Hoa Sen University

Given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting global logistics, coupled with the Russia–Ukraine war causing global energy price changes, examining both the linear and nonlinear associations between shipping cost and oil price is crucial in a global context. This study empirically exhibits the association among Global Commodity Prices Index (GPI), Oil Price (OP), Gold Future Price (GFP), and Baltic Dry Index (BDI) by employing Linear Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) as well as Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributive Lag (Nonlinear ARDL) from January 2003 to January 2023. The findings indicate that the influence of OP on BDI has a negative impact in the long run and a positive impact in the short run. Furthermore, the OP has an asymmetric effect on BDI in both the long and short terms. Finally, the predictive performance of the NARDL model outperforms the ARDL model in forecasting OP and BDI. The empirical findings derived from the ARDL and NARDL algorithms offer valuable insights for policymakers in designing public policies and for investors in portfolio construction.

Listening comprehension is increasingly conceptualized in the applied linguistic context as a complex, real-time cognitive process that operates within strict time constraints. Despite its central role in second and foreign language proficiency, listening remains a persistent source of difficulty for many learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Recent studies have become interested in affective variables, especially anxiety, as a key determinant of language performance, but listening anxiety has been underexamined topic, and researchers have tended to study it in terms of outcome measures such as test scores. This type of method provides little information about how anxiety operates during the listening process itself.The cognitive-affective, process-based approach, which is taken in this paper, has redefined the concept of listening anxiety as an interference with real-time processing when listening in foreign languages. Referring to psycholinguistic theories of online understanding and cognitive theory of anxiety, this paper contends that listening anxiety poses a competition due to barriers on limited cognitive resources, attentional regulation, working memory overload, and disrupted coordination of bottom-up and top-down processing. These interruptions predispose the learners to a cascading breakdown in comprehension under temporal pressure.The study also adds to the current trends in applied linguistics that emphasize dynamic, learner-centered, and mechanism-based explanations of language learning by refocusing analytical attention on the mechanisms of listening, rather than its outcome. The article contributes to a sophisticated conceptualization of listening anxiety in EFL situations and highlights the need for further research on listening anxiety as an integral component of real-time listening rather than as a peripheral affective variable.

ABSTRACT This paper presents our childhood memories about children’s toys as gendered in family life, school, and beyond in Vietnam. Framed by the construction of masculinity, femininity and heteronormativity, we galvanise our stories into vignettes to discuss how popular children’s toys, such as dolls and a cooking playset, could be used as a means to foster gender stereotypes in young children. In a collaborative autoethnography, we gathered our narratives in contexts of being and becoming in our early lives as children in Vietnam where we were raised to conform to adults’ gender performance expectations. Our vignettes reveal that gendered toys were instrumental for adults to shape children’s gender performances and identities in a heterosexual society. Gender-socialised toy preferences go against the notion of children having agency and being able to engage in meaning-making, which can cause diverse emotional distresses and vulnerabilities for some during their formative years and throughout their lives.

Limited research has examined how micro- and mesosystem-level family factors relate to parental burnout across cultural contexts. Using a cross-cultural design, this study explored the relationships and underlying mechanisms linking work-family conflict, work-family enrichment, family routine, and family ritual meaning to parental burnout. The sample consisted of 1373 parents from the United Kingdom and Vietnam (Mage = 37.90, SDage = 7.93 years; 77.7% mothers). We found that work-family conflict, work-family enrichment, family routines, and ritual meaning were significantly correlated with parental burnout, with similar patterns of association between the two countries. However, culture-specific differences emerged. After controlling for demographic variables, work-family conflict was the strongest predictor of parental burnout in the UK sample, whereas family routines played a more prominent role in the Vietnamese sample. These findings underscore the importance of cultural context in understanding parental burnout and offer insights for theoretical frameworks and clinical prevention and intervention.

The widespread use of social media platforms, such as TikTok has caused a drastic change in the way that consumers behave in the modern world. During this change, TikTok has become a significant influencer, influencing the thoughts and tastes of a wide range of people. This study aims to examine the relationships between social media engagement, health awareness, perceived price fairness and the purchase intention on healthcare products via Tik Tok in Malaysia. This study employs survey questionnaire via the use of convenience sampling techniques to collect data and SPSS for Data Analysis. This study comprises of 385 sample sizes. The results show a significant relationship between social media engagement, health awareness, price fairness and the purchase intention on healthcare products via Tik Tok. From theoretical implication aspect, this research provided empirical support for the hypothesis that there are predictive links between health awareness, price fairness, social media engagement, with the purchase intention. While from practical aspect, the results of the study have important significance for the healthcare products of small and medium entrepreneurs’ future business growth.

Tourism plays a vital role in the global economy, and its significance becomes increasingly pronounced in the transitional economy, where ensuring sustainable tourism development necessitates effective destination management. This chapter thoroughly examines the involvement of destination management in transition economies and delves into the specific factors within the transitional economy that significantly influence the destination management model. By carefully considering these factors, a comprehensive model for tourism destination management is proposed, offering valuable insights and guidance for managing destinations in transition economies. Moreover, the chapter provides illustrative examples that highlight the factors that affect the development of tourism during periods of economic transition.

Employee retention is a paramount concern in Dubai's thriving hotel industry, as turnover rates can significantly impact operational efficiency. The industry's ability to retain skilled employees directly impacts service quality and competitive advantage in delivering seamless experiences to guests. This study aims to examine the influence of Leadership Support, Training, and Compensation on employee retention in Dubai’s hotel sector. Through the administration of online surveys to 200 hotel employees and subsequent analysis using SPSS, significant relationships were uncovered between these factors and employee retention. Notably, training emerged as the most influential factor, followed by compensation and leadership support. These findings highlight the critical role of investing in robust employee training programs, offering competitive compensation packages, and fostering supportive leadership practices. Such initiatives are vital for enhancing retention within Dubai's competitive hotel sector, providing valuable insights for industry stakeholders seeking to fortify workforce stability. The outcomes also can be employed to improve operational effectiveness amidst the dynamic hospitality landscape and social protection system for the hotel industry employees of the region.

This study assesses the relationship between market competition and corporate governance by analysing 562 non-financial companies listed on the Vietnamese stock market from 2010 to 2019. We used the quantitative method through oridinary least squares (OLS) robust and feasible generalised least squares (FGLS) regression to control heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation, which is suitable with panel data to test the above relationship. According to the research results, market competition has complementary and alternative effects on corporate governance, as reflected in the positive and negative effects of the variable Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), a proxy for market competition, on corporate governance. Market competition has a support impact on corporate governance, which is more evident in board size, CEO duality, and CEO ownership. In contrast, the impact of market competition substituted corporate governance and reduced the role of corporate governance, as demonstrated by the independent board members. As a result, our study provides an extended understanding of the factors affecting corporate governance, primarily based on contingency theory. Furthermore, this study provides evidence for further research in this field and identifies a number of potential solutions for investors and regulators.

Background: Traditional criminological theories often emphasize social and environmental factors in criminal behavior. However, early biological research, which was initially reductionist and focused on physical traits, has evolved significantly with advancements in genetics and neuroimaging techniques. This evolution has led to a more nuanced understanding of the role of biological factors in criminal behavior. Objective: This review aims to critically examine how genetic, neurobiological, and psychophysiological factors contribute to criminal behavior, and to explore the interplay between these biological predispositions and environmental influences. Methods: We systematically analyzed empirical studies that investigate the impact of abnormalities in brain structures, neurotransmitter systems, and genetic predispositions on antisocial behaviors, integrating these findings with socio-environmental conditions. Results: Findings from recent studies indicate significant contributions of abnormalities in brain areas such as the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, and dysregulation in neurotransmitter systems to antisocial behaviors. These biological factors, when combined with environmental influences, enhance our understanding of criminal tendencies. Conclusion: The integration of biological perspectives into criminological theories marks a significant shift towards a more holistic approach in the study of criminal behavior. This review advocates for the development of targeted intervention strategies and ethical policy formulations, emphasizing the potential of biological research to improve the efficacy and humanity of the criminal justice system. Ongoing interdisciplinary research and collaboration are essential to continue advancing our understanding and management of criminal behavior.