Corporate Social Responsibility and Bank’s Performance under the Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction and Bank Reputation

This paper aims to examine the indirect linkage between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm performance via the effects of customer satisfaction and bank reputation. The study applies Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to a sample of top managers, finance managers, chief accountants, and employees in Vietnamese state-owned commercial banks. The findings explore the statistically significant effect of CSR on bank performance under the mediating role of customer satisfaction and bank reputation, which are not concerned by previous studies. Because CSR activities assist banks in maintaining their reputation by complying with a long-term commitment to stakeholders' interests and providing valuable customer benefits to increase their satisfaction. So, the research results show that customer satisfaction and the bank's reputation promote a positive relationship between CSR and bank performance. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-06-06-012 Full Text: PD

Does National Governance Affect the Capital Structure of Listed Firms during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

This study estimates the macro-economic factors affecting the listed small and medium enterprises' capital structures in Vietnam from 2010 to 2020. The author conducts the quantitative method (generalized method of moments—GMM) with valid instrument variables to solve the endogeneity in regression models, which refers to the determinants of capital structures. Based on the trade-off theory and the pecking order theory, the author provides evidence of macro-economic factors and firm-specific factors in explanations for the capital choices of the Vietnamese firms, including national governance, inflation, COVID-19, firm age, and asset structure. In particular, this study highlights how national governance and COVID-19 influence the capital structure of small and medium enterprises in Vietnam. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SPER-04 Full Text: PD

Determinants of stock market modern development: Evidence from Vietnam

The paper estimates the macroeconomic variables affecting the stock price in Vietnam from 2009 to 2019. Based on the used autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, the test shows a co-integration between stock prices and macroeconomic factors. The findings explore the optimal delay in the ARDL model as (1, 2, 1, 2, 0, 0, 2). Concretely, statistically significant evidence proves that the consumer price index, gross domestic product, interest rate, money supply, and oil price are the determinants of the stock price in Vietnam. In particular, the consumer price index and GDP have a direct relationship with the stock market, while interest rate, money supply, and oil price have opposite effects

Corporate Social Responsibility, Board of Directors’ Affect Financial Performance: Evidence in Vietnam

ABSTRACT Purpose: The study aims to explore corporate social responsibility and corporate governance issues such as the board of directors’ characteristics that affect the financial performance of the manufacturing listed companies on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange in Vietnam.   Theoretical framework: The study is based on the agency theory, stakeholder theory and the fundamental corporate social responsibility to clarify its role and the importance of information disclosure to interested parties when making economic decisions.   Methodology: Using pooled Ordinary least squares causes biased results because of autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity, thus the authors conduct Feasible Generalized Least Squares to increase the reliability of findings.   Findings: The research results show that there are four statistically significant factors that affect financial performance: corporate social responsibility, board gender diversity, ownership concentration, and government ownership.   Research, Practical & Social implications: The obtained results highlight the direct relationship between corporate social responisibility and financial performance, implying that these listed companies can improve their firm value based on the mentioned factors.   Originality/value: by examing the significant relationship between CSR and performance, the author emphasizes the role of managers in disclosing information relevant to their responsibilies to the environment and community. The problem is still a limited concern by corporates in the emerging market as Vietnam

IMPROVEMENT OF CO2 PURIFYING SYSTEM BY PHOTOCATALYST FOR APPLICATION IN MICROALGAE CULTURE TECHNOLOGY

By reactive grinding method Vanadium-doped rutile TiO2 nanoparticle material was obtained with an average particle size of 20‐40nm, the Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) specific surface area about 20 m2g−1 and it absorbed strongly in the UV region and increased at the visible wavelength of 430 – 570 nm. This study focused on the improvement of exhaust gas treatment from coal-fired flue gas of the traditional adsorption-catalysis system (Modular System for Treating Flue Gas - MSTFG) by using the V2O5/TiO2 Rutile as photocatalyst. The results showed that integrating both catalytic systems mentioned above increased the gas treatment efficiency: CO from 77 % to over 98 %, NOx from 50 % to 93 %, SO2 was absent as opposed to the input gas component. Also it showed that V2O5/TiO2 Rutile integrated with MSTFG has got high efficiency of CO treatment, also secured the high obtained CO2 concentration as a valuable carbon source for microagal mass culture as well as saving energy and simplifying devices

Preparation of SERS Substrates for the Detection of Organic Molecules at Low Concentration

In this paper, we present the results of the preparation of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) substrates by depositing silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) onto a porous silicon wafer that is produced by the chemical etching process. The influences of the preparation parameters such as resistivity of the silicon wafer, the anodizing current density, etching time to the size of pores were systematically investigated. The SERS substrates prepared were characterised by using appropriate techniques: the morphology and pores size by scanning electron microscope (SEM), the SERS activity by Raman scattering measure of organic molecules malachite green (MG) embedded into the substrate at room temperature. Our experimental results show that a home-made Raman microscope system could be efficiently used to detect the MG molecules at the concentration lower than 10-7 M with the prepared SERS substrates which have Ag NPs in the obtained pores of 10 – 40 nm

Optimization of protein extraction from "Cam" rice bran by response surface methodology

"Cam" rice bran was considered a waste product from rice, which is rich in natural compounds and protein owing to its outstanding nutritional value. This study aimed to establish an optimization model for extracting protein from rice bran, with two responses: extraction yield (%) and protein content (%). The variable parameters included were pH (8.5-9.5), stirring time (3.5-4.5 h), and enzyme incubation temperature (85-95°C). The coefficient of determination for both models were above 0.95, indicating a high correlation between the actual and estimated values. The maximum extraction yield and protein content were achieved when the conditions were set at pH of 9.02, stirring time of 4.02 h, and extraction temperature of 90.6°C. Under these optimum conditions, the predicted protein extracted from rice bran was 43.03% (moisture <13.0%), with an extraction yield of 15.9%. The findings of this study suggested that this protocol can enhance the utilization of rice bran and might be employed on a large scale in the food industry to exploit the nutritional source

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

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

Determinants of debt maturity structure: Evidence in Vietnam

This paper examines the determinants of debt maturity structure in listed small and medium enterprises in Vietnam from 2010 to 2019. Agency cost theory, signaling theory, tax-based theory, and matching theory are discussed as platform theories for determining the factors affecting corporate debt maturity structure. Based on those theories and previous research studies, combined with the two-step generalized method of moments regression model, the impact of lagged debt maturity structure, leverage ratio, profitability, firm size, growth opportunities, gross domestic product, and inflation has been demonstrated to be statistically significant at 5%. The contribution of this paper is to define the debt maturity structure of enterprises as dynamic, and the debt maturity structure is adjusted to the optimal structure at the speed of 46%