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This study aims to investigate the physical mechanisms of the use of active flow control (AFC) for a high-lift wing-flap configuration.

By means of high-fidelity numerical simulations, the flow dynamics around a high-lift wing-flap system at high Reynolds number (Re/c = 4.6 million) is studied. Adapted turbulence models based on the URANS approach are used to capture the flow separation and the subsequent development of coherent structures. The present study focuses on the use of AFC using a synthetic jet known as zero-net-mass-flux (ZNMF) using the blowing–suction approach. Different parameters (geometry, frequency and velocity) of a ZNMF placed at the cambered flap’s chord are optimized to obtain the most efficient parameter settings to suppress the flow separation.

A synthetic jet with the optimal shape and orientation enforces the flow reattachment on the wing-flap surface. This leads to an improvement of the aerodynamic performance of the system. The wake thickness was reduced by 30%, and an increase of 17.6% in lift-to-drag ratio was obtained. Concerning the ZNMF location, they should be installed upstream of the separation point to achieve the best performance.

The effectiveness of ZNMF devices integrated on a high-lift wing-flap configuration was studied in real flight conditions at high Reynolds number. A detailed analysis of the wake dynamics explains how AFC forces the reattachment of the boundary layer and attenuates the predominant wake instabilities up to −20 dB.

In this chapter, we identify three distinct transformational performance improvement (TPI) approaches commonly used to redesign work processes in health care organizations. We describe the unique components or tools that each approach uses to improve the delivery of health services. We also summarize what is empirically known about the effectiveness of each TPI approach according to systematic reviews and recent studies published in the peer-reviewed literature. Based on examination of this research, we discuss what knowledge is still needed to strengthen the evidence for whole system transformation. This involves the use of conceptual frameworks to assess and guide implementation efforts, and facilitators and barriers to change as revealed in a recent evaluation of one major initiative, the Lean Enterprise Transformation (LET) at the Veterans Health Administration. The analysis suggests ways in which TPI facilitators can be developed and barriers reduced to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of quality initiatives. Finally, we discuss appropriate study designs to evaluate TPI interventions that may strengthen the evidence for their effectiveness in real world practice settings.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the experiences of the six Asian countries covered in this special issue and explain their different levels of effectiveness in combating corruption.

This paper analyses the policy contexts in these countries, their perceived extent and causes of corruption, and evaluates the effectiveness of their anti-corruption agencies (ACAs).

Brunei Darussalam is less corrupt because it is the smallest, least populated and richest country, without being embroiled in conflict compared to the other five larger countries, which are more populous but poorer and adversely affected by conflict. The Sultan’s political will in combating corruption is reflected in the better staffed and funded Anti-Corruption Bureau, which has prosecuted and convicted more corrupt offenders. By contrast, the lack of political will of the governments in the other five countries is manifested in their ineffective ACAs, which are not independent, lack capacity and resources, and are used against political opponents.

This paper will be useful for those scholars, policy-makers and anti-corruption practitioners interested in how effective these six Asian countries are in combating corruption and the reasons for their different levels of effectiveness.

The circular economy (CE) is a sustainable economic model that has the potential to create new opportunities, reduce environmental impact and enhance social well-being. Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the largest city in Vietnam, has experienced rapid economic growth in recent years, but at the cost of the environment and public health. The city could reduce waste, conserve resources and promote sustainable production and consumption by adopting CE principles. Employing qualitative research, including content analysis, we construct a SWOT analysis to assess HCMC's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the CE context. The city possesses several strengths, such as a vast potential for a CE and a robust economic foundation. However, it also faces multiple weaknesses, including insufficient infrastructure, inadequate citizen and business awareness and participation, ineffective policy enforcement and a deficiency of standards for recycled products. This chapter will conclude that the CE presents an opportunity for HCMC to reduce its dependence on imported raw materials, increase local value creation and create new jobs in the CE sector.

This chapter describes how public sector reform (PSR) became important following the ‘Doi Moi’ (renovation) programme in 1986. Restructuring of state-owned sector was regarded as crucial for ensuring the quality of economic growth, and the Vietnamese government (www.chinhphu.vn/portal/page/portal/English) put considerable effort in PSR. The 8th Party Congress (1996) emphasized the urgent need for a more transparent, capable and modern public sector, including efforts to improve law-making process and capacity, reducing burdensome bureaucracy, fighting corruption, increasing leadership by senior officials and improving public service delivery. The government specifies the national PSR Master programme, and the Ministry of Home Affairs coordinates its implementation among ministries, central agencies and provincial governments. Local political leaders (party leaders) determine reforms based on guidelines of the party and government. The author writes that in spite of ambitious public service reform programmes and some positive achievements, the quality of public sector remains poor. The professional capacity of civil service is low, pay is low, corruption is high and processes and structures seem ill-fitted for the market economy. Reform scope is too broad, the capacity of public agencies and civil servants is limited and existing monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems are weak. In some successes, leaders use appointment and promotion to encourage lower level to implement reforms and training to increase understanding. They believe that Vietnamese leadership has become less proactive and vigorous in practicing or embracing bold reform experiments.

“The world needs science, science needs women” is the message given by UNESCO in the program for the development of women in science” (UNESCO, 2017). In Vietnam, women’s participation and achievements in scientific research is considered a great and important resource for industrialization and modernization. Even so, are there gender differences in scientific achievement in the social science research institutes in Vietnam? What factors influence the scientific achievement of female social researchers? The answers will be based on data from a 2017 survey with a sample of 756 researchers, of which 77.6% were female. The survey was conducted by the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, a leading, ministry-level national center for the social sciences in Vietnam. This chapter analyzed the scientific achievements of researchers through their position as principal investigators of research projects and their publications, and factors that may impact this. Bivariate and multivariate analyses of factors that may affect the scientific achievement of researchers found that gender differences in academic achievement in the social sciences in Vietnam was still prevalent. Female researchers’ scientific achievements were lower than those of their male counterparts. The contribution to science of Vietnamese female researchers was limited by many different factors; the most important were the academic rank of the researchers and gender stereotype that considered housework the responsibility of women.

Despite the growing body of literature demonstrating the role of communication in educational settings, there are limited up-to-date studies exploring the use of an instant messaging (IM) tool and its impacts on students’ learning outcomes, especially in the tertiary education in Vietnam. This study approached IM as an out-of-class communication (OCC) approach in computer-mediated communication. The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ perceived quality of information received and its influence on their perceived performance proficiency as a result of their lecturers’ clarification of their enquiries through an online instant message application, namely Remind (www.remind.com/).

The target groups were first-year business students in an international university in Vietnam. The analysis of the data gathered from the questionnaire was carried out using a measurement model and a structural equation model.

The findings indicate that using OCC technology creates social bonding between students and lecturers by allowing students to clarify the ambiguity of concepts learnt in class and create a sense of connection with their lecturers which leads to better student engagement and hence improved learning outcomes.

The authors highlight the evidence of effective usage of IM tool by university students as a meaningful communication tool and the need to integrate technology into all educational settings.

Research has extensively focused on the cultural differences in supply chain collaboration while neglecting the importance of cultural similarities and compatible goals among supply chain members. With the rise of global supply chain network, the choice of supply chain orientation is critical. This study argues that performance differences between these configurations highlight managerial implications for sustainable development.

Drawing from uncertainty reduction and cognitive social capital theories, this study developed a taxonomy of manufacturing firms based on process alignment between cultural compatibility and supply chain communication. The empirical data used in this study were drawn from the Global Manufacturing Research Group (GMRG) survey project, with data collected from 680 manufacturing companies, across various industry sectors and countries.

There appeared to be consistent three major configurations: the Proactive, the Initiative and the Reactive. Manufacturers distanced themselves based mainly on communication with customers on events and proprietary information. Communication-cultural compatibility taxonomies influence differently on operations and financial performance. The Initiative, who excelled in communication practices gained significant improvement in efficiency and delivery measures. While Reactive lagged, Proactive aligned in both capabilities to experience higher payoffs in operational and financial measures. The findings offer a step-by-step approach where manufacturers intensify communication with partners for better efficiency and delivery measures, then align cultural practices to obtain financial, quality and innovation performance.

It will be fruitful for future research to examine the evolution of longitudinally. A comparison between developed and developing economies will be of interest.

The findings provide a step-by-step decision-making process for supply chain communication and offer guidance especially for global supply chain managers.

This study adds greater comprehensiveness and richness to the information exchange literature on performance by process aligning to enhance cultural compatibility.

The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of luxury from the perspectives of Chinese upper-class consumers.

Four focus groups, each consisting of six upper-class and experienced luxury consumers, are formed in four cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, which are among the most affluent, populated and developed in the luxury market.

The findings suggest that Chinese upper-class luxury consumers, indeed, hold different perceptions for luxury in several aspects: price premium is a prestige in contrast to general Chinese consumers’ “value-consciousness”; exclusivity is more valued by the upper-class and experienced consumers; more attention of the upper-class consumers has shifted to individual values from social values; brand value is of high importance; and there exist differences among consumers in different regions.

The study suggests that luxury brands should recognize the differences between the upper-class customers who are still the core consumers for luxury goods and the middle-class customers who are growing rapidly while designing their marketing strategies.

The study focuses, unprecedentedly, on the upper-class and experienced Chinese luxury consumers who represent the most valuable group of customers of the luxury brands in the Chinese market. Given the peculiarity of customer behavior in the luxury market, such focus provides a brand new perspective without the noises from the inclusion of consumers with insufficient purchasing power and ineligible experience in luxury consumption.