Perceptions of Trade Remedy Law and Firms’ Response Readiness in Vietnam: A Stimulus–Organism–Response Approach

This study examines the factors associated with firms’ response readiness to trade remedy measures among business owners and managers of import–export enterprises, with perceived legal effectiveness of trade remedy law and trust in the legal and enforcement system examined as mediating variables. The research model is grounded in the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework and empirically tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from a survey of 425 business owners and managers of import–export enterprises in Vietnam, an emerging economy in Asia. The findings indicate that perceived legal fairness, legal information accessibility, and perceived government support are positively associated with firms’ response readiness through selected indirect pathways involving legal effectiveness and institutional trust. In contrast, perceived legal clarity and digital legal information quality are not significantly associated with firms’ response readiness. Furthermore, importance–performance map analysis (IPMA) identifies perceived legal effectiveness of trade remedy law and trust in the legal and enforcement system as priority factors for enhancing firms’ response readiness. The findings contribute to the empirical literature on trade remedies by extending the analysis to firms’ perceptions and behavioral readiness. They also provide practical implications for regulatory authorities to improve the effectiveness of trade remedy law enforcement, strengthen trust in the legal and enforcement system, and enhance import–export firms’ capacity to respond to trade remedy risks.