Characteristics of successful small and micro community enterprises in rural Thailand

This research aims to articulate the most salient factors that set apart successful small and micro community enterprises in the province of Phetchaburi, Thailand. The authors utilize both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Approximately one hundred questionnaires were sent to leaders of the community enterprises. Simple statistical analysis was used to investigate the differences in motivation and business practices of successful and unsuccessful ventures. In addition, first hand observations and unstructured interviews were conducted to complement the empirical analysis, and enrich the findings. Five factors emerged as the most important determinants of success: Members' drive for business ownership; systematic division of work; regular accounting records; intelligent marketing plans; and achieving some kind of quality certification. In addition to identifying salient factors associated with success in Thai community enterprises, this paper also offers numerous vignettes that illustrate the relevance of management theories and concepts in practice.