The globalization of Chinese products has been accompanied by questions as to their receptivity in different markets around the world. The body of academic literature on the issue of receptivity of Chinese products has grown with a focus on the consumer perception factors of country-of-origin, consumer nationalism, price sensitivity and quality of product. Prior research findings regarding receptivity, as per these perception factors, has been quite diverse but with studies about Western nations providing the most negative responses. The originality and value of this study is that this is the first academic work performed to assess receptivity of Chinese products by consumers in Myanmar. Applying convenience sampling, students at a national educational institution in Myanmar’s principal city, Yangon, were examined by conducting a self-administered questionnaire containing both close-ended and open-ended questions. Null hypotheses were tested for consistency in the presentation of the findings due to the variability of statistical significance discovered in the literature review. The findings indicated that frequent purchasers of Chinese products were more likely to regard the factors of country-of-origin and consumer nationalism over non-frequent purchases and that no statistically significant differences occurred regarding the perception factors of price sensitivity and product quality. The study also found mixed differentials when assessing by ethnic origins, with Myanmar consumers of Chinese ancestry indicating higher mean differences regarding the perception factors of country-of-origin and product quality over non-Chinese Myanmar. Suggestions for future research were made to provide utilitarian data that will assist practitioners along the supply chain, from manufacturers to retailers.
The ten nation members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) utilize English as the official working language for the organization. This study focused on the nation of Thailand to examine the assessed level of English proficiency of its workforce in relation to its ability to interact within ASEAN's economic community (AEC). This is the first academic study to utilize a sample population consisting of human resources personnel from the top 100 private companies in Thailand who are in charge of employee training for learning English. Self-administered questionnaires were used to obtain self-assessments on the issues of level of English proficiency, language training, resource allocation for communication preparedness in AEC, and overall perceptions of the importance of mastering English within their respective companies. The results indicate that the acquisition of English as an economic lingua franca was considered important regardless of the demographic factors of the company examined. A majority of the respondents expressed the belief that their businesses had provided adequate resource allocation for English preparedness and a majority also indicated that their respective workforces possessed adequate English skills. However, a majority also expressed assessments that the employees in their companies did not find it easy to learn English and that Thais in general, and their employees in particular, did not like learning the language.
Colorism is a historical and cultural phenomenon with global dimensions. This phenomenon is credited, in part, for the growth and financial success of the skin-lightening industry throughout the world. In Thailand, dark skin is often associated with lower-income classes, including farm labor. As a pioneering effort, this study sought to empirically identify colorism in a way that would minimize social desirability bias. Three groups in an MBA program at an international university in Bangkok - Thais with Chinese ancestry, non-Chinese Thais, and non-Thai foreigners – were asked to identify socio-economic status (“rich” or “poor”) by examining photographs of male and female Thais with dark, medium, and light skin tones. An analysis was conducted using the demographic variables of ethnicity, gender, and age. The study found significant differences wherein Thai-Chinese associated light skin tone with wealth and dark skin tone with poverty. Non-Chinese Thais followed in this assessment, but foreigners did not. Regarding marriage, both Thai-Chinese and non-Chinese Thais chose photographs of individuals with light skin to marry, but they were significantly different than the foreigners where skin tone was not a factor. There was no significant difference regarding gender. However, age was significant in that the younger group in the study (ages 20 to 27) identified dark skin tones as indicating poverty more than the older group in the study (ages 28 to 48).
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