volume-18-number-2

Author: Romeo B. Lee

Year: 2018, Volume 18 Number 2

Author: Jazmin Badong Llana

Preliminaries

Year: 2018, Volume 18 Number 2

Pages: ix-xiii

Pages: 1–15

Entrepreneurship is widely recognized by many scholars and the governments around the world as an essential driver of the economic prosperity. Over the past decades, entrepreneurship research has sought to understand the creation and execution of the entrepreneurial activity, with entrepreneurial intention becoming recognized as an excellent predictor of entrepreneurship activity and its subsequent consequences. As such, the researchers delved into how an entrepreneur’s intention is affected by their educational process, with the role of opportunity evaluation examined by the use of Experiential Learning Theory [ELT]. Liñán’s Entrepreneurial Intention [EI] Model was used to help with the evaluation of the study’s perceived desirability and perceived feasibility as the sources of entrepreneurial intention. From this process, an innovative learning method named ‘opportunity evaluation through experiential learning [OETEL]’ was developed and applied, from which it was hypothesized that OETEL would mediate perceived desirability, perceived feasibility, and entrepreneurial intention. This was subsequently followed by the participation of 160 Thai university students who participated in the OETEL experiment through their entrepreneurship activities. From the use of the SPSS PROCESS macro, results revealed that the OETEL process affected perceived desirability, perceived feasibility, and entrepreneurial intention significantly. Furthermore, the results revealed how the innovative learning application of experiential learning theory affects entrepreneurial intention. Practitioners can adapt this teaching method in entrepreneurial classrooms and policymakers can strategically encourage experiential learning in entrepreneurship education programs.

Pages: 16–33

This study examined the influence of social capital on the school performance of left-behind children who were deprived of the physical presence of migrant parents. Social capital in the family, in school, and the community were examined through quantitative design. A survey was conducted among 384 left-behind children selected through multi-stage probability sampling. Results of regression analysis showed that higher levels of shared values and emotions in the family, social trust in the school, involvement in community life, and age of migrant parents determine a higher level of values learned. Higher levels of supportive relationship, social trust at school, and involvement in community life predict a higher level of right conduct. Higher levels of supportive relationship and supportive norms determine a higher average grade. Left-behind children with mother-present, father migrant draw more social capital in the family; while left-behind children with father-present, mother-migrant generate social capital in the school and the community. It is recommended that fathers should be involved in providing care and in the nurturing of left-behind children. Schools should cultivate an environment that invests in social capital especially for the left-behind children lacking in social capital at home. Government institutions serving for the welfare of migrant parents should educate and assist in the psycho-social needs of left-behind children and migrants’ households.

Pages: 34–48

Thailand has often been referred to as “kitchen of the world” whose food industry represents over 20% of its gross domestic production (GDP). As part of this, Thailand’s seafood processing industry is now ranked fourth globally, contributing over US$6.5 billion to the economy. The researchers, therefore, set out to investigate the impact of consumers’ attitudes, product quality, value, branding, and product identity on five nationally recognized canned seafood product brands. Using systematic random sampling, 400 questionnaires were collected from consumers shopping at five Bangkok metropolitan area supermarkets. A confirmatory factor analysis was first used, followed by structural equation modeling to analyze the interrelationships of the five constructs. Results showed that all variables influenced identity, which included attitude, value, brand, and quality (0.90, 0.53, 0.50, and 0.25, respectively).

Pages: 49–64

As the world is transforming towards the value-based economy, viable new venture idea is recognized as the antecedent of all entrepreneurial activities that drive economic growth. This paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of new venture idea development by exploring the constructs of external enablers and the design process through the science of design theory. To explore the effect of external enablers and design processes on the generation of new venture ideas, two experiments were carried out in the format of a new venture idea challenge. The first experiment was conducted with 120 undergraduate students to test the effects of an external enabler and the design process on new venture idea generation. The second experiment was conducted with 15 graduate students to test the effects of different technological external enablers on new venture idea development. The findings suggest that external enablers mainly affect the quality of new venture ideas, and design processes mainly affect the number of new venture ideas. With the application of a design process, external enablers had a more positive effect on the quantity and quality of new venture ideas. This study extends the theoretical explanation of the entrepreneurial process by applying the science of design to examine the transformation of opportunities into new venture ideas. With this research design, researchers can test the effects of objective phenomena and subjective conjecture through the design process instruments to measure new venture ideas. This study can also be applied in entrepreneurial classroom activities, and to the idea generation process of novice entrepreneurs.

Pages: 65–79

In 2017, low-cost carrier (LCC) airlines consistently grew at a faster pace compared to the world’s average growth. In 2017, LCCs carried an estimated 1.2 billion passengers and accounted for approximately 30% of the world’s total scheduled passengers. In Southeast Asia, passenger traffic grew by approximately 10% in 2017, where six of the region’s 10 countries recorded double-digit growth. Southeast Asian airlines now have 1,600 airplanes on order, in addition to an active fleet of close to 2,000 airplanes, with LCCs currently accounting for approximately 70% of Thailand’s domestic seat capacity. Competition, however, amongst the LCCs has become fierce, with fare reductions being a common tactic to fill seats. Therefore, the researchers sought out to determine which aspects play the greatest roles in an LCC’s competitiveness, and used multi-stage random sampling to obtain 320 passenger respondents’ opinions who were departing on either Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, Thai Smile, or Nok Air from one of Bangkok’s two main airports. Results determined that the service marketing mix of promotion, place, price, and services play the most important role in LCC competitiveness.

Pages: 80–98

This paper studies regional cooperation in Northeast Asia. Relations between China, South Korea, and Japan are featured by simultaneous centripetal and centrifugal forces. The three economies are increasingly interconnected and interdependent, and a rising number of problems are transnational (pollution or any problem with externalities). However, the three countries remain reluctant to cooperate with one another especially because they keep regional ambitions or the other agents’ ambitions are perceived as a threat. In such a context, it can be argued that trilateral relations in Northeast Asia are better described by coopetition than cooperation. As a consequence, regional collaboration in Northeast Asia will be unstable and scalable. That is why we can be reasonably pessimistic about regional cooperation in Northeast Asia. The cooperative relationship is by nature unstable and evolutionary. I, therefore, maintain that regional cooperation in Northeast Asia is a result of circumstances and it is a second-best strategy.

Pages: 99–113

Thailand’s automotive industry is the 12th largest in the world and plays an important role in Thailand’s economy. Under the government mandated Thailand 4.0 vision, the automotive sector has been identified as one of the 10 crucial sectors for future economic growth. Within this sector, service quality has repeatedly been identified as one of the most competitive factors amongst the major dealers. Service quality is a fundamental aspect of service provisioning, which demonstrates excellence and long-term success. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to investigate service quality within Thailand’s Suzuki Motor Company by adopting the five dimensions of the SERVQUAL model (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy) for analysis. Additionally, the study also examined the validity of the service quality model and compared service quality satisfaction amongst Thailand’s Suzuki Motor Company service staff. By using multi-stage random sampling, 537 customers responded. Using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, the main research instrument was a questionnaire which used a 5-point Likert type agreement scale. An analysis was undertaken in which the mean (x ̅) standard deviation (S.D.), correlation analysis, and percentage were evaluated. Furthermore, a second-order confirmatory factor analysis was performed using Mplus Version 8 software. The statistical values were Chi-square = 2572.016, df = 979, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .051, TLI =.901, CFI =.912. Results from the five identified dimensions were in line with the hypothesized model, with the weight of all the variables being positive. These included responsiveness, empathy, reliability, tangibility, and assurance.

Authors: Mary Grace C. Nueva and Joyce Calica

Research Brief

Year: 2018, Volume 18 Number 2

Pages: 114–126

Authors: Piya Tansiri, Thanin Ratanaolarn, Krissana Kiddee, and Paitoon Pimdee

Research Brief

Year: 2018, Volume 18 Number 2

Pages: 127–137