Developing the Fourth Royal Thai Army Housewives’ Community Enterprise in the Southernmost Provinces

Abstract

            Community enterprise development is the foundation of the community economy.  Thus, this present work aims to 1) study the business operation of the Fourth Royal Thai Army housewives’ community enterprises in the southernmost provinces 2) study factors that affect operations 3) analyze their business situations, 4) determine the guidelines for their development and 5) develop these enterprises. Data was collected through group interviews with each of the housewives producer groups, totaling 16 groups with 106 members, in order to select groups which had determined the development guidelines to become a community enterprise, because a previous community enterprise stopped operation. After selection, non-participant observation, focus group discussions and group interviews were done with members of each of the 5 newly registered community enterprises, totaling 48 members. Content analysis and SWOT analysis were utilized. The results revealed that the members of the community enterprises divided up their work, did the income and expense accounts and most of their customers are military families. Organizational support as well as members’ competence, unity, product standard, distribution channels, government support and competition are factors that affect operations. In terms of their business situation, the support of the military unit and unity are strengths while member’s competence, product’s standard and distribution channels are weaknesses.The support of government agencies serve as their opportunity while competition is the threat. So, the guidelines for development focused on strengthening the weaknesses of operation and using the opportunity in business situation to their benefit. After following the guidelines for development, all 5 community enterprises became progressive community enterprises.