A Study On Thai SMEs Perceptions And Adaptations Of The "One Belt One Road Initiative"

Belt and Road Initiative project is a development strategy proposed by China's president Xi Jinping that focuses on connectivity and cooperation between Eurasian countries,Although the destination of this project is not Thailand but the Belt and Road Initiative project needs to go through Thailand which would definitely affect Thai's economic in many ways.Most of Thai companies are doing business with Chines companies so,Thai SMEs will definitely get a lot of impact on this project.Future more,the future of trade in Asia could depend heavily on what becomes of China's expansive Belt and Road Initiative.The study,based on a selective exposure paradigm,used a grounded theory to explain Thai SMEs' perceptions of the Belt and Road Initiative project between China and Thailand.The study employed participants who had experienced in doing business with Chinese companies for more than five or more years.Participant experiences and feedback were analyzed to answer the posed research questions presented in the study.The methodology used in the study included interviews with nine participants from Thai SMEs.Field notes were also collected during each interview.Data collected from each interview and the researcher's field notes were compared to identify themes.The themes synthesized from the research results helped to answer the studies research questions.This study found Thai SMEs have low perception toward the Belt and Road Initiative project between China and Thailand,which mean there is low adaptation towards the project as well.The use of social media was reported as a major benefit toward consuming the information.The participants in this study also believed that there was no impact from the Belt and Road Initiative project to their businesses.Participants reported there was nothing to adapt because the information is insufficient.Furthermore,they reported that press don't report news or information to public as well as the government of both side.Recommendations based on the findings of this study include how the stakeholder groups should improve their job to raise people's awareness to ensure the information effectively promotes for Thai SMEs and Thai people.