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Purpose- Brand personality plays an important role in the development of tourists' self-image congruence and revisit intention. This paper attempts to shed light on the relationship between brand personality and self-image congruence and revisit intention through a quantitative analysis.Design - Data were collected from 496 Vietnamese tourists who visited the top five tourist sites in Vietnam, including Ha Long, Phu Quoc, Sapa, Nha Trang, and Hoi An. Methodology - By using SEM in AMOS version 24 CFA was performed to test the the overall measurement model.Findings - Multivariate data analysis demonstrated that five dimensions of brand personality. (Excitement, Sincerity, Sophistication, Competence, and Ruggedness) have a positive effect on self-image congruence and revisit intention. While excitement appears to be most helpful for developing self-image congruence, sincerity has the highest benefit for increasing revisit intention, sincerity has the highest utility for increasing revisit intention. In addition, revisit intention is most influenced by excitement and least influenced by sophistication through self-image congruence. Originality of the research - The findings highlight the important role of attributes associated with tourist destinations. Managers in the tourism sector should be familiar with these characteristics in order to position or strengthen their destination's brand with the aim of delivering to each tourist group a customized experience that resonate with their shared values. The insights provided by this paper also have important implications for travel companies in the gradual recovery of the country's smoke-free industry under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Objectives: The onset of COVID-19 has resulted in both morbidity and mortality. It also has a consequential impact on the Vietnamese economy. Prior studies examined the COVID-19 impact on healthcare professionals' career decisions. There remains no study examining the work conditions and career choices in a general Vietnamese population. Our study aims to identify factors associated with change in work conditions and career choices in general Vietnamese population. Method(s): An online cross-sectional study between September 2021 through to November 2021 (during the Omicron COVID-19 pandemic). Snowball sampling method was utilized in recruiting the participants. The questionnaire used in this study included the following questions: (a) Socio-demographic information;(b) impact of COVID-19 on personal habits/daily expenses;(c) Current nature of work & impact of COVID-19 on work;(d) Impact of COVID-19 on career decisions. Result(s): 650 participants were recruited, of which only 645 completed the survey. The completion rate was 99.2%. This study demonstrated the impact that COVID-19 has on finances, as only 32% of those sampled reported that they were able to pay in full. 46.6% of the respondents have had a decrease in their overall household income. With regards to their employment and work characteristics, 41.0% reported a decrease in their work satisfaction and 39.0% reported having reduced motivation for work. Females were less likely to consider transiting from their current job to another field, as compared to male participants. Respondents who were married, had a higher level of commitment to their current job, and lower inclination to transition to another field. Respondents experiencing financial difficulties were more likely to consider a transition to another field/work. Conclusion(s): This is the first study to have examined the characteristics of work/intentions with regards to career choices and transition amongst the general Vietnamese population. It is important that future financial policies take into consideration these factors.Copyright © 2023
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"Sundown towns" across the US prevented racial and ethnic minorities from living and working within their borders as they forced minorities to leave these towns after sunset. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between historic sundown town status, COVID-19 local risk index and racial/ethnic city-level diversity. We used a multi-level hierarchical model was used to examine the effect of historic sundown town status on the COVID-19 local risk index and city-level diversity. Over 2,400 Sundown towns were cataloged across the United States, with the greatest density in the Midwest. Sundown towns, which historically excluded racial/ethnic minorities, had significantly less racial/ethnic diversity as measured and lower COVID-19 local risk index compared to non-Sundown towns. Findings show that residual segregation enforced by historic Sundown towns continues to impact current inequities among racial/ethnic minorities related to risk for COVID-19 at the neighborhood level. We recommend that public health officials for pandemic preparedness should devote greater resources to these historically segregated racial/ethnic minority areas because of the higher risk these areas possess because of structural racism brought on my historical segregation policies.
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PurposeBased on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and perceived risk theory (PRT), this study proposes a new model for exploring factors affecting citizens' intentions to use e-government in the Vietnamese context during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe current study takes the form of a case study of the Vietnam context and employs a quantitative method. An Internet-based survey was conducted in Vietnam and was completed by 441 respondents. Hypotheses were tested using a two-stage structural equation model. SPSS 22 and AMOS 20 software were used for primary data analysis.FindingsThe findings reveal that factors of TAM are still valuable in predicting citizens' intentions to use e-government services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the factor of PRT, namely, perceived risk of COVID-19 pandemic, also affects citizens' intentions to use e-government services. Attitudes toward e-government play a mediating role in the relationships between perceived usefulness, perceived risk and citizens' intentions to use e-government. Examining the predictive power of TAM and PRT factors, it can be seen that TAM factors have a higher total effect on citizens' intentions to use e-government, compared to PRT factor.Originality/valueThe present study demonstrates a new model for exploring factors affecting citizens' intentions to use e-government during the COVID-19 era. It explored the effectiveness of combining TAM and PRT as well as the predictive power of each factors in an integrated model aimed at predicting citizens' intentions in the emergency context like COVID-19. This study helps us improve our understanding of e-government usage and would be of particular interest to policymakers and service providers of e-system.
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During and after Covid-19 pandemic, technology has emerged as a key factor in supporting the recovery of the economy and the rise of living standards. This study examines seven factors affecting the intention of food delivery apps usage, which include Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, Hedonic Motivation, Price Value, and Habit, and how much influence they have on the customers' behavioral continuance of food delivery apps after Covid-19 Pandemic. Research methodology: This research is a quantitative descriptive research with 473 qualified respondents from 550 respondents collected. Besides using the UTAUT2 model (Venkatesh et al., 2012), Information Quality was added to give a better explanation for the consumers' intention towards continuance behavior using food delivery apps. The collected data is then processed using SPSS 22.0. Results: Habit factors and Information Quality factors have significant positive effects on promoting food delivery apps usage intention, which in turn influences continuance behavior. In addition, Habit factors and Information Quality factors together have an effect of 48.57% on Behavioral Intention. Conclusion: The result proves that positive habits and food information quality can increase the usage intention towards the behavioral continuance of consumers. Higher usage frequency can be improved by increasing these two factors © This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://Creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
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Given that natural gas is a vital input for the U.S. utility sector, this study empirically investigates the return connectedness between the natural gas and utility stocks in the U.S. market. Using the quantile connectedness approach, we show that the nexus between natural gas and utility stocks is more pronounced at the tails compared to the central of the conditional distribution. The return connectedness indices are time-varying with a net receiver role of natural gas and driven by various macro-variables. Finally, our portfolio implication analyses with alternative tail risk measures suggest that it can be more beneficial for risk-adverse investors to allocate substantial weights into the electricity utility stocks in normal market conditions. However, during the COVID-19- induced recession, it is critical to shift more fund to the natural gas futures to reduce tail risks. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.
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Based on social network theory, the study explained the digital transformation process of startups in Vietnam during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study examined the relationship between social capital, human capital, access to resources, and digital transformation of startups in Vietnam. The study used Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with a sample size of 230 startups managers. The results show that there are positive and statistically significant relationships between social capital, human capital, access to resources, and digital transformation. The results also reveal the partial mediating roles of access to resources and human capital in the relationship between social capital and digital transformation. The results proposed some managerial implications for startups managers in building relationship networks with stakeholders such as government agencies and business partners (customers, competitors, suppliers, and providers of digital platform services). Through managers' social capital, accessible resources and the improvement of human capital have accelerated digital transformation for startups to escape the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the study presented some limitations and directions for further research. © 2023 Thi Thuy Quynh Nguyen et al., published by Sciendo.
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Many models have been proposed to clarify the interactive effects of acoustic and non-acoustic variables on human perception of noise. Due to the corona pandemic, all flights were closed at the end of March 2020, causing an unprecedented change in the acoustic environment around Tan Son Nhat Airport (TSN). Before the outbreak, TSN was the busiest airport in Vietnam and had severe noise problems. This study focused on determining how acoustic and non-acoustic factors affect community health before and after this change. Approximately 1200 responses were obtained from surveys conducted in 12 residential areas around TSN in 2019 and 2020. Structural equation models (SEM) for noise annoyance and insomnia were developed by linking the questionnaire items of the social surveys. The first effort aims to achieve a common model of noise annoyance and insomnia corresponding to community response to noise before and after the change. It has been found that the degrees of annoyance and insomnia were not reduced, as expected, but increased in 2020. The final constructed SEM indicates that acoustic and non-acoustic factors affected the community health in different structures before and after the noise reduction. © 2022 Internoise 2022 - 51st International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering. All rights reserved.
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The requirement for quantity and quality of human resources, especially occupations in the economics field, has played a significant role in recovering and improving the COVID-19 pandemic economic situation in Vietnam. Therefore, this encouraged economics majors to attract a large number of students to enrol in 2021. This study aims to determine the factors affecting the career choices of economic students in Vietnam. The research focuses on analysing six factors to determine the relationship between variables that help explain students' compatibility and their chosen majors. A survey questionnaire using simple random sampling collected 309 data points from economics students at a private university in Vietnam. Methodologies such as Cronbach's Alpha, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, regression, and structural equation modelling were employed using SPSS and Amos software to check the correlation between factors and draw conclusions about factors affecting students' career choices. The results revealed that influencers, interests, financial resources and career opportunities were critical elements that influenced students' decisions in choosing a major. Interest (to pursue passion) was considered by students in choosing a major - which could also encourage them to develop their own capabilities. Additionally, the data proved that most job selections were based on future employability;therefore, career opportunities had the most positive impact on students' decisions. The findings of this study identify determinants of students' choice in economics majors and their relationships and can improve students' awareness and future orientation before deciding to choose a major. Moreover, this study provides valuable data for universities to formulate and develop strategies to attract students, such as career consulting. © 2023 The Author(s)
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From the end of 2019 to the present, the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic has had very negative impacts on the development of the tourism industry. Given these impacts, many studies have been published that aimed to illustrate the negative impacts of the pandemic on the tourism and aviation industry, as well as an opportunity to work toward environment-centred activities. In this paper, the authors will review the impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic on aviation and tourism industry aspects through previously published studies. By analysing the previous documents, the authors identify the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation and tourism. From then, the paper will outline policies to restore the tourism industry's adaptation to the pandemic situation. In addition, some key solutions for recovering the aviation field are also pointed out and some challenges in applying recovery policies to each region are also highlighted in the article. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
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Along with the increase in population, the increase in demand for freight in e-commerce has complicated the transportation of goods with increasing transportation costs. The demand for e-commerce has also increased rapidly, especially during the current outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic. Along with this need, the paper presents the current situation of freight transportation in the last mile of the e-commerce industry and new trends to improve the conditions in the last-mile delivery. Through published studies, several applications in last-mile delivery have also been identified for comparison with other costing methods. Studies also show that the application of new technologies in last-mile delivery can optimise costs, the environment, as well as delivery policies for companies. The paper also points out that the difficulty in applying and managing new technologies is very complicated and requires policies from managers. This can also be considered a new research direction that contributes to promoting new technologies in last-mile delivery to reduce time and costs for delivery companies as well as customer costs for last-mile delivery. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
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Introduction and Objectives: Limited healthcare access and resource inequities pose significant barriers to care, all of which have been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. DFUs represent an especially challenging medical problem to prevent and treat due to the resource intensive care required. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of multidisciplinary, mobile, DFU outreach clinics to improve access to care. Method(s): Our clinic model focused on creating mobile diabetic foot clinics staffed by volunteer clinical providers who specialize in Vascular Surgery, Diabetes, and Podiatry. We recruited volunteer healthcare providers from an academic medical center. We partnered with local community centers with established programs providing services to unhoused individuals. Result(s): Between June 2020 and August 2022, a total of 130 unhoused individuals were seen at four mobile clinics set up at different locations. Diabetic foot care was provided by volunteers from seven departments: Endocrinology/Diabetes, Vascular Surgery and Vascular Lab, Podiatry, Addiction Medicine, Smoking Cessation, and Financial. On average, 32 healthcare provider volunteers participated at each clinic. Services provided include: vitals, blood glucose, HgA1c, lipid panel testing, ankle-brachial index, podiatric exam, wound care, medical education, COVID vaccination/booster, insurance enrollment, and new socks and shoes. Of 130 unhoused patients, 29% had hypertension (38), 34% had abnormal ABI (44), and 14% had diabetes (18). Fifteen patients were further identified as high risk for developing DFU-associated amputation (12%) and were provided with ambulatory follow-ups. Conclusion(s): In our pilot experience, it is feasible to provide consistent comprehensive DFU care through mobile outreach clinics. By using the infrastructure of partner organizations and healthcare expertise of an academic center, our clinics could integrate into existing community services. [Formula presented]Copyright © 2022
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This paper investigates the relationship between oil and airline stock returns under different time frequencies. First, we propose an Autoregressive moving average model with mixed frequency exogenous variable to analyse the different impacts of oil on airline stock returns on daily, weekly, and monthly basis. We consistently find a negative oil-airline stock return nexus on a daily basis, but a positive relationship on a weekly basis. While the former supports the economic-based channel, the latter is in line with the market inertia channel. Our findings help explain mixed results reported in the literature. Further, our time frequency connectedness analysis shows that the economic-based channel dominates the market inertia channel since the connectedness is more pronounced in the short-run compared to the medium- and long-run. Our block connectedness results highlight that business models of airline firms can play a significant role in affecting the connectedness, in which the low-cost airlines are more sensitive to the oil price changes. It is worth noting that there are distinguished drivers of the oil-airline stock return nexus in different time frequencies. The drivers also vary between the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results are consistent under a battery of robustness checks and deliver important implications to investors, portfolio managers, and executives of airline firms. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.
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Question answering over knowledge bases (KBQA) has become a popular approach to help users extract information from knowledge bases. Although several systems exist, choosing one suitable for a particular application scenario is difficult. In this article, we provide a comparative study of six representative KBQA systems on eight benchmark datasets. In that, we study various question types, properties, languages, and domains to provide insights on where existing systems struggle. On top of that, we propose an advanced mapping algorithm to aid existing models in achieving superior results. Moreover, we also develop a multilingual corpus COVID-KGQA, which encourages COVID-19 research and multilingualism for the diversity of future AI. Finally, we discuss the key findings and their implications as well as performance guidelines and some future improvements. Our source code is available at https://github.com/tamlhp/kbqa.
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The COVID-19 vaccine rollout expects to mitigate the severe negative impacts of the pandemic on global financial markets. Our study provides supporting evidence for this expectation. We find robust evidence that vaccinations significantly reduce the cross-country stock volatility connectedness among G7 nations, suggesting that the diversification benefits of an international equity portfolio may be enhanced during the pandemic when vaccinations accelerate. We present two explanations for this result. First, the vaccine deployment improves stock market return and decreases individual stock market volatility. Second, the vaccine rollout helps a country's stock market be more resilient to exogenous shocks. We further demonstrate that a global portfolio using a tactical allocation rule based on the intensity of vaccinations can outperform a buy-and-hold portfolio in terms of risk-adjusted returns.
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We model the COVID-19 spreading by running SIR Monte-Carlo simulations in four real face-to-face contact networks. We evaluate the effectiveness of the 'facemask use' and 'vaccination policies' to curb epidemic spreading. We model the facemask use policy by assuming a lower individual infection probability β. We found that while this strategy can delay the disease spreading, it does not significantly reduce the total number of infected individuals (TI), as 80% of the total population still is infected at the end of the epidemic. We model vaccination by setting individual's infection probability β=0, which is equivalent to remove nodes/individuals from the network. The vaccination was found to be very effective. Even with a partial vaccination of 30% of the population nodes selected considering their centrality measure ranking, such as degree, betweenness, or PageRank, it was possible to reduce the TI of 14%. Finally, yet importantly, random partial vaccination is not effective at all, meaning that most of the unvaccinated population will be infected. © 2022 IEEE.
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PurposeThis study aims to contribute by expanding the existing literature on Sukuk return and volatility and exploring the implications of the Sukuk-exchange rate interactions. Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the dynamic interactions of Sukuk with exchange rate in 15 countries, employing the Wavelet approach that considers both time and investment horizons. FindingsThe results reveal significant evolving coherence of Sukuk return and volatility with the underlying exchange rate. The relationship is more potent than what this study witnesses in their counterpart bond market. For Sukuk returns, the coherence is negative, whereas it is positive for volatility. Notably, the coherence is strong in the medium to long term and intensifies during extreme economic episodes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings are further validated by comparing firm-level matched data for Sukuk and conventional bond. Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that reports the dynamic relationship of Sukuk return and volatility with the underlying exchange rate in 15 countries. Collectively, this study unites valuable insights for faith-based active Islamic investors and cross-border portfolio managers.
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Background. Long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LAI) is an exciting alternative to daily oral ART. Less frequent dosing afforded by LAI may be especially pertinent for persons who inject drugs (PWID), who experience more HIV-related mortality largely driven by inadequate ART adherence. We used the Consolidated Framework on Implementation Research (CFIR) to characterize determinants of LAI implementation, focusing on use among PWID, in Hanoi, Vietnam. Methods. We conducted in-depth interviews with HIV-infected PWID, ART providers, and policymakers using purposive sampling, recruiting respondents with diverse ART experience from public HIV/ART clinics and national regulatory agencies. Participants were briefed regarding LAI ART, including administration, effectiveness, side effects, and dosing frequency.Datawere coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results. We interviewed 19 PWID, 14 providers, and five policymakers (February-November, 2021). We identified recurrent themes in CFIR domains. Intervention(s): All informants were excited about LAI, citing convenience and discrete dosing as major facilitators. Surprisingly, provider concerns, including more frequent clinic visits and injection reactions, were rarely voiced by PWID who described monthly injections as similar to current visit frequency and cited 'high pain tolerance.' Outer: Providers and policymakers were eager to offer patients ART choice but were divided as to if LAI distribution should proceed with sub-population prioritization. Inner: Providers described personnel and clinic logistic concerns but were confident these could be addressed. Individual: Providers were motivated and confident in their ability to deliver LAI. Process: Transitions to new ART and provision of COVID-19 vaccines were frequently invoked by providers and policymakers as interventions informing LAI implementation. Figure Determinants of LAI ART implementation in Vietnam using the domains of the Consolidated Framework on Implementation Research Conclusion. Using CFIR, we identified multiple determinants of LAI implementation in Vietnam. Stakeholders agreed that LAI was feasible and acceptable. Medication tolerance and efficacy concerns highlight the importance of patient and provider education. Areas where stakeholders diverge should be considered in designing LAI implementation strategies.
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Question answering over knowledge bases (KBQA) has become a popular approach to help users extract information from knowledge bases. Although several systems exist, choosing one suitable for a particular application scenario is difficult. In this article, we provide a comparative study of six representative KBQA systems on eight benchmark datasets. In that, we study various question types, properties, languages, and domains to provide insights on where existing systems struggle. On top of that, we propose an advanced mapping algorithm to aid existing models in achieving superior results. Moreover, we also develop a multilingual corpus COVID-KGQA, which encourages COVID-19 research and multilingualism for the diversity of future AI. Finally, we discuss the key findings and their implications as well as performance guidelines and some future improvements. Our source code is available at https://github.com/tamlhp/kbqa. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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With the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic in recent years, Video Stream Analytics technology quickly became a hot topic of discussion across technology forums. As it has appeared, in the pandemic situation in recent years, the use of masks when interacting with the community is a must, that's why the research works on mask identification today and more. receiving more and more attention. Understanding the situation, the team conducted facial recognition analysis inside the video to determine if the people appearing in the video were wearing masks. to then apply the trained model into practice. After a period of research, the team has also successfully built a mask recognition system that can generate images and can display the results as real-time video. Especially, the model is trained successful using systemml machine learning system. This is considered a positive result with real-time masked face recognition analysis. © 2022 IEEE.