Qualitative business sustainability assessment by implementing innovative communication tools: A discussion from SME cases in Thailand.

Abstract

This study presents the results of a study that examined the possibilities and prospects for ef-fective marketing through the introduction of advanced technologies such as metaverse in the context of sustainable development of small businesses in Thailand. Text mining was applied to interview data from 24 people, consisted of (1)16 managers of microenterprises in Thailand's agricultural and apparel sectors and (2) eight experts and advisors on ICT-based management choices, to model the direction of business support for small businesses and is-sues that should not be missed. As a result, it was found that the actual business owners, although interested in and curious about the latest cutting-edge technologies, do not have a concrete image of their implementa-tion, but rather are busy dealing with daily succession issues and the negative impact of COVID, and do not understand the benefits of management innovation through the operation of cutting-edge technologies at this point. It was suggested that the first priority is to under-stand the benefits of management innovation through the use of advanced technology. On the other hand, while understanding these challenges on the management side, the advisors and consultants would like to see supervision and efficient intervention by international support groups in the public sector and in the Asian and global markets, with young researchers, expe-rienced entrepreneurs, and universities from within and outside the country. They were keenly aware of the urgent need to create a platform for coordination and collaboration through the Triple Helix. Both groups also highlighted the fact that the implementation of advanced technologies such as metaverse and its prospects could not be easily understood, and that without an image and visualization of the implementation, it would not be easy to benefit from the advantages of the technology. Based on the results of these analyses, this study proposes a conceptual model to guide further discussions and interventions in the future.