Trust Issues and Engaged Buddhism: The Triggers for Skillful Managerial Approaches

As a transitional economy, Vietnam has undergone tremendous changes over recent decades within a ‘fusion’ context that blends both traditional and modern values from its complex history. However, few studies have explored how contemporary issues in the context of Vietnam have brought both obstacles and skillful initiatives to managerial approaches to doing business. We draw on the concepts of social trust and institutional theory to explore how informal institutions such as religious forces can contribute to the development of individual trust and whether individuals are willing to extend trust beyond familial networks. We contribute to the notion of a moral conception of trust by exploring how Buddhism in particular has initiated distinctive managerial approaches in the context of Vietnam, in response to dilemmas of social trust. Our findings highlight that as an informal institution, engaged Buddhism yields significant impact on the formation of social trust. We carried out in-depth interviews in Vietnam with 33 organizational leaders who were Buddhist practitioners, using thematic analysis to elucidate our findings and arguments. The study reveals how the incorporation of Buddhist principles has fostered context-sensitive, non-extreme, and reflexive managerial approaches to enhance morality as a response to social trust issues

Workload doesn’t mean exhaustion: Antecedents of teacher burnout

Workload has consistently been found to be a predictor of burnout in teachers.  However, while academia considers workload a psychological concept, the public tends to simplify workload as the number of tasks assigned. This study seeks to provide further evidence of the psychological nature of workload by examining if workload understood in terms of quantity of work had any effect on teacher burnout and whether this relationship was moderated by psychological processes such as self-efficacy and mediated by stress. 117 primary and high school teachers holding at least two roles at school participated in the study. Teacher burnout was measured using MBI-ES, self-efficacy was measured by OSTES and stress and workload were measured by single-item questions. Results showed that workload (i.e., the number of roles assigned) did not have a main effect on burnout. Perceived stress and self-efficacy had direct effects on teacher burnout: stress increased burnout while self-efficacy reduced burnout. Self-efficacy had a significant moderation effect on workload-burnout interaction. Workload increased burnout only in teachers with low self-efficacy  while stress did not moderate the workload-burnout relationship. These findings support the psychological nature of the relationship between workload and burnout among teachers. They also point out the importance of enhancing teacher stress management and self-efficacy in protecting them from burnout

Linking Ethical Leadership to Employee Creative Performace: The Role of Leader-Member Exchange and Work Engagement

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate the mediating role of leader-member exchange (LMX) and work engagement in the relationship between ethical leadership and creative performance.   Theoretical framework: The study is based on the theoretical foundation that ethical leadership positively influences creative performance. It further posits that this relationship is mediated by both leader-member exchange (LMX) and work engagement.   Design/Methodology/Approach: Data for this study was collected from a Vietnamese service firm, with a sample comprising 78 leaders and 354 employees. The collected data was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the proposed relationships.   Findings: The findings of the study indicate a significant and positive correlation between ethical leadership and creative performance. Additionally, the study reveals that ethical leadership exerts an influence on both leader-member exchange (LMX) and work engagement, which subsequently enhance employees' demonstration of creativity in their work.   Research, practical & social implications: This research sheds light on the mediating mechanisms through which ethical leadership impacts creative performance. The findings highlight the importance of fostering positive leader-member relationships and promoting work engagement in order to enhance employees' creative behaviors. Practically, the study suggests that organizations should prioritize the development of ethical leadership qualities to foster a creative work environment. Moreover, the research contributes to the broader social implications by emphasizing the significance of ethical leadership in promoting creativity and innovation within organizations.   Originality/Value: This research contributes to the existing literature by examining the mediating role of leader-member exchange and work engagement in the relationship between ethical leadership and creative performance. The study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms through which ethical leaders can enhance creativity in the workplace. The findings of this research contribute to the understanding of the importance of ethical leadership and its impact on organizational outcomes, thereby adding to the originality and value of the study

EFFECT OF FISH SCALE COLLAGEN ON SOME CHARACTERISTICS AND DRUG RELEASE OF CARRAGEENAN/COLLAGEN/ALLOPURINOL FILM

ABSTRACT - QMFS2019Collagen from fish is attracting a lot of attention thanks to its high absorbance ability, biocompatibility as well as non-religious obstruction and cheap sources. It could be applied in many fields, for example: food, cosmetic, or biomedicine. Using of collagen also helps to reduce the environment pollution from fish scale waste in fish processing. In this study, collagen extracted from Vietnamese fresh-water tilapia fish scales was used in combination with carrageenan for the improvement of drug release control. The influence of fish scale collagen content on morphology, thermal behavior and drug release from carrageenan/collagen/allopurinol composite film was evaluated by methods such as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). From the DSC data, FESEM analysis and drug release of carrageenan/collagen/allopurinol composite films, the most suitable collagen in composite film is 5 wt.%

Factors Affecting Young Consumers’ Intention to Purchase Upcycled Fashion Products – A Case Study in Vietnam

In this study, the author has given different basis to build hypothesis and research models to find out the factors affecting the Vietnamese young consumer's intention to purchase upcycled fashion products. Firstly, this paper focuses on studying the relationship between attitudes and purchase intentions. Secondly, the author studies the effects of factors on attitudes and purchase intentions. The main research subjects are factors affecting Vietnamese young consumer' intention to to purchase upcycled fashion products. Hence, this research was conducted based on survey results among 400 young people aged 18 to 34 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city which are two big city in Vietnam. The authors used two statistical software, SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 20.0, to analyze the survey results. These tools help the authors analyze Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficients, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation model (SEM). The results show that there was a positive relationship between young consumers' attitudes and purchase intention in the Vietnamese context. Attitude mediates the relationship between the influencing factors and purchase intention. Moreover, the study test the impact of five main factors including environmental concern, social value, uniqueness value, perception financial risk, and perceive quality risk. The environmental concern (β = 0.337) is considered as the strongest effect on consumers' attitudes towards products. The factors such as uniqueness value (β = 0.302) as well as social value (β = 0.216) also positively affect consumers' attitudes. On the other hand, perception financial risk (β = -0.168), and perceive quality risk (β = -0.280) negatively affect consumers' attitude

INFLUENCE OF POLYETHYLENE OXIDE CONTENT ON SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF PLA/CS FILMS LOADING NIFEDIPINE

This work mentions the effect of polyethylene oxide (PEO) content on some characteristics and properties of polylactic acid (PLA)/chitosan (CS) films loading nifedipine (NIF). The water contact angle, droplet size values and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) images  of the films are used to investigate their morphology and hydrophobicity. The obtained results show that the hydrophobic property of the PLA/CS/NIF films is improved by the presence of PEO. Besides, the PLA/CS/NIF films containing PEO have tighter structure and water absorbed ability less than those of the PLA/CS/NIF film

Youths’ word-of-mouth in a developing country: roles of green promotion and green brand loyalty

Purpose – This paper investigates the mediating role of green brand loyalty between green brand image and word-of-mouth (WoM) and the moderating role of green promotion and brand social responsibility among Vietnamese youth. Research methodology – Using an online questionnaire from 1st October 2022 to 31st December 2022, 740 valid responses were collected. Findings – The study reveals that green brand loyalty mediates the relationship between brand trust and WoM. Additionally, green promotion significantly moderates the relationship between brand trust and green brand loyalty. The study concludes that green promotion is vital in influencing consumers’ trust in the brand, subsequently increasing their loyalty. Research limitations – This study has not categorized the groups of environmentally friendly products used by young Vietnamese to see if there is a difference. Practical implications – These results provide significant implications for brand managers to enhance the effectiveness of WoM. Originality/Value – Green promotion is an effective strategy for brands to regain consumers’ loyalty and maintain a close relationship between consumers and green brands. Additionally, green brand loyalty emphasizes the significance of green promotion for developing green companies and can serve as a conduit between customers and brands

Spatial variations of arsenic in groundwater from a transect in the Northwestern Hanoi

Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a major health problem and has been a growing concern in the last decade in several regions of the world, especially in South and Southeast Asia, including the Red River delta, Vietnam. Regional groundwater studies have been carried out in the vicinity of Hanoi, on the banks of the Red River and its adjacent floodplains. In this study, the groundwater from a transect in the Northwestern area of Hanoi was examined. The results showed that 28.8% the wells of the B-B’ transect exceed the WHO guideline value for arsenic concentration in drinking water. The arsenic concentrations varied in a wide range from point to point, with the highest concentration found at Van Phuc and the lowest one found at Cam Yen. They also varied accordingly to the depth.References Anawar H.M., Akai J., Sakugawa H., Sakugawa H., 2004. Mobilization of arsenic from subsurface sediments by effect of bicarbonate ions in groundwater. Chemosphere, 54, 753-762. Appelo C.A.J., Postma D., 2004. Geochemistry, Groundwater and Pollution, second edition. Berg M., Tran H.C., Nguyen T.C., Pham H.V., Schertenleib R., Giger W., 2001. Arsenic contamination of groundwater and drinking water in Vietnam: A human health threat. Environmental Science Technology, 35(13), 2621-2626. Berg M., Stengel C., Pham T.K.T., Pham H.V., Sampson M.L., Leng M., Samreth S., Fredericks D., 2007. Magnitude of arsenic pollution in the Mekong and Red River Delta - Cambodia and Vietnam. Science of the Total Environment, 372, 413-425. Chowdhury U.K., Biswas B.K., Chowdhury T.R., Samanta G., Mandal B.K., Basu G.C., Chanda C.R., Lodh D., Saha K.C., Mukherjee S.K., Roy S., Kabir S., Quamruzzaman Q., Chakraborti D., 2000. Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Environmental Health Perpectives, 108(5), 393-397. Eiche E., Neumann T., Berg M., Weinman B., Van Geen A., Norra S., Berner Z., Pham T.K.T., Pham H.V., Stuben D., 2008. Geochemical processes underlying a sharp contrast in groundwater arsenic concentrations in a village on the Red River delta, Vietnam. Applied Geochemistry, 23, 3143-3154. Fendorf S., Michael H.A., Van Geen A., 2010. Spatial and temporal variations of groundwater arsenic in South and Southeast Asia. Science, 328, 1123. Doi: 10.1126/Science.1172974. General Statics Office of Vietnam, 2015. Regional statistics of Area, Population and Population density. McArthur J.M., Ravenscroft P., Safuilla S., Thirlwall M.F., 2001. Arsenic in groundwater: Testing pollution mechanisms for sedimentary aquifers in Bangladesh. Water Resources Research, 31(1), 109-117. Postma D., Larsen F., Nguyen T.M.H., Mai T.D., Pham H.V., Pham Q.N., Jessen S., 2007. Arsenic in groundwater of the Red River floodplain, Vietnam: Controlling geochemical processes and reactive transport modeling. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 71, 5054-5071. Postma D., Larsen F., Nguyen T.T., Pham T.K.T., Jakobsen R., Pham Q.N., Tran V.L., Pham H.V., Murray A.S., 2012. Groundwater arsenic concentrations in Vietnam controlled by sediment age. Nature GeoScience. Doi: 10.1038/NGEO1540. Smedley P.L., Kinniburgh D.G., 2002. A review of the source, behavior and distribution of arsenic in natural waters. Applied Geochemistry, 17, 517-568. Smedley P.L., 2006. Sources and distribution of arsenic in groundwater and aquifers. In T. Appelo (Ed.), Arsenic in Groundwater - A World Problem, 4-33. Van Geen A., Bostick B.C., Pham T.K.T., Vi M.L., Nguyen N.M., Dao M.P., Pham H.V., Radloff K., Aziz A., Mey J.L., Stahl M.O., Harvey C.H., Oates P., Weinman B., Stengel C., Frei F., Kipfer R., Berg M., 2013. Retardation of arsenic transport through a Pleistocene aquifer. Nature, 501, 204-208. Van Geen, A., Zheng Y., Versteeg R., Stute M., Horneman A., Dhar R., Steckler M., Gelman A., Small C., Ahsan H., Graziano J.H., Hussain I., Ahmed K.M., 2003. Spatial variability of arsenic in 6000 tube wells in a 25 km2 area of Bangladesh. Water Resources Research, 39(5), 1140. Doi:10.1029/2002WR001617. World Health Organization, 2011. Guidelines for drinking-water quality, fourth edition. Winkel L.H.E., Pham T.K.T., Vi M.L., Stengel C., Amini M., Nguyen T.H., Pham H.V., Berg M., 2011. Arsenic pollution of groundwater in Vietnam exacerbated by deep aquifer exploitation for more than a century. PNAS, 108(4), 1246-1251