MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNITY ECONOMY IN RAYONG PROVINCE

Abstract

Objectives of this research article were 1. to study the management of community’s economy in Rayong Province. 2. To study factors affecting the management of community economy and 3. To propose the appropriate method for the management of the community economy by using the mixed research methods. The quantitative research, data were collected from 378 samples, purposively sampling from OTOP customers, with questionnaires with reliability value level at 0.969.and data were analyzed with frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The qualitative research collected data from 20 key informants purposefully selected with structured in-depth-interview script by face-to-face-interviewing and from 10 participants in focus group discussion. Data were analyzed by descriptive interpretation. Findings were that the community economy in Rayong Province. Mostly the OTOP products, were the most popular that helped communities earn high incomes from tourists who came to the ocean and to fruit gardens in seasons. Rayong Province still lacked community economy management such as lacking of the committee to control product quality, marketing, public relations and coordination with other agencies, government and privates. The factors affecting the community economy movement consisted of 5 factors, from low to high levels as 1) annual budget for management and development of community economy, 2) product quality, 3) personnel, continuously developed, 4) management with annual market plan and 5) Papanikadhamma; the principles of successful merchants and leaders consisted of Cakkhuma; vision, shrewd, Vithuro, capable of administering business and Nissayasampanno, having good credits, good human relations. As for the appropriate model for the management of community economy in Rayong Province was the integration of 4 M’s principles: Man, Money, Materials and Management with Papanikadhamma with 3 principles. These two principles were integrated into an appropriate model of community economy management in Rayong Province.