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Corrosion of steel in marine environments poses a significant economic and environmental challenge because of its detrimental effects on marine structures and equipment. Traditional chemical inhibitors that mitigate corrosion often introduce harmful substances into the environment. As a result, there is a growing interest in exploring eco-friendly alternatives, such as plant-derived inhibitors, to reduce the environmental impact of corrosion protection strategies. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Phyllanthus urinaria extract as a green anti-corrosion additive for rebar steel in marine conditions.

Phyllanthus urinaria extract was prepared in the ethanol solution with the assistance of a sonicator. The steel’s surface upon addition of the extract was characterized using SEM, EDX and FTIR analysis. The electrochemical corrosion characteristics, including potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, were used to evaluate the inhibitory performance of the extract on steel under simulated marine conditions (3.5% NaCl solutions).

The results of this study showed that with Phyllanthus urinaria extract’s content of 0.02% in NaCl solution of 3.5%, the corrosion rate decreased to about 30% compared to the controlled sample. Measurements of the inhibitory mechanism analysis study for all solutions from 0 mg/L to 1.114 mg/L of polyphenol from Phyllanthus urinaria extract showed a significant reduction in rebar corrosion rate, especially with 0.2228 mg/L polyphenol. Reinforcement can increase corrosion inhibition by up to 30% compared to the control sample.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of using Phyllanthus urinaria extract as green inhibitor for protection of steel from the corrosion in the simulated marine solution. The protective mechanism for steel using Phyllanthus urinaria extract was investigated using the FTIR, SEM, EDX and electrochemical analysis. The results indicated that the polyphenols in the extract showed inhibition that could minimize the corrosion of reinforcement in marine environments.

Of critical concern to the world is the need to reduce consumption and waste of natural resources. This study provides a multi-level exploration of the ways situational and transformational links between levels and challenges are related to the adoption and utilization of material flow cost accounting in Vietnam, to encourage green productivity.

Based on triangulation of public documents at different institutional levels and a set of semi-structured interviews, situational and transformational links and challenges for material flow cost accounting in Vietnam are examined using purposive and snowball sampling of key actors.

Using a multi-level framework the research identifies six situational and transformational barriers to implementation of material flow cost accounting and suggests opportunities to overcome these. The weakest links identified involve macro-to meso-situational and micro-to macro-transformational links. The paper highlights the dominance of meso-level institutions and lack of focus on micro transformation to cut waste and enable improvements in green productivity.

The paper identifies ways for companies in Vietnam to reduce unsustainability and enable transformation towards sustainable management and waste reduction.

The paper is the first to develop and use a multi-level/multi-time period framework to examine the take-up of material flow cost accounting to encourage transformation towards green productivity. Consideration of the Vietnamese case builds understanding of the challenges for achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 12, to help enable sustainable production and consumption patterns.

This study aimed to examine the impact of learning organization (LO) on job satisfaction and individual performance in Vietnamese enterprises. The study further explores the mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between learning organization and employee performance.

Data were collected from 653 employees from various types of organizations in Vietnam. Structural equation modeling was implemented to test the hypotheses.

The results revealed that the proposed research model was supported. Results indicated that LOs positively influenced employees’ job satisfaction and the broader range of their individual performance. In addition, employees’ job satisfaction motivated them to achieve higher performance levels. The study also found a mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between LO and employee performance. The results underscore the importance of implementing an LO culture for individual outcomes such as job satisfaction and employee performance in the Vietnamese cultural context, which is based on socialism and Confucianism.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationships among LO, job satisfaction and individual employee performance in the Vietnamese context. The results offer a deeper understanding of the LO concept in the Vietnamese cultural context and highlight the cultural impact on the LO concept and its effects. The results suggest how the LO concept is applied in the Vietnamese context.

This study examines antecedents and impacts of HR competence and effective HR practices in organizations. People are an essential asset in organizations, but their potential is reduced without robust HR practices and competent HR professionals. Few studies have investigated causes of low HR professional competence and poor HRM practices.

This explanatory mixed-method study used survey data (N = 322), interviews and online statements. Data was collected in Vietnam, a country well suited to this study as it has considerable variation in institutional arrangements. It has legacies of Chinese, French and Soviet influence and more recently has adopted international reform models, such as new public management.

Agency accountability, autonomy and servant leadership promote HR competence, and consequently effective HR practices, and employee and employer outcomes (public service motivation, organizational commitment and organizational performance). Interviews triangulate findings from the survey data and explain barriers (rules, incentives, nepotism, corruption) to these quantitatively examined processes occurring. Strategic solutions for improving HR practices and professional competence are identified.

Practical implications of this research include a greater understanding of the importance of individual accountability and autonomy for executives, with the promotion of servant leaders through better screening and leadership development. Selection criteria should hinge on achievement, merit and the desire to serve the public interest. Competent HRM units should be developed and supported. Such units should focus on managing performance through ensuring line managers do basics such as setting clear goals, giving feedback, training and developing staff. Developing succinct appraisal criteria that reward good performers and sanction poor performers needs to be prioritized.

This study provides useful guidance on how to reform public administration systems so that reforms are more effective.

This study identifies both institutional and leadership antecedents to both HR competence and HR practices and their subsequent impacts. Its institutional and developing country orientation complements past studies that have been psychologically oriented and in the global north.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of capital buffer on risk-taking in the Vietnam banking sector as well as examine the moderating role of capital regulation based on Basel II standards and shadow banking on this correlation.

The capital buffer is measured by the bank’s capital adequacy ratio minus the regulatory capital adequacy ratio, whereas risk-taking is the inverse value of the Zscore indicator. To test the hypotheses, the two-step system generalized method of moments estimation and a data set for the period 2010–2022 were used.

This study reveals the U-shaped nonlinear impact of capital buffer on bank risk-taking, which means that maintaining high capital buffer forces Vietnamese banks to reduce risky activities, but when the capital buffer is thick enough to resist unexpected shocks, an additional level of capital buffer may lead to excessive risky behaviors. The regression outcomes also explore the moderating role of capital regulation based on Basel II standards and shadow banking. To be specific, applying capital regulation following Basel II has caused banks to behave more cautiously and enhance the negative impact of capital buffer on bank risk-taking, whereas engaging in shadow banking activities has caused them to increase risk tolerance and diminish the negative impact of capital buffer on risk-taking.

This study bridges the gap in the literature regarding the impact of capital buffer on bank risk-taking in a typical emerging market. Especially, the article explores evidence that capital regulation and shadow banking play as moderators between two main interest variables.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between sustainability reporting and the cost of capital among Vietnamese firms using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards.

Using a sample of the 100 largest firms by market capitalisation listed on the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh stock exchanges as of 31 December 2023, this study applies regression models to examine how sustainability disclosure influences the cost of debt (COD), cost of equity (COE) and the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) over the period from 2021 to 2023.

The findings indicate a significant negative relationship between sustainability disclosure and the COD, COE and WACC, with environmental-related sustainability development goals (SDGs) disclosures having the most substantial impact. These results highlight the critical role of transparency in reducing information asymmetry and agency costs, ultimately lowering the cost of capital.

This study extends stakeholder and signalling theories by demonstrating how sustainability disclosure affects both shareholders and creditors in a developing economy.

This study provides actionable insights for corporate managers and financial institutions on how sustainable development practices can enhance access to capital at more favourable rates. Policymakers and banks are encouraged to implement green finance initiatives to promote sustainability further.

As Vietnam strives to combat climate change, this research underscores the importance of sustainable practices in building trust with investors and lenders.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study offers one of the first comprehensive examinations of the link between sustainability reporting and capital costs in Vietnam, offering important empirical evidence for academics and practitioners.

Oman commitment for Sustainable Development Goals 2030 pushes green building at the forefront of construction industry. However, its green building progress is slower than other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and only a handful of local contractors have been involved in green project development. Understanding the barriers to green project delivery will open avenues for better project planning and preparation. This research aims to identify the barriers experienced by the contractors when constructing green buildings in Oman.

Qualitative research, via a semi-structured interview process, explores the barriers experienced by 14 contractors when constructing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building projects in Oman. Using NVivo 12 software, thematic analysis was conducted through the generation of coding and themes which enable the identification of the relevant barriers.

The research uncovered 10 barriers and grouped them into five categories. The five categories are as follows: (1) insufficient skills development, (2) lack of government support and regulatory adjustment, (3) limitation in materials procurement, (4) documentation and coordination limitation and (5) difficulty in green rating compliance.

The research identified 10 barriers of constructing green buildings in Oman. These barriers gravitated on 4 issues: knowledge and competency, green rating requirements, government involvement and materials procurement. It streamlined clusters of the potential research area for more effective green building action plans in the future. Two barriers are deemed uniquely applied to Oman, namely “lack of needed regulatory adjustment” and “absence of local rating tools”. This insight can serve as a valuable steppingstone to push more green buildings for the country.