On the afternoon of June 30, 2024, the National Economics University (NEU) organized a doctoral dissertation defense ceremony for PhD student Nguyen Van Anh, majoring in Business Administration (E-PhD Program), with the dissertation titled: "From uncertainty to impulsive buying: The roles of unmindfulness and afterlife beliefs."
The doctoral dissertation was supervised by Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Hung from the National Economics University.
The ceremony was attended by council members, including Professor Dr. Tran Thi Van Hoa, Associate Professor Dr. Le Anh Tuan, Associate Professor Dr. Duong Cong Doanh, Dr. Dao Tung, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, and Associate Professor Dr. Bui Duc Tuan.
Additionally, the ceremony was attended by the supervising faculty member, colleagues from the candidate's workplace, friends, and family members of the PhD candidate.
Under the chairmanship of Professor Dr. Tran Thi Van Hoa – Chair of the Council, the Council reviewed the academic background, research achievements, learning process, and scientific research results of PhD student Nguyen Van Anh throughout the entire dissertation process. The Council members highly praised the student's academic achievements, research contributions, and dedicated efforts during this period.
Subsequently, PhD student Nguyen Van Anh presented the research findings of her dissertation to the Council.
In her doctoral dissertation, PhD student Nguyen Van Anh conducted research on "From uncertainty to impulsive buying: The roles of unmindfulness and afterlife beliefs." This dissertation makes at least three significant theoretical contributions to the current literature. First, this dissertation advances theories about the impact of uncertainty under negative events such as Covid-19. Indeed, this research extends beyond the traditional focus of existing literature on uncertainty identification theory and uncertainty reduction, which typically associates uncertainty with higher levels of distress, to hypothesize that different uncertainties may lead to different impacts on distress, both negative and positive. Second, this research contributes to the literature on mindfulness. In fact, these findings question the potentially negative effects of unmindfulness, commonly found in the literature, to theorize and empirically test the positive moderating role of unmindfulness. Third, this research contributes additional theory to impulsive buying behavior. Specifically, this research argues that the relationship from distress to impulsive buying behavior may vary for different levels of afterlife beliefs. In this study, the existential aspect such as afterlife beliefs is considered.
The recommendations drawn from the dissertation's results: The findings from this research provide practical implications to some extent. For consumers, when facing negative psychological symptoms such as distress, findings from this research suggest that people should be cautious when seeking certain ways to use mindfulness. Although mindfulness has been praised for various positive psychological effects, caution is needed because mindfulness may have negative impacts. As discovered in this research, unmindful consumers may cope with distress better when they face self-uncertainty in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional recommendations for policymakers to help limit the negative impact of uncertainty on impulsive buying are also provided.
The dissertation's key findings have been published in international scientific journals indexed in ISI/Scopus databases.
According to the evaluation of the Council members, the dissertation reflects the serious learning and research process of PhD student Nguyen Van Anh. The research results have high scientific value and practical applicability.
After deliberation, the dissertation examination Council conducted a closed meeting, resulting in a unanimous 7/7 votes in favor from all present members. Professor Dr. Tran Thi Van Hoa, on behalf of the Council, congratulated PhD student Nguyen Van Anh on successfully defending her doctoral dissertation.
Before concluding the ceremony, PhD student Nguyen Van Anh delivered a speech expressing her gratitude to the Graduate Institute, the Institute for Sustainable Development, her supervising faculty, colleagues, friends, and especially her family for their constant companionship, encouragement, support, and for creating the best conditions for her to successfully defend her dissertation and achieve her doctoral degree.
Some images from the ceremony:
Article and photos: Institute for Sustainable Development
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