Agriculture is an industry that plays an essential role in economic development towards eliminating poverty issues, but foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to this sector remain modest in Vietnam. This study analyzed the determinants of foreign direct investment in the agricultural sector into the Southern Key Economic Zone (KEZ) of Vietnam, which is considered the foreign direct investment magnet of Vietnam, but its FDI inflows into the agricultural sector have been consistently low, and has shown a downward trend in recent years. The study was based on a sample of 129 foreign investors of a total of 164 multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the agricultural sector, including representatives of the Board of Directors and representatives at the department level. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was used to test the hypotheses. Findings indicated that FDI attraction policies have the strongest impact on FDI inflows. This was followed by infrastructure, regional agriculture policies, public service quality, natural conditions, and human resources. This study suggests policy recommendations to improve foreign direct investment inflows into the agricultural sector of the Southern Key Economic Zone (KEZ) of Vietnam.

In today’s manufacturing sector, high-quality materials that satisfy customers’ needs at a reduced cost are drawing attention in the global market. Also, as new applications are emerging, high-performance biocomposite products that complement them are required. The production of such high-performance materials requires suitable optimization techniques in the formulation/process design, not simply mixing natural fibre/filler, additives, and plastics, and characterization of the resulting biocomposites. However, a comprehensive review of the optimization strategies in biocomposite production intended for infrastructural applications is lacking. This study, therefore, presents a detailed discussion of the various optimization approaches, their strengths, and weaknesses in the formulation/process parameters of biocomposite manufacturing. The report explores the recent progress in optimization techniques in biocomposite material production to provide baseline information to researchers and industrialists in this field. Therefore, this review consolidates prior studies to explore new areas.

This paper proposes an incentive model to involve communities and industries in effectively managing coastal waste in Makassar, Indonesia. The model seeks to incentivize stakeholders to invest in waste management solutions and enable public stakeholders to monitor and evaluate the progress of waste management activities. The model actively encourages participation from all stakeholders and builds upon existing efforts to promote environmental accountability. The proposed model includes several key components. It focused on public and private partnerships that should be fostered to coordinate stakeholder approaches and provide capital investment. It also focused on a financial reward scheme that should be adopted to incentivize businesses and individuals that invest in waste management initiatives. Performance bonus awards and tax incentives are proposed as possible incentive schemes. Lastly, a regulatory framework should be developed to ensure environmental standards are met and regulated. The framework should include regular reporting and auditing requirements and the implementation of penalties for those who fail to comply. The proposed incentive model seeks to engage stakeholders in effectively managing coastal waste in Makassar, Indonesia, through public and private incentive schemes.