Intellectual capital, corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are generally considered three essential pillars to enhance firms’ performance in the developed world. However, in developing countries such as Vietnam, these pillars have not received sufficient attention from practitioners. In addition, this study aims to investigate the interrelationship between these three essential pillars and their combined effects, in the Vietnamese context. This study uses data collected from the annual reports of the largest listed banks in Vietnam from 2011 to 2018. Intellectual capital is measured using a modified value-added intellectual coefficient model. CG is proxied by board remuneration. This study measures CSR using the ratio between charitable contributions and profit before tax. In addition, this study uses the generalized method of moments to overcome several econometric problems exhibited in previous empirical studies. Results indicate that CG and CSR have a positive impact on intellectual capital. Intellectual capital plays a moderating role in the relationship between CG and CSR. Moreover, CG and intellectual capital in the previous year significantly affect CG in the current year. Based on the findings from this study, policy implications have emerged for bank executives and policymakers in formulating and implementing policy about the balance between intellectual capital accumulation, CG and CSR. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study conducted to examine the interrelationship between intellectual capital, CG and CSR and their combined effects in emerging countries such as Vietnam.

This study investigates the influence of internal corporate social responsibility (iCSR) aspects on employees' job satisfaction and organizational engagement through the lenses of social identity and social exchange theories. Based on a survey collected from 368 employees in 25 banks in Vietnam, the findings show the importance of each iCSR aspect in driving employee job satisfaction and organizational engagement. Job satisfaction is also found to be an antecedent of organizational engagement. The result adds a profound understanding of iCSR to the existing literature and helps bank managers have appropriate solutions to strengthen their employees' job satisfaction and organizational engagement.

The current literature has generally considered prices of the agricultural commodity as an endogenous factor to crude oil price. As such, the role of the agricultural market in the energy sector has been largely ignored. We argue that the expansion of agricultural production may trigger a significant increase in oil price. In addition, the world has recently witnessed a growth in biofuel production, leading to an increase in the size of the agricultural sector. This study is conducted to examine the impact of different agricultural shocks on the oil and agricultural markets in the US for the period from 1986 to 2018. The study utilizes the Structural Vector Autoregressive (SVAR) model to estimate the relationship between the agricultural market and the crude oil market. Moreover, the variance decomposition is also used to quantify the contribution of agricultural demand shocks on oil price variations. Findings from this paper indicate that different agricultural shocks can have different effects on oil price and that corn use in ethanol plays an important role in the impact of corn demand shocks on oil price. We find evidence that the agricultural market can have an impact on oil prices through two main channels: indirect cost push effect and direct biofuel effect. Of these, the biofuel channel unexpectedly suggests that the expansion of bioethanol may in fact foster the dependency of the economy on fossil fuel use and prices.

This study explored the influence of factors on the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in companies. The study used a quantitative approach in which a survey was conducted. The final 250 among various respondents in the textile and garment industry were used. The final respondents were top-, middle-, and low-level managers in 250 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam. The results indicate that competitive context, social influences, the understanding of managers about CSR, and the internal environment of companies are the four drivers of CSR. In the four drivers, competitive context has the strongest impact on adopting CSR. The finding implies that stakeholders’ pressure influences SMEs in this industry because of the high expectations from international stakeholders.

This paper explores how consumers’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) influence their attitude and purchase intention in Vietnam. The study used a quantitative approach in which a survey was conducted. Among many respondents, the final 222 responses from various respondents across Vietnam were utilized in this paper. Key findings from this study are as follows. First, consumers (one stakeholder) are one key motive for organizations to become engaged in CSR. Second, consumers have a strong interest in an organization that they perceive to be responsible for its workers and community. Third, the concept of CSR in Vietnam is rooted in business and ethics, reflecting that Vietnamese consumers want business organizations to behave responsibly. On balance, the findings imply that CSR is influenced by the context in which it is practiced. Consumers expect business organizations to take their social responsibilities seriously, in line with the expectations of Vietnamese society.