SUSTAINING OR SURVIVING? AN EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY ON COVID-19’S IMPACT TOWARDS HOTEL BUSINESSES

Purpose – The aim of this research is to develop a sustainable model for local hospitality businesses in Chiang Mai to mitigate risk during the Covid 19 crisis and become resilient when the situation improves. This research study seeks to explore whether local hospitality businesses in Chiang Mai are taking a sustainable or survival approach in response to the pandemic situation that is occurring worldwide. Design – This is a mixed methods research guided by three research questions to support the aim of the study. Methodology – Five hotels in the province Chiang Mai were selected for the survey and the results were subjected to data triangulation to obtain ideas for a sustainable model. The 400 questionnaires were distributed to 85 hotels including 8 hotels rated 5 stars, 47 hotels rated 4 stars and 30 hotels rated 3 stars in the province Chiang Mai. Approach –Data triangulation was used to test the three questions to ensure the validity of the study: the results of research question number one were compared separately with the results of research question number two and number three; the results of research question number two were compared with the results of research question number three. Findings –Hotels can be viable in the long run if the government creates environmental conditions that support a healthy and intelligent organization to take proactive measures to take care of the welfare of the employees and residents. The overall survival adjustment in the COVID -19 pandemic critical conditions of hotels in the province Chiang Mai was high at 3.96. The correlation coefficient of the cause variables was market adjustment (X1), sustainability adjustment (X2) and learning adjustment (X3) have a positive correlation with the survival of hotels in the province Chiang Mai during the pandemic COVID -19. The survival of hotels in the province Chiang Mai amid the COVID -19 pandemic can be predicted by the underlying event such as learning adjustment (X3) and marketing adjustment (X1), which has an accuracy of 52.70 % and statistical significance at the 0.01 level. Originality of Research – The paper captures the current situation of how Covid-19 has caused a major disruption to hotel businesses in Chiang Mai, Thailand

STREET FOOD TOUR EXPERIENCE, SATISFACTION AND BEHAVIOURAL INTENTION: EXAMINING EXPERIENCE ECONOMY MODEL

Purpose – This study examined whether and how the experience economy model can explain street food tour experiences and the role of street food tour experiences on satisfaction and behavioural intention. Design/Methodology – Data were collected from online reviews to gain insight into actual street food tour experiences. Quantitative content analysis was used to analyze textual data. Findings – Results indicated that the four realms of experience economy model could be used to explain street food tour experiences. In addition, the fifth realm, exploration, emerged in street food tour experiences. Positive street food tour experiences can lead to satisfaction, intention to re-visit, and willingness to recommend. Originality of the research – Interest in street food tours has increased, but there is still limited understanding of their activities and tourists\u27 actual experiences. This study explored an application of the four realms of the experience economy model in the context of street food tours and an existing argument about the fifth realm beyond the model. These issues remain the research gaps in food tourism research. The study provides insight into the role of street food tours in tourism experiences, satisfaction, and behavioural intention

Debt Reconstruction, Career Development and Famers Household Well-Being in Thailand

Debts reconstruction under some of moratorium projects is one of important method that highly benefits to both the Banks and farmers. The method can reduce probabilities for nonprofits loan. This paper discuss about debts reconstruction and career development training for farmers in Thailand between 2011 and 2013. The research designed is mix-method between quantitative survey and qualitative survey. Sample size for quantitative method is 1003 cases. Data gathering procedure is between October and December 2013. Main results affirmed that debts reconstruction is needed. And there are numerous benefits from farmers' career development training. Many of farmers who attend field school activities able to bring knowledge learned to apply for the farms' work. They can reduce production costs. Framers' quality of life and their household well-being also improve. This program should apply in any countries where farmers have highly debts and highly risks for not return the debts

Climate shocks and migration: an agent-based modeling approach

This is a study of migration responses to climate shocks. We construct an agent-based model that incorporates dynamic linkages between demographic behaviors, such as migration, marriage, and births, and agriculture and land use, which depend on rainfall patterns. The rules and parameterization of our model are empirically derived from qualitative and quantitative analyses of a well-studied demographic field site, Nang Rong district, Northeast Thailand. With this model, we simulate patterns of migration under four weather regimes in a rice economy: 1) a reference, ‘normal’ scenario; 2) seven years of unusually wet weather; 3) seven years of unusually dry weather; and 4) seven years of extremely variable weather. Results show relatively small impacts on migration. Experiments with the model show that existing high migration rates and strong selection factors, which are unaffected by climate change, are likely responsible for the weak migration response

The cost-effectiveness of improved brief interventions for tobacco cessation in Thailand

BackgroundThis study estimated the cost-effectiveness of four strategies enhancing the quality and accessibility of Brief Intervention (BI) service for smoking cessation in Thailand during 2022–2030: (1) current-BI (status quo), (2) the effective-training standard-BI, (3) the current-BI plus the village health volunteers (VHV) mobilization, and (4) the effective-training BI plus VHV mobilization.MethodsBy interviewing five public health officers, nine healthcare professionals aiding these services, and fifteen BI service experts, we explored the status quo situation of the Thai smoking cessation service system, including main activities, their quantity assumptions, and activities’ unit prices needed to operate the current cessation service system. Then, we modeled additional activities needed to implement the other three simulated scenarios. We estimated the costs and impacts of implementing these strategies over a nine-year operating horizon (2022–2030), covering 3 years of service system preparation and 6 years of full implementation. The modeled costs of these four strategies included intervention and program costs. The study focused on current smokers age 15 years or older. The assessed impact parameters encompassed smoking prevalence, deaths averted, and healthy life-years gained. An Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Analysis compared the four simulated strategies was employed. Data analysis was performed using the One Health Tool software, which the World Health Organization developed.ResultsThe findings of this investigation reveal that all three intervention strategies exhibited cost-effectiveness compared to the prevailing status quo. Among these strategies, Strategy 2, enhancing BI service quality, emerged as the most efficient and efficacious option. Therefore, the expansion of quality services should be synergistically aligned with augmented training, service delivery optimization, and managerial enhancements.ConclusionThis approach is particularly poised to enhance accessibility to and the efficacy of smoking cessation interventions across Thailand

Changing crops in response to climate: Virtual Nang Rong, Thailand in an agent based simulation

The effects of extended climatic variability on agricultural land use were explored for the type of system found in villages of northeastern Thailand. An agent based model developed for the Nang Rong district was used to simulate land allotted to jasmine rice, heavy rice, cassava, and sugar cane. The land use choices in the model depended on likely economic outcomes, but included elements of bounded rationality in dependence on household demography. The socioeconomic dynamics are endogenous in the system, and climate changes were added as exogenous drivers. Villages changed their agricultural effort in many different ways. Most villages reduced the amount of land under cultivation, primarily with reduction in jasmine rice, but others did not. The variation in responses to climate change indicates potential sensitivity to initial conditions and path dependence for this type of system. The differences between our virtual villages and the real villages of the region indicate effects of bounded rationality and limits on model applications

Influence of women's autonomy on infant mortality in Nepal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nepalese women lag behind men in many areas, such as educational attainment, participation in decision-making and health service utilization, all of which have an impact on reproductive health outcomes. This paper aims to examine the factors influencing infant mortality, specifically, whether women's autonomy has an impact on infant mortality in the Nepali context.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were drawn from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, 2006. The analysis is confined to 5,545 children who were born within the five years preceding the survey. Association between infant mortality and the explanatory variables was assessed using bivariate analysis. Variables were then re-examined in multivariate analysis to assess the net effect of women's autonomy on infant mortality after controlling for other variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The infant mortality rate (IMR) in the five years preceding the survey was 48 deaths per one thousand live births. Infant mortality rate was high among illiterate women (56 per 1000 live births) and among those not involved in decision making for health care (54 per 1000 live births). Furthermore, infant mortality was high among those women who had more children than their comparison group, who had birth intervals of less than two years, who had multiple births, who were from rural areas, who were poor, whose source of water was the river or unprotected sources, and who did not have a toilet facility in their household.</p> <p>Results from logistic regression show that women's autonomy plays a major role in infant mortality after controlling other variables, such as mother's sociodemographic characteristics, children's characteristics and other household characteristics. Children from literate women had a 32 percent lower chance (OR = 0.68) of experiencing infant mortality than did children from illiterate women. Furthermore, infants of women who were involved in decision-making regarding their own health care had a 25 percent lower (OR = 0.75) chance of dying than did infants whose mothers who were not involved in healthcare decisions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Infant mortality is high in Nepal. In this context, mother's literacy and involvement in healthcare decision making appear to be the most powerful predictors for reducing infant mortality. Hence, in order to reduce infant mortality further, ongoing female education should be sustained and expanded to include all women so that the millennium development goals for the year 2015 can be attained. In addition, programs should focus on increasing women's autonomy so that infant mortality will decrease and the overall well being of the family can be maintained and enhanced.</p

Path analysis of the revisit potential of an iconic tourism destination

This study aims to investigate factors that affect the revisit potential of a historic destination. This study has a conceptual framework that is based on theory and literature review of the sustainable tourism management. This is a quantitative study that collected data from 800 international visitors who visited two famous religious tourism sites in Bangkok, namely the reclining Buddha temple and the emerald Buddha temple. These visitors were selected through the accidental sampling method. The data were analyzed using path analysis. The study showed that interpretation positively affects revisit potential, local people negatively influence revisit potential, and process positively affects revisit potential. Interpretation, local people, and process have both direct and indirect influences on revisit potential

Model of Environmental Problems Priority Arising from the use of Environmental and Natural Resources in Machinery Sectors of Thailand

The objective of this research is to propose an indicator to evaluate environmental impacts from the Machinery sectors of Thailand, leading to more sustainable consumption and production in this sector of the economy. The factors used to calculate the Forward Linkage, Backward Linkage and Real Benefit were the Total Environmental Costs. The highest total environmental cost was Railway Equipment which needs to be resolved immediately because it uses natural resources more than its carrying capacity, higher environmental cost than standard, and contributes low real benefit. Electric Accumulator & Battery, Secondary Special Industrial Machinery, Motorcycle, Bicycle & Other Carriages, and Engines and Turbines need to be monitored closely because they are able to link to other production sectors more than any other production sectors do, and they have high environmental cost. To decide a sustainable development strategy of the country, therefore, results of this research must be used to support decision-making