Post Asian financial crisis : a survey of Thai hedging practices

This thesis examines how companies in Thailand coped with exchange rate volatility post Asian Financial Crisis. Findings indicate businesses quickly adjusted to the transition from a fixed to floating regime. However, Thai businesses appear to be less rigorous in their internal control of currency hedging activities. The thesis recommends strategies to overcome this risk.

Population genetics of the spotted seahorse (Hippocampus kuda) in Thai waters : implications for conservation

A population genetics approach was used to investigate the genetic diversity of the spotted seahorse (Hippocampus kuda) in Thai waters; specifically, the degree of genetic differentiation and species evolution was inferred from sequence analysis of 353 bp of the mitochondrial (mt)DNA control region. The data were then used to identify discrete populations in Thai waters for effective conservation and management. Spotted seahorses were collected from 4 regions on the east and west coasts of the Gulf of Thailand and a geographically separated region in the Andaman Sea. Of the 101 mtDNA sequences analyzed, 7 haplotypes were identified, 5 of which were shared among individuals from the east and west coasts of the Gulf of Thailand. The remaining haplotypes were restricted to individuals from the Andaman Sea. Nucleotide and haplotype diversities were similar within the Gulf of Thailand samples, whereas diversity was lower in the Andaman Sea sample. Genetic differentiation appeared between pairs of samples from the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea (FST, p < 0.0001). A large genetic variance appeared among the 2 population groups (94.46%, ΦCT = 0.94464, p < 0.01). A Neighbor-joining tree indicated that individuals from the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea formed 2 phylogenetically distinct groups, which were segregated into different population-based clades. While results reported here indicate that populations from the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea should be treated as separate conservation units, a larger sample size from the Andaman Sea is required to confirm this genetic partitioning and low level of diversity observed in the present study.

Shophouse and Thai urbanism : towards a 'software approach'?

The role of the shophouse, both as typology and urban stock, in Thai urbanism as a type which is both universal-regional and local. Also discusses the potential of shophouses for sustainable regeneration of Thai urban spaces and practices.

Thai hedging practices post-Asian financial crisis

This paper provides survey evidence captured from a sample of 113 respondents to a 2008 questionnaire sent to 344 companies in Thailand. The study examines Thai hedging practices following the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. Thai companies, like their international counterparts, rely predominantly on matching and forward contracts to hedge transaction exposure. Thai companies, however, appear to be less rigorous when it comes to internal control and supervision of derivative activity. It is recommended that Thai companies improve their risk management practices by putting into place a documented hedging policy, which includes a requirement that senior staff be actively engaged in the risk management activities of the firm.

Unsafe abortion as a birth control method: maternal mortality risks among unmarried Cambodian migrant women on the Thai-Cambodia border

Reproductive health research and policies in Cambodia focus on safe motherhood programs particularly for married women, ignoring comprehensive fertility regulation programs for unmarried migrant women of reproductive age. Maternal mortality risks arising due to unsafe abortion methods practiced by unmarried Cambodian women, across the Thai-Cambodia border, can be considered as a public health emergency. Since Thailand has restrictive abortion laws, Cambodian migrant women who have irregular migration status in Thailand experimented with unsafe abortion methods that allowed them to terminate their pregnancies surreptitiously. Unmarried migrant women choose abortion as a preferred birth control method seeking repeat “unsafe” abortions instead of preventing conception. Drawing on the data collected through surveys, in-depth interviews, and document analysis in Chup Commune (pseudonym), Phnom Penh, and Bangkok, the authors describe the public health dimensions of maternal mortality risks faced by unmarried Cambodian migrant women due to various unsafe abortion methods employed as birth control methods.

Thai emergency nurses’ management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury: comparison of knowledge and clinical management with best available evidence

Background:
In Thailand, the rate of TBI-related hospitalisation is increasing, however, little is known about the evidence-based management of severe TBI in the developing world. The aim of this study was to explore Thai emergency nurses’ management of patients with severe TBI.

Methods:
An exploratory descriptive mixed method design was used to conduct this two stage study: survey methods were used to examine emergency nurses’ knowledge regarding management of patients with severe TBI (Stage 1) and observational methods were used to examine emergency nurses’ clinical management of patients with severe TBI (Stage 2). The study setting was the emergency department (ED) at a regional hospital in Southern Thailand.

Results:
34 nurses participated in Stage 1 (response rate 91.9%) and the number of correct responses ranged from 33.3% to 95.2%. In Stage 2, a total of 160 points of measurement were observed in 20 patients with severe TBI over 40 h. In this study there were five major areas identified for the improvement of care of patients with severe TBI: (i) end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) monitoring and targets; (ii) use of analgesia and sedation; (iii) patient positioning; (iv) frequency of nursing assessment; and (v) dose of Mannitol diuretic.

Conclusions:
There is variation in Thai nurses’ knowledge and care practices for patients with severe TBI. To increase consistency of evidence-based TBI care in the Thai context, a knowledge translation intervention that is ecologically valid, appropriate to the Thai healthcare context and acceptable to the multidisciplinary care team is needed.

Blood, sweat, and tears documenting Thai citizenship

Thailand (Siam) has transformed ancient methods of keepint track of subjects, and adopted modern legislative principles using documentary evidence to discriminate between citizens and outsiders. In the process, it has shaped a complex hierarchical structure with differentiated layers of citizenship, where some groups exist beyond any legal space. At the same time, Thailand has evolved from a society where subjects paid tribute to sovereigns, into democratic polity where entitlement is determined through identity documentation.

How do Thai patients receiving haemodialysis cope with pain?

Thai cyber-actors : evidence of an Islamophobic effect

The long-standing Patani Muslim separatist resistance of Southern Thailand is not one that is well known, and its contemporaneous spill over onto the Internet even less so. The more radical Patani online propaganda is in fact symptomatic of the relocation of the struggle within the sphere of influence of global jihadism, distancing itself from the ethno-nationalism characteristic of a previous generation of fighters. New media propaganda, in particular Jihad 2.0, has opened a new sphere of influence to the Patani neojihadist movement, allowing the militants to expand their propaganda campaign to a wider audience, while reaching out to a younger Melayu public. While Jihad 2.0 has presented the resistance movement with new ways to diffuse its message, in a more innovative and appealing manner, it also has enabled it to engage with its audiences more interactively. Because the message is no longer linear, anyone can contribute to the dialectics of the struggle, which in fine results in the alteration and reshaping of its ideological discourse in unprecedented directions. Arguably the ‘glocalisation’ of Islamophobia within Thai culture has resulted in the alteration of the Thai cultural stereotype of the Muslim khaek ‘Other’, transforming the khaek into an evil violent Muslim, both in real and virtual worlds. This further leads to discriminatory attitudes and behaviours towards Muslims, which causes the hardening of the views of the online Patani community of support towards the Thais and possibly its radicalisation.

Modelling SME credit risk : a Thai empirical evidence

This paper develops and tests a model to predict small and medium enterprise (SME) financial distress based on empirical evidence from Thailand. A sample comprising 198 financial statements of non-financially distressed and 68 statements of financially distressed SMEs were used. A parametric t-test was conducted to establish differences between financial characteristics of the two groups of SMEs.

Results show statistically significant differences (t values significant at .001) between the two groups of SMEs in the financial ratios used for the study. Discriminant analysis was then conducted to develop a model for predicting the likelihood of an SME experiencing financial distress.

The model hits an accuracy level of 97%, which compares favourably with the probability of accurate classification by chance (i.e., 65% after adjusting for the unequal sample sizes of the two groups of SMEs). A test of the model with a new sample shows the validity of the model beyond the original sample, confirming that Thai SME financial distress is amenable to prediction to a statistically significant extent. The model is expected to serve SME managers and creditors in assessing financial health of SMEs before making important decisions. The results are also expected to inform policymakers in formulating economic policies concerning SMEs.

How do Thai patients adapt to haemodialysis?

The purpose of the current study was to understand the processes Thai people receiving HD used to adapt to CKD and its treatment. Religion, spirituality, social support and self-management were powerful coping strategies. These coping strategies were strongly influenced by Thai culture and other belief systems.

Working hours in supply chain Chinese and Thai factories: evidence from the fair labor association's 'soccer project'

This article examines the determinants of working excessive hours, defined as working in excess of 60 hours per week or for more than six consecutive days, in Chinese and Thai supply chain factories. We use a matched employer-employee dataset collected from 15 Chinese and Thai footwear and sporting apparel supply chain factories, which supply international brands. Matched employer-employee data allow us to examine the effect of worker and firm characteristics on hours worked. We find that in addition to the demographic and human capital characteristics of workers, firm-level characteristics and worker awareness of how to refuse overtime are important in explaining variation in hours worked. © John Wiley & Sons Ltd/London School of Economics 2011.