How does research and development affect the nexus of climate change and agricultural productivity in Asian and Pacific countries?

This study empirically examines the impact of climate change and agricultural research and development (R&D) as well as their interaction on agricultural productivity in 12 selected Asian and Pacific countries over the period of 1990 – 2018. Results show that both proxies of climate change – temperature and precipitation – have negative impacts on agricultural productivity. Notably, agricultural R&D investments not only increase agricultural productivity but also mitigate the detrimental impact of climate change proxied by temperature on agricultural productivity. Interestingly, climate change proxied by precipitation initially reduces agricultural productivity until a threshold of agricultural R&D beyond which precipitation increases agricultural productivity. The findings imply useful policies to boost agricultural productivity by using R&D in the context of rising climate change in the vulnerable continent

Expertise reversal effect on reading comprehension: a case of english for specific purposes (ESP)

Cognitive Load Theory assists researchers in designing instructional procedures that can lead to enhancement of reading skills. This paper aims to examine cognitive load effect as expertise reversal effect on reading comprehension of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). An experiment was designed to investigate whether the expertise reversal effect can be applied to reading comprehension of ESP. The implications of the experiment findings can be used in teaching and learning ESP reading comprehension. The findings will help instructors design more appropriate reading comprehension instructions with alternative versions to integrate different domains such as English for Geography and Mathematics effectively and to test the expertise reversal effect on reading comprehension

The impact of employer branding on job application intention: Evidence from business undergraduates in Vietnam

This study aims to figure out the impact of employer branding perception on job application intention of business undergraduates in three main provinces of Southeast Vietnam, including Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Ho Chi Minh City. The result shows that Task Attractiveness, Payment Attractiveness, and Working Atmosphere positively affect business undergraduates’ job application intention. However, our findings also show that the participants do not put a lot of attention on the Work-life Comfort factor and the Career Opportunities factor

Split-attention in reading comprehension: a case of English as a foreign/second language

Recent research on the role, the development, and the effectiveness of reading comprehension instructions has provided substantial results concerning the methodology of teaching foreign languages. Cognitive load theory has assisted researchers to recognize cognitive effects in reading comprehensions that can lead to improvements in reading skill. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the split-attention effect in reading comprehension instructions to assist teachers of English to facilitate learning. Three experiments were designed to investigate whether the split attention effect applied to reading comprehension in EFL/ESL by comparing two instructional formats: split-attention and integrated formats. Participants were randomly allocated to one of the two groups and received one of the two instructional formats. The integrated format included a reading text and IO questions integrating physically into the text. The split-attention format consisted of the same reading text and the same questions at the end of the text. Results indicated that the split attention format increased extraneous cognitive load and interfered with the reading comprehension process compared to the integrated format

Meta-analysis of driving behavior studies and assessment of factors using structural equation modeling

The aim of this paper is to understand the factors that influence unsafe driving practices by examining published studies that utilized the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to predict driving behavior. To this end, it reviews 42 studies published up to the end of 2021 to evaluate the predictive utility of TPB by employing a meta-analysis and structural equation model. The results indicate that these studies sought to predict 20 distinct driving behaviors (e.g., drink-driving, use of cellphone while driving, aggressive driving) using the original TPB constructs and 43 additional variables. The TPB model with the three original constructs is found to account for 32% intentional variance and 34% behavioral variance. Among the 43 variables researchers have examined in TPB studies related to driving behavior, this study identified the six that are commonly used to enhance the TPB model’s predictive power. These variables are past behavior, self-identity, descriptive norm, anticipated regret, risk perception, and moral norm. When past behavior is added to the original TPB model, it increases the explained variance in intention to 52%. When all six factors are added to the original TPB model, the best model has only four variables (perceived risk, self-identity, descriptive norm, and moral norm); this model increased the explained variance to 48%. The influence of the TPB constructs on intention is modified by behavior category and traffic category. The findings of this paper validate the application of TPB to predict driving behavior. It is the first study to do this through the use of meta-analysis and structural equation modeling

Factors Influencing Blockchain Adoption in Logistics: A Customer-Centric Study in Vietnam

This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of blockchain technology in logistics in Vietnam, focusing on customer perspectives. Utilizing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research examines key determinants such as attitude, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and behavioral intention, and their impact on actual use behavior. Data were collected from a refined sample of 208 respondents through structured offline surveys, initially drawn from a pool of 250 participants. The analysis was conducted using Smart PLS 4.0, a powerful tool for Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), to ensure robust and reliable results. The findings reveal that user attitude, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness significantly influence behavioral intention, which in turn positively affects the actual use of blockchain technology. The study emphasizes the importance of addressing user perceptions to enhance the adoption of blockchain in logistics, highlighting the potential for blockchain to improve transparency, efficiency, and security in the supply chain. These insights offer valuable guidance for businesses and policymakers aiming to foster blockchain integration in logistics, particularly in emerging markets like Vietnam

The multi-dimension of international logistics performance and export flows: An empirical study from developing countries

This research empirically examines how the overall logistics performance index (LPI) and its different dimensions affect export flows in 38 developing countries during the period 2007-2018. Results significantly shows positive impacts of the overall index of international logistics performance and its five dimensions on export flows, including Customs (C), Infrastructure (I), International shipments (IS), Logistics quality and competence (LQC), and Timeliness (T). Notably, three dimensions of LPI that have the strongest impacts on export flows are LQC, T, and C. The findings provide policymakers strong evidence on making the right decisions to facilitate and enhance the export flows by promoting international logistics performance in developing countries

Financial development, income inequality and institutional quality: A multi-dimensional analysis

Ambiguous impacts of financial development on income inequality in the literature imply that the impacts can be affected by other variables and may depend on different dimensions of financial development. This paper studies the effects of financial development with multi-dimensional analysis (financial depth, financial access and financial efficiency) of two main categories (financial institutions and financial markets) and institutional quality on income inequality in 30 Asian countries in the period 2000 – 2019. Results show that the financial institutions development (FI), the financial institutions access (FIA), the financial institutions efficiency (FIE), and the financial markets access (FMA) reduce income inequality; but the overall financial development (OFD), the financial markets development (FM), the financial institutions depth (FID), and the financial markets depths (FMD) increase it. Notably, better institutional quality not only lessens income inequality, but also moderates the effects of financial development on income inequality. Specifically, the improvement of institutional quality strengthens the beneficial effects of FI, FIA, FIE, and FMA on income inequality. Meanwhile, OFD, FM, FID, and FMD initially exacerbate income inequality until respective thresholds of institutional quality, and then beyond those levels of IQ, these indicators of financial development reduce income inequality. Results are robust with various estimators. These findings strongly support the importance of financial development with multi-dimensions and institutional reform in Asian countries as they have both direct and indirect impacts on income inequality through their mutual interactions

ICT and financial development: Empirical evidence from ASEAN countries

This paper empirically investigates the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on financial development proxied by Domestic credit/GDP and Money supply/GDP in ten ASEAN countries over the period 2000-2020. Results from fixed effects for panel data show that ICT stimulates financial development by both proxies. Remarkably, the impact of ICT on financial development proxied by Money supply/GDP is stronger than that proxied by Domestic credit/GDP, implying the important channel of Money supply/GDP through which ICT can stimulate financial development. In addition, other important determinants of financial development are confirmed in the context of ASEAN countries, including economic growth, trade openness, and urbanization. The findings consolidate the utilization of ICT to boost financial development in ASEAN countries

The Effects of Dynamic Capabilities on Operational Performance: An Empirical Study from Manufacturing Enterprises in Vietnam

This research investigates the complex impact of supply chain dynamic capabilities through various dimensions (including cooperation, integration, agility, and responsiveness) on operational performance at the manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam. The results highlight the crucial importance of cooperation in promoting innovation, integration in facilitating decision-making processes, agility in navigating unpredictable circumstances, and responsiveness in serving the needs of customers. The aforementioned observations have significant ramifications for both the academic and industrial sectors. We offer valuable empirical support for researchers to conduct more in-depth inquiries, along with providing practical strategies for businesses to optimize their supply chain operations. This study also makes a valuable contribution to the developing discipline of supply chain management by elucidating the mechanisms through which dynamic capabilities drive operational excellence in a swiftly changing industrial environment