Given the observed presence of teamwork and employee loyalty, possibly commitment is the more pertinent precursor to employee performance than job satisfaction in the environment assessed.

Other hygiene factors, such as supervision, working conditions, relationships with coworkers and status did not elicit overwhelming dissatisfaction among the employees. These results support the findings of Garibaldi de Hilal ([18]), who noted that ambiguity, hierarchy and relational networks permeate Brazilian organizational culture. It may be that these workplace factors are important in service industries and in South American organizations.

Perhaps Thailand’s fun fixation is explained by religion. Thailand is, of course, a Buddhist nation, and sanuk is a Buddhist concept, a reminder of the impermanence of everything and the importance of living in the moment.

It’s a life philosophy that values harmony, avoids confrontation, and recognises, in a very Buddhist way, that all of life is transitory. What seems like a life-or-death matter probably isn’t. And for some Westerners, especially those doing business in Thailand, the twin philosophies of sanuk and mai pen rai can be frustrating. Efficiency (in the short term at least) suffers when everyone is busy having fun.

Western culture is task-focused and direct. Thai culture is process-focused and indirect. Fun is not something done in order to achieve an outcome – such as relaxation or team building – but is pursued for its own sake.

A close companion to sanuk is the Thai concept of mai pen rai, variously translated as “don’t bother”, “never mind” or “no problem”. It is not meant negatively, as in “never mind, I’ll do it myself”, but, rather, as a reminder of what truly matters, as in “never mind; this too shall pass”.

Yes, but you Americans take your fun very seriously. We Thais do not. We don’t believe in this work-hard, play-hard mentality. Our fun is interspersed throughout the day.”“What do you mean?”“It could be a smile or a laugh during the work day. It’s not as uptight as in America.”

But for Thais, fun is not optional. In fact, Thais use another term, len, or “to play”, to describe activities like academic research and business meetings – ones that most Westerners don’t associate with playfulness. This seemingly contradictory dynamic can be seen in Thai offices; workers look like they’re joking around – yet, somehow, eventually, the work gets done.

“If it’s not sanuk it’s not worth doing,” said Sumet Jumsai, one of Thailand’s best-known architects, as the glorious madness of Bangkok swirled just outside his office. “People will resign from a good-paying job because it’s not fun.”

Sanuk is not fun as mindless diversion or frivolity; it’s fun as an intrinsically valuable activity.

Yet the region might be the best option for social-network companies to tap demand given the time spent on chat and social apps, which is significantly higher than in the U.S., analysts say.

Consumers in Southeast Asia rely on sales assistants for advice and enjoy bargaining, behavior that is playing out through Facebook’s Messenger platform, said Nadia Tan, head of the company’s small-medium businesses unit in Southeast Asia. In Thailand, for example, users send twice as many Facebook messages to businesses each month as the global average, the company said.

Social-media websites such as Facebook and Naver Corp. 035420 1.63% ’s Line are luring consumers by using messaging as a tool and introducing shopping features, rapidly expanding into e-commerce in a region of 620 million people that includes Indonesia and Thailand.

About 30% of online sales in Southeast Asia—a region with 150 million digital consumers—occurred through social networks in 2016, estimates consulting firm Bain & Co. That compares with just 7% of the roughly 287 million internet users who are likely to buy from social networks in the U.S., according to London-based market-research firm GlobalWebIndex.

Their success has been propelled by millions of small to midsize enterprises, growing smartphone penetration, and a fragmented e-commerce landscape where the region lacks a dominant competitor like Amazon.com Inc.

Buyers typically discover products on Facebook or Instagram, then reach out to the seller using messaging apps such as Line or WhatsApp to find out more details and complete the purchase in person.