Private manufacturing SMEs survival and growth in Vietnam: The role of export participation

This study investigates for the first time a linkage between export participation and firm performance in terms of survival and profit growth in Vietnam. Using an unbalanced panel dataset from 2005 to 2009, our study shows no difference in the survival probability between exporters and non-exporters. By digging deeper to export status at different stages, the results indicate that continuous exporters have a positive association with probability of survival whereas export stoppers indicate a negative relationship. In terms of the relationship between firm growth and export activity, using Average Treatment Effects (OLS), export status is not related to firm profit growth. However, the Quantile Treatment Effects estimates reveal that export participation is positively and statistically significant associated with firms having profit growth above the median. The above findings might imply that exporting promoting policies, coupled with policies maintaining positions of firms in export market could be helpful since this may help firms improve their survival probability and profit growth

Pope Saint John Paul II on social justice in human work

In contemporary societies, the issues of industrialization and successive globalization have been affecting deeply the reality and true meaning of human work. The objective dimension of work became more important than the subjective. In contrast, Pope Saint John Paul II affirms that man is “the subject of work” and not merely an object. The human person “performs various actions belonging to the work process; independently of their objective content, these actions must all serve to realize his humanity” (LE. 6), which refers to the eminent subjective dimension of work rooted in the dignity of the worker as person. A lot of research and many interpretations of Pope Saint John Paul II’s innovative teaching in this regard have been proposed and discussed. This study presents how he responded to the signs of his time, by deepening and further developing theology of work that is fundamentally grounded in Scripture, Tradition, and the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church. He demonstrates in depth and extent in his teaching the relevance of social justice as a moral principle by fully respecting human dignity in work, for human beings as subject of work are fundamentally understood as being created in the image and likeness of God

Export participation, employee benefits, and firm performance: The evidence from Vietnam’s manufacturing SMEs

Vietnam has seen a significant rise in the number of SMEs since introducing the Enterprise Law in 2000. Non-state SMEs are playing a key role in economic growth, creating jobs, and reducing poverty. However, these non-state SMEs participate only modestly in export activity despite the high export performance of the economy. What are the factors impeding export participation? And how does the role of export performance affect employee benefits (e.g. higher wages) and firm performance? This thesis is the first study to provide empirical evidence for answering these research questions. Chapter 3 investigates the causal relationship between export participation and productivity by examining two popular hypotheses, self-selection and learning by exporting. Using a balanced panel dataset from 2005-2009 for Vietnamese private manufacturing SMEs, the results show strong statistical evidence for the self-selection of more productive firms into the export market. The alternative hypothesis, learning by exporting, is shown to be invalid by employing a fixed-effect panel data estimation and a fixed-effect instrumental variable regression. This study also reveals that export participation has no impact on technical efficiency, technical progress, and scale change. Chapter 4 explores the role of export participation in increasing employee benefits in terms of wages and employment quality. First, based on a unique, matched firm-worker panel dataset between 2007 and 2009, the study shows that export participation has a positive impact on wages when taking into account only firm characteristics. However, the exporter wage premium falls and dissipates when both firm and worker characteristics are controlled for. In addition, the effect decreases further and becomes less significant when controlling for time-invariant, unobservable factors by a spell fixed-effect estimation. Second, using a firm level balanced panel dataset in the same period, the results show that there is a positive linkage between export participation and the share of casual workers. However, the effect of export participation on wages and employment quality varies greatly across sectors. Chapter 5 investigates linkages between export participation, firm survival and profitability in Vietnam. Using an unbalanced panel dataset from 2005 to 2009, the study shows no difference in survival probability between exporters and non-exporters. However, the probability of a firm’s survival is greater for those who engage continuously in export but is lower for firms which have ceased export activity, as indicated by their export status at different stages. Using ordinary least squares (OLS) to consider the relationship between firm profitability and export activity, the results indicate that export status is not related to firm profit growth. However, a quantile regression approach shows that export participation is positively related to profitability for firms with high profit growth but negatively related for those firms with low profit growth. This might suggest that the productivity advantages of exporters with low profit growth are absorbed by costs relating to trading activities in overseas markets. This thesis may have several potential policy implications. First, export promotion policies may not be effective if they are not accompanied by strategies to help SMEs become more productive. In addition, policies encouraging and supporting exports should focus not only on the number of employment created but also on the quality of employment, especially for low-technology industries. Finally, export-promoting policies (e.g. improvement in firms’ innovative activities) coupled with policies maintaining firms’ positions in export markets could be helpful since these measures in turn may help firms improve their survival probability and profit growth. However, the policy issues are very complicated and these suggestions should therefore be considered an initial foundation for further study

Climate Change through the Studies of Volcano Rocks and Blue Icebergs

The investigation, by advanced physical methods, allows us to identify the chemical composition of volcano stones propelled from the deepness of the globe in various countries on the world and the blue icebergs detached from secular glaciers of Antarctic and Arctic poles. The stones and ashes of Island contain more elements than those of other volcanos, especially compared to those of Mediteranean countries. This confirms that the earthquake is much important and deeper under eastern Atlantic. Similarly, Sumatra volcano eruptions indicate pronounced tectonics under Western Pacific ocean. As a primary consequence, the planet temperature increases and induced the melting of thousands years glaciers at the North and South poles, rejecting in the oceans blue icebergs as big as Portugal or Vietnam. Nevertheless the sea level rising is not a great danger compared to its local sudden elevations, tsunamis, which cause tremendous damages. I have calculated the areas immerged by tsunamis, applied in particular for the deltas of North and South Vietnam, Indonesia; Malaysia and some European countries. The results will be presented in hope to prevent sudden damages and in long term, the effects on lands, environments and on the health of humanit

Changes of benthic macroinvertebrates in Thi Vai River and Cai Mep Estuaries under polluted conditions with industrial wastewater

The pollution on the Thi Vai River has been spreading out rapidly over the two lasted decades caused by the wastewater from the industrial parks in the left bank of Thi Vai River and Cai Mep Estuaries. The evaluation of the benthic macroinvertebrate changes was very necessary to identify the consequences of the industrial wastewater on water quality and aquatic ecosystem of Thi Vai River and Cai Mep Estuaries. In this study, the variables of benthic macroinvertebrates and water quality were investigated in Thi Vai River and Cai Mep Estuaries, Southern Vietnam. The monitoring data of benthic macroinvertebrates and water quality parameters covered the period from 1989 to 2015 at 6 sampling sites in Thi Vai River and Cai Mep Estuaries. The basic water quality parameters were also tested including pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. The biodiversity indices of benthic macroinvertebrates were applied for water quality assessment. The results showed that pH ranged from 6.4 – 7.6 during the monitoring. The DO concentrations were in between 0.20 – 6.70 mg/L. The concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorous ranged from 0.03 – 5.70 mg/L 0.024 – 1.380 mg/L respectively. Macroinvertebrate community in the study area consisted of 36 species of polychaeta, gastropoda, bivalvia, and crustacea, of which, species of polychaeta were dominant in species number. The benthic macroinvertebartes density ranged from 0 – 2.746 individuals/m2 with the main dominant species of Neanthes caudata, Prionospio malmgreni, Paraprionospio pinnata, Trichochaeta carica, Maldane sarsi, Capitella capitata, Terebellides stroemi, Euditylia polymorpha, Grandidierella lignorum, Apseudes vietnamensis. The biodiversity index values during the monitoring characterized for aquatic environmental conditions of mesotrophic to polytrophic. Besides, species richness positively correlated with DO, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. The results confirmed the advantage of using benthic macroinvertebrates and their indices for water quality assessment

Firm exporting and employee benefits: first evidence from Vietnam manufacturing SMEs

This study examines linkages between the export participation of firms and employee benefits in terms of wages and employment quality. Based on a uniquely matched firmworker panel dataset for 2007 and 2009, we find evidence that export participation by firms in Vietnam has a positive impact on wages when taking into account firm characteristics alone. However, the exporter wage premium falls when both firm and worker characteristics are controlled for, and it decreases further when controlling for time-invariant unobservable factors by spell fixed effect estimation. While there are many studies on the export wage premium, the role of export participation on the quality of employment remains largely unexplored. By using a firm-level balanced panel dataset for the same period, our results suggest that export participation has a negative effect on employment quality. Nevertheless, the impact of export participation on both wages and employment quality vary greatly with respect to levels of technology

The impact of land fragmentation on household income: Evidence from rural Vietnam

Our study provides evidence that land fragmentation has negative consequences for household income, possibly because of its negative effects on crop income in ruralVietnam. Notably, using the Instrumental Variables (IV) method, we find that the negative effect is much greater after addressing the endogeneity of land fragmentation. IV analysis, therefore, suggests that a conventional approach which often uses the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method is likely to underestimate the impact of land fragmentation on rural households. Also, the finding implies that reducing land fragmentation would minimize its negative consequences for household income by reducing its negative effect on crop income