Search results

1 – 10 of 867
Article
Publication date: 16 May 2016

Gayle C. Avery

This interview discusses a “Blue Ocean” strategy initiative: how to introduce effective change in diabetes care into Thailand given a strong reluctance in patients, and in Thai

Abstract

Purpose

This interview discusses a “Blue Ocean” strategy initiative: how to introduce effective change in diabetes care into Thailand given a strong reluctance in patients, and in Thai society, to see that diabetes is not a condition to be treated by doctors alone.

Design/methodology/approach

An interview with Dr Thep Himathongkam, the pioneer of holistic diabetes care in Thailand.

Findings

One strategic management problem he faced was the lack of suitably trained staff. Thailand had no university courses producing the multidisciplinary personnel needed for diabetes treatment such as diabetes educators, dieticians, or foot care specialists. He address the multidisciplinary personnel shortage by training the missing specialists, getting universities on board and more recently securing funding from the World Diabetes Foundation.

Practical implications

The result of the diabetic foot-care training for more than 2,500 personnel, mostly from community hospitals, has been markedly successful, with a reduction in annual amputations in Thailand of 80 per cent over five years.

Originality/value

This interview offers a look at the multi-track problem solving required to successfully implement a Blue Ocean strategy.

Details

Strategy & Leadership, vol. 44 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1087-8572

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 July 2021

Sutti Sooampon, Pagaporn Pantuwadee Pisarnturakit and Sireerat Sooampon

This study investigated the conditions required to foster healthcare innovation. Due to the limited research and development (R&D) capability of the Thai private sector…

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigated the conditions required to foster healthcare innovation. Due to the limited research and development (R&D) capability of the Thai private sector, universities are increasingly expected to be emerging sources of healthcare products. However, the lack of experience in research commercialization requires that whether and how Thai university researchers can serve this mission be explored.

Design/methodology/approach

A promising dental implant product development project was investigated using the single-case research methodology. In-depth interviews were conducted with three key members involved in this innovative project. Questions concerning how a team of university researchers could embark on and overcome the obstacles encountered during their entrepreneurial project were asked. Based on the conceptual foundation of academic entrepreneurship, primary and additional secondary data were analyzed to acquire knowledge of academic entrepreneurship in healthcare in an emerging economy.

Findings

Healthcare inequality has generated entrepreneurial initiatives by healthcare researchers to develop low-cost dental implants. However, their efforts have been insufficient to progress to the commercialization stage. An informal relationship among socially oriented partners, including interdisciplinary experts, not-for-profit-oriented manufacturers and early adopters contributed to this project's success.

Originality/value

To foster healthcare innovation, the authors’ micro-level evidence of a socially oriented partnership on an informal basis indicates the need for inter-professional governance that maintains a cross-organizational environment between healthcare researchers and external parties. The future contributions to innovation management by healthcare professionals should be enhanced. A socially entrepreneurial model of healthcare innovation is suggested for further consideration as an enabling policy option for inter-professional partnership in emerging economies.

Details

International Journal of Health Governance, vol. 26 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-4631

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2011

Sooksan Kantabutra

Rhineland leadership practices contrast sharply with the prevailing Anglo/US business model of short‐term maximization of profitability, and are said to lead to greater corporate…

5573

Abstract

Purpose

Rhineland leadership practices contrast sharply with the prevailing Anglo/US business model of short‐term maximization of profitability, and are said to lead to greater corporate sustainability, at least in highly developed economies. However, the applicability of Rhineland leadership to less developed economies has not yet been demonstrated. This paper sets out to compare the business practices of a social enterprise that delivers healthcare services in Thailand and Avery's 19 sustainable leadership practices derived from Rhineland enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a case study approach, multi‐data collection methods included non‐participant observations made during visits to the enterprise, and reference to internal and published documentation and information. Semi‐structured interview sessions were held with many stakeholders, including top management, staff, patients and a former consultant.

Findings

In the Thai healthcare organization studied, evidence was found for compliance with 15 of Avery's 19 sustainable leadership elements, but to varying degrees. The elements were grouped into six core sets of practices: adopting a long‐term perspective, staff development, organizational culture, innovation, social responsibility, and ethical behavior. One element was found to be not applicable, and no evidence was found for conformity with Rhineland principles on the remaining three sustainable practices. The paper concludes that Avery's 19 Rhineland practices provide a useful framework for evaluating the corporate sustainability of this Thai enterprise.

Practical implications

Healthcare enterprises in Thailand and possibly in other Asian countries that wish to sustain their organizational success could adopt Avery's 19 Sustainable Leadership Grid elements to examine their leadership practices, and adjust them to become more sustainable.

Originality/value

The relevance of Rhineland sustainable leadership principles to enterprises in less developed economies remains to be investigated. This study attempts to uncover this unknown.

Details

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0952-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 June 2021

Sujinda Popaitoon, Tanyanart Yanpiboon and Chutikarn Tapjarern

The purpose of this study is to explore knowledge absorptive capacity (ACAP) (both potential and realized) and new product development (NPD) in bipolar entrepreneurial small- and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore knowledge absorptive capacity (ACAP) (both potential and realized) and new product development (NPD) in bipolar entrepreneurial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

In response to recent calls for research on knowledge ACAP and NPD in entrepreneurial SMEs, particularly in different contexts, this research aims to answer a specific question: What are the characteristics of ACAP (both potential and realized) and the salient issues concerning working complementarily between both types of ACAP to foster NPD in bipolar entrepreneurial SMEs (in this case, three new low-tech and three established high-tech cases)? The authors conduct case study research based on cross-case and within case analyses to answer the question.

Findings

The findings show that, in the established high-tech cases, realized ACAP plays an outsized role in developing new products and prior-related knowledge acts as a precondition for capturing useful knowledge from external sources (potential ACAP). On the contrary, in the new low-tech cases, potential ACAP is the key driver of NPD, so external knowledge from network ties becomes a crucial source of acquiring new knowledge, along with entrepreneurs’ level of skill at applying useful knowledge (realized ACAP) to achieve NPD.

Research limitations/implications

On the basis of the bipolar entrepreneurial SMEs (i.e. established high-tech and new low-tech ventures), the characteristics of entrepreneurial SMEs (i.e. firm’s age, size and level of technology) affect the different roles of realized and potential ACAP in driving NPD successes. Realized ACAP plays a critical role for NPD in established high-tech SMEs, whereas potential ACAP is the main driver of NPD in new low-tech SMEs. This research has some limitations that future research should conduct quantitative research in other industries’ context as well as in other countries.

Practical implications

For new ventures, they should be aware that to strengthen their network ties with customers and suppliers can be an important tool for not only overcoming their limitations of existing knowledge but also acquiring tacit knowledge from the external sources. For established high-tech ventures, they should focus not only on the short-term NPD (the achievement of current NPD) but also the long-term NPD (e.g. series of new products and new strategic alliances) that can help avoid a not-invented-here syndrome situation.

Social implications

The government should customize the policy to suit each targeted SME. Policymakers should play a crucial role of a linking pin among key external sources (e.g. R&D national and international institutions, SME banks and marketing agents) in different stages of the business cycle.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the literature of knowledge ACAP in SMEs to the understanding of the distinction roles of potential and realized ACAP as a mechanism in the different natures of entrepreneurial SMEs.

Article
Publication date: 5 August 2014

Christian Wernz, Pooja Thakur Wernz and Kongkiti Phusavat

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and discuss the concepts of service convergence and service integration, illustrate them in the context of the medical tourism industry…

1691

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and discuss the concepts of service convergence and service integration, illustrate them in the context of the medical tourism industry, and link them to factors that contributed to the success of a medical tourism firm.

Design/methodology/approach

The basis for the conceptual development of service convergence and service integration is an in-depth case study of Bumrungrad International Hospital (BIH) in Thailand. Based on semi-structured interviews and archival data, BIH's business model is analyzed and factors are identified that led to its success in the industry.

Findings

BIH's success can be attributed to nine key initiatives that enhanced customer focus, operational efficiency, and service quality. These initiatives supported BIH's twofold business model of product differentiation and globally competitive prices. The firm's activities led to the integration of medical and hospitality services resulting in a new, enhanced product. Competitors adopted BIH's service integration approach, which started the service convergence trend in the medical tourism industry.

Research limitations/implications

The conceptual foundations for service convergence and service integration are laid in this paper and can serve as the basis for future research.

Practical implications

Insights from BIH's business model can guide firms in medical tourism and related industries on how to innovate and how to successfully implement their service products.

Originality/value

This paper introduces the term service convergence and discusses its mechanisms. Furthermore, it identifies success factors of a leading firm in the medical tourism industry and links them to service integration.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 114 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 June 2021

Chaturong Napathorn

This paper examines the human resource (HR) strategies and practices that are considered to be particularly beneficial for aging employees in organizations in Thailand, which is…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines the human resource (HR) strategies and practices that are considered to be particularly beneficial for aging employees in organizations in Thailand, which is an underresearched developing economy, from an employee perspective and the implications of national institutions and cultures for the adoption and implementation of those HR strategies and practices across organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The results of the study, based on a cross-case analysis of seven organizations across industries, are primarily drawn from structured interviews and focus groups with aging employees, field visits and a review of archival documents and web-based resources, including newspaper reports and magazines.

Findings

This paper proposes that HR strategies that are appropriate for managing aging employees in organizations in Thailand’s developing economy can be classified into four bundles: growth, maintenance, recovery and regulation. Each bundle of HR strategies consists of several HR practices that are appropriate for managing aging employees in organizations. In particular, from the perspective of aging employees, these HR practices help aging employees upgrade their skills, prepare them to have a sufficient amount of financial savings after retirement, ensure that they are safe, secure and healthy, help them feel that their tacit knowledge and experience are still valuable, and help them perform jobs that are appropriate for their physical health conditions. Additionally, the adoption and implementation of the proposed HR strategies and practices tend to be influenced by national institutions in terms of deficiencies in the national skill formation system, healthcare institutions, regulatory institutions and welfare state regime and by the national culture in terms of reciprocity and respect for elderly people (i.e. aging employees). However, there are five important HR practices that are specifically appropriate for managing aging employees in Thailand and other developing economies where the level of household debt and/or personal debt is high, where the increasing number of aging employees leads to high demand for medical services when the medical services offered by private hospitals are expensive, and where tacit knowledge and experience are important for creating and maintaining firms’ competitive advantage: (1) the facilitation of financial planning, (2) safety and health training, (3) annual health check-ups, (4) the appointment of aging employees as advisors/mentors and (5) knowledge transfer/job enrichment.

Research limitations/implications

One of the limitations of this research is its methodology. Because this research is based on case studies of seven firms located in Thailand, the findings may not be generalizable to all other firms across countries. Rather, the aim of this paper is to further the discussion regarding HR strategies and practices for managing aging employees in organizations. Another limitation of this research is that it does not include firms located in several other industries, including the agricultural and fishery industry and the financial services industry. Future research may explore HR strategies and practices for managing aging employees in organizations located in these industries. Moreover, quantitative studies using large samples of aging employees who work in firms across industries might also be useful in deepening the understanding of HR strategies and practices for managing aging/retired employees in organizations.

Practical implications

This paper provides practical implications for top managers and/or HR managers of firms in Thailand and other developing economies where the level of household debt and/or personal debt is high, where the increasing number of aging employees leads to high demand for medical services when the medical services offered by private hospitals are expensive, and where tacit knowledge and experience are important for creating and maintaining firms’ competitive advantage. In particular, the aging employees in this study identified the HR practices that they perceive as being appropriate for aging employees and that were already available in firms or that they expect their firms to have but are currently missing. In this regard, HR managers should take note of these good and appropriate HR practices to ensure that they become part of official, structured HR strategies and practices. This would ultimately help line managers and aging employees think more positively about the future of aging employees within the company and help retain invaluable aging employees over time.

Social implications

This paper provides social/policy implications for the government and/or relevant public agencies of Thailand and several other developing economies where the majority of aging people do not have sufficient savings to support themselves after retirement, especially when these countries are becoming aging societies, where the increasing demand for medical services cannot be adequately addressed by existing public hospitals while private hospitals’ medical prices are quite expensive, and where intellectual property right (IPR) protection laws are weak. That said, such governments should encourage firms located in their countries to implement these HR strategies and practices for developing, maintaining, deploying and supporting aging employees.

Originality/value

This paper aims to contribute to the literature on human resource management (HRM), specifically on HR practices for aging employees, in the following ways. First, this study is different from the previous studies in that it examines HR practices for managing aging employees from an employee perspective, while most of the previous studies in this area have focused on the management of such employees from an employer perspective. In this case, it is possible that formal company policies may be different from actual HR practices as perceived by aging employees (Khilji and Wang, 2006). Second, this paper explores the implications of national institutions and cultures of Thailand’s developing economy for the adoption and implementation of HR strategies and practices that are appropriate for managing aging employees in organizations. Finally, this paper examines HR practices that are specifically appropriate for managing aging employees in Thailand and other developing economies. The literature on HR practices for aging employees has overlooked developing economies, including the underresearched country of Thailand, as most of the studies in this area have focused on developed economies. In fact, developed economies and developing economies are very different in several respects, which may influence the HR strategies and practices that are appropriate for managing aging employees in organizations.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 18 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 September 2016

Kanida Narattharaksa, Mark Speece, Charles Newton and Damrongsak Bulyalert

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the elements that health care personnel in Thailand believe are necessary for successful adoption of electronic medical record (EMR…

2291

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the elements that health care personnel in Thailand believe are necessary for successful adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Initial qualitative in-depth interviews with physicians to adapt key elements from the literature to the Thai context. The 12 elements identified included things related to managing the implementation and to IT expertise. The nationwide survey was supported by the Ministry of Public Health and returned 1,069 usable questionnaires (response rate 42 percent) from a range of medical personnel.

Findings

The key elements clearly separated into a managerial dimension and an IT dimension. All were considered fairly important, but managerial expertise was more critical. In particular, there should be clear EMR project goals and scope, adequate budget allocation, clinical staff must be involved in implementation, and the IT should facilitate good electronic communication.

Research limitations/implications

Thailand is representative of middle-income developing countries, but there is no guarantee findings can be generalized. National policies differ, as do economic structures of health care industries. The focus is on management at the organizational level, but future research must also examine macro-level issues, as well as gain more depth into thinking of individual health care personnel.

Practical implications

Technical issues of EMR implementation are certainly important. However, it is clear actual adoption and use of the system also depends very heavily on managerial issues.

Originality/value

Most research on EMR implementation has been in developed countries, and has often focussed more on technical issues rather than examining managerial issues closely. Health IT is also critical in developing economies, and management of health IT implementation must be well understood.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Case study
Publication date: 19 October 2012

Olimpia C. Racela and Amonrat Thoumrungroje

International marketing, new product development, international business expansion, small business management.

Abstract

Subject area

International marketing, new product development, international business expansion, small business management.

Study level/applicability

This case is intended for senior undergraduate or graduate MBA students taking a course in international business, international marketing, or small business management.

Case overview

Thai Jintan Company Limited (Thai Jintan) is a medium-sized importer, distributor, and marketer of premium confectionery and health care products in Thailand with the exclusive distribution arrangements of Morishita Jintan Company Limited (Morishita), one of Japan's oldest companies and a leader in the Japanese probiotic and confectionery industry. The case takes place in August 2009, approximately 18 months after Thai Jintan implemented its market launch of Morishita's technologically advanced breath and belly mint under the brand name of Jintan Nude. With a limited promotional budget of 8 million baht (€161,128) coupled with Thailand's regulatory environment for the marketing of food and drugs, Thai Jintan, a newcomer to the breath mint market, was faced with having to devise a resourceful marketing and promotional campaign. Thai Jintan management was confronted with assessing its past marketing plan and deciding on what to do to achieve its ambitious goal of capturing a 20 percent market share of the growing mint/menthol candy confectionery segment in Thailand.

Expected learning outcomes

After reading and discussing the case, students should have a better understanding of the following: the challenges faced by small businesses and new entrants; learning to apply different frameworks such as PEST or PESTEL, SWOT, and/or Five Forces to scan and assess a competitive environment; familiarizing themselves with different channels members’ roles in a distribution system; learning to evaluate a company's current marketing strategies and to recommend strategies to improve its segmentation, targeting, and positioning strategies and to design a new marketing mix for a new product launch in an overseas market; and learning how to effectively allocate a marketing budget.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available.

Article
Publication date: 2 December 2020

Francesco Schiavone, Giorgia Rivieccio, Francesco Paolone and Antonella Rocca

This article analyses the new venture creation by patient innovators in 40 countries examining the effects of the four macro-level factors on entrepreneurship, adding a fifth…

Abstract

Purpose

This article analyses the new venture creation by patient innovators in 40 countries examining the effects of the four macro-level factors on entrepreneurship, adding a fifth sector-specific (healthcare) factor.

Design/methodology/approach

By applying the statistical tool of principal component analysis, we find a clustering behavior of health user entrepreneurs across countries, indicating that common macro-level conditions affect this phenomenon in a nonlinear way.

Findings

Healthy user innovators are more likely to become entrepreneurs in those countries where creativity, economic opportunities and business environment are increasing from the lower level until a certain threshold. After that level, user entrepreneurship seems to be not relevant.

Originality/value

We contribute to the extant literature about macro-level determinants of entrepreneurship by exploring how much such conditions impact on the decision to create new firm by user innovators.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 59 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 28 September 2020

Nowadays, the higher education institutions (HEIs) of Thailand are affiliated by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation and other relevant Ministries…

Abstract

Nowadays, the higher education institutions (HEIs) of Thailand are affiliated by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation and other relevant Ministries which connects the state-of-the-art technology/facilities to all academic programmes at HEIs. Thailand has been successful in the growth in access to higher education across the country, but there are many specific requirements to improve the accountability of higher education system in the nation across many decades. This paper provides an introduction of holistic information about Thailand’s higher education system. It then describes an overall picture of developing and managing the quality assurance (QA) of Thai higher education. It also points to the details of criteria, processes, and systems which were adopted into the model of QA such as higher education standards, accreditation process of curriculum, Thailand Qualifications Framework, as well as provides the linkage between national education act, policy and standards, QA, feedback for continuous improvement as the key component of QA in the educational system. Finally, the paper presents the challenges and opportunities in the rapid change of the twenty-first century and globalisation as the main points and crucial factors requiring Thai HEIs to continue improving their quality effectively.

Details

From Pedagogy to Quality Assurance in Education: An International Perspective
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-106-8

Keywords

1 – 10 of 867