacy in the treatment of port wine stain in the head and neck by using (Vbeam perfecta®). METHODS: Forty-two port wine stain patients were recruited at the National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology, Hanoi, Vietnam. RESULTS: We reported an excellent response (43.8%) (76%-100% lightening), a good response (18.8%) (51%-75% lightening), fair improvement (18.8%) (26%-50% lightening), and no response (18.8%) (0%-25% lightening). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, pulsed dye laser is an excellent technique to remove port wine stains on the face and neck

Large-scale screening and characterization of enteroviruses and kobuviruses infecting pigs in Vietnam

A recent survey of pigs in Dong Thap province, Vietnam identified a high frequency of enterovirus species G (EV-G) infection (144/198; 72.7%). Amongst these was a plethora of EV-G types (EV-G1, EV-G6 and four new types EV-G8-EV-G11). To better characterize the genetic diversity of EV-G and investigate the possible existence of further circulating types, we performed a larger-scale study on 484 pig and 45 farm-bred boar faecal samples collected in 2012 and 2014, respectively. All samples from the previous and current studies were also screened for kobuviruses. The overall EV infection frequency remained extremely high (395/484; 81.6%), but with comparable detection rates and viral loads between healthy and diarrhoeic pigs; this contrasted with less frequent detection of EV-G in boars (4/45; 8.9%). EV was most frequently detected in pigs ≤ 14 weeks old (∼ 95%) and declined in older pigs. Infections with EV-G1 and EV-G6 were most frequent, whilst less commonly detected types included EV-G3, EV-G4 and EV-G8-EV-G11, and five new types (EV-G12-EV-G16). In contrast, kobuvirus infection frequency was significantly higher in diarrhoeic pigs (40.9 versus 27.6%; P = 0.01). Kobuviruses also showed contrasting epizootiologies and age associations; a higher prevalence was found in boars (42%) compared with domestic pigs (29%), with the highest infection frequency amongst pigs >52 weeks old. Although genetically diverse, all kobuviruses identified belonged to the species Aichivirus C. In summary, this study confirms infection with EV-G was endemic in Vietnamese domestic pigs and exhibits high genetic diversity and extensive inter-type recombination

Concomitant Bacteremia in Adults With Severe Falciparum Malaria.

BackgroundApproximately 6% of children hospitalized with severe falciparum malaria in Africa are also bacteremic. It is therefore recommended that all children with severe malaria should receive broad-spectrum antibiotics in addition to parenteral artesunate. Empirical antibiotics are not recommended currently for adults with severe malaria.MethodsBlood cultures were performed on sequential prospectively studied adult patients with strictly defined severe falciparum malaria admitted to a single referral center in Vietnam between 1991 and 2003.ResultsIn 845 Vietnamese adults with severe falciparum malaria admission blood cultures were positive in 9 (1.07%: 95% confidence interval [CI], .37-1.76%); Staphylococcus aureus in 2, Streptococcus pyogenes in 1, Salmonella Typhi in 3, Non-typhoid Salmonella in 1, Klebsiella pneumoniae in 1, and Haemophilus influenzae type b in 1. Bacteremic patients presented usually with a combination of jaundice, acute renal failure, and high malaria parasitemia. Four bacteremic patients died compared with 108 (12.9%) of 836 nonbacteremic severe malaria patients (risk ratio, 3.44; 95% CI, 1.62-7.29). In patients with >20% parasitemia the prevalence of concomitant bacteremia was 5.2% (4/76; 95% CI, .2-10.3%) compared with 0.65% (5/769; 0.08-1.2%) in patients with ConclusionsIn contrast to children, the prevalence of concomitant bacteremia in adults with severe malaria is low. Administration of empirical antibiotics, in addition to artesunate, is warranted in the small subgroup of patients with very high parasitemias, emphasizing the importance of quantitative blood smear microscopy assessment, but it is not indicated in most adults with severe falciparum malaria