This research examines some aspects of the practice of international management, as such practices apply to doing business in Thailand. The aspects of international management which are addressed in this research are production and logistics, the process of negotiation, and social behaviors and business customs.
The conduct of international business by multinational corporations proceeds according to well accepted concepts which have been developed over the past several decades. The changing environment of international business, however, is causing the conduct of international business to evolve from a multinational to a global perspective (Schary and Skjott Larsen, 1986). The global perspective, however, does not permit an organization the luxury of ignoring the specific characteristics of the several national societies in which it does business. Such is the case with respect to doing business in Thailand. Multinational firms from Europe, Japan, and North America are increasing their participation in the Thai economy, primarily as a means of taking advantage of production economies which are available in Thailand. Successful participation in the Thai economy by foreign firms, however, demands that such firms learn to deal effectively with the Thai ways of doing business (Cao, 1989).
Business logistics is an integral function in the conduct of any international business. Its role becomes even more crucial, when a global perspective is assumed by an international business organization. The external environment of an organization provides its reason for existence. For a global corporation, the external environment encompasses the international environment and, separately, each national environment in which it participates.
In Thailand, most industrial production activities are concentrated in Bangkok and in the provinces immediately surrounding the capital city (LaPoer, 1989). State owned enterpri...