Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Research and Development (JMARD)

From Efficiency to Indispensability: Rethinking Supplier Resilience What smaller export-oriented countries can learn from Thailand’s GVC experience

Pavida Pananond — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

Resilience has become one of the most invoked concepts in economic policy, yet it means different things to different actors. This article develops a framework for supplier resilience—the form of resilience available to smaller, export-oriented economies whose prosperity depends on participation in chains governed by lead firms headquartered elsewhere. It argues that supplier resilience requires three levels to work together: individual firms, global value chain (GVC) structure, and state policy.

Applying this framework to Thailand, the article shows that cost-based positioning is no longer sufficient in an era of geopolitical fragmentation. Building supplier resilience requires three forms of intelligence in concert: geoeconomic intelligence, GVC intelligence, and domestic capability mapping—all translated into resilience-creating value. Thailand's automotive sector illustrates the cost of misalignment: state policy attracted foreign electric vehicle manufacturers without building domestic supplier capability, weakening rather than deepening structural indispensability. The argument extends to any smaller economy navigating the era of geopolitical tensions. The alignment of resilience at the three levels is critical. The question is no longer whether you can join a global chain. It is whether others can do without you.

Editorial

Nitida Sangsingkeo — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

Proper guidelines of reducing firearms violence in Thai context

Piyaporn Tunneekul, Namtaee Meeboonsalang — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This research of the topic as the proper guidelines of reducing firearms violence in Thai context aims at studying the analysis of situations, policies, and impacts of guns in Thailand and in the foreign countries. This study also targets at studying the problems and obstacles to violence reduction from using guns fitting Thai contexts. The guidelines from reducing firearms violence can result in the good measures and practices being appropriate with the current contexts in Thailand. Using a qualitative design, data were gathered via in-depth interviews with 59 key informants and two focus groups with 42 participants and 15 individuals currently serving sentences for offenses involving firearms were conducted to triangulate the findings and capture diverse perspectives on community safety. Data were processed using thematic analysis to identify systemic loopholes and sociopolitical drivers of gun-related crimes. Furthermore, several prominent projects in Thailand have been studied to extract best practices, such as Contemplative Education (Jitta-Panya), Alcohol-Free Village Projects, Anti-Street Racing and Brawl Prevention Projects and the ‘Five Precepts Village’ project.

This study found that violence related to firearms in Thailand has increased, causing many losses to innocent people. According to most problems as the obstacles to reducing the violence from using guns in Thailand, it was turned out that the main problems and obstacles against reducing the use of guns include legal measures, punishment guidelines, law enforcement, emotional control, education/knowledge, and insight. Therefore, it is necessary to search for effective measures to reduce violence related to firearms in society.

Concerning the measures for reducing violence from using guns fitting Thai contexts, it was found that the measures were divided into four main aspects, which are legal measures and law enforcement, the measures promoting the knowledge involving the violence from using guns, technological measures in following up the guns, and the measures in form of the projects/any campaigns involving the reduction on violence.

Community Health Assessment of Waste Management in Keelek Sub–District Municipality, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province

Samart Jaitae, Siwalee Rattanapunya, Janjiraporn Stantripop, Saiyud Moolphate — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This mixed-methods study aimed to (1) assess community health impacts associated with municipal solid waste management and (2) synthesize participatory policy recommendations to reduce and prevent health impacts at the community level. The quantitative sample consisted of 382 households residing in Kee Lek Subdistrict Municipality, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. In addition, 12 key informants who were stakeholders in community solid waste management participated in the qualitative component. Data collection instruments included structured questionnaires, informal interviews, and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis, while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings revealed that the community solid waste management mechanism primarily operated at the household level, where waste was collected and subsequently transported by a private company for final disposal. The overall level of community health impact was high (𝑥̅ = 3.54 ± 0.56). Factors that significantly predicted community health impacts at the 0.05 level included household size (B = −0.040, p = 0.020) and attitudes toward community solid waste management (B = 0.694, p < 0.001). Policy recommendations to reduce and prevent community health impacts include promoting the 3Rs concept (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and establishing a community waste bank to enhance participation and support sustainable waste management practices at the local level.

Customer Segmentation using WRFM-Based Feature Representation with K-Means and PCA

Sumpunt Khongmark, Daranat Tansui — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This study investigates customer segmentation using a Weighted Recency, Frequency, and Monetary (WRFM)-based feature representation combined with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and K-Means clustering. A dataset consisting of 286 transactions from 100 customers was transformed into RFM variables and normalized using Min–Max scaling to ensure comparability. Entropy-based weighting was then applied to construct WRFM features, providing a balanced representation of customer behavior. PCA was employed to reduce dimensionality and eliminate redundant information prior to clustering. Four clustering methods—K-Means, PCA-enhanced K-Means, Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), and Hierarchical Clustering—were evaluated using Silhouette Score, Calinski–Harabasz Index, and Davies–Bouldin Index. The results indicate that PCA-enhanced K-Means achieved the best performance (Silhouette = 0.473, Calinski–Harabasz = 144.817, Davies–Bouldin = 0.725), demonstrating improved cluster compactness and separation. The findings show that combining WRFM-based features with PCA effectively reduces bias and improves clustering quality. The segmentation results identify four distinct customer groups, including high-value loyal customers, potential customers, moderate customers, and at-risk customers. These insights support targeted marketing strategies such as retention programs, personalized promotions, and customer relationship management. This study does not propose a new clustering model but focuses on empirical evaluation and applied validation of existing techniques. The approach is scalable and applicable to other domains involving multidimensional customer data.

Service Quality, Revisit Intention, and English Competency Development through an E-Book Intervention among Front Office Staff in Small Hotels in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok

Anirut Jaroensuk — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This research article aimed to examine service quality, repeat patronage, and the development of English language competencies among front office staff in small hotels in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok, within the context of accommodation businesses facing limitations in budget, personnel, and continuous training opportunities. The objectives of this study were: 1) to investigate service quality factors affecting repeat patronage among foreign tourists staying in small hotels in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok; 2) to explore the needs for English language competency development among front office staff in small hotels in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok; and 3) to develop and evaluate the use of an English e-book for front office services among front office staff in small hotels in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok.
This study employed a mixed-methods research design. Quantitative data were collected from 385 foreign tourists staying in small hotels in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok. Qualitative data were collected from managers or heads of front office departments from 18 hotels. In addition, the English e-book was implemented with 36 front office staff members. The findings revealed that: 1) service quality based on the SERVQUAL model was positively related to repeat patronage, with the assurance dimension exerting the strongest influence; 2) small hotels had the greatest need to develop English language skills for front office services, as these skills are essential for communicating with foreign tourists; and 3) post-learning scores after using the e-book were significantly higher than pre-learning scores at the statistical significance level of p < 0.001. The findings contribute to linking service quality with the development of front office staff competencies and propose the use of digital learning media as an appropriate tool for personnel development under the operational constraints of small hotels.

Multimodal communication in building the #BookTok reading community

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This article aims to examine communication practices within the #BookTok reading community on TikTok, which has emerged as a significant cultural phenomenon influencing both the publishing industry and the reading behaviors of younger generations. The study adopts the framework of multimodal communication as its primary analytical approach. The findings reveal that the success of the #BookTok community should not be understood merely as a temporary trend; rather, it is a direct consequence of the effectiveness of multimodal communication. Such communication facilitates two-way interaction, enables easy access to content, supports continuous learning, and systematically connects content of a similar nature. In addition, TikTok’s platform affordances play a crucial role in enhancing these communicative processes, thereby allowing users to convey reading experiences in ways that extend beyond conventional book recommendations or reviews. Consequently, the #BookTok community has come to play a significant role in reshaping reading practices in the context of contemporary digital society. Within this digital reading culture, readers with shared interests are able to connect in virtual spaces to exchange reading experiences, negotiate literary values and meanings, and construct identities at both individual and collective levels.

Innovative Work Behavior through Transformational Leadership and Knowledge Sharing of Academic Staff in Thai Autonomous Universities: A Review and Conceptual Framework

Phannaphat Rachaporn, Boon-Anan Phinaitrup — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This academic article proposes a conceptual framework to examine the relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge sharing in fostering innovative work behavior among academic staff in autonomous universities. A descriptive-analytical approach was employed through a review of 9 academic books and 61 research articles published between 1964 and 2024. Academic staff in autonomous universities face increasing challenges, including global competition, changing learner demands, societal expectations, and institutional self-governance. As the core workforce, they play a crucial role in enhancing organizational competitiveness and sustainability, making the development of innovative work behavior essential. The literature review indicates that transformational leadership encourages creativity, initiative, and experimentation, thereby directly enhancing innovative work behavior. Knowledge sharing, as a key element of knowledge management, facilitates the exchange and development of knowledge, leading to improved work practices. Furthermore, transformational leadership fosters a supportive climate that promotes communication and knowledge exchange. The study proposes three key propositions: (1) transformational leadership has a direct positive effect on innovative work behavior; (2) knowledge sharing has a direct positive effect on innovative work behavior; and (3) transformational leadership has an indirect positive effect on innovative work behavior through knowledge sharing as a mediating variable.

The Politics of Administration: Power, Relations, Space and Otherness in Public Administration

Bancha Bhutwanakul — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This article aims to analyze the dimensions of power, relationality, space, and otherness within the field of Public Administration, utilizing the politics-administration dichotomy as its central methodological framework. The study posits that Public Administration existed in a state of ‘Otherness’ prior to the full institutionalization of its disciplinary ‘space.’ This reflects the pursuit of epistemic truth under the paradigm of Critical Theory, which asserts that reality is both autonomous and subjectively constructed. In the administrative context, the endeavor to emancipate Public Administration from political spheres—often associated with New Public Management—is inherently paradoxical when contrasted with the behavior of bureaucratic apparatuses and the reciprocal nature of power relations. The Thai context, in particular, demonstrates that the demarcation between power relations and administrative space remains inextricably blurred. Nevertheless, the discipline has successfully established its identity and achieved legitimacy within the realm of public practice. This article concludes that Public Administration is fundamentally an intersection of politics, administrative relations, and otherness—a process of identity and spatial construction consistent with the evolution of other scientific disciplines.

Inclusive Music Education through Fundamental Understanding of Ethnomusicology for Higher Education

Chayuti Tassanawongwara, Tepika Rodsakan, Nunthika Nateetorn — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

There are three main branches of musical knowledge in education in Thailand: Thai music, Folk music, and Western music. These branches have mutually interacted and evolved within a dynamic social context for centuries. This paper seeks to highlight the role of music education through the lens of learning and teaching management with a focus on inclusive education. The main concept discussed in this paper revolves around the musical and cultural contexts of diversity. Additionally, it illustrates that the knowledge of ethnomusicology plays a significant role in assisting in positioning music within the educational system. The findings of this paper demonstrate that the concept of inclusivity can be useful for understanding current situations, such as unicentric and multicentric practices in music dimensions. An innovative perspective on an inclusive curriculum must pay attention to a concentric aspect, promoting shared learning and emergent learning. This approach could help mitigate racial biases and enhance social equality.

Research Synthesis on Community Enterprise Development in Udon Thani Province during 2018 - 2025

Sunit Hemnil — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0700

This academic article aims to synthesize research on the development of community enterprises in Udon Thani Province published between 2018 - 2025. The study employed documentary research methods in conjunction with academic synthesis approaches. Research studies were retrieved from online databases of Thai journals and screened for quality according to specified criteria, resulting in 41 research studies selected for this synthesis. The findings indicate that community enterprise operations play a significant role in the community economic system. However, they encounter problems and limitations from both internal and external factors, which have become obstacles to the development of community occupations and income. The research synthesis yielded development approaches for upgrading community enterprises comprising 10 dimensions: 1) products and services, 2) packaging, 3) marketing and sales, 4) accounting and return analysis, 5) human resources and participation, 6) networking, 7) manual and curriculum development, 8) application of Buddhist principles and Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, 9) government certification marks, and 10) distribution center locations and transportation models. Each dimension has generated positive impacts on community enterprise development. However, given that community enterprise operations are complex and overlap across multiple activities, there is a need for development strategies that are systematic, continuous, and linked to multiple sectors. Moreover, adaptation to customer demands and modern market competition is also required.