Steering at a Distance: A Qualitative Case Study of Institutional Autonomy at a Vietnamese Public University

In 2012, the Vietnamese government enacted the Higher Education Law to give public universities institutional autonomy. Since the passage of the law, the term institutional autonomy has become contested; different interpretations have arisen among different actors concerned with implementing the policy. In a qualitative case study, I explore the meaning of autonomy in the context of Vietnamese higher education where the legacy of centralized governance is strong. To understand what autonomy means in this context, I use thematic analysis and interpretive policy analysis and draw on state steering theory (Wright, 2019b) as a theoretical framework through which to gain insight on tensions between autonomy and control. Data sources include government policy documents, semi-structured interviews with seventeen senior leaders from one Vietnamese public university, and internal university policy documents. I argue that autonomy in Vietnamese higher education involves steering at a distance whereby the legacy of Vietnam’s centralized governance system adds more control over the university. The autonomy policy has given the Vietnamese public university a higher level of status with more power to make decisions but has not made it independent of the state. The enactment of autonomy policy in Vietnam highlights tensions between the top-down authoritarian way in which the law and policy are enacted through the state’s centralized governance model and how the policy enters into institutions and becomes meaningful to actors. The present study addresses gaps in the literature on university governance and education policy and offers unique insights into the complexities of autonomy in Vietnam. I recommend that all actors involved in the autonomy policy take into consideration the different meanings of autonomy to better understand and to be more responsive to how the policy is actually taken up in the institutions

An approach for linguistic multi-attribute decision making based on linguistic many-valued logic

There are various types of multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) problems in our daily lives and decision-making problems under uncertain environments with vague and imprecise information involved. Therefore, linguistic multi-attribute decision-making problems are an important type studied extensively. Besides, it is easier for decision-makers to use linguistic terms to evaluate/choose among alternatives in real life. Based on the theoretical foundation of the Hedge algebra and linguistic many-valued logic, this study aims to address multi-attribute decision-making problems by linguistic valued qualitative aggregation and reasoning method. In this paper, we construct a finite monotonous Hedge algebra for modeling the linguistic information related to MADM problems and use linguistic many-valued logic for deducing the outcome of decision making. Our method computes directly on linguistic terms without numerical approximation. This method takes advantage of linguistic information processing and shows the benefit of Hedge algebra

Theoretical Framework on the Role of Knowledge Management for Students on Academic Performance

Knowledge management is a developing sector that has received lots of consideration and support from the community which is industrial. Knowledge management is a young academic field which has not been built up a systematized and unified framework. This paper reviews the role of knowledge management for students on academic performance by using the structural equation modeling. Through applying knowledge management in the study process can help students to gain better results. As a result, it can be expected to shed light on the relative importance of knowledge management on students’ academic performance. Keywords: Knowledge management, Academic performance, digital economy DOI: 10.7176/IKM/11-2-05 Publication date:March 31st 202

Large displacements of FGSW beams in thermal environment using a finite element formulation

The large displacements of functionally graded sandwich (FGSW) beams in thermal environment  are studied using a finite element formulation. The beams are composed of three layers, a homogeneous core and two functionally graded face sheets with volume fraction of constituents following a power gradation law. The material properties of the beams are considered to be temperature-dependent.  Based on Antman beam model and the total Lagrange formulation, a two-node nonlinear beam element taking the effect of temperature rise into account  is formulated and employed in the study. The element with explicit expressions for the internal force vector and tangent stiffness matrix is derived using linear interpolations and reduced integration technique to avoid the shear locking. Newton-Raphson based iterative algorithm is employed in combination with the arc-length control method to compute the large displacement response of a cantilever FGSW beam subjected to end forces.  The accuracy of the formulated element is confirmed through a comparison study. The effects of the material inhomogeneity, temperature rise and layer thickness ratio on the large deflection response of the beam are examined and highlighted

Using the EBAM Across Educational Contexts: Calibrating for Technical, Policy, Leadership Influences

This article reports on a rigorous approach developed for calibrating the Evidence-Based Adequacy Model to suit the Ontario K–12 public education context, and the actual calibrations made. The four-step calibration methodology draws from expert consultations and a review of the academic literature. Specific attention is given to the technical revisions and, importantly, the significant influence of policy(values) and leaders’ decision-making on the calibration process. It also presents emerging implications for leaders and researchers who are considering calibrating the EBAM for use in their educational context. Calibrating the instrument was a necessary step before use in a jurisdiction outside of the United States, where the model was developed, and our team has been the first to outline a methodology and bring Canadian evidence to the discussion

Digital Marketing in Banking Activities – Suggestions for Vietnam Banks from International Experiences

Based on the innovation of science and technology in a fierce competitive environment, digital marketing has emerged as an inevitable trend for businesses with no exception from banking areas. With the target of reaching out and providing services to progressively demanding customers, current marketing tools need to be further improved to create the best interaction. Hence, the authors aim at clarifying the concept of digital marketing, which is a new trend in banking development globally, followed by experiences as well as proposing suggestions for banks in transitional countries such as Vietnam

Assessing local people’s satisfaction on resettlement arrangements of A Luoi Hydropower project, Thua Thien Hue Province

This study aims to estimate the level of satisfaction about resettlement arrangements for local people who have been affected by A Luoi hydroelectric construction project in the Thua Thien Hue province. This research used the Likert scale method to assess the satisfaction level of 98 households living in two of the resettlement sites. Results illustrate that there is variations in the level of satisfaction of local people in the two resettlement sites, Hong Thuong and Hong Ha. In the resettlement area (RA) of the Hong Thuong Commune, people are dissatisfied with the location arrangement. There is a lack of quality in the houses built, been damaged, cracked and degraded, since the construction design is not appropriate for the customs and practices of local people, with a satisfaction rating of 1.07. Meanwhile, at the resettlement site of the Hong Ha commune, people felt satisfied with the arrangement site of the RA and allocated residential land area with the satisfaction rating of 4.19. Our results will help the government, as well as the project owners, to understand the points of dissatisfaction of local people in order to have accordant solutions, ensuring the stable life for local people in those settlement areas.Nghiên cứu này nhằm mục đích đánh giá được mức độ hài lòng của người dân về việc bố trí tái định cư (TĐC) cho người dân bị ảnh hưởng bởi dự án xây dựng thuỷ điện A Lưới, tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế. Nghiên cứu đã sử dụng phương pháp thang đo Likert để đánh giá mức độ hài lòng của 98 hộ dân sống tại hai khu tái định cư Hồng Thượng và Hồng Hạ. Kết quả nghiên cứu đã cho thấy có sự khác nhau về mức độ hài lòng của người dân tại hai khu TĐC. Tại khu TĐC Hồng Thượng người dân thấy không hài lòng về địa điểm bố trí TĐC, nhà ở được xây dựng thiếu chất lượng đã bị hư hỏng, nứt nẻ xuống cấp, thiết kế xây dựng không phù hợp với phong tục, tập quán của người dân địa phương, với chỉ số đánh giá hài lòng là 1,07. Trong khi đó, tại khu TĐC xã Hồng Hạ người dân lại thấy hài lòng về điểm bố trí TĐC và diện tích đất ở được cấp, với chỉ số đánh giá hài lòng là 4,19. Kết quả nghiên cứu của đề tài sẽ giúp cho chính quyền cũng như chủ đầu tư dự án nắm rõ những điểm không hài lòng của người dân để có hướng giải quyết phù hợp nhằm đảm bảo cuộc sống ổn định cho người dân tại nơi tái định cư