RMIT Vietnam

This study addresses the optimization of medical waste collection (MWC) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where increasing waste volumes pose challenges for efficiency and sustainability. Using real-world operational data from Citenco, we formulate the problem as a capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP) with stochastic demand, solved through a combination of constraint programming and chance-constrained programming. The proposed model reduces total travel distance by 22%, travel time by 10%, and increases vehicle load utilization by 6%, while lowering the number of daily trips to treatment facilities. Sensitivity analysis confirms robustness under varying service levels and expanded coverage. These results provide evidence-based insights for policymakers and public waste management agencies, supporting sustainable decision-making in urban medical waste collection. • Medical waste collection is a challenging problem that can lead to hazardous impacts on environment. • Inefficiency in collecting route, which is also known as Waste Collection Vehicle Routing Problem, can be minimized by Chance-Constrained Programming. • Optimization model was developed to improve efficiency and test for robustness vs demand fluctuation. • Medical waste collection of Citenco Ltd., a major waste collector in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was optimized using the optimization model. • Sensitivity analysis for two scenarios, increased waste demand and increased collection points, were done.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore women entrepreneurs and human resource managers’ perceptions and experiences of digital hiring at SMEs in the context of Vietnam, and how digital hiring practices support their organizational resilience. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative research design was employed to interviews 32 in-depth interviews and two focus groups of nine Vietnamese women entrepreneurs and HR managers. Findings We identified themes of technology adoption among women entrepreneurs and HR practitioners at SMEs in Vietnam, including openness and adaptability to utilize digital recruitment channels, women leaders’ adaptive capability developing when they integrated digital hiring in their HR process, relational approach and systematic control leading to these SMEs’ organizational resilience. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted within one country setting and used a qualitative approach, together with SMEs, so the findings are not generalized. We call for further research with AI-integrated recruitment at SMEs and testable proposed propositions. Practical implications This research provides suggestions for HR practitioners, policymakers and entrepreneurial decision-making for building adaptive capabilities for organizational resilience. Originality/value Employing the Organizational Resilience framework and Dynamic Capability View, we identify organizational capabilities through digital hiring practices and implications for SMEs to strengthen organizational resilience, providing evidence from an emerging economy. This enriches the understanding of digital adoptions among women entrepreneurs and HR practitioners in Vietnam.

This research explores the ways in which green procurement and carbon management practices contribute to sustainable supply chain performance in emerging markets, while also investigating how stakeholder pressure moderates these relationships. Anchored in Institutional Theory and the Natural Resource-Based View, the study treats sustainable supply chain performance as a multifaceted outcome influenced by deliberate sourcing choices, structured carbon reduction efforts, and external pressures for legitimacy. Using a quantitative cross-sectional approach, the authors gathered responses from 385 supply chain practitioners, sustainability officers, and sector specialists through an online 5-point Likert-scale survey. Data analysis, performed in SPSS, included checks for reliability, exploratory factor analysis, multiple regression models, and moderation testing via Hayes’ PROCESS macro. The results demonstrate that green procurement (β = 0.666) and carbon management practices (β = 0.688) each exert a robust, highly significant positive influence on sustainable supply chain performance. In addition, stakeholder pressure markedly enhances the effect of carbon management on performance outcomes (β = 0.565), illustrating how institutional demands can substantially reinforce internal environmental initiatives. Collectively, the evidence suggests that strong sustainability performance in emerging-market supply chains emerges not from standalone green efforts, but from the thoughtful alignment of procurement strategies, carbon-focused governance, and proactive stakeholder collaboration. By synthesizing institutional and resource-based lenses, this work enriches theoretical insights and delivers practical guidance for managers and policymakers navigating sustainability challenges in institutionally complex environments.

This study delves into the experiences of older workers involved in the hospitality industry, investigating the significance of previous, current and future knowledge in equipping their hospitality careers. The conceptual notions of the knowledge-based view of the firm were appraised. Semi-structured open-ended interviews conducted among 56 older workers involved in both managerial and non-managerial positions highlighted the magnitude of 11 conceptual dimensions. Among these, the organisational, human resource, and self-development uplift dimensions help explain how previous knowledge has equipped participants and their firms. Similarly, the organisational momentum or career-enlightening dimensions elucidate current knowledge in fortifying earlier accumulated knowledge, while future required knowledge can be understood by the individual-organisational and generational-team bridging dimensions. The analysis also reveals alignments between the crafted dimensions and the knowledge-based model. A developed framework resulting from the compendium of dimensions, together with the identified alignments, underscores implications for hospitality employees, their firms, industry and policymakers. • Examines past, current, and future knowledge among older hospitality employees. • Gathers the viewpoints of experienced hospitality managers and non-managers. • Uses qualitative content analysis and data structure as analysis tools. • Uncovers 11 conceptual dimensions as the basis for a proposed framework. • Proposes theoretical and practical implications for practitioners and researchers.

Vietnam's forestry sector faces unique governance challenges due to a landscape characterized by highly dispersed smallholder ownership, contrasting with concession-based models. As international markets increasingly demand sustainability certifications (e.g. FSC or PEFC), cost and complexity deter most smallholders, prompting wood processing firms to finance certification themselves. Such investments of processing firms can be at risk of opportunistic behaviour by smallholders who may side-sell at harvest. The risk can be compounded by weak legal enforcement. Drawing on transaction-cost economics and network theory, we employ a relational contracting lens to examine how such agreements persist. We analyse 15 key stakeholder interviews and six documents. We find evidence that contract stability rests less on legal stipulations and more on relational mechanisms: flexible contingent terms, co-investment in technical capacity, and embedded governance via local authorities and social networks. These informal institutions and networked enforcement substitute for formal mechanisms, enabling sustainable long-term contracting in emerging markets. • Vietnam's certified timber supply hinges on relational, not formal, negotiations. • Flexible terms and co-investment counter “reverse hold-up” in timber deals. • Social networks and local authorities provide informal contract enforcement. • Informal governance enables certification in fragmented smallholder forestry.

Deep tech has become a central concept in innovation, entrepreneurship, and public policy, frequently invoked to describe science-based ventures and breakthrough technologies. Despite its growing prominence, the term remains conceptually ambiguous and theoretically underdeveloped. This article adopts a conceptual–analytical approach to clarify the meaning and role of deep tech within contemporary innovation systems. Drawing on innovation studies, technology entrepreneurship, and science and technology studies, it examines how deep tech is defined, mobilized, and operationalized across technological, business, and policy domains. The analysis shows that deep tech is best understood not as a specific technology category, but as a performative and strategic innovation regime characterized by radical innovation, long time horizons, ecosystem dependence, and mission-oriented public intervention. The article offers conceptual clarity and practical insights for managers and policymakers navigating high-uncertainty, science-based innovation contexts.

Air pollution, a critical environmental threat, has worsened alongside urbanization and industrialization, particularly in rapidly developing economies like India. Despite efforts to curb emissions, the concurrent rise in energy consumption, industrial activity, and digitalization complicates the fight against air pollution. This study examines the interplay between air pollution, economic growth, clean energy transition, digitalization, and urbanization in India from 1990Q1 to 2020Q4. Using advanced econometric techniques, including multivariate quantile-on-quantile regression (MQQR) and the quantile ADF and quantile KPSS tests, we investigate the complex, non-linear relationships across these factors. Our findings suggest that while economic growth exacerbates air pollution, the clean energy transition can mitigate its impact, especially when integrated with digitalization. However, the effects of digitalization are nuanced, potentially increasing pollution unless paired with green energy policies. The study demonstrates that the combined strategies of promoting clean energy and digitalization can provide a sustainable pathway for reducing air pollution in India. This work offers novel insights into the role of digital technologies in enhancing environmental sustainability and highlights the need for policy interventions that balance economic growth with climate resilience. The results present a roadmap for India’s sustainable development, emphasizing the integration of clean energy, digital innovation, and urban planning.