Employee engagement is an important issue in management theory and practice. However, there are still major differences in the concept, theory, influencing factors and outcomes of employee engagement, and there is still no authoritative standard. This paper attempts to review and summarize previous research results on employee engagement. Two kinds of definitions of employee engagement are identified: employee engagement as a multi-faceted construct (cognition, emotions and behaviors) and as a unitary construct (a positive state of mind, a dedicated willingness, the opposite of burnout). Three theoretical frameworks are used to explain the varying degrees of employee engagement: Needs-Satisfaction framework, Job Demands-Resources model and Social Exchange Theory. The influencing factors of employee engagement are divided into three categories: organizational factors (management style, job rewards, etc.), job factors (work environment, task characteristics, etc.) and individual factors (physical energies, self-consciousness, etc.). Employee engagement is found to have a positive relationship with individual performance (organizational commitment, positive behavior, etc.) and organizational performance (customer satisfaction, financial return, etc.) The research findings show that there are three shortcomings in previous studies: lack of research on demographic variables, personality differences and cross-cultural differences in employee engagement, lack of research on the mediating or moderating role of employee engagement, and lack of intervention mechanism for employee engagement.

This research investigated the factors that influence perception of Thai consumers on facial herbal cosmetic products in Thailand. In- depth interview the perception of Thai consumers was utilized in data collection, while content analysis was employed in data analysis. The facial herbal cosmetics products are moisturizer, whitening lotions, creams, powder, toner, make up cleansing, mask, cleansing oil, soap bar, anti-aging lotions and creams. This study revealed that most of the interviewees were female with age between 26-30 years, casual worker ,bachelor degree being the highest education and salary from 10,000 -15,000 baht ($285-430) per month. The marketing mix (4Ps: product, price, place and promotion) were the key factors influencing Thai consumers’ perception on facial herbal cosmetic products. The result found that Thai consumers were satisfied with physical appearance of products; texture, odor, penetration- characteristic and viscosity. Thai consumers trust in the safety of the Thai and imported products. The imported products have new manufacturing technologies of production compare with the Thai products but imported products are more expensive than Thai products. Thai consumers were satisfied with packaging design and pump bottle shape of imported products. Thai consumers found it was convenience to purchasing both herbal products from department store. The direct sale is popular only for Thai products. The imported products had more interesting marketing promotion than the Thai products. The marketing promotions are new product premium, promotion campaign eg. Cash discount, gift premium, fortune, tarot horoscope, makes up and massage workshop. Thai consumers were satisfied with advertisement of both herbal products; brochure, leaflet, beauty information from general magazine, fashion magazine, general book, television and radio. The economic situation, such as inflation situation, is the majority factor of purchasing decision. The average cosmetic budget per each purchase is 1,800 baht (about $50) at the rate of eight purchases per year.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to analyze Thai and Chinese national characteristics based on Hofstede' s cultural dimensions, Chinese human resource management approaches, and Thai and Chinese social concepts. Design/methodology/approach -The data for the analysis were obtained by surveying MBA students currently working in Chinese multinational companies and studying in public and private universities in Bangkok, using purposive sampling along with snowball sampling method. The design of the questionnaire was based on specific questions modified from Hofstede's cultural dimensions including power distance, socialism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and time horizon. Findings -There were differences in cultural values between Thai employees and Chinese managers. Moreover, Chinese managers are not adapting themselves to the Thai culture. However, the Thai employees were satisfied working with the Chinese managers.Research limitations/implications -The study is a descriptive study and does not provide a reason for explaining the good working relationships between Chinese employers and Thai employees.Practical implications -The study reveals the working relationship between Chinese and Thais and suggests that cultural differences exist but good working relationships can still be maintained. Originality/value -Instead of regarding cultural diversity as an evil, this paper shows that some racially and culturally mixed groups can work comfortably together.

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between antecedents and consumer ethnocentric tendency on electric car purchasing in Henan province, China. This is a quantitative research paper, the data collected through a semi-structured survey questionnaire from 422 electric car owners in Henan province, China. One-way ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient were employed to test data variables and to test the hypothesis. This study concludes that a significant relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and socio-psychological (patriotism; correlation), demographics (age; income level), as well as purchasing intention on electric vehicles.

This research aims to study the impact of HRM system strength on employee engagement based on a survey of 508 individual employees in Henan Province, China. Besides, the mediation effect of perceived organizational support is also studied. Research findings show that there is a significant positive relationship between HRM system strength and employee engagement, perceived organizational support has a mediating role between HRM system strength and employee engagement. The results of meta-correlation analysis show that the “consensus” dimension of HRM system strength has a significant positive influence on employee engagement, “consistency” dimension of HRM system strength has a significant negative influence on employee engagement, while “distinctiveness” has a weak relationship with employee engagement and failed the significance test. In order to improve employee engagement, this paper puts forward some management advice to strengthen the “consensus” feature of HRM system strength and to enhance employee perception of organizational support.