Lessons For Multinational Enterprises: The Case of Empowerment And Institutional Change In Thailand

Abstract

Institutional change occurs when individual actors behave in a manner beneficial to the long-term development of the organization. The current era of international development focuses on peoples' movements, which utilize local institutional entrepreneurs to guide the future of the organization through empowered action. With a triple sector approach, government, business, and nongovernmental organizations work together with local citizens to cultivate a culture of empowerment within development projects. This paper presents a case study conducted during four months of research in the villages of Northeastern Thailand. Through translated exchanges with villagers, nongovernmental organizers, corporations, and government officials, various management methods within wildlife sanctuaries are compared and analyzed in the context of empowerment. This research yields lessons for multinational enterprises in Thailand, suggesting benchmarking and local partnerships as an effective means of creating sustainable development projects.