Research and Development Journal, Loei Rajabhat University

Exploring the Perception and Involvement of Gen Y in Homestay Program Sustainability in Malaysia: A Case Study of Jorho State

2024-07-24T16:50:14+07:00

This study aims to investigate the perception of Gen Y of their involvement in the homestay program, and to examine ways to enhance Gen Y’s passion in the homestay program. A qualitative method was employed in this study using in-depth interviews and observations. The homestay program is one of the most successful programs established by the Malaysian Government to develop rural areas as a tourist destination. Since its inception in 1988, the program has gained popularity to become an iconic rural tourism product. The program immerses tourists in the Malaysian culture and way of life when they stay together with the host family and interact with the local community through a variety of cultural performances and activities. Stakeholders involved in the homestay program comprise homestay operators, Gen Y, rural development agencies, the Government and tour promoters, each playing a separate role in a cumulative effort in ensuring the program’s viability. However, the future sustainability of the program has often been overlooked because of the uncertain involvement of Gen Y in it, despite the expectation that a high number of Gen Y will dominate the future workforce. This study revealed that Gen Y does have a positive perception of and involvement in the homestay program. The findings are crucial to provide strategies for homestay operators and the Government in establishing future policies for the homestay program.

Product Testing and Consumer Purchasing Behavior Towards Seedless Bite-sized Tamarind Products of Kaset Imjai Group, Pak Chom District, Loei Province

2024-06-06T16:11:55+07:00

The objectives of this research were to study consumer purchasing behavior of a bite-sized seedless tamarind product and to test the seedless tamarind products of Kaset Imjai Group, Pak Chom District, Loei Province, with a sample group of 150 tourists in Chiang Khan District by using descriptive statistics consisting of frequency, percentages, means, and standard deviations in data analysis and convenience sampling was done. The results showed that the most popular place for respondents to buy a bite-sized seedless tamarind product is a souvenir shop at 33.33 percent with a price range of 50–100 baht at 66.00 percent. The reason for deciding to purchase the bite-sized seedless tamarind is its delicious taste at 60.67 percent. They decide by themselves at 78.00 percent because most of them were eaten at 42.29 percent. The payment channel was cash at 70.00 percent. In addition, word-of-mouth plays a role in provoking them to purchase the product at 34.23 percent. In terms of product testing acceptance, the first factor is the bite-sized seedless tamarind product without any adulteration such as mold, tamarind peel, weevils (= 4.56, S.D.= 0.56); followed by the product is without other bad smells, namely musty, rancid odors (=4.41, S.D.= 0.70); the product's texture was firm, not crumbly, not sticky (= 4.35, S.D.= 0.75); and most respondents choose to buy the product in plastic bags. Moreover, the highest level of packaging product acceptance was a plastic food box (= 4.19, S.D.= 0.77), followed by being able to protect and maintain the quality of the product (= 4.11, S.D.= 0.99). Therefore, the Kaset Imjai Group should consider selecting the seedless bite-sized tamarind pulp that shows the quality of the product and acceptance creation of the product, including packaging that can protect and maintain the product's quality.

Potential of the Tourism Supply Chain for Supporting Self-driving Tourists in Kanchanaburi Municipality

2024-04-22T11:29:54+07:00

This research aimed to analyze the potential of the tourism supply chain to accommodate self-driving tourists in Kanchanaburi Municipality. The sample group consisted of 230 government officials and entrepreneurs. Data was collected through questionnaires and analyzed using correlation statistics and multiple regression. The study found that variables such as self-driving tourist management, competitor analysis, management and services, service improvement and innovation, social responsibility, product and service delivery processes, and information management processes had significant positive correlations. Information management processes, self-driving tourist management, and competitor analysis could predict 93.60% of tourism supply chain management potential. Supply chain management in terms of route information management processes, products or services, delivery methods, and online systems showed high potential. Self-driving tourist management, through processes allowing tourists to interact and communicate with service providers, suggest service improvements, and participate in service-related activities, also demonstrated high potential. Competitor analysis, with clear step-by-step processes, relevant competitor categorization, and well-defined analysis topics, exhibited high potential as well. This research highlights Kanchanaburi Municipality's readiness as a Special Economic Development Zone to accommodate self-driving tourists and support the growth of the Western region. The findings emphasize the importance of information management, self-driving tourist engagement, and strategic competitor analysis in enhancing the tourism supply chain's potential.

Factors Influencing of Social Media on Tourism Decisions of Generation Y Tourists: A Case study of Phu Pha Man National Park, Na Nong Thum Subdistrict, Chumphae District, Khon Kaen Province

2024-03-26T11:39:45+07:00

This research study: Factors influencing Social Media on Tourism Decisions of Generation Y Tourists: A Case study of Phu Pha Man National Park, Na Nong Thum Subdistrict, Chumphae District, Khon Kaen Province. The objectives have: 1) To study the behavior of using social media for obtaining travel information and the factors affecting the use of social media for travel information at Phu Pha Man National Park; 2) To compare the travel behavior at Phu Pha Man National Park with the factors influencing social media information retrieval for travel at the same park among Gen Y tourists, categorized by usage, content, perception, and actions; and 3) To compare social media channels with the factors influencing the retrieval of travel information via social media at Phu Pha Man National Park. The researchers used a quantitative research method, surveying 400 Gen Y tourists, and employed statistical methods including frequency distribution, mean, percentage, standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as One-Way ANOVA and Chi-Square analysis. The hypothesis testing results indicate that Generation Y tourists predominantly use mobile phones as a device to access online media, with a tendency to perceive and share image-based information via Facebook. The behavior of using social media for travel, the frequency of travel experiences, and tourism activities show a significant relationship with information seeking through social media. Additionally, the comparison of social media channels impacts the factors influencing information gathering, revealing that the channels of social media significantly differ in their effectiveness for information seeking across various aspects.

Marketing Mix Factors Affect Thai Baby Boomer Tourists’ Decision to Use Thai Spa Services

2024-06-25T16:37:54+07:00

The objectives of this research were: 1) to study marketing mix factors that affect the decision to use Thai spa services by Thai tourists, Baby Boomers; and 2) to study the service quality that influences the decision to use Thai spa services among Thai baby boomer tourists classified by demographic characteristics. The sample group consisted of 400 Thai baby boomers who had used Thai spa services in the Bangkok area at least once. The tool used to collect data was a questionnaire, which was found to have a reliability value of 0.963. And statistics used in data analysis include frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test. one-way ANOVA (F-test) and multinomial logistic regression. The results of the study found that: 1) respondents' opinions on the marketing mix factors that make Thai baby boomer tourists choose to use Thai spa services are overall at a high level; and 2) respondents' opinions on the overall quality of Thai spa services were at a high level. As for the results of the hypothesis testing, it was found that: 1) service users with different occupations, educational levels, hometowns, and average monthly incomes have a statistically significant difference in the quality of Thai spa services at the level .05; and 2) marketing mix factors product, process, and physical affect the decision to use Thai spa services for Thai baby boomer tourists with statistical significance at the .05 level.

Service Marketing Mix and Behavior of Consumers Using Grill Buffet Restaurant Services Style, in Nan Province

2024-08-22T09:24:18+07:00

The main purposes of this study were to: 1) examine the demographic characteristics of consumers of buffet-style grilled restaurants in Nan Province; 2) analyze the service marketing mix for these consumers; and 3) explore consumer behavior in using the services. This quantitative research involved a sample of 400 consumers who used to be or were currently using the services. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Inferential statistics were used to test the hypotheses through t-tests, F-tests, and Chi-square tests. The findings indicated that the target consumers were predominantly female, aged 20-30 years, with an educational background at the bachelor’s degree level or equivalent education. Most were students or employees in permanent positions, with an average monthly income of 5,000 baht or less, and some between 5,000 and 10,000 baht. The majority of the consumers were natives of Nan Province. The overall service marketing mix was rated at a high level, with the highest average score attributed to the "process" aspect. Regarding consumer behavior, the main reason for choosing buffet-style grilled dining was the variety of food options, followed by the delicious taste of the dipping sauce Consumers tended to dine at these restaurants 1-2 times per month, and were often accompanied by 2-3 friends who suggested the restaurant. The average expenditure per person per visit ranged from 201 to 399 baht. Consumers generally felt that the experience was worth the money, and most would recommend the restaurant to others The hypothesis testing results revealed that differences in demographic characteristics led to statistically significant differences in consumer behavior at the .05 level.

Services Scape, Service Quality, and Satisfaction Influencing the Intention to Revisit a 4-Star Hotel in Chiang Mai Province Among Chinese Tourist Groups

2024-07-01T10:16:58+07:00

The objectives of this research aims to investigate Chinese tourist groups' perspective of the services cape, service quality, satisfaction, and intention to revisit a 4-star hotel in Chiang Mai Province. It also explores how these factors impact Chinese tourists' decision to return and reuse services at the same hotel. The research involved 385 Chinese tourists who had previously visited Chiang Mai Province. Data was collected through an online questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage, mean, standard deviation) as well as inferential statistics like Multiple Regression Analysis. The results show that: 1) Chinese tourists expressed the highest level of satisfaction with the services cape factors and their intention to revisit the same 4-star hotel in Chiang Mai Province, particularly noting that the reception area seating and accessory placement were adequate and appropriate, and they had a strong desire to stay at the same hotel again due to the exterior environment meeting their needs; and 2) The services scape, service quality, and satisfaction factors had a statistically significant influence at the .01 level on the Chinese tourist group's intention to return and reuse services at the 4-star hotel in Chiang Mai Province.

The Influence of Entrepreneurial Characteristics on the Success of Small and Medium Enterprises in Lamphun Province

2024-07-23T09:16:09+07:00

This research were a quantitative research aimed to categorize the entrepreneurial characteristic factors and to examine the influence of entrepreneurial characteristics on the success of small and medium enterprises in Lamphun province. The data was collected from 400 SMEs entrepreneurs in Lamphun province, with the use of questionnaires. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics to find percentages and means, and using inferential statistics including factor analysis and multiple regression. The result of research revealed that most SME entrepreneurs were female, aged between 31 and 40 years. They graduated with bachelor's degrees and have been running their small-sized service sector businesses for no more than 5 years, and have no more than 10 employees. Attitudinal data were categorized into newly grouped 4 entrepreneurial characteristic factors: 1) creativity; 2) risk taking; 3) aspiration and determination of business; and 4) self – confidence. The result of the test of influence of entrepreneurial characteristics on the success of small and medium enterprises in Lamphun province reveal that 4 entrepreneurial characteristic factors influence on the success of small and medium Enterprises in Lamphun province. The combination of these entrepreneurial characteristic factors showed 43.80 of the success.

The Influence of Adaptation Strategies on the Survival of Small Retail Businesses in the Digital Era in Muenang District, Loei Province

2024-06-06T15:59:12+07:00

This study aimed to: 1) investigated small retail businesses' adaptation strategies in the digital era within Muang District, Loei Province; 2) examined the survival of small retail businesses in the digital era in Mueang district, Loei province; and 3) analyzed the influence of adaptation strategies on the survival of small retail businesses in the digital era within Mueang district, Loei province. The research sample consisted of 336 small retail businesses in Mueang district, Loei province, selling consumer goods with a sales area of no more than 64 square meters. The research instrument was a questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of .947, employing accidental sampling. The statistics used for data analysis include percentage frequency, mean, standard deviation, correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. The study findings revealed that the overall level of adaptation strategies among small retail business owners was high, encompassing five components: 1) the overall level of survival of small retail businesses in the digital era is high; and 2) the adaptation strategies of small retail businesses in the digital era positively affect the survival of these businesses, with four significant components: creating a retail store atmosphere, product differentiation, customer focus, and the use of technology in management, all of which were statistically significant at the .01 level.

The influence of Motivation on Work Efficiency of Public Organizations Employees in Chiang Mai Province

2024-07-23T09:20:04+07:00

This research was a quantitative study aimed at examining the motivation and work performance of Public Organizations Employees in Chiang Mai Province and testing the influence of motivation on the work performance of these employees. Data was collected through questionnaires from 251 of Public Organizations Employees in Chiang Mai Province. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics to find percentages, means, and inferential statistics through factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. The research findings revealed that most employees were female, aged between 38-44 years, with a bachelor's degree. Their monthly income ranged between 15,001 – 20,000 baht, and their work experience ranged from 3 to 6 years. They were primarily employed in the Office of the Pinkanakorn Development Agency at the entry or general operational level. In terms of motivation affecting work performance, the study identified several key factors contributing to their job effectiveness, employees placed the highest importance on task achievement. There are three motivational factors that influence work performance: the ability to achieve results, career advancement, and recognition. These factors can predict work performance trends with 49.60%.