Search results

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of commitments of local employees to a parent company and a local operation in comparison to the nature of commitment of Western expatriates to the two foci.

Data were collected by questionnaire from 532 local employees and 471 Western expatriates currently working for the subsidiaries of multinational companies (MNCs) in Vietnam. Hypotheses were tested using exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, correlation analyses, t-test, generalized linear models and hierarchical regression.

The results confirmed two distinct commitment foci and revealed that the commitment to the local operation was stronger than the commitment to the parent company for local employees. Remarkably, retention and absenteeism are more driven by local operation commitment than by parent company commitment for the local employees. In contrast, these outcomes are more driven by parent company commitment for the Western expatriates. Working conditions (job autonomy, job variety, transformational leadership and remuneration) positively predicted affective commitment to the local operation for both groups; particularly job variety and leadership were better predictors for local employees than for Western expatriates.

The comparison shows effective and specific ways to sustain and reinforce the commitments of each employee group with regard to two foci. This information may help to reduce the rate of turnover intention and absenteeism in MNCs.

By using a multifaceted approach, this study provided a comparison of dual organizational commitment for different categories of employees working in MNCs. Second, this study shows that the stronger commitment focus has a stronger influence on related outcomes (i.e. retention and absenteeism). If so, MNCs can focus on reinforcing the selected commitment focus in order to reduce the costs of management. Third, the study has initially pointed out that some work factors exert a specific influence on different commitment foci in the two groups. Controlling these work conditions is recommended to sustain and develop commitment levels of the two groups.

Understanding customers’ expertise for better service co-creation is of great importance. To be an effective co-creator, customers need to have much more knowledge than a basic literacy, which is appropriate for passive service consumption. This paper aims to propose the concept of customer service co-creation literacy (SCL) to capture not only the basic expertise but also the expertise for active service co-creation. This study then investigates how SCL can be cultivated and how it facilitates customer co-creation behavior, which subsequently leads to enhanced value.

A conceptual model was developed and tested in the health-care service context using a sample of 310 patients. CB-SEM/AMOS software package was used for data analysis.

SCL has different impacts on three components of co-creation behavior, which in turn influence the service value differently. SCL not only solely facilitates co-creation behavior but also directly increases customer value. SCL can be cultivated by social support and frontline employee interaction.

The findings offer managerial and societal implications for cognitive interventions to develop customers’ SCL, which is aligned to customers’ needed literacy for co-creation and well-being.

The newly proposed concept of SCL is shown to be more appropriate in research adopting the service-dominant logic. Its importance as one type of customer operant resource for value co-creation is underscored. Findings also uncover how other actors indirectly contribute to customers’ value co-creation via developing their SCL resources.

Drawing on scholarships of workplace romance, LGBT at work and sexual fluidity, this present research aims to investigate the effect of female sexually fluid romantic relationships at work on their work and life.

The authors used qualitative approach and interviewed 30 female workers who experienced sexual fluidity at work.

From interviews with 30 female employees in Vietnam who experience fluidity in their romance, the authors find out positive and negatives effects on their psychology at work (affective/behavioral/cognitive change and mental health), work outcome (job attitudes and performance/productivity) and relations with coworkers.

This research discovers common and distinct features in the workplace romance of female sexually fluid employees. The research finding supports queer perspective which is exerting more salient impacts on our contemporary society and workplace.

This study aims to address two relatively unexplored issues in banking service literature. The first relates to the impact of co-creation behaviors of frontline employees (FLEs) on their well-being. The second is the impact of FLEs' adaptability on their performance of co-creation behaviors and their well-being in the workplace.

A structural model was built and tested using survey data collected from 366 FLEs offering financial consulting services to customers at banks.

FLE co-creation behaviors have positive impacts on FLEs’ well-being, including well-being in the workplace (job satisfaction) and general well-being (quality of life). Moreover, FLEs with a high level of interpersonal and service-offering adaptability perform co-creation behaviors better than those with lower adaptability and have higher job satisfaction. Between service-offering adaptability and interpersonal adaptability, the former has stronger effects than the latter.

The findings suggest that banks develop and enhance FLEs’ adaptability and co-creation behaviors to enhance their well-being and customer value.

Prior research on FLEs' co-creation mainly focuses on customer-related transformative outcomes, leaving their own well-being less examined. This study fills this gap by providing evidence to suggest that although active co-creation behaviors require FLEs to have more skills and put in more effort, they do bring about transformative impacts in terms of better job satisfaction and quality of life. Additionally, a high level of adaptability helps FLEs to comfortably perform their co-creation behavior, thereby reducing stress and improving well-being.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and classify ecotourism service elements according to their instrumentality to customer satisfaction.

Drawing on the ECOSERV model, the authors conduct further qualitative and quantitative research to find additional dimensions of service quality. Kano’s model and Customer Satisfaction Index are then employed with a sample of 324 ecotourists to categorize these service quality elements.

A new scale of ecotourism service quality is proposed, with the addition of four dimensions: price-quality, interaction with locals, interaction with other customers and relaxation feelings. The paper also confirms the existence of four groups which are classified according to their level of impacts on satisfaction and dissatisfaction: attractive, one-dimensional, must-be and indifferent.

The paper improves the present ecotourism scale and develops an integrated approach to facilitate effective decision making by identifying areas that require greater attention, thus providing practical benefits for eco-site managers. It also hopes to contribute to better understanding about ecotourism services in the context of an Asia country like Vietnam and encourages further research in this area.

This paper aims to investigate the linkage between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and earnings quality (EQ) in the context of Vietnam, an Asian emerging economy characterized by high growth for decades and a socialist orientation. As CSR firms are expected to have high EQ, there arise concerns that corporate managers of CSR firms may use the reputation of the firm as a protection mechanism against the cost of earnings management.

The study uses a unique sample of Vietnamese CSR firms listed on Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchanges from 2015 to 2019. Several econometric tests are conducted to investigate whether corporate managers of CSR-active firms actively engage in earnings management and reduce the firms' EQ.

The empirical results show a negative impact of CSR on EQ, meaning that, in general, corporate managers of CSR firms in Vietnam opportunistically manage earnings. This confirms the paradox of the CSR–EQ relationship. In line with an emerging strand of research in the CSR literature, the finding suggests that the agency problem arises in CSR firms where corporate managers use their managerial discretion over accrual accounting to manipulate reported earnings.

The finding has practical implications for market participants and policymakers in improving monitoring mechanisms and enhancing the information environment in developing capital markets.

This is the first study in the literature that investigates and shows the paradox of the CSR–EQ relationship in the context of Vietnam, a new emerging economy that follows socialist orientation.

High-quality workforce is the most important source for competitive advantage, and thus all organizations attempt to attract and recruit young talents. This study aims to examine the relationships between corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate reputation and intention to apply for a job in young individuals.

For empirical analysis, this study uses data collected from final-year students and fresh graduates in a developing city. This study uses structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the research model.

CSR is found to be positively and directly associated with intention to apply for a job. CSR is also positively and indirectly associated with intention to apply through the mediation of corporate reputation.

This study underscores the importance of CSR practices in enhancing corporate reputation and attracting talented young candidates. Accordingly, organizations can gain their competitive edge in a highly competitive environment.

This study suggests that organizations should be more concerned about CSR practices for the sake of corporate reputation as well as community development.

This study is among the early attempts to examine the direct and indirect relationships between CSR, corporate reputation and intention to apply for a job in a developing city. The findings add to the growing literature suggesting that CSR may help organizations achieve competitive advantage regarding the attraction of prospective young talents.

This paper aims to employ the concept of service personal values to predict customer satisfaction and loyalty towards banking services. It also aims to validate the three components of service personal values when being conceptualized as a high‐order construct.

A structural equation model was developed and tested using data surveyed from retail banking customers in Vietnam. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to refine the measurement scales. Path analysis was used to test the model.

With customer satisfaction as a partial mediating construct, the results show that service personal values can explain a significant part of customer satisfaction and a substantial part of customer loyalty. Data also validate the three components of service personal values namely, value to a peaceful life, value to social recognition and value to social integration.

Involvement level in the purchase process, switching barriers and/or corporate image should be added as moderating variables in further research. Impacts of each component of service personal values on satisfaction and loyalty are another research direction.

Service providers should understand personal values of customers that may be different by culture and social demographic characteristics. Providing a service that enhances customer personal values is a key to success because it helps customers to be happy, to be recognized, and to improve their relationship with others.

Employing the concept of service personal values, this study departs from the prevailing use of service attributes, service quality or service value to predict satisfaction and loyalty. Moreover, it is among very few studies conducted in a transitional economy.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of organizational factors such as leadership commitment, incentives and interaction on learning outcomes defined as performance improvement and organizational climate.

Different aspects of knowledge acquisition, sharing and utilization were examined, related to outcomes. Design professionals in Vietnam construction firms were surveyed. The sample was 339 designers.

The impact of leadership commitment was significantly related to both performance and organizational climate. Incentives were only positively correlated with performance and staff interaction was only positive with organizational climate. The paper is supportive of many conceptual studies in the literature. The results show that each of these factors has a different role and impact on the organizational learning process and outcome.

The limitations of this study are that the sample comes from only one industry in a developing country, and it uses an attitudinal survey. Replications of this analysis in other research contexts, industries, countries and organizational characteristics would enhance the generalizability of the findings.

From the practical perspective managers who would like to facilitate learning in the organization, improve performance and promote a better organizational climate should demonstrate their commitment to learning, provide incentives to use that learning and use a more collaborative approach.

This study provides empirical evidence for the importance of leadership commitment, incentives and staff interaction on the process and outcome of organizational learning.