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This chapter provides information on the development of Vietnamese education under the influence of global forces based on the analysis of relevant education research and policies using Wolhuter’s frameworks. In the process of coming up with ways to develop education in the face of different influences of globalization, besides having reactions with patterns commonly found in countries around the world, Vietnam also has responses that reflect its own political, sociocultural and economic characteristics. The state still plays a controlling role in education at all levels and many culture-related features that have existed throughout the country’s history have hardly changed, namely aspects related to teachers, learners and teaching and learning methods. To sustain its education in the globalized era, Vietnam must make more efforts in various aspects such as the link between education and employment, the logic of education objectives, the feasibility and appropriateness of curricula, quality of education, especially of higher education and equality in education for underprivileged groups.

This study proposes a serial mediation model to investigate the factors influencing hospitality and tourism (H&T) students' destination choice intentions in an experiential learning context. By extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model to include extended variables and the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory, this study explores pathways in which experiential learning involvement (IEL) and destination emotions (DE) interact with attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) to predict H&T students' intentions (ITT). This work also examines the moderating role of destination familiarity (DF) on relationships between destination emotions and attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control.

The conceptual model and research hypotheses were each assessed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Paper-based surveys were used to collect data from 715 students majoring in tourism and hospitality training at schools in Vietnam and applying experiential learning activities during their training.

Research results confirm a serial mediation model wherein IEL and DE promote the formation of intention to choose a specific destination through various pathways: IEL? PBC? ITT; IEL? DE? SN/PBC? ITT and DE? SN/PBC? ITT. In addition, the results show that destination familiarity dampens the relationship between emotions and attitudes as well as with perceived behavioral control.

This study offers practical recommendations for destination management organizations (DMOs) seeking to increase the intention of H&T students to choose their particular destination. These recommendations include: forming strategic alliances with H&T educational institutions; implementing preferential policies like discounted or free admission to attractions and corporate discounts for students; launching targeted digital marketing campaigns on social media platforms and promoting the destination through youth-oriented media such as television shows and music videos.

From addressing the research gap by developing and testing a serial mediation model of destination choice intention of H&T students in an experiential learning context, this study offers new insights into developing scales of constructs in the research model associated with the context of experiential learning and highlights the importance of IEL and DE as a stimulus to achieve ATT, SN and PBC, all of which serve to increase H&T students' intention to choose a destination through different paths under the moderating lens of destination familiarly.

The purpose of this research was to investigate at the influence of technology acceptance model (TAM) characteristics including perceived ease of use, perceived compatibility, and perceived security on the perceived utility and actual use of mobile banking among Yemeni academics. It also investigated the function of perceived utility as a moderator in the link between TAM variables and mobile banking adoption. The sample size was 251 respondents who worked at universities in Yemen and were chosen using stratified random selection. According to the findings, perceived compatibility and perceived security had a substantial positive influence on perceived usefulness and real mobile banking use; however perceived simplicity of use had no effect on mobile banking usage. According to the results, perceived usefulness slightly mediated the association between perceived ease of use and security and mobile banking use, whereas it completely mediated the relationship between perceived compatibility and mobile banking usage. Overall, the research proved the significance of TAM elements in academics’ use of mobile banking in Yemen, offering a credible empirical framework for studying mobile banking usage in this setting.

Vietnam is firmly committed to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals articulated in the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Goal 4 concerns quality education, and target 4.3 refers to ensuring access by all men and women to quality and affordable technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university education. In 2017, the Prime Minister issued a directive that included five actions to be taken by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training to achieve target 4.3 in the context of the higher education sector. This chapter provides an opportunity to review some challenges the Ministry faces in implementing the five actions specified.

Since its development by Tinbergen (1962), the gravity model of international trade has widely been applied to analyse the effect of various factors on trade relationships between countries. Past studies on trade gravity vary not only in the mix of model variables but also in how they have come into the analysis. This study reviews existing literature on bilateral trade with an aim to identify influential predictors such as changes of trade policy and national development strategy and highlight important yet understudied factors such as transport and logistics infrastructure, and sustainable development. To demonstrate the needs to examine these critical factors across industry sectors, the study presents the case of textiles and clothing (T&C) production and trade between China and its trading partners as an illustration. Through the literature review, it shows how the gravity model can be applied to address current issues in international trade arena such as the potential trade war between the US and China, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and other important factors shaping global T&C trade. This study offers future research directions for analysis of global trade in the T&C industry and contributes to the wider literature of international business and trade.

This study aims to explore the synergistic effect of oxide nanoparticles (ZnO, Fe₂O₃, SiO₂) and cerium nitrate inhibitor on anti-corrosion performance of epoxy coating. First, cerium nitrate inhibitors are absorbed on the surface of various oxide nanoparticles. Thereafter, epoxy nanocomposite coatings have been fabricated on carbon steel substrate using these oxide@Ce nanoparticles as both nano-fillers and nano-inhibitors.

To evaluate the impact of oxides@Ce nanoparticles on mechanical properties of epoxy coating, the abrasion resistance and impact resistance of epoxy coatings have been examined. To study the impact of oxides@Ce nanoparticles on anti-corrosion performance of epoxy coating for steel, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy has been carried out in 3% NaCl solution.

ZnO@Ce3+ and SiO2@Ce3+ nanoparticles provide more enhancement in the epoxy pore network than modification of the epoxy/steel interface. Whereas, Fe2O3@Ce3+ nanoparticles have more to do with modification of the epoxy/steel interface than to change the epoxy pore network.

Incorporation of both oxide nanoparticles and inorganic inhibitor into the epoxy resin is a promising approach for enhancing the anti-corrosion performance of carbon steel.

Purpose: This chapter looks specifically at the sources of economic policy uncertainty in Nigeria, and discusses their impact on the Nigerian economy while drawing implications for Africa. It identifies factors that transmit uncertainty in economic policy in Nigeria and draw implications for other African countries.

Methodology: This chapter uses a literature survey methodology to identify the sources of economic policy uncertainty in Nigeria.

Findings: The identified sources of economic policy uncertainty in Nigeria are: the frequent changes in central bank policy, unexpected changes in government policy, political interference, unexpected fall in global oil price, recession, and unethical practices.

Implications: The implication of the study is that rising economic policy uncertainty in Nigeria can have a significant effect on the Nigerian economy and for connected African countries.

Originality: Previous studies have not examined the sources of economic policy uncertainty in Nigeria.

In this chapter, we apply the new measure of speculative activities (hereafter, named the speculative ratio) in Chan, Nguyen, and Chan (2013) to study the relationship between those activities and volatility in the oil futures market. We document that the speculative ratio (trading volume divided by open interest) can isolate speculative elements from total trading activities. Using the oil futures data and dividing the data into two subperiods surrounding Hurricane Katrina, we find an increased speculative trades in the post-Hurricane Katrina period. Our results show that speculative activities create a more volatile oil futures market and they lower the information flow between volatility and speculative activities in the post-Hurricane Katrina period.

Self-Service Technology (SST) is a disruptive technology that has reshaped customer interactions, increased efficiency, and enabled data-driven decision-making. Its impact continues to evolve as technology advances and customer expectations change, making it a key consideration for businesses in a dynamic landscape. This chapter delves into critical findings regarding the adoption and implications of SST in tourism and hospitality. The relevant studies are sourced from the Scopus database. A mixed literature review methodology was employed to review papers. The literature review findings show facets of SST adoption, shedding light on the intricate relationships between consumer readiness variables, context-specific influences, preferred SST features, and psychological attributes. The study reveals consumer preferences, including convenience, ease of use, and speed of service, as primary drivers of the adoption of SST. The bibliometric analysis reveals the scope for developing SST literature in tourism and hospitality. Collaborations among scholars, research and funding institutions could help provide the impetus. Research in SST security, sustainability, and resilience could help enhance the SST literature. Comparative studies evaluating SST's social and economic implications are also suggested.