Benefits of Foreign Language Skills in Foreign Businesses in Thailand

Tongtong Ketngam
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Tongtong Ketngam: Pridi Banomyong International College, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand

International Journal of Business and Administrative Studies, 2019, vol. 5, issue 1, 37-52

Abstract: Foreign language skills in Thailand have become an important key to professional advancement and business operations. Having some fluency in a language other than the employee’s native language improves employee coordination, clientele satisfaction, business operations, and business management. Foreign language proficiency skills of Thai employees in business firms facilitate smoother communication and coordination between local headquarters and offshore subsidiaries. Most employers and owners consider foreign language proficiency skills as assets to their business operations, but surprisingly not all do. This paper focuses on the role and influence of foreign language in five business firms in Rayong Province, Thailand. It concentrates on four foreign languages: English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. The primary purpose is to assess the benefits of foreign language proficiency to Thai employees in the five selected firms. This paper shows that there is indeed a close relationship between degree of benefit and level of foreign language proficiency. It finds that foreign language skill improves the promotion opportunities, income, prestige and working conditions of Thai employees. Thus, Thai employees in Rayong who have a good command of any of the four foreign languages studied here have more advantages and opportunities, compared to Thai employees who lack such skills.

Keywords: Foreign language; skills; clientele satisfaction; business operations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:apa:ijbaas:2019:p:37-52

DOI: 10.20469/ijbas.5.10005-1

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