Creating a Competitive Advantage in the Business of Exporting the Thai Food Industry to the ASEAN Economic Community

Abstract

The objective of this research was to determine the factors influencing the competitive advantage in the business of exporting the Thai food industry through three variables: entrepreneurship, innovation, and export capability. A five-rating scale questionnaire was a research tool. (IOC was 0.67-1 and α = 0.96). The sample group of 470 Thai food industry exporters was a simple random sampling by lottery and analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM) from a computer program. It revealed that 1) the Entrepreneurship factor, innovation affected the advantage in exporting the Thai food industry to the ASEAN Economic Community, namely entrepreneurship influences export advantage.  2) It showed that the results of the model analysis of the relationship between entrepreneurial factors affecting export capability and the advantage of exporting the Thai food industry to the ASEAN Economic Community showed a moderate to high positive relationship. 3) Hypothesis testing by using linear structural equation (SEM) was found that hypothesis H1: (H1a, H1b, H1c, H1d) was only accepted. 4) Guideline for creating competitive advantage from the analysis of the most important observed variables, namely, the entrepreneurial factor is proactive management. The innovation factor is management innovation. The performance of duties affects the advantage factor in the export of the Thai food industry, namely export expansion.