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Item Using data-driven weightings to construct the provincial healthcare system index(Innovative Research Publishing, 2025-02-28) Le B-T; Hoang T-H; Ngo T; Pham T-LThe healthcare system is essential in delivering services that enhance the quality of life and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) worldwide. Thus, measuring the effectiveness of healthcare systems is important. This study introduces a Provincial Healthcare System Index (PHSI) as a composite index that integrates macro-and micro-level data to assess the readiness and capacity of provincial healthcare systems, with an application to Vietnam, an emerging economy. Importantly, principal component analysis was used to derive data-driven weightings for the PHSI instead of a priori subjectively defined ones. The empirical results show that the average 2021 PHSI in Vietnam is notably low at 0.199, indicating a significant lack of preparation and capacity in converting healthcare resources into outcomes. The marked disparity among neighboring provinces suggests that their healthcare systems are still disconnected. The study highlights the need for Vietnamese policymakers to enhance the resources and outcomes of its provincial healthcare system. Improving provincial connectivity could significantly enhance the overall efficiency of the regional and national healthcare systems in Vietnam. Such implications could be further extended to other emerging economies.Item A risk-benefit approach to the purchase and consumption of conventional vegetables in wet markets(Elsevier Ltd, 2022-09-01) Ha TM; Hansson H; Abu Hatab A; Darr D; Shakur SThe purchase and consumption of conventional vegetables from wet markets in Vietnam are like two sides of a coin: perceived food safety risks and perceived benefits. Drawing on a sample of 463 Hanoi consumers, this study employed a risk-benefit approach to analyze the purchase intention and consumption frequency of conventional vegetables at traditional markets. A confirmatory factor analysis examined the links among risk perception, perceived utilitarian benefits, perceived hedonic benefits, and trust. Finally, generalized ordered and Poisson regressions were performed on these psychological constructs and their identified links. We found that perceived hedonic benefits, trust in wet market actors, and the presence of homegrown vegetables determined purchase intention and consumption frequency. The joint influence of perceived hedonic and utilitarian benefits on purchase intention implies that consumers considered both benefit dimensions when thinking of their future purchase of conventional vegetables. The significant interaction between perceived risk and perceived hedonic benefits on consumption frequency supports the risk-benefit approach. The effect of perceived hedonic benefits and income on purchase intention and consumption frequency are evidence of wet markets' social and cultural relevance.Item Three essays on the impact of regulatory changes on firms’ operation : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Finance, Massey Business School, School of Finance and Economics(Massey University, 2023-12-04) Nguyen, Van PhucThis dissertation offers an in-depth exploration of how major and cross-country laws, such as anti-collusion, enhanced by a leniency program and the recently emerging free trade agreement, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), influence firms' operational efficiencies and strategies across various contexts. Employing rigorous methodologies, including advanced Difference-in-Differences (DiD) estimators and Propensity Score Matching (PSM-DiD), this research spans multiple countries and time periods to furnish a detailed understanding of regulatory impacts. The first essay investigates the implications of leniency laws on firms' operational efficiency across 64 countries from 1990–2020. Findings reveal that in response to leniency laws, firms adopt a dual strategy: they initially extend credit terms, which pose short-term risks to asset turnover, while also optimizing fixed asset utilization for long-term sustainable growth. The study uncovers considerable heterogeneity in the laws' impact, notably more pronounced in developing economies and within specific cultural frameworks. The study identifies that leniency laws, in particular, affect larger and more profitable firms by leading them to extend more favorable payment terms. Additionally, the laws have a more pronounced impact on developing economies and cultures characterized by specific traits such as low power distance, collectivism, high uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation, as outlined by Hofstede (2011). The second essay examines the influence of the CPTPP on Vietnamese firms from 2017–2021, a transformative era where Vietnam pivoted from an agrarian economy to a manufacturing powerhouse where operational efficiency plays a key role (Laiprakobsup & Chorkaew, 2018). This pivotal change, spurred by the “China Plus One” strategy, not only cements Vietnam’s status as a key player in global manufacturing but also warrants an in-depth analysis as to how its competitive labor and production costs, enhanced by a strategic location, contribute to its increasing economic allure. Our study reveals an initial dip in operational efficiency during the first year of the CPTPP, indicating a strategic realignment phase with increased fixed asset investments and trade credit extensions. However, subsequent years saw a substantial recovery in operational efficiency, marking the successful adaptation of the new trade conditions. The CPTPP's effects were particularly pronounced for high profitability, large-sized firms, those listed on HOSE, and, since 2020, those resilient to the impact of COVID-19. Financially constrained firms seek to use the CPTPP for revenue gains and stress relief but remain cautious about major investments due to debt management concerns. Our findings underscore the transformative role of major trade agreements, and the strategic shifts firms employ to harness these opportunities. The third essay explores the influence of the CPTPP on Research and Development (R&D) investment strategies within Japanese firms. The CPTPP's Chapter 18, with its comprehensive intellectual property protections, presents an opportunity for Japan to rejuvenate its innovation sector, especially as the nation seeks to reclaim its status as a technological leader amid a historical decline in patent registrations. The study presents a detailed impact of the CPTPP on R&D activities within Japanese firms. While enhanced intellectual property protections boost R&D investment, this is counterbalanced by opportunities for market expansion. Manufacturing firms aligned with Japan's cultural long-term orientation consistently increase R&D activities, while service-oriented and technology-intensive firms initially scale down, but eventually recover. Financially constrained firms and those with high sales growth exhibit similar, but distinct patterns in R&D investment. All these findings are framed within the Pecking Order Theory and Japan's cultural norms. Collectively, navigating through the intricacies of international industries and cultures, these essays shed light on the strategic adaptations of firms across the globe. They provide a valuable addition to the scholarly conversation and offer practical guidance for decision-makers worldwide.Item A Dataset for the Vietnamese Banking System (2002–2021)(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-09) Le TDQ; Ho TH; Ngo T; Nguyen DT; Tran SH; Guijarro FThis data article describes a dataset that consists of key statistics on the activities of 45 Vietnamese banks (e.g., deposits, loans, assets, and labor productivity), operated during the 2002–2021 period, yielding a total of 644 bank-year observations. This is the first systematic compilation of data on the splits of state vs. private ownership, foreign vs. domestic banks, commercial vs. policy banks, and listed vs. nonlisted banks. Consequently, this arrives at a unique set of variables and indicators that allow us to capture the development and performance of the Vietnamese banking sector over time along many different dimensions. This can play an important role for financial analysts, researchers, and educators in banking efficiency and performance, risk and profit/revenue management, machine learning, and other fields. Dataset: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/RIWA3B Dataset License: CC0Item From Efficiency Analyses to Policy Implications: a Multilevel Hierarchical Linear Model Approach(Taylor and Francis Group, 2021-09-25) Dao TTT; Mai XTT; Ngo T; Le T; Ho HThis paper examines the key factors that influenced the cost efficiency of 7,633 Vietnamese manufacturing firms during 2010–2016 via a hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) approach. The main reason for using HLM in this case is that observations in the same group may not be independent from each other (e.g. firms operate within the same city), and some variables may not vary across those observations. Although most of the findings are consistent with previous studies, the statistical power of our HLM model is higher than that of the traditional single-level analysis, suggesting that HLM can provide better analytical insights. The results further indicate a case for cities or provinces pursuing different policies aimed at improving the performance of their local firms.Item ICT as a Key Determinant of Efficiency: A Bootstrap-Censored Quantile Regression (BCQR) Analysis for Vietnamese Banks(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-06-16) Le TDQ; Ngo T; Ho TH; Nguyen DT; Boubaker SThere is evidence that ICT developments can improve bank efficiency and performance. Previous studies often employ data envelopment analysis (DEA) to first examine bank performance and then use a second-stage regression to explain the influences of other environmental factors, including ICT, on such efficiency. Since DEA efficiency scores are bounded between the (0, 1] intervals, Tobit and truncated regressions are commonly used in this stage. However, none has accounted for the skewness characteristic of DEA efficiency. This paper applied a bootstrap-censored quantile regression (BCQR) approach to triply account for the issues of a small sample (via bootstrap), bounded intervals (via censored regression), and skewness (via quantile regression) in DEA analysis. We empirically examined the efficiency and performance of 27 Vietnamese commercial banks in the 2007–2019 period. The efficiency scores derived from our first stage revealed that they are skewed and thus, justify the use of the BCQR in the second stage. The BCQR results further confirmed that ICT developments could enhance bank efficiency, which supports the recent policy to restructure the Vietnamese banking sector toward innovation and digitalization. We also examined the impacts of other factors such as bank ownership, credit risk, and bank size on efficiency.Item Engaging with the private sector for development : a critical analysis of attempts to partner with business for women's economic empowerment in Vietnam : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Manawatū, Aotearoa New Zealand(Massey University, 2023) Nguyen, Lan Phuong ThiDevelopment agencies have increasingly recognised the private sector as playing an important role in the progress toward achieving sustainable development. While scholars contest the private sector’s role in development, development agencies and NGOs continue collaborating with the private sector to deliver social results for the poor. There have been numerous studies on the role of large companies, mostly multinational corporations, in development. However, limited literature sheds light on the engagement of donors with micro and small enterprises in development as well as their impacts on women’s economic empowerment. This research aims to fill this gap by critically investigating donor-private sector partnerships implemented under an Australian aid programme in which micro and small enterprises are engaged to economically empower ethnic minority women in Vietnam. My findings suggest that micro and small businesses are important development partners in creating economic opportunities for low-income women. Locally- and socially-embedded businesses can achieve success and sustainability through their ability to engage with ethnic minority women. They also have the potential to create economic, social, and cultural impacts. They can be inclusive, with some small businesses reaching poor ethnic minority women regardless of production scales, and they can help women improve their incomes by supporting women to cultivate and sell unique, traditional, and cultural products. However, these private sector partners face challenges that constrain their partnership with development agencies and limit the objective of empowering ethnic minority women. My research findings challenge the instrumentalist notion of women’s economic empowerment, which donors commonly deploy in partnerships with a business by focusing solely on providing training and access to productive resources for market integration. It confirms that this instrumentalist approach is insufficient to genuinely empower women. Instead, my research recommends a holistic donor-private sector partnership framework for women’s empowerment to plug the gaps and transform the prevailing women’s economic empowerment approach. This proposed framework includes two elements which emerged from the research findings: relational and collective empowerment. Relational empowerment emphasises the importance of the relational aspects of empowerment and how changes in power relations in the surrounding environment affect women's empowerment. Collective empowerment reflects the need for collective action to influence changes in social norms and rules to recognise and improve women’s positions within households and the broader community. The proposed framework also involves civil society organisations, non-government organisations, and local governments as important partners in addressing unequal structures and barriers to women and enabling transformative outcomes for women. These research findings will support development agencies to better engage with the private sector to enable ethnic minority women’s empowerment.Item Development of Alcohol Control Policy in Vietnam: Transnational Corporate Interests at the Policy Table, Global Public Health Largely Absent(Kerman University of Medical Sciences, 2022-12) Casswell SBackground This paper analyses input from global interests in the policy process leading up to the passing of alcohol control legislation in Vietnam in 2019. The global alcohol industry now relies on growth in volume in emerging markets in middle-income countries such as Vietnam, a large, rapidly industrialising country with a youthful population and emerging middle class. The industry’s role in the alcohol policy process is compared with that of global health interests. Methods Document analysis of letters and English language media coverage was supplemented by and triangulated with data from key informants on changes in the content of draft alcohol legislation and participant observation. Results The alcohol legislation was negotiated in the context of active engagement from the global alcohol industry and some input from global public health interests. The global alcohol industry established a partnership relationship with politicians using CSR and funded a local employee in Hanoi over the decade prior to the draft legislation being considered. Direct lobbying took place over the content of the legislation, which went through six published drafts. Trade and investment agreements provided a supportive environment and were referred to by both politicians and industry. In contrast public health resource was limited and lacked the support of a normative global policy to counter the economic imperatives. Vietnamese Ministry of Health proposals for cost effective alcohol policy were not enacted. Conclusion Global commercial interests employed their considerable resources to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and build partnerships with policy-makers over a long period, contributing significantly to an environment unsupportive of enacting effective alcohol control policy. The absence of structural support from a global health treaty on alcohol and lack of an equivalent level of long-term sustained input from global health actors contributed to the legislative outcome, which excluded proposed cost-effective policies to reduce alcohol harm.Item Intergenerational effects of violence on women's perinatal wellbeing and infant health outcomes: evidence from a birth cohort study in Central Vietnam(BioMed Central Ltd, 2021-12) Do HP; Baker PRA; Van Vo T; Murray A; Murray L; Valdebenito S; Eisner M; Tran BX; Dunne MPBACKGROUND: Girls exposed to violence have a high risk of being victimized as adults and are more likely than non-abused women to have children who are treated violently. This intergenerational transmission may be especially serious when women suffer violence during pregnancy and early motherhood, as it impairs maternal wellbeing and infant health and development. This study examined the intergenerational effects of being exposed to childhood maltreatment (CM) and prenatal intimate partner violence (p-IPV) on perinatal mental distress and birth outcomes in central Vietnam. METHODS: A birth cohort study in Hue City, Vietnam was conducted with 150 women in the third trimester of pregnancy (Wave 1) and 3 months after childbirth (Wave 2). Using multivariable logistic regression models, augmented inverse-probability-weighted estimators and structural equation modelling (SEM), we analyzed a theoretical model by evaluating adjusted risk differences and pathways between CM, p-IPV and subsequent perinatal adversity and indicators of infant health problems. RESULTS: One in two pregnant women experienced at least one form of CM (55.03%) and one in ten pregnant women experienced both CM and p-IPV (10.67%). Mothers who experienced p-IPV or witnessed IPV as a child were approximately twice as likely to experience poor mental health during pregnancy [ARR 1.94, 95% CI (1.20-3.15)]. Infants had a two-fold higher risk of adverse birth outcomes (low birth weight, preterm birth, admission to neonatal intensive care) [ARR 2.45 95% CI (1.42, 4.25)] if their mothers experienced any form of p-IPV, with greater risk if their mothers were exposed to both CM and p-IPV [ARR 3.45 95% CI (1.40, 8.53)]. Notably, significant pathways to p-IPV were found via adverse childhood experience (ACE) events (β = 0.13), neighborhood disorder (β = 0.14) and partner support (β = - 1.3). CONCLUSION: These results emphasize the detrimental and prolonged nature of the effect of violence during childhood and pregnancy. Exposure to childhood maltreatment and violence during pregnancy increases the risk of maternal mental health difficulties and adverse birth outcomes. Antenatal care systems need to be responsive to women's previous experiences of violence and maternal mental health. The significant protective role of partner support and social support should also be considered when designing tailored interventions to address violence during pregnancy.Item Positive emotions in English language learning in the Vietnamese tertiary contexts : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2023) Nguyen, Thi Anh HongThis thesis explores the emotions students experienced during their English language learning trajectories in the Vietnamese tertiary context. It specifically focuses on the students’ positive emotions and on the role of hope as a mediating factor in triggering shifts in students’ emotions from negative to positive. Drawing on a sociocultural approach, this study explores the contribution of positive emotions in their English language learning. This qualitative study aims to contribute to our understanding of the complexity, diversity, and dynamics of emotions in English language learning as well as the role of Vietnamese culture in the emotions students experienced. The study is based on written narratives and interviews with students taking English language courses within three affiliated universities in Vietnam. The data were obtained from a total of 185 written narrative responses and 10 student interviews. Narrative analysis (Barkhuizen et al., 2013) was used to analyse small stories in the written narratives and thematic analysis (Talmy, 2010) was used for analysing the interview data. The findings indicate that both positive and negative emotions co-existed in the students’ English language learning experiences. The range of activity-related, success-linked, and failure-linked emotions highlighted by the findings illustrate that activity-related emotions such as enjoyment and excitement positively triggered students’ engagement, while negative emotions such as boredom negatively impacted it. Success-linked emotions originated from students’ self-assessed successes in meeting personal study or learning goals, their parents’ or teachers’ expectations, or the standards imposed by the community or society as a whole, with positive achievement emotions strongly associated with positive outcomes. In contrast, failure-linked emotions were associated with the students’ failure in achieving personal targets and in meeting the expectations others had of them, their recognition of their own shortcomings in relation to accepted social standards, or from negative evaluations from other people. Importantly, the findings showed that emotions are socially and culturally constructed, and in particular associated with the features of the local Confucian cultural heritage. Overall, the thesis illustrates the role of people living around students or in interactions with them in the emergence and development of emotions associated with English language learning. Finally, hope, as an emotion, emerged as playing a significant role in the transition between negative and positive emotions. The insights of the study contribute to the theory of emotions in language learning by delineating in detail the close and reciprocal relationship between emotions, self-efficacy and motivation, and by providing evidence of the role of hope in motivating students. It also contributes to our understanding of the role cultural factors play in shaping students’ emotions. The findings have implications for policymakers, educational trainers, school managers, teachers, parents, and language learners.