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PurposeThis research aims to adopt competitiveness theory to analyse the effects of leadership competencies on the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector.Design/methodology/approachThis research collected data from 200 participants, who are in management positions of tourism SMEs in Vietnam. Structural equation modelling was applied.FindingsThe results indicate satisfactory reliability and validity of the constructs and support for two models within a structural equation modelling to evaluate the influence of leadership competencies on the competitiveness of SMEs. The data from both customers and competitors show that the competitiveness and the performance of the enterprise are affected by hands-on experience; relationships building competencies; strategic vision; operations management competencies. Furthermore, customers also value professional knowledge of the enterprises' leaders.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that the government agencies and tourism SMEs themselves should focus more on leadership. Training courses, exchange programs, seminars and workshops should be provided for SMEs leaders to improve their leadership competencies.Originality/valueThe research findings provide a more comprehensive view of internal and external factors affecting the competitiveness of SMEs in the tourism sector in Vietnam. This also contributes to competitiveness and leadership research by presenting the positive linkage between leadership competencies and the competitiveness of SMEs.

Purpose -This study discusses and tests the combined effects of openness to experience and power, and the moderator effects of social norms and perceived resources on the choice of luxury attributes for branded products (CLA) in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approach -Based on a self-administered survey data of 207 Vietnamese consumers, a structural equation modelling approach for moderator analysis with latent constructs is used to test the hypotheses.Findings -Openness to experience and power have both direct and interactive positive influences on the choice of luxury product attributes. In particular, the effect of openness to experience is weakened by the negative moderator effect of social norms, but the effect of power is strengthened by the positive moderator effect of perceived resources. The inclusion of interactions increases the explained variance of the choice of luxury product attributes from 24.8 % to 35.8%.Research limitations/implications -Future studies would benefit to investigate other personality traits (e.g., extroversion or agreeableness), personal values (e.g., achievement), social norms (e.g., descriptive norms) and resources (e.g., time).Practical implications -The study findings suggest that brand managers should attend the how individual and social factors interacts in explaining the choice of luxury product attributes.Originality/value -This study is the first discussing, testing and finding empirical evidence supporting the combined effects of openness to experience and power on the choice of luxury product attributes as well as moderator effects in these relationships.