volume-19-number-1

Author: Romeo B. Lee

Preliminaries

Year: 2019, Volume 19 Number 1

Pages: 1-16

The purpose of this research is to investigate the difference between generations X and Y in terms of green behavior operationalized as an intention to buy green products (INT). The study was based on two cross-sectional samples—one for generation X (N=397) and one for generation Y (N=685). Model testing was conducted using structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). At the overall model, results showed that all variables are significant (with p-values ≤ 0.05) predictors of INT. However, at the generation level, there is a significant difference in green values (GV) between generations where generation X registered a higher score. Furthermore, t-test of the path coefficients from GV to attitude toward green product (ATT), perceived behavioral control (PBC), and subjective norm (SN) are all statistically significant. The study suggests that marketers should consider a unique selling approach to each of the generations. For instance, as generation X has a higher score in GV, when targeting this group, marketing campaigns should highlight that their actions have a direct effect on the environment whether positive or negative.

Pages: 17-32

To succeed in the modern world, members of society must be adept at keeping pace with myriad, often unpredictable circumstances. As such, it is crucial that creative skills and thinking are cultivated at an early age. With these concerns in mind, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) regarding the creative administration by Thai administrators on early childhood education. Data were gathered through questionnaires given to 324 administrators and teachers working with students in early childhood education who were selected through a multi-stage random sampling technique. The data collection tool was a questionnaire with an Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) of 0.60–1.00. Descriptive statistics were used including the mean ( and standard deviation (S.D.). The findings from the CFA of the six significant factors for Thai administrators’ creative administration of early childhood education, ranked in most important to least important, were 1) creative measurement and evaluation (0.55), 2) creative resources and learning atmosphere development (0.50), 3) creative media and technology development (0.50), 4) creative research development (0.47), 5) creative learning process development (0.44), and 6) creative curriculum development at the early childhood level (0.34). All the factors corresponded with the empirical data and the results of this research can be applied by administrators of early childhood schools to improve the quality of education by recognizing the need to focus on creativity.

Pages: 33-48

The study investigates the mediating effect of employee engagement on the transformational leadership and intention to quit relationship. The participants of the study were employees (teaching and non-teaching staff) from three local colleges in Pampanga, Philippines, and they were selected using convenience sampling technique. The study employed a quantitative research design and a causal research approach to measure the relationships of employee engagement, transformational leadership, and intention to quit. Using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the findings revealed that transformational leadership has a significant and negative effect on intention to quit. Moreover, there is also a significant and positive relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement. Regarding employee engagement and intention to quit, the results indicated that these two constructs are significantly and negatively related. The mediation model also suggested that employee engagement mediates the negative relationship of transformational leadership and intention to quit with small effect size. Implications of the study in organizations and the directions for future research were also provided.

Pages: 49-65

Retaining the talented employee in the workplace has become a human resources concern of countries around the globe. This study aims to investigate and compare factors underlying intent to stay and intent to leave the current employer by Generation Y (Gen Y) employees in Thailand. Data were obtained from a large-scale survey conducted in 2013. A total of 4,100 Gen Y employees aged 20–29 years old were included. The work-life balance factors were defined in the analysis framework, providing more insightful understandings about Gen Y’s preferences and values towards their work-life. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that perceived satisfaction on a job promotion, organizational support and (feeling of) ownership, and work/personal-life balance significantly increased the intent to stay and lowered the intent to leave the current employer. Compensation satisfaction did not influence the intent to stay but significantly reduced the intent to leave. Contrary to prior expectations, personal growth in career development and work/family-life balance were found not to be associated with the intent to stay but, instead, were accelerating factors of the intent to leave. Job involvement and organizational culture had no influence either on the intent to stay with or the intent to leave the current employer.

Pages: 66-89

This paper explores and examines the Roxas Night Market in Davao City as lived space. Following Lefebvre’s (2014) idea of space as lived this paper looks into their migration story that led to their inclusion in the night market, which helped condition the symbolic meanings that they attach to the site. Using the case study as the privileged research design of this investigation, this approach upholds two saturation points: first, the numbers of vendors have been limited to nine after their stories have reached a repetitive story line, and second, the theory of Lefebvre (2014) on space as lived has been satisfied. Conforming to the assumptions of a descriptive-qualitative approach, the stories of the vendors are convened and analyzed from which unfolding themes are identified. To critically appraise the descriptions, de Certeau’s (1984, 1992) concept of perpetual departures and strategies is used. With the critical vantage point, the night market is construed not simply as a gathering of histories and anticipations of the future of migrants who became street vendors in the city but as a location where creative and practical capacities or agencies are demonstrated. Considering the regulative role of their stories, the Roxas Night Market as lived space further means that it forms part of the vendors’ long journey and quest for enabling and fulfilling spaces of work, and overall well-being.

Pages: 90-104

Demographic decline in contemporary Japan already leads to labor shortages, and there is still no existing fertility policy to stop the shrinking population. As an alternative, immigration policy could serve for replacement. However, the Japanese government opposes it mainly because of their idea of cultural homogeneity. Such thought has its historical and cultural background in the confrontation of centuries-long isolation and modern ethnic nationalism in the Meiji period. The recent plan of the Japanese leadership is to increase the role of robotics in affected professions such as caregiving. At this point, the social role of robots is going through a transformation and human-machine interactions increase the traditional communicational issues of Japanese people. Hikikomori is based on amae and receives positive feedback from a growing, more convenient non-human environment. As a long-term consequence, the already disintegrating Japanese society will face an extreme disaggregation in a not far future.

Pages: 105-124

Over the past several years, Thai public opinion and stockholder sentiment have been rocked by corporate executive violations of insider trading laws. These insider trading scandals have coincided with other global high-profile cases of a similar nature. As these executives serve as public fiduciaries to their stockholders, the ethical nature of their performance is of critical importance. Therefore, an investigation was undertaken on the variables of personal characteristics, organizational culture, job characteristics, and organizational engagement and their effects on a Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) executives’ ethical leadership performance. The research instrument used was a 56-item questionnaire which contained a five-level, Likert type agreement scale. Selection of the sample group’s 236 executive members was accomplished by purposive sampling, followed by a process of being randomly categorized based on industry group through quota sampling. From the seven hypotheses developed from the theory and literature, six were supported. From the supported hypotheses, it was determined that an executive’s characteristics, job characteristics, and organization engagement had direct positive impacts on ethical leadership performance. The single unsupported hypotheses were speculated to have been rejected due to a Thai cultural trait in which authority (Pu Yai) is never questioned or challenged. It was also noted from the research the importance of families in a SET-listed stock’s performance. The study concluded that an executive’s ethical performance could either make or break an organization. Indeed, the study’s results highlighted the gravity of ethical leadership and the importance of which organizations should invest in instilling organizational engagement into their employees. Additionally, it was established that organizational culture has a tremendous influence on ethical leadership performance. Hence, aggressive culture is an ideal option for embedding ethical practices in the organization. The conceptual model of this research substantiated methods of implementing ethical practices in an organization, particularly the fact that personal characteristics, job characteristics, and organizational engagement should be taken into consideration.

Pages: 125-140

We examined how Hispanic adolescents’ integration with family, peer, and religion is associated with suicidality; and how substance use mediates between suicidality and integration. Using logistic regression, our secondary data analysis of a nationally representative sample of Hispanic adolescents revealed that familial integration was associated with a low likelihood of suicide attempt, while peer integration was associated with high likelihood of suicidal thoughts. Although religious integration was not directly associated with suicidality, this was associated with a low likelihood of drug use: drug use is a robust predictor of suicidality. These observed differences in the direction of associations underscore how integration does not necessarily associate with a low likelihood of suicidality; rather, integration may either be negatively, positively, or not even associated with suicidality. Furthermore, the observed mediating role of drug use suggests that improvement in the early detection of suicidality might lie at the nexus of social integration and substance use.

Pages: 141-155

This explores how the fourth industrial revolution (FIR) affects developing countries, specifically in the case of the Philippines. It presents an alternative account to the claim that the world is ready to enter the FIR. The analyses show that the readiness of the Philippines for FIR is not the same as developed and industrialized countries. The authors argue that developing countries like the Philippines will not go through FIR in the same way the developed countries do, given their different economic context and limited access to technological advances. Just as the Philippines participated in the third industrial revolution in a manner that is different from the developed countries, it will also participate in the FIR in a different manner. This article will provide insights to its possible participation and its implications.

Pages: 156-168

This paper aims to provide an alternative viewpoint on China and the South China Sea islands dispute through the use of political geography. Specifically, this piece employs a world-systems approach and critical political geography [or critical geopolitics] to understand four phenomena: first, the political-economic rationale behind China’s territorial ambitions through the nexus of its political ideology and position in the world economy; second, these ambitions using the “One Belt, One Road initiative;” third, its rise as a potential global hegemon; and lastly, the narratives behind its actions in the South China Sea islands dispute. The paper makes no claims about the superiority of world-systems and critical political geographies in explaining a state’s territorial ambition or expansionary behavior. What it attempts to provide is a different, yet complementary, lens to probe issues like this, which typically are confined to the realm of traditional geopolitics or realist international relations. World-systems and critical political geography offer a promise of cogently examining regional and global issues of this nature.

Pages: 169-177

Little is understood about factors associated with destination satisfaction and destination loyalty among foreign tourists in Thailand’s cultural tourism in the Lanna or northern region. Systematic knowledge is needed to help further guide the development of a nuanced tourism strategy. Using structural equation modeling, this study determines the relationships of destination image, Thailand’s brand equity, and 8Ps tourism marketing, with destination satisfaction and destination loyalty. Results suggest that each of the three model variables has a statistically significant positive relationship with destination satisfaction and destination loyalty. Destination satisfaction is influenced more strongly by destination image and by Thailand’s brand equity than by 8Ps tourism marketing, while destination loyalty is influenced more markedly by 8Ps tourism marketing than by destination image and by Thailand’s brand equity. While destination satisfaction influences destination loyalty, the extent of influence is only partial, suggesting that destination loyalty is dependent on other unexplored variables.

Pages: 178-191

Given the importance of joint activities in couples’ relationships and the involved gender differences, this article aims to investigate shared activities with the spouse in different aspects of everyday life and their determinants in married men and women in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Through multi-stage cluster sampling, 1,736 samples were selected from 50 districts of Tehran. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a questionnaire instrument. Five dimensions (social contacts, spending time outdoors, spending time indoors, talking with the spouse, and money spending) were extracted from factor analysis. The results indicate that the majority of men and women have joint activities in everyday life. Compared to men, women gain more marital happiness from joint activities, but they reported fewer in some dimensions. The spousal similarity is one of the major determinants of the shared activities with the spouse, both in men and women. Education is among the factors that increase and income difference between the factors that decrease have more effective in women than men. Spousal similarity and gender attitudes have the highest share in explaining shared activities while the share of components related to life cycle is lower. Traditional gender attitudes as a reducing factor have the greatest impact on men. In general, we can say despite the similarities, shared activities with the spouse are not the same for men and women in different aspects. The explanatory power of the model is greater for women than men. It is influenced by various factors, and the impact of these factors is not the same for both sexes.

Authors: Atisin Suebsaiaun and Thepparat Pimolsathean

Research Brief

Year: 2019, Volume 19 Number 1

Pages: 192–254

Author: Karl Patrick R. Mendoza

Research Brief

Year: 2019, Volume 19 Number 1

Pages: 205–214

Author: Sherill A. Gilbas

Research Brief

Year: 2019, Volume 19 Number 1

Pages: 192-223

Authors: Kritsana Thongkam, Peerawut Suwanjan, and Phadungchai Pupat

Research Brief

Year: 2019, Volume 19 Number 1

Pages: 224-232

Author: Martitah

Research Brief

Year: 2019, Volume 19 Number 1

Pages: 233-239

Author: Clarissa V. Militante

Book Review

Year: 2019, Volume 19 Number 1

Pages: 240-243

Author: APSSR Editorial Team

Data at a Glance

Year: 2019, Volume 19 Number 1

Page: 244

Author: APSSR Editorial Team

Data at a Glance

Year: 2019, Volume 19 Number 1

Page: 245