HTE402BKK
Doing Business in Thailand
Faculty
Worakamol Meepiarn
CEO & Founder at Phoenix Energy & Resources Co. Ltd
Course length
Duration
Total hours
Credits
Language
Course type
Fee for single course
Fee for degree students
Skills you’ll learn
Overview
This applied course prepares students to launch and operate high-tech ventures in Thailand. It covers Thailand’s political economy, customers, business culture, regulations, innovation ecosystem, manufacturing and commercial execution.
Students apply each session to a real venture and develop a Thailand Market-Entry Plan. The course includes field research, simulations, practitioner engagement and a high-tech factory visit, concluding with a board-level presentation.
Learning highlights
- Analyse Thailand’s economic, geopolitical and competitive environment.
- Validate customer problems and understand Thai decision-making.
- Navigate market entry, compliance, IP, data and government incentives.
- Design a Thailand-fit business model, sales strategy and financial plan.
- Develop partnerships, pilots and an evidence-based market-entry recommendation.
Course outline
15 classes
Thailand in the Global Political Economy and Business System
Thailand’s economic structure; its position within ASEAN and global value chains; relationships with China, the United States, Japan, the EU, and neighbouring countries; trade agreements; geopolitical balancing; supply-chain relocation; priority industries; conglomerates, family businesses, SMEs, and regional differences.
Finding Real Problems and Validating Thai Customers
Problem discovery; customer jobs, pains, and alternatives; urban and provincial markets; affordability; infrastructure constraints; Thai consumer behaviour; organisational buying; users, buyers, influencers, and blockers; translating technology into customer value.
Thai Business Culture, Relationships and Decision-Making
Hierarchy; seniority; face; trust; direct and indirect communication; consensus; relationship-building; formal authority versus informal influence; decision-making in startups, family businesses, corporations, and government; ethical use of business networks.
Market Intelligence, Industry Structure and Competition
Sources of Thai market intelligence; TAM–SAM–SOM; top-down and bottom-up sizing; competitors and substitutes; incumbent power; distribution control; market-entry barriers; value-chain and ecosystem analysis.
Business Formation, Foreign Entry and Operating Compliance
Limited companies, branches, representative offices, joint ventures, and distributors; foreign-ownership restrictions; nominee-shareholder risks; licences; BOI and non-BOI routes; corporate tax; VAT; withholding tax; accounting; employment; social security; visas and work permits.
Technology Regulation, Intellectual Property, Data and Cybersecurity
Patents, trademarks, copyright and trade secrets; employee and university IP; licensing and joint development; PDPA; lawful data use; cross-border data; cybersecurity; data-breach readiness; sector-specific technology approvals.
BOI, Government Policy and Thailand’s Innovation Ecosystem
BOI-promoted activities; tax and non-tax incentives; eligibility and application logic; government technology policy; NIA, depa and NSTDA; universities; science parks; incubators; grants.
International Chambers, Networks and Strategic Partnerships
Thai and international chambers of commerce; bilateral chambers; industry associations; embassies and trade offices; market intelligence; advocacy; business matching; soft landing; credibility-building; partner selection; distributor relationships and partnership governance.
Media, Reputation and Strategic Communication
Role of Thai and international media; media influence on markets and policy; earned, owned, paid and shared media; founder visibility; thought leadership; technology communication; media relations; misinformation; responsible claims and crisis communication.
High-Tech Factory Field Trip: From Technology to Operations
Structured field trip to a high-tech factory, including observation and an operational audit.
Thailand-Fit Business Model and Go-to-Market Strategy
Product localisation; revenue and recurring-revenue models; hardware-service combinations; platform models; affordability; local sourcing; channel economics; B2C, B2B and B2G strategies; distributors; system integrators; enterprise sales; government procurement and after-sales service.
Pricing, Financial Viability and Funding
Value and competition-based pricing; willingness to pay; gross margin; customer acquisition cost; lifetime value; working capital; payment terms; inventory; currency exposure; break-even; cash flow; grants; angel investment; venture capital; corporate investment; debt; cap tables and dilution.
Pilot Execution, Partnerships and Responsible Scaling
Paid and unpaid pilots; pilot objectives; success metrics; procurement-to-deployment; customer onboarding; manufacturing and quality readiness; talent; supply-chain resilience; scaling beyond Bangkok; ESG; anti-corruption; community impact and pilot conversion.
Thailand Market-Entry Integration Workshop
Integration of customer, market, cultural, legal, operational and financial evidence; identification of evidence gaps; risk prioritisation; implementation milestones; board-level recommendations and presentation structure.
Thailand Market-Entry Board
Integration and defence of market, geopolitical, legal, operational, financial and cultural evidence; answering difficult questions; determining whether to launch, revise, partner, postpone or stop.
Course materials
Media
Prerequisites
No formal prerequisites are required.
Basic business and entrepreneurship literacy.
Basic research and presentation skills.
Ability to work in multidisciplinary teams.
Completion of assigned pre-work and field research.
Methodology
Instructor-led frameworks and Thai business cases.
Customer, stakeholder and market research.
Team-based venture workshops and simulations.
Guest practitioners and high-tech factory field trips.
Final Thailand Market-Entry Plan and board presentation.
Grading
Apply for this course
Doing Business in Thailand
by Worakamol Meepiarn
Total hours
45 Hours
Dates
Sep 07 - Sep 25, 2026
Fee for single course
€1500
Fee for degree students
€750
How to secure your spot
Complete the form below to kickstart your application
Schedule your Harbour.Space interview
If successful, get ready to join us on campus
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