Measuring Service Quality in the Hospitality Industry: A Case Study in Hue City, Vietnam

This research is a study on service quality in the hospitality industry in the context of a developing country. The key purposes of this study are twofold. First, it examines the conceptualization and measurement of service quality in the hotel setting. Second, the relationships between service quality, customer satisfaction, and repurchase intention are taken into considerations. The findings from this study confirm that there are three determinants affecting statistically on service quality including responsiveness and caring, tangibles and caring, and safety and convenience. Also, the results of this study suggests that both service quality and customer satisfaction have direct significant effect on repurchase intention. Furthermore, it reveals that either service quality or customer satisfaction is the antecedent of the other and vice versa. Still, the indirect of service quality through customer satisfaction on repurchase intention is stronger than that one of the direct effect; that suggests customer satisfaction playing a mediating role in the effect of service quality on repurchase intention. Finally, some conclusions and theoretical and practical implications, and limitations are generated

Outcome versus process value in service delivery

Purpose: This study is embedded in social exchange and transaction cost theories. The objective is twofold: First, to compare the relative importance of process value and outcome value in building affective and cognitive relationship strength; and second, to compare the relative effects of each type of relationship strength on attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. Design/methodology/approach: This empirical study features a quantitative approach. The sample comprises 167 business-to-business (B2B) customers of a large transportation and logistics company in Vietnam. Findings: Process value and outcome value have different effects on affective relationship strength: The effect of process value is greater than that of outcome value. In addition, cognitive strength has a stronger impact on both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty than affective strength. Research limitations/implications: These insights extend extant literature regarding the process and outcome components of the service assessment. Further studies also should employ a cross-industry, cross-country sample to examine the potential moderating effects of country- or industry-specific factors. These findings show B2B managers how to make appropriate resource allocation and investment decisions to enhance relationship strength and resulting customer loyalty. Originality/value: To clarify the links among customer value, relationship strength and customer loyalty, this study examines the relative importance of rational and non-rational factors (i.e., process value vs. outcome value; affective strength vs. cognitive strength) for relationship performance. Unlike most prior research, this study is set in the B2B context of a developing country

Incidence of Postpartum Infection after Vaginal Delivery in Viet Nam

This study assessed the incidence of postpartum infection which is rarely clinically evaluated and is probably underestimated in developing countries. This prospective study identified infection after vaginal delivery by clinical and laboratory examinations prior to discharge from hospital and again at six weeks postpartum in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Textbook definitions, physicians' diagnoses, symptomatic and verbal autopsy definitions were used for classifying infection. Logistic regression was used for determining associations of postpartum infection with socioeconomic and reproductive characteristics. In total, 978 consecutive, eligible consenting women were followed up at 42\ub17 (range 2-45) days postpartum (not associated with incidence). Ninety-eight percent took 'prophylactic' antibiotics. The most conservative estimate of the incidence of postpartum infection was 1.7%. The incidence of serious infection was 0.5%, but increased to 4.6% when verbal autopsy and symptomatic definitions were used. Postpartum infection, particularly serious infection, is greatly underestimated. Just preventing or treating infection could have a substantial impact on reducing maternal mortality in developing countries

Severe Pandemic H1N1 2009 Infection Is Associated with Transient NK and T Deficiency and Aberrant CD8 Responses

BACKGROUND: It is unclear why the severity of influenza varies in healthy adults or why the burden of severe influenza shifts to young adults when pandemic strains emerge. One possibility is that cross-protective T cell responses wane in this age group in the absence of recent infection. We therefore compared the acute cellular immune response in previously healthy adults with severe versus mild pandemic H1N1 infection. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: 49 previously healthy adults admitted to the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, Viet Nam with RT-PCR-confirmed 2009 H1N1 infection were prospectively enrolled. 39 recovered quickly whereas 10 developed severe symptoms requiring supplemental oxygen and prolonged hospitalization. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subset counts and activation (HLADR, CD38) and differentiation (CD27, CD28) marker expression were determined on days 0, 2, 5, 10, 14 and 28 by flow cytometry. NK, CD4 and CD8 lymphopenia developed in 100%, 90% and 60% of severe cases versus 13% (p<0.001), 28%, (p = 0.001) and 18% (p = 0.014) of mild cases. CD4 and NK counts normalized following recovery. B cell counts were not significantly associated with severity. CD8 activation peaked 6-8 days after mild influenza onset, when 13% (6-22%) were HLADR+CD38+, and was accompanied by a significant loss of resting/CD27+CD28+ cells without accumulation of CD27+CD28- or CD27-CD28- cells. In severe influenza CD8 activation peaked more than 9 days post-onset, and/or was excessive (30-90% HLADR+CD38+) in association with accumulation of CD27+CD28- cells and maintenance of CD8 counts. CONCLUSION: Severe influenza is associated with transient T and NK cell deficiency. CD8 phenotype changes during mild influenza are consistent with a rapidly resolving memory response whereas in severe influenza activation is either delayed or excessive, and partially differentiated cells accumulate within blood indicating that recruitment of effector cells to the lung could be impaired

PRODUCTION AND CIRCULATION PROCESS IN THE AVOCADO VALUE CHAIN – A CASE STUDY IN BAO LOC CITY, VIETNAM

This study aims to analyze the avocado value chain in Bao Loc city to find out the existing challenges weakening the value chain. From there, answer how to enhance long-term, sustainable competitive position for the avocado value chain in Bao Loc city and maximize value and benefits for chain actors. Applying Michael Poster\u27s value chain model, Kaplinsky, and Morris\u27s analytical method and collected data, the study has exhaustively identified the actors involved in the chain and described the avocado value chain in detail. Research results have found four main market channels of the avocado value chain. To grow 1 hectare of avocado, the farmer has to invest a cost of 6,145.75 USD. Avocado was produced that reach the final consumer need to go through an intermediary stage, a collector. Traders who collect avocados from farmers needed an average money requirement of 8,847.82 USD/spell. This result showed that collectors are an essential player in the current avocado value chain

Does relationship strength matter? Empirical evidence from an emerging economy

A closer look at the extant literature of service research reveals an ongoing debate about the relative importance of process value over outcome value in the assessment of service delivery. This study advances this literature by investigating and comparing the effects of process value and outcome value on affective and cognitive relationship strength. From the analysis of a sample including178 customers of a large transportation and logistics company, the results demonstrate that process value imposes a larger effect on both affective and cognitive relationship strength than that of outcome value. Furthermore, cognitive strength is a stronger determinant of both attitudinal and behavioral loyaltyof customersthan affective strength.From these findings, some important implications have been drawn for managers, which help them to invest more effectively into customer relationships and turn these relationships into sustainable loyalty

Microwave Assisted Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Mulberry Leaves Extract and Silver Nitrate Solution

In this work, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized quickly and in an eco-friendly manner using the extract of Mulberry leaves and aqueous solution of silver nitrate without any toxic chemicals (Yuet et al. Int. J. Nanomed. 2012, 7, 4263&ndash;4267; Krishnakuma and Adavallan. Adv. Nat. Sci. Nanosci. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 025018). The Mulberry leaves extract functions as both a stabilizing and reducing agent. The UV-Vis spectroscopy shows a peak maximum at 430 nm. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image illustrated of synthesized AgNPs were nearly spherical-shaped particles whose sizes range from 15 to 20 nm. The TEM image of Nano Silver solution sample synthesized by the microwave assisted method shows nearly spherical particles, with an average particle size estimated at 10 nm. The absorption UV-vis spectrum of silver nanoparticles synthesized by the microwave assisted method (AgNPsmw) shows a sharp absorption band around 415 nm. The UV-Vis spectrum of AgNPsmw after two months of storage shows negligible peak changes of silver nanoparticles

Health Care and Economic Growth

International audienceIn this paper we adapt a discrete time version of the Lucas model with social protection where part of the total production is devoted to the health expenditures. The output is produced by labor and the technomogy exhibits externalities. The rate of growth of human capital depends on the ratio of health expenditures over GDP. We give conditions for which the optimal human capital sequences are increasing. When the instantaneous utility function is isoelastic and the production function is COBB-DOUGLAS, we prove that the optimal human capital sequences grow at constant rate. Moreover, we prove there exists a unuique equilibrium in the sense of LUCAS [1988] or ROMER [1986

Equilibrium and Competitive Equilibrium in a Discrete-Time Lucas Model

International audienceIn this paper, we study a discrete-time version of the Lucas model with externality but without physical capital. We give conditions for which the optimal human capital sequences are increasing. When the instantaneous utility function is isoelastic and the production function is Cobb-Douglas, we prove that the optimal human capital sequences grow at constant rate. Moreover, there exists a unique equilibrium which, under an additional assumption on the human capital technology, is also the unique competitive equilibrium