The Role of Chineseness in Business Management in Thailand : A case Study of Sophonpanich Family

Abstract

Thailand has a long history of ethnic Chinese immigration and these ethnic Chinese people represent a very important and vibrant ethnic minority in the nation-building process of Thailand. Their economic wealth, which is disproportionate to their percentage of the national population, is always explained by their Chinese way of doing business. Their family orientation, risk-taking inclination, perseverance, frugality, diligence and Confucian codes of behavior embedded in ethnic Chinese mentality provided them with competitive advantage over local and foreign businessmen in some cases. This thesis examines the Chineseness in business management in some successful ethnic Chinese enterprises in Thailand by focusing on Sophonpanich family. By analyzing their business practices, the study finds that Chineseness has played an important role in Chin Sophonpanich’s time. With the increase of western influence, the role of Chineseness in business management reduced gradually, but some characteristics are retained. The most obvious point is that building and using the networks continues and has been passed on from generation to generation.