A Buddhist Economic Approach to a Business Firm: a Case Study Wanna Prayukvong * Abstract Buddhist Economics differs significantly from

Neo-classical economics in its emphasis on treating the human beings in the workforce with compassionate wisdom. This article shows the application of Buddhist economics approach in a Buddhist country. It uses the case study of a business firm in Thailand, created by an entrepreneur who embraces Buddhist practice and adopts the role of a good friend (Kalayanamitt) to arrange the social environment within the organization to embed the core values of compassion and co-operation. By arranging a compassionate physical environment, remuneration, welfare, passionate communication and routine activity with respect to Buddhist culture and social involvement and setting a nontraditional rule and regulation as mechanism connect all employees which are are integrated into the life skill training system for training their mind to seeing the truth from the wisdom in the Threefold Training. This may offer some valuable pointers for organizations in the West wishing to introduce more sustainable practices into business. Key words: Buddhist economics Business Practice Good friend Compassion Cooperation Thailand

Arsomsilp Institue of Art, Thailand, E-mail: wanna@arsomsilp.ac.th

Introduction There is undeniably crisis in economic, environmental and social conditions throughout the world. Economic issues on the disparity between growth and distribution have not been resolved and have created various effects. Issues of pollution, extinction of species, global warming, and the decrease of non-renewable natural resources are a source of environmental concern. There has been a marked increase in racial conflict, as well as divisive tension at national levels and a lack of tolerance among the major religions leading to terrorist activities in major cities around the world. Compounding, and perhaps resulting from these issues are increases in stress, and mental health problems, with a growing suicide rate (especially in the western countries) together with an increasing number of single parent families, divorce and general breakdown of family life (UNDP, 2006). This said situation is replicated throughout the world, as globalization has amplified that economic and social institutions are part of an interdependent system. The effects of the economic crisis in-mid 2008 have not only spread rapidly across the globe but also become more deeply complex. Although the credit crunch in the financial market is blamed as a major cause of this crisis, it is simply an obvious one at surface level. There is undeniable evidence that many corporations and their managers have paid inadequate attention to many stakeholders such as employees, customers, suppliers, the communities and the environment and these are major issues. Throughout the globe, there is a call for a radical change in the way in which we conduct business. There have been many movements at the global level to resolve these problems such as UN and OECD. In the report from the World Economic Forum 2009 the following call for action was raised: It is time to rethink the old systems and have a fundamental rebooting of the educational process. The influential management researcher, Gary Hamel (2009) calls for a retraining of managerial minds while The Globally Responsive Leadership Initiative calls for a profound change in individual mindsets and behavior, as well as corporate culture. Many of the implications of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Citizens (CC) are contested, and there is still a great deal of exploration of the relationship between corporate social responsibility and sustainability. However it is clear that both CSR and CC are both concerned with the necessity for virtue or ethical values in business. According to Dion (2001: 134-135) CSR and CC is an opportunity to become more deeply aware of our

perceptions of ourselves so that our paradigmatic beliefs about reality are challenged and we can develop a more compassionate relationship with others. So there is a call for new management practices which re-integrate ethical humanist, religious and spiritual values into workplace. There is one school of thought and practice which is beginning to make its voice heard in economics, and that is the ancient wisdom tradition of Buddhism. Buddhism has an entirely different ontological and epistemological basis from other religions. It can be thought of essentially as a pragmatic approach to life and how we organize ourselves, based on cultivating the core values of compassion and co-operation. In this understanding, the human being is not considered to be an entirely rational, self-interested animal, but a person who can also act disinterestedly from collective, shared values. Whilst the language and practices of managerial discourse for such new management practices have been carried throughout the world, the culture and conditions in which these practices may be implemented differ enormously and sometimes are not present. Buddhism has been established in Thailand for a long time and most Thai people are Buddhist. Buddhism has considerable influence over many aspects of their lives. However, it seems that while it enriches their personal life it is separated from their career. As a result of globally institutional structures, culture and conditions of business practice which pursue the old ideas of selfinterest, people in Thailand do not automatically link business practice with their traditional way of living. At present, there are some businesses in Thailand and foreign countries which have implemented projects concerned with the development of individuals. Examples are employee volunteer programs which offer a chance for people in an organization to do good things for society (Prayukvong, 2007) and meditation training courses which people are allowed to attend during working hours (Duerr, 2004). There are also some owners of Thai companies which have adopted Buddhist economics into their business management. So, this study examined whether and how successfully businesses in Thailand are able to apply Buddhist economics in their organizations. This study may extent the knowledge of this theory in a business context and may prove useful to the West in terms of both the analysis and practice of developing sustainable business. This article begins with a brief analysis of how Buddhist economics may differ from mainstream economics, and then we examine the case of one business organization in Thailand which has applied Buddhist economics in business management.

A Framework for Buddhist Economics Buddhist economics is an application of some of the principles of the Buddhas insights and teachings to modern economics. The teaching of the Buddha, known as Buddha Dhamma, is neither a religion nor a philosophy in the Western sense because it does not offer a set of beliefs and it does not teach a faith or require any conceptual belief unless it has personally verified by the self (Puntasen, 2005). Buddhist ethics are not some abstract concept of promising to be good so there is no promise of reward at some time in the future or a mysterious code of behavior we have to follow to belong to a secret club, but a way of living which accepts and complies with the reality of nature as ascertained by the Buddha (Prayukvong, 2005). The major difference between Buddhist economics and Mainstream Economics is that of the view of human nature. Mainstream economics views the human being as an economic man who is rational; he knows his own interests and what to choose from a variety of means to maximize his self-interests. The ultimate goal of Mainstream Economics is to allocate limited resources to maximize self-interest. It focuses on utility or welfare under unlimited demand and other constraints. Rational behavior is a major assumption behind the mainstream economic theory. Mainstream Economics also adopts the idea of the survival of the fittest, which applied Darwinian Theory of natural selection to imply that competition leads to progress. Hence, the core value of mainstream economics (more popularly known as capitalism) is self-interest and competition. Mainstream economics defines the pursuit of self-interest as a rational behavior as it is the behavior (Rocha & Ghoshal, 2006) that contributes to more generation of utility. Pure competition is an ideal which does not exist in the real world (Friedman, 1962). Accordingly, one of the most important objectives of business firms is to maximize their own interest or profit. The quality of life or well-being of society is usually ignored by business firms. For example, they can produce negative externalities in term of costs to society and environment transgressions. Although the call for corporate citizenship (CC) or corporate social responsibility (CSR) is more frequent, the understanding, the necessary practices and it ultimate goals are not yet clear as the paradigm of self-interest has still not been shifted. Moreover, virtue or ethical values are criticized in each case of the contested meaning and scope of the term CC or CSR (Dion, 2001). Since the market and government mechanisms which aim to control greed, are not actually working and practical, some business firms still consider their own interest as their first priority and leave society second. This short-term

interest means that many firms are unaware of the impact of their actions on society, often leading to unsustainable practices. When the Buddha Dhamma is applied to economics, a different understanding of human nature emerges. The Buddhas major insight was to see the interdependence of all things and the mutual interaction between causes and effects. The existence of anything in the present results from earlier factors and may be its original cause. Nothing can exist on its own. This is what is called the principle of Dependant Origination (Idappaccayata). Everything is said to be influenced by the condition of something else. This is not the linear Newtonian approach but leads to an understanding of the interdependence and interconnectedness of all caused and conditioned things. Here then, the meaning of self is wider than just the individual, and includes both society and nature. The existence of each human being or self has three components -- human, society and nature, which are correlated, coordinated and complemented by each other within the ecosystem (Payutto, 1999). Thus, self-interest in Buddhist economics has a broader meaning, which includes not only oneself but also others in society and nature. When people clearly understand these interconnected relationships, then co-operation should become more natural and smooth. We can identify two types of co-operation (1) Cooperation that is based on shared values and desire to fulfill the basic needs and achieve a good life together, and 2) pseudo cooperation which preserves the competition concept as a pool-incentive (Payutto, 1994). This implies that a group or even a whole company put all of their co-operative efforts into competing with other groups or companies, with the common target of achieving a better income for the group. Compassion and true cooperation are the core value in Buddhist economics instead of self-interest and competition. The interesting point of study explored here is, whether or how this type of co-operation is a possibility, building trust or bonds between people in an organization. I use a case study in a Buddhist country as an example. Whilst on the one hand, it is intellectually easy to understand the interdependence and mutual interaction between causes and effects, it is also deeply profound, and requires both an emotional and intellectual response. According to the Buddha, all humans are born in ignorance and fail to see deeply enough into the conditioned nature of existence. Buddhist practice is about developing a clean and calm mind with neutrality to understand such complexity. One way of achieving this is through the practice of the threefold path. To begin with, people need to practice good conduct through ethics (sil), to achieve a calm mind

through concentration (samdhi) and develop their wisdom (paa). These are not separate processes but interconnected as in spiral dynamics. Whilst it is within the grasp of everyone to reach this clarity, it is only attained through diligent practice. Ethics in Buddhism is not a list of morals, but rather a state of mind. Actions are judged depending on whether they are skilful or unskillful. The more skilful the action, the greater the development of wisdom in the sense of an understanding of interconnectedness, and meditation provides a training ground for the development of skilful action. So what Buddhism offers is a method for developing greater and greater clarity of mind, through working proactively with ones emotional state. There are some scientific tests such as EEG scans on the brain by Davidson and his colleagues (2003), to observe the heart rates and hormonal balance of people who practice meditation, but this is not direct observation and only provides consequential evidence of positive emotions. This study illustrates the crucial fact that people can train their own feelings. Goleman (1998) elaborated that emotional and social intelligence and positive thinking are necessarily conducive to help people manage and train their feelings. Layard (2005) mentions that the teaching of almost all religions is less explicit than that of Buddhism about the management of ones emotions. The motivation to practice arises, not from proof, or evidence, but from an everincreasing and deepening sense of the realization of interdependence and interconnectedness from practice; one sees that by practice one also helps oneself, and benefits others at the same time. Of course, this is inherent in many religious traditions and Starkey and others (2001) show that adopting an altruistic life, such as doing a regular volunteer work, is a crucial component to maintaining good health and gives people more satisfaction than that which may be obtained from material consumption (Prayukvong, 2007). During the practice of morality or good conduct (sil), the practices of training calm mind (samdhi), the practices of developing wisdom (paa) simultaneously, one can develop to generate understanding that peace and tranquility (sukkha) is attainable and that this understanding in attaining this mindfulness is opposite to pain and suffering (dukkha). This Threefold Training is a spiral dynamic of the feeding back loop of three parts. The process of Threefold Training does not only benefit personal practice but also human activities at the community and social level. Thus, an organization based on Buddhist principles, should reflect this spiral training through the institutional structure, the values and principles which guide the workers, and through a contemplative training system. (Payutto, 1999)

When Entrepreneurs have a Buddhist practice, the development of compassion becomes an integral part of their spiritual path. Within an interconnected perspective and development of wisdom, a role of Good Friend (Kalayanamitta) is needed as a crucial skill in their enterpreneurial leadership to provide useful information for their employees/ others (Payutto, 2005), similar to authentic or integrity leadership (Endrissat, Muller, & Kaudela-Baum, 2007), transformation role of entrepreneur to go beyond the existing routines to elaborate and diffuse new ones with moral virtue and ethical standards. The man and wife owners in this case study play the role of good friends as leaders of their business organization and skillfully use Buddhist principles to create a social environment which provides the chance for employees to practice good conduct, to achieve calmness of mind and develop wisdom. An arrangement of such social environment includes three components which are an enabling environment, rules and principles of behaviour and a training system for their colleague to conduct a good deed (Payutto, 1999). In essence, a good friend role is considered as an external key to ignite the Threefold Training of each person, in the direction to reduce suffering, but gain happiness and wellness (Payutto, 1999). Hence, this study examines how they apply Buddhist Economics in their business practice and the arrangement of their social environment, to discover whether their practice is different from others and is able to provide the significant institutional pillars to cultivate compassion and enhance cooperation and rational behavior. It also examines how it affects business success and profitability. Methodology This is a descriptive and explorative piece of research without any previous research undertaken. The case study has an extreme situation or a high expeirence level of Buddhist practice, and as a pointer for further research (Pitttigrew 1990; Eisenhardt, 1989). Siam Hands Co., Ltd. (Tang Mo or water melon) which is located in the southern suburb of Bangkok0 The company produces and sells Tang Mo branded apparel with a radically different approach to the conventional management style. From August 2008 through January 2009 it was observed its operation and social activities within the community outside the factory and conducted interviews with the couple owners and twenty employees chosen by a stratified random selection method using the companys employee data base which is in line with a triangulation approach in order to increase internal validity (Yin, 2003).

Analysis of all data, note-taking, transcripts and documents, grounded on theory were used with the aid of ATLAS.ti software (Muhr, 1997 qouted in Duerr, 2004:46) to code and sort data into open coding and later connect them together as themes and patterns in the form of narrative style. The influence of Buddhism over how this entrepreneurial couple manage their business and details of arrangement of the three components of social environment within Tang Mo are a key theme.

Result The Thai Garment Industry During the 1970s Thailand offered protection to the developing textile industry by increasing import tariffs, removing restrictions on the industry and promoting the establishment of new textile firms under the import-substitution policy. With the comparative advantage of cheap labor, low property costs and import and export quotas, the textile industry became successful enough to play a significant role in the Thai economy and become the second largest export commodity of the country (Charoenlert, 2009). The Thai textile and garment industry has faced many dramatic challenges such as increase in wages, reduction in total productivity, a drastic increase in competition from emerging countries entering the 'low cost' market without quotas. The labor-intensive industries tended to decline as they lost their former competitive advantage. However, the government took advice that Thai industries needed to shift their focus from low cost to high quality products and enter the high-end market. The government offered advice, financial aids and incentives, to produce higher quality products; loans to upgrade technology; training schemes in marketing and production and encouraged innovation. Especially for the garment industry, it had to move beyond typical cut-make-and trim original-equipment manufacturing (OEM) to improve the overall quality of design and marketing and increase the manufacture of quality branded goods. If individual companies did not seriously decide to adapt to new conditions, the predictions were they would not survive. This sort of industrial transformation cannot happen overnight but requires longtime commitment of capital, improved technology and skill trainings. While encouraging technological improvement, the government also sees the necessity to improve human resources by education to create a learning culture and upgrading skills to develop highly skilled work forces, which would result in a new level of competitive advantage.

Background of Siam Hands (Tang Mo) The owners of Siam Hands (Tang Mo) are a couple who developed entrepreneurial skills while they were at Thammasart University. They are from different backgrounds. The Woman is from a Thai-Chinese merchant family in Bangkok while the man is from a farming family in Yasothorn, North-East Thailand. He was the first member of his family to have the chance of education at university level. After he met his wife, they developed a joint enterprise as vendors at events such as fairs, exhibitions or expositions in university or public areas. They found they were not able to buy good quality, well designed T-shirts from the wholesale market. So they adapted a design from an imported brand and printed designs on plain T-shirts themselves. This was a first step for them to expand their scope from selling into production and accumulating experience in clothing manufacture. Their first company "Why Japan?" was established in 1985 to produce and sell Tang Mo Branded apparel to the domestic market and as an OEM for the export market. The owner explained the company name. Why does Japan offer a better quality than Thailand?" If they could establish their product in Japan the quality of their goods would be comparable. Then he planned to build a full-equipped factory when he succeeded in exporting to Japan. Just four years later he was able to build a factory in a beautiful park. Their new company Siam Hands, meaning products from the hands of Siamese people, was established in 1989. However, to start up business from zero, like many others, they had to leverage a huge loan for the construction of the new factory and expand their domestic market through modern trade channels of superstores or department stores. During the economic crisis of 1997, they suffered like others when faced with rapidly increasing interest rates and the banks asked them to pay off their loan. Even though they had an export business, and sold some clothing for Thai currency to local merchants, most of their stock went to superstores and department stores on long credit terms so they were not able to improve company cash flow to get money upfront quickly. So they rearranged their payment priorities making the payment of their loan the last priority by stopping payment for one year. This placed the company on the NPL (nonperforming loan) list which affects applications for loans in the future. The owner's philosophy is business is like a game. If you want to play this game, you know that you can loose as well as win, so you must accept loss. Business is not the reality of your life, so it is not necessary to jump from a high tower to commit suicide when you have a setback. The bank may sue us, but they may have 10,000 customers in the same situation. "Due to his educational background in

law, he knew that a suit would be very difficult and expensive for the bank and they would prefer to negotiate. After he gradually paid off his entire loan a bank officer invited him to borrow money again. When he told him he had been on a blacklist, the bank officer said, "That's alright." This crisis taught him to distrust the capitalist system which encourages people to borrow huge loans from financial institutions. He and his wife wanted to be independent from banks. Neither did they wish to develop their business by selling company shares in the stock market. In his opinion the stock market does not create anything but simply manipulates present money for future money. "We do not need that kind of unreal overnight prosperity which does not reflect true values. We still eat normal food, don't we?" Moreover the high stock value of the company is not a true success indicator either. He obtains satisfaction from hearing that his employees are able to improve their house, purchase their own land or build a house which they proudly invite him to see. His factory can produce changes in people for the better. If a heavy drinker or drug addict chooses to change their lifestyle that is a profit he values. Neither he, personally, nor the company has ever borrowed any money since paying off their entire loans in 2002. Buddha Dhamma in a Business Context This entrepreneurial couple have had experience of Buddhist practice since childhood and have had continuous practice ever since. Both of them accept that Buddhism has considerable influence over their way of thought, and actions, especially in their concern for others. Such a way of thought is embodied in their relationship with people inside their organization and creates their management style which is quite difference from usual management practice. The owner believes that the entrepreneur has a duty to develop a strong organization at the fundamental level. Then when the company becomes profitable, his duty is to distribute this profit fairly to the people in the organization who have contributed to the success of the enterprise. Interviewed employees confirm that they see principles of Buddha Dhamma are applied within different situations in the factory on a regular basis, such as practicing the five perceptions, doing good deeds, generosity, and helping each other. They also say that their owner enables them to make merit (Thm Bn) by arranging various activities inside and outside the factory at regular intervals.

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The detailed application of Buddha Dhamma in Tang Mo creates a favorable social environment for the cultivation of good deeds within the three contexts of an enabling environment; rules and regulations; and the training system. Enabling Environment The detail of enabling environment is divided into five components, which are; physical environment; remuneration and welfare; leadership; communication; and daily routine. 1) Physical environment The male owner had a chance to visit YKK factory at Kurobe City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The walls of this factory are glass and it is surrounded by a beautiful garden with many big trees. It inspired him to create his own factory. This factory, Siam Hands, is located on the Tha Jean river bank, the South of Bangkok. Big glass windows are major feature of a building which is surrounded by a beautiful park with many trees. Space planning was designed with concern for their employees. The best views and location near the river were chosen for employees who spend most of their time in this building. A unique cooling system was designed to create comfortable working conditions during day time. Due to the high investment and operational costs, generally the installation of air-conditioning systems in factories depends on the requirements of the production process rather than the comfort of employees. So, their employees work in a cool building with great views of green and beautiful trees and a river flowing by. The outside and surroundings of the building are kept clean and tidy by gardening staff while employees are responsible for their own operational areas. It feels like a holiday resort, not a factory, one employee commented. Many employees prefer to have lunch on wooden tables and easy chairs on the river bank rather than in the canteen and they also have their exercise there in the evening. 2) Remuneration and welfare Tang Mo started by using the piece rate system but with the guarantee of the minimum wage. This means the employee will receive the minimum legal wage rate if the company is not able to provide enough work for them to earn more. After they faced a situation of having no completed garments for sale although they had too many pieces of some parts but too few of another, they had a radical rethink of the sewing process. They decided to experiment with a team production instead of individual piecework. Ten operators in the sewing division were re-

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allocated to work as a team to produce finished garments. Sewing machines in this unit were aligned in a U-shape so that operators could help each other if one stage was overloaded. By this new method the company received finished garments every day, while each employee received an equal share of the wages earned by the team each day. At the beginning this new arrangement was not acceptable to everyone as some highly skilled operators were afraid of a decrease in their earnings if they had to work as a part of a team and had to help the others in case of an overload in some stage of production. So a trial team of medium skilled operators was arranged with the proviso that anyone who had a problem with team working would be allowed to go back to work individually and be replaced by a new one. At this time computerized sewing machines were being introduced and these were used as a motivation for the setup team. This trial team was using computerized sewing machines and after one month, they received higher average earnings than in the previous month. This convinced others to apply for membership of a team and four or five teams were set up each month until finally, the whole sewing operation was organized in teams of varying levels of skill. Discussion meetings were arranged to deal with any problems that the teams could not sort out themselves. At the beginning, some employees in the sewing division wanted to change teams because they felt unhappy working with some member. They would hold a meeting to discuss this matter before changing them. Requests for this reason no longer happen though some people find they are not able to work at their team's speed and ask to work at a lower level. The following anecdote illustrates the profound change of attitude which now prevails. One of the highest skilled teams of the sewing unit had one member who was older than the others. As years went by, her eyesight deteriorated so that she needed assistance to thread a needle, causing two people to lose production time. However, all members in this team insisted on keeping their older member and were happy to help her. Their collective earnings fell noticeably. Eventually their Pee (supervisors) investigated the situation and intervened to place this member in a lower skilled team. As soon as she was replaced by a new member their earnings increased. This shows the profound change of work culture from individuality to powerful team loyalty. Operators in the cutting division also work as a team following the same trial process as the sewing division. After both these divisions were fully operating as teams the packing division and others were the last groups to arrange working teams. Most operators in all divisions now work as a team with the exception of a few supporting steps in production, such

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as buttonholing and hand finishing where people are still working individually. There are few complaints or calls for rate adjustments because most employees are earning considerably more than the guaranteed minimum wage rate as the productivity of both individuals and teams has gradually increased. In each month Managers and supervisors will consider team performance and individual working. If they find someone who is slowing down their team's performance their Pee will discuss the situation with them and, if necessary, they may be moved to a new team, but not without their agreement. When there was a reduction in order volume, the supervisors (Pee) sought to maintain the operators' earnings by decreasing the size of the teams to increase productivity. This adjustment was applied in the cutting division as well where they began to work as a single team. They accepted this adjustment because it helps them all to have equally shared earnings. These adjustments show how Pee is very concerned for their Nong (younger brothers or colleagues). At the end of each year it is the custom for Pee to receive gifts from their Nong to thank them for their care and support. The acceptance of these adjustments in their operational practice and their reciprocal relationship show how the brotherhood culture is now embedded. The rapidly increasing oil price in 2006, affected the cost of living seriously. The male owner, as chairman of Nakorn Prathom Chamber of Commerce was appointed as a representative of the private sector to a committee of government representatives, employers and workers to negotiate an adjustment of the minimum wage rate. He represented to the committee that employers should bear the onus of this crisis without transferring the effect to their employees. He collected data and calculated a new minimum wage rate to cover the rise in cost of living, and suggested the committee should adjust the new rate to 240 Baht per day; however the majority wished to settle for about 170 Baht per day. Even though his suggested rate was not legally enforced, he adjusted the Tang Mo guaranteed minimum wage rate to his suggested rate, rather than accepting the new legal minimum wage. His employees have benefited by this additional increase ever since. This is a good example of how he is willing to act out his beliefs. Besides three nourishing meals per day and accommodation, there is a fund for an emergency loan for their employees. Other benefits are the provision of Tang Mo garments for their employees to take back home at New Year; annual health check-ups; a fully-equipped classroom facility for Non-Formal Education. About 30 employees make use of a study program

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every Sunday. Tang Mo owners refuse every chance to gain revenue from their employees such as charging an extra margin on a Tang Mo branded shopping bag or buying some products and selling them to their employees at a high mark up. Instead they gave their employees a start-up fund to set up a consumer co-operative inside the factory which not only buys and sells products for their colleagues but also provides a cafe and gift shop for visiting customers. The Tang Mo owner states. "Our principle of doing business is not to profit from any exploitation of employees. We will use our business talents to make a good profit from selling our products only, while our employees receive good care, with high earnings." 3) Communication and Leadership of Tang Mo One employee who has worked with them from the beginning and known them before their first factory was set up says Both of the owners have a unique characteristic of generosity and caring for people, especially for younger people, since they were student activists together in university. Those genuine characteristics are exhibited through their warm and positive speech and thoughtful actions to care for their Nong (employees) and how they live. Therefore, most interviewed employees respect both owners integrity and good example to the other Pee (managers and supervisors). The owners are extraordinarily open and available to all their employees. In meetings with the managers and supervisors the male owner always asks the Pee to think why their employees left home to work here. They realize that they came here to work to collect money to take back home. He advises the Pee how to work and spend wisely and encourages them in ways to invest their savings by buying gold or a piece of land for example. He would like to see all Pee caring about their Nong in the same way, not only in their work but also how they live. They themselves should set a good example. His strategy is Regulate yourself. Do what you say and ask other people to do. The managers express care for their Nong by considering ways of improving their earnings, supporting their work and caring about how they live. A Pee (Brotherhood) relationship, shaped and influenced by Buddhism, prevails in this organization. Even though one Pee is the Personnel Manager, in this company her role is responsibility for the payroll, legal requirements, training and supporting activities only and not employee welfare, which is the responsibility of all Pee, including the owner.

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The Tang Mo owners continually and consistently use their own actions and words to communicate the need to express positive feelings towards others. They also encourage their employees to speak politely to all because speech costs nothing but has a value in peoples minds. The owners always tell their employees to speak about others from a positive point of view or express an optimistic attitude concerning others. This way people are more likely to try to match your expectations. Negative criticism is likely to be resented, and does not help anyone to improve. One interviewed employee described how she has changed in several ways since working in Tang Mo Before I worked here I was very roughly spoken and stubborn. I saw how my colleagues spoke very politely and I began to think that I wanted to be like them. It took about three or four years for me to change enough that even my parents noticed and complemented me on this change in manners and show of responsible adult behavior. There are many specific words in this company to express how they think about others and give them dignity and self respect. Starting with the owners tells their employees to call them Pee (which means Elder Brother). So Present from Pee means the annual bonus; and a word meaning Important Customer is used to address all wholesale buyers and small merchants although they may only be seeking the minimum purchase (12 garments). 4) Routine activities The culture of brotherhood also prevails in their production routine and various organizational activities, such as 'making merit' and social and community activities. 4.1) Production routine Since the production system in Tang Mo is based on teamwork in each division, employees in each team can arrange their own working time within the company schedule of opening and closing times. This varies according to the amount of orders in each period. So there is no time bell in this company or even time recording except for a few salaried staff. They have responsibility for cleaning their own workplace without formal supervision and leave the offices without the common security check. Each team comes to work, stops working for the lunch break, returns at an agreed time and finishes work together at the agreed time. This is especially true for the sewing division which is the vital production unit. Operators in this division normally take a lunch break of less than 30 minutes and go back to work without supervision or orders from Pee. Before work each

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day, the team members in a sewing unit will have a short discussion among themselves about the work they will have to do and decide a target quantity they want to achieve that day. Quality control (QC) along the production line is done by the operators themselves in each team and by QC staff who fix the piece rate pay, as the final process of the sewing division. Whenever Quality Control finds an error in any team, all production in that team must stop to see what has happened and correct it immediately. Operators in each team regularly, have a meeting with their Pee to discuss any new job, and cautionary points and experience of errors from other teams, from which they may learn. Each team member has a chance to raise ideas or questions at this meeting. This is a significant example of an immediate feedback loop and collective learning to continuously improve the quality of production and help the teams to achieve their targets. The male owner always encourages them While you are working, please keep in mind the enjoyment of the people who will wear Tang Mo's neat and well made garments which come from your attention to detail in production. So consideration for the customers is embedded in their production routine. The managers have all worked here since the establishment of the company. They know the production process very well. Though they have responsibility for their own division, they are ready to help each other if someone is not in the office, or, when there is an express order to finish within that day, by supporting the coupling of divisions without raising issues that someone else is interfering with their job. It seems that there is a Pee team, for the group management of the production routines, under the owners direction rather than separate factory managers with individual responsibilities. 4.2) Company activities Since Tang Mo both produce and sell clothes, they have marketing events or special events which need extra support from staff. The Thai traditions of, Karn Long Khak or gathering to help at harvest time, are called upon to encourage voluntary co-operation. The Pee committee organizes events, such as, promotional campaigns: Tang Mo meets the Important Customer; Tang Mo Fair; Tang Mo's Birthday; or various training activities. A Pee will gather Nong from his own division to help in the duties he has accepted. All employees who have been appointed will take full responsibility and help the company to make a success of each special event. This is a good chance for them to learn new skills, to meet customers and to develop friendly relationships with each other.

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This mutual help in company activities has become familiar and acceptable to the employees. Sometimes, there is an emergency request for people to volunteer to do a task for the company or to answer a request from a nearby community. Most of the workers are supportive and even enjoys these activities when they take part. Only one interviewed salaried employee, expressed dissatisfaction about having no fixed routine job, and having to move around, and being expected to do different tasks each day, which he feels are not his duty. In spite of this complaint, he is still working for the Company because he knows that no other company offers a better chance to save the money needed to take back home. 4.3) Making merit The female owner is extremely active in promoting making merit (Th m B n) specifically on Buddhist activities. She wishes to encourage their employees to practice the Buddhist fundamental principle of generosity or kindness. There are four kinds of merit activity in this company. Dhamma talk in the factory A renowned monk from North-Eastern Thailand may give a Dhamma talk during working time and employees will have the chance to offer money to the monk. Whenever they know about such an event, the employees all stop working and participate. It is a good chance to hear more about Buddha Dhamma and learn to calm the mind. They are proud to have a chance to offer alms and to meet a renowned monk a chance which they have never had before. (The Christian equivalent would be a visit from an Archbishop or a Cardinal). These visits occur several times a year . Tang Mo's birthday They invite about 200 monks from a temple nearby with several renowned monks from North-Eastern Thailand and offer alms, including food, flowers and other necessities to the monks, who give blessings and pray on Tang Mo's birthday. All Thai companies arrange a 'making merit' ceremony on the official 'Company Birthday', but only executives and employees at administrative level are generally invited. In this company all employees participate. Some of them are members of a committee which organizes this ritual and also arranges a special lunch menu for this important day. When they send the monks off to their temples, employees who are not members of the committee, go back to work as usual. At night, there is an annual staff party, when they have dinner together (without any alcohol) and generous gifts are provided by the owners. Kathin Ceremony 17

The Kathin Ceremony (Robes presented to monks at the end of the Buddhist lent) at Wat Phra Baht Huai Tom, Lumpun Province is one of the largest merit making festivals in Thailand. Tang Mo has been deeply involved in the organization of this ceremony for three years. Every employee has a chance of making merit by offering money to the fund. Some employees who wish to take part in this ceremony are allowed to take a few days off. In 2008 about 200 people from Tang Mo traveled by air-conditioned buses to participate in this Kathin ceremony Interviewed employees say that the Northern Thai and the Hill Tribe culture are mixed in this Kathin Ceremony which is so great and beautiful. They are happy and proud to have a chance to make a significant merit together with their families, friends, and other good people. Robe Offering Ceremony There are Robe Offering Ceremonies at local temples in employees' home towns. Each year, Tang Mo sponsors two employees to participate in such an activity by giving 1,000 garments to offer as alms to their local temple every New Year's Day and the Song Kran (Thai Tradition New year) day. One employee, who received this fund in 2008, also raised more funds from colleagues. When he went back home, he and his family members offered the garments for sale at the nearby community market. He, his family, the owners and his colleagues made merit totaling 140,000 Baht. It is the largest fund from this ceremony which this temple has ever received. He and his family are very happy to gain such significant merit with the support of his company. Tang Mo has increased the size of this fund because there is a five year waiting list of applicants. 4.4) Social activities Tang Mos owners also take part in various social and community activities. In the early years, they helped support primary education by giving several scholarships to students of a primary school in the factory area and have continued to do so ever since. They have other chances to engage in activities which help their local community, Nakorn Prathom Province and wider society, to express Tang Mos gratitude toward their home land. The owners are part of the Brain Bank club, an association of businessmen and school directors in this area to support local education. The male owner is also chairman of Nakorn Prathom Chambers of Commerce Council. The employees can join in these activities by donating to the scholarship fund and donating food and gifts to those schools on Children's Day. They also prepare promotional material and publicity and act as welfare staff at various social events. They also organize training courses for community members from the rural area

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and for workers in other garment and clothing factories. Further there is a well-trained team to welcome and take care of groups of visitors all year round. Prominent Social Projects: The following projects illustrate the widespread influence of Tang Mo throughout Thailand and how the owners make a good use of business relationships for the good of society not only in their Northern and North-eastern homeland but also in the troubled South. Community development North Thailand The female owner has a long time interest in the temple of Wat Phra Baht Huai Tom where she received instruction. After her monk teacher passed away she and some other students wanted to carry on their monk teachers mission to develop this temple as a symbol of the establishment and preservation of Buddhism in the Northern area and in the surrounding community of hill tribe people who have settled there. The Tang Mo owners have continued to support the building work at the temple but have also enthusiastically participated in community development. When they saw that hill tribe people in this community are still doing hand weaving of their traditional cloth, they provided quantities of industrial thread for hand weaving. This was the year when King Bhumibol Adulyadej celebrated 60 years on the throne. They used this opportunity to petition the King for permission for these people to put the royal symbol of this event on their traditional hand-made garments. With this help these weavers earned enough money for their living and had surplus for their community endowment fund. This community has become a famous tourist destination for Buddhist spirituality and Hill tribe culture with Tang Mo financial support and advice. I myself witnessed how local people respect and appreciate Tang Mo. When I was going to observe the Kathin ceremony, I took a bus from the Chiang Mai Terminal to this place. When the bus driver learned I was going to join the Tang Mo team he actively helped me to find transportation to my destination, because there is no public transport in the evening. The man who gave me a ride was so happy and willing to do so because of the gratitude felt towards Tang Mo's owners and their members for the support given for their community development over the last ten years. Peace initiative in South Thailand There has been unrest in three provinces of lower Southern Thailand since 2004. The female owner met the Deputy General of the Fourth Army Region of Thailand and they discussed how to bring peace to this region. They agreed that bloodshed was not the solution

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but the creation of work and real prosperity might generate peace in the region. So the Tang Mo Conformity Project to produce 'clothes towards peace' was conceived. Soon after Tang Mo owners visited one Southern village in a red zone (the area of most unrest), eleven Muslim women from this village came to train to sew clothes in their factory. After one month, these Muslim women went back home with their new sewing skills and a complete set of sewing machines to open their own small clothing factory. A small building for career training in this Community was built with various forms of support: a piece of land from a donor in their village; active labor from the male villagers and soldiers; and building materials from Tang Mo and a group of businessmen friends. Tang Mo supplied a quantity of yellow cloth to make shirts to be branded "Conformity Shirts" to sell in the Southern region. All the revenue, amounting to about 400,000 Baht Tang Mo gifted to community development in the region. Now this factory is a subsidiary of Tang Mo with the workers receiving the same piece rate as employees in the main factory. The factory also provides advice and training to people from other communities to set up similar projects. The people appreciate this chance to make a living for the benefit of their families. They are grateful for this practical help which the Thai army and Tang Mo have given them. Rules and Regulations This company is obviously efficiently run and the work force appears well disciplined and responsible, although they do not use the usual methods of organization. 1) Organizational Management Tang Mo does not employ a conventional organizational management style. There are no charts of the management structure; ranking; job description; or career paths in this company, although it employs about 1,000 people. The male owner explained his reasoning. We employ a brotherhood culture in our organization I am an 'Elder Brother'. It may not be easy to understand how one person is able to look after about 1,000 'brothers'. In general, organizations which employ so many people have to display a clear career path of promotion and show the workers how they may hope to progress. But we do not have it here because everyone is already in the highest position of which they are capable. It is not necessary to ask What is the next step? for the people who look after production, or for the people who make up a unit. We have seen that when one of the highest skilled sewing operators is promoted to be a salaried supervisor that person is worse off financially and less

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happy in themselves. So it is better to let them employ their skills in a sewing team as long as they wish. A pyramid career path is designed to deceive people. By dangling the hope of promotion before them, they are deceived to work till retirement, by continually telling them what their next step will be. If someone is capable of organizing 100 people why should he or she not have the job right now? Instead they are told they do not have enough seniority until it is time for retirement. Such deceit is not necessary in our organization. Our highest skilled sewing team earns an income of 28,000 Baht per month or 1 million within 3 years which they could not make at another job elsewhere in Thailand. The other teams earn not much less than this amount. Admittedly, these earnings are in high season only. In low season, they are able to work at a more relaxed pace but still will earn at least 10,000 Baht per month. All employees at administration and supervision level or ' Pee ' have been working with Tang Mo for more than ten years. This period is long enough to form a relationship with the owners and to develop true understanding of their owners' ideas, feelings and intentions in the development of this organization. It is also long enough for the brotherhood culture to be embedded in their reciprocal relationship not only with their owners but also with their colleagues. Their diligence, trustworthiness, and team spirit in dealing with their individual responsibilities; their participation in organizational activities; and their willingness to implement any request of the owner show that a genuine brotherhood relationship prevails in this organization. This is the crucial factor which makes charts or career paths unnecessary . 2) Reward system While the rewards for the Tang Mo operators are dictated by their own working pace, which each team decides for themselves, salaried employees receive a basic salary plus a bonus or a present from Pee as it is called, which is not a standard calculated amount. There is no standard evaluation or performance assessment except for new employees after their probation period. The male owner has an individual meeting with each person during the 'giving a present period'. He explained his reasons for having a private talk with about 80 salaried employees, each of which can take more than an hour. "I have a duty to make the people who work with me feels appreciated. Why do I give up my one free day for playing golf? I don't like golf that much! I want to show my employees that they are not is only a resource of labor but that I

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think of them as younger brothers and sisters who have put their trust in me. So of course I have time to talk with them and listen to them. I prepare for each interview by collecting information from watching them and having informal conversations with them at different times. I tell them what I feel about their behavior but, in this interview, always look for positive points and praise them if they have exceeded my expectations. I also take private circumstances into account when assessing the amount of bonus, but remember that I must be fair to all" He takes time to get to know them personally, enquires into individual circumstances and assesses the bonus according to each need. A culture of secrecy surrounds the bonus and individual amounts are never discussed. However information about the overall performance of the company is readily available so that they can estimate the total bonus 'kitty' and assess the fairness of their own ' present '. Most of them say that they are happy. One of them said she had spent her bonus on a down payment for her family house. 3) Punishment In most factories there are punishment rules for tardiness, absenteeism, substandard work performance or breaches of safety regulations. In Tang Mo undesirable behavior is defined from a different basis, using the Five Precepts (S la) in Buddhism, as a basic ethical guideline interpreted with slight differences in the context of a modern company. The last Precept, to abstain from intoxication, including smoking as causes of heedlessness (Payutto 2005: 175) is the most relevant in a factory with machines and much inflammable material. Therefore, Tang Mo employees know that smoking, drinking, drugs and quarrelling are prohibited in this organization. Since advertising and media now strongly influence the Thai life style, there is also concern about the third precept 'to abstain from sexual misconduct' (Payutto 2005: 175), so sexual harassment and the wearing of unsuitable and daring clothes are frowned upon. Tang Mo employees all know that such misconduct leads to suspension without pay for a period of self-reconsideration lasting from three to six months or one year depending on the seriousness of the misconduct. They also know that there is no favoritism and even the highest skilled operator will be punished for misconduct without any exception. Whenever such a case arises the male owner himself will talk with this employee in private and there is no public humiliation. He explained, Punishment for our employees does not happen automatically when a rule is breached. If there is any punishment for misconduct, I will talk with them directly and not callously. I talk with them as younger person who has a weak character, but is not an

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irreclaimable wrongdoer. I point out how they are going wrong and what life should be about. If an employee returns at the end of the self-reconsideration period the owner again talks directly with them about what has happened to them during this period and how they now view their behavior before accepting them back to work. Almost all these employees come back to work at Tang Mo. Interestingly, most employees who were selected for interview because they had been suspended were reluctant, to tell the reason why they 'quit' their job. However, they spoke readily about their experience of working in other factories during their time of 'exile'. These were not good and they now appreciated how much better were the working conditions at Tang Mo. Most interviewed employees appreciate the benefits of these rules, which make them both healthier and more secure in their material well being. The male owner remembered an occasion when he gave a talk about how he runs his business. When he mentioned these rules, he received a comment that the rules in his factory were close to a violation of human rights. He replied that the main rule in his organization is to accept clean and healthy people and help them stay that way. Further, if they do not want to live by these rules, there are many other factories available for them. Some interviewed employees said that they too complied with the rules because they did not think they could find a better job in terms of earnings, welfare and caring than they had at Tang Mo. There are still some employees who smoke or drink in their leisure time, but they agree that it is not good for them and are often ashamed that they cannot control their addiction and try to keep it secret from their Pee (male owner). They also express hopes of stopping in the near future. Training system Training in this organization is divided into two categories - technical skills and life skills. 1) Technical Skills Technical skill training is provided for individuals or small groups, often on a voluntary basis. Besides conducting and attending formal training courses within the organization, most Pee (managers and supervisors) have had study visits to other garment factories and have traveled abroad to such places as Singapore, Hong Kong or Mainland China. I was told about the first time that a group of them travelled abroad. When they submitted their documents to apply for a passport, they had to be approved by several officials, starting with the head of their

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village, then head of the district and finally the governor of the province had to sign their application. This was because they were the first people in their village ever to receive a passport to go abroad. So everyone wanted to know about the journey their company was sending them on. They learnt several useful techniques from these study visits to be adapted to their production system. One interviewee was not impressed by the trend for replacing workers with machines, in automated systems. "We use machines to support and facilitate our work and to save our strength. When machines replace workers, workers lose their jobs. I think letting a worker have a job to do is better than using a machine. 2) Life Skills Life skill training is provided for all employees as the owners care that all their employees should lead meaningful lives and not succumb to the destructive illusions of happiness in the modern city. Most employees have migrated from rural areas, in order to save money to care for their parents and families in their home towns, where paid work is scarce. So training is provided to keep them mindful of this purpose and show them how to live in a big city where media and advertising encourage them to spend and have a 'good time'. Formal and informal training courses for Tang Mo employees are conducted by various instructors. 2.1) By a renowned monk All Tang Mo employees are encouraged to be observant Buddhists. They receive Dhamma Talks from renowned monks in the factory during their working time. The female owner in particular arranges regular opportunities to visit a temple, participate in festivals and make charitable donations. She sets a good example and tells them that the amount they give is not as important as the sincerity of their intentions in 'making merit'. The rewards they can enjoy are peaceful happiness and freedom from stress. 2.2) By the Pee Tang Mo trainees also have a twenty-four hours training course called From Sincerity to Eternity. The purpose of this training is to inspire them to think about the components of a meaningful life, which are themselves, family, work and society. All Pee (managers and supervisors) underwent several life skill training courses from an external trainer. They then

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adapted what they had learned to create their own training course for their colleagues. Activities are designed to promote fellowship and team spirit. The climax of the event is a closing ceremony around a bonfire when all drink water from a common bowl. This ceremony is conducted by their male owner, who explains the meaning of this event for him. All of us came from different places and did not know each other before, but now we have a life together and common aims to work together to make money to help our families and the society in which we live. Our life is like the water in each glass. It has its own identity, as we are of different origins, education and home towns. Now we have water to represent us in our hand, so we pour it into a bowl and no one can separate this water again. The water in this bowl represents our intention to work together so all may prosper. The water in your hand right now is a symbol of our commitment and common bonding. Please drink this water into your hearts together. Some interviewed employees remember the deep impression that this ceremony made on them. They felt an indescribable, overwhelming emotion which created a strong bond with their owner, their colleagues and the organization. It has become a compulsory training course for all new comers to build an understanding of Tang Mos culture of brotherhood. 2.3) By the Owners The Tang Mo employees are able to meet and speak with their owners at various events and activities. Most go back home two times a year, during New Year holiday and Song Kran (Thai traditional New Year holiday). Every year before these events the owners hold a general meeting where both owners inform their colleagues about the company performance; present situation; and future trends of their business, including how all their lives may be affected This is followed by homely advice about safe travelling and how they should treat their parents with gratitude and respect and not boast and show off about what they have learned in the city. This shows how sincerely the owners feel that all the employees are part of the Tang Mo family, with a right to know about the business and are also cared for as individuals. The Result of the Application 1) Organization The Tang Mo business has continued to grow robustly throughout twenty years. Besides producing and selling clothing to serve both the domestic market and exports to Japan, they have also subcontracted a local manufacturer in Vietnam to produce Tang Mo branded

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apparel for export to the US and Europe; to benefit from the 'Generalised System of Preferences privileges'. The quality of Tang Mo branded products is accepted and well-known in Thailand and other countries. Recently, Thai Chamber of Commerce Council (2008) conducted a survey of Thai consumers to find the best-known brand names throughout the country. Tang Mo brand was voted the best-known brand of clothes, despite the fact that they were not on the list offered for the consumers to choose. This result shows their high reputation and acceptance from Thai customers. It also shows how effective their marketing strategy has been. The continuous improvement in quality and design and speed of production from Team Production is another crucial factor for success. The team performance as a wage basis in Tang Mo remains unique and is not generally copied by other garment factories. Even though Tang Mo has opened their factory to train garment workers from other factories, none of them have adopted this system. One of the training managers commented I myself visited one factory after training and found that they started to work in teams for about three months and then they changed back to their previous system. It shows that the workers are capable of working as a team, but it is the owners who decide the pay structure. If the owner is not concerned about decreasing production time and increasing production quality but only thinks of keeping wages low he will not support our system." Production speed is a strong point of Tang Mo, and the male owner explained the benefits of this principle of Economy of Speed on the amount of stock held and the size of orders. Economy of scale requires large minimum orders but in the fashion trade the present trend is towards smaller orders. Our small individual team units can deal with small quantities and eliminate many costs from factory to selling outlet, including costs related to stock in hand; bank interest; rental cost of warehouses; shelf cost; controlling cost; other overheads; obsolescence costs and merchandise. So we can very quickly produce an order for as little as 200 units. This flexibility on smaller orders serves the rapid changes in the fashion world and produces a quick response to consumer demand. Tang Mo's strategy offers a solution to tackle the present economic crisis and escape from the image of a sunset industry. Their owner's mission statement is We see our business as Thailand's national defending army in the garment war; to fight cheap products from China and expensive products from the West by producing good quality goods at an inexpensive price to reduce the flow of money out of our country.

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2) Employees The female owner describes how the social environment of Tang Mo is managed. We provide the best possible environment for our employees. This is not only a good physical environment but includes the respect and value we place on each individual. They come to work without security checks and constant control of their lives and so they develop faith in themselves. We give them this respect, and then they have self respect. Their employees appreciate their owners and the company which provides them with working security and good quality of life in a healthy and safe environment; high income; good welfare; saving schemes; and a warm and happy working atmosphere. As an interviewed employee explains their feeling towards their organization, There is no other factory which provides as many things for their employees as Tang Mo. Since employees are treated as younger brothers and sisters of Tang Mos owner, whenever, they have any personal problems, they are able to ask for assistance from their Pee. For example in the case of an employee who was attacked and injured the male owner and his Pee assisted him in hospital and procured legal advice in the criminal case which followed. The employees benefit from social activities and educational opportunities which benefit the communities from which they come. One example is how their savings from their work with Tang Mo are often used to improve their ancestral lands. This is an interesting example of dual track development (agriculture and industry). 3) Society The beneficent influence of Tang Mo is felt in the private industrial sector, in government, education and rural development while their scope extends to the political situation in Southern Thailand. Conclusion: The real power of business The influence of the Buddhist practice of the Tang Mo owners on the development of this remarkable and successful Company could hardly be exaggerated. It is embodied in their thought, speech and actions and expressed in the organization and daily running of the business at a fundamental level. The Buddhist practice which is embedded in the contexts of the social environment within the Tang Mo organization is manifestly and largely responsible for the success and influence of the business. Their own commitment and the whole hearted efforts of this

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entrepreneurial couple to run their business not only for their own benefit but also to extend their prosperity to customers and trading partners can be a great inspiration for those who are exposed to this story. As the business grew they widened their concerns to the problems of all parts of Thailand and have grudged no expenditure of money and effort to improve the lives of all it people. This organization really cares for and respects human beings and is a real influencer for good business practice throughout Thailand. Implication and Recommendation Any business owners or managers seeking to apply Buddhist Economics in their own situation should strive to: Incorporate practise of the Threefold Path into all aspects of work, especially for right livelihood of their type of business or profession. Embody its values, in particular to develop a long term vision of the real meaning of business Arrange an enabling environment for mental development which includes four components: a) Physical environment within a long term care setting b) Compassionate remuneration and welfare c) Generous and warm communication d) Routine of Buddhist action Arrange mechanisms for encouraging moral conscience instead of the observance of strict rules and regulation. Arrange training especially for life skill training, for liberating the mind All these conditions are not separated but interconnected. There is interplay between leaders of goodwill, the enabling environment, the rules and training system. Therefore all the conditions have to be met without any one left out. When such conditions are embedded in an organisation, it will not only bring a real meaning to business with more benefits for wider society but also uplift their peoples lives to enjoy greater happiness, fulfillment and freedom, especially for living more independently of our consumerist society. Acknowledgement The author would like to thank the owner and staff members of Siam Hands Co., Ltd. for accepting her to conduct interviews and to observe meetings and activities of the company, 28

and also thank Miss Isabel Norval for her kindly contribution in editing my text. This paper is written as a part of Ph.D. thesis on The Buddhist Economics approach to business management: A case study. This paper is funded by the Thailand Research Fund through the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Program. References Commerce, T. T. C. o. 2008. Bangkok: The Thai Chamber of Commerce. Charoenloet, V. 2009. Thailand After the Economic Crisis of 1997: Labour Issues, Vol. 2009: International Development Economics Associates. Davidson, R. J., and others. 2003. Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65(4): 564-570. Dion, M. 2001. Corporate Citizenship as an Ethic of Care: Corporate Values, Code of Ethics and Global Governance. In J. Andriof (Ed.), Perspectives on Corporate Citizenship: 118-138. Sheffield: Greenleaf. Duerr, M. 2004. The Contemplative Organization. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 17(1): 43-61. Eisenhardt, K. M. 1989. Building Theories from Case Study Research. The Academy of Management Review, 14 (Oct., 1989)(4): 532-550 Endrissat, N., Muller, W. R., & Kaudela-Baum, S. 2007. En Route to an Empirically-Based Understanding of Authentic Leadership. European Management Journal, 25(3): 207220. Friedman, M. 1962. Capitalism and Freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Goleman, D. 1998 Working with emotional intelligence. London: Bloomsbury. Hamel, G. 2009. Moos Shots for Management. Harvard Business Review, 87(2): 91-98. Layard, R. 2005. Happiness: Lessons from a New Science. New York: Penguin Press. Payutto, V. P. A. 1994. Buddhist Economics: A Middle Way for the market place (in Thai Version) (Dhammavijaya, & B. Evans, Trans.). Bangkok: Buddhadhamma Foundation. Payutto, V. P. A. 1999. Buddha Dhamma (in Thai Version) (8 ed.). Bangkok: Maha Chulalongkorn Rajwittayalai Printing. Payutto, V. P. A. 2005. Dictionary of Buddhism (in Thai Version) (13 ed.). Bangkok: S R Printing Mass Product.

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Pettigrew, A. M. 1990. Longitudinal field research on change: theory & practice. Organization Science, 1(3 (Special Issue: Longitudinal Field Research Methods for Studying Processes of Organizational Change)): 267-292. Prayukvong, W. 2005. A Buddhist economic approach to the development of community enterprises: a case study from Southern Thailand. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 29(6): 1171-1185. Prayukvong, W. 2007. Manual of Implementing Employee Volunteer Program toward the Happiness in the working life (in Thai version). Bangkok: Moral Center. Puntasen, A. 2005. Buddhist Economics: Evolution, theories and its application to other economics subjects (in Thai version) (3rd ed.). Bangkok: Amarin Publishers. Rocha, H. O., & Ghoshal, S. 2006. Beyond Self-Interest Revisited. Journal of Management Studies, 43(3): 585-619. Starkey, R., & Welford, R. 2001. Conclusion Win-Win Revisited: A Buddhist Perspective. In R. Starkey, & R. Welford (Eds.), The Earthscan reader in business and sustainable development / edited by 353-357. London: Earthscan. United Nation Development Program, U. 2006. Human Development Report 2006: "Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis", Vol. 2007. Yin, R. K. 2003. Case study research : design and methods (3 ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

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