Mahidol University International College

About: Mahidol University International College is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Tourism & Corporate governance. The organization has 240 authors who have published 485 publications receiving 6095 citations.

The challenge of implementing sustainable tourism policy: a 360-degree assessment of Thailand's “7 Greens sustainable tourism policy”

Abstract: It is relatively easy to write sustainable tourism policies, but much harder to implement them. This paper examines the implementation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's award winning “7 Greens” sustainable tourism policy, announced in 2008, and piloted on the mature destination island of Koh Samui from 2012 onwards, as well as in three other areas. 7 Greens seeks to engage all stakeholders directly and indirectly involved in tourism to work collaboratively for the development of a more sustainable sector. The Tourism Authority feels the Samui pilot case has been successful, but the lead author, adopting a 360-degree survey method, found stakeholders were much more equivocal about the project. The study showed strong in-principle support, but little effective buy-in and even less willingness to take a leadership role. Stakeholders also identified a number of weaknesses in the policy that they felt limited its utility, including a lack of clear objectives, failure to define terms, lack of collaboration...

The impact of blended e-learning on undergraduate academic essay writing in English (L2)

Abstract: This paper describes a quasi-experimental study into the impact of a blended e-learning environment on academic writing assignments in English (L2) at a Thai international college. An experimental group of 15 students used an on-line bulletin board, as well as face-to-face (F2F) communication in class, to share information for essay topics they were preparing. The control group of 15 students, constituted from two smaller classes, used only F2F for the same task. The experimental and control groups were then compared on three variables for each of the three essays they wrote: number of references used; word count; essay score. The research hypothesis was that the use of the bulletin board would compensate for the larger class size of the experimental group and result in no difference in performance between the two groups. Results indicated that the experimental group had higher means on six of the nine outcomes, though these were not statistically significant, suggesting that the bulletin board may have more than compensated for the larger class size. The discussion includes consideration of how better control over the experimental conditions might lead to greater leverage of an on-line bulletin board as part of a blended learning environment.

Removal of lead from contaminated soils by Typha angustifolia

Abstract: A greenhouse study was demonstrated for removal of lead (Pb) from contaminated soil by the narrow — leaved cattail, Typha angustifolia. The plants were grown in sandy loam soil containing various concentrations of Pb(NO3)2 (53.3, 106.7, 160, 213.3, and 266.7 mg Pb kg-1 soil). Most lead was accumulated in roots and then transported to leaves. In soil contaminated with 266.7 mg kg-1 of lead, the plants accumulated 7492.6 mg Pb kg-1 dry weight in the roots and 167 mg Pb kg-1 dry weight in the leaves. Yet, no growth retardation from lead was detected. T. angustifolia has high potential as a plant to clean up lead contaminated soil due to its vigorous growth, high biomass productivity, and because it is a perennial in nature. Further work is required to study on the iron plaque formation and its role in metal immobilization.

How do independent directors view corporate social responsibility (CSR)? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment

Abstract: We investigate how independent directors view corporate social responsibility (CSR). Exploiting the passage of the Sarbanes‐Oxley (SOX) Act and the associated exchange listing requirements as an exogenous regulatory shock, we document that independent directors view CSR activities unfavorably. In particular, firms forced to raise board independence reduce CSR engagement significantly relative to those not required to increase board independence. Our results are consistent with the risk‐mitigation view and the agency cost hypothesis where managers over‐invest in CSR to mitigate their own exposure to nonsystematic risk. The over‐investments in CSR are curbed in the presence of a stronger, more independent, board of directors. Several robustness checks confirm the results, including fixed‐effects and random‐effects regressions, dynamic panel data analysis, instrumental‐variable analysis, propensity score matching, Lewbel's heteroscedastic identification, and Oster's method for coefficient stability. We also confirm the risk‐mitigation hypothesis by showing that CSR activities reduce firm risk significantly. Our research design is much less vulnerable to endogeneity and is therefore likely to show a causal effect of board independence on CSR.