How leadership styles influence organizational outcomes: an empirical study in Vietnamese SMEs

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of leadership styles on different organizational outcomes and value structure such as: overall business performance, working style, motivation and trust of employees, management efficiency and corporate culture in the context of Vietnamese small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThe authors perform a qualitative analysis and gather data by conducting conversational semi-structured interviews with 51 SME managers from different industries. Data were analyzed using a step-by-step approach following Creswell.FindingsThe study explores the effects of leadership styles on various organizational outcomes. Given the features of SMEs, it sheds light on the significance of leadership styles in changing work environment, increasing staff retention, and promoting the viability of SMEs. It also discusses the selection of leadership styles in accordance with Vietnamese culture.Practical implicationsThis study has practical implications on human resource management in the context of SMEs. SME managers, training providers and support agencies may utilize the research outcomes to raise the awareness of SMEs leaders. Based on the research findings, appropriate training programs should be developed to assist managers in tackling major problems.Originality/valueAlthough several previous studies have tried to investigate the influence of leadership styles on organizational outcomes, this is the first research to explore the topic in the context of SMEs and in conjunction with the Vietnamese culture.

CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE AND CULTURAL PERSONALITY OF THE CELEBRITY OF PRESIDENT HO CHI MINH

President Ho Chi Minh made great contributions to the international communist movement and the liberation of oppressed peoples through his domestic and foreign revolutionary activities. In terms of culture, PresidentHo Chi Minh made outstanding contributions to Vietnamese culture and human culture. Therefore, on the 100th anniversary of his birth (1890-1990), President Ho Chi Minh was honored by UNESCO as a world cultural celebrity. The article will further clarify the views on culture and cultural personality of President Ho Chi Minhthrough policies and actions that demonstrate the great stature of a great man - a great culture in the twentieth century.

What are some Taoist influences in Vietnamese culture?

A bit of history first, Taoism is the result of the union between the folk religions of northern China and the folk religions of southern China. Taoism is partly a philosophy of life and partly a belief. Taoism was first introduced to Vietnam during the first Chinese domination period.

ASSESSMENT ON VIETNAMESE-ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF OBJECT LABELS AT VIETNAMESE WOMEN’S MUSEUM THROUGH FOREIGN TOURISTS’ PERSPECTIVES

Translation of culture-specific items has posed many difficulties to translators as it requires thorough knowledge of both languages and cultures. This study aims to investigate the assessment of foreign tourists on the translation of object labels at Vietnamese Women’s Museum and to shed light on tourist’s preferences for cultural word translation procedures. In order to fulfil these objectives, a mixed-method research was conducted in which questionnaire and interview were used as the primary data collection instruments. The model proposed by Vinay and Darbelnet (2000) was applied to analyze the procedures of the cultural word translation. The findings showed that the translation at Vietnamese Women’s Museum generally came up to tourists’ expectation and successfully helped them understand the majority of Vietnamese culture exhibited at the museum. However, some contents relating to religion or Vietnamese customs such as Mother worshipping, consecration ritual, 13 celestial Mothers full-month ceremony and traditional outfits such as fabric-making or fabric-dyeing methods, names of traditional costumes caused some challenges to the readers. Suggestions from tourists were valuable for both translators and the museum to improve their translation and display at the museum.

FOLK CONSCIOUSNESS OF CAUSE-EFFECT (HETU-PHALA) AND KAMMA-VIPAKA ¯ IN THE FAIRY TALE OF THACH SANH

This study sought to provide the basis for the formation and manifestation of Vietnamese folk consciousness in terms of causeeffect (hetu-phala) and kamma-vipaka ¯ in the story of Thach Sanh. The motif theory in folklore studies was used to reveal similarities as well as differences between the story of Thach Sanh and other domestic and foreign folktales having the same motifs. Therefore, these findings indicated that cause-effect and kamma-vipaka ¯ in Vietnamese folk consciousness contain not only common characteristics to different cultures but also specific creations of Vietnamese people, in which the acculturation of the Buddhist philosophy of cause-effect and kamma-vipaka ¯ in Vietnamese folk consciousness is one of the most distinctive features. Moreover, Vietnamese folk consciousness of cause-effect and kamma-vipaka ¯ could be considered as a harmonious combination of internal and external factors, which reflects the openness of Vietnamese culture and highly creative acculturational ability.

Exchange of Vietnamese Culture: Russia and Problems Made in Integration Period

Cultural exchange is an attribute of human society, the law of movement and development of all cultures. Today, the process of globalization is drawing almost all nations into its giant spin, the world is changing rapidly, and countries like it or not, the intangibles are affected, even dependence on each other. It is considered that the contact with Russian culture and countries in the old socialist system is the fourth cultural contact in the five contacts of Vietnamese culture to the region and the world. In nearly half a century of exchange with Russian culture, we have achieved undeniable achievements and results, but at the same time there are many issues raised and some lessons to consider. Objectively and fairly assessing this cultural exchange is a practical task, in order to draw historical experiences for Vietnamese culture in the context of international integration today.

“POST-WORSHIP FEAST” CUSTOM THROUGH VILLAGE CONVENTION DOCUMENTS IN THE XVIII-XIX CENTURY VIETNAM

A ‘Post-worship feast’ custom is traditionally celebrated after every ritual practice in a village is an important custom in Vietnamese culture. For centuries this custom has reflected the cultural life of Vietmamese villages. This article introduces the ‘post-worship feast’ custom and the contents related to this that was written in village convention documents of Vietnam in the 18th to the 19th century. The paper also aims to analyse values and specific mechanisms that help this custom continue to exist in the modern Vietnamese community.