Private Businessmen Research Articles

How does the government improve the competitiveness of SMEs? lesson learned from Thailand

The purpose of this study is to describe the strategy pursued by the Government of Thailand in collaboration with existing stakeholders in increasing the competitiveness of SMEs amidst the invasion of foreign manufacture-based products. The method used is observation and in-depth interviews at SME product canters, SME product marketing places in tourist destinations, and related parties. Observations were made for 5 years 2018-2023, however, in-depth observations were made in January-March 2023. The results of the analysis show that the competitiveness of SMEs in Thailand is very good due to support from universities, private businessmen (Ventura capital), the government: (innovation support organizations, and state-owned entrepreneurs), large companies in the form of CSR, and various parties who are very concerned about advancing SMEs. SMEs that already have high competitiveness with quality products, will be encouraged to move up to a class that is ready to export. Only SMEs that already have "four stars" are allowed to export because the quality of their products is beyond doubt and can even be proud of.

<i>William Blake’s Black Bible</i> as a Spectacle of Doom: A Recent Note to Blakean Reception in Romania

I intend in this paper to focus on a lesser-known, yet highly significant, aspect of Blake’s aesthetic reception in southeast Europe. The radio play William Blake’s Black Bible (Biblia neagră a lui William Blake) represents—​as one learns at the end—​a tribute to the victims of the Colectiv Club fire, which occurred in Bucharest on 30 October 2015. The site itself was a blast from the past: established as a private venture by a prominent bourgeois family, Prodanof, between the two world wars, it became a successful footwear factory during the communist era and was left derelict after the demise of the Ceaușescu regime in late 1989. It was subsequently rented by private businessmen and turned into a fashionable events club after 1990.

Space Transformation Due to Conflict: Changes from Agricultural to Industrial Space in Manyar District, Gresik Regency

Changes in the spatial area showed the dynamics of political economy. There is a problem regarding power relations in reproducing space, which will trigger a conflict between interests. These land changes, especially those related to changes in the form of agricultural land use to non-agricultural, have resulted in the loss of income sources for farmers. This paper focuses on the transformation of agricultural land into a non-agricultural one caused by conflict between several elements, including the local government, private businessmen, and the community, especially fishpond farmers who experience marginalization of agricultural land due to industrial development in Gresik Regency. The research is conducted using a qualitative approach with a descriptive type to support more in-depth research in analyzing urban spatial planning issues in the perspective of seeking spatial politics in Gresik district. The current reality is that the government tends to be more aligned with capital owners, which implies that spatial planning is manifested by profit-oriented development, high economic growth, and accumulation. The government mostly ignores ecological and social dimensions, which it considers non-linear with economic investment.

The Role of Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship in the Economic Modernization of the South-East Ukraine: 1861–1914

The purpose of the article is to investigate the peculiarities of the modernization of the South-East region of Ukraine in the latter half of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century as well as to specify the contribution of entrepreneurs in the formation of the production industry. Methods of research: analysis and synthesis of available information, logical-analytical, problematic-chronological, system-structural methods. The principles of historism, objectivity and consistency, which were the basis of the indicated research methods, made it possible to consider the essence of processes and phenomena, to keep track both of the manifestations of general patterns in the socioeconomic processes in the development of the South-East region of Ukraine and their specific character under the influence of entrepreneurial activity, and also to draw certain conclusions. Key findings: the contribution of entrepreneurs of the South-East Ukraine, which became an important factor in the acceleration of socioeconomic modernization during 1861–1914, is highlighted in the article. Heavy industry became the basis for the modernization in the context of reforms in the latter half of the 19th century, namely production industries related to the extraction of minerals and their processing. During this period, three powerful industrial centers formed: Donetsk coal and metal, Kryvyi Rih ironstone and Nikopol manganese. An important feature of the entrepreneurship development in the South-East region of Ukraine in 1861–1914 was the representation of all population strata: peasants, Cossacks, townsmen, intellectuals, merchants, nobles and foreign capital. They acted as private businessmen and co-owners of collective enterprises. The most common organizational form of entrepreneurship in this period were joint-stock companies, the role and number of which was constantly growing. Conclusions. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Donetsk and Krivyi Rih region became a powerful center of heavy industry (coal, metallurgy, metalworking, machine-building, and chemical). The result of entrepreneurial activity was an increase in production volumes, profitability, the creation of a large number of jobs, the improvement of organization and production technology. Practical value: is determined by the emphasis of the researchers on the need to comprehend the phenomenon of entrepreneurship, its historical lessons, taking into account the powerful factors of this phenomenon and its influence on the contemporary and future civilization development of Ukraine; it is recommended to be used by authors for writing articles, manuals and for development of special courses. Scientific novelty: consists in formulating and studying a relevant topic, which has not received a comprehensive study in historical science. The independent role of entrepreneurship in the capitalist economy at the regional level is shown for the first time; it was proved that the South-East region of Ukraine was the one where the preconditions for the development of private initiative were formed, and also the spread of market relations and entrepreneurship took place; the participation of entrepreneurs in economic modernization as well as the most profitable branches in the region are characterized. Originality: the generalization of experience, practices of profit-making economy of the entrepreneurial strata of the region is used. Type of article: descriptive.

Masyarakat Ekonomi ASEAN 2015: Antara Musibah Dan Berkah Bagi UMKM Indonesia

In the near future ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will soon be carried out in ASEAN countries; it has become an interesting issue for various parties, such as government, private businessmen, entrepreneurs, professionals, economists, academicians, etc. However, until at present we still don’t clearly know which sectors of Indonesia will become the one which is a primary. Even with the variety and number of Micro, Small, and medium Enterprises (UMKMs) which are now available almost up to 98,9%, they will become problems for Indonesia in facing the AEC market. Due to of most the UMKMs still don’t have strong competitiveness to enter the common market of ASEAN. In addition, they, UMKMs, still haven’t realized and even haven’t still understood yet what ASEAN common market is, even though it will be applied soon in our country in 2015. Factually, there are a lot of UMKMs in Indonesia that must be seriously paid attention and protected by our government. Our country must be able to make UMKM sectors to become a strong economic base for Indonesia. Referring to the idea above, this writing will try to describe what problems will be faced by UMKMs in entering ASEAN Common Market or AEC market and will also try to explain how UMKMs could become excellent sectors especially on their products which have local advantages which are owned by Indonesia.

An Oral Health Awareness Comparison between Private Businessmen and Forwarding Agents

An Oral Health Awareness Comparison between Private Businessmen and Forwarding Agents

청질서의 성립과 조청관계의 안정화: 1644∼1700

The “Ch"ing Order”, a new international order in East Asia established by the Ch"ing occupation of Peking in 1644, was different from the unitary and customary order made by the Ming Dynasty. The old order ensured uniform distinctions between the Han people and non-Han people and between in and outside mainland China through linking the policy of removing the embargo to the tribute formalities. However, the Ch"ing Dynasty built a dual foreign relation system and applied different principles to the southeastern waters and the northwestern inner Asia region, which had been under the Ming order. Since the Ch"ing order was completely different from the Ming Order, the Chosŏn-Ch"ing relations was not a simple replacement of the previous Chosŏn-Ming relations. The Chosŏn-Ming relations was formed and maintained through the exchange of voluntary and peaceful tribute, which was based on the Sadaejaso (事大字小) idea, an important part of Neo-Confucian order. In contrast, the Chosŏn-Ch"ing relations represented a forced sovereign and subject structure formed by two wars (Chŏngmyo-horan in 1627 and Pyŏngcha-horan in 1636) caused by the Ch"ing. Therefore, from the beginning Chosŏn did not have the Sadaejaso idea towards the Ch"ing in spite of the formal sovereign and subject relations between them. In fact, the relations were complicated by mutual suspicion, check, coercion, and revengeful thoughts. However, soon after the Ch"ing occupation of Peking in 1644, it successfully replaced the Ming and strengthened it domination of China. As a result, its coercive policies against Chosŏn were gradually alleviated, and Chosŏn had no choice but to admit the Ch"ing’s power and status. In this respect, the Chosŏn-Ch"ing relations reflected the unique nature of relations formed by the military conquest in terms of content although it also inherited the exemplary relations between Chosŏn and Ming to a certain extent. Thus, the Ch"ing partially applied the principle of excluding the Han people, which was applied to the northwestern inner Asia region, to Chosŏn unlike other states that had been under the Ming Order. The latter part of the 17th century can be characterized as a transition period, which witnessed the settlement of the unique Chosŏn-Ch"ing relations. The distrust and confrontation before the Ch"ing occupation of Peking in 1644 had been transformed to the stability and peace of the 18th century. The stabilization of the relations between the two countries was reflected in trade. The trade led by yeokgwan (official translators) and sasang (private businessmen) became active. On the basis of the relations, the two countries were able to contribute to the stability and peace in East Asia in the late 17th century, which lasted until the mid-19th century.

Commercial and economic aspects of Antarctic exploration – from the earliest discoveries into the “Heroic Age”

Antarctic exploration always had strong scientific as well as political motives. This paper argues that commercial motivations more often than not, also were an interwoven part of the rationale of the expeditions. It analyses the commercial and economic motivation in early Antarctic exploration, by the explorers themselves as well as their sponsors (governments, private businessmen, scientific communities). It reviews the earliest expeditions that searched for the still unknown continent that was hoped to advance commerce and trade. The eventual discoveries did not reveal a prosperous continent in a traditional sense. The exploitable resources – seals and whales – were instead found in the ocean, at the islands and around the continent. The paper reviews the earliest discoveries and plans to exploit those resources, and the origins of what was to become the first industries of the Antarctic region. The paper deals primarily with the period before the “Heroic Age” when the focus of the explorers became the penetration of the Antarctic continent itself.

Commercial and Economic Aspects of Antarctic Exploration -- From the Earliest Discoveries into the 19th Century.

Antarctic exploration always had strong scientific as well as political motives. This paper argues that commercial motivations more often than not, also were an interwoven part of the rationale of the expeditions. The paper analyses the commercial and economic motivation in early Antarctic exploration, by the explorers themselves as well as their sponsors (governments, private businessmen, scientific communities). It reviews the earliest expeditions that searched for the still unknown continent that was hoped to advance commerce and trade. The eventual discoveries did not reveal a prosperous continent in a traditional sense. The exploitable resources – seals and whales were instead found in the ocean, at the islands and around the continent. The paper reviews the earliest discoveries and plans to exploit those resources, and the origins of what was to become the first industries of the Antarctic region. The paper deals primarily with the period before the ‘Heroic Age’ when the focus of the explorers became the penetration of the Antarctic continent itself.

A Tale of Two Waterfronts

As I will examine in this study of waterfront redevelopment at Jack London Square, the business plans, architectural/landscaping designs, and historic memorabilia drummed up by Oakland civic, business and port leaders, from 1951 through to the early twenty-first century, repeatedly changed their focus as a result of cross-bay rivalry. The two cities had long competed for businesses and residents, using city planning to improve their transportation infrastructure and, later, their tourist draw. From 1951 through the 1960s, themed restaurants in Jack London Square multiplied, and the Port of Oakland cobbled together seafaring artifacts and Jack London memorabilia. Starting in the 1970s, private businessmen and the Port took on grander retailing approaches that progressed from a woodsy maritime village to a shopping mall to an artisanal foods market. Each time, Jack London Square was made over in light of events across the bay: the 1960s conversion of brick warehouses and factories into the retailing/restaurant venues of Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery; the late 1970s construction of a vast shopping and entertainment complex on Pier 39; and the early 2000s redevelopment of the Ferry Building, closer to downtown San Francisco, into a locavore food emporium. Yet each time, Oakland’s attempts to compete with San Francisco fell short.

Between ideology and pragmatism: the ČSSR, the GDR and West European companies in the 1970s and 1980s

The article deals with Czechoslovakia's and East Germany's relations with West European enterprises and private businessmen in the 1970s and 1980s, and explores more specifically their licensing agreements and credit policy. The author shows their importance for technological modernisation and the realisation of so-called consumer socialism in both countries. It focuses on the political and business elites of both countries, and devotes special attention to the question of the ideological versus technocratic approach of the politicians and company directors as well as their impact on economic planning.

Neigbourhood Effects of Sustainable Industrial Land Use on Property Values: Case Study of Agbara, Ogun State, Nigeria

The study aims at examining the effect of sustainable industrial land use on residential property values using Agbara industrial village, Nigeria as a case study. Two sets of structured questionnaires were administered differently to 500 inhabitants of Agbara Village and Housing Estate, and the 16 identified large manufacturing industries operating in the area. However, 452 copies of the returned questionnaire were used for this study. The actual sampled inhabitants were obtained through simple random sampling technique. Data collected were presented in tables of frequencies and percentage while trend analysis of rental values in Agbara was computed for the period 1997 to 2008. The study revealed positive change in property rental values due to the industrial concerns in the community. Both government and private businessmen are therefore, advised to site their manufacturing industries in the rural areas to improve such places. It is also recommended that developers should seize the opportunity of high demand for housing in industrial zones and invest in residential developments.

The Social Banditry in the Rural Areas of Rembang by the End of the 19th Century and at the Beginning of the 20th Century

ABSTRACT: The social banditry is the act of crime committed by the residents of a village or the people in the low economic and social stratum in order to fulfill their basic needs. Such an act is done due to the structural pressure which depresses the people in accessing the natural resources that support their lives. This structural pressure kept increasing in the rural areas of Rembang by the end of the 19 th century, particularly after the issuance of the law on forestry in 1865 that enabled the forestry capitalism to be established. The limitation in the people’s access to the state forest as the manifestation of the domain concept and the exploitation of the teak forests done by the private businessmen became the trigger to the increasing acts of crime in the rural areas of Rembang. The scarcity of the local economic resources due to such natural factors as barren land and structural factors as the result of the penetration of the external power became the main trigger to the social banditry to take place in Rembang. There were many kinds of social banditry, such as illegal logging, robbery, “kecu” (burglary), theft of possessions, etc. which were done against the assets owned by both the state and the individuals/groups. KEY WORDS: Social banditry, forest village, Rembang area, economic resources, and colonial exploitation. About the Author: Dr. Warto is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Letter and Fine Art UNS (State University of Surakarta), Jalan Ir. Sutami 36-A Surakarta 57126, Central Java, Indonesia. He can be reached at: warto_file@yahoo.com How to cite this article? Warto. (2011). “The Social Banditry in the Rural Areas of Rembang by the End of the 19 th Century and at the Beginning of the 20 th Century” in TAWARIKH: International Journal for Historical Studies , Vol.3(1) October, pp.47-64. Bandung, Indonesia: ASPENSI [Asosiasi Sarjana Pendidikan Sejarah Indonesia] and UVRI [Universitas Veteran Republik Indonesia], ISSN 2085-0980. Chronicle of the article: Accepted (August 7, 2011); Revised (September 9, 2011); and Published (October 28, 2011).

An Invoice for All Seasons

Invoice manipulation, to conceal tax evasion, account for private expenditure—such as holidays—as company expenses, commit embezzlement, or camouflage bribery, is a type of economic crime which goes back a long way in Norwegian crime history. The dark figures are considerable, or Dunkelziffer as it is coined in German—a more fitting description. At best, the tax authorities have managed to carry out some successful random checks. Prosecution of economic crime has not carried a high profile with the police in a historical perspective. The commercial sector has a long tradition of clearing up its own back yard. The definitive work on the history of economic crime in Norway has yet to be written. However, we can glimpse some patterns and some Dunkelziffer. Forged invoices used advantageously by private business men were very wide-spread in the 1970s and 1980s, and the practice is still going on. Trusted employees who want to make money at the expense of their employer and companies use similar methods. What is new about the 1990s and the years up to 2007, which is the second period this article will focus on, is that ‘outsiders’ have learned the same tricks and copy the business men, whom organized criminals have as their role models. Commercial life is now under attack from the outside, by newcomers demanding payment for services not carried out or for non-delivered goods, with help of forged invoices for relatively small amounts that are sent to thousands of firms and companies. The Internet and modern technology have opened up avenues for swift and huge swindles, which would have taken months—if they were at all possible on such a scale—in earlier times. The vast majority of the Norwegian inmates are just as poor in resources, relatively speaking, as in earlier generations. But the cleverest of the organized criminals have become smarter, because the general level of public education has after all risen, because they are keener to acquire an education while they are serving time in prison, and because of the new opportunities provided by our modern computer age. Business men who were the only ones to use such methods have met their match, to coin a phrase. We would also call it—the invoice merry-go-round.

Changing stress levels through gaining information on stress

The aim of this research was to find out the effect of the Information Phase of a Stress Management Program (SMP) on the perceptions of participants about their stress levels. A total sample of 100 workers (nursing staff, private business men and women, laboratory assistants, the protective services [foreman and security staff], as well as people in human resources departments) took part in this study. All the participants were from the Northern and Gauteng Provinces in South Africa. The Combined Hassles and Uplifts Scale (Folkman & Lazarus, 1989) was used as an instrument to measure the perceived stress level of participants in a SMP. A significant reduction in stress levels was achieved among those who received the Information Phase of the SMP only, as well as those who received the whole stress management techniques. There was no significant difference between the amount of reduction in perceived stress-levels achieved among those that received the Information Phase of the SMP only, compared to that of those who received the whole techniques. The authors conclude that where the resources are limited, only the information phase of a SMP may be given to desiring clients. That should help to save time and money spent on participating in SMPs. This should however not discourage the use of the whole SPM, where affordable.

Business associations and the representation of business interests in post‐war Lebanon: the case of the association of Lebanese industrialists

No studies have been done on business groups in Lebanon: their history, organization, the manner in which they articulate their demands and their relations with each other, labour and the government. This is regrettable given the historic dominance of the private sector in the Lebanese economy, and the liberal attitude of the state towards the formation of autonomous business associations. Previous research on Lebanon has not dealt in any systematic way with the issue of articulation and advancement of economic interests, whether those of labour or business.' In the growing literature on the political economy of the Arab region, one encounters an equally deficient treatment of the activities of business groups, despite some scant references by Eva Bellin, Joe Bahout and Riad al-Khouri to the activities of such associations in Tunisia, Syria and Jordan, respectively.2 A somewhat more detailed treatment of business associations in Egypt, especially the Egyptian Businessmen Association (EBA), can be found in Sullivan's study of private voluntary organizations (PVOs) in Egypt.3 Given the historic dominance of the public sector in most Arab economies, at least until the 1980s, it is understandable why authors did not give much attention to the activities of associations of private businessmen. But in the late 1980s and 1990s, the role of the private sector expanded in most Arab economies. This should have led to greater interest on the part of political economists in how associations of private businessmen are responding to the new challenges and opportunities created by structural adjustment, economic liberalization and privatization. Formal associations of private businessmen have a long history in Lebanon, many go back to the early days of independence, if not earlier.4 As aforementioned, however, such associations have received little academic interest. This article is a partial answer to this deficiency in the literature on Lebanon's political economy. It explores a number of questions regarding

Revolution from Above: The Demise of the Soviet System

Controversially this book argues that the ruling party-state elite in the USSR itself moved to dismantle the old system. Topics discussed include: * the beginnings of economic decline in 1975 * Gorbachev's efforts to democratize and decentralize * the complex political battle through which the coalition favouring capitalism took power * the flaws in economic policies intended to rapidly build capitalism * the surprising resurgence of Communism. Research includes interviews with over 50 former Soviet government and Communist party leaders, policy advisors, new private businessmen, trade union leaders and intellectuals.

Externalities and government

In Whither socialism Stiglitz (1994) argues market equilibria with imperfect or incomplete information are generally not constrained pareto efficient.' A government subject to the same informational limitations can achieve better outcomes. In this he is, of course, following the conventional wisdom. For him this is the central proposition that establishes the merit of policy activism. Of course, this is not perfectly true, but he at least says it can achieve better outcomes, not that it will. There are two problems here. The first and least important is that he is implicitly assuming a set of motives which are not exactly likely. He is assuming that the market participants are solely engaged in maximizing their own utility, and the government officials are trying to do good. We can invert this and assume that the government officials are trying to maximize their own utility, and the market participants, perhaps under the influence of St. Thomas, are attempting to do good. Under these circumstances, the government would not achieve Pareto efficiency, and the market could do better, although once again it is not obvious that it would. Of course, the incentives implicitly assumed here are not very realistic. Both the participants in the market, and the participants in the government are primarily interested in their own and their families well-being, but both of them to some extent are willing to sacrifice to help the poor and downtrodden, carry out moral duties, etc. From my own experience, I would say that perhaps the government officials are less interested in helping others than the private business men. This may come from the fact that it is easier for a government official to conceal, even from himself his private interests, than it is for business men. Of course, my perspective may be biased. My initiation into government was

The Fall from Grace

The processing of white collar offenders by the criminal justice system has been a subject of much controversy in criminology and criminal justice studies. In particular, debate has centered on whether these offenders are more or less stigmatized by indictment, conviction, and sentencing than ordinary offenders. Utilizing a sample of white collar offenders, the effects of conviction and sentencing on the loss of occupational status by offenders are explored. The data indicate that loss of occupational status, as a nonlegal consequence of conviction, is not spread evenly through the offender population. Professionals and those employed in the public sector or in licensed occupations are much more likely to lose occupational status than private businessmen or those employed by private businesses.

Ethics and the Capitalist‐Liberal Organisation: Implications for a Social Economy in the United States

Over the last several years, reports of scandals and questionable business and political behaviour have appeared in American society with seemingly increasing frequency. They range from athletic and military recruiting misdeeds to public officials and private businessmen accepting bribes and payoffs. These wrongdoings are not limited to working adults, as students have been involved in such misbehaviour as cheating in examinations and falsifying school records. Crimes of all types among youth and adults, especially violent crimes, are on the increase. Suicide, drug addiction, and alcoholism are rising. If there were measures for impoliteness and rudeness, it is possible that these, too, would show an increase. In public places there seems to be less regard for other people and their property, as indicated by the shoving and crowding in ticket lines, and by the trash and garbage left behind at movie theatres, concerts, sporting events, parks, beaches, and public places generally. To many observers, the United States has become a nation of self‐centred, disposable consumers who are always seeking to take advantage of the other person. Whether it is the corporation or the governmental agency, the big business executive, the small businessperson, the student, the athlete, the athletic and military recruiting officers, the hourly worker, the doctor, the lawyer, the politician, the government bureaucrat, the fan, the theatre‐goer, or the local gardener—all are trying to outdo their competitors in the contest for personal success and survival. And it appears that the contestants are transgressing the rules of the game in increasing numbers. What society defines as ethical behaviour is far less than that.