This chapter examines the application of Buddhist principles by women small business owners in Bangkok. Kuan Im is the Thai-ized Kuan Yin from China, a prominent bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism famous for her compassion. She was brought to Thailand by Chinese immigrants over several centuries,...

To foreign companies, Asia's recent economic problems appear to have changed buying behavior. Before, middle class consumers supposedly were very quality oriented, willing to buy expensive, high-quality imports. Now, many are switching to cheaper brands. Local companies sometimes misinterpret...

In retail banking, the internet has allowed banks to offer information and services to customers at their convenience, and many Thai banks are following worldwide trends in implementing internet banking. Banks which offer this channel claim that it reduces costs and makes them more competitive....

Kuwait lies in an arid region with limited options for sustainable water supply. Annual water share is less than 500 cubic meters and it depends exclusively on water desalinization. The consumption rate is among the world's highest (550-600 liters per day), while the water tariff is the world's...

Companies are increasingly using social media in marketing communications, but there is still little research on consumer perceptions of corporate SM usage. This small mixed-methods project among SM users in Kuwait explored perceptions about consumer electronics retailers' use of SM. Information...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of environmental scanning (ES) in the new product development (NPD) process among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Thai food processing industry. This study also shows that more extensive use of ES improves new product (NP)...

Many Thai banks are currently implementing Internet banking. Banks that offer service via this channel claim that it reduces costs and makes them more competitive. However, many corporate customers are not highly enthusiastic about Internet banking. An understanding of why corporate customers do...

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to examine customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction with interpersonal vs internet service encounters in Thai retail stockbrokerage and corporate banking. Design/methodology/approach – In each of two separate projects, in‐depth qualitative interviews...

Purpose – The importance of packaging design and the role of packaging as a vehicle for consumer communication and branding are necessarily growing. To achieve communication goals effectively, knowledge about consumer psychology is important so that manufacturers understand consumer response...

Environmental degradation in arid and semi-arid regions often results from trade-offs between immediate and long-term needs. Ecological (and ultimately economic) benefits of restrained, sustainable resource use are well-understood by scientists, and are usually apparent to local farmers and...