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Based on analysis of six companies, three each from India and US, it is found that companies using cultural values as anchors for acquiring and building competitive capabilites have outsmarted other companies that followed only conventional routes such as product and process innovations, operating efficiencies, responsiveness to consumers and quality of products and services to build competitive advantage. These six case companies have leveraged their performance by focusing on traditional as well as newly emerging cultural values and practices at the level of an individual, family and professional group. Culture often means “corporate values” in the United States whereas it means “social and sociological values” in India. The cultural management perspective is indeed much broader in India, where Indian managers often refer to a very old history and national culture, to multicentury values and traditions, whereas American managers develop strategies mainly based on emerging values and fashions.

There is limited empirical research that investigates issues related to strategy and its execution in facility management (FM) business especially in Thailand. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the factors influencing the execution of the strategy of FM companies located in Thailand from employees’ perspective.

This study used a qualitative research approach. Five FM companies, both foreign and Thai firms, were selected as case studies in this research because of information accessibility and their leading position and reputation in the FM industry in Thailand. The interviews were conducted with the companies’ Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), directors, managers, officers, engineers, technicians and administrators.

The findings indicate that communication, training and development, as well as reward and recognition, are the three main and critical factors in executing the company’s strategy from the employees’ perspective in the FM business.

This study suggests that strategy execution should be built upon a long-term relationship with employees, and company management should recognize the employees’ contribution to the company. Management should also raise employees’ knowledge and understanding of the execution of the company strategy.

This paper provides an enhanced understanding of employees’ perspective toward strategy execution in the FM business. It offers a basis for further study of human resources practices in the context of the FM business.

The paper aims to investigate automobile manufacturers in Thailand and the effects that their business strategies had on their organizational performance.

For empirical analysis, the method of confirmatory factor analysis and the structural modeling method were applied in order to refine business strategies, functional strategies, financial, and marketing organizational scales.

This research reveals that there are three significant business strategies of automobile manufacturers in Thailand which have a positive effect on the organization's financial and marketing performance: cost focus (the first priority), cost leadership (the second priority), and integrated cost an differentiation (the third priority). All the priorities of functional strategies that have a positive effect on the financial and marketing organization performance were subsequently analyzed as follows: manufacturing strategy (most significant), human resource management (the second most significant), marketing strategy (the third most significant), and the financial strategy (the least significant).

Future research should select different random samples to assess the perceptions of front line managers of automobile manufacturers, dealers and automobile part firms.

The management of automobile manufacturers and automobile part firms should implement and improve their business strategies in terms of cost focus, cost leadership, and integrated cost leadership strategies achieve higher financial and marketing performance.

This paper contributes to the existing literature by reexamining the impact of business strategies of automobile manufacturers on organizational performance.

To describe how Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) is using local Thai employees instead of the traditional Japanese workforce, and why.

In‐depth interviews with Thai and Japanese employees, suppliers and dealers of TMT; and Imai Hiroshi, architect of the philosophy.

A total of seven initiatives were discovered in which people played important roles in bringing the company into the community.

For building and harnessing local advantages, multi‐national companies have to bridge cultural, knowledge and skill gaps between local and expatriate employees. The actions of these companies have to demonstrate long‐term commitment to host countries.

CEOs of multi‐national companies, particularly Asian subsidiaries, can learn how to build and harness local advantages for global competitiveness.

Use of traditional cosmetics and toiletries manufactured from herbs and plant extracts has been popular in many Asian countries. However, green marketing of these products is rather recent. Encouraged by the growing environmental consciousness on the part of citizens and a growing market for cosmetics and toiletries, several global and local companies have entered Thailand. An international company, The Body Shop, and a local company, Oriental Princess, have employed green marketing strategies to build their customer base in the Thai market. Using case research method and questionnaire‐based surveys, an attempt has been made in this paper to analyze the green marketing strategies of these companies and their impact on consumer attitudes and brand loyalty. The research shows that that the two companies have made honest attempts to adopt green marketing strategies. However, Thai customers consider non‐green attributes more important in making their purchase decisions. The two case companies have been able to create favorable attitudes and enjoy a high degree of brand loyalty.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the drivers that influence subsidiaries of international companies in the automobile industry in Thailand and how automobile companies pursue localization in response to these drivers.

Using case research method, examined seven leading automobile manufacturers – Toyota Motor (Thailand); Hino Motors (Thailand); Honda Automobile (Thailand); Isuzu Motors (Thailand); BMW (Thailand); DaimlerChrysler (Thailand); and Auto Alliance (Thailand) – as well as 14 of their dealers and suppliers in Thailand. In total 120 Thai and expatriate managers were interviewed.

Extending the knowledge body from existing research, this study found that there are four drivers for automobile manufacturers to adopt localization strategies. Those are host country characteristics, industry characteristics, company characteristics, and market characteristics. The results show that automobile manufacturers react to drivers by localization of their decision making, building and exploiting knowledge pool of local suppliers and distributors, increasing numbers of Thais at the management level while decreasing the number of expatriates, increasing R&D activities locally, localizing products, increasing usage of local suppliers, adapting manufacturer processes, reinvesting at subsidiary, and localizing corporate image. However, these vary in degree from company to company. Localization strategies produce benefits that go beyond allowing automobile manufactures to compete within the local situation, also enabling them to overcome challenges and use their successes to transform the parent company and other subsidiaries and eventually contribute to the parent company's globalization strategy.

Managers in subsidiaries may first implement localization strategies to cope with driver factors to mitigate risks and uncertainty. By adopting localization, managers should not focus only on short term benefits to gain local advantages in host countries, but these advantages at the subsidiary should be transmitted to the parent company and other subsidiaries to build a competitive international strategy.

CEOs of subsidiaries in emerging markets can learn what drivers influence localization strategies and how to cope and create local advantages for global competitiveness by implementing wide range of localization strategies.

To analyze the challenges and solutions in developing local employees for managing subsidiaries – the implementation of Thainization philosophy at Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT).

In‐depth interviews were conducted with Thai and Japanese employees, and Imai Hiroshi, one of the architects of Thainization philosophy.

For successful implementataion of Thainization philosophy in TMT, the management had to demonstrate respect for local employees and build trust between Thai and Japanese employees. Once the employees related to each other on the basis of mutual respect and trust, it was relatively easy to collaborate and find solutions.

CEOs of multi‐national companies, particularly Asian subsidiaries, can learn how to cope with challenges in developing local employees, building their technical and managerial capabilities.

Many international companies are struggling with the important issue of building capabilities of local employees for leveraging their global competitiveness. The successful implementation of Thainization philosophy of TMT offers a major breakthrough in this direction.

The aim of this paper is to highlight successful strategies leaders can use to sustain and grow business during the economic business cycle variation.

Opinions were based on 32 interviews conducted during December‐2010 to November‐2011 with CXO's, Business/Functional Heads from seven leading Indian IT/ITES public listed companies that partnered and delivered solutions to global corporations including Fortune‐500 companies. One of the interview queries was to share experience, views and opinions on what works during recession and how should one tackle recovery.

This paper offers 11 handy strategies for practitioners like executives, leaders and managers to manage the economic cycles better. These common findings from several cases are summarized supported with specific examples. They are: cost management need not go overboard; incessantly monitor, control and sustain; communication, culture and empathy helps; quality bolsters empathy; stay invested to be relevant; innovation needs to be disruptive; diversification leverages law of averages; people are imperative; customers need to be venerated; change and risk management is inevitable; coherence and prudence needed.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical solutions that can protect organizations world‐wide from failing during economic recessions.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical solutions that can have a broader social impact.

The paper presents the arguments in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format supported with live organization examples for easy comprehension.

A study of ABB, Shell and CP Group of companies in Thailand found that the scope and management of environmental scanning activities within organizations evolve continuously as a result of volatility of the environment and the diverse nature of businesses. In the case of ABB and Shell the respective regional head office along with global head quarter participate actively in the process of environmental scanning in order to make strategic choices and grant approvals for operating budgets and new investments. The regional head quarter, in the case of ABB and Shell, plays the intervening role as information and capital resource provider whereas the country offices collect specific information at the industry and market levels and use it for implementing specific programs. In the case the of CP Group, the president and several vice presidents at the head office in Thailand play the bulk of the role in environmental scanning. All companies use business performance indicators to review the scope and the management of their environmental scanning practices.

This paper identifies challenges the traditional Thai silk industry has faced during its internationalization, and the public and private responses employed to overcome challenges.

In-depth interviews were conducted with major players along the Thai silk value chain to gain insights into the industry's transformation from a domestic, cottage industry into an international fashion producer.

Thai silk has created a niche market for high-end, cultural products, thus successfully sidestepping direct competition from emerging low-cost producers. The main innovative strategies employed include introducing new products, upgrading quality, attracting new customers, and collaboration between actors all along the silk value chain.

This study illustrates how a traditional industry can evolve and successfully adapt to changing consumer demands and competitive landscapes in a globalize economy.