The Impact of Agricultural Input Change on Gendered Decision-Making in Rice-Farming Households in Thailand and Cambodia

Here is the second abstract for the panel:

The gendered division of labour in agricultural households structures the extent and purpose of most decision-making with regards to income generation and household activities. Yet this is a dynamic rather a static situation because farming conditions vary so widely even within comparatively narrow geographical limits, while weather conditions can be unpredictable and, for those households connected with distant markets, market conditions can also affect what must be done at the household level. Additionally, technological change drives much agricultural production. When there is change of this sort, then the possibility is opened of a renegotiation between family members – perhaps on grounds of gender and perhaps on other grounds – as to what inputs are to be used and how any changes in labour provision should be managed. Clearly, where the nature of decision-making in the household changes in one direction, then that makes it possible for power relations to vary in nature in another or many other directions. This research study focuses on the results of 400 quantitative interviews conducted in Cambodia and Thailand of women in rice-farming households. Women as heads of households were identified and interviewed where possible. Variations in input use are shown in different agricultural conditions and implications are drawn from this for understanding the changing nature of gendered relations in different parts of the two countries surveyed.

Keywords: agricultural inputs, Cambodia, decision-making, gender, Thailand

Petcharat Lovichakorntikul, Doctoral Candidate, School of Management, Shinawatra University

Sirirat Ngamsang, Doctoral Candidate, School of Management, Shinawatra University

John Walsh, Assistant Professor, School of Management, Shinawatra University

Review of Bizot’s Facing the Torturer

Readers interested in the modern history of the Mekong Region will be familiar with François Bizot’s previous work, The Gate, which described the author’s experiences in Cambodia during the rise of the Khmer Rouge and his own arrest and incarceration. Elements of that experience are reflected in the film The Killing Fields, as too are elements from Jon Swain’s The River of Time, which covers the same period and events.

Read the full review here.

An Empirical Assessment of the Relationship between National Culture and Learning Capability in Organisations in Cambodia

This paper has been republished via the UN and is available here.

Abstract

An intensely competitive world forces organizations to act ever more quickly. To enhance their capability to respond to change, organizations should seek to identify what are their core competencies and the competitive advantages which are their keys to success. The term “organizational learning” has become a term of interest to many academics and practitioners because this represents the organization’s ability to change. Simultaneously, organizations have to consider the cultural context in environments in which they act. This paper assesses the relationship between national culture and learning capabilities of a sample of organizations in Cambodia. The survey questionnaire, which received 417 responses, related to national culture and organizational learning. The study found that national culture had strong relationships with learning capabilities of organizations in Cambodia. The paper concludes by following some recommendations for Cambodian organizations to take into consideration to strengthen their levels of performance.

Keywords: Cambodia, Empirical assessment, Learning capability, National culture, Relationship

Economic Geography in the Development of Cambodia: The Case of Oknha Mong Post Co. Ltd.

It has not been published at the website yet but I have been sent the final pdf of:

Walsh, John, “Economic Geography in the Development of Cambodia: The Case of Oknha Mong Post Co. Ltd.,” International Journal of Business and Globalisation, Vol.9, No.3 (2012), pp.236-45.

Here is the abstract:

Abstract:

Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd. is part of Cambodia’s Mong Reththy Group and was created in 2002 to develop some 64 hectares of land in the southwest of the country as a private sector port, integrated with special economic zone, resort area and other facilities. As a port, it has a particularly influential role in shaping economic development in the country because it serves as a node linking production areas and markets both inside Cambodia and in the other countries of Southeast Asia and beyond. It is also influential in that it represents a re-emergence of network connections in successful business dealings in the country and a resurgence of the aristocratic or establishment elite in taking control of important commercial and economic activities. Using thick description of the investment project and of the Cambodian business environment, this paper investigates the nature of the company and the impacts that it has had on labour markets and general development. As part of a special economic zone, the port project occupies a geographic area in which differential patterns of regulation exist and, as a result, conditions are opaque and possibly problematic.

Keywords: Cambodia; infrastructure; corruption; economic development; government.

If anyone wants to see a copy, I can probably send one since this is an open-access journal.

Economic Geography in the Development of Cambodia: the Case of Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd.

The proofs for my forthcoming paper with the International Journal of Business and Globalisation have arrived – I have two weeks to approve the various amendments and queries suggested. Here are the details to date:

Economic geography in the development of Cambodia: the case of Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd.

John Walsh

School of Management, Shinawatra University, Bangkok, Thailand E-mail: jcwalsh@siu.ac.th

Abstract: Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd. is part of Cambodia’s Mong Reththy Group and was created in 2002 to develop some 64 hectares of land in the southwest of the country as a private sector port, integrated with special economic zone, resort area and other facilities. As a port, it has a particularly influential role in shaping economic development in the country because it serves as a node linking production areas and markets both inside Cambodia and in the other countries of Southeast Asia and beyond. It is also influential in that it represents a re-emergence of network connections in successful business dealings in the country and a resurgence of the aristocratic or establishment elite in taking control of important commercial and economic activities. Using thick description of the investment project and of the Cambodian business environment, this paper investigates the nature of the company and the impacts that it has had on labour markets and general development. As part of a special economic zone, the port project occupies a geographic area in which differential patterns of regulation exist and, as a result, conditions are opaque and possibly problematic.

Keywords: Cambodia; infrastructure; corruption; economic development; government.

Reference: to this paper should be made as follows: Walsh, J. (xxxx) ‘Economic geography in the development of Cambodia: the case of Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd.’, Int. J. Business and Globalisation, Vol. X, No. Y, pp.000–000

 

Fighting Climate Change: Who Killed Chut Wutty?

The recent death of the prominent Cambodian environmental activist reveals the  terrible risks that people must take to  try to stand up to the despoilers of the land. Chut Wutty had since the 1990s  taken a stand against illegal logging and  deforestation in his home country. Just as in neighbouring Thailand, timber  products represent an expensive prize for those who are able to cut them down  and get them to the market – enough money for it to tempt those involved to use  violence against people who oppose them.

Read the full article here.

Management Issues in Cambodian Industrial Estates

Walsh, John, “Management Issues in Cambodian Industrial Estates,” paper to be presented at the International Conference on Global Business Environment (ICGBE) (Bangkok: Feburary, 2012).

Abstract

The theoretical argument for industrial estates – special economic zones bounded in time and space in which different legal systems apply and industrialization and globalization take place – has become well-established since first being set down by Marshall. Industrial estates have subsequently become important parts of most efforts at creating versions of the East Asian Economic Model (EAEM) – that is, the state-led development model that focuses on import-substituting, export-oriented, low labour-cost manufacturing approach. For many people, the experience of the EAEM is to enter the factory age, with all the opportunities and alienation that provides. This same approach is now becoming apparent in Cambodia, which is a relatively poor Mekong Region country with a lengthy recent history of warfare, genocide and instability. Across the country, industrial estates are being opened with a view to attracting both domestic and international capital for investment in factories there, currently primarily in the textiles and clothing sectors but with a view to expanding production in line with new opportunities emerging in the international market generally and as a result of the forthcoming ASEAN Economic Community in particular. However, the management of industrial estates at a variety of scales and levels can be problematic, as has been seen in the similar approaches used in other East Asian countries. This paper draws upon the experiences of other East Asian countries in managing the industrial estate project and highlights some of the principal issues that are likely to need to be resolved in the foreseeable future.

Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd. in G.D. Sardana and Tojo Thatchenkery, eds., Building Competencies for Sustainability and Organizational Excellence

Announcing: Walsh, John, “Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd.,” in G.D. Sardana and Tojo Thatchenkery, eds., Building Competencies for Sustainability and Organizational Excellence (Macmillan: New Delhi, 2011), pp.253-61.

It’s the same abstract as the one from a few posts ago but I am going to put in back again:

Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd. is part of Cambodia’s Mong Reththy Group and was created in 2002 to develop some 64 hectares of land in the southwest of the country as a private sector port, integrated with special economic zone, resort area and other facilities. Cambodia has been moving towards the factory age or the East Asian Economic Model, in which low labour costs provide competitiveness for large-scale manufacturing of mostly low value-added products primarily aimed at exporting. Clearly, an efficient port and attendant infrastructure will be of great assistance in promoting industrialization of the country. Further, infrastructure is an enabling technology that should provide benefits to anyone who wishes to take advantage of it, from individuals right up to the largest corporations. However, there is some concern that making this vital part of the country’ economic development solely part of the private sector is a form of the new enclosure of the commons and that, since it will reduce the role and effectiveness of state agencies within its confines, workers’ rights and protections will be compromised. This case study uses thick description of the Cambodian market, in the context of Mekong Region industrialisation more generally, to analyse the extent to which infrastructure provision is likely to benefit the country as a whole, the equitable distribution of new income opportunities and the social development of the country. Students will be asked to consider whether the existing public-private relationship may be considered to be optimal and what alternatives might be suggested. Additionally, they will be encouraged to debate the various routes to economic development and which of these should be chosen both by Cambodia and by other countries facing the same developmental goals.

Keywords: Cambodia, infrastructure, corruption, economic development, government

Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd.

I am off on Wednesday morning for my annual trip to New Delhi for the Case Management Conference, which this year is based at Greater Noida. The abstract is below:

Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd.

Type of Case: Teaching

Focus of Case: the business-government relationship, globalization of emerging economies, ethics of investment

Abstract: Okhna Mong Port Co. Ltd. is part of Cambodia’s Mong Reththy Group and was created in 2002 to develop some 64 hectares of land in the southwest of the country as a private sector port, integrated with special economic zone, resort area and other facilities. Cambodia has been moving towards the factory age or the East Asian Economic Model, in which low labour costs provide competitiveness for large-scale manufacturing of mostly low value-added products primarily aimed at exporting. Clearly, an efficient port and attendant infrastructure will be of great assistance in promoting industrialization of the country. Further, infrastructure is an enabling technology that should provide benefits to anyone who wishes to take advantage of it, from individuals right up to the largest corporations. However, there is some concern that making this vital part of the country’ economic development solely part of the private sector is a form of the new enclosure of the commons and that, since it will reduce the role and effectiveness of state agencies within its confines, workers’ rights and protections will be compromised. This case study uses thick description of the Cambodian market, in the context of Mekong Region industrialisation more generally, to analyse the extent to which infrastructure provision is likely to benefit the country as a whole, the equitable distribution of new income opportunities and the social development of the country. Students will be asked to consider whether the existing public-private relationship may be considered to be optimal and what alternatives might be suggested. Additionally, they will be encouraged to debate the various routes to economic development and which of these should be chosen both by Cambodia and by other countries facing the same developmental goals.

Keywords: Cambodia, infrastructure, corruption, economic development, government

I will probably be out of contact for a few days during the conference but will be back home on Sunday. Monday is a holiday and Father’s Day (it’s the King’s Birthday) and back in the office on Tuesday.

Incidentally, sometimes it is spelt ‘Okhna’ and sometimes ‘Oknha.’

Slavery in the Modern World

Just landed on my desk is the handsome, two volume set of Slavery in the Modern World: A History of Political, Social, and Economic Oppression from ABC-Clio (
http://abc-clio.com/product.aspx?isbn=9781851097838
). I mention this because I have half a dozen entries inside:

Walsh, John, “Burma” (Vol.1, pp.151-3), “Cambodia” (Vol.1, pp.158-60), “State Law and Order Committee” (Vol.2, pp.501-3), “Thailand” (Vol.2, pp.517-9), “World Bank” (Vol.2, pp.586-8) and “World Trade Organization” (Vol.2, pp.591-3), in Junius P. Rodriguez, eds., Slavery in the Modern World: A History of Political, Social, and Economic Oppression (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 2011).

Order a set for your library or buy one for your friends, if you have any.