This research aims to adopt competitiveness theory to analyse the effects of leadership competencies on the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to adopt competitiveness theory to analyse the effects of leadership competencies on the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector.
Design/methodology/approach
This research collected data from 200 participants, who are in management positions of tourism SMEs in Vietnam. Structural equation modelling was applied.
Findings
The results indicate satisfactory reliability and validity of the constructs and support for two models within a structural equation modelling to evaluate the influence of leadership competencies on the competitiveness of SMEs. The data from both customers and competitors show that the competitiveness and the performance of the enterprise are affected by hands-on experience; relationships building competencies; strategic vision; operations management competencies. Furthermore, customers also value professional knowledge of the enterprises' leaders.
Practical implications
The study suggests that the government agencies and tourism SMEs themselves should focus more on leadership. Training courses, exchange programs, seminars and workshops should be provided for SMEs leaders to improve their leadership competencies.
Originality/value
The research findings provide a more comprehensive view of internal and external factors affecting the competitiveness of SMEs in the tourism sector in Vietnam. This also contributes to competitiveness and leadership research by presenting the positive linkage between leadership competencies and the competitiveness of SMEs.
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Huy Van Le, Le Chi Cong and Mark A.A.M. Leenders
This research aims to explore the role of awareness of harm and responsibility for environmental protection in reducing pollution from single-use plastic bags (SPBs) in coastal…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to explore the role of awareness of harm and responsibility for environmental protection in reducing pollution from single-use plastic bags (SPBs) in coastal communities (CCs). To this end, this study develops and tests a unique model that explains residents’ intention to reduce the use of SPBs in coastal regions.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was used to collect data from 721 coastal residents in Vietnam. Structural equation modeling and moderation analysis were applied to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that awareness of the impact of SPBs on the environment and human health and awareness of the responsibility to protect the coastal environment significantly affect attitudes and intentions to reduce the use of SPBs. Moreover, such awareness of responsibility strengthens the attitude-intention relationship.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that CCs should not receive a lower priority in campaigns and efforts to reduce SPBs. In this regard, providing residents with free environmentally friendly bags and education programs on the impact of SPBs could be implemented.
Originality/value
CCs are directly impacted by pollution from SPBs. However, little is known about how this affects their polluting behavior. This study shows that CCs are not immune to polluting behaviors and that SPBs can be significant among residents. It also demonstrates that awareness of harm and feeling responsible for the environment are essential drivers of (intended) sustainable behaviors.
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The purpose of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of the different factors of destination quality in explaining European tourist satisfaction in Nha Trang city, which…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of the different factors of destination quality in explaining European tourist satisfaction in Nha Trang city, which has one of the 29 most beautiful bays in the world and more than one million international tourists per year. The authors will also make some recommendations to attract more European visitors to Nha Trang and to increase satisfaction, as measured by their intention to return in the future.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 356 European visitors participated in this study. A structural equation modelling was applied in order to test the relationship between the constructs, and to evaluate their reliability and validity.
Findings
The results indicate satisfactory reliability and validity of the constructs and support the five hypotheses within a structural equation modelling. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating the roles of different factors in explaining tourists’ satisfaction. Specially, in some previous studies, the composition of the destination quality such as accommodation, food services, the retail and souvenir shops and destination attractions has a great impact on domestic tourist’s satisfaction. While the study found that the biggest factor affecting European tourist’s satisfaction was the friendliness and hospitality of the local people in Nha Trang city.
Research limitations/implications
Future studies should test the difference in satisfaction with the quality of destinations of European tourists to Nha Trang city. Research sample surveys should be collected in order to the magnitude and priority of key European tourist markets such as Russia, England, France, Spain and Germany. In addition, future studies should include more representative samples in other cities and include both domestic and international visitors. The proposed model intends to combine some components of tourism behaviour dimensions (value, involvement, knowledge, ambivalence, certainty, preference, trust, etc.) to test the satisfaction and destination intentional loyalty within this multidimensional perspective in a tourist destination context. The study has not considered the relationship between the increase of Russian tourists to the Nha Trang city in recent years and the decline of the European tourists (England, France, Spain, and so on). Thus, future studies should extend the model to have a more comprehensive picture about the cultural differences and cultural conflict in explaining the loyalty destination of European tourists.
Practical implications
Based on the research findings, the paper strongly recommends the city government to build an image of Nha Trang with friendly and hospitable people. Schools, tourism companies, and local authorities should pay attention to education and training to raise public awareness for tourism development and respect for tourists. The local government needs to develop activities to help the city residents become the typical citizen in the eyes of European tourists, contributing to the sustainable development of tourism in the city.
Originality/value
This study explores and tests the different factors of destination quality in explaining European tourists’ satisfaction. The research findings confirm that different dimensions of perceived destination quality are important variables to explain European tourist satisfaction.
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Ho Huy Tuu, Svein Ottar Olsen and Le Chi Cong
The purpose of this paper is to discuss and test the combined effects of openness to experience (OE) and power, and the moderator effects of social norms (SN) and perceived…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss and test the combined effects of openness to experience (OE) and power, and the moderator effects of social norms (SN) and perceived resources on the choice of luxury attributes for branded products in Vietnam.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a self-administered survey data of 207 Vietnamese consumers, a structural equation modeling approach for moderator analysis with latent constructs is used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
OE and power have both direct and interactive positive influences on the choice of luxury product attributes. In particular, the effect of OE is weakened by the negative moderator effect of SN, but the effect of power is strengthened by the positive moderator effect of perceived resources. The inclusion of interactions increases the explained variance of the choice of luxury product attributes from 24.8 to 35.8 percent.
Research limitations/implications
Future studies would benefit to investigate other personality traits (e.g. extroversion or agreeableness), personal values (e.g. achievement), SN (e.g. descriptive norms) and resources (e.g. time).
Practical implications
The study findings suggest that brand managers should attend the how individual and social factors interacts in explaining the choice of luxury product attributes.
Originality/value
This study is the first discussing, testing and finding empirical evidence supporting the combined effects of OE and power on the choice of luxury product attributes as well as moderator effects in these relationships.
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The purpose of this paper is to trace the way in which a popular ritual became one of Vietnam’s most important festivals, elevated as a celebration of national heroism and charts…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to trace the way in which a popular ritual became one of Vietnam’s most important festivals, elevated as a celebration of national heroism and charts its gradual transformation in modern society.
Design/methodology/approach
This research focuses on the combination of a fertility rite and narratives of St Gióng based on nationalism or heroism created a special festival reflecting many traditional cultural characteristics of Vietnam and the Việt people and the transformation of St Gióng from a mythological to a national symbol of heroism in anti-invader history was recorded in texts.
Findings
The paper casts light on the mythologization and historicization of St Gióng in Vietnam’s particular historical context by decoding the Gióng symbol as a core element of the folktales and myths about St Gióng to understand the formation and development of St Gióng in the cultural history of Vietnam.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is not exploring the Gióng symbol within a larger cultural context of nationalism and ethnosymbolic approach in a comparison of national symbolism and heroism.
Practical implications
The paper includes implications for advised scholars to conduct further exploration of the symbol and myth of not only St Gióng in Vietnam but also Kubera in India and Vaisravana in China to connect Kubera, Vaisravana and St Gióng under the connection of literal myth and heroic symbol.
Social implications
The paper shows how processes of historicizing myth and mythologizing history are important features of Vietnamese socio-historical research.
Originality/value
The paper shows how a fertility rite became a historical festival and the figure of St Gióng became a symbol of patriotic heroism.
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Cong Thuan Le, Thi Kim Lan Phan and Thi Y Nhi Nguyen
The purpose of this research is to test the unexplored association between diversity climate and employee innovation. To fully understand this association, this research aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to test the unexplored association between diversity climate and employee innovation. To fully understand this association, this research aims to explore the mediating role of domain-relevant skills and the moderating role of openness to experience.
Design/methodology/approach
This research gathered data from 367 full-time employees working at information organisations in Vietnam. Structural equation modelling was used to test hypotheses.
Findings
The results showed that diversity climate positively impacted employee innovation directly and indirectly through domain-relevant skills. In addition, openness experience moderated the relationship between diversity climate and employee innovation.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies to explore how a diversity climate influences employee innovation. This research also investigates how domain-relevant skills link diversity climate with employee innovation. Finally, this research provides further evidence that openness to experience reinforces the effect of diversity climate on employee innovation.
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Cong Thuan Le, Thi Kim Lan Phan and Thi Y Nhi Nguyen
This study aims to investigate how job self-efficacy mediates the relationship between online knowledge sharing and employee innovation. To fully understand this relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how job self-efficacy mediates the relationship between online knowledge sharing and employee innovation. To fully understand this relationship, this study also tests the moderating role of an innovative climate.
Design/methodology/approach
This study gathered data from 353 full-time employees working at information technology companies in Vietnam. This study used structural equation modeling to test hypotheses.
Findings
The results showed that online knowledge sharing positively influenced employee innovation directly and indirectly through job self-efficacy. Moreover, innovative climate positively affected employee innovation as well as moderated the nexus between online knowledge sharing and employee innovation.
Originality/value
First, this study provides further evidence that job self-efficacy plays a mediator linking online knowledge sharing with employee innovation. Second, this paper confirms that an innovative climate can play a mixed moderator that not only influences employee innovation but also moderates the association between online knowledge sharing and employee innovation.
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Cong Thuan Le and Thi Kim Lan Phan
The principal objective of this current research is to explore and test an underlying mechanism to solve the inconsistent relationship between supervisors’ developmental feedback…
Abstract
Purpose
The principal objective of this current research is to explore and test an underlying mechanism to solve the inconsistent relationship between supervisors’ developmental feedback and employee creativity. This study also tests the moderating role of absorptive capacity in fully understanding the relationship between two constructs.
Design/methodology/approach
A time-lagged survey was utilized to collect data from 317 employees working at information technology (IT) organizations in Vietnam. This research conducted a hierarchical regression analysis to examine the hypotheses.
Findings
This research found that employees’ operational skills fully mediated the link between supervisors’ developmental feedback and employees’ creative performance. Moreover, absorptive capacity positively moderated the relationship between supervisors’ developmental feedback and employees’ operational skills as well as the relationship between employees’ operational skills and employee creativity.
Originality/value
This research is one of the first papers to discuss the mediating role of employees’ operational skills in associating supervisors’ developmental feedback with employee creativity in response to the calls of previous studies. To fully comprehend the indirect impact of supervisors' developmental feedback on workers' creative performance, this research also examines the moderating influence of absorptive capacity at the individual level.
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The purposes of this paper are first to resolve the inconsistent relationship between leader intellectual stimulation and follower creativity by investigating a promising…
Abstract
Purpose
The purposes of this paper are first to resolve the inconsistent relationship between leader intellectual stimulation and follower creativity by investigating a promising moderator and then to examine the role of follower creative ability and job autonomy as mediating mechanisms linking leader intellectual stimulation with follower creativity.
Design/methodology/approach
A time-lagged study was undertaken to gather data from employees working in the information technology sector in Vietnam (N = 415). This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the gathered data.
Findings
This study found a positive direct relationship between leader intellectual stimulation and follower creative performance. Moreover, the follower proactive personality moderated this direct relationship. Furthermore, the results illustrated that follower creative ability and job autonomy partially mediated the positive effect of leader intellectual stimulation on follower creativity.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies to investigate the moderating role of follower proactive personality in resolving the inconsistent relationship between leader intellectual stimulation and follower creativity. Moreover, with using follower creative ability and job autonomy as mediating mechanisms, this study provides evidence that leader behaviors have a partially indirect association with follower creativity through follower abilities and work characteristics.