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[Archives of Easy Business English]
September 01, 2010

Bridging the gap between Thai universities and business world by matching human resources

By Jon Fernquest

robot competitionIdeally business networking would match business people with scientists and researchers in universities.

Relationships between these two groups of people do not develop automatically.

That's why the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) of Thailand's government is sponsoring a special event to help develop these relationships.

Business plan competitions are another useful event that bridges the gap between universities and the business world (Read previous articles on competitions in Thailand #1 and #2 also see archives).

Today's article begins after the vocabulary.

Photo on right of  King Mongkut University of Technology winners of 2010 World RoboCup competition in Singapore. Technology competitions such as this are another important kind of event bridging the divide between university and the business world.

Research collaboration between Thai and foreign universities also helps to bridge the divide (Read on 
science collaboration with Australian universities). 

Engineering joint ventures between Thai and foreign companies also bridge the gap (Read on Thai-Chinese high speed train project).

business networking - when business people meet and get to know each other (See Wikipedia)
relationship - when two or more people or organizations have a close involvement and interactions with each other (examples: business relationship, romantic relationship)
automatically - without people doing anything
National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) - the Thai government agency driving rapid science and technology development (See description)
business plan - "a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals" (See Wikipedia)
business plan competition - an event in which many students present their business ideas and plans, judges decide which are the ones most likely to succeed, most business schools have such a competition (See video on how to win)
bridges the gap - connects two things that are not connected (starts communication and relationship building)
2010 World RoboCup competition - a recent competition in Singapore in which students compete to build the best robot (See website)  
human resources - people with the knowledge and skills they possess, put to use by organizations and companies when they are hired as employees (See Wikipedia)
collaboration - working with other others to produce things and achieve goals
joint ventures - a company owned and operated by two or more other companies

BUSINESS NETWORKING

Matching fair due next month

31/08/2010
Yuthana Praiwan

Thailand's first event matching business operators, scientists and researchers will take place next month

The expo is being organised by the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), which has invited more than 300 business operators from the industrial and service sectors to exhibit their research projects.

expo - an event with large numbers of people coming to view things being shown (new products, technology, art, information about a country)
due - expected to happen or should happen มีกำหนด
operators - companies running a certain kind of business
exhibit - show something publicly, so people can learn about it

The NSTDA will have more than 25 projects on hand at NSTDA Investors' Day, to be held on Sept 16 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok.

The NSTDA has been providing services to business operators for the past four years, particularly small and medium-sized entrepreneurs.

The policy is in line with government plans to enhance the country's economic competitiveness.

on hand - have, exist, are present at a place
Queen Sirikit National Convention Center - a large building used for events, conferences and fairs, located in dowentown Bangkok, connected to the rest of the city by subway, opened in 1991 (See Wikipedia)
entrepreneurs - business people เจ้าของกิจการ
policy - a set of plans or action agreed on by a government, political party, business, or other group to guide decisions and achieve outcomes นโยบาย (See Wikipedia)
in line with - agreeing with, following
enhance - to improve the quality, amount or strength of something ทำให้ดีเพิ่มขึ้น, ทำให้ดีขึ้น
competitiveness - how well a business can do compared to other firms (does it have lower price or higher quality?) การแข่งขัน

NSTDA president Thaweesak Koanantakool said five projects that will be highlighted at the fair are a silk-strengthening substance, a kit to test for drug allergies in dogs, high efficiency methods for marine life breeding, a new lightweight concrete made from artificial materials and a simulation programme for the analysis of orthodontic models.

This event will match business operators, researchers and scientists in a bid to find business solutions," said Dr Thaweesak.

highlighted - emphasized; stressed; made more noticeable ที่เน้นย้ำ
substance - some kind of solid, gas or liquid (example: wood is a solid substance and water is a liquid substance)
allergy - a medical condition when a person is oversensitive and reacts negatively to some substance in the food, in the air or from some other contact (See Wikipedia)
drug allergies - when a patient has a negative allergic reaction to some drug (See Wikipedia)
efficiency - waste little time, energy and resources in doing a task (minimize time, energy and resources in performing a task) (See glossary) การทำงานอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ คุ้มค่าเวลาและใช้พลังงานหรือต้นทุนในการผลิตน้อย เพื่อให้ได้ผลผลิตมาก
marine - relating to the sea and creatures that live in it เกี่ยวกับทะเล
breeding - the keeping of animals or plants in order to produce young animals from them การผสมพันธุ์สัตว์เพื่อขยายพันธุ์
concrete -
artificial - not natural, made by humans จำลอง ที่มนุษย์สร้างขึ้น ที่ประดิษฐ์ขึ้น
simulation - imitation of a real thing or situation, an artificial copy but with lifelike features (See Wikipedia)
orthodontistry 
(noun) - dental treatment to put teeth into correct position so that they look better (cosmetic) and there is no "improper bite" (malocclusion) (See Wikipedia)
orthodontic (adjective)
models - a system, a simple description of how a system works (to help you understand it) 
match - to look the same as or very similar to something else ซึ่งไม่คู่ควร
bid - an attempt to do something ความพยายาม

Discussions regarding investments or licencing patents or joint ventures with the NSTDA or a venture capital fund will be discussed under the mechanism of the Technology Licensing Office.

The agency has previously sought potential investors through business model contests organised by state universities but has found it difficult to find appropriate candidates.

licensed (adjective) - have official permission from government or a business to do some activity or use something that they control
license (noun) - official permission (See Wikipedia)
patent - legal rights to use an invention and to prevent the invention from being used by others, details of invention must be revealed to government patent office (See Wikipedia)
licencing patents - pay owner of patent to use the idea and technology in the patent 
technology licensing - when a company pays another company to use its technology
Technology Licensing Office - the office at a university or government in charge of selling technology developed within the university or country
joint - done with someone else ร่วมกัน
venture - a new business which involves risk or uncertainty ธุริกิจเสี่ยงแต่สามารถทำกำไรได้
joint ventures - a company owned and operated by two or more other companies
capital - money invested in a business (See glossary)
venture capital - private equity capital provided by professional outside investors to new, growth businesses. Cash is exchanged for shares in a usually high risk company with above-average returns (See Wikipedia)
fund - to provide money for something เงินทุน กองทุน, ให้เงินทุน
potential - possible ความเป็นไปได้
potential investors - possible investors
business model contests - see "business plan competition" above
state - government รัฐ
state universities - universities owned and operated by governments
appropriate -
suitable, right for a certain situation or purpose
candidates
- one of several people competing to be selected for some special position (job, elected government official, etc)

Last year, the NSTDA was able to establish only two joint venture projects, with Anglo Thai Ceramic Co and Micro Innovate Co, on which it spent 200 million baht for equity investment.

Next year, we plan to join with the Stock Exchange of Thailand to set up a venture capital fund and expand solutions for business operators, as Thailand is becoming more of a high-tech-based economy," said Dr Thaweesak.

establish - to start a company or organization that will likely continue for a long time สถาปนา, ก่อตั้ง, จัดตั้ง
equity - money for a business that comes from owners, not borrowed money (debt) เงินลงทุน ที่มาจากการระดมหุ้นของหุ้นส่วน และผู้มีกรรมสิทธิ
investment - taking your money and putting it into projects to make a profit or earn interest (buying stock shares, bonds, real estate)
expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป

(Source: BUSINESS NETWORKING, Matching fair due next month, 31/08/2010, Yuthana Praiwan, link


August 31, 2010

Thai-China high speed train joint-venture: End to long Bangkok commutes?

By Jon Fernquest

highspeed trainCan you imagine jumping on a train next to the office and zooming home in under 10 minutes?

Some people I work with in downtown Bangkok have horrendous commutes from home to work and back everyday.

They take a combination of subway, vans and buses and sit, walk, stand and wait for as long as an hour and a half to get from home to work.

Today's article is about a possible joint-venture between the Thai and Chinese governments to build high speed trains in Thailand.

China's high-tech magnetic levitation Maglev train travels from Shanghai to the airport in a record breaking 7 to 8 minutes traveling as fast as 431 km/h (268 mph) (Read Wikipedia). 

Today's article starts after the vocabulary below.

zoom - moving with great speed and energy
horrendous - extremely shocking and bad
commute (noun) - the trip a person takes each day from their home to their work in the morning and then in the evening from their work back to their home 
joint - done with someone else ร่วมกัน
joint-venture - company owned and operated by two or more other companies
magnetic levitation - a technology "by which an object is suspended with no support other than magnetic fields. Magnetic pressure is used to counteract the effects of the gravitational and any other accelerations" (See Wikipedia)
Maglev train - Shanghai Magnetic Levitation Demonstration Operation Line, "a magnetic levitation train (maglev) line that operates in Shanghai, China. It is notable for being the first commercial high-speed maglev line in the world — during a test run on November 12, 2003, a Maglev vehicle achieved a Chinese record speed of 501 km/h (311 mph) (non-commercial top speed). The journey was designed to connect Shanghai Pudong International Airport quickly to the outskirts of central Shanghai where passengers could interchange for their final destinations in the city centre" (See Wikipedia)

Transport

Development on Fast track

So much to gain from new rail routes
31/08/2010
Somporn Thapanachai

While the cabinet will today consider approving the framework of joint investment between Thailand and China on the development of high-speed train routes in Thailand, both public and private sectors believe faster rail transit will benefit the country economically and socially.

China’s Maglev train, which travels 30 kilometres between Longyang Rd Station and Shanghai International Airport in just over seven minutes, is the fastest commercial train in the world.

development - the gradual growth and improvement of a country's economy
fast track - a way of achieving a goal or completing a project more quickly (like traveling along a faster railway track)
framework - a system of rules, ideas or beliefs that is used to plan or decide something ขอบข่ายงาน, โครงร่าง
investment - taking your money and putting it into projects to make a profit or earn interest (buying stock shares, bonds, real estate)
sector - a part of a country's economic or business activity, (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia)  ภาค (เศรษฐกิจ)
private sector - all the businesses and companies in an economy 

public sector - the government
transit - the act of moving from one place to another การเดินทางผ่าน
benefit - to get help or an advantage from something ผลประโยชน์
commercial - run by a company for profit (not owned by the government)

The investments would develop high-speed trains with speeds of around 250 kilometres per hour. Three routes with an investment value of approximately 480 billion baht are now under consideration: Bangkok-Nong Khai, Bangkok-Rayong and Bangkok-Padang Besar.

Supa Piyajitti, director-general of State Enterprise Policy Office, said state-run organisations with the potential to join the investment were the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), which owns land plots along possible routes, and the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), which has technical expertise.

consideration - giving careful thought to something before making a decision
state - government รัฐ
potential - might happen in the future ความเป็นไปได้
land plots - pieces of land
State Railway of Thailand (SRT) - the state-owned rail operator of Thailand, การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย (SeeWikipedia)
Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) - the government agency responsible for mass transportation in and around Bangkok, founded in 1992 under Prime Minister Anand (See websiteand Wikipedia on Bangkok Metro)
technical - involving materials, processes, and machines that do specialised work (example: computers, electronics, manufacturing)  เฉพาะทาง
expertise - special skills or knowledge from study or practical experience ความถนัด ทักษะความรู้, ความคิดเห็นของผู้เชี่ยวชาญ ความชำนาญเฉพาะทาง
technical expertise - having special knowledge or skills in some technical area like computers, electronics, engineering and manufacturing

She said a memorandum of understanding on the Thai-Chinese joint investment would identify only the main topics of co-operation. Once it receives cabinet approval, the MOU must be approved by parliament as the government needs to conduct a public hearing on the issue. "Details of possible co-operation have already been drafted but cannot be disclosed at the moment. The timeframe for development will depend on when the parliament approves the MOU," she said.

memorandum - an informal legal agreement ข้อตกลง
memorandum of understanding (MOU) - a informal agreement that provides a framework for cooperation on activities, establishes policies or procedures of mutual concern, and/or establishes expectations between two or more parties (See Wikipedia)
identify - to specify ระบุ
identify - find, locate
co-operation - working together to achieve goals
approval - official permission การอนุมัต
conduct - to do something in an organised way; to carry out
hearing - an official meeting which presents the facts of some issue before a decision is made 
public hearing - a hearing that is open to the public, the public can listen and learn about some new program or project and then respond by giving feedback, suggestions and/or criticism 

issue - an important subject that people are arguing about or discussing ประเด็น
draft - to write up an official document
moment - a very short period of time; a particular time or occasion ชั่วขณะ, โอกาสสำคัญ
timeframe - the length of time during which an event or a poject happens ในกรอบเวลาที่ระบุำไว้

A joint Thai-Chinese company with 50:50 ownership will be established, each side with authority to arrange investors. It is unlikely the SRT would invest alone in the joint venture as the law forbids a state enterprise to enter an investment in which a foreigner has more than 49% ownership.

Ms Supa said the joint venture would not require vast capital as the new firm could seek funding for development of a high-speed train system and repay the debt from income generated from its operation. Thai partners would be expected to provide land which, after the rail is constructed, will be given to the government.

established - started, set up or built for the first time 
authority - the power to make decisions or tell people what to do อำนาจ, อำนาจในการสั่งการ
venture - a new business, which usually involves some risk or uncertainty ธุริกิจเสี่ยงแต่สามารถทำกำไรได้
enterprise - an organization, especially a business กิจการ, บริษัท,อุตสาหกิจ,วิสาหกิจ
state enterprise - a government owned business
vast - very large, of great size ส่วนใหญ่
capital - money invested in a business (See glossary)
firm - a business or company บริษัม
funding - money given for a particular purpose การให้เงินสนับสนุน
debt - an amount of money that you owe หนี้
income - money coming into a company or a household
income generated - money received by a business from customers buying its products or services
partners - the companies owning part of the joint venture หุ้นส่วน
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
provide - to give someone something wanted or needed

Manop Sangiambut, CLSA head of China research, said China plans to export its high-speed train technology to other countries. China earlier applied high-speed train technology from France, Germany and Japan to develop its own technology.

He said the Chinese government usually provides low-interest funding, rail construction and vehicles when investing in other countries.

Ms Supa last week led a Thai delegation to study operations of Chinese high-speed trains in Shanghai.

She said China has both magnetic and electrical train systems, but Thailand requires electrical trains because magnetic trains, running at a maximum speed of 430 km/hour, are too expensive....

interest - payments made for the use of another's money for a period of time
construction - the work of building or making something, especially buildings, bridges, etc. การก่อสร้าง
vehicles - machines with an engine used to carry people or goods from place to place ยานพาหนะ
delegation - a group of people chosen by a group to represent them คณะผู้แทน, คณะบุคคลที่เป็นตัวแทนของคนกลุ่มใหญ่
magnetic - of an object that is able both to attract iron and steel objects and also push them away ซึ่งมีคุณสมบัติเป็นแม่เหล็ก
maximum - the most possible ที่สูงสุด ที่มากที่สุด

(Source: Development on Fast track, So much to gain from new rail routes, 31/08/2010, Somporn Thapanachai, link


August 30, 2010

Supavud Saicheua on Thailand's long-term economic strategy

By Jon Fernquest

Map Ta PhutFollowing in the footsteps of successful Asia countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and China, Thailand has long followed a strategy of export-driven economic growth.

As Thai economist Supavud Saicheua observes, Thailand "opened the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in 1980 - used the gas there as cheap power, used the port there to sell stuff and invited the Japanese multinationals to use Thailand as a production base."

Thailand has fully developed "downstream" industries such as automobile and automobile parts manufacturing, but problems associated with developing upstream industries such as petrochemicals, steel and power generation have yet to be adequately worked out

The court ordered closure of industrial projects Map Ta Phut industrial estate because of the pollution they created is the most visible example of this. 

Today's article below is an extract that describes Thailand's export-driven economic growth strategy. For the full article with Mr. Supavud's opinions on democracy please read here.

proactive industrial policy with government intervention might be a good option for Thailand. Advocates of this approach include economists Dani Rodrik and Ha-Joon Chang.

Without better developed political institutions this approach might not succeed (Read a
previous article by Danny Unger and Patcharee Siroros).

Today's article begins after the vocabulary.  

following in the footsteps - imitating or doing what others who were successful before you did in order to succeed
strategy - a plan to achieve long term goals ('strategy' gives the big picture, 'tactics' the details)
economic growth - (See Wikipedia) and Paul Romer of Stanford's description)
export-driven economic growth - economic growth caused by development of a country's export industry  
Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate - one of Thailand's largest industrial estates located in Rayong (See interactive map)
industrial park, industrial estate - a special area especially for factories with special facilities (roads, transportation, water, electricity, waste disposal) (See Wikipedia)
power - electricity produced in large quantities and used to operate lights, machines, and heating
port - an area of water where ships stop, including the buildings around it ท่าเรือ
base - a place from where an activity or project can be planned and carried ฐานที่มั่น
downstream - at an late stage in the process of producing a product for sale (late in the supply chain)
upstream - at an early stage in the process of producing a product for sale (early in the supply chain)
petrochemicals - chemicals made from oil or natural gas สินค้าหรือผลิตภัณฑ์ปิโตรเคมี
production base - a place used by a company to manufacture and produce goods for other places, regional manufacturing center 
work out a problem - solve a problem
proactive - starting to think about possible problems in some project and start solving them even before they happen
industrial policy
- government policies to promote certain industries that can help the country develop (See Wikipedia)
intervention
- getting involved in an activity that is not usually your responsibility
advocates -
people who agree with and promote certain ideas

Investigative Report

Let the voters sort things out

29/08/2010
Nina Suebsukcharoen

...Mr Supavud said that although the latest data on tourism show improvement, the Thai economy is still mainly export-driven.

Is that sustainable? If you want to sustain it then you must know what you are getting yourself into. If you look at Thailand's economic growth strategy you would have to argue that it has mainly been manufacturing and export-driven, and to do that we basically opened the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in 1980 - used the gas there as cheap power, used the port there to sell stuff and invited the Japanese multinationals to use Thailand as a production base.

investigation (noun) - the process of trying to find out all the details or facts about something in order to discover who or what caused it or how it happened การตรวจสอบหาข้อเท็จจริง
investigative (adjective)
sort things out - being order to a complicated situation, solve a complicated problem
data - facts or information used for making calculations or decisions ข้อมูล
improvement - when something gets better or when you make it better การปรับปรุง, การทำให้ดีขึ้น
sustainable - able to be successfully continued for a long time ยั่งยืน, ถาวร
sustain (verb) - keep something going for a long time
what you are getting yourself into - the difficult situation you face, when you agree to do something

That in a nutshell is Thailand's economic strategy. We have cemented that model with the signing of the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement.

Now we have come to the point where we have fully developed what are called downstream industries - we have automobile production, auto parts production. We need to back this up with upstream industries - petrochemicals, steel, power. But we are having problems developing upstream industries, as is seen with the Map Ta Phut issue.

in a nutshell - summarizing, describing a complicated thing in simple terms
cemented - made strong
Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEP) - name of the free trade agreement between Thailand and Japan  (See Wikipedia)
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) - an agreement between two or more countries to reduce tariffs and other "barriers to trade" over time
issue - a problem that needs to be considered, discussed, debated and solved ประเด็น

So if Thailand wants to continue pursuing this path of being a manufacturing production base for Japan, then we must accept that we have to develop the basic upstream industries as well. And we must resolve this concern about pollution and health in a way that does not become an obstacle to the development of basic industries.

Mr Supavud said that China has both upstream and downstream industries but Malaysia does not because it has not really pursued this strategy. Malaysia exports palm oil and electronic parts. It may have wanted to develop an auto industry and export cars the way Thailand does, but it has not been as successful in this area.

Mr Supavud noted that Singapore also has a different model than Thailand, as it is a trading port and a major financial service centre and is also focusing on high-end health care and scientific research. He said that both Indonesia and Vietnam are in a position to compete with Thailand.

resolve - to solve a problem, or to find a satisfactory way of dealing with it แก้ไขปัญหา, หาทางแก้ปัญหา
concern - a worry ความกังวล
obstacle - a difficulty or problem that prevents you from achieving something อุปสรรค ขวากหนาม สิ่งกีดขวาง
development - the gradual growth and formation of something
trading port -
a place where ships ship large quantities of goods into and out of, as part of the buying and selling of goods 
financial service centre - a central place where many banks are located, from which many loans are issued
high-end - of high quality and expense

(Source: Bangkok Post, Investigative Report, Let the voters sort things out, 29/08/2010, Nina Suebsukcharoen, link


August 27, 2010

Income generated by Thailand's tourism sector to be measured in greater detail

By Jon Fernquest

beer at beachIn 2009 tourism made a 7.91% contribution to Thailand's economy as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

GDP growth in Thailand's tourism sector has some special benefits, spending in this sector: 1. spreads income over more workers, and 2. also allows the more impoverished regions of Thailand to derive benefits from economic growth (See article).

Tourism income generated in Thailand's southern region at 182.2 billion baht far surpassed the next best (the East with Pattaya at 72.78 billion) due to the presence of tourism centers Phuket and Koh Samui.


Today's article begins after the vocabulary.

Photo on right of tourist drinking beer and sunbathing on the beach.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) -  a measure of economic activity in a country, the value of the country's output of goods and services. GDP is defined roughly as: GDP = Household Consumption + Business Investment + Change in Inventories  + (Government Spending - Taxes)  + (Exports - Imports) (See Economist Glossary)
sector - a part of the economy (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) ภาคเศรษฐกิจของประเทศ (See Wikipedia)
contribution - something done to help achieve something or make it successful ผลงาน,การช่วยเหลือ
impoverished - very poor
derive benefits - get benefits
X surpassed Y - X went beyond or did better than Y 
sunbathing - letting the sun hit your skin for long periods of time in order to make your skin darker (See Wikipedia on sun tanning)

Economics
TOURISM

New gauge better reflects industry's contribution

27/08/2010
Chatrudee Theparat

A new tourism gross domestic product index has been prepared to better reflect the industry's large contribution from goods and services in the overall economy.

The tourism sector plays a vital role in the country's economy, but the industry for years has been without a compilation of national tourism income," said Thanittha Maneechote, deputy permanent secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

gauge of Y - something that can used to measure Y 
reflect - to show สะท้อน แสดงถึง
domestic - within the country ภายในประเทศ
vital - extremely important; necessary for the success or continued existence of something จำเป็นสำหรับชีวิต; สำคัญมาก
role - purpose or function in a particular situation บทบาท
compilation (noun) - information brought together from many different places into one book, list, article, etc
income - money that people receive from work or some other source, used for household consumption and savings
national tourism income - all the money that people in a country receive from running tourism businesses
deputy - a person who is given the power to do something instead of another person, or the person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง, ตัวแทน,ผู้รักษาการแทน
permanent - happening for all time in the future ถาวร

The National Economic and Social Development Board has compiled national income data for 16 sectors including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, industry and transport. It also includes hotels and restaurants as well as services. However, the tourism sector covers a broader scope of activities from hotels and restaurants to shopping, retail sales, transport and health services.

Tourism GDP generally measures the total market value of goods and services that are consumed by visitors, minus the cost of the inputs used in producing those goods and services.

The NESDB's tourism income study also covers food expenses for lodging, food and drink, guide services, entertainment, shopping, gifts and transport.

NESDB (National Economic and Social Development Board or "Sa-pa-pat") - Thai government planning agency for economic development, creates five year plans with an agenda of: 1. Alleviation of Poverty and Income Distribution problems, 2. Enhancing Thailand’s Competitiveness, 3. Promoting Social Capital Development, 4. Promoting Sustainable Development (See Wikipedia)
compile (verb) - to bring together information from many different places (for example: to create a book, list, article)
data - facts or information used for making calculations or decisions ข้อมูล
fisheries - fish farms, places to raise fishes
transport - moving people or things from one place to another ขนส่ง
scope of Y - the things dealt with by Y, how many things are dealt with by Y
scope of activities - what things (issues, tasks) a set of activities deals with 
broader scope of activities - when a set of activities deals with more things (issues, tasks)
retail - to sell directly to the public for their own use ขายปลีก

In 2009, tourism income both from foreign visitors and domestic travellers contributed 7.91%, equivalent to 715.98 billion baht of a gross domestic product worth a total of total 9.05 trillion.

When all factors are included, tourism income averaged 11,270.91 baht per head.

The southern region led the table with tourism income of 182.2 billion baht, reflecting large contributions from the islands of Phuket and Samui. The figure was 72.78 billion baht for the East, 58.83 billion for the North, 28.29 billion for the West, and 27.21 billion for the northeastern provinces.

The Central region excluding Bangkok generated the lowest income worth only 15.18 billion baht. Based on national income per head, the South again led with per capita income of 20,673.04 baht, followed by 15,969.63 baht in the East, 7,140 baht in the West, 4,998.83 in the North, 2,021.34 baht in the Central region and only 1,265.97 baht in the Northeast.

Based on provinces, Bangkok ranked first, generating 331.45 billion baht, followed by Phuket at 94 billion, Chon Buri at 47.82 billion, Chiang Mai at 32.6 billion and Krabi 20 billion baht.

foreign visitors - people from countries outside Thailand who come to Thailand (for tourism, business, to visit family, etc)
domestic travellers -
Thai people who travel within their own country (for tourism, business, to visit family, etc)
equivalent - the same as เท่าเทียมกันกับ
factor - one of the things that effects a situation or event ปัจจัย
per head - per person, for each person
led the table - was first among all the items in the table (being measured)
contributions - something that you do or give to help make something successful การช่วยเหลือ
figure - an amount of money จำนวนเงิน
generated - created

(Source: TOURISM, New gauge better reflects industry's contribution, 27/08/2010, Chatrudee Theparat, link



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