Purpose: This study examines the role of the Input-Output (I-O) model in Vietnam's economic planning and proposes a practical 4sector I-O framework (comprising Agriculture, Industry, Construction, and Services) for sectoral production planning, price management, and macroeconomic policy evaluation. Research design, data and methodology: We construct a demand-driven I-O model by aggregating Vietnam's official Input-Output table into four sectors (Agriculture, Industry, Construction, Services). Using secondary data from the General Statistics Office and government documents, we calculate the direct input coefficient matrix (A), Leontief inverse C = (I - A)-1, primary input matrix (B), and final demand vectors. A dual-block (output + price) system forecasts 2024 sectoral output consistent with GDP targets and simulates price effects of wage increases and VAT reductions. Results: The model produces feasible sectoral output plans while revealing heterogeneous inflation: We expect agricultural, industrial, and service sectors to grow at different rates in 2024. The salary increases and VAT reduction will lead to higher price inflation in agriculture and services while industry and construction will experience more moderate price changes. Conclusion: The study reaffirms the analytical strength of the I-O framework in developing economies. The compact, Excel-based 4-sector model provides planners with a replicable and easily updated tool to balance growth and price stability, thereby strengthening evidence-based macroeconomic management in Vietnam.
Purpose: This study aims to identify and empirically assess the key determinants influencing inventory management effectiveness among retail enterprises in Vietnam in the context of intensifying competition and ongoing digital transformation. Research design, data, and methodology: A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative insights with quantitative analysis to enhance contextual relevance and analytical rigor. Data were collected from 180 retail firms using quota sampling across major economic regions in Vietnam. The analytical procedure included Cronbach's Alpha to assess reliability, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to validate measurement constructs, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the proposed relationships. Results: The findings show that information technology, financial resources, managerial capability, and managerial attitudes have significant positive effects on inventory management effectiveness. Among these factors, information technology exerts the strongest influence, contributing to improved inventory accuracy, more effective control, and enhanced operational performance. The structural model explains a substantial share of variance in inventory management, indicating strong explanatory power. Conclusions: This study provides empirical support for lean management theory in the retail sector of an emerging economy and highlights the importance of sustained technological investment and managerial capability development in improving inventory management performance and sustaining competitive advantage.
Purpose: Digital content marketing (DCM) is increasingly central to tourism industry as it shapes engagement and trust across tourism service distribution channels and platform-mediated trade. This study aims to map the knowledge structure and thematic evolution of DCM research in tourism over time. Research design, data and methodology: The study analyzed 853 Scopus indexed documents published between 2006 to 2024 using bibliometric techniques and VOS viewer-based science mapping and content analysis, including co-authorship, bibliographic coupling, and keywords co-occurrence analyses. Results: Publications grew through 2018 and accelerated after 2019. Four clusters dominate the field: social media in tourism distribution, visual and user-generated content, informational and emotional content strategies, and advanced analytics and AI enabled approaches. Additionally, China has been identified as the key contributor to publications in this field, followed closely by the United States. Conclusion: DCM should be treated as both a communication and distribution mechanism. Tourism firms and destination marketing organizers can improve channel performance by aligning platform specific content with channel roles, governing reviews and influencer collaborations to strengthen credibility, and using analytics to monitor destination image signals. These practices can reduce information gaps and support conversion from search to booking outcomes within tourism service distribution systems.
Purpose: This study aims to conceptualize information service provision in private and special libraries as a structured distribution system. Drawing on distribution theory, it examines how value is created and transferred through temporal coordination, spatial allocation, and transaction structures within client-oriented information environments. Research design, data and methodology: This study adopts an integrative literature review approach grounded in established frameworks of service-dominant logic and supply chain management. A systematic selection of peer-reviewed studies from Google Scholar, Scopus, and related databases was conducted. The analysis synthesizes prior research on value co-creation, information services, and distribution systems to construct a conceptual framework aligned with distribution perspectives. Results: The findings demonstrate that information services in private and special libraries operate as multidimensional distribution systems. Temporal coordination enables timely access to information resources, spatial allocation expands accessibility across physical and digital platforms, and transaction structures regulate client access and usage rights. These mechanisms collectively facilitate value creation and transfer between information providers and clients. Conclusions: Finally, the current study contributes to literature by reframing libraries as information distribution systems rather than passive service providers. It extends distribution theory to knowledge-intensive service contexts and offers practical implications for enhancing client-oriented service design in private and special libraries.
Purpose: This study examines the factors influencing passengers' intention to use pioneer mobility and delivery services in remote Indonesian regions, positioning service quality as a strategic driver of sustainable service utilisation. Pioneer transportation in Indonesia's underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas serves a dual function, transporting passengers while simultaneously facilitating the delivery of goods, making it a critical node in the regional distribution science ecosystem. Research Design and Methodology: A quantitative explanatory approach was applied using cross-sectional survey data collected from users of government-subsidised pioneer transportation services in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost areas. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling with SmartPLS to examine the relationships among transportation performance, bus-crew performance, service quality, and intention to use. Results: Transportation performance and bus-crew performance positively and significantly influence service quality. Service quality also shows a strong positive effect on passengers' intention to continue using Pioneer transportation services. Both technical attributes and human interaction aspects contribute jointly to shaping behavioural intention. Conclusion: Service quality functions as a critical mediator and strategic driver in pioneer mobility and delivery services. Strengthening operational performance and human-centred service delivery enhances distribution science outcomes in remote regions, offering actionable implications for policymakers and transport operators committed to equitable regional connectivity and sustainable service utilisation.
Purpose: Understanding regional price dynamics is essential for effective food policy and supply-chain management. This study examines how specific distribution nodes, interregional shock flows, and coordination failures shape rice price dynamics across the Philippine supply chain. It seeks to diagnose systemic inefficiencies leading to persistent regional price disparities. Theoretical and Empirical Relevance: Theoretically, the research advances spatial market integration theory by modeling price behavior as a diagnostic indicator of networked distribution system performance. Empirically, it provides critical evidence on regional leadership and structural bottlenecks during the volatile post-pandemic and post-liberalization period. Research Design and Methodology: Utilizing monthly regional price data (2021-2024), the study employs a hybrid framework combining Vector Autoregression (VAR) with machine-learning ensemble methods-specifically Random Forest and XGBoost-to trace price propagation along logistical corridors. Results: Findings reveal a hierarchical hub-and-spoke distribution network anchored by dominant nodes in Central Luzon, CALABARZON, Western Visayas, and Northern Mindanao. Shocks transmit rapidly through these hubs, while spatial adjustments remain slow and asymmetric. Conclusion: Observed price behavior reflects deep-seated distribution inefficiencies rather than temporary market imbalances. Policymakers should prioritize node-focused infrastructure investments in warehouse and milling capacity at identified leadership hubs, strengthen corridor-level logistics coordination, and implement real-time market information systems to enhance overall supply-chain resilience.
Purpose: This study examines how character-based design influences consumer engagement and brand loyalty within retail distribution contexts, particularly among Generation Z consumers. Research design, data and methodology: A quantitative research design was adopted using survey data collected from 284 respondents. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to analyse the relationships among character design preference, emotional attachment, customer satisfaction, brand perception, and brand loyalty. The moderating role of price sensitivity was also examined. Results: The findings indicate that character design preference significantly enhances emotional attachment, which in turn influences customer satisfaction and brand perception. Brand perception was found to be the strongest predictor of brand loyalty. Additionally, price sensitivity positively moderates the relationship between character design preference and brand loyalty, strengthening the relationship at higher levels of price sensitivity. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that character-based design functions as a strategic merchandising tool that enhances retail distribution effectiveness by improving product visibility, accelerating inventory movement, and strengthening channel performance. These findings highlight the role of design in supporting logistics efficiency and trade competitiveness in modern retail environments.
Purpose: This study examines the influence of public financial governance on strategic supply chain performance in public sector organizations, focusing on transparency, budget reliability, accountability, and expenditure discipline. Research design, data, and methodology: A quantitative cross sectional survey was conducted among public sector employees involved in financial management, procurement, and logistics. Data were collected from 240 valid respondents using structured questionnaires. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the effects of public financial governance dimensions on strategic supply chain performance. Findings: The results show that public financial governance has a significant positive effect on strategic supply chain performance. Budget reliability emerges as the strongest predictor, indicating that predictable and timely fund disbursement is critical for sustaining procurement continuity and distribution reliability. Transparency also exerts a substantial positive influence by improving coordination and information flow across organizational units. Accountability and expenditure discipline contribute positively, particularly in enhancing cost efficiency and operational control, although their effects are relatively more moderate. Originality/value: This study extends distribution science by empirically demonstrating that public financial governance functions as a strategic driver of supply chain performance in the public sector. The findings provide practical insights for aligning financial governance reforms with supply chain objectives to improve service delivery and value for money.
Purpose: The rapid advancement of digital technology is accelerating the transition from traditional to modern retail, significantly reshaping consumer behavior and distribution science, particularly in developing economies such as Vietnam. This study aims to examine the evolution of global retail research through bibliographic analysis while evaluating the current state of modern retail development in Vietnam in terms of technological integration, multi-channel expansion, and customer-centric orientation. Research design, data and methodology: The research adopts a bibliographic analysis of long-term retail publications to identify major thematic trends, complemented by an assessment of the Vietnamese retail landscape using industry reports and secondary data sources. Results: The findings indicate a clear shift in research focus from traditional retail models toward modern formats, with growing emphasis on ecommerce, digital transformation, and data-driven strategies, reflecting the increasing role of technology in shaping consumption patterns and distribution networks. Conclusions: Based on these insights, the study proposes a context-specific approach for Vietnam, highlighting the importance of integrating digital technologies, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, and aligning retail development with sustainable urban planning. This research contributes to the conceptual understanding of modern retail and offers practical implications for policymakers in transitional economies.
Purpose: This study investigates the transformative impact of blockchain technology on audit quality within the high-velocity environment of retail supply chains. Grounded in the integration of Agency Theory and Structuration Theory, it examines how specific blockchain characteristics - Data Transparency, Traceability, and Immutability - mitigate perceived Audit Risk, thereby enhancing the overall reliability of assurance services. Research design, data and methodology: A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing survey data collected from 223 external auditors specializing in Vietnam's retail and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods sectors. The hypothesized structural model and construct validity were rigorously tested via Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS software. Results: The findings demonstrate that blockchain characteristics significantly reduce Audit Risk by establishing a transparent and immutable control environment. Crucially, the mediation analysis confirms that Audit Risk acts as a full mediator, indicating that blockchain improves audit quality specifically by alleviating the auditor's perception of inherent and control risks. Conclusions: The study concludes that blockchain does not merely automate tasks but structurally redefines the audit workflow in distribution channels. For retail managers, adopting blockchain enhances supply chain visibility, allowing auditors to shift their focus from routine manual verification to high-level judgment and fraud detection, ultimately ensuring greater financial reporting integrity.
Purpose: This study explores the strategic role of online visual merchandising (OVM) elements on online purchase intention as an indicator of the performance within digital retail distribution channels in a developing market context. The study draws upon the HTRC/LTRC framework to strategise the OVM elements (navigations, registration, web graphics, product demonstration and web advertising) and the Extended Technology Acceptance Model to operationalise online purchasing intentions. Methodology: The survey was conducted under a quantitative research design with 399 responses from Sri Lanka. The relative impact of all five OVM components on online purchase intention was assessed by multiple regression analysis. Results: The results indicate that the OVM elements have a strategic sequence rather than an ad hoc effect, resulting in three distinct tiers of influence. The core strategic imperatives (Tier 1) include website graphics and website navigability; competitive necessities (Tier 2) include website registration and product demonstration; and the supplementary component (Tier 3) is web advertising, with its comparatively low coefficient. Conclusion: The implications of these results for distribution science are that upstream investments in digital interfaces can enhance the effectiveness of trade channels; however, they should be implemented in phases, methodologically, rather than as a blanket strategy.
Purpose: This study investigates how consumer innovativeness and experiential value perceptions influence continuance usage intention of augmented reality (AR) applications in online retail channels. AR increasingly functions as a channel enhancement mechanism within digital retail environments. Understanding its role in sustaining customer engagement and strengthening channel performance has therefore become strategically important for retailers in competitive online markets. Research Design, Data, and Methodology: Building upon the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework and insights from technology adoption theories such as TAM and UTAUT, this research proposes a structural model linking innovativeness to fit confidence, perceived utilitarian value, immersion, and social value, which subsequently affect continuance usage intention. Survey data were collected from 323 consumers with prior AR shopping experience in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS- SEM). Results: The findings demonstrate that innovativeness significantly enhances experiential value perceptions within AR-enabled retail channels. Among these factors, social value exerts the strongest positive effect on continuance usage intention, underscoring the growing importance of socially interactive retail environments. Conclusions: This study contributes to distribution science by clarifying how AR strengthens online retail channels through experiential value creation, customer retention, and sustained digital channel competitiveness in emerging markets.
Purpose: This study investigates whether adopting direct response distribution channels enhances insurer profitability. As digital transformation continues to reshape the insurance industry, direct response systems-such as online platforms, mobile applications, and telemarketing-have emerged as strategic alternatives to traditional intermediary-based distribution. Despite their growing importance, empirical evidence on their performance implications remains limited. This study seeks to fill this gap by examining the profitability effects of direct response adoption. Research design, data, and methodology: Using 9,500 firm-year observations of U.S. property-casualty insurers from 2013-2023, this study employs panel regressions with firm-level controls and year fixed effects to examine the relationship between distribution structure and profitability differences across single-and multi-channel strategies. Results: Insurers utilizing direct response channels exhibit significantly higher underwriting income and lower expense ratios than those relying solely on intermediary-based systems. Channel diversification alone does not improve profitability; however, multi-channel strategies that incorporate direct response generate significant performance gains. Conclusions: The findings suggest that direct response serves as an efficiency-enhancing governance mechanism by reducing intermediary costs and improving profitability. Overall, this study provides empirical evidence that insurers adopting direct response systems are better positioned to improve financial performance and maintain competitiveness in today's digitalized insurance market.
Purpose: This study examines how green distribution and green purchasing influence green service quality and perceived customer satisfaction in the service supply chain, emphasizing the mediating role of green service quality from a logistics perspective. Research design, data, and methodology: A quantitative survey was conducted with 130 employees and managers of star-rated hotels that implement green initiatives. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SPSS 19.0 and AMOS 22.0 was employed to assess direct and indirect effects among green distribution, green purchasing, green service quality, and perceived customer satisfaction. Results: Green distribution and green purchasing significantly improve green service quality, which in turn has a positive effect on perceived customer satisfaction. Green service quality also mediates the relationships between green distribution and perceived customer satisfaction and between green purchasing and perceived customer satisfaction, underscoring its central role in converting green operational practices into customer-oriented outcomes. Conclusions: Green-oriented distribution and purchasing practices enhance green service quality and perceived customer satisfaction in the hospitality sector. While the study conceptually links these practices to service supply chain efficiency and logistics performance, the empirical model focuses on customer-oriented outcomes. The findings highlight the distribution-related value of integrating environmentally responsible logistics and procurement practices for sustainable advantage in service supply chains.
Purpose: This study examines how value takes shape within platform-mediated distribution by focusing on supplier-customer interaction. While prior research has largely emphasized outcomes such as efficiency or performance, less attention has been given to the underlying mechanisms through which value is formed across distribution environments. This study addresses this gap by reinterpreting value formation in platform-based settings. Research design, data and methodology: This study adopts a narrative literature review approach. A set of 21 well-established studies was selected based on their relevance to platform ecosystems, value formation, and distribution processes. Rather than applying strict exclusion protocols, the review focuses on conceptual integration. Results: The findings suggest that value does not emerge as a direct output of platform operations. Instead, it takes shape through structured interaction processes between suppliers and customers. These processes can be understood across three interconnected dimensions-temporal coordination, spatial reach, and transactional structuring-each influencing how value is interpreted, accessed, and realized within platform environments. Conclusions: This study contributes to the distribution of literature by reframing value formation as a structured and interaction-driven process. By shifting the focus from outcomes to underlying mechanisms, the study provides a more nuanced understanding of how platforms organize and shape value within supplier-customer relationships.
Purpose: This study investigates how Islamic accounting principles enhance governance and operational efficiency in halal supply chains, with a focus on distribution channel management. It examines how ethical transparency, trust, and accountability influence coordination among suppliers, distributors, and retailers. Research design, data, and methodology: A qualitative design was employed using semi-structured interviews with 23 managers, accountants, and auditors from halal-certified firms in Indonesia, covering food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, logistics, and retailing. The data were analyzed through iterative thematic analysis to identify how principles such as amanah (trust), adl (justice), and shiddiq (truthfulness) are applied in logistics coordination, retail distribution, and channel governance. Findings: The results show that Islamic accounting reinforces transparency, reduces information asymmetry, and strengthens trust-based relationships across distribution channels. These mechanisms improve coordination efficiency, reduce disputes in wholesale and retail transactions, and support more reliable logistics performance. The study highlights an ethics-transparency-trust-efficiency chain that links moral accountability with distribution outcomes. Originality/value: This study contributes to distribution science by integrating Islamic accounting with distribution channel management, logistics, and supply chain governance. It clarifies the distribution-related implications and business value of ethical accounting systems for retailers, wholesalers, and logistics providers, particularly in halal markets.
Purpose: This study examines whether regional rice prices in the Philippines exhibit systematic linear and nonlinear dynamics, meaningful price persistence, and forecastable structure, and whether these patterns reflect efficient market adjustment or persistent supply-chain frictions. Research Design and Methodology: Using monthly regional rice retail price data from 2021-2024, the study adopts a hybrid empirical framework combining time-series econometrics and machine learning. Linear dynamics are assessed through autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation diagnostics, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models, and Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root tests. Nonlinear dependence is examined using Brock-Dechert-Scheinkman residual tests and ANOVA-based nonlinear interregional dependence tests. Forecasting performance is evaluated via rolling-origin forecasts comparing na & iuml;ve benchmarks with ARIMA, Random Forest, XGBoost, Support Vector Regression, and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models, using RMSE, MAE, and Diebold-Mariano tests. Results: Regional rice prices are nonstationary in levels but stationary in first differences, exhibiting significant linear and nonlinear dependence across most regions. From a distribution science perspective, these patterns reflect underlying distribution frictions and adjustment dynamics within supply networks. ARIMA models outperform na & iuml;ve benchmarks in many cases, while machine learning models-particularly XGBoost and LSTM-deliver the largest and most consistent forecasting accuracy gains, capturing complex and path-dependent behavior embedded in the distribution system. Conclusions: The findings reject the null hypotheses of no structure, no persistence, and no forecasting superiority, indicating that Philippine rice prices adjust incompletely and reflect persistent supply-chain frictions rather than efficient instantaneous market convergence.
Purpose: This study examines how total quality management (TQM) enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty by assessing its impact on operational performance in Thai distribution firms. It evaluates seven hypotheses on the influence of quality data reporting, product innovation, R&D management, and technology management on operational performance, and how this performance drives customer satisfaction and loyalty. Research Design, Data, and Methodology: Data were gathered from 425 top managers with at least one year of experience using judgmental, convenience, and snowball sampling. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to validate the proposed model. Results: The results indicate that product innovation (beta = 0.261, p < 0.05) and technology management (beta = 0.149, p < 0.05) significantly improve operational performance, whereas quality data reporting (beta = 0.055, p > 0.05) and R&D management (beta = 0.032, p > 0.05) show no significant effects. Furthermore, operational performance positively influences customer satisfaction (beta = 0.308, p < 0.05), which strongly contributes to customer loyalty (beta = 0.636, p < 0.05). Operational performance also has a direct effect on loyalty (beta = 0.116, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Overall, this study provides meaningful insights for distribution firms seeking to enhance their TQM strategies to strengthen operational outcomes, elevate customer satisfaction, and build long-term loyalty.
Purpose: This study aims to identify the micro-spatial and store-level determinants of coffee shop closures in Seoul, where rapid market saturation and intensified competition have led to increasing business exits among small food-service establishments. Research design, data, and methodology : Using administrative licensing records of coffee shops in Seoul up to June 2024, this study constructs a geocoded dataset of 36,495 stores and integrates GIS-based spatial information on competition, accessibility, and neighborhood characteristics. A binary logistic regression model is employed to examine how store attributes (business period, store area, number of franchisees) and location characteristics (floor level, road width, competitors, subway accessibility, land-use type, and living areas) affect the likelihood of closure. Results: The results indicate that longer business periods and a larger number of franchisees significantly reduce closure probability, while small and medium-sized stores exhibit higher risks of exit. First-floor locations are associated with lower closure likelihood, whereas higher densities of nearby competitors increase closure risk. Stores located in commercial land-use areas show lower probabilities of closure than those in other areas. Significant spatial differences in closure risk are also observed across Seoul's living areas. Conclusions: The findings highlight that coffee shop closures are shaped by the combined effects of store characteristics and micro-spatial location conditions. The study provides empirical evidence that location selection and competitive intensity are critical to business sustainability and offers practical implications for entrepreneurs, franchisors, and urban retail planners seeking to improve survival prospects in saturated urban markets.
Purpose: This study examines how government economic spending shapes distribution efficiency and multichannel strategy adoption among small businesses operating in remote areas. Prior research on public expenditure largely emphasizes fiscal scale and macroeconomic outcomes, with limited attention to its role as a distribution-support mechanism influencing firm-level operational capability and channel strategy in peripheral markets. Research design, data, and methodology: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among small business owners in remote regions of Eastern Indonesia. Data from 235 valid respondents were collected using structured questionnaires. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the relationships between government economic spending, distribution efficiency, multichannel strategy, and business performance. Findings: Government economic spending significantly improves distribution efficiency by enhancing accessibility, logistics support, and distribution reliability. Distribution efficiency, in turn, positively influences multichannel strategy adoption and business performance. Mediation analysis confirms that government economic spending affects multichannel strategy indirectly through improvements in distribution capability, highlighting the operational pathway through which public investment translates into firm-level strategic outcomes. Originality/value: This study advances distribution science by conceptualizing government economic spending as a noncommercial distribution enabler and clarifying the process mechanism linking public expenditure to strategic channel expansion in remote and infrastructure-constrained markets.
