Foreword
Abstract
On entering the 2nd quarter of 2021, countries have varied performance in the post-Covid-19 period. Some are showing positive signs of recovery, with New Zealand, Israel, and the U.S. rapidly deploying vaccines to a high percentage of the population, ensuring herd immunity. Meanwhile, others still suffer from the 3rd wave spread of the pandemic including Thailand. In an earnest attempt to restore the economy during the Songkran Festival (that falls on the second week of April each year) Thailand received the shocking news of a rapidly spreading 3rd wave, now with thousands of new daily cases. This rapid spread is due to the new deadly variant, combined with slow implementation of far too few vaccinations. Our best policy moving forward must be to protect ourselves well, working from home, and minimizing social gatherings.
An assertive call for greater numbers and speedier vaccination comes from the private sector via the Thai Chamber of Commerce, with all 40 CEOs agreeing that 0.4% vaccination of citizens is severely insufficient and will adversely delay the country’s economic recovery. They also offer help and practical guidelines (https://www.bbc.com/thai/thailand-56811305).
Amidst the pandemic crisis, the ASEAN summit that took place on April 24 in Indonesia unanimously reached 5 promising agreements. We hope all five will actually happen, helping to restore peace and justice in our neighboring nation.
On another note, we have been using a new submissions platform for authors [www.editorialmanger.com/abacj/] since mid-January, and make a switch to Publons for reviewer search finder services from April 1, 2021 onward, aiming to expedite our review process and increase the Journal’s visibility to attract more outstanding reviewers in relevant fields.
In the current April-June 2021 issue, we proudly present our regular issue featuring a variety of articles, including 4 in finance and investment, 3 in entrepreneurship, 2 each in logistics, tourism, and marketing and 1 in law, plus a book review.
