Conference Proceedings - 2019

Research Aims: Exploratory. Design/methodology/approach: This research is based on quantitative data collected from 317 respondents who took part in various MPR programs of RMIT International University Vietnam (RMIT Vietnam) in 2016. Research Findings: Through multiple regression analysis, it was concluded that MPR has a positive relationship with ATB and the tangibles dimension of SERVQUAL; MPR also indirectly affects ATB through this service quality dimension. This research concluded with a model of the relationships among MPR, service quality and ATB. Theoretical Contribution/Originality: This research is based on the perspective that public relations may have significant value in terms of marketing, and MPR could benefit corporates by enhancing their services as well as long-term relationships with and trust of customers by generating a positive attitude toward their brand. Research limitation/Implications: For the implementations, managers of RMIT Vietnam are highly recommend to make the MPR programs more tangible to gain positive ATB. Other service providers will enhance their service quality and adjust the budget accordingly by implementing this model for innovative solutions to ongoing marketing programs.

Interactive White Board (IWB) or smart board has emerged recently as one of the most effective language teaching and learning tools. It utilizes a wide variety of multimedia such as videos, audios, pictures and the Internet, or inspiring activities and games designed with ActivInspire software to engage students actively and proactively in vivid as well as memorable language lessons. As opposed to the traditional approaches to vocabulary teaching and learning, the creative and innovative IWB-based activities or games both offer a unique opportunity for quick memory of English lexical items and enhance students‟ motivation in English words acquisition. Regardless of the inspiration from IWB, not many studies offered empirical evaluations of the efficiency of IWB on enhancing Vietnamese students‟ motivation in learning vocabulary in the EFL context. Therefore, this study aimed to discover how IWB could motivate freshmen at Van Lang University (VLU, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) to improve their lexical repertoire. Qualitative research method was used in combination with various tools for data collection such as observation, questionnaire, video recordings and interview. The data demonstrated that IWB together with its highly creative activities sharply aroused VLU‟s freshmen‟s motivation and gave them an essential lexical items background for further English study.

In recent years, besides the impacts of socio-economic development activities, climate change (including changes in rainfall and sea level rise) in the Vu Gia - Thu Bon river basin has directly affected water source security in the basin. Floods, droughts, and saline intrusion become irregular and increasingly serious, greatly affecting the supply of irrigation water for agricultural production and domestic use in the basin. In this study, we used a mathematical model to simulate changing flow patterns and saline intrusion in the river system in response to different climate change scenarios. Our modelling results show that the annual flow and the dry season flow in the basin tend to decrease under the pathway RCP 8.5 in the future periods 2030-2050, and the distribution of the flow varies among simulation periods and climate change scenarios. Although future flows at the end of century tend to increase due to the impact of climate change, the simulated results show that saline intrusion also increases in all scenarios. Under the RCP 8.5 pathway, on the Vu Gia river, the salinity concentration isoline of 1 ‰ intrudes into the river from 19.7 to 20.1 km, and 4 ‰ saline isoline from 18.4 to 20.8 km. On the Thu Bon river, the salinity isoline of 1‰ enters into the river from 18.6 to 20.3 km, and from 16.7 - 18.5 km for the salinity isoline of 4 ‰. Our results will be a scientific basis for decision making agencies to identify appropriate development strategies to adapt and mitigate negative impacts of climate change to ensure sustainable development at the basin.