The Adaptation of Sport Entrepreneurs to the Transition into an Aging Society

Authors

  • Onanong Wichinrotjaral School of Business Administration, Bangkok University
  • Hatthaya Yamchuti General Education, Thonburi University
  • Worawan Sirichana Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University

Keywords:

Entrepreneurial Resourcefulness, Aging Society, Business Adaptability, Sport Entrepreneurs

Abstract

This study examines how entrepreneurial resourcefulness—across personal, people, and political dimensions—supports the business adaptability of sports entrepreneurs within the context of Thailand’s rapidly aging society. Employing a qualitative methodology with in-depth, semi-structured interviews of five sports entrepreneurs, the study reveals that personal resourcefulness (e.g., strategic thinking, resilience), people resourcefulness (e.g., empathy-driven service, team collaboration), and political resourcefulness (e.g., navigating government support schemes) collectively enhance adaptability and strategy development. While personal and people dimensions are foundational across all cases, political engagement varies significantly, highlighting structural gaps in policy accessibility for SMEs. The findings contribute to entrepreneurship literature by framing resourcefulness as a multi-level construct and offer practical insights for aligning business strategies with demographic shifts.

References

Bakker, A. B., Albrecht, S. L., & Leiter, M. P. (2011). Key questions regarding work engagement. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 20(1), 4-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2010.485352

Bann, C. L. (2007). Entrepreneurial lives: A phenomenological study of the lived experience of the entrepreneur Doctoral dissertation. Capella University.

Diaconu, L., & Diaconu, D. (2013). Human Resource Flexibility and Organizational Adaptability. Procedia Economics and Finance, 6, 235-243. https://doi.org/10.37476/presed.v2i1.56

Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532–550. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1989.4308385

Foundation of Thai Gerontology Research and Development Institute (TGRI). (2021). Situation of the Thai older persons (2021). Nakhon Pathom: Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University.

Ganz, M. (2000). Resources and resourcefulness: Strategic capacity in the unionization of California agriculture, 1959–1966. American Journal of Sociology, 105(4), 1003-1062. https://doi.org/10.1086/210398

Han-fei, L., Tan, J., & Tan, D. (2007). Market-oriented dynamic capabilities and firm performance in a Chinese transitional economy. Journal of Business Research, 60(1), 11-17. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217590823500236

Hannan, M. T., & Freeman, J. (1984). Structural inertia and organizational change. American Sociological Review, 49(2), 149-164. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095567

Jaafar, M., & Abdul-Aziz, A.-R. (2014). Resource-Based View and Critical Success Factors: A Study on Small and Medium Sized Contracting Enterprises (SMCEs) in Malaysia. The International Journal of Construction Management, 5(2), 61–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2005.10773075

Kodden, C. (2020). Mental resources and adaptability: Key factors for achieving sustainable outcomes. Springer.

Malterud, K., Siersma, V. D., & Guassora, A. D. (2016). Sample size in qualitative interview studies: guided by information power. Qualitative Health Research, 26(13), 1753-1760. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732315617444

Mazai, L. (2023). The internal factors of stress resistance as elements of future psychologists’ professional resourcefulness. Personality and Environmental Issues, 2(5), 35-44. https://doi.org/10.31652/2786-6033-2023-3(5)-35-44

National Statistical Office. (2021). Population and housing census 2020: Births and deaths. National Statistical Office, Thailand.

Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council. (2020). Population estimates for Thailand, National Statistical Office, Thailand.

Omar, M. K., Romli, A. H., Azeem, N., & Zakaria, A. (2023). Relationship between career adaptability and employability skills: Towards engineering graduates’ career development. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(12), 5026-5039. https://doi.org/10.31652/2786-6033-2023-3(5)-35-4410.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i12/20351

Othman, R., Alias, N. E., Mohd Nazir, S. S. A., & Koe, W. L. (2022). The influence of employability skills toward career adaptability. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(7), 2035-2046. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i7/14445

Pérez-Marqués, M., Letona-Ibañez, O., Amillano, A., Carrasco, M., & Martínez-Rodríguez, S. (2023). Effects of three personal resources interventions on employees’ burnout. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 21530. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49000-9

Quagrainie, F.A., Kabalan, A.A.M., Adams, S., & Dankwa, A.D. (2023). 3Ps model of entrepreneurial resourcefulness among micro-youth entrepreneurs. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 15(5), 1194-1214. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-07-2021-0276

Rodrigues, M., Franco, M., Silva, R., & Oliveira, C. (2021). Success Factors of SMEs: Empirical Study Guided by Dynamic Capabilities and Resources-Based View. Sustainability, 13(21), 12301. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112301

Sambasivan, M., & Rahman, A. (2004). The influence of organizational culture on attitudes toward organizational change. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 25, 161-179. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730410521831

Savchenko, O., Vasiliev, A., & Dovgalyuk, N. (2023). Resourcefulness as an important indicator of personal well-being. In Well-being across the globe: New perspectives - Concepts, correlates and geography.

Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic management Journal, 18(7), 509-533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7<509::AID-SMJ882>3.0.CO;2-Z

Wei, X., Wang, T., Chen, Y., Lyulyov, O., & Pimonenko, T. (2023). The Effects of Population Aging on Sports Industry Development: The Mediating Effect of Technological Innovation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2085. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032085

Yin, R. K. (2009). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks CA.

Downloads

Published

2026-02-05

How to Cite

Wichinrotjaral, O., Yamchuti, H., & Sirichana, W. (2026). The Adaptation of Sport Entrepreneurs to the Transition into an Aging Society. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Thonburi University, 20(1), 1–13. retrieved from https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/trujournal/article/view/294384

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2026): January - April

Section

บทความวิจัย

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Hatthaya Yamchuti, Onanong Wichinrotjaral, Worawan Sirichana

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

ผลงานที่ปรากฎในวารสารฉบับนี้เป็นลิขสิทธิ์เฉพาะส่วนบุคคลของผู้เขียนซึ่งต้องรับผิดชอบต่อผลทาง กฎหมายที่อาจเกิดขึ้นได้และไม่มีผลต่อกองบรรณาธิการ