AN ANALYSIS ON THE WORK ENGAGEMENT OF VIETNAMESE MIDDLE MANAGERS: THE CASE OF FDI ENTERPRISES - BAC NINH PROVINCE

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MISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY
MASTER THESIS
AN ANALYSIS ON THE WORK ENGAGEMENT OF
VIETNAMESE MIDDLE MANAGERS: THE CASE
OF FDI ENTERPRISES - BAC NINH PROVINCE
Specialization: Master of Research in International Economics
NGUYEN DIEU LINH
Ha Noi, 2020

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY
MASTER THESIS
AN ANALYSIS ON THE WORK ENGAGEMENT OF
VIETNAMESE MIDDLE MANAGERS: THE CASE
OF FDI ENTERPRISES - BAC NINH PROVINCE
Major: International Economics
Specialization: Master of Research in International Economics
Code: 8310106
Full name: Nguyen Dieu Linh
Supervisor: Dr. Nguyen Hai Ninh
Ha Noi, 2020

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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the master thesis is my own research. It was written
with the thorough guidance of my supervisor – Dr. Nguyen Hai Ninh
……
Hanoi, May,22 May 2020
Author
Nguyen Dieu Linh

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The master thesis has been completed with the great guidance of Dr. Nguyen
Hai Ninh. I would like to express my sincere thanks for his patience and massive
help with reading the whole of the thesis and making valuable comments for my
research.
By this occasion, I am much grateful to the Department of Graduate Studies
and Foreign Trade University - who have always create most favorable conditions
for Morie 2 students in completing our study. Thank you so much for their
generosity and I owe a debt of gratitude to all helpers.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................vi
LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................................... vii
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................viii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Emergence of study................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Purpose of study........................................................................................................................... 2
1.3. Subject and scope of the study............................................................................................. 3
1.4. Research methodology and research questions .......................................................... 4
1.5. Structure of thesis...................................................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................ 6
2.1. Theoretical famework……………………………………………………….6
2.1.1. Literature review.................................................................................................................. 6
2.1.2 Classification of work engagement........................................................................... 14
2.1.3 The importance of work engagement on FDI enterprises. ........................... 15
2.1.4 Factors influence employees’ work engagement............................................... 17
2.1.5 Previous researches of work engagement ............................................................. 17
2.2. Snapshot of FDI enterprises - Bac Ninh province................................................. 24
2.2.1 FDI enterprises in Vietnam.......................................................................................... 24
2.2.2. The whole picture of FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh......................................... 25
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY................................................................ 35
3.1. Research design and procedure....................................................................................... 35
3.2. Suggested research model and hypotheses................................................................. 36
3.3. Research methodology.......................................................................................................... 37
3.3.1. Questionnaire design:....................................................................................................... 38
3.4. Sampling method .................................................................................................................... 42
3.5. Data collection method......................................................................................................... 43
3.6. Data analysis process............................................................................................................ 44
CHAPTER 4 MAIN FINDINGS................................................................................................ 47
4.1. Demographical Analysis...................................................................................................... 47

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4.2. Assessing work engagement level of Vietnamese middle level managers in
FDI enterprises - Bac Ninh province..................................................................................... 49
4.3. Factors affecting work engagement of Vietnamese middle level managers
in FDI enterprises - Bac Ninh................................................................................................... 50
4.3.1. Reliability test (CR) ......................................................................................................... 50
4.3.2. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) .......................................................................... 51
4.3.3. Multiple regression analysis.......................................................................................... 57
4.3.4. ANOVA test............................................................................................................................ 61
4.3.5. Hypothesis test result......................................................................................................... 66
CHAPTER 5 RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................................. 68
5.1. Conclusions and answering the research questions.............................................. 68
5.2. Recommendations................................................................................................................... 70
REFERENCE ....................................................................................................................................... 80
APPENDIX 01: SURVEY FORM FOR MIDDLE MANAGERS AT FDI
ENTERPRISES IN BAC NINH ................................................................................................. 86
APPENDIX 02: LIST OF FDI ENTERPRISES IN BAC NINH.............................. 93
APPENDIX 03: REGRESSION ANALYSIS...................................................................... 95
APPENDIX 04: RELIABILITY TEST RESULT ............................................................ 96
APPENDIX 05: T- TEST RESULTS.....................................................................................100

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
No Acronym Explanation
1 FDI Foreign Development Investment
2 GDP Gross Domestic Product
3 NWW New Way of Working
4 KPI Key Performance Indicator

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1: Effectors creating employees’ satisfaction......................................................... 18
Figure 2.2: Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES)........................................................ 19
Figure 2.3: Model of Torp et al. (2012) about work engagement.................................... 20
Figure 2.4: Model of work engagement Stan et al.................................................................. 21
Figure 2.5: Relationship of Structural Determinants and Organizational
Commitment/Job Satisfaction.......................................................................................................... 23
Figure 2.6: Hierarchical view of management in organizations....................................... 31
Figure 2.7: Middle management roles ......................................................................................... 34
Figure 2.8: Vietnam's FDI total capital registered and average capital per project .. 24
Figure 3.1 Research design and procedure ................................................................................ 35
Figure 3.2: Suggested research model ......................................................................................... 36
Figure 3.3. The 5- point Likert scale ............................................................................................ 42

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1 Available options for demographic questions in Section A ......................... 39
Table 3.2. Measurement of Current Job/ Task........................................................................ 40
Table 3.3 Measurement of Working Conditions..................................................................... 40
Table 3.4 Measurement of Salary and Income........................................................................ 40
Table 3.5. Measurement of Leadership ....................................................................................... 41
Table 3.6. Measurement of Colleagues ....................................................................................... 41
Table 3.7 Measurement of Training and Promotion.............................................................. 41
Table 3.8 Measurement of Organizational Structure............................................................. 42
Table 3.9. Measurement of Work Engagement ....................................................................... 42
Table 4.1. Mean of variables............................................................................................................ 49
Table 4.2 Reliability Statistics Summary ................................................................................... 50
Table 4.4 Model summary................................................................................................................. 57
Table 4.5 ANOVA................................................................................................................................ 57

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ABSTRACT
This master examines the factors that influence and shape employee
engagement in the context of FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh province. It does this by
studying multilevel factors at two values: Spiritual values and Physical values.
Specifically, the thesis focuses on seven independent factors affecting work
engagement of employees.
To achieve this objective, this study adopted a mixed-method approach including:
Quantitative and Literature review.
For quantitative method, the study employed the quantitative method to determine
the relationship between work engagement and seven independent variables, as well
as the relationship between work engagement and each demographic factor. After
being collected, survey results were analyzed by the Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26. By conducting a comprehensive survey with a
sample size of 144 middle-level managers at 4 largest industrial zones in Bac Ninh,
a number of tests were performed on the collected data, namely Kaiser -Meyer-
Olkin (KMO) Measure of Sampling Adequacy, Bartlett’s test of sphericity,
Cronbach’s alpha reliability test, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Multiple regression
analysis and One -way ANOVA test. In terms of Literature review, by reviewing
previous researches to analyze core meanings and principal of work engagement,
therefore we can identify main effectors affecting employees work engagement.
The thesis aims to measure work engagement and look at the areas where
management interventions can be implemented to increase the overall level of
employee engagement drafting several solution and recommendation for locality in
Bac Ninh to attract and maintain more high qualified middle managers within FDI
enterprises.

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Emergence of study
Work engagement is a common concept, both in the business context and in
the academy. This term first appeared in the 1990s and meanwhile, more than 200
scientific publications have appeared on this topic. According to a global survey of
CEOs, attracting employees is one of the five most important challenges for
organizations. Consequently, international business consulting firms have
developed their own proprietary concepts and survey tools. Based on large
international databases, covering many different industries, these companies
estimate that only about 20% of all employees are involved in their jobs, while
another 20% be relaxed and about 60% participate in moderation. These consulting
companies also state that employee engagement promotes business success
(Schaufeli) 2012. It is concluded that work engagement is a feasible concept for
both science and practice and it needs to be paid more attention and applied to the
operational practices of businesses.
FDI inflows are a very important driving force for Vietnam's economic
development and have a large contribution to Vietnam's GDP growth. In particular,
Bac Ninh province with good FDI attraction and one of the localities with the most
FDI enterprises in the country.
With the advantage of being located in the Northern key economic region, in
recent years, Bac Ninh province has become a destination for many foreign
investors with more than 1,000 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects. By the end
of June 2029, the total registered foreign investment capital in Bac Ninh province
reached nearly 17 billion USD (Nhandan), 2019.
On the other hand, in these enterprises, the middle management staff is
mainly Vietnamese and plays a backbone for the activities of FDI enterprises. The
work engagement of these managers to businesses is one of the important
development drivers of enterprises in general and FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh in
particular.

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According to Gallup Report (2019), companies with a team attached to the
job will increase the competitive advantage by 202%. Therefore, the research topic:
"An analysis on the work engagement of Vietnamese middle managers: the case of
FDI enterprises - Bac Ninh province" is very urgent and suitable with practical
needs in order to offer advanced solutions for work engagement of management at
FDI enterprises in Vietnam (SKHDT BN), 2019.
Thus, in theory, work engagement in human resource management is also a
very important term and is mentioned by many domestic and foreign studies. In
terms of Vietnam's economy, FDI enterprises are the main development drivers and
Bac Ninh province is the most typical province in terms of FDI attraction as well as
reasonable support mechanisms for FDI enterprises. On the enterprise level, middle
managers are the core force and the bridge between Vietnamese workers and
foreign leaders. Therefore, their work engagement determines the performance of
FDI enterprises. For these reasons, the author chooses the topic: "AN ANALYSIS
ON THE WORK ENGAGEMENT OF VIETNAMESE MIDDLE
MANAGERS: THE CASE OF FDI ENTERPRISES - BAC NINH
PROVINCE" to study with great urgency for Bac Ninh in general and is lessons
learned for FDI enterprises throughout Vietnam.
1.2 Purpose of study
The research analyzes on the work engagement of Vietnamese middle managers in
case of FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh province.
In particular, the research hopes to achieve the following main purposes:
- Understanding the situation of work engagement of middle managers in
FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh industrial zones
- Assessing the level of work engagement of middle managers in FDI
enterprises – Bac Ninh industrial zones.
- Exploring the main factors affecting work engagement
- Analyzing the degree of impact of factors on work engagement, especially
in the case of middle managers in FDI enterprises.

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- Drafting recommendations to improve the level work engagement of
middle managers in FDI enterprises.
1.3. Subject and scope of the study
1.3.1: Research object and research subject of study
- Research subject: Work engagement.
- Research object: Vietnamese middle managers in FDI enterprises - Bac Ninh
province
1.3.2. Scope of Study
Research locations:
The study will be conducted only in 4 large industrial zones in Bac Ninh
including VSIP, Yen Phong, Tien Son and Que Vo as these areas have collected the
required number of samples
Although there are 15 centralized industrial zones with total area of 7,681ha
(6,847ha for industrial zones and 834ha for urban quarters), the study will be
conducted only in 4 large industrial zones in Bac Ninh including VSIP, Yen
PhongTien Son and Que Vo Ten because these industrial zones are the largest zones
about both scale and area compared others. The FDI largest companies are
operating here including Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverages, Fusan Technology
Co., Ltd. (formerly Microsoft phone factory), Canon Vietnam Co., Ltd., Samsung
Electronics Co., Ltd. Vietnam, TOYO INK Compound Vietnam Co., Ltd (TICV),
Sumitomo Electric Interconnect Products Vietnam and many other famous
enterprises in the world with the largest number of workers and Vietnamese middle
managers.
Research period:
The time for researching, interviewing and collecting data from middle
managers in the above mentioned industrial parks will take place from March to
May 2020 including a face-to-face meeting and gathering times. Additional
information, filling out the questionnaire will be done by email

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The research analyzes on the work engagement of Vietnamese middle
managers in case of FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh province.
1.4. Research methodology and research questions
1.4.1 Research methodology
To solve the problems raised, the study used a combination of two methods
including: Quantitative and Literature reviews as follows:
Quantitative method: This study employed the quantitative method to
determine the relationship between work engagement and seven independent
variables, as well as the relationship between work engagement and each
demographic factor. After being collected, survey results were analyzed by the
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26.
By conducting a comprehensive survey with a sample size of 144 middle-
level managers at 4 largest industrial zones in Bac Ninh, a number of tests were
performed on the collected data, namely Kaiser -Meyer-Olkin (KMO) Measure of
Sampling Adequacy, Bartlett’s test of sphericity, Cronbach’s alpha reliability test,
Exploratory Factor Analysis, Multiple regression analysis and One -way ANOVA
test.
Literature review: Reviewing previous researches to analyze core meanings
and principal of work engagement, therefore we can identify main effectors
affecting employees work engagement.
1.4.2 Research questions
Based on these objectives, the research questions were proposed as follows:
1) How is situation of work engagement of middle management in FDI
enterprises in Bac Ninh industrial zones?
2) Which level of work engagement of middle managers is in FDI enterprises
in Bac Ninh industrial zones?
3) Which are the main factors affecting work engagement?
4) How factors affect work engagement, especially in the case of middle

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managers in FDI enterprises?
5) What are recommendations to improve the level work engagement of middle
management in FDI enterprises?
1.5. Structure of thesis
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Frame work of work engagement
Chapter 3: Research methods
Chapter 4: Research conclusion
Chapter 5: Recommendations

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CHAPTER 2
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1. Theoretical framework
2.1.1 Literature review
There are many definitions of work engagement for businesses in the field of
human resource management. From 2000 to the present, the number of research,
publications and articles related to the participation of the work, or the engagement
of employees has skyrocketed both in quantity and quality. From the first academic
paper on workplace engagement published by William Kahn (1990) in the
Management Academy Magazine, the changes in the world of work, the positive
psychological movement was announced and published by a group of academics
working with Martin Seligman, then president of the American Psychological
Association, that promoted the development of "work engagement " issues.
Engagement refers to participation, commitment, passion, enthusiasm,
uptake, focused effort and energy. Work engagement first appears in business,
despite its roots terminology is not entirely clear, it was first used in the 1990s by
Gallup Foundation (1990)
According to Maslach and Leiter (1997) work engagement is basically
formed in aspects including emotional attachment to the organization and
commitment to continued (i.e. desire to stay with the organization) and off-role
behaviors (i.e. arbitrary behavior that promotes the effective functioning of the
organization). Conceptually in this way, employee engagement constitutes a mix of
the two existing psychological concepts. As a result, it seems most consulting firms
are bringing new entrants into the old commitment and bottle the complementary
role. The employees involved have put a lot of effort into the work because they
sympathize with it. Engagement is also said to produce positive results, both at the
individual level (personal growth and development) as well as the organizational
level (quality of performance). In contrast to those who are exhausted, the
employees involved consciously connect energy and efficiency with their work;

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instead of stress and demanding they see their work as challenging. Accordingly,
engagement is characterized by energy, participation and efficiency, forming the
direct opposites of three dimensions of exhaustion - exhaustion, cynicism and
reduced achievement. In this view, engagement and exhaustion are inherently linked
and can therefore be assessed by the same method. In addition, engagement is
considered to be an independent, distinct concept that is negatively related to
burnout. It is defined in its true sense as a group of positive, fulfilling, work-related
states, characterized by vitality, dedication and absorption. Work engagement is
characterized by a high level of energy and resilience while working, a willingness
to invest effort in another job, and perseverance even when it is difficult.
Consciousness refers to being strongly involved in one's work, and experiencing
feelings of meaning, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride and challenge. Finally,
absorption is characterized by complete concentration and happiness immersed in
one's work, through which time passes quickly and hard with separation from work
as Schaufeli (2012).
Kahn (1990) argues that employees who engage in work will devote their
entire mind, knowledge, and physical ability to the task, but this definition may be
confused with other factors such as organizational behavior or satisfied / dissatisfied
at work. In order to better understand the different levels of individuals attached to
their roles, Kahn (1990) examined a number of principles. The terms Kahn (1990)
use to describe these calibrations are 'personal participation' and 'personal
disengagement', which refer to the behaviors of people they include or ignore
individual roles while performing their job roles. These terms developed by Kahn
(1990) integrate previous ideas taken from motivational theories that people need to
express and self-control in work life is obvious.
According to Britt (1999; 2003), the definition of work coherence is personal
responsibility and a commitment to fulfill and focus on getting work done.
Maslach and Leiter (1997) assume that work engagement is the complete
opposite of exhaustion, so work cohesion includes: energy, commitment, and
personal achievement. Schaufeli et al (2002) in their new research model suggest

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that work cohesion is defined as a state of persistence, positivity, and motivation for
accomplishment. Ulrich (2007) values employees' contribution in business because
when businesses try to create more outputs, businesses have to find ways to engage
employees both mentally and mentally to increase labor productivity.
Various definitions of job linkage are also provided in study of Macey and
Schneider (2008). Accordingly, work engagement is the energy level of a user to
work effectively and efficiently. However, according to Schaufeli and Bakker
(2004), work engagement is considered as a state of oscillation in themself,
employees who are attached to the job, but who may have holidays and non-
employment status are the same for all days. It is important for organizations to
recognize employees who are truly psychologically connected at work (employees
who are truly engaged with the job) because they are always ready and able to
devote themselves to the mind. In their role, these employees are very motivated
and always work towards high quality work standards Bakker & Leiter (2010).
Work engagement is defined as a positive, satisfying, work-related mental
state characterized by attributes of dedication and enthusiasm Schaufeli and Bakker,
(2010). Accordingly, different from the concept of "employee engagement" in the
direction of engagement with the organization, work engagement involves the
mental states expressed in the verbal thinking and actions of employees to work: as
devoted to work, focused on work, passionate about work, worked hard and
energetic. The cohesion mentioned in this concept refers to the state of awareness
and continuity of action and does not focus on any object, individual or event or
behavior. Bakker (2009) gives three factors that measure work cohesion: energetic:
energetic and willing to work hard even when facing difficulties; dedicating factors:
devoting your mind to work, feeling work with enthusiasm, always being inspired,
proud of the job; Passion factor: be completely focused on your work and happy to
spend all your time at work.
Although the aforementioned sample may feel tired after a long day at work,
they consider it a pleasant state, which is well worth the positive results at work.
Employees who are attached to work are not workaholics, they also enjoy other

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activities of life outside of work, so for those who are engaged with work, working
is joyful (Gorgievski, Bakker & Schaufeli, 2010).
2.1.1.1 Vietnamese studies on employees work engagement
- In Vietnam, research of Pham Duy Khanh and Tran Dinh Long
(2015) studied factors affecting employee's engagement with businesses
at Military Petroleum Corporation. The research model in the article uses
Cronbach’s Alpha reliability assessment method and EFA discovery
factor analysis used to screen out the factors that meet the requirements.
The results of the regression model estimation show that "Employee
evaluation", "Job identification", "Training, remuneration and
compensation", "Recruitment" are important factors that have a positive
impact on the engagement of employee with businesses.
- Ha Nam Khanh Giao and Nguyen Dang Huyen Tran (2017) in “
Industry and Trade Magazine” studied the factors affecting employee
engagement with Ho Chi Minh Banking University, by surveying 174
employees using Cronbachs alpha, EFA and multiple regression analysis.
The results showed a model of 05 factors that have a positive impact on
employee engagement, in descending order: Nature of work, Colleague
relations, School reputation, Salaries and benefits, the support from the
superior. On that basis, the author proposes administrative solutions to the
board of directors and the heads of units to increase employee
engagement.
- The study "Assessing organizational awareness and job satisfaction in
the Vietnamese context" by Tran Kim Dung and Abraham (2005)
explored the relationship between job satisfaction and sense of
attachment. Based on a research sample of 396 full-time employees in Ho
Chi Minh City, the author used a network model, through 3 components
of consciousness associated with the organization and 5 aspects of public
satisfaction. Research shows that employees work hard and are proud of
their workplace because they like the job and have a good relationship at

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work.
- In addition, many domestic authors have studied the factors that affect
employee's long-term engagement with all types of businesses. In the
field of services, author Nguyen Chi Cong (2011) with the study
"Solutions to create long-term cohesion of employees with enterprises in
VNPT member units", used the explore factor analysis method EFA and
multivariate regression analysis to analyze factors that affects employee
engagement. The results of the analysis show that significant positive
impact factors on employee long-term engagement include job
satisfaction and family influence. At the same time, the author also
pointed out that there is a difference in the intention of long-term
association with businesses between different education and income
groups. Among those with higher education and postgraduate, the level of
engagement with businesses in terms of intention is lower than those with
lower education. And those with an income of five million or more have a
higher degree of engagement with businesses than those with lower
incomes.
- Tran Van Tuan, (2018) applied the scale of reward and recognition,
organizational fairness, organizational support awareness, job
characteristics, work engagement and organizational citizenship M.
(2006) in real life conditions at some Non-life Insurance Companies in
Ho Chi Minh City. Qualitative research was conducted by the author to
adjust and supplement the theory and research scale. Quantitative
research conducted with a sample of 283 employees with 1 year of
working experience or more working full-time in Ho Chi Minh City.
Analysis results show that Organizational Justice In terms of work
engagement, the Rewards and Recognition factors are considered as two
separate factors with different levels of impact on work engagement.
2.1.1.2 . Foreigner studies on employees work engagement
- The research of Hersey & Blanchard (2001), “The Labor Relations

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Institutes of New York” built for the first time applied to workers in
the industry, with 9 encouraging components for employees,
including:
Autonomy at work: The employee has control and responsibility for
his work, is encouraged to participate in work-related decisions and is
encouraged to take initiatives.
Interesting work: Expressing through the diversity, creativity and
challenges of the job and the opportunity to use the individual's
abilities.
Fully recognized work done: Recognized when completing the work
well, as well as contributing to the success of the company.
High salary: Receive a salary that is commensurate with the results of
work and ensures a sufficient personal life
Long-term work: Having a stable job, no need to worry about how to
keep a job or look for new jobs.
Good working conditions: Related issues such as labor safety,
hygiene, environment, working time, etc. are above average in the
industry.
Career advancement and development: Individuals always have
opportunities for advancement and development in the organization.
Support from superiors: The superiors always show their care and
support in solving labor problems.
- According to Vishwanath V. Baba and Muahammad Jamal (1979)
with the topic "On Becker's Theory of Commitment: An Empirical
Verification among Blue-Collar Workers", through a survey of 377
production workers in 6 companies in the city. Vancouver, the author
has pointed out that the three factors that influence workers'
engagement with the organization are (1) Demographics, (2)
Background, and (3) Job factors. In which, job factors include: variety

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of jobs; relaxing time; the help of colleagues; the convenience of
going to the office, which is considered the main factors determining
the work engagement and attitude of employees to the organization
and the work.
- W. D. Kahn (1990) with study “Psychological Conditions of
Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work”, is credited with
conceptualizing the major components of employee engagement. His
model proposes that engagement differs from basic job involvement,
in that it focuses not on worker skills but, rather, on how one commits
him/herself during the performance of the job. Engagement entails the
active use of emotions in addition to the simple use of cognition while
completing work tasks. The major propositions of the model are that
people express themselves cognitively, physically, and emotionally
while performing their work roles. The model proposes that, in order
for individuals to fully engage with their job, three psychological
conditions must be met in the work environment: meaningfulness
safety, and availability
- The study of Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina (2002), “ How the
world’s greatest organizations drive growth by unleashing human
potential” Employee engagement is also something that is
changeable, and can vary widely from one workplace to another
Studies indicate that workers are, to some extent, a reflection of the
administrators of an agency. Low or conversely high engagement
scores have been traced back to the organization’s leadership, from
top to bottom. Therefore, the results of engagement studies should
have considerable applicability to the social work field. For instance,
leaders in human service agencies could utilize data from engagement
studies to create and implement strategies that would increase staff
engagement
- The study of May, Gilson, and Harter (2004), “The psychological

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conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability and the
engagement of the human spirit at work” conducted a field study in a
large Midwestern insurance agency. Using a survey format th ey
explored why some individuals fully engage in their work while
others become alienated or completely disengaged. Results of this
study confirmed that engagement differs from simple job satisfaction.
They agreed that engagement actually entails th e active use of
emotions and behaviors in addition to cognitions. Overall, study
results supported Kahn’s earlier work in that psychological
meaningfulness and safety were positively linked to employee
investment in work roles. Additionally, job enrichment and role fit
were positively related to psychological meaningfulness. Having a
supportive supervisor and good relations with co-workers were related
to feelings of psychological sa fety on the job.
- Harter, Schmidt, and Hayes (2002), “Business-unit-level employee
satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcome analysis”
completed a meta-analysis of prior studies on employee engagement
that were conducted by the Gallup Organization. The researchers
examined the relationship between employee satisfaction-engagement,
and the business-unit outcomes of customer satisfaction, productivity,
profit, employee turnover, and accidents. Harter et al. (2002) noted
that one of the defining elements of employee engagement is the
actionable quality of the measured concepts. In other words, employee
engagement is related to meaningful business outcomes and many of
the core issues of engagement are ones over which managers can have
substantial influence. High levels of satisfaction and employee
engagement were positively correlated with customer satisfaction,
profitability, productivity, and safety outcomes.
- A study of Schaufeli, Bakker, and Salanova (2006), “The
measurement of engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-
national study” surveyed 14,521 employees in various occupations,

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using a self-report questionnaire that measured work engagement. The
researchers found that engagement is not only the opposite of burnout
but that it has its own characteristics, which were labeled vigor,
dedication, and absorption. The researchers concluded that
engagement is similar to burnout in that it is a stable, non-transient
state that increases slightly with age. Additionally, blue collar workers
were less engaged than managers, educators, and police officers.
Engagement did not seem to differ systematically between genders.
Research gap:
Although there are many studies related to work engagement in many
organizations with many different research methods, there has not been any
research focused on middle management group and in FDI enterprises in Bac
Ninh. Accordingly, the middle management team in these enterprises is
mainly Vietnamese while the senior management is foreigners. Therefore,
my study will concentrate in analyzing factors attracting work engagement of
Vietnamese middle managers in Vietnam in general and with the case of FDI
enterprises in Bac Ninh province in specific ( Detail in Chapter III).
2.1.2. Classification of work engagement
With regard to work engagement, employees can be divided into 3 groups.
According to Williams and Schneiderman (2002), there are three types of people:
(1)Engaged employees, (2) Not engaged employees, and (3) Actively disengaged
employees.
- (1) Engaged employees: Group of employees who are not attached to
the work (engaged employees). Those who tend to focus on specific
tasks rather than the goals and expected results in their roles.
Employees who are not associated with the organization do not have a
good relationship with their management and colleagues, because they
tend to feel their contribution is ignored and their potential is not

15
known. They want advice, specific guidance on what needs to be
done, and focus on completing specific tasks (Gallup, 2004).
- (2) Not engaged employees: Group of employees associated with the
work (not engaged employees). These are people with a constructive
spirit. They want to know the expected outcome in their role so that
they can achieve and reap the results beyond that expectation. They
naturally care about the company and their role in the company. Their
performance is always high, working with passion. And they want to
use their talents and strengths in their daily work and towards
innovation to help their organizations grow (Gallup, 2004).
- (3) Actively disengaged employees: The group of proactive
employees who are not associated with the work. Those who are
"separatist" and almost resolutely against everything. They not only
do not feel happy at work, but also always express their unhappy
attitude. Every day, this group of people seeks to undermine the
success of colleagues associated with the job (Gallup, 2004).
Humphrey et al. (2007) suggest that contextual features should be
conceptually integrated into a job specification model because they represent a class
of job characteristics focused on the following factors context of the work.
Moreover, Kahn (1990) argues that because of material needs and working
conditions, workers perform tasks as if guided by external scenarios, instead of
investing themselves in their jobs. , so they are likely to be negatively involved. As
physical demands and stressful working conditions increase, workers will become
physically uncomfortable, leading to more negative experiences while working.
2.1.3 The importance of work engagement on FDI enterprises.
Firstly, work engagement as Balogun and Johnson (2005) is as a factor
affecting the results and performance of the business: Employees are the decisive
factor to the performance of each department as well as the performance of the
whole enterprise. Employees with high professional skills, problem solving skills
and creative dynamics will help improve the performance of the business.

16
Therefore, if the employee is assigned with a suitable job as well as creating
favorable conditions to perform work effectively, improve work engagement,
businesses will get positive results.
Secondly, work engagement is as a factor to ensure business secrets -
essential conditions for the success of the business (Williams and Schneiderman,
2002 ) When an employee leaves, the business not only loses part of the necessary
knowledge and skills they have accumulated while working but also help other
businesses get those elements without training, investing time and cost. If the person
who is quitting is a senior manager who holds many business secrets, business
strategies, social relationships as well as business relationships with partners or
engineers who hold real technology secrets export to work for competitors of the
business, so the loss will be the greater.
Thirdly, work engagement is as a basis for resources for sustainable
development: Human resources play an important role in the knowledge economy,
they capture knowledge and skills as well as important relationships of businesses
and determine the development strategy of the enterprise, which is the base resource
for leaders to develop development strategies. The development strategy of any
business must be based on its available resources both financially and personnel El-
Kot et al. (2010). The presence and cohesion of the workforce will be an important
factor for the implementation and adjustment process, which is the basis for making
longer-term strategies and higher development goals.
Fourth, work engagement is as the basis for the formation of ideas for
development: In the current information age, the stage of developing global
knowledge economy, the source of knowledge and information is what determines
competitive advantage. Good and associate employees are the key force to ensure
and improve the enterprise’s advantages. They are also the main force for ideas and
creativity in the production, the quality of goods and services of the business,
improve the process, make the difference with competitors.
Finally, work engagement is as a valuable asset of the enterprise: Finding,
recruiting, and mobilizing new employees to grasp the job, having the ability to run

17
the operations of companies is a time-consuming and costly process. . The company
has to pay for new hiring, training and probation and it takes a long time to perfect
the skills and relationships necessary for employees to meet the needs of the job.
2.1.4. Factors influence employees’ work engagement
According to Demerouti et al. (2001), the author of the model “ Resources-
requirements at work '' (Job Demands-Resources, JD-R), each industry and job
contains elements. Own risks are related to stress at work. These factors can be
categorized into 2 parts: (1) Work resources and (2) Job requirements.
According to the JD-R model, the resources and requirements at work cover
many aspects.
Firstly, this model includes job requirements related to the physical,
psychological, social and organizational aspects of a job that require constant
physical effort, psychologically or require the necessary skills, and it is related to
the physiological and psychological costs.
Secondly, work resources are related to the physical, psychological, social,
and organizational aspects of a job that include or combine:
- Perform functions to help accomplish work goals.
- Reduce work requirements and costs related to physiology and
psychology.
- Promote the maturity, ability to learn and develop of individuals. Can
include the elements of the resources of the job are: feedback, control
work, the help of society. Work resources are seen as both acting as an
internal motivation because they promote personal growth and both as an
external motivation because they are tools to help achieve goals at work.
2.1.5. Previous researches of work engagement
El-Kot et al. (2010) studied job participation in a sample of male and female
managers and professionals working in various organizations and industries in
Egypt. Data were collected from 242 respondents, 48 percent response rate, using

18
anonymous completion questionnaires. Participation is assessed by three scales
developed by Schaufeli (2004) vigor, dedication, and absorption. The premise
includes demographic characteristics and job situation as well as measures that need
achievement and workaholic behavior; the consequences include measures of job
satisfaction and psychology. The results show that both a need for achievement and
a workaholic work behavior are found to predict all three measures of participation.
Second, participation, especially dedication, predicts different job outcomes (for
example, job satisfaction, intention to quit job). The study has certain limitations
because causality cannot be solved because data is collected at a time. Longitudinal
studies are needed to determine the impact of life experiences at work on
participation. Accordingly, organizations can increase their level of job participation
by creating supportive work experiences (e.g. control, reward and recognition) that
are consistent with human resource management practices (HRM) effective.
Figure 2.1: Effectors creating employees’ satisfaction
(Source: SOURCE El-Kot et al, 2010)
Low work engagement can contribute to reduced performance. Therefore, the
evaluation, promotion and maintenance of participation in the work is the concern
of many organizations. De Beer et al. (2016) assessed systematically with a

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meta-analysis to evaluate evidence of the effectiveness of work-related
interventions using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Studies
containing relevant quantitative data have undergone random meta effect analyzes.
Results were assessed for uniformity, systematic sampling error, publishing bias,
and quality. Twenty studies met inclusion criteria and were categorized into four
types of interventions: (i) individual resource building; (ii) build employment
resources; (iii) leadership training; and (iv) health promotion. Moderator analyzes
revealed an important outcome for the intervention style, with moderate to large
effects on the group interventions. The heterogeneity between the studies was high
and the success of the implementation was varied
.
Figure 2.2: Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES)
(Source: De Beer et al. 2016)
Research by Torp et al. (2012) investigated whether work needs, personal
control and social support affect the negative health measure of depression
differently from positive work engagement measures and investigate whether work

20
engagement mediates the effects of job needs and resources at the level of
depression. The authors discussed the significance of using engagement as a
measure of results in improving workplace health with a sample number of 605. In
multivariate analysis, the need for work as well as high social control and support
are significantly correlated with high levels of work engagement. Research shows
that engagement mediates the effects of social control and support on depression.
Encouraging businesses to improve their engagement in addition to focusing on
disease prevention can be worthwhile in promoting workplace health. Promoting
engagement can have a more positive organizational impact than the focus on
traditional disease prevention, because participation is relevant and closely related
to good performance and motivation.
Figure 2.3: Model of Torp et al. (2012) about work engagement
(Source: Torp et al, 2012 )
According to Ten et al. (2012), a New way of working (NWOW), which
allows employees to choose time and place of work, is increasingly being
implemented in organizational practice, but some studies have addressed the pros
and cons to employee results. The authors examined the impact of NWW on work
engagement and work exhaustion. Research results show that daily use of NWW is

21
positively associated with daily work engagement and negative to daily exhaustion
due to increased effective and effective communication. In addition, NWW
enhances connections among peers, leading to increased daily work engagement
and reduced exhaustion. However, we also found a positive relationship between
NWW and burnout, because NWW increased disruption during work. The authors
have carefully concluded that NWW has the potential to drive engagement.
In the study of Stan et al. (2014), the authors focused on engaging in work as
an intermediate variable. Traditionally, participation in work is defined as a
positive, fulfilling mind, related to the job characterized by vitality, dedication and
absorption. Engaging in work is not a state of uncertain mind, but perseverance and
no direct focus on a particular object, event, individual or behavior. Worker
participation consists of three elements: strong, devoted and absorbing. Raising
employee morale is affected by high energy level, resilience, willingness to invest
effort and steadfastness in the face of problems. Dedication by the employee's
enthusiastic pride in the work, the feeling of work inspiration and the overall sense
of importance related to the job. Absorb a state of mind in which employees are
highly focused and engrossed in their work. Participation in work and internal
motivation are similar concepts. Participation does not represent a specific driver of
employee engagement, but only the strength, dedication and commitment of
employees, without distinction between different sources. Participation has been
linked to positive organizational outcomes related to employee behavior and has
been found to be an intermediary variable that operates in the relationship between
job characteristics and employees. The authors also argue that autonomy not only
allows employees to demonstrate creative work practices, but also promotes their
overall participation and advocacy. Autonomy allows employees to achieve work
goals and respond quickly to changing work needs, and create the negative of stress
factors. This has the ability to enable employees to work better with strong and
devoted work. Numerous studies have confirmed that autonomy and participation in
work are positively related.
Figure 2.4: Model of work engagement Stan et al

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(Source: Stan et al, 2014)
From the point of view of coherence measurement, using direct measures of
individual perceptions, including behavioral and attitudinal aspects, Mowday et al.
(1979) established a scale of measure employees' sense of organization by studying:
“The Measurement of Organizational Commitment”. By using the definition of
Organizational Commitment (OC) as the power of individual identity with the
organization and active participation in the organization, Mowday and his
colleagues identified three components of OC including: (i) Strongly believe in the
organization, accept its goals and values, (ii) Be willing to work hard for the
organization, and (iii) Strongly desire to be a member of the main function of
organization. Accordingly, a 15-item survey questionnaire (OCQ) was developed by
the researchers to explore the three aspects of OC and use the 07-item Likert scale.
The quota for men and women is presented based on the available template.
Satisfactory test reliability and internal consistency reliability were found, based on
a series of studies among 2563 employees in nine different organizations.
The results of the study have shown the importance of OCQ in measuring the
intention to stay and organize (considered as one of the three components of OC) in
each study. Many other studies have shown that OCQ has given similar results
when it measures how long employees are expected to stay in the organization.
Accordingly, employees with interest and career orientation are considered to have
a higher level of cohesion in the organization. Correlations between OC and the JDI
(Job Descriptive Index) scale were also found. The strongest relationships are often
found between commitment and job satisfaction.

23
Stefan Gaertner (1999) clarified the structure of job-related factors and OC
with research: “Structural determinants of Job satisfaction and Organizational
commitment in turnover model”. With data including 7,040 samples (mainly office
workers, 49% of which are male), taken from 9 empirical studies, the author used
LISREL 8.3 to conduct analysis of Meta-Analytical Structural Equation Modeling
(SEM). The author has used 10 elements (Salary; Opportunity for promotion; Fair
distribution; Colleague support; Superior support; Workload; Conflict; No
transparency; Autonomy) ; Habits) to measure the extent and how these elements
influence job satisfaction and engagement. The research results show that all 10
components have a direct relationship with job satisfaction but only 3 components
(promotion opportunities; fair distribution; support of superiors) are related directly
with engagement.
Figure 2.5: Relationship of Structural Determinants and Organizational
Commitment/Job Satisfaction
(Source: Gaertner , 1999)

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2.2. Snapshot of FDI enterprises - Bac Ninh province
2.2.1 FDI enterprises in Vietnam.
Since its integration in the global economy in the early 1990s, Vietnam has become
an increasingly attractive destination of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into
companies and enterprises. In 2015, it was ranked the world’s fifth major attractor
of FDI by number of projects, after China, India, Singapore, and Australia, and
ranked in the fourth position when considering the total investment capital, after
India, China and Indonesia, according to The FDI Report( 2016) published by FDI
Intelligence.
Additionally, this report ranked Vietnam the highest FDI performance index
amongst emerging economies for the period 2014-2015. Vietnam’s FDI inflow has
followed a long-term upward trend, with specific short-term fluctuations.
Figure 2.8: Vietnam's FDI total capital registered and average capital per
project
(Source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam)
During the period of 2005-2015, FDI, in both number of projects and
registered capital, increased steadily, with average growth rate of 8.1 percent and
13.4 percent, respectively. The sharp increase in FDI in 2008 reflected the strong
world economy up to the global financial crisis, as well as the rising interest of
foreigners in Vietnam following the country’s accession to the WTO in 2007.

25
Registered FDI in 2008 included some large projects, such as a petro-chemical
complex, steel mills, a software park and a tourism complex. However, as the world
economy was hit by a severe financial crisis, many of these projects were delayed or
cancelled. Notably, FDI in Vietnam is concentrated in the manufacturing sector,
with flows from accounting for the majority of investments. At the end of 2015,
seven of the top ten investors in Vietnam were Asian countries. Registered capital
by these countries accounted for 67.2 percent of Vietnam’s cumulative FDI over the
last decade. Vietnam’s success in attracting FDI has had a positive impact on the
country’s economic development: during the period of 2005-2015, FDI’s
contribution to GDP followed an increasing trend, moving from 15.1 percent in
2005 to 18 percent in 2015. The contribution of FDI to job creation is more modest.
In 2015, FDI contributed to approximately 4.2 percent of Vietnam’s labour force, a
contribution that is likely to be even greater if indirect effects are taken into
account. Additionally, the share of FDI in total investment increased from 14.9
percent in 2005 to 23.3 percent in 2015, and the contribution of foreign invested
companies to the state’s budget fiscal revenues increased from 8.3 percent in 2005
to 14.1 percent in 2014 (Report of Vietnam General Statistics Office, 2015).
2.2.2. The whole picture of FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh
Accumulated to the beginning of 2020, Bac Ninh Industrial Zones Authority
has issued investment certificates for 996 valid FDI projects with a total registered
capital of over 17.332 billion USD. Outside the concentrated industrial zone, the
Department of Planning and Investment newly granted investment for 13 projects
with a total registered capital of 3,574 million USD; withdrawing 1 project with
total registered investment capital of 0.1 million USD. Thus, the total newly and
adjusted investment capital increased to USD 181,675 million (Baobacninh, 2020).
In FDI enterprises, the problem of labor shortage, especially skilled workers
and middle managers is an urgent problem. FDI enterprises mostly exploit low-cost
labor force, but do not carry out technology transfer and human resource training to
develop domestic industry. High-tech products are just assemble and stages that
require high technology are not undertaken by domestic workers, so learning from

26
production experience in FDI enterprises of domestic workers is not much.
Licensing for FDI enterprises has been lacking in the past, so many businesses just
want to take advantage of our country's cheap labor source (Hanoimoi, 2011).
Labor with technical and professional qualifications on average accounts for
17.90% of total employment in FDI enterprises: Que Vo Industrial Park and Tien
Son Industrial Park are 2 industrial parks with higher percentage of professional and
technical workers, respectively with 25.34% and 22.46% (Hravn, 2015).
Actual requirements of the market on product quality and price as well as the
development of science and technology applied in production and environmental
protection are increasing day by day. The above results show that FDI enterprises
need to have early training strategies to improve the quality of their human
resources in order to meet the requirements of development, innovation and
application of science and technology in production to improve the quality of
products and services (Hravn, 2015).
At FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh, the awareness of employees and employers
about labor relations has been significantly improved and has made many important
changes. Intermediate middle managers are mainly dependent on the employer or
the employer imposes policies and regimes that have moved to a negotiating
mechanism and agreed upon on relevant issues to the rights and interests of both
parties. Middle managers have actively discussed and negotiated with employers to
protect and ensure their legitimate rights and interests. The compliance with the
labor law by employers is also increasingly appreciated and has many positive
changes. Many FDI enterprises are interested in improving working conditions,
increasing income, supporting housing and take care of the cultural and spiritual
conditions for workers (Tapchitaichinh, 2018). These factors step by step raise the
cohesion level of middle managers, core forces and a bridge between thousands of
workers and the leadership of FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh.
However, the average monthly salary of middle managers in FDI enterprises
is higher than that of non-state enterprises but not equal to state-owned enterprises.
Although, FDI enterprises all apply working hours 8 hours / day, 48 hours / week,

27
however, the number of overtime hours is relatively large, on average, each
employee works over 275.8 hours / year and Especially high in garment, footwear
and electronics businesses. Many FDI businesses have overtime hours up to 500-
600 hours / year / labor. As such, workers (including middle management officials)
who work overtime are very crowded. The average number of overtime hours in a
year surpasses about 30% of the Labor Code (Tapchitaichinh, 2018). In Bac Ninh,
in addition to Vietnamese workers in the area, FDI enterprises in this province also
attract many foreign workers and foreign experts and technicians. By the end of
2018, there were 284,470 employees in industrial parks of the province, including
214,920 workers from other provinces, accounting for 75.5%. There are about 5,000
foreigners working in industrial zones. This led to the development of service
industries in the province strongly developed .
Research on the causes of termination of employment relations in FDI
enterprises has the following results: Up to 39% of employees leave due to work
pressure (overtime, high norms); 13.4% of employees quit their jobs due to hard and
dangerous jobs; 8.4% of workers are absent from work due to sexual harassment;
16.4% of employees quit their jobs due to being scolded and discriminated against;
15.1% quit their jobs due to insecure health, loss of labor force; 12.6% were laid off
for no reason ...
The consequence has caused many tension conflicts between employees and
employers in the past. According to statistics from 2017 to now, there have been
343 strikes in FDI enterprises (FDI enterprises from Korea accounted for 44.02%
(151 cases); from Taiwan accounted for 23.91% (82 times). China accounted for
10.2% (35 cases); Japan accounted for 4.96% (17 times); the rest was from
enterprises in other countries). Enterprises of the above countries are all operating in
Bac Ninh province.
The causes of collective stoppages and strikes stem from collective labor
disputes or intermingling collective labor disputes over rights and benefits, most
notably the causes of wages and bonuses. , income of employees such as: Wage
unpaid, not adjusted to the minimum wage, paid not in accordance with the

28
regulations, not under labor contracts or minus illegal income; increase labor norms
to reduce wages of workers; violating working time, rest time, debt of social
insurance, not paying social insurance, issuing many illegal provisions, cruel
treatment ... (Tapchitaichinh, 2018).
2.2.2.1. Types of FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh
Under the provisions of the 2014 Investment Law, FDI enterprises will be
established according to types of enterprises such as: One member limited company,
Two member limited company, Joint stock companies and Partnership.
It is also possible to distinguish FDI enterprises in two main forms: 100%
foreign-owned enterprises and Joint-venture enterprises between foreign countries
and domestic partners. In fact, in the context of economic integration, this type of
business is increasingly popular in many countries around the world. In Bac Ninh,
with effective FDI attraction policy, this province has a full range of FDI
enterprises, through the form of direct investment from abroad, Bac Ninh has
acquired modern technologies in electronics, chemicals, automation, food, new
technology, ..
2.2.2.2. Impacts of FDI enterprises on development of BacNinh
The FDI sector has made significant contributions to the training of quality
workers. The employment growth rate of the FDI sector is always high, especially
after WTO accession. The presence of this area has contributed to shifting the labor
structure from rural to cities, especially into large industrial zones. At the same
time, the FDI sector also contributes to the improvement of human resources.
Through the direct participation in the operation of FDI enterprises, a team of
managers and technical workers with high qualifications and skills is gradually
formed and gradually accessible to science, high technology and modern industrial
manners, good labor discipline, advanced methods and management experience. A
part of local labor is admitted to work in FDI enterprises which are fostered, trained
in skills and foreign languages, contributing to improving the quality of human
resources, gradually replacing important positions. , and become a key manager of
the business.

29
FDI has also contributed significantly to providing investment capital,
creating jobs and improving Vietnam's competitiveness in the international market.
Contributing to the region's average annual labor productivity growth, the FDI
sector ranked second (29.3%). However, the contribution of the FDI sector is
largely due to the shift of labor from the low-productivity inland labor sector to the
FDI sector with higher labor productivity (this share accounts for 64%).
Contribution from labor productivity growth of the FDI sector (excluding
contributions from labor mobility) accounts for a much smaller proportion, only
36%. The level of backward and backward linkages between the FDI sector and the
domestic sector is mostly low in all sectors, especially in the technology and high-
skill sectors. That showed the ability to indirectly impact labor productivity of the
FDI sector through the effects of technology and low labor skills. Therefore, Bac
Ninh needs to select the key industry to have appropriate development directions to
increase the connectivity and participation of the domestic sector. At the same time,
it is necessary to focus on developing the supporting industry with more specific
actions and improving the training and skills of workers (MPI, 2018).
Analysis on the use of middle level managers in BacNinh FDI province
Based on Bac Ninh portal (2019), in Bac Ninh, FDI enterprises are subject to
direct or indirect management from foreign investors and they will have a different
management method from domestic enterprises, often bringing higher economic
efficiency. Enterprises will be better invested in technology, capital and human
resources.
Middle management team is often seen as the pillar of the business and is the
focal point to connect employees together to bridge the gap between senior
management team and foreign managers with staff (Dang, T.H, 2016). They
implement strategic and organizational change strategies, stay with and motivate
employees throughout the operations of the business.
The middle management is responsible for directly managing employees and
making evaluation reports for senior management who can be foreigners or
Vietnamese. Therefore, they must both have management capacity, expertise and

30
must have good leadership skills and must be able to evoke the potential of others.
Middle managers can also become people who face challenges in
development and maintenance. Senior managers or foreign managers will
sometimes come up with strategies but sometimes there is a shortage of people to
implement, or when there are executives who are middle managers but do not have
the capacity to implement them those strategies. At this moment, it is necessary to
have the middle managers' ability to implement the strategy. They must be people
who understand core values of the company, know how to build a subculture and
understand the company management system and how to build a department
management system.
In addition, middle managers in FDI enterprises need to be a bridge between
senior leaders and their employees. Know how to effectively convey the ideas of
senior leadership to employees as well as implement all business instructions;
Know how to source and spread positive energy to employees.
Besides the difficulties of the duties of a middle manager, they must be
someone who knows how to assign, delegate, know how to coordinate employees
between departments, know how to solve all internal problems. The department
itself is based on the entire company.
Especially, some FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh have not attached much
importance to middle management positions, many companies do not have training
programs for them. Training programs will improve skills for middle managers and
most importantly, this shows the middle manager that the company is always
interested in and facilitates more development .(Report on social economics
situation of Bac Ninh province in March,2019
What is middle level manager?
Middle management is defined as a position in organizational hierarchies
‘between the operating core and the apex’ Mintzberg (1989) whose occupants are
responsible for a particular business unit at [this] intermediate level of the corporate
hierarchy’ Uyterhoeven (1972) that comprises ‘all those below the top level
strategic management and above first-level supervision”. There is thus a consensus

31
in definition. However, discussions about the function of middle management lack
such agreement: a body of literature states what they should do; empirical studies
show what they actually do; and a third group of authors are concerned about the
effect of the role on the people who occupy it.
Figure 2.6: Hierarchical view of management in organizations
( Source: Zoller and Fairhurst, 2007)
Firstly, there is a body of literature that is replete with prescriptive statements
of what middle managers should do (for example, Floyd and Wooldridge, 1992) and
the skills they must possess in order to carry out their function of receiving and then
deploying strategic plans. They should be expert problem solvers Delmestri and
Walgenbach (2005) who ensure radical changes are successfully implemented
notably through ‘managing the emotional states of their employees’ Huy, (2002)
Human resource management tasks per se are not prioritised by middle managers,
although a large body of critical literature implies that it is they who are responsible
for identifying ever more subtle ways of controlling how junior staff work. It is
argued that they use both direct control mechanisms and increasingly subtle means
of control such as manipulation of identity and personal relations
However, secondly, although much remains unknown about the strategic role
of middle managers research contradicts presumptions of what they should do. They
appear to be ‘more than passive linking pins, transmitting senior manager

32
instructions unquestioningly down the organization’. That is, they ‘are critical
mediators that …. knowledgably connect the operational core with the upper
echelons in a way that shapes strategic direction’ (Rouleau and Balogun, 2007).
They edit and make sense of strategic plans in ways not intended by senior.
Middle managers not only re-interpret strategic plans but they may, like
junior staff, actively resist implementation and ‘reject, re-label, twist, turn or
otherwise reshape the fashions they confront’ (McCabe, 2011:185f), or indeed resist
the importing of new ideas (Watson, 1994; 2001). They may express enthusiasm
about change processes while covering up ‘profound anxieties’ so that they merely
comply with changes rather than promoting them enthusiastically. Thus what
middle managers should do and what they can or do may be very different things
(Johnson et al, 2003).
However, recent study of Zoller and Fairhurst (2007) suggest a far more
agentive aspect to the middle managerial role than previously identified. Branch
manager, Head of production and department management are all examples of
middle managers. They are accountable to senior management for their independent
department functions. Middle managers spend more time on organizational and
directional functions than top managers. Their roles may primarily include:
Implementing organizational plans in accordance with company policies and the
goals of top management; identify and discuss information and policies from senior
management to lower management; and inspire and provide guidance to low-level
managers toward better performance. In addition, the middle management also has a
number of functions such as organizing, implementing teamwork, monitoring team
performance indicators, solving problems within and between working groups, and
designing and implementing appropriate reward systems.
Classifications of middle managers
The term middle management may include multiple levels within an
organization. Middle manager directs the activities of the lower level manager and
sometimes even the executive staff. Middle managers are responsible for directing
the organization's policy implementation activities and balancing managerial needs

33
with employer competencies. Therefore, middle management can be classified by
the type of work they are in charge (including many jobs of lower level managers)
or by the managerial level of their surname in case the enterprise has complex
management level
Roles of middle level managers towards enterprises' performance
According to Floyd SW and Wooldridge B (2017), Middle managers are the
core force of the business and a bridge between senior managers and lower level
managers and employees, thereby determining the majority of business performance
. Middle managers are responsible for fulfilling the goals set by senior management
by setting goals for their departments and other business units.
Middle managers also control, motivate, and support frontline managers to
achieve business goals. Middle-level managers can include general managers,
branch managers, and department managers. They are accountable to the top-level
management for their department’s function, and they devote more time to
organizational and directional functions than upper management. A middle
manager’s role may emphasize:
- Executing organizational plans in conformance with the company’s
policies and the objectives of the top management;
- Defining and discussing information and policies from top
management to lower management;
- Most importantly, inspiring and providing guidance to lower-level
managers to assist them in performance improvement and
accomplishment of business objectives.
- Middle managers may also communicate upward by offering
suggestions and feedback to top managers. Because middle managers
are more involved in the day-to-day workings of a company, they can
provide valuable information to top managers that will help them
improve the organization’s performance using a broader, more
strategic view.

34
Figure 2.7: Middle management roles
( Source: Floyd SW, Wooldridge B, 2017)
At the same time, middle managers also discuss, give suggestions and
feedback to senior managers. Because middle managers are more involved in the
day-to-day operations of a company, they can provide valuable information to
senior managers to help improve the organization's profitability. The success of
middle managers in their work depends very much on their communication skills
with their superiors and subordinates and thereby creates motivation for business
development

35
CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. Research design and procedure
In order to carry out the overall assessment, the study was divided into 5
stages as following:
Figure 3.1 Research design and procedure
Stage 1: Systematizing theory: Systematizing theory to generalize all theories
Stage 2: Study the feasibility of the model: Develop research models,
questionnaires, scales and observation variables, study time.
Stage 3: Experiment with the object is the selected sample
Research, investigation, experiment with the object is the selected sample
Stage 4: Aggregate and analyze data

36
Stage 5: Research results and preliminary proposal
3.2. Suggested research model and hypotheses
The proposed model to study the factors that influence the engagement of
middle managers in FDI enterprises in Bac Ninh province is illustrated in the figure
below, in which:
o Dependent variable: The work engagement of the middle managers.
o Independent level-1 variables: are component elements of work
resources affecting work engagement.
o Independent level-2 variables: including Physical value (OPV) and
Spiritual value (OSV) affecting work engagement.
The author proposes 7 main variables that are 7 factor groups of work
resources of middle managers: Current jobs/tasks, Working conditions, Salary and
income, Leadership, Colleagues, Training and promotion and Organizational
structure affects the work engagement of middle managers in FDI enterprises in
Bac Ninh, specifically as follows:
Figure 3.2: Suggested research model
H1
H2
H8
H3
H4
H5
H9
H6
H7

37
Base on factor groups below, author proposes the hypothesis:
(H1): Current work/task has the same directional impact on the work
engagement of middle managers.
(H2): Working conditions impact the same direction on public work
engagement of the middle managers
(H3): Wages and income have a positive impact on the engagement of the
work of middle managers.
(H4): Leadership behavior has a positive impact on the engagement of the
work of middle managers
(H5): Relationship with colleagues has a positive impact on the engagement
of the work of middle managers.
(H6): Training - promotion works in the same direction to the engagement of
the work of middle managers.
(H7): Suitable organizational structure has the same direction to the
engagement of the work of middle managers
(H8): Physical values in workplace have a positive impact on the
(H9): Spiritual values in workplace have a positive impact on the
3.3. Research methodology
The research is focusing on the relationship between job engagement and
seven different factors. This study is a quantitative in nature by using survey method
to examine the relationship between independent and dependent variables. The
findings and conclusions of the study will depend on the fully utilization of
statistical data collected and analyzed using SPSS Version 26.

38
3.3.1. Questionnaire design:
The research instrument used for this study is a three-page self -administered
questionnaire, including a brief cover letter to introduce to the participants the
nature of this study. “Questionnaires are designed to determine facts about the
subjects, facts about events or situations, beliefs, attitudes, opinions, levels of
knowledge, or intentions of the subjects .” (Burns and Grove, 1993).
Using self-administered surveys has several advantages over other data
collection methods. First of all, according to O‟ Sullivan and Rassel (1989), the
former costs less and causes minimal inconvenience to the participants. They are far
much cheaper than conducting interviews, since interviewing requires an
appropriate amount of time, effort and money to hire and train interviewers. In this
study, this advantage is apparent in the distribution and collection of the research
instrument.
Secondly, self -administered surveys allow for anonymity, which plays an
important role when it comes to dealing with sensitive issues. Questionnaire
responses are treated with strictest confidentiality because the survey serves the
purpose of evaluating employees‟ perception and attitudes towards their
organizations‟ practices. Participants tend to answer the questionnaire more
honestly and accurately if they are assured that they are not required to answer
questions relating to personal information, and their responses are kept
confidentially. That way, they would be more willing to report controversial or
nonconformist attitudes in an anonymous self-administered survey than they would
in a face -to -face interview. Anonymity ensures participants that they are not
putting
their jobs in jeopardy.
- Section A: contains six general multiple -choice questions that are used
to report certain demographic information including: gender, marital
status, highest educational background, length of service as middle
managers, department/division and income. Participants were offered a
number of choices to choose from; in some questions, they could choose

39
the “Other” option if their answers differed from the existing choices, and
indicate the details. Table 2.1 describes the available options for each
demographic question used in the survey.
Table 3.1 Available options for demographic questions in Section A
No Factor Classify
1 Gender
Male
Female
2 Marital status
Single
Married
Elementary and intermediate
3 Highest educational background
College
Bachelor
Master upwards
Less than 1 years
4 Length of service as middle manager
From 1 - 3 years
From 3 - 5 years
More than 5 years
Less than 20 millions VND
5 Monthly income
From 20 - 30 millions VND
From 30 - 35 millions VND
More than 35 millions VND
Electrics
Food and Beverages
6 Type of enterprises Leather and Textile
Logistics
Other
- Section B contains 1 statement which describes the participants‟ level of job
commitment. This statement is developed by the author and symbolized for
the ease of performing quantitative tests:
JC = “I am engaged to my enterprise”
- Section C contains 10 parts with a total of 32 statements on the factors that
are identified to influence an employee’s job commitment towards his/her
organization. The statements are also symbolized for the purpose of
conducting quantitative tests in SPSS.

40
Table 3.2. Measurement of Current Job/ Task
VARIABLE
STATEMENTS SOURCE
NAME
CJ1 Current job/task is interesting Balzer et al. (1997)
CJ2
Current job allows middle manager to Boselie and van der
develop competencies Wiele (2002)
CJ3 Feel free when doing this job
Boselie and van der
Wiele (2002)
CJ4
Balancing between work and life
Author -made
CJ5 Having good experience with my current job Author -made
Table 3.3 Measurement of Working Conditions
VARIABLE
STATEMENTS SOURCE
NAME
WC1
Being comfortable with the work Ahmad and
condition Schroeder (2003)
Facilities and equipment for performing Ahmad and
WC2 the work are fully equipped Schroeder (2003)
WC3 The working environment is very safe
Self-developed
WC4 Company provide daily shuttle bus Self-developed
Table 3.4 Measurement of Salary and Income
VARIABLE
STATEMENTS SOURCE
NAME
SI1
Salary is commensurate with the results of Ahmad and
work Schroeder (2003)
SI2 Fair wages among middle managers
Schwepker (2001)
SI3 Wages paid on time
Balzer et al. (1997
SI4 Satisfied with the current total income Self -developed

41
Table 3.5. Measurement of Leadership
VARIABLE
STATEMENTS SOURCE
NAME
LS1 Always support subordinates
Agarwal and
Ramaswami (1993)
LS2 Valuing talents of employees fairly
Boselie and van der
Wiele (2002)
LS3 Always motivate employees
Boselie and van der
Wiele (2002)
LS4 Having deeply intensive knowledge Self -developed
Table 3.6. Measurement of Colleagues
VARIABLE
STATEMENTS SOURCE
NAME
C1 Colleagues are good teammates Balzer et al. (1997)
C2 Follow the plan and the assigned work
Boselie and van der
Wiele (2002)
C3 Coordinate well while working
Boselie and van der
Wiele (2002)
C4
Management qualifications are enhanced
Self -developed
when working with colleagues.
Table 3.7 Measurement of Training and Promotion
VARIABLE
STATEMENTS SOURCE
NAME
TP1
Being trained management skills
Schwepker (2001)
professionally
TP2
Effective training courses help employees Broadfoot and
manage their jobs Ashkanasy (1994)
TP3
Create more promotion opportunities for Author -made
qualified people
TP4
Fair and transparent company promotion
Author -made
policy

42
Table 3.8 Measurement of Organizational Structure
VARIABLE
STATEMENTS SOURCE
NAME
OS1
Having appropriate organization of
Schwepker (2001)
apparatus
OS2
The levels of reporting are clearly Schwepker (2001)
transparent
OS3
Mission of every departments in company Author -made
is clear
OS4
Effective coordination between
Author -made
departments
Table 3.9. Measurement of Work Engagement
VARIABLE
STATEMENTS SOURCE
NAME
WE1 I endeavor to advance in higher position
Boselie and van der
Wiele (2002)
WE2 I am proud to work at the company
Agarwal and
Ramaswami (1993)
WE3
Maintaining the loyalty when working at Author -made
the company
Will stay with the company for a long
WE4 time although there are other places Author -made
offering more attractive salaries
In Section B and C, all of the statements are measured using the 5-point
Likert scale, which requires the participants to indicate their level of agreement or
disagreement by placing an “x” or a tick at the appropriate number in the
corresponding boxes. The strength of agreement is designed on a scale of 1 to 5 as
follows:
Figure 3.3. The 5- point Likert scale
3.4. Sampling method
According to many researchers, the larger the sample size, the better the

43
analysis results (Tho et al. 2012). Hair et al. (2006) also suggest that for the use of
exploratory factor analysis (EFA) the minimum sample size is 50, preferably 100
and the observed rate of measurement variable is 5: 1 meaning 1 measurement
variable. need a minimum of 5 observed variables. In addition, to achieve the best
regression results, the sample size must satisfy the formula for calculating the
sample size: n> = 50+ 8p (Tabachnick and Fidell, 1991). Where n is the minimum
sample size and p is the number of independent variables (independent factors) in
the model.
For EFA discovery factor analysis, according to Hair et al (1998), the
minimum sample size is 5 times the total number of observed variables: n = 5 * m,
note that m is the number of questions in the Questionare form. This sample size is
suitable for research using factor analysis (Comrey, 1973); (Roger, 2006).
This study uses a combination of both EFA and linear regression methods so the
sample size selected on the principle of sample is as large as possible. Specifically in
the proposed research model the author has 28 observed variables, so the minimum
sample size for EFA discovery factor analysis is 140 and the minimum sample size for
performing linear regression (with 7 independent factors) is 106.
In order to ensure quality of the questionnaire, the author decided to conduct
a comprehensive survey with a sample size of 144 middle-level managers at FDI
enterprises in Bac Ninh province.
3.5. Data collection method
In fact, after contacting the human resources department of companies to ask
for a list of email addresses and phone numbers, the author sent directly the link of
the questionnaire (using Google form) to 150 middle managers at FDI enterprises
according to the overall survey method. The author collected 146 questionnaires
including 2 incomplete answer sheets, so they were discarded. Therefore, the author
analyzes and processes data on 144 validly answered questionnaires (with a
commitment to ensure the confidentiality of respondents, survey and respondent
information is kept confidential and only used for purpose of research). After
collecting the questionnaire, the author proceeds with the data analysis as the

44
following sections.
3.6. Data analysis process
The statistical method used the significance level Alpha selected in this topic
is 0.05 (Alpha = 0.05). Data collected were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software.
The tool is used to assess the reliability of the scale by Cronbach’s Alpha
coefficient. The validity of the scale was assessed by the discovery factor analysis
(EFA) method. This is a method that helps assess the two important values of the
scale, convergent and discriminant values (Tho et. al. 2011). The number of factors
extracted in accordance with the original hypothesis about the number of
components of the scale is the standard to conclude that the components of the scale
reach discriminatory values. The convergence value of the scale is assessed by
factor weight and Total Variance Explained.
3.6.1. Verify the reliability of the scale
A scale is considered valid when it measures the right quantity to be
measured, meaning that the measurement method has no systematic and random
deviations. The first requirement is that the applicable scale must be reliable.
The scales in this study were tested by Cronbach’s Alpha. Many researchers
agree that when Cronbach’s Alpha is 0.8 or more up to close to 1, the scale is good,
from 0.7 to nearly 0.8 is usable. There are also many researchers who suggest that
Cronbach's Alpha of 0.6 or higher is usable in cases where the concept being
measured is new or new to respondents in the context of the study (Nunnally and
Burnstein, 1994).
Only scales that meet the reliability requirements can be used for subsequent
analysis, EFA analysis. In this study, the author decided to use Cronbach's Alpha
standard with a value of 0.8 and the correlated value - the Corrected item-Total
correlation must be greater than or equal to 0.5 due to small sample sellected.
3.6.2. Evaluate the scale by exploratory factor analysis of EFA
Conducting EFA discovery factor analysis to explore the structure and
concept of research, eliminate unsatisfactory measurement variables. However,

45
before assessing these aspects, Bartlett and KMO tests were performed to examine
the degree of relationship between variables to ensure the ability to use EFA in the
study. Specifically, the sequence and requirements when implementing EFA in this
study will go through 3 steps as follows:
- Evaluating the Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin index (KMO) to consider the suitability
of exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the KMO index must be greater than zero
(Tho, 2011).
- Bartlett's test is used to consider the hypothesis that the variables have no
correlation in the whole. Bartlett test must be statistically significant (Sig ≤ 0.05),
the observed variables are correlated with each other in the whole (Chu and Ngoc,
2008).
- Factors weights of less than 0.5 in EFA will be continuously excluded to
ensure the convergence value among variables (Tho, 2011). The method used to
extract coefficients is Principal Axis Factoring with rotation of Promax for observed
variables of independent factors and Principle Components with rotation of
Varimax factor for observed variables of dependent and stopping factors when
extracting factors with Eigenvalues greater than 1, the total variance is equal to or
greater than 50% (Tho, 2011). If the discovery factor analysis changes the number
of components compared to the original hypothesis, these new component scales
will be recalculated to Cronbach’s Alpha to ensure reliability requirements.
3.6.3. Linear regression analysis
Linear regression analysis was conducted to know the impact of independent
variables on the dependent variable. From there, analysis will test the suitability of
the model and build multiple regression models to test the hypothesis.
Firstly, analysis of the correlation coefficients among the constituent factors
is the premise for regression analysis. The goal of correlation analysis is to calculate
the linear relationship of the two variables. Correlation analysis does not emphasize
causality as regression analysis, but the two analyzes are closely related and
correlation analysis is considered as a useful tool for regression analysis (Trong and

46
Ngoc, 2008).
Multivariate regression analysis of the least common square method (OLS)
shows the specific impact of components on the engagement engagement of middle
managers. This is the main analysis to achieve the goals of this study. In order to
perform correlation and regression analysis, each concept must be a variable, that is,
it is necessary to calculate the score for each concept (Tho, 2011). This study will
use the mean value of observed variables as the value of the reciprocal component
variable.
Regression analysis for this study was conducted as follows: The method of
putting variables into regression analysis is the method of putting variables at once
(Enter method). The adjusted R2 model determination coefficient is used to
determine the fit of model. F-test is used to examine the suitability of the overall
linear regression model and to reject the hypothesis that the regression coefficients
of the population equal to zero. In addition, to ensure the results are reliable, the
detection of violations of the assumption of linear regression model is carried out.
The assumption of multi-collinear phenomena is checked based on the acceptability
of the variable (Tolerance) and the magnification coefficient of variance (VIF).
3.6.4. Testing for differences
Test the difference in the average value of the sub-population: the difference
in work engagement among middle managers is divided into groups: gender, age,
qualification, marital status , seniority and income.
The method of testing the hypothesis of the means of two populations -
independent samples T-Test is used to verify the equality of work engagement
between middle-men management team and female employees.The middle
management group is married and unmarried. The ANOVA test method is used to
test the work engagement equality among sub-population by age, professional level,
seniority and income. The Levene test was also performed earlier to test the
standard distribution of the variance of sub population before conducting equality
test of average values.

AN ANALYSIS ON THE WORK ENGAGEMENT OF VIETNAMESE MIDDLE MANAGERS: THE CASE OF FDI ENTERPRISES - BAC NINH PROVINCE

AN ANALYSIS ON THE WORK ENGAGEMENT OF VIETNAMESE MIDDLE MANAGERS: THE CASE OF FDI ENTERPRISES - BAC NINH PROVINCE

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AN ANALYSIS ON THE WORK ENGAGEMENT OF VIETNAMESE MIDDLE MANAGERS: THE CASE OF FDI ENTERPRISES - BAC NINH PROVINCE