On August 29, 2023, the Strong Research Group on Business, Trade and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Accounting and Business Management invited Dr. Frazen Tolentino-Zondervan, Lecturer, Faculty of International Business, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands presented his research with the topic "Towards sustainable value chain: The role of innovation and digitalization”. The purpose of the seminar was to promote cooperation and exchange of research on value chains between lecturers of Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands. The seminar’s attendants included staff and lecturers of the Faculty of Accounting and Business Management, VNUA. The seminar program was held online on the Zoom platform.

 

Delegates attending the seminar

Dr. Frazen Tolentino-Zondervan presents his research at seminar

The presentation of Dr. Frazen included five main contents, including (1) The role and meaning of innovation and digitalization; (2) Innovation and digitalization in the value chain; (3) Using innovation and digitalization to identify constraints in sustainable development; (4) Application in research and practice; and (5) Conclusion and recommendations. Several conclusions were drawn from the presentation, including: (1) Developing new business models and digitalization to enhance sustainability in the value chain; (2) Enormous potential for applying innovation and digitalization in building sustainable value chains; (3) Traceability, transparency, accountability and predictability are four important factors connecting digitalization and sustainability; and (4) Digital technology can be used in many cases, but that does not mean it is suitable in all situations.

 

After the presentation of Dr. Frazen, seminar participants had lively exchanges of questions and opinions around the topic of the seminar. After nearly 2 hours of active and effective work, the seminar program ended successfully. The seminar provided a lot of new knowledge about the role of innovation and digitization in sustainable value chain development for lecturers of the Faculty of Accounting and Business Management, VNUA, to continue developing new research directions on value chains. Hopefully in the future the cooperation in training and scientific research between VNUA and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands would continue to develop further.