Title: Exploring moral voice in Vietnam's public sector: a study of socially responsible human resource management, public service motivation, and ethical leadership

Authors: Minh-Tri Ha; Bao-Son Doan

Addresses: School of Business, International University, VNU-HCM, Vietnam; Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam ' Center for Public Administration, International University, VNU-HCM, Vietnam; Faculty of Economics and Public Management, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, Vietnam

Abstract: This research delves into the potential influence of socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) on moral voice (MV), emphasising the mediating effect of public service motivation (PSM) and the moderating impact of ethical leadership (ETL) through the lens of social information processing (SIP) theory. Using a questionnaire-based survey and a cluster sampling technique, we gathered data from 434 public servants and cadres in Tien Giang province, Vietnam, which we analysed using a structural equation modelling technique. The results highlight a significant connection between SRHRM and ETL with impacts on MV. Additionally, there is an indirect link between SRHRM and MV channelled through PSM. Ethical leadership was found to play a crucial moderating role in the relationship between SRHRM and both PSM and MV. In this pioneering study in the field, we also discuss various theoretical and practical insights.

Keywords: ethical leadership; ETL; moral voice; MV; public service motivation; PSM; public sector; socially responsible human resource management; SRHRM; Vietnam.

DOI: 10.1504/JIBED.2024.139131

Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development, 2024 Vol.16 No.1, pp.34 - 62

Received: 15 Dec 2023
Accepted: 18 Mar 2024
Published online: 14 Jun 2024 *

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