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“Businesses listed on the mai are smart enterprises. They don’t require a lot of funds but rather invest with their brains and wisely. These businesses can take advantage of a business cluster and network, as well as being able to differentiate themselves. Today’s workshop will supply the government with information from the private sector or the demand side. This will provide a different viewpoint as previously the government mostly saw things only from the government’s side,” Dr. Suvit said.
Ms. Sopawadee Lertmanaschai, Chairperson of the mai’s advisory committee, said that today the mai has played a role in linking businesses and the government. This is an extension of its role from the one it plays in the primary market.
“Today, participating CEOs proposed ideas about high-impact initiative (HII) projects which link the government and private sectors in a so-called ‘co-creation’ process. These projects will yield extensive work plans based upon mutual benefits and value creation”, she noted.
Ms. Sopawadee also added that the four projects to be focused on are: 1) Man-made, value-added attractions, e.g., creating attractions in addition to existing natural attractions so as to create a competitive advantage; 2) Media hub, focusing on media-related businesses, e.g., developing quality news stations; 3) Smart card project, uniting several businesses from both the public and private sectors to create synergies; and 4) Health for the aging, focusing on health-related businesses, e.g., spas or long-stay tourism. The country’s service industry will also seek to set up a set of clear business standards.
CEOs in sectors related to the above 4 industries had been assigned to study these matters in more detail and will produce a white paper prior to meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak for further discussions.
Mr. Vichate Tantiwanich, President of the mai, said that participating CEOs suggested that the government and business sector play different roles. While the government should be creating a country brand, the private sector’s businesses should be creating their own product brands.
Mr. Vichate also talked about the success of the mai FANZI Club’s first activity today. The event successfully brought together the CEOs of small- and medium-sized firms to meet and exchange their views and experiences, and jointly propose ideas for developing small businesses to the government, utilizing the mai as their intermediary.
The acronym of ‘FANZI’ Club is aimed at reflecting the characteristics of its environment and the blended characteristics of its members. The acronym was derived from: F = Full Cooperation, A = Accountability, N = Networking, Z = Zero Defect and I = Innovation. Thus the ‘FANZI Club’ will focus on encouraging its members to manage their businesses based upon good corporate governance, transparency, fairness, accountability, and to act as good models for others.
