Mediated Effects of Product Designs toward Community Enterprises’ Financial Performance: Case Study of Thai Silk Product Groups in the Western Areas of Thailand

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the effects of knowledge sharing as a mediated factor toward the learning culture and the community enterprises’ financial performance of Thai silk product groups in the western areas of Thailand conducted by the path analysis of the product designs. This study was quantitative research, using a questionnaire as a research tool. Data were collected from 100 samples of community enterprise entrepreneurs for Thai silk product groups in the western areas of Thailand. It is statistically analyzed by percentage, means, standard deviation (SD), and structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses with the statistical package program. Results of this study revealed that knowledge sharing had a direct effect on the financial performance of the community enterprise. Adversely, learning cultures had an indirect effect on the financial performance of the community enterprises by using knowledge sharing as the mediated factor. Additionally, when the indirect effect of knowledge sharing and financial performance through the mediated factor of knowledge sharing was increased in all aspects of product design-including low, moderate, and high aspects (ranging from 3.743, 4.355, and 4.966 respectively). Furthermore, when product designs cooperated at a higher level, this could increase the financial performance as well (ranging from 0.315, 0.332, and 0.350 respectively).